Hold Your Breath

I have a new flavor obsession. (Have you noticed I obsess a lot? it's part of my personality.)

Garlic.

That's right. I am in love with garlic. I've found it makes all of my favorite foods even better!

Examples:
-Adding roasted garlic as a topping to your favorite pizza. (i. die. yum!)

-Roasted Garlic Hummus. (makes my favorite treat even better!)

-Parmesan Garlic Pita Chips. (goes great with the above dip)

-Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow spreadable cheese. (perfectly portioned and lightly flavored)

...now if only I could figure out a way to enjoy it without worrying about my breath! But it's so worth the risk... yum!

UPDATE: How could I forget a couple of my other favorite uses for garlic??

-Add garlic powder to your burger patties, or be bold and serve them on garlic bread (ala Marvin's famous "GCB" Garlic Cheeseburger)

-Garlic mashed potatoes

-Garlic & Herb marinades, especially the 30-minute kind from Kroger

Bingo!

I played this new game last night when I was out with a few friends, and it is 100% entertaining! If you like people watching, you will love this new challenge:

Bar Bingo!

Each square can be popped out and folded down (not punched out = reusable!) as your group locates the bar staples, such as "phone texting" "loner" or "visable thong." When someone gets 5 in a row, they yell Bingo and the rest of the group buys them a drink. It's very fun and can easily be played in any club, bar, or restaurant where you hang out! There are 12 in a pack, so everyone can join in.

Available at Amazon for $8.99

We need some Up Time

Check it out, and Turn It Up!

Poppin Bottles

I love this gift idea from Hostess with the Mostess featuring bottle openers from CB2:

At $4.95 each, they suggest adding one to a 6-pack of beers for your next hostess gift. Love it!! What a great twist on the ol' bottle of wine gift!

And those designs are too fun! Each face reverses to a different face on the back. I want one of each! (which would also make a good gift given as a set).

New Year's Eve on a Budget

I was very pleased with my New Year's Eve party decorations this year. I built on items I've used in the past, and continued my Silver/Gold/Black theme. I used a bunch of inexpensive items purchased at Party City, combined with some touches of my own, and servingware accumulated over the years. I think it all pulled together really well and looked very nice (for a very modest budget!).




Champagne bar (before the chilled champagne) and part of the buffet spread (after people started snacking). Food was spread out in several areas to avoid congestion in the kitchen.




Custom painted margarita glasses (perfect hostess gift given to me by friends!!) were used throughout the buffet. Small disco balls placed in a black bowl added some nice sparkle to the table as well.

Gold and silver candies accented the buffet spread inside margarita and martini glasses, on top of gold and silver sequin placemats...

Even the garage was decorated for those playing games... a little more casual, but still keeping with the overall theme. The backdrop was a little wrinkled in this shot, but it worked nicely to cover your typical "garage" stuff.

Overall, I thought the house looked very nice. I definitely need a professional photographer to capture the details better than I can, but I was pleased with how it turned out. The easiest way to decorate on a budget is to go with a common color scheme. The colors I chose are popular enough that I can find items all year long (and on sale after other holidays) to add for next year.

Guess it's time to go start collecting items for next year already! Happy 2010 everyone!

Kibble Katch

Hey all you iPhone-ing dog lovers out there!



If you want to use your iPhone to help poor dogs in need, download the new Kibble Katch app. It is a game that helps donate dog food to needy shelter dogs. The app only costs a couple dollars, and while you play, you could help feed dogs all over the country.

The app is part of www.freekibble.com and is sponsored by Halo Purely for Pets and Ellen Degeneres. Together they will donate up to 1,000 pieces of kibble (4 full meals) for every app downloaded. As you play, you collect kibble pieces and donate full meals yourself.

Watch this video for more info: http://www.octv.com/video.php?db=411OC&id=245

You can get the app via iTunes or at www.freekibble.com/katch

Christmas at CHUMP Studios

Watch as I punk Joe T on the Christmas edition radio show...