Becoming a Domestic Goddess

it's not often that I share recipes, mostly because I've never thought of myself as domestic or knowing how to cook more than toast...

but I've changed! 

since becoming vegan (which has been just over a month now!!!) I have become this domestic GODDESS! well that might be a bit of a stretch but I have really stepped up my game...not to toot my own horn or anything...

the point is

 i am a changed woman. 

I enjoy cooking now! we eat at home so much more often now that I'd be a damned fool not to get creative in the culinary department! In the first time in forever i actually want cookbooks (vegan ones) over clothes...well that's a bit of stretch...if you are for some reason looking to get me a gift (Easter, my graduation in june, my bday in September) DO NOT take my word on that! but you get the idea. and again not to toot my own horn but i have a small a$$ kitchen! ZERO counter space, i have to choose if i want my toaster out or the coffee maker, one at a time people - now that's sacrifice! so cooking in my shoebox of kitchen is no easy luxurious Paula Deen thang! 

it's a mess! a crowded, dirty, filthy, tango between me and my whisk... or should i say between me and my ninja (food processor thing my dear aunt got me! now i don't know what i would do without it!) 

so, all i'm really trying to say is i give myself more props because cooking in my tiny kitchen is like solving a puzzle - trying to find a place for the mixing bowl and the chopping block! 

so...i'm a little proud, if you didn't notice from all my horn tooting. 

and i apologize, i know it's not lady like, but i mean who am i trying to kid?! you guys already know, i am no lady! 

with that being said, i now share with you 

BLACK LUNG PIE

(because the pretzels can often be mistaken for cigs!) 

(name from a witty facebook friend, thanks! you know who you are!) 

i found this little gem on pinterest! 

(you should follow me if you don't already @Kayla O'Rourke) 

and it is the most simple treat you could make but tastes so dang good it don't taste simple!

that's our little secret! 

shhhhhh.

Ingredients:

16 oz silken tofu

1 cup peanut butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp soy milk 

2 tsp vanilla 

1 pre-made (or you could get fancy and DIY) pie crust 

2 handfuls of pretzels 

chocolate syrup 

prep:

mix together tofu, peanut butter, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla in a food processor or blender until smooth

scoop entire mix into pie crust and let refrigerate for 2 hours 

remove from fridge when ready to serve and apply chocolate syrup in pattern that tickles your fancy most and decorate with pretzels (crumbs, broken, or whole!) 

serve

 enjoy! 

the only thing i would add is the longer its refrigerated the better it looks when served (it was a b*tch to make look pretty on a plate!) 

this recipe is from: http://vegetarian.about.com/od/desertrecipes/r/peanutbutterpie.htm

we got to enjoy this fabulous treat with our new found old friends (because me and Gracie went to high school together, but hadn't seen each other in years!) who we love - Brian and Gracie!! 

Are they not the cutest?!? 

if you don't already hate them because they're so adorable you will once i tell you this:

they're expecting a little baby girl on the fourth of July! 

(little lady liberty in there ;) ) 

she's is going to be one of the cutest babes i already know! 

i mean...look at those genes! 

can't go wrong! 

Park Park Make it Bark

hello love doves!
happy hump day!
:)

so, this past weekend (pre-limousine extravaganza) 

we went on a little family date to the park. 

we brought our little furbiscuit 

she loves the park. 

the second we open the cabinet where we keep her leash she starts doing her little 

"park park make it bark" 

dance. 

it's one of my favorite things.

usually we just go to the park to frolic and take instagram pics that make it seem like we leave the house...

but this time, we went to the park with an agenda. 

to socialize carlita.

we've been told that carlita is socially awkward but as a loving and overprotective mother it really never crossed my mind; it also never crossed my mind that carlita may be a bit chunky... but thanks to some loving friends of ours that was brought to my attention as well. I mean yes, she is technically 10 pounds heavier than we were told she would be but, she is also an entirely different breed than we were told she was, so its really just all so mysterious. twilight zone mysterious.
i mean for all we know she could be a german Shepperd!
only time will tell.

before carlita was forced into the meat market they call "dog park" she was having a gay old time! 

biggest smile, sniffing every trashcan, shaking her tail feathers and such, just presh!

then we arrived.

we harassed her little furry bum inside the enclosure and she just stood right between my legs checking the scene. curious about bum sniffs but not quite ready to participate yet. 

then here comes kujo out of the blue and long story shortened
we left the park with all the undesirable things life offers:
a sprained leg for carlita
and
 for me... i left feeling like the worst mother ever
so much guilt.

"i should have picked her up"
"i could have saved her"
"i should have protected her better"
"i shouldn't have forced her to be such a social critter"

pat had to talk me down for days after.
i still feel awful.
it may be a while before we return to the dog park.
i'll just leave it at that.

on a lighter note...
we did snatch some cute picks :)
check it!

my poor baby :(
kills me.

P.S. I'm breaking out my camera, so i can give you some more quality eye candy ;)
i found out that i really like photography (that doesn't mean im good at it) 
but i really like capturing moments, so im trying to step up my game!
wish me luck!
XOXO

Ridin' In Style

Happy Weekend!! 

I sure am glad it's here! 

I'm sure all of you have just fabulous plans

but...

I think mine are better ;)

 I get to ride in a hummer limo!

Don't hate!

I know you're jealous! 

Green with envy, 

well, 

it doesn't look good on you! 

I know that many of you equate hummer limo's to Jersey Shore, 

Snooki, fist pumping, etc.

Or is that just me?

Well, I don't give an EF!

Because, I am OBSESSED with limos

and the bigger... the better!

It all started during my eight grade graduation.

My best friends parents rented a limo for her and all her chosen besties to cruise in on the last day of 8th grade. I was in, we were besties and it would be the FIRST time I got to ride in a limo!

(It was a white limo too which was the sh*t at the time!)

I know now like pre-schoolers take limos to school and everything, but I lived in a small ass town and to ride in a limo was a big ass deal! 

You were celeb status, royalty.

Pretty much... I had plans to Paris Hilton it up all over Grass Valley's ass 

UNTIL....

we got in a fight. Now, I have NO CLUE what this fight was about but then, but it was obviously big enough to get my tush booted out of the limo passe! 

I was DEVASTATED!!

I mean, way to pick a fight with the only person you know that has a limo, on the only week of your life there's a chance to ride in a limo!! 

Good job Kayla! 

I wanted to ride in the limo SO BAD, all the cool kids were gonna be in the limo, and me, what was I going to do now?! 

Go home and watch Fresh Prince Of Bell Air episodes and eat bon bons?!!?

F.M.L.

SO long story shortened - 

Limo's are still really cool and sparkly to me because of that traumatic experience. 

I feel like every time I get to ride in a limo I get back a little piece of my poor, pitiful, booted out, eighth grade self and DAMN it feels good! 

So that is why, my weekend trumps everyone else.

And don't worry, I will take 40 million photos of my giddy little self slippin and sliding all over those black leather seats! 

Yeeha! 

P.S. me and this girl are still friends and we would laugh together about this now...I hope :)

Happy Weekend! 

XOXO

Picnics Are For Lovers

Hello Lovies!!

I am still alive!

I made it through finals and now I am officially on Spring Break!!

Someone pour me a drink!

Bring on the booze!

Actually... I already began bringing on the booze last night and I've somehow been hungover all

  mutha -effing day, and I didn't even drink hard alcohol! 

It's unfair and I'm ashamed, but here I am 

Hakuna Mattata!

It was worth it:) 

Because I've been cooped up all this past week writing 3 eight page papers (24 total pages, if my math serves me correctly) and stressing over a 15 min presentation (yes, I did contemplate suicide several times) I haven't really been out much to enjoy the weather - or wear anything cute worth documenting. 

SO, today I bring you one of my favorite days,

 from one of my favorite weekends a few weeks ago! 

I've been meaning to share this whimsy little number with you for ages now but finals snuck up on me and before I knew it I was buried in books, no SUFFOCATING under books! 

But finally the day has come where I can blog in peace

 and not feel guilty about it 

because I ain't got SH*T to do now! 

Hallelujah Praise JESUS!

So pour yourself a glass of vino, put on some Black Keys or Lil' Wayne 

(whatever's your fancy ;) )

and enjoy! 

So we decided to go on a picnic.

We set up camp under this perfect tree.

We made Better-Than-Tuna-Salad sandwiches and freshly juiced apple and pear mimosas!

I twirled.

This park is just footsteps from our home! We're lucky!

We canoodled :)

I tried to get Carlita to pose.

Pat took pictures of me stuffing my face without my knowledge, but - not gonna lie, I sorta liked em'

My two favorites.

Me hauling Carlita's A$$ home.

The end.

Have a fab weekend!

XOXO

BIG NEWS PART 2.

I'm having one of those days today where I have so much stuff to do (Finals) that I don't want to do (finals) that I keep putting them off to do other things (watch the Bachelor finale, (yes, I know I'm late !) ) but I can 't enjoy anything because I know I have so much other stuff I should be doing (finals) :(

Ughhhhh 

I hate finals! 

On a brighter note, MY interview about going Vegan was featured on

 Truth & The Life,

 my dear friend and amazing photographer's new blog about her and her hubby going vegan! 

She shares her (so good you won't believe they're vegan) recipes and makes it easy for the most lazy undomestic person (me!) to go vegan! 

T.G.F.E.

(Thank God For Erica)

Go check out my interview and  her amazing blog HERE!

And if you missed Pat's hilarious interview from last week you can check that out HERE!

And If you missed the BIG NEWS about me and the Hubs becoming vegan and you're completely lost then you can check that out HERE! 

And If you're not completely overwhelmed and frustrated with the amount of linking that just went down in this post then enjoy yourself.

And, finally grab a bib to wipe the drool off your face while you salivate over these vegan treats Pat and I have made so far! 

We know you're jealous! 

Happy almost weekend! 

XOXO

The 58 Year Old Virgin

Happy Sunday! 

Hope your weekend is going fabulously! 

Mine is :)

San Diego has just been so sunny these past few days its a crime to be inside, so we've been out and about doing a little of this, a little of that. 

Except, now I'm inside, on my computer writing this... Oh well

I missed you guys! 

On Friday my darling husband turned 28! 

Such an old fart ;) 

Only a matter of time before I have to get him a cane and start rationing his daily salt intake! 

Just kidding! 

We had so much fun celebrating his birthday with family and my dear friend Natalie 

(it was her birthday too!)

In a few weeks we are planning to do brewery tours with friends to celebrate, but this was a very nice intimate celebration on his actual day of birth! 

We started with dinner at El Camino. I love that place the decor is nothing short of FABULOUS! 

So many fun things to look at! 

We had dinner and cocktails and instead of dessert (because there was no vegan dessert) the birthdayers and Pat's mom took Birthday shots! 

This was quite possibly one of the most special shot taking experiences of all time

BECAUSE 

my mother-in-love Judy had NEVER taken a shot before!!!!!!!!!!

NEVER.

WOW.

And let me tell you... SHE is a natural! 

She just threw it back!

Bottoms up Judy! 

You go girl! 

And that's when she gave herself the name

"The 58 Year Old Virgin" 

shot virgin that is, but none the less, we popped that cherry ;) 

Below is the evidence! 

After dinner we went out for drinks, we started at the top at Quality Social. 

Pat and the bartender, man bartender mind you, developed a very questionable and threatening bromance in the blink of an eye! 

At first I was just suspicious but all my suspicions were verified when the bartender gave Pat a free $23 dollar shot of Whistlepig whisky! 

(yeah, I know... WTF is Whistlepig?) 

AND shook his hand!

And, for Natalie - the Birthday Girl - NADA.

Pat tried to tell me that it was because they had a shoulder patch "bond" similar to the "man vest bond" but, I wasn't buying it. I'm just saying, I had some serious competition! 

But, who brought the birthday boy home....? 

THIS GIRL! 

Winning. 

By the end of our night we ended up at quite possibly the most ghetto fabulous place in downtown San Diego - McFadden's. It was like a porthole to Downtown San Diego in 2006 - the Dj was playing all my favorite songs from high school! And, let me tell you - if you are looking to have a "cheap" night on the town  McFadden's is the place for you! Everything is cheap at McFadden's; the drinks, the women, the entry (in more ways than one I'm guessing ;) )! We danced until last call, and by the end of the night there was so much sh*t on the ground and sloppy drunks tripping over their Charlotte Russe wedges  (us included) I felt like I was leaving a frat party! 

SO Fun! ;)

Birthday Sandwich! 

Judy taking her first shot EVER!!!!

Birthday Boy with his Cactus cup

Pickle Backs at Quality Social

The Beautiful Birthday Girl!

Drunk, Blurry, and Sweaty
How all good birthdays should end!
XOXO

XO Happy Birthday to my Husband! XO

Happy Birthday to my amazing Husband!! 

He's 28 today! 

Such a cradle robber ;)

When we first started dating I called him "Patophile" like pedophile, ya know because I am 5 whole years younger! 

Oh, he loved that :)

I'm sort of obsessed with him and I already made 2 Facebook tribute posts, but hey, what's one more, it is the mans day of birth after all! 

I'm really going to be scrounging for some new words when I have to fill out his card! 

SO... here we go

Patrick Sean O'Rourke 

you are my favorite Irish, Jew/Christian 

I love every thing about you, even though I get annoyed sometimes when you ask for back scratches over, and OVER, again I still love it, it shows your persistence which I love. I love that you think you started the tribal trends at various man stores lately, I love how the second you get home your pants come off (no not like that dirties ;) ) and you roam around in your boxers like Homer Simpson, I love how you always put me and Carlita first, I love how every time you come back from grocery shopping you have a treat for Carlita, I love how passionate you are about helping people, I love your confidence, I love that you consider my family your own, I love that you wave at every baby you see and make me look at how cute they are, even though it makes me feel creepy :/, I love that you let our bedroom be shabby chic and mostly pink ;), I love your sense of style,  I love how you make phone calls from the "oval office" ;), I love that you smell candles and look at books  at anthropologie while I scour the sale section, I love that when you go to traffic court people think you work there and when they ask you questions you can answer all of them because you've been there SO many times, I love your bad luck with traffic cops haha, I love that you're always there for me 100%, I love that you still pursue me and plan cute dates for us, I love that you're not just my husband but my best friend, I could go on and on, but I do have to save something for his card ;)

Happy Birthday my Love! 

Hope you feel how loved you are today and everyday and I hope today can be half as special as you are - ( I know some of you may have just puked, or maybe you puked a while back...but I love this man, so If my cheesiness made you gag- sorry I'm not sorry! ;) )

I love these pictures. I wish I could remember what we were laughing at!