"Dear John"

"Dear John" is about a US soldier, John, and a college student, Savannah.  The story begins in spring of 2001.  They meet in Charleston, South Carolina when John is on leave and within two weeks, they have fallen in love.  When John has to go back, they decide to write each other as much as they possibly can and tell each other everything.  But like Savannah says in the movie, "a lot can happen in 12 months," and things change.  I can't say anymore without giving it away, so you'll have to watch it yourself to find out the rest of the plot!

In some ways, "Dear John" wasn't what I expected.  The first half matched my expectations and I enjoyed the first half a lot.  But in the second half, things get somewhat complicated and confusing.   The ending also wasn't very satisfying - it was similar to the way "The Vow" ended.  You could infer that it's a happy ending, but I prefer for it to come to a better conclusion.  On the bright side, the acting was really good - I love both Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried.  They're really good at portraying real, genuine characters.  "Dear John" is a pretty sad movie, so don't watch it if you want something really uplifting.  But it is very thought-provoking...so basically, you just have to be in the right mood to watch it.

One of my favorite things about this movie was that watching it renewed my gratitude for those who serve our country.  It follows John on several of his missions and it shows the emotions that those brave people go through.  At times, it was heart-wrenching.  I'm so thankful for people who are willing to give their time and sometimes their lives for this country. 

We watched "Dear John" on Clearplay, since it's PG-13.  Clearplay did a pretty good job of editing the bad stuff out.  There weren't any problems with language.  There was a little blood because John fights in the war, but it wasn't too bad.  Clearplay did a good job of cutting out the inappropriate scene, as well.  I always get a little nervous when I can tell it's about to happen, but Clearplay always pulls through. :)

The Last Word:  Sad & thought-provoking romance with some unexpected turns

Eggless Cookie Dough

 

One day, I was craving something sweet.  So I was looking through my "FOOD" board on Pinterest and came across a recipe for cookie dough that you make to eat - not to bake, just to eat. :) Here's the recipe:

Eggless Cookie Dough
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
Pinch salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar and butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla and milk. Mix in the flour, salt, and chocolate chips until well blended. Chill in the refrigerator.

http://pinterest.com/pin/67624431875344526/

It was easy to make - just your normal cookie dough ingredients.  At first it was a little too thin, so I added a little extra flour.  I also added a shake more of salt.

Added flour

The texture was still a little different, but I ended up eating some before chilling it anyway. :)

Before being chilled

After it had chilled for over an hour, it had the texture of real cookie dough and tasted almost exactly like it!  I was pretty impressed.  If you leave it out of the fridge for too long, it gets thin again, so you have to eat it fast!  That wasn't a big problem for me... ;)

After being chilled longer

The Last Word:  Sweet snack to satisfy your cookie dough craving!

Café Zupas

My lunch @ Zupas

While in Utah, I met up with a friend and we went to Café Zupas in American Fork.  Zupas serves soup, sandwiches, salads, and desserts.  When you walk in and get in line, they have paper menus available to take and look at.  You give them your order and then they make it in front of you, similar to Subway.  I ordered the "Try 2 Combo" of a Chicken Chop Salad (without the olives) and the Honey Bacon Club Grilled Panini.  It also came with a chunk of French bread and a chocolate covered strawberry (hidden behind the salad in my picture).  I really enjoyed my lunch!  I usually don't eat honey mustard, but I liked it on my panini. :) It was all really filling - they give you enough food for the money.  I like how they tossed the lettuce in the dressing before adding everything else, so my whole salad had Ranch on it, not just the top layer.  They used fresh ingredients and it all tasted good.  They also had the soft, chewy ice in their soda fountain - that always makes me happy. :)

Zupas has a neat atmosphere, too.  I just like the way it's run.  Their employees were quick, friendly, and hard-working (unlike Penny's Diner).  It's really efficient - they get you your food as soon as they can.  When we were finished eating, we sat and talked for quite a while and one of the employees came over and offered to take our trays and bussed our table!  It was very nice and I had a pleasant experience there.  Zupas is only located in Utah and Arizona currently, so if you're out there, give it a try! :)

Menu

The Last Word:  Fast, friendly, and fresh café

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Quick Bread

 

http://pinterest.com/pin/67624431875562311/

Cinnamon Sugar Swirl Quick Bread

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/3 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup sugar. Add egg, milk, and oil to flour mixture.  Stir until just moistened.  Pour half of the batter into pan.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar. Cover with remaining batter.  Top with more cinnamon/sugar if desired.  Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in foil and let sit overnight before slicing.

I made this recipe the night before we left on our road trip since it requires letting the bread sit overnight.  It was really easy to make and it turned out great!  I made it in our 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 in. loaf pan and as you can see, it overflowed a little bit, but nothing bad.  I'm not very good at judging when half of the batter is in the bowl and half is in the pan, so I ended up putting 3/4 of the batter into the pan before adding the cinnamon/sugar mixture.  Even with my mistake, it turned out fine!  I also didn't put enough of the cinnamon/sugar mixture in, so there was too much to sprinkle on top.  It made quite a mess when it needed to be taken out of the pan...  

 

I think I baked it a minute or two too long, as well - the top was slightly burnt.  But take out my mistakes, and this quick bread recipe is fantastic! :) The bread is moist and it tastes great.  We all enjoyed it as a snack on the road.  It would be great to give away as a holiday gift or to make for a brunch.  We're keeping this recipe and making it again soon!

(without all of the extra cinnamon/sugar mixture on top; slightly burnt :/ )

  

The Last Word:  Simple, yummy quick bread :)

 

Clearplay DVD Player / "The Vow"

Before I write about the movie, it's important to know  that we recently purchased a Clearplay DVD Player.  Clearplay creates filters for basically every known movie out there that are able to edit out language, violence, sex, etc, so you can watch good movies without all of the bad stuff. :) It's a great idea, and so far it's working pretty well.  My only complaint with our DVD player is that the second time we used it, it started to have little glitches.  It would briefly stop the sound like it was going to edit out a word, when we knew it wasn't supposed to.  I've read some reviews on Clearplay DVD Players now that say that they break quickly and are cheaply made.  I wish I would've known that before we bought it!  Hopefully it will work for years to come....we'll see!

The first movie we tried on Clearplay was "The Vow," starring Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum as Paige and Leo.  In "The Vow," Paige and Leo are newly married and are deeply in love.  When they get in a car accident, Paige suffers from severe brain trauma and loses the past five years of her memory, including all memories of Leo.  Leo must then find a way to make Paige fall in love with him again.

 

With Clearplay taking out all of the bad language and sexual material in this movie, I loved it - so much that I watched it twice before we had to return it!  Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams do a GREAT job acting, as well as the rest of the cast.  Their love is so real and I admire the way they treat each other.  Leo is kind and always gentlemanly.  They're so cute together!  At first, I wasn't pleased with the ending.  I wanted it to keep going and complete the story better.  But as I thought about it, the rest of the story is implied and the ending is fine.  "The Vow" is an emotional movie - it made me cry more than once.  (Although, it's generally not hard for a book or movie to make me cry...)  It was heart-wrenching when Leo asked, "How do you look at the woman you love, and tell yourself that its time to walk away?"  As a viewer, I found myself attached to these characters and longing for their mutual love to return.  If you like romance and drama, then you'll enjoy watching "The Vow."  

**Note: From what I've read, there was a significant amount of language and a couple of other bad scenes that were edited out, so if you're watching without Clearplay, be cautious!

The Last Word:  Heartwarming & emotional romance full of amazing acting

Penny's Diner

After hours and hours of driving, we all decided in the middle of Wyoming that we needed some ice cream.  We originally planned on grabbing something quick at McDonald's, but we walked in and it was slow and disgusting.  A local recommended we try Penny's Diner instead.  We should've just kept driving.

The idea for Penny's Diner is cute - it's supposed to be an old-fashioned diner with vintage decor and such.  But the dirt on the floors of this particular Penny's Diner took away from the cute decorations.  We ordered 3 chocolate shakes and 2 malts and it took FOREVER.  There were two waitresses helping us and both were extremely rude about taking our order and making the shakes.  After two of the chocolate shakes were finished, we had to ask for spoons or straws and then she handed us a handful of 7 or 8 straws.  We only ordered 5 shakes.  They obviously weren't happy to be working that day.

 

We finally got our whole order and left.  Hoping the shakes would make up for the poor service and the fact that everything was overpriced, we all guzzled down on our treats.  To our dismay, they weren't even good shakes!!  How can you ruin a classic milkshake??  The grumpy waitresses were feeling lazy and barely mixed it up, so it was chunky and had clumps of frozen milk from letting it sit too long before mixing.  I ate my entire shake anyway, but regretted it soon after.  It didn't sit well at all - so much that I wasn't even in the mood for dinner.  If you know me, that's pretty rare that I don't want dinner!

I think I've made it pretty clear...don't go to Penny's Diner, especially the one in Rawlins, Wyoming.

The Last Word:  Poor service, overpriced and nasty food

CG Washable Waterproof Mascara

Earlier this summer on a trip, I accidentally left my regular mascara at home.  I usually wear waterproof, but I wanted to take my regular one so it was easier to wash off (spent a lot of time at the pool and the beach on that trip).  So I went to Publix and found this - CoverGirl's professional remarkable washable waterproof mascara.  I was pretty excited because I prefer to wear waterproof, just to be safe, but it's a PAIN to take off with baby oil every night. This would be perfect for me!

Unfortunately, this was a fail on CoverGirl's part.  It is not waterproof. :( As soon as I splashed water on my face, this happened...

Yeah.  Big disappointment.  However, it's nice mascara otherwise! :) It goes on nice and thick and it doesn't break your eyelashes like CG's waterproof sometimes does.  But, it's not what it says it is.  So if you're wanting waterproof mascara, don't buy it.

The Last Word:  Washable?  Yes.  Waterproof?  No.

"An Unexpected Love"

I took this book, An Unexpected Love by Michele Ashman Bell, with me on a road trip a week ago to pass the time in the car.  I got it for Christmas a year and a half ago, but it's just been sitting on my bookshelf - until now!

An Unexpected Love tells the story of Alex McCarty, a star in the fitness world.  She lives in California and makes a living by speaking at conventions all around the country and by filming workout videos.  Alex has had problems with an eating disorder in the past and her manager is concerned with her current weight.  So when her sister, Jamie, is pregnant, Alex's manager forces her to go spend a couple of weeks in Idaho with Jamie and her husband, Steve, to take a break and hopefully gain several pounds.  She isn't thrilled with the idea, mainly because Jamie and Steve are both Mormon, and she wants nothing to do with the "crazy" religion.  While in the small town of Island Park, Idaho, Alex meets Rich Greenwood, a good friend of Jamie and Steve.  They enjoy spending time with one another and there are possibilities of their budding friendship turning into something more.  With many trials and hardships coming her way, Alex must face important decisions and learn how to deal with hard situations. 

Overall, I liked reading An Unexpected Love. (It is another LDS romance, so of course I liked it!) I love Rich - he has really admirable qualities and a great personality.  I struggled to connect with Alex, the main character, because she's anorexic.  I'm basically the opposite of anorexic - I LOVE food! :) It was also a little strange for me to envision Rich finding her attractive because she was so deathly skinny.  However, I love Rich for loving Alex, despite her eating disorder.  This book was a little heavier than some of the other LDS romance novels I've read, but it's still a pretty good read.  I liked that the author wrote a lot about Alex's struggle with religion - it helped me to ponder more on my beliefs and was a good reminder of why I believe what I do.  I've definitely liked other LDS romances better than this one, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it!

The Last Word:  Interesting new perspective, above average read

Sweet and Sour Chicken

 

Here's another chicken recipe I tried, this time a Chinese dish:

 http://pinterest.com/pin/67624431875433616/

 Chicken Breading:
3-5 chicken breast
salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes. season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned. Place in baking dish. 3 chicken breasts can be in a 9x9 but 5 chicken breasts fits better in a 9x13.

Sauce:
3/4 cups sugar
4 Tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup white distilled vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk until smooth. Then pour evenly over chicken. Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. turn chicken and then cook for 15 more minutes.

Breaded chicken before adding sauce

Sauce - garlic salt, soy sauce, white vinegar, ketchup, & sugar

Nothing special here - I simply fried the asparagus in some oil and seasoned with salt and pepper

 This was slightly more complicated to make than I usually prefer, but it was definitely worth it!  I'm sure that if I made it again it would be a lot easier, too.  I used 4 chicken breasts to serve 5 people and we had one serving of the chicken left over.  I made white rice in our rice cooker to serve with the chicken.  I also pan-fried some fresh asparagus to go on the side.  This meal was very well-received - everyone loved it!  The chicken was moist and we all loved the flavor of the sauce.  Some of the pieces of chicken lost their breading, but that was okay because it tasted good anyways.  The general consensus was that it was even better than Hyvee Chinese food.  I'm pretty happy with this recipe. :) Without a question, I'll be making it again soon!

The Last Word:  Tangy, tasty chicken - a recipe to keep

Chocolate Bowls

My whole family LOVES chocolate, so why not create a bowl out of chocolate?

To make a chocolate bowl, you blow up a balloon (depending on the size you want, you may decide to use water balloons).  We washed and dried ours before dipping because we didn't want any balloon germs on our chocolate bowls. ;) On a cookie sheet covered in wax paper, make a foundation for the bowl by spooning some melted chocolate onto the wax paper.  Dip the balloon in the melted chocolate and set balloon on the chocolate base.  Harden in the fridge, pop the balloon, and voila!  You have a chocolate bowl! :)

(Click to enlarge)

Unfortunately, it's not quite as easy as it looks. :/ We didn't make the layer of chocolate creating the actual bowl thick enough - I reccomend dipping it twice.  We also didn't let them harden long enough, so it was difficult to get the balloons out without ripping the bowl.  I love this idea, so I'm going to have to try this again and hopefully polish my technique. :)

The Last Word: Great idea - a skill to perfect :)