Noodles & Company

 

  A week or so ago, I ate at Noodles & Company for the first time!  I was excited because my sister loved it and recommended it to me.  However, I was disappointed to find out as I was finishing up my order that their air conditioning wasn't working properly.  I couldn't bear the heat inside, so instead I dealt with the heat and bugs outside.  Not a great solution.

Wisconsin Mac and Cheese

 
I ordered their Wisconsin Mac and Cheese because I wasn't feeling very adventurous.  I realized after I ordered it that I don't know whether I got a regular or a small bowl...I didn't specify and they didn't ask me which size I wanted.  I got a lot, so I think I ended up with the regular.  Their prices are a little high for what they serve, but not terrible.  My meal was tasty!  It wasn't anything super special, though.  I will give them props for putting shredded cheese on top - that's something I haven't seen or tried before and it added texture and flavor.

Noodles & Company also had one of those high tech soda machines with a touch screen and different flavor add-ins for all different kinds of soda.  This was the first time I used one and it was really cool. :)  Apparently it's called a Coke Freestyle.

The Last Word:  A little lacking in service, but good quality food

"The Amazing Spider-Man" (and update)

The layout/design of my blog has been messed up for quite a while now, but I've kind of fixed it....it's fixed enough that I'm going to start posting reviews again! :)

Recently I had the opportunity to watch "The Amazing Spider-Man" on Clearplay.  "The Amazing Spider-Man" tells the story of Peter Parker's childhood, how he becomes Spider-Man, and the challenges he faces along the way.

I've never seen any of the other Spider-Man movies to compare it to, but I enjoyed it!  It was pretty intense compared to the movies I usually watch, but I liked how it kept me on the edge of my seat.  I thought the acting was great, especially from the leads - Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.  As an added bonus, Andrew Garfield is fairly attractive in my opinion. ;) Though some parts were pretty predictable, there were also several unexpected twists that kept the storyline intriguing.  I recommend this movie if you enjoy action films.  If you get motion sickness easily, then be careful watching this!  (We watch our movies projected onto the wall in our basement, so it's not for the faint of stomach.)

Clearplay did a pretty good job of editing in this movie.  I was rather frustrated because it cut out the kissing scenes. :/ But it did do a good job with the swearing, as usual.  As we watch more PG-13 rated movies on Clearplay, I'm starting to realize that you can't really avoid everything that makes a movie PG-13, like dark themes.  I probably still wouldn't want kids watching some of these movies - even if they're filtered through Clearplay - for that reason.

The Last Word:  An intriguing action film

Fudge

 

http://pinterest.com/pin/67624431875350617/

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 7 minutes

Yield: Makes about 2 pounds candy

Ingredients:

• 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, if desired

 

Preparation:

     Place chips and milk in microwave safe bowl. (You can use just the one package of semisweet chocolate chips, or add the milk chocolate chips for a fudge that is slightly sweeter and creamier.)  Microwave on medium power for 2-3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Microwave, stirring at 1 minutes intervals, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in butter and cream until combined.  Pour into greased 8" square pan and cool. You can also melt the chips and milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat.

You can add just about anything to this easy recipe. Stir in a cup of chopped nuts, add a cup of marshmallows after the cooking time is done, stir in chopped dried fruit or some white chocolate chips, etc.

The ingredients! I used a whole bag of semisweet chips as well as 1/2 cup of milk chips

Adding the cream and butter to the chocolate/sweetened condensed milk mixture

All ingredients mixed together, before chilling

This recipe for fudge was very  simple and easy.  However, I wouldn't say that it was ready to eat in 7 minutes...it would've been somewhere between solid and liquid!  So I let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before I cut into it.  When I did, it was pretty sticky - definitely a stickier texture than most of the fudge I've tried before.  That was only thing I didn't really like about it.  But the taste was great and it was melt-in-your-mouth fudge. :) If I make it again, I'm planning on adding nuts to break it up a bit because it's really rich!
This pan of fudge went down pretty darn quick in my house...

After chilling for a few hours.  *I used a 9x9 pan instead of 8x8 and it was fine.

The Last Word:  Plain, chocolatey goodness :)

Wilton Color Mist

Sorry the posts are so slow right now!  I've been really busy lately. :/ But I'm still trying new things! :) I started reading a new book today - hopefully it won't take me too long to finish and post about it.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I was looking for a way to make a bunch of cupcakes gold, and I came across this...

Apparently, Wilton makes edible color mist in various colors to spray on food!  It was a little pricy (as all Wilton products are) but it was worth it. :) If you follow the simple directions, it's easy to use.  Here's a close-up look at one cupcake with one or two coats of the mist:

I ended up doing 3 coats per cupcake to get it to the obvious gold color I wanted.  My guess is if you used a different color like purple, it wouldn't take as many coats.

One of the reasons why I liked it was because it didn't have a taste - it was like eating a normal cupcake.  It also looked nice and added a pretty shimmer. :)

The Last Word:  Quality product; pretty addition to cupcakes

"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