I'm still alive!

I'm here to update whats been going on in my life... sorry for lack of posts, I've just been a tad busy.

there was the Keith Urban concert. it was a good time overall, but kinda a bust as well. Keith wasn't even there, he got stranded in NY and couldn't make it. then it downpoured, we all got soaked. but, that's the worst of it. there was funny things too. like the fact that the guys we parked next to knew my little brother. I made friends with like five people in our surrounding tailgate area. and Gina got super drunk.

then there was Chicken Nugget Day. yes, my family celebrates chicken nugget day. it was the first day Randy had a chicken nugget and a family friend started the tradition. this year we couldn't celebrate on the actual day (September 12) cause Randy was busy and I was at the Keith concert. we did celebrate a few days later. our family friend always supplies the nuggets, this year he bought 120. but we've had 200+ before. and we always joke around that we're "nugget touchers" or "touching nugs"

I've also dog sat Lois twice. she is such a little ball of fun, she cracks me up. and such a smart dog too.

and I watched the Tribe make the wildcard spot (now we just gotta hold onto it). I went to the game with Erin and this guy, we'll call him J for now, and we met up with Tyler and a few of his buddies. it was easily one of the best Indians games I've attended, even if it ended during the 7th inning thanks to a wonderful downpour.. but we still won!

and that's been my experiences lately. this weekend I have the Luke Bryan concert, which I've been excited for since I bought the megaticket. it should be one awesome time!

Alcohol Infused Cupcakes

yes, you read that right. thanks to Stephanie and her brilliant drink-filled cranium. I made her "4th of July" cupcakes, Memorial Day style. I don't think there's a more fitting way to share the recipe with y'all than to link-up for Stephanie and Chelsee's party link-up.

here's how I made mine::

step one- gather your ingredients.

I tried to stay on the path of Steph's recipe since I have negative baking skills. white cake mix, some regular frosting, a cupcake pan, and blue food coloring. with the vodka of course.

I happened to have UV Cake vod and Pinnacle Cotton Candy. which is what I used.

step two- follow the recipe on the cake mix box, but substitute the water for vod (as in, 1 cup water = 1 cup of vodka). then put it into the tin, after it's lined with the paper things of course, and bake. I made mini cupcakes, the oven was 350 and they baked for about 10 min.

step three- frosting. I put the whole can into a bowl and mixed it with 4-6 tablespoons of vod. however, I realized then that it was too much frosting and I probs could have gotten away with half the can. oh well. tip:: if the frosting is too runny just add powder sugar.

step four- after the cupcakes are cooled and the frosting is ready started spreading it on, and then top with alcohol soaked cherries. recommendation:: do not use moonshine soaked cherries, people think they're too strong. 

final product!

they were delish, everyone loved them!

also, do not touch the pans when they are in a 350 degree oven, or this will happen

obviously I know not to touch hot items and this was an accident cause the stupid oven mit wasn't cooperating. it didn't really hurt, I'm sure it will leave a nice little scar though. oops.

there ya have it, folks! if I can manage to make them, I'm positive anyone else could. for our big firework bonfire I think I might try adding whiskey.

anyways, I'm off to work. then home to get things organized to see Tim McGraw tomorrow!! first country concert of the summer!!

Weekend Update - Memorial Day '13

Friday::
worked. home. then back to Melt. (I went to Melt Wednesday with friends, and again on Friday.) I discovered a great drink- Berry Hard Cider. and tried a new sandwich- Rising Sun Melt, which was shrimp, seasoned greens, some kind pickle thing, and a chili aoli sauce. I wasn't a fan of the pickles, but the rest of it was pretty good. my dad and I went hafsies, he got the beef au jus (pictured below) and we split that and the shrimp sandwich.

Saturday::
I actually didn't have to work. this was the first Saturday in 3 1/2 years that I didn't have to work that wasn't requested off. I tried to sleep in, that failed. then I made Stephanie's vodka infused cupcakes (separate post to come later), before the Lear family came over for a cookout.

Sunday::
watched some Food Network and American Pickers, before seeing The Hangover 3- which was good, the ending is great.. first one is still the best though. and then of course I started watching the new Arrested Developments. (Stephanie, I had to get Netflix Instant Streaming for a month because of this show)

Monday::
Memorial Day!
started off the day by planting 200+ hot pepper plants, and about 100 more bell peppers//tomato//etc plants. #KirtlandPepperPackers. then it was to the Leber's for a pool party.. even though it was a high of 68 and drizzled on and off. 

and today I am FINALLY getting my haircut. last time I got it was in October. it's so long, and annoying.

BE FIT.

first I want to say I'm so happy that the girls from Cleveland survived their kidnappings and are finally free after all those years. also, to Charles Ramsey the guy who helped save the girls.. may God Bless you. not only did you help save them, but you're hilarious. God Bless you all.


(Cleveland at it's finest!)

I've been trying really hard to workout and eat healthier. it's been going great so far! I'm down 2 pounds at the end of the first week, woot woot!

the other day for lunch I made a hella delicious wrap.

I sauteed some fresh spinach with a little garlic, warmed up a little turkey, sliced up a tomato, and warmed the whole-wheat tortilla wrap. piled it all on the wrap, sprinkled a few crispy onions, and drizzled on a little red wine vinaigrette.

it was seriously phenom. and it was healthier than eating chicken nuggets.
plus, I've been eating more veggies and trying to eat more fruit. even though the fruit is kinda failing.. since I don't like much of it.

yesterday for breakfast I made a protein shake. it consisted of a scoop of protein powder, a banana, a little peanut butter, and some milk. it was pretty damn good.
lunch time I made a tomato//pepper open-faced thing. I just toasted a piece of bread. topped it with two slices of tomato, and a few 'hot' peppers (homegrown by friends of ours, they're technically hot peppers, but they're not hot in my opinion.. but they are very tasty) and then drizzled a little red wine vinaigrette over the top, and enjoyed it. I've been on a tomato kick lately. I also had some green beans, too. yum!

thanks to Sarah for the open-faced sandwich tip!

workout wise, every day I've been trying to do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and calf raises. plus some days I run my street, or do a workout dvd, or the elliptical. it's been going well so far, except I got scorched with sunburn from running my street. that wasn't very fun.
oh, and I heard about this workout app, which I already love! It's called Daily Workout. I forget what blog I read about it on, but thank you to that person! 

here's to another week of getting fit!
anyone have any tips//tricks that helps motivate them? or a good, easy, healthy recipe? 


one more thing...

 
I'm so excited to announce today that I've been voted into the LEEIB Hall of Fame!! Nathan gave me the nomination (again, thank you!!!) and then LEEIB readers voted me to be inducted.. how cool is that?! thank you thank you thank you!! :)

Melt and Turtles

oh how I love the delicious-ness that is Melt Bar & Grilled.

it's phenomenal. and every now and again I need my fix. which is exactly what I filled last night for dinner.

every month they do a special sandwich and this month's involved corned-beef so obvs thats what I got.. how could I pass it up? corned-beef is one of my most favorite things ever.. it's probs the Irish in me.

the Reuben Melt.

 it was delish.. one of the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life. SO GOOD.

I also ordered their drink special 'Shamrock Shake'

it was jameson whiskey, Bailey's, creme de menthe, and milk, poured over ice. it was delish as well. I think I'm going to make something like this for St Patrick's Day.

on another note Brian brought home a turtle from Daytona, FL. his name is Toby.

he's so tiny right now, but as long as he survives (cause apparently they don't do well with car rides, and Ohio is a super far car ride from Florida) he'll get real big. we love little Toby. he ate half of a worm last night, yay Toby! he wasn't eating his food, but Brian read that they like to hunt so he found a small worm and dropped him in. and Tob-ster actually ate most of it.

an Ohio tour

yesterday myself, dad, and gram went to the ever popular West Side Market, located in Cleveland, Ohio.

it was my first time there, and it was so much fun.. I can't wait to go back.

we started off visiting the produce along side the market. dad bought a few things: hot peppers, potatoes, bananas.. gram bought a few things herself.

then it was into the actual WSM. since it was closed for a month or so from fire damage, and yesterday was the first day opened again, the place was packed. but so neat. we got even more goodies inside.. dad bought various meats to bring home bacon, chicken wings, eye round, sausages, etc, and we all sampled some kinda bbq beef stick that's what my dad told the man, meaning he wanted a smokie but what the guy gave us were not beef smokies but it was delish. seriously so good. gram bought chicken on a stick, which was also good.

we then made our way out of the market to eat lunch. we walked down to a restaurant that we heard buys all their ingredients from the WSM, but unfortunately it was closed. we ended up at a tiny coffee shop, and enjoyed a cup of coffee with Baileys unbelievably good! we ventured into the Great Lakes Brewery just to take a quick peek, and snap some pictures to send to friends/family. then it was to finally eat lunch. after the first lunch failure, we heard Nate's Deli was a great place to go, so we figured we'd try that. Nate's was good, we all got some type of corned-beef sandwich. and it was very fast food-delivery I'm talking like 5min. at a sit-down restaurant that was jam packed.

overall, a very fun day spent with my dad and gram. it was a good first experience there and, like I said, I will definitely be going back. next time I'm trying the made-to-order crepes.. they looked ridic good.

@clane10:: "I'm left handed and I have a lazy eye, how do you think I can cut vegetables properly?" #FoodNetwork

@clane10:: "it could have been World War 5 and I'd have no idea" #ThingsMyGrandmaSays

@NotSCCleveland:: Happy Valentines Day to all Cleveland sports fans. Because if anyone needs a hug, it's us.

@italia2012:: when @clane10 tells you to do something. you do it. then later regret it. #missedconnections

@RainnWilson:: what if Dane Cook had a danish cook named Cane Dook. that'd be awesome.

life is good

Hallelujah!

I will finally be replying to comments through e-mail. it only took me eight months to figure that out. sorry for my lack of convenience. but here on out it should work. to quote Happy Gilmore: "where were you on that one dipshit?"

also, I just want to say that if you're ever in the CLE that's Cleveland area you should def check out Zocalo's it's a restaurant on the very popular East 4th street. and it's DAMN GOOD. especially on Tuesdays when it's half price giant-ass-mouth-watering tacos, and $5 giant-ass-mouth-watering margaritas. plus, it's within walking distance to Jacob's Field progressive field I guess is what people call it now and the Q. which is very convenient for a gal like me, who attends a crapload of Indians/Cavs/Monsters games.

oh, and if you're rich, they even offer outrageously priced shots... a $250 shot is the most expensive one.

proof it exists.

who the hell buys that?! cause I would love to be your friend. seriously. call me.

in other news, went to another Monsters hockey game last night. we lost in a shoot-out, but it was, once again, such a fun time. and I beat my record of being on the jumbotron four times.. this time I got on it SIX TIMES. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to beat that. but I'll definitely try every time. and there was a little boy sitting behind us, who was super stoked we got him on the jumbrotron too.

ignore my overly squinty eyes. thanks.

and I got to see Tassone play. Tassone is the player who gave me a puck at the last game.. but he only has a 25 game contract so I didn't get to see him play. this time he did play. and you better believe I cheered loud and proud for him.

there he is!! GO TASSONE #26!

well, leave me a comment or something so I can actually reply to it now.

life is good

blizzard warning.

good ol Chardon, OH had a blizzard warning in effect yesterday afternoon until this morning. but that didn't stop me from seeing Ashley and Erin and scarfing down Melt.
that's right folks, Ashley is back from Hawaii for a whole nine months!! yaayyyaayayya!! that's right folks we went to Melt to celebrate her arrival home. I tried the Cleveland Cheese Steak and it was one of the best things I've ever eaten. pilled high with thinly sliced beef, grilled onions and mushrooms, and cheese.. I of course got mine without peppers though.. a little sriracha hot sauce to dip into and it was phenom. I did take a picture, but it's on my old phone.

which brings me to my next item of business. Santa.

Santa was so good to me this year. I got a new phone -Droid Razr Maxx HD. my Blackberry gave me a great two years but it was time to move on to bigger and better things. I haven't even had this phone for 24hrs and I already love it. I couldn't get any fun apps on my Blackberry #blackberryproblems and now I can get them all things like snapchat, words with friends, blogger, etcetc. aside from my phone I also got::

a fit bit -it tracks steps taken, if stairs are involved, calories burned, sleeping habits, etcetc. 

three, yes THREE, bottles of ThreeOlives Dude Vodka  my favorite (courtesy of Brian, Randy/Melissa, and Mo/James)

a few new books thanks Brian!

a Browning shirt, for my year of camo. some Buckeye and Browns slipper socks, and a red solo cup car decal. thanks Randy/Melissa!

claddagh ring.

CLE Indians calendar.

a corkcicle to keep my wine chilled.

$100 to iTunes.

$50 to Amazon.

$25 to JCP, popcorn, chapstick, etc. thanks Gram!

$50 cash thanks Uncle Mike and Aunt Gina!

$13 in lottery winnings. 

homemade Hooch thanks Unlcle Rod and Aunt Rhona!

clothes.

etcetc.

 
and I think everyone loved the gifts I gave, which is awesome.
Gram absolutely loved her tv and was so surprised. we got it all set up for her, she couldn't believe the color and clarity. she also loved the Kindle Fire my parents/aunt&uncle got for her.

Christmas Eve 2012.

what did Santa bring you?!?

life is good

cookies, Christmas style

I attempted to bake this past weekend, here's how it went...

started with some Turning Leaf wine, in my redneck solo cup wine glass

first gathering the ingredients...

funny story with that.. I went to buy the mix stuff, and I did, came home showed Mom because I was excited about it, and she pointed out that I had bought Sugar Cookie "snack size" mix and not regular size mix. opps. so it was back to the store to get normal baking things. can you tell I don't cook?

don't forget the cat figurine.

in the oven

starting to frost

starting to get bored.. and creative..

flannel shirt for mr gingerbread man.. I was bored of frosting

some of the finished product

I also made pretzel Hershey Kiss things

lay out square shaped pretzels, and top with a Hersheys Kiss, then bake until chocolate is melty

then top with a m&m, and let cool in the fridge.

some of the cookies got a little too toasted, but most turned out okay. but as I stated I got bored of the frosting process and made a few cookies interesting. such as: cyclopes snowmen, targets on reindeer, super fancy stockings, and the flannel clothed gingerbread man. I think next year I'm just going to bake regular cookies that I don't have to put as much effort in to. the pretzel treats turned out really well though. I'd say overall it was a win.. but I've been stuffing my face since. tis the season.

 life is good

"everybody let's take shots!"

My house is still standing despite these gusts of wind, and heavy rain. Prayers go to all those further east whom lost homes, vehicles, etc. I hope everyone stays safe until Sandy is completely gone. So, if you're stuck inside here's two recipes that could help you feel better.

Jello Shots

step one:

get all the ingredients ready. lots of alcohol, and of course the jello packets.
(any flavor jello will do).

step two:

follow the recipe on the back of the jello box:

pour the packet into a bowl, add one cup of boiling water, stir until dissolved.

then add about a half cup of non-boiling water, and a half cup - full cup of vodka. (depends how strong you want them.) I typically use Pinnacle vodka (because it's cheap for jello shots but still good), but any kind will do.

**that is per box. so if you do two boxes double it. or three triple.**
I made 4 boxes, 2 of each flavor.

step three:

wipe cups with a paper towel sprayed with pam -it will make the jello not stick to the cups and make it easier to eat.

pour it into the little 2oz cups.

refrigerate. 

and there ya have it, jello shots.

Pudding Shots

 step one:

get all the ingredients ready. lots of alcohol, and of course the pudding packets.

make sure the pudding is INSTANT. not.. NOT.. cook&serve.
any kind of pudding will do, I used chocolate this time, but have also made cookies&cream, and the pistachio flavor is surprisingly good too.

step two:

(this is for 2 four-serving pudding boxes, will make about 50+ using 1oz containers)
in a bowl combine the pudding mix with two cups of milk. stir/mix together really well.
then add one cup of Baileys (or Kahlua, but I use Baileys), and one cup of Vodka (any kind, I use Pinnacle when making treats.. you could also get creative and use a flavored vodka.)

step three:
pour into plastic cups.
I recommend using the smaller 1oz containers instead of the 2oz ones used for jello shots. I've made them in the 2oz containers and felt that it was too much alcohol pudding for a shot. but the 1oz is perfect amount. You could also top with the alcohol infused whip cream if you so desire, or have it handy so people can top it off before they drink it.
*the pudding shots will not harden like the jello shots do, they will be a little liquidy. don't think you messed up because of it. thats just how they are.*

step four:
refrigerate.
and there ya have it, pudding shots!

sorry no pictures for the pudding shots. my Dad and Brian helped me make them because of a time crunch, and things got really messy.

but they turned out awesome and were a big hit at the party -as always.

any questions about how I make them, feel free to ask! or if you have a twist on how you make jello//pudding shots please share them with me!

life is good

 

FOOD.

I'm still under-the-weather. However, I'm loving this weather outside, it definitely feels like Fall now, and football.
So I'm sitting on my comfy couch (anyone ever watch The Big Comfy Couch growing up?) with BigRed. For those of you who don't personally know me, which is everyone but Melissa, BigRed is a giant red blanket.. the giantest, softest, warmest blanket known to man. And I'm bringing you my top five favorite foods, a day late.

one::

Cincinnati Skyline Chili

(which I've written about, here too)

my favorite food. It's spaghetti pasta, with skyline chili, topped with cheddar cheese, and it is delish! You can also add chopped onions, or kidney beans, if that's what you like. Oyster crackers go well with it, and of course, some hot sauce is a must.

two::

The American Hamburger.

Hamburger, not cheeseburger for me please (no, I'm not lactose intolerant, or anything like that, I'm just not a big cheese person.) I love me a good burger. And load it up -lettuce, tomato, ketchup, bacon, hot sauce, load it.

three::

Sweets.

Cookies, Candy, Ice Cream, Cake, Cupcakes, etc.

Ice cream is my favorite dessert, but if it has sugar in it I'm sure I'll love it. You could say I'm addicted. My favorite would be... chocolate moose tracks topped with some redi-whip and peanuts. YUM!

four::

Momma Lane's Chicken Parmesan.

Again, anyone who knows me knows that I do NOT like spaghetti sauce. I dont want it on my pizza, or spaghetti, or mozzarella sticks, or anything. Its gross, don't put it by me. But, I can handle plain jane tomato sauce. And thats exactly how my mom makes her Chicken Parm. Next time she makes it maybe I'll share the recipe with y'all. It's a winner fo sho.

five::

Perdue Chicken Nuggets.

Of course a Lane's food list wouldn't be complete without chicken nuggets.

Any chicken nugget is good, don't get me wrong. But my mom buys Perdue. You can buy them frozen or refrigerated, both are wonderful. An honorable mention nugget would be TGI Friday's chicken strips, if you haven't had them I'd definitely order them next time you hit up a TGIF.

There ya have it folks. My favorite foods.

life is good