I have a dream...

to be a Jeopardy! champion. And so, I included my online contestant test in my 30 by 30 list. I put reminders in my calendar and phone and kept seeing it on my reminders lists all day. I was pumped!

This is the screen you see while you wait.

So I was signed in and got ready to go. 30 seconds before the test opened, the Jeopardy! music began and my blood pressure went up.  There were 50 questions with only 15 seconds to enter your answer; needless to say the experience ended before I knew what happened. While I didn't know all the answers, I did ok. And as usual I had few come to mind from my TV watching.

Here are some of the questions I can remember so you can test yourself! (You only get 15 seconds to type an answer in the test so there's no way to cheat Google the answers!)

• 35th state author of “A Room of One’s Own"
• Husband of Beyoncé and rap mogul (Also, who knew that Beyoncé was in the Microsoft dictionary?)
• This Shakespearean title character said "Is this a dagger which I see before me..."
• Yerevan is the capital city of this country in the Caucasus Mountains
• 2012 TV show based on a John Grisham novel (See...TV!)
• Rimsky one-act opera from 1897 entitled Mozart and this Italian Composer (I knew this one thanks to the Simpsons)
• In this Stravinsky ballet, the prince uses a red feather to summon the title character
• Group of three born under the sign of the lion
• Strong metal named after the child of Uranus and Gaia
• Palmetto State
• This organization with a clover as its symbol is more prevalent in agricultural areas
• Hephaestus’ Roman equivalent – the god of fire

(I'll post the answers later for those who might be interested.)

Alex thanked me for taking the test.

In the end, I probably didn't make the cut this time around, but I won't stop trying! Apparently most folks who get on the show take the test multiple times and may have multiple auditions before ever making it on the show.

30 by 30

Well 2012 has arrived. I knew this year would come...the year I turn 30. (Yeah, you should be jealous!) I know it's just a number, but it has me thinking.

I'm going to be 30 in 221 days, no matter what, so why not meet that day with a pocket full of confidence? I don't want to do "Extreme Makeover: Kaycee Edition", but I do want to accomplish a few things.
Here goes....

I will update this post as I accomplish any of these "goals".

1. Read the Book of Mormon (again). (8/23/12)
2. Go down 2 sizes. (5/1/12 - Completed and then regressed back to original size. :( )
3. Visit a friend in another state. (2/25/12- went to Arizona and visited my cousin friends April and Christy.)
4. Create (and not touch) an emergency fund.
5. Make a list of things I want to accomplish in my 30s (40 by 40?).
6. Finish the New Testament.
7. Complete a 5K.
8. Delete MySpace and Xanga (transfer info to Facebook?).
9. Create a budget and live by it.
10. Buy a camera.
11. Perform ordinances in the Mesa, Oklahoma City and San Antonio temples. - (Mesa was awesome, 2/24/12)
12. Be a vegetarian for a week.
13. Learn "Single Ladies", "Shuffle" and "Thriller" dances.
14. Pay off consumer debt.
15. Get a passport.
16. Make dinner and bring lunch 3 times/week.
17. Trace family tree back 2 more generations on Mom's side. (Completed 8/1/12 - Went back 1 more generation with the Mulleavys which opened another 4 generation. Woo hoo!)
18. Read 12 books for fun (Here's the list so far:  A Lucky Child, The Darcy Connection, Goodnight Maman). 3/12 = 25%
19. Read the Conference Ensign before Conference. (Completed 3/12/12)
20. Mail a card to someone every month.
21. Post to Pinnovations blog at least 30 times.
22. (Re)Memorize all the Seminary Scripture Mastery scriptures.
23. Go to 2 Mid-Singles activities.  (Completed 7/4/12)
24. Decide what I want to be when I "grow up".
25. Memorize the Family Proclamation.
26. Take the Jeopardy audition test.  (Completed 1/18/12)
27. Memorize 1 quote from each of the members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
28. Memorize a piano piece.
29. Scan my old photos.
30. Readers’ choice!  Leave a comment with a goal for me to accomplish - something exciting, attainable and awesome.

John Besh Is a Genius

Mom and I went to the grocery store on Wednesday night before closing. Crazy? Yes! But necessary. We did not have enough butter, heavy cream and whipping cream to complete our annual Butter Day feast. I was also on a quest to find the elusive mirliton to recreate a delicious dish that Aunt Rite made 3 years ago (Happy 3rd Anniversary Megan and Justin "Anything but Beiber" Bush).

The adventure began at Aldi where we were able to buy 8 dozen eggs and 12 cans of rotel tomatoes. (Don't ask.) Then we made a pit stop at Yogurtville (tasty deliciousness) before heading to Sprouts. Sprouts had a spot for chayote (the Spanish name for mirliton), but alas, it had been taken over by eggplant. Boo!

So off we went to Wal-Mart. Yes, that evil place. But, they came through with the mirliton. And so it began...

Mirliton, Andouille and Shrimp Dressing
Adapted from John Besh
TOTAL TIME 1 hour 30 minutes .

Ingredients
Salt
4 mirlitons (also called chayote)
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
2 yellow onions, in medium dice
2 bell peppers, in medium dice
4 stalks celery, in medium dice
2 bay leaves
Freshly ground pepper
Creole seasoning mix, to taste
1 baguette
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp (30 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 pound andouille sausage, or smoked Polish sausage, in quarter-inch slices
1 cup shrimp stock (see note)
1 bunch green onions, julienned
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups panko

Preparation
1. Bring about a gallon of water, with 3 tablespoons of salt, to boil in a large pot. Add mirlitons and cook covered for 30 minutes. When tender, remove to a bowl of ice water. Once cooled, peel, then cut each in half and remove seed. Cut into medium dice and reserve.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add onions, peppers, celery, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning. Cook for 25 minutes, until vegetables are soft, and butter browns slightly.
3. Meanwhile, tear up baguette and grind in food processor with metal blade attachment.
4. Add shrimp to vegetables. When shrimp begin to take on color, add ground bread. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, to fully incorporate bread and let it absorb liquid. Remove from heat and add mirlitons, sausage, stock, green onions, and cheese. Stir well and adjust seasoning.
5. Transfer to 9-inch-by-12-inch casserole and top with panko. Bake until warm and crusty, about 30 minutes.

NOTE
For stock, simmer shrimp shells for 10 minutes in about 1 1/2 cups of water.

So it's been a while...get over it!

I just wanted to say "HI" to the blogosphere and offer my promises that the blog will soon have some fun stuff posted. Without a camera, I've felt my posts are boring. So, I vow to you - my blog lurkers - that I will post what I've been up to and some fun ideas of what you can do with your time too! See you real soon!

Pick your poison....hurricanes or zombies?

With hurricane season on the horizon and flooding along the Mississippi River, emergency preparedness is at the forefront once again. I was impressed with the CDC's cleverness in trying to share the same information in a new way...ZOMBIES!



On another note, who knew it was Zombie Awareness month?

Friends and co-workers will support weight loss - latimes.com

Friends and co-workers will support weight loss - latimes.com

Let's see if this really works...

Crazy, Sexy Tiger...

I was reading my scriptures tonight and saw the phrase that the sons of Mosiah were desirous to "go up to the land of Nephi." Now for normal people this would mean nothing...but for me...it brought back memories...ENJOY!

Go Up to the Mountain

Sobe Fuel sound bite

Latin Guy wit a Ponytail (and maybe play some guitar)

Sobe Green Tea: Monkey Cat sound bite

I'm not acting, baby!

Sobe Dragon sound bite

Chubby Little Love Handles

Sobe Lean sound bite

The Fat Got Scared

Sobe Lean: Promoting FatLoss sound bite

Crazy, Sexy Tiger

Sobe Energy sound bite