Recipe: Iced Peppermint Mocha

Note:  I'm traveling the rest of this week for work, so I'm posting this a day early!! Enjoy!


You already know that I love iced coffee drinks.  They are the bomb!  I also try to stay away from the coffee chains because they can really wreak havoc on my budget.  So instead, I thought why not give these new 'off the shelf' coffee products now popping up all over our grocery stores a chance?  I am in love with mocha's as I just think coffee needs chocolate to taste good - Period. And now that it is the holiday season, I have ditched my pumpkin obsession for all things peppermint!  It is so wonderfully delicious. That's where Starbuck's Via (R) Peppermint Mocha comes into play.

I've actually had a package of this product in my pantry for some time now and I just never really knew what to do with it.  Then it hit me.  I must make my own Iced Peppermint Mocha - but not in the traditional sense. I wanted it icy and delectable.  Viola!  The Iced Peppermint Mocha recipe was created.  I hope you love it as much as I do!

Iced Peppermint Mocha
Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 packet Starbucks Via (R) Peppermint Mocha

1 C Milk (I used coconut, but virtually any non flavored milk can be used here)

1 packet sweetener (I used a stevia/sugar blend - you can use more or less to taste)

Ice cubes

Directions:

1. Fill your magic bullet glass, 1/2 way with ice cubes.

2. Pour in one cup of milk.

3. Sprinkle in the packet of Starbucks Via (R) Peppermint mocha and sweetener packet.

4. Completely blend until you hear that there are no ice chunks left.

5. Sip with a straw and enjoy!

Until next time,

J.K. Sasse

2013 Holiday Favorite Things

A lot of the blogs I follow publish a favorite things and most of them even give all of the items in their favorite things away.  Isn't that awesome?  I however am just starting out, so this year it's just a listing of my top items and hopefully in years to come I'll be sending out a care package to one of my readers with all of the items listed!  Below is a picture of each of my favorite items and under that is a brief description of the item and where you can find them.  Cheers and happy holidays to you all!

1. Kiss Me Tonight by Philosophy is by far one of my most favorite things this holiday season. I slather it on right before I go to bed at night and it keeps my lips so nice and soft.  It is a must have for your bed side table.  I purchased this directly from philosophy.com and right now they are offering 30% of your order - I think it's time to stock up!
2. Gluten Free on a Shoestring's Bakes Bread book.  It has revolutionized the dry crumbly gluten free bread making of your past.  Please purchase this book for all of those GF peeps in your life - they will love you for it. I promise!  It's full color and a wonderful read with lots of tips and tricks.  I got mine on Amazon.com but barnesandnoble.com has it too.
3. Hershey's peppermint bark bells are by far my most favorite new holiday candy this year. The bottom of the bell is a scrumptious dark chocolate while the top of the bell is peppermint white chocolate with crunchy and festive non-perils decorating it through out. SO YUMMY!  I've only seen these at Target, which is ok by me because they have a cartwheel coupon deal going on now so you can save 5% off!  I don't know if they are solely there but I can't even find them on Hershey's site, so off to Target you must go (or they are online too)!!!
4. The World's Softest Socks.  That is all there is to be said.  They are divine and keep your tootsies warm in this chilly weather.  They are the cheapest at Costco where you can get a package of 3 pairs for $9.99 - they are a steal and are completely gone as soon as they come in stock, so run there today!
5. Bath & Body Works Limoncello Soap and Lotion is about the most lemony hand soap and lotion you can find out in the market right now.  I'm so glad I wandered in there this past month.  I have found that most of the shops at the mall have the soap but the online store is sold out!  It is the exact opposite for the hand lotion - all of the stores are sold out but it is available online. I stocked up because I never want to be without this - ever!!!  Check 'em out online or in the stores.
6. Origami Owl holiday charms in a classic bling locket.  I recently went to my first Origami Owl party and purchased a locket with some other charms and then I saw the holiday ones - be still my beating heart - they are so cute!!! So I stocked up and got them all!  Find an Origami Owl stylist on their website to help you out.  These are great for holiday gifts.  The best part is that they come in a small chinese take out container and come with a silk fortune cookie holder to keep them in.  Love this!!

Good luck this holiday season, there are only 15 shopping days left - it was a short one this year but hopefully my favorite things have given you some ideas for those still left on your list.

Until next time....
J.K. Sasse

Holiday Giveaways!!!

It's that time of year!!!  Tons of blogs are posting giveaways because they just love us so much.  Here are a few that I've found that I wanted to share with you all today.  Enjoy!!!

Gluten Free on a Shoestring Big Give Away
If you haven't heard, Nicole Hunn has just published another book.  It is the holy grail of all gluten free bread books called Gluten Free On A Shoestring Bakes Bread and it is a must have for your gluten free library.  I have already received my copy and have been pouring over it.  I will warn you that you'll need some specialty ingredients so please check out her post about what to get before the book arrives (I did not and now I'm waiting impatiently for everything to get here) and also her big give away in which she will be rewarding someone with a state of the art kitchen aid mixer and a Brod and Taylor bread proofer.  I have both a kitchen aid mixer and Brod & Taylor proofer. Both are must haves for your gluten free bread baking - not 100% essential, but they will make your life so much easier.  If we pre-order and order an additional 500 from the publish date of the giveaway, one winner will get a personal day of baking with Nicole.  So go and get your bread book today!! 
Give away ends: December 10, 2013.

Our Best Bites: Our Favorite Things Give Away
Sara from Our Best Bites has listed her favorite holiday items for a give away.  I think you still have time as they have not closed the comments nor announced a winner.  The box will contain all of her fav things right now from fuzzy socks to candies and candles.  Check it out!!
Give Away Ends: ANY DAY NOW! so GO!

UPDATE:  New give away posted today for Kate's favorite things.

Skinny Mom's Gift Guide Give Away
Yep - you read that correct there are more than one and you can enter to win on all of them.  To be clear there are 12 in total including the following: a pet prize, technical prize, home prize, food prize, jewelry prize, baby prize, fitness prize, kitchen prize, women's prize, men's prize, beauty prize, and an awesome wellness prize.  You can enter multiple times for each prize by liking the products on Facebook, following on twitter, entering zip codes, answering random questions, or following skinny mom on Pinterest.  It does take some time to get through all of them but won't it be worth it? Each prize pack is just overflowing with goodies!!!
Give Away Ends: December 15, 2015

Daily Bites: Simple & Crisp Give Away
This is give away highlights Simple & Crisp Dried Fruits.  They are really amazing looking so head on over and read the post.  All you have to do is leave a comment with what you like to bring to holiday parties to share along with liking both daily bites and Simple & Crisp on Facebook and leaving comments that you did so. 
Give Away Ends: December 5, 2013 - SO GO!

Now these are just from some of the sites that I follow regularly. I just googled "holiday blog give aways" and tons of things returned. I think I'll spend some time today entering these just for the fun of it!   Good luck to us all!!!

Until next time...
J.K. Sasse

Book Review: The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

I picked up the first two books in the divergent series (3 books in total) last summer, they were Divergent and Insurgent.  This whole dystopian phase is going pretty strong right now and frankly it is right up my alley.  I loved the Hunger Game and Matched Series.  Then there is of course the new show Revolution on NBC. I just can't get enough of this stuff, so it was natural when I saw this on the shelf at Target to throw it into my cart. At last this fall the third and final book of the series Allegiant came out and it was flying off the shelves (of my Target anyway). I finally got my hands on it and was very pleased with the results. 

Before I get into the story too much, I have to comment on the writing style. It is a young adult novel as the first two books in the series are told by the main character, Beatrice, aka "Tris", a young girl embarking on her life after the choosing ceremony in a dystopian society - which in a way is a little bit like the whole "sorting hat" deal from Harry Potter, but who's keeping track?  The third novel in the series is told by two voices, Tris and Tobias, also known as "Four", who is the leading young man in all three books.  This was an interesting way to take the final book of the series and even though I enjoyed the content of this trilogy, I think that Ms. Roth could have done a better job with the writing style in the third book.  Tris and Four are so much a like that at many times, I forgot who was speaking.  There wasn't a different dialect that separated them or even much of a thought process at times.  This made it very difficult to follow and I'm an experienced reader.  I wonder how the younger crowd kept up with it.  In my opinion, to date the best person to write in this fashion is Chris Bohjalian.  I've read a few of his books and this is his favorite method of writing therefore he is spot on.  I can always tell who is narrating in the chapter in his books and without much thought about it.  Frankly that is how books like this are supposed to be written.  Check his out if you enjoyed this method of writing.  With all of this said, I believe these are Ms. Roth's first books to be published as she started the series while still a college student - kudos to her!

As a nod to the overall series, I did enjoy all three books and felt like they all contained content that served the story and plot.  Most importantly, I wanted to read them - all of them through to the end - which is unlike my feelings toward the Hunger Games where I thought the third book was misplaced and very difficult to read.  All three of the Divergent books fit together and the story unfolds in each one with the third one wrapping it all up but not in a weird or out of place fashion.  The flow is great and the character profiles build in each one.  Ms. Roth is not afraid to take risks throughout the books which I also really enjoy. I feel today that too many authors are writing just to please readers and book sales - but for some reason I did not feel like this series did that.  She had a definite outcome for her story and characters and she committed to it.  Her blog actually addresses this as many readers were upset with the ending - I however thought it was spot on.

I hate reviews or Wikipedia that essentially tell you the story or have spoilers in them, so I'll just tell you that the characters are strong, it is a new-ish take on a dystopian novel, and a superb read.  Please take the time to buy or check these books out from the library, you will not be disappointed.

If you are one of those types who would rather see the movie than the book, then you will not be disappointed.  Right now, the Divergent movie is set to release in March 2014.  I am a little bit worried about the actress selection for Tris, however.  Shailene Woodley is best known for her performance on The Secret Life of an American Teenager (ABC Family).  Yes, I watched the show - it was a total teenage train wreck and it was on ABC Family which is a fav network of mine.  Shailene was ok but not worthy of a strong, kick ass leading character in my mind, we'll see how it pans out. Theo James on the other hand looks like he'll make a great Four.  I'm excited to see how it turns out next spring!!!

Until next time,
J.K. Sasse

Giving Thanks 2013

Today is the day that I try to slow down and remember how truly lucky I am.  Even though it's Thanksgiving and everyone says what they are thankful for, I wonder how many people put their money where their mouths are?  I know for one that I do not entirely enough - I try but I can do better.  Below is a list of the things I am thankful for and what I can do better to make sure I am thankful for them for many years to come.

I am thankful for....

My Health:  I am overweight and I have been my entire life.  I came out at 10lbs 11oz and as far as I know I've never been skinny without extreme dieting or other health issues going on.  With all of that said, I'm relatively healthy.  I do have thyroid issues and hormone issues but neither of these are caused by being overweight - that I'm aware of.  With that said, I am so grateful that I do have my good health and I'm committed to getting to a healthy weight.  I've already lost 62lbs from my highest weight (without being pregnant) and I've started working out - walking and jogging mostly.  I am going to go to the YMCA on Friday and start a membership.  It is $1 to join and the month of December is FREE!  I've already scouted the classes that I would want to take and have a plan in place.  I'm very excited to add this to my workout schedule.  I'm also committing to eating more fruits and veggies - something that is super hard for me to do. I  want to know why it is so hard and just get to it.  It is after all the cornerstone of a healthy lifestyle.

My Family:  My husband and my children are my everything.  I am so grateful that we all have and love each other.  Even though everyone gets on my nerves at times - they are a true blessing.  I didn't date much in high school (because I was practically related to everyone!) and in college I was so focused on my school work that I just didn't get around to it - I know, lame, right?  So when I met my husband after going on many many 1st dates with random losers, it was like the heavens opened up and a gift was hand delivered to me.  Eleven and a half years later and we are still going strong!  I love him so much and he does so much for me and our kids.  Our kids were blessings that you just never sure will be bestowed upon you and even though they've given us a run for our money in several different ways, I wouldn't trade them for the world.  They are the best children ever and I'm not just saying that so they'll take care of me when I'm old and gray! I want to be more there more for them.  I want to slow down and take more time just to "be" with them.  They deserve it.

My Job and Our Income:  This spans just so many things that I am grateful for.  Both my husband and I have been employed our entire working lives. Yes there have been layoffs along the way, but nothing that lasted over a couple of months and that a severance didn't cover.  We are so lucky to have the jobs and careers that we do so we can support our family free from worry.  I also am so happy that I can use my income to help others.  I donate to a wide variety of funds (you can tell by how much mail I get from random organizations) each year and also am teaching my children to do this by donating gifts at Christmas time to Toys for Tots and non-perishable food items to the food shelf all year long.  These are tangible items that they help me shop for or collect in our home so they can actually see the giving happening.  When they are older with jobs, even though their incomes will be small, I will teach them that the more they give, the more they will have.  We are just so lucky!

Unlimited Food, Shelter, Clothes, and Warmth:  So many people do not have these basic necessities.  I've never had to budget our grocery shopping bill and do not know what it is like to have to choose between fresh fruit and laundry detergent OR worse yet, between food and heat.  Due to my grateful item above, myself and my family have always been covered on all of these fronts and for that I am eternally grateful.  So grateful that when I was at Wal-Mart last week, I saw a young mother with 4 children: 2 girls ages 5&4, a little boy who was just about 2, and a infant little girl - not even 1 yet.  It was about 20 degrees out with a -5 wind-chill.  Pretty cold.  They did not have coats, hats, or mittens.  The infant was dressed in a summer outfit and was covered with a worn thin blanket and the little boy had a short sleeve shirt on with shorts.  The rest of them had long pants, long shirts, and hoodies at least - but not enough to keep that kind of cold out.  My heart broke when I was watching them in line in front of me.  It wasn't until they were out of sight (yep they left the store that way) that I realized, I could buy them winter gear!  I hurried the cashier up who told me that they had just moved here and ran out to the parking lot.  I looked and looked but they were already gone.  I was so ashamed that I didn't stop her before she left the building.  I could have really helped and it pained me that I didn't have the courage to do this small task.  I have never known the cold like those children did that night and for that I am so grateful.  I am going to try to be brave and follow my heart in these situations.  I want to make a difference.

Our Support System:  This will be my last item for today as I plan on continuing this on Christmas Day and New Years Day.  I am so grateful for the support system that my family and I have.  Of course we still have our parents living (except for my mother) and my husband's parents are so good to us.  They take the kids any time they need us to and they are loving and giving - we all adore them.  We have good friends in our community who I know will be at our side.  My daughter (#1) has a friend from early days in daycare that I am very close with and they are a great support to me especially when it comes to having kids, navigating the school system, and other types of kid activities, etc....  We have met some amazing families through our Girl Scout troop that would be there for us in a blink of an eye if anything should happen to either of us or I just needed someone to talk to.  We also have fantastic friends that we've had since childhood.  My husband bowls with a friend from grade school and new friend (that he's now known for 10 years) and I know both of those men would be here for us if needed.  I have a dear friend from all the way back to 2nd grade who is always on the ready for me.  She is a true kindred spirit and I love her dearly.  I also know deep down in my heart that our neighbors and remaining community would rally for us as well. I've seen them do it as tragedy strikes our small-ish town.  They band together to help in a heroic fashion, it truly is amazing and that makes me feel like people here in our little space of the universe are really great people.  For all of these folks, thank you for always being there!  As for me, I want to make sure that people see me as someone that they can turn to for help, support, or a simple chat.  I want to be a part of your support system and I will make it a goal to let them know this.

That's it for today!  I am grateful for so many more things but for now these are the top items that I ponder on a daily basis and thank God for them.  We are truly blessed!  How are you blessed?  What are you grateful today on this bountiful Thanksgiving 2013?

Until next time,
J.K. Sasse

Recipe: Gluten Free Roasted Pears and Cranberries

My Weight Watcher leader gave me this recipe off the top of her head as we were prepping for Thanksgiving. She said it was the best cranberry dish she has ever eaten and since I'm not a huge fan of cranberries (or fruit in general - GASP, I know, right?), I thought, I should give it a try to see if it would change my mind and my eating habits (meaning - girl, you need to eat more fruit!). Originally she said the recipe had a cup of brown sugar and a stick (1/2 cup) of butter or something ridiculous like that. She lightened it up a bit and I put a tad back more in because it is all just fruit for cripes sake. I figure it's a win/win situation here - two kinds of fruit and little bit of fat and sweetness added.  The best thing about this recipe is that it is naturally gluten free! Yahoo!

All you need to do is cut up the pears and pour on the brown sugar/butter mixture.

Roast 'em until they are browning and bubbling.  Then add in your cranberries.  I used these because they are readily available right now and are super delicious -make sure you rinse them well!

 

Once everything is all roasted together it comes out looking like this!

Roasted Pears and Cranberries

Ingredients:
3 Tbs. butter (or light butter)
3 Tbs. light brown sugar - packed
6 Pears - variety of colors, shapes and sizes
12oz bag of Cranberries - rinsed thoroughly

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Core and slice the pears leaving the skins on (you can peel them if you want but the skins give great color and a health component.)
3. Place sliced pears on a cookie sheet that is lined with non-stick aluminum (you can substitute this with regular foil and cooking spray.)
4. Melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the light brown sugar until completely incorporated.
5. Drizzle the butter/sugar mixture over the pears and place the pan in hot oven.  Roast for 30 minutes or until the pears start to brown.
6. Remove the pan from the oven and add the washed cranberries to the pan - toss completely to make sure the cranberries are coated with the pan juices.
7. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast 10-15 minutes until the cranberries are soft and they have popped. Don't worry, they do not pop like popcorn so it will not go all over your oven.
8. Pour pan contents into a large serving bowl and toss thoroughly.
9. This can be served warm or cold.  The kids liked it with a dollop of whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,
J.K. Sasse

The Blog Name and Identity

So this week, I was doing some research on how to get more traffic to my little blog and found out that I am indexed on Google but not on Bing.  And don't ya know you need to be indexed on BOTH.  Uh, ok.  What I did find is that there are other people called "The Sassy Lady". With really nice logos and long time blogs. Well, crap. 

I just started this blog a couple of months ago and I'm not really married to the name, so I guess I could change it up but man that is a lot to ask for.  Since my last name is Sasse (the e is silent), it just seemed fun to make a pun out of "Sassy".  However, I'm not really sure I'm a "Sassy Lady".  My idea of a fun night is sitting at home on the couch trying to catch up with my DVR'd shows.  Exciting, eh?  Not exactly Sassy though my personality is pretty sassy and anyone I know will tell you that immediately, so that is why I went with it.

Now, that I'm a whole 2 months in, I'm not sure it fits what I write about or me.  I'm all over the map, kids, recipes, PSAs, crafts (it's coming - I promise!), etc... so maybe something that fits that is better.  The big question is, do I keep the "Sassy" part or leave it out?  I also know how important it is to build a brand, so you can't really just switch every six months and hope to find a following or a brand.  This is going to be hard - I want this to encompass who I am and who I might be.  I'm hoping not only to share with the world on this blog but to find myself a little bit.  I know that sounds so 90's new age, but it's true and heck, I was only in my teens and early 20's in the 90's so I was just trying to survive let alone 'find myself'.  I guess I'll just need to start from scratch and brainstorm (or storyboard for those of you really up on it all).... hmmm.... let's see what I've come up with so far:

Chronicles: I really like this word and for some reason, it just jumped out at me recently.  So if take that to the next level what could I do with it?

Sassy Chronicles: This is good, still has the Sassy, but maybe it's too simple?

J.K. Sasse Chronicles:  Seems kind of long winded and who the heck is J.K anyways?  Is this person just trying to copy J.K. Rowling?  Could this help with web searches though?  Anyone who searches for J.K. Rowling may end up getting my site too - that would not be unfortunate.

Sasse Chronicles:  This at least uses my real last name and people will say "sassy" when they read this no matter how many times I would correct them - that's cool, it gets my name and the sassy across.

Mommy Chronicles:  Yea I'm a mom but that is not all that I am.  I'm so many things, and I'm not sure I'm just trying to reach a 'mommy' crowd, know what I mean?  I'm pretty sure this one's already taken by at least 100 or so Moms.

The Working Mom Chronicles:  Again, yes I'm a working mom, but is that all I am.  I'm pretty sure that it's not and what happens when my kids are out of the house?  How do I keep up that mirage?

The Chronicles: Like I'm the only chronicle out there - yeah, sure.  Delusional party of one.  I'm also pretty sure this one is taken but some big wig somewhere.

Gluten Free Chronicles:  Yes, we are gluten free, but again, this does not define me or what I'm about.  Maybe some day it will or could, we'll see.

Crazy Chronicles:  Well, I'm definitely a little goofy and things do get crazy around here.  It's also fun, but will people think this is a mental health blog?

The Everything Chronicles:  I like this - kind of like an everything bagel.  Which by the way I just tried the everything GF crackers by Vans -super yummy, but I digress.  This is a pretty cool name and doesn't limit me to just one thing.  There is of course already the "Chronicles of Everything" written by a 23 year old Australian.  Which kind of baffles me - how at 23 can you know everything or even chronicle it?  Stop it mean old lady - just stop it.

The Chronicles for All that is Good:  This alone is just way too long!  I'll have to come with an acronym and who wants that?

The Nothing Chronicles: This is an antonym of everything but it just seems so negative.

Chronicles of Sasse:  Which essentially is like the one above, just reworded.  I'm not sure that I'm a fan of the "Chronicles of" wording.....

Wanna Be Chronicles: I am a wanna be or want to be of so many things - but again, maybe too negative.  People also might start thinking my name is Wanna Be.  Not good.

Chronicles of a Jack (or Jill) of all Trades:  Wow - another long winded title.  Enough said.

The Chronicles of All:  This is a little too broad I think and a little 'out there'.

Suburban Chronicles:  Since I'm not a Pioneer Woman, I was wondering what type of regional woman am I.  I guess I'm a suburbanite.  Though technically we are even further out than that but not really rural either.  I'm not feeling this.

What do you think?  If anyone is reading this, please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

I'm not sure if I'll settle on something soon but I'm committed to changing in the next few months and getting more of a real site set up.  Stay tuned....

Until next time...
J.K. Sasse