Ramblin' Renee: Things I Like & Don't Like This Week

Since Kim writes her likes/dislikes for the week I decided this week for Ramblin' Renee I would follow suit. Well for sure, one thing I hate this time of year in Illinois is the darn spiders. Take a look at this ugly bugger over there. It is questionable if it is a brown recluse spider which are said to be poisonous. This handsome guy was found at my dad's river house in Wilmington. It was just crawling up the side of his house. YUMMY!!! Since finding him, I have found several big spiders around the outside of my house too. It is getting to be that time of year when they get cold and want to snuggle with us at night. No thanks!!

There were two things I liked this week. First, if you will take a gander at my fine Picasso painting on the left. A few friends and I went to Vino Van Gogh which is a new thing around here. The company provides a teacher who paints a picture and you follow along. The first time, I went with Kim when she was still an Illinois resident. We painted a vase full of flowers. When I got home my husband said my painting looked like a truffala tree from the Lorax. Well, this time was different my friends. I painted my first masterpiece. Ok, so it is not great, but for me it is!

The second thing I liked this week was my Oberweis shake. YUMM..... I am sure that Kim is missing Oberweis. It is AWESOME!!! After an early dinner at Chili's last Saturday we went to Oberweis to partake in their sweets. I have to say that they have the best strawberry shake ever. It has to be made with whole milk. Really low in fat, ha.... ha.....

Well, after all that, it was as a whole, a good week. So Kim, live through me on the Oberweis shake because I don't know how I would be able to send that to you in a care package!

Later for Now! Renee~from Illinois

What KiM Likes/Dislikes of TeXas/Life this WeeK

 

Francis Ford Coppola

I have an issue with some Alcohol where I believe I am allergic to it because it makes my face all red and blotchy.  I discovered this wine one year and really like it so I though I would share my Like for Francis Ford Coppola Wine. Maybe because I have been drinking a lot of it lately.  :)

Like that it turned to Fall here and we are beginning with a Chicago Summer for Fall  LOL.

Peppermint Mocha Creamer

Like Halloween and the fact that our block has a dress up costume party and pumpkin races.  I am so excited for the pumpkin races I am looking up what our theme should be as we speak.

Love that every morning I have a cup of coffee with Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer in it.


Like that you can see how fast you type at Rank My Typing check it out and let me know how you do. (Leave a comment below with your WPM)  I can type 46.1 WPM  The reason why I went looking for this was because there was a course being offered in our district for Home Based Medical Transcript Business.  UGH well I can do that...except for the fact that they want you to be able to type 70WPM and as you can see I am no where near that.

Dislike that the UPS man and FedEx man always pass my house and leave me no packages.

Like that our Starbucks down the street just opened up.  YIPPEEE  Not that I am a huge drinker of Starbucks but if I do decide that I want one I have the option to get it conveniently. My two favorite drinks are Chai Latte and Green Tea Lemonade.

LOVE that two girls from BooT CamP said that I looked like I was losing weight.  UGH I still can NOT fit in my 30 million pairs of shorts in the closet.  Its going to be winter soon and I will have to wait till spring to wear them.  Maybe I will have a better shot of fitting into my jeans.  Does it get cold here even??

Love that I won a contest this week. Will fill you in when it arrives so I can take pictures.

Like that we had no Football game this weekend due to a Bye week and Rain.

At the EnD of the Day I have been a slacker on Posting so I will do better to pick it up next week.~Kim from TeXas

Tell me what you liked or did not like this week and what your typing WPM score is??

If Gunner could just WaLK NormaL....

Since moving to TeXas I have been trying to walk Gunner more often.  For those of you who know my dog is a pretty bad walker.  The second he goes outside he becomes jojo the idiot boy and takes off at 100MPH with your arm attached to him.  

Needless to say we have tried many ways to help him get under control when he walks.  Yes you can guess it he still takes your arm off.  I don't know what it is with him but UGH REALLY!!! 

I felt bad for our oldest son who one day wanted to walk GunneR.  He comes back in the house just a few minutes later with grass stains all down the front of him.  UGH what happened??  "Gunner took me for a pull along the Grass."

Could you walk like all the other NORMAL dogs that I see with their owners.  Nice Leisurely not wanting to rip my arm off the ENTIRE walk!!!  Look out if there is another dog in the vicinity you are pretty much ScreweD. Stop and braise yourself because Gunner is looking to get in the grass to really dig in and get running.  People will walk to the other side of the street because he looks like he wants to EAT you. 

I have to share todays walk because it was amusing.  I just got back from BooT CamP kicking my butt and legs for an hour.  Sorry Gunner we are pretty much going around the block today.  It is a very LARGE block because everything is BiGGer in TeXas.  As we were tooling around we were sprayed by sprinklers to cool off.  Both Gunner and I liked this.

As we were getting close to the turn we approach a lady (homeowner) talking to what appeared to be a landscaper in the street.  Me and Gunner do de do de just trucking along till WhaP...I get pulled back to Gunner Relieving/Marking on this ladies front bush. UGH Really Gunner??  As I yank him and tell him to ComE she goes silent from YAPPING with the landscaper.  Then she proceeds to say "Well NOW I know why my BusH is Dying over here."  Really??  Way to go GUnneR get us busted and that is the first time you have Relieved your self on her BUSH.  LOL  Sorry LaDy I can't help when my dog decides to Pee.  But we may be back for that comment. hahah Just Kidding.  Maybe 

Now I am a dog owner that NEVER leaves my house with out an arsenal of Poo bags.  I can not tell you how BIG of a pet peeve it is of mine that people just leave there dogs poop where ever and not pick it up. REALLY??  You know your dog is going to POO so Bring a Bag and PICK IT UP.  

When living in Illinois we backed up to a field and path...I can not tell you how many people I yelled out of my house "Do you need a bag for that??"

As we turn the corner I am relieved that he did not decide to take a poop on her front lawn.  tehe te he.

Now look out the poor landscaper had his head covered with a bandanna to cover the back of his neck.  Well Gunner does not like this, hair on the back of the neck sticking up and barking like crazy.  UGH Gunner Really?  Now what is the most amusing is the guy pushing the lawn mower just ahead of us has just seen this take place.  He is now as far to the left he can get on the other side of the lawn mower looking like he is scared to death of Gunner.  Really??? Does he look that scary?  As we walk by he says "Nice Doggie?"  I am laughing really GUnner???

Mind you we are just walking around the block which is really not that far. 

As we head around the next turn we are tooling down the street heading for home. Its time for Gunner to do his "thing" and I have my arsenal of poop bags.  As I am using them a woman walks across the street ahead of us with two little white dogs.  UGH WhaP there goes my arm as I am trying to pick up the PooP.  UGH Really Gunner?  He is barking and digging his paws into the side walk trying to do the Running Man because...HELLO GUnneR you are still attached to my ARM.  

Now I have to stop and hold him here for a bit so the woman and her dogs.  Who by the way are walking like they don't have a care in the world.  Not even noticing that my dog is going Nut Zo back here trying to get your attention.  Seriously...I just want to get home...the lactic acid from my work out is making me more sore as we speak.  Finally they are far enough for us to get going...lets get home before something else CraZy happens.

At the EnD of the DaY...we love Gunner even though my right arm is now a few inches longer than the left from all the pulling.  ~Kim from TeXas

Gunners question of the day to his Doggie Friends out there...What is your favorite dog treat?  Gunner Said his is a Bully Stick.


Leave him a comment from your dog letting him know what their favorite treat is.  

KiM's CooKing with ToFu ~LooK OuT

Okay so this Eating for A has me making things that I NEVER would have touched before such as ToFU.  The only time I ever remember eating ToFU was on a trip over seas with my dad when I was in College.  They gave me a piece of Fried ToFU and I kid you not it smelled like a Horse Barn.  I could not eat it NO WAY.  I ate a lot of other things on that trip probably way worse than this Horse Barn Smelling fried ToFU.  I was not going to have that happen again so I have stayed away from ToFU...Till Now.

My first step was to decide which kind to get. Well in all the reading of recipes I was to get a Hard/Firm kind so it keeps its form when cooking.

Here is the kind I purchased at HEB.  No idea why it just seemed the most authentic...what ever that means.

Here is what it looks like sitting in all the water.

Now draining it and smushing (is that even a word?) all the water out of it was not fun at all.  Every time I cut it into the cubes I had to smash water out of it. I went through a ton of paper towels.

In a lot of these recipes it calls for Oyster Sauce which just sounds WronG. But I picked some up and its not too bad.

Here is a picture of all the ingredients that I used in the stir fry.

Zucchini Chopped in cubes

Fresh Pea Pods

Chives, Garlic and Ginger

Water ChestNuts and Bamboo Shoots, which by the way DO NOT ADD they made the dish AWFUL.

Oil in the Pan

Add ToFU till it is golden brown then take out of pan and set aside

I am trying other types of noodles that are not regular pasta so today we are trying SoBa Noodles.

Stir fry all the other veggies and spices

Then add the sauces and ToFU

Add the Noodles and Wha La you have a fun ToFU Stir Fry. Just don't use the Bamboo ShooTs YUCK!!

At the End of the DAY it would be much easier if the ToFU was drained for me but... 

I do Like ToFU I do Like it Kim I am...~from TeXas

Do you EaT ToFU?  Leave your favorite easy ToFU recipe for me in the Comments below I may just try it.

KiM LoVes SouP~Bok Choy, Kale and Spinach Recipe

The first thing I have to say is that I LOVE Soup. Kinda like French Fries but not as much but a close second or third! 85% of the time if there is a good soup on the Menu I am ordering it. 

My longest running soup that dates back to when I was a kid.

1. Clam Chowder - Who does not loveee a good (insert Boston accent) ChOWder.

2. The beef noodle soup that I used to eat at the little Bohemian restaurant in Oak Park Illinois back in the day (so sad the place was tore down :()  We used to go and get the soup and just dumplings with gravy. YUM Anyone know of a Bohemian restaurant here in TeXas??

My Favorite Soups as of Today

1. Any Cream of....Soup from The Patio in the Chicago area.  They hands down are AWESOME and it comes with a side of french bread to DIP

2. My friend E introduced me to a Spicy Beef or Pork (not sure) tip noodle soup at a little Chinese Restaurant in Aurora. We would go at least once a week at lunch time.

3. Since Eating for A I am a Miso Soup Addict.  Feeling Hungry Miso Soup...Bored Miso Soup...Mid day Snack Miso Soup.

4. OOoohh One more I love Hot and Sour Soup

I can go on and on because I LOVE SOUP which leads me to this wonderful Machine.

This fun thing you are looking at is NOT a blender.  Nooooo it is a Soup Maker.  LOVE IT.  

It has a heating element to sautee' your garlic/onions before adding the soup to heat.  I just need Cuisinart to make a Soup Cookbook for this thing, the little one that came with it is not cutting it.

Okay Moving on to My Bok Choy, Kale and Spinach Soup

I use two small bunches of Bok Choy

One box of Vegetable Broth 

First I added the Garlic Chopped with a bit of olive oil to saute and soften 

In the mean time I cut about 1 cup of spinach

Bok Choy chopped

Kale Chopped

Add the Liquid, ginger and leafy greens to the soup machine

After I am done cooking it I turn on the puree and Wah La

We have Neon Green Slime Bok Choy, Kale, Spinach Soup

Here is my KiMs Throw together a bunch of stuff to make Soup Recipe.

1 small chunk broken off of the big stalk of Ginger

1 box of Vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bunch of Kale with the stems cut off and chopped

1 cup spinach

2 small bunches of Bok Choy chopped

1 clove of Garlic

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil.

1. Set your Soup Maker on Medium and saute the garlic in the olive oil for about 6-8 minutes.

2. Turn the Soup maker to High and add all the ingredients till it begins boiling.  Once boiling turn to medium for 30 minutes.

3. Once the timer beeps begin to turn on the blend starting at 1 then to 3 for 2 minutes total. Taste and add any spices etc.

4. Enjoy your soup.

At the EnD of the DaY Eating for A will make me more creative in the Soup Department. ~Kim from TeXas

Do you have this soup maker? Have you ever heard of it before? Leave a comment if you tried the soup or have any questions about it.

What KiM got for Free/Won this Week.

WOW this was a big week for some free stuff and I even received my gift card that I WON!!  Yes I did win something a while back  WHOOT WHOOT. 

I was very sad because my free sample of Progresso® recipe starter exploded in the mail.  I received it from the post man in a sealed bag because it was oozing out of the box.  I could not open the box because there was liquid all over.  It smelled GREAT.  I emailed the company to let them know it had exploded.  The offered to send me a coupon because they did not have any more samples.  I hope it is a good one because I really wanted to try this out.

The first thing that I recevied this week was this Emergen-C which came in a fun package that made me feel like vacation.  :) I really like the Marketing the did for this piece and the design.  The inside was fun and engaging with the samples.  I am excited to give this a try.  I like the "Rip. Fizz. Gulp." tag line.  Who can't use a boost of Vitamin C every once in a while??  It did have a coupon included on the inside flap for $1.00 off.

This next sample came from Arm & Hammer® for sensitive tooth paste from the makers of Orajel®. The sample came in a outer box that helped keep it from being smashed.  You would not believe how some of these samples get to you.  The message was pretty boring with no bells and whistles in the packaging pretty straight forward.  But they did have a "You could win a free gift!" that perked my interest since there was no coupon included I went and entered for a free gift.  Pretty much you had to fill out an online survey.  Wish me luck!!

I seem to keep getting many samples of shampoo.  I have to figure out a good way to start using these.  I may keep them for when I go on a trip because they will travel great and I can toss the packaging when I am done. Simply U I can honestly say that I have never heard of before.  Is that bad??  I am very interested to use this sample.  It also included a coupon for $1.00 off 2 items. 

The next sample is also shampoo from Garnier® Fructis which is what I have been using a lot lately so for me this one makes me happy.  Packaging was fine just a trifold with a sample.  No coupon :(

Here is my 10$ gift card from Seattle's Best Coffee that I won.  I actually received it.  YEAH so you can actually win something.

Flexitol...Ever hear of it??  I have not but I do have a free sample which is interesting.  Since moving to TeXas my heels have gone crazy peeling and looking GROSS so I am secretly excited to try this and see if it helps.  Otherwise I will be back on Pintrest looking for ways to fix my ugly heels.  LOL

ProForce Commercial Floor Cleaner and Carpet Cleaner.  (Head Tilt) Hummmmm.  This was kinda neat it came with some liquid samples to try and some cool reusable food service towels.  This was a sample that came from Sam's Club. Just a small blurb for directions on each package.  I will be passing these off to the Husband.

**Please note that all my comments on these products are my own and I search out these items on the internet for free samples because it is a fun obsession.  Just an FYI for anyone reading.

At the End of the Day...I still enjoy getting free samples and can't believe how much companies send out for FREE.

Have you or do you use any of these items that I received for free this week?  What do you think of them?  Which one would you like to try? Leave a comment and let us know.