Lets be honest

I am a terrible blogger. I really am. I go weeks without posting. But thats not to say I dont love it because I do. I truly love the idea of having a journal of my life and the growth of my daughter documented as well as all my cooking endeavors. Im just busy. Im a mom, a student, a girlfriend and a daughter of Jesus. All of those require my time and my effort. They are rewarding in their own right but it is a day to day journey to be all those things. Lindsey is at the stage where she is incredibly mobile and such a joy to play with that I hate wasting any time I have with her. She is learning so much every day and amazes me constantly. I love her more and more every day I have with her. I made the deans list this semester. That in itself soaks up the majority of my free time. But to say I am proud of myself would be the biggest understatement of the year. I am more than proud because it has been challenging but will be incredibly worth it when I am finished. My relationship with my Creator is one that I thirst for more of. I sit down for my bible study in the morning and I take in as much as I can. I crave for more of Him and His presence in my life because since I have fully given my life to Him, words cannot express the feelings of joy and peace that surround me.

So Im not the best blogger. But that is one of my goals for the new year. To squeeze it into my hectic life and enjoy it. Because what is life if its not enjoyed? And with that I give you...

Oh Rachel Ray you are a woman after my own heart with this recipe. I kid you not if sexy were a dish this would be it. The feta and cherry tomatoes compliment each other beautifully with the combination of salty and sweet. Then you add the sweet shrimp cooked in hot chili that is balanced with velvety butter and the acid of lemon just pops at your taste buds in all the right ways. The picture does less than justice on how beautiful and satisfying this meal was. 

GARLIC CHILI SHRIMP AND GREEK SPAGHETTI

adapted from Rachel Ray

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided

6 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped, divided

2 tablespoons chili flake, divided

1 pound jumbo sweet shrimp, deveined

Sea salt and pepper and/or Rachael’s seafood seasoning

2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped oregano or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 cup feta cheese crumbles

1 pound bowtie pasta

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon butter

Juice of 1 lemon

Place 1/4 cup EVOO in a shallow dish with half the garlic and the chili pepper. Add the shrimp and season with seafood seasoning; add salt and pepper if not included in the blend. Marinate and chill for 1 hour.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt the water.

Heat a skillet with a tight-fitting lid with the remaining 1/4 cup EVOO over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and chili; stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and oregano; cover the pan and raise the heat a bit. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the tomatoes burst, 10-12 minutes. Mash up the tomatoes a bit and add the feta; stir to combine and reduce the heat to low. Season with black pepper, to taste.

Cook the pasta to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water just before draining.

Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until pink and firm and brown at the edges. Douse the pan with vermouth; add the butter and melt. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat.

Toss the pasta with the starchy cooking water and sauce for 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a platter, Top with the shrimp and the remaining sauce.

Summer TV Showdown

There have been a few new shows busting onto the scene and have caught my eye. Those, along with some old faves, have kept my DVR full! Bravo is seriously doing it up. New girls on Real Housewives of NYC, crazy catfights on Housewives OC, annoying Guidices on Housewives Jersey and my new fave Miss Advised. Not to mention TNT has remade the old hit Dallas and that is full of twisted lies, drama, and some seriously hot guys.

Lets take a minute to break it all down, shall we?

Real Housewives of New York

So this season we no longer have loud mouth Jill, clinically-insane Kelly, and passive Alex. But yet I miss them. The newest housewives are Aviva Drescher, Carole Radziwill and Heather Thomson. Aviva is related to The Nanny's Fran Drescher and lost her leg at the age of six in a farm accident. I haven't quite figured this girl out. She almost seems too willing to be friends with everyone and kind of passive. Carole Radziwill is an Emmy award winning journalist and real life princess. She was married to Anthony Radziwill whose dad was a polish prince and his mom a kennedy. Talk about a birth line. This girl is fascinating. She is honest without being annoying but seems really true to herself. Heather Thomson is the creator of "Yummy Tummy" shapewear line. So far I am not a huge fan of this gurl. She seems kind of fake and eager to please. Although, she did not invite Ramona to London (spoiler!). With the other girls, it seems like she just wants them to like her. As for the vets, Ramona Singer, LuAnn De Lesseps and Sonja Morgan, the drama continues. LuAnn seems to be stirring the drama stew with the new girls and Ramona seems as crazy as always. I miss the other girls and not too sure how excited I am about this change. Housewives of NYC has gone downhill since Bethenny left.

Real Housewives of the OC

This will seriously always be my favorite housewives. Even though through the years housewives have dropped like flies, it is always great entertainment. This season is wrapping up and it may be one of my favorites so far. Alexis and Gretchen's friendship is on the rocks as well as Vicki and Tamra's. I was not too sure about new girl Heather Dubrow, but she really grew on me as the season progressed. She is classy and does not have to flaunt it. Ahem Alexis... But let's just focus on Vicki's new man Brooks. Can we say opportunist?! He drives her car, lives in her house, and has access to her money. Throughout the season you see all of Vicki's friends try and bring this to attention including her daughter, Breanna. It's pretty pathetic that Vicki is so desperate she won't even listen to her own daughter. Cant wait for the reunion!

Real Housewives on New Jersey

I have no idea why I even watch this show. It must be a guilty pleasure. But seriously Teresa needs to get a grip with reality. I sometimes cringe when I watch her because she is the definition of phony. It is all about status and money with her. Caroline has cut ties with her and when Jaqueline tried to confront her about all the tabloids she just turned the tables. At least she didn't flip one this time. And who did she go crawling back to? The people she bashed the previous season, her family. Gah so much drama.

Miss Advised

How much do I love this show? Seriously way too much. This show is based on a dating columnist, a sex expert, and a matchmaker and their journey to find love while breaking all their own rules. Julia Allison, the one in white, is a dating columnist from LA and by far my favorite person in this cast. She is so relatable and so real. Julia has written for numerous magazines including Cosmo and Elle. The one in the middle is Emily Morse, a Sex Expert from San Fran. Emily has her own radio show called Sex with Emily and has been featured in the New York Times and has a sex book recently released. She is pretty funny and has a no holds bar attitude when it comes to sex. I really appreciate her honesty. Last but not least is Amy Laurent in the gray. She is a matchmaker in NY, has a book coming out this summer and has an 88% success rater with her clients. This girl seems a little rigid. She needs to do some chilling out before I can decide if I like her or not. Anywho, so so excited to see what this series has to offer!

DALLAS

TNT has brought back the 1978 drama and gave it a fresh makeover. The next generation of Ewings join JR, Bobby and Annie Ewing at South Fork Ranch bringing a new level of deception and betrayal. Josh Henderson, Jesse Metcalfe, Jordana Brewster, Julie Gonzalo and Brenda Strong join iconic starts Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray and Larry Hagman. This show is about power, money, and oil. Everyone has a secret and it seems no one is really genuine except Bobby, Annie and Christopher Ewing. To say its addictive is putting it lightly! I seriously look forward to every Wednesday for my Dallas fix. Great idea remaking in TNT! I highly recommend checking it out.