Oh Pinterest… how did we live without you?

Most everyone knows by now about the phenomenon that is Pinterest, and how it has awakened the DIYer, Crafter, Chef, Interior Designer, Fashionista, World Traveler, and artist in all of us, just with a simple click and label!

Anyways, Pinterest came in most handy for me this weekend when I was craving cookie dough. Before Pinterest, I would have either made a batch of cookies only to eat half of the dough, or more likely made the Toll House recipe substituting raw eggs with milk (lets be honest, we’ve all done this at one point in life.)

However, since I’m trying to be slightly conscious of what I am eating these days, I took a moment to check out Pinterest, because I recalled all those fun pins promoting HEALTHY COOKIE DOUGH! (yeah ok….no) After a few minutes exploring, I came across this “Greek Yogurt Cookie Dough Recipe.”

Yeah I didn’t believe it either, but I thought, what the hey, let’s experiment! And if it failed, I was going to re-pin it on the “Pinterest, You’re Drunk” Board.

And guess what? It was pretty good AND It CURBED the craving! WAHOO!

OK, so nothing beats the real deal cookie dough. But I still love this… and here’s why:

• I didn’t have the “I just ate a whole bowl of raw cookie dough and gained 10lbs” shame after eating.
• It’s RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE. A bowl and 2 spoons got dirty in the process. no need to breakout the food processor for this one!
• All the ingredients are SIMPLE and you probably already have in your pantry/fridge. Some others called for tofu, chickpeas, coconut oil…yeah that wasn’t in my pantry. Good for you if that is in yours! You are probably a lot skinnier than I am.
• it made just enough. I wasn’t back in the kitchen 2 hours later looking for another snack.

So here is my successful recipe. Here is the original blog it came from. I used Oikos Low-Fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt (the John Stamos free kind) and probably added a few more chocolate chips than 1tbsp…I’m sorry! I’m a girl…

Below is a blog I wrote a couple years ago around this time of year…March Madness Season. Though years have past, last names have changed, my feelings and theories still ring true. So if you are new to the world of March Madness, welcome, and enjoy the advice below! 

I love March Madness! I do love college basketball. It’s a passion that started when I became a cheerleader at good Ol’ Milligan College and I fell in love with the excitement and thrill that comes with watching basketball.

Sure we never made it to the Big Dance, but it was enough to get me hooked onto March Madness.

And I will also admit- I am a horrible college basketball fan throughout the season because there always seems to be something else more important, so I usually end up making up for lost time and become a psycho-super fan for the next couple weeks. (and most of the time there’s nothing else on, so unless you have a bunch of stuff on your DVR, enjoy it!)

ANYWAYS- I’m sure there’s plenty of buzz going around the water coolers about office pools and bracketology…who’s the Cinderella story and who’s the dark horse….who’s your elite 8 and your upsets? I’m always amazed at the scrutiny and analyzing that goes on during this time! However- you shouldn’t let the over-analytic thinking get you down and discourage you from entering a bracket into the office pool! They are so much fun! And the best thing about it is everyone has an equal chance once the games start….and usually the guy that was bragging about his stellar picks ends up with the bleeding bracket. If anything- that is worth entering the pool!

So over the years I have come up with my own way of making my bracket picks…and fair warning…my methods have NOTHING to do with stats! So if you are serious fan, go away. You will just be frustrated.

SBC(M)’s BRACKETOLOGY 101:

- go with your gut- write your choices in PEN! I know! I’m going against every grade school teacher’s philosophy that I had when I say that, but it’s true. Overthinking causes doubt and leads to those “ARGH! why didn’t I go with my gut?” moments that we all hate. AND it also saves you from those cheaters who write their choices softly and half erase them and try to say “oh well I had that down!” You can also go with a pool online and fill out your bracket electronically. Computers don’t lie for you. 

- it is OK to fill out many brackets! – when Syracuse is in the Dance, I fill out two- one as my dream bracket- with one of those said teams going all the way to win. The second one being more realistic and thoughtful with my choices.

-be sure to allow some upsets- I know I said earlier I don’t go by stats- but the little tiny numbers are sometimes smart to go by in the first couple rounds. Your 8&9, 5&12, 7&10 and 6&11 games are going to be where most of the upsets happen….so be sure you allow a couple of those….1 for each region maybe? and the best way to choose these is to base your decision on:

• school location – would you rather vacay in Cali or Maryland? or did you have a bad experience with some cheese in Wisconsin?
• school mascot – if those two mascots were in a fight for realsies…who would win?
• school popularity – have you even heard of said school? If not, go with Hollywood references- Ole Miss if you’re a fan of Sandra Bullock’s performance in The Blind Side, and Marquette if you’re a fan of Tommy Boy (Tommy Boy’s Alma Matter).

because really…..they’re gonna be some upsets…so you may as well base your decision on silly reasons.

- the coolest names are always the safest bets!- Who can’t love a school called GONZAGA!! Seriously- part of me wants to go get a second degree from there and become important enough to change their mascot to GONZO! Creighton and Bucknell are always fun names too…

- family/friends personalize your bracket - have family that went to Michigan or Butler? you best be putting them down to make it to the second round! Family that lives in Cincy? Go for it! Is your ex’s alma mater in the tourney? Make sure his/her school gets beat in the first round.

- when in doubt- its all in the team colors. I personally can’t stand UT’s shade of orange. It makes me sick. Also make note of team jersey styles. Sorry IU fans, but I want to slap the person who thought it was ok to give IU clown warm-up pants. And even though I was only in 6th grade at the time….it still makes me mad….UK should have been disqualified for showing up to the tournament with denim jerseys! yuck!

So there ya have it! SBC(M)’s Bracketology 101! Hope this guide will help you in your bracket choices….and if it doesn’t, at least you had fun filling it out!

Sara Beth

So I’ve finally jumped on the Downton Abbey bandwaggon, and I am hooked!

True, it may be filling the 30 Rock shaped hole in my heart (I miss you Liz Lemon! Blerg.), but I believe this love for Downton will continue to ring true.

I love this show for many reasons, and one of the top 5 being the lovely Dame Maggie Smith.

She’s always been lovely and absolutely fantastic in every role she’s ever performed, but I feel like her performance in Downton Abbey may just give Betty White a bit of competition for being the coolest Senior Starlet in Hollywood. Yes- I said it. She has some of the best lines throughout the show. Check out a good portion of them here (because you know that there are more than listed!) http://www.vulture.com/2011/01/downton_abbey_maggie_smith_quo.html

So if you haven’t jumped on the Downton Abbey Train yet, do it. It’s worth signing up for the free month of Netflix .

And just for fun- One Direction Downton Abbey Style

Hey all! Happy Thursday!

One of the best parts of my job is adding new music to QMIX, and that excitement is tripled when it’s one of my favorite artists. This week I added FUN.’s “Carry On” along with new Bon Jovi (“Because We Can”) and new artist Vicci Martinez with CeeLo Green (“Come Along”).

While all those songs and artists are fantastic, FUN just holds a special place in my heart, mainly because I was a fan of Nate Ruess’s former band “The Format” way before he ever dreamed of FUN. The Format during their time only garnered the attention of alternative music lovers unfortunately, but when listening to The Format you can hear the insane creativity that was just waiting to be developed into what is now FUN.

So- lesson to be learned? Support those artists that aren’t on the top charts yet, because they may be there someday and you always feel a sense of pride that you listened to an artist before they became big.

Also- If you have already worn out your “Some Nights” Album and looking for more FUN (haha!), Check out The Format- my favorites? “The Compromise” and “Dog Problems”

“The Compromise” The Format

“Dog Problems” The Format

Disclaimer about “Dog Problems”- It sounds circus-y (is that a word?) at first, and it may scare you, but I’m telling ya it will grow on you! Plus I LOVE the video….love love LOVE it! Also, I’m rating it PG-13 for language (one word) and slight content, so if you hit play at work be aware of your surroundings! headphones are always safe! I would hate for you to get in  trouble on account of this song.

Happy Listening!

Sara Beth

So in case you were under a rock yesterday, last night was the 70th presentation of the Golden Globes! And as I promised in my previous post, I want to share some of my favorite and not so favorite threads of the evening. And since last night had soooo many highs and lows, I thought I would share some of my other favorite moments!

First- the Threads…. my favorites…
There were several looks last night that I loved, but I think these 3 are my favorites. Pretty much if you wore red/corral last night you rocked it! Claire Danes however wins it all in my book because she JUST GAVE BIRTH A MONTH AGO! WHAT THE WHAT?!? All women secretly hate her for that- but then she totally redeems herself when she admitted in her interview with Al Roker after she won the Golden Globe that she needed to cut it short because she was ready to feed her son… HA!

Other Favorite Moments:

• Anytime Tina Fey and/or Amy Poehler were on stage. Or in the crowd. Seriously though- can they host every award show? Please?
• On that same note- Can Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig introduce every category? “And then she was like ‘GET OUTTA HERE!!’”
• Taylor Swift’s Stank Eye when Adele won Best Song. HA! Can’t win them all T-Swizzle!
• Watching all of Hollywood freak-out when Former President Bill Clinton took the stage. It was like watching tweens flip out over Justin Bieber or One Direction!
• Anne Hathaway’s “Blerg” and Jodie Foster’s “I’m 50!”- My top two favorite women in comedy referenced in one night?!? WIN!
• Jennifer Lawrence- “I beat Meryl (Streep)!” You got some GUTS girl!

My Not so favorite threads-

Ugh to J.Lo. I feel like she was just trying to drum up press like she did when she wore the infamous green dress. Don’t get me wrong, she has a great body, but come on. A little taste would be great thanks.

Jessica Chastain- I really didn’t want to put you on this list, because red hair and Tiffany’s Blue go SO WELL together! But that whole droopy thing going on in the chest area…not good at all! (Calvin what were you thinking?!?)

And finally a tie between Halle Berry and Lucy Liu. I don’t get it- both ladies are beautiful and yet they choose these hot messes of dresses. True they are statement dresses, if your statement says “I want to look like drapes today.”

Other Not so Favorite Moments:

• Mr. Tarantino’s speech….”I’m surprised I won this!” uummm- you were nominated…you had a 1 in 5 chance to win…you could still prepare a thank you speech. and no, waxing on about your process does not make a thank you speech.
• Paid Cable Networks (HBO, Showtime, etc) in the same categories as basic TV networks (Fox, NBC, CBS, etc). I always feel that super great network shows get snubbed because they lump paid cable in with “free” TV networks. Can we please keep them separated? Please?
• Not enough Tina and Amy….haha!

Welp, there ya have it! My faves and not so faves from this year’s Golden Globes! Can’t wait for the next awards show!

-Sara Beth

And I feel fine! (Now let’s all go see “The Hobbit”! haha)

Seriously though- did you know anyone that seriously believed today would be the end of the world? If so, what did you/they do? Did they stock up on “supplies?” Go on a ridiculous shopping spree since they thought they wouldn’t have to pay it back? Or on a more positive note, did they love on friends and family like they wouldn’t see them tomorrow?

I love the idea of the final thought…what if we really knew the world end tomorrow? Or the next day? Would we be completely selfish or un-selfish? Or would we set out to accomplish those dreams that we keep putting on the back-burner? How would our lives look if we knew the world really was going to end soon?

Just something to ponder as we head into the new year….

Sara Beth