Zingy Shrimp Kebabs!

Barbecue season, I fear, is coming to a close, but there's still some time left for a few more grilling nights before fall sets in.  After I made firecracker shrimp, I had some leftover sweet chili dip and still had all the makings for the spicy marinade, so I thought I'd try making some spicy kebabs.  They turned out reaaaaaally spicy, so next time I plan on decreasing the amount hot sauce so they aren't so overwhelming.  The original recipe for the spicy marinade can be found here (those firecracker shrimp are so incredible and easy to make), but here's the altered recipe to be less spicy for kebabs.  If you want them to be super hot, though, switch the amount of hot sauce and sugar:

What you'll need for the marinade(for about 20-ish shrimp):
1 tbsp of Siracha or Hot Sauce
1 tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 tsp Sesame Oil
3 cloves of garlic
zest & juice of 1/2 a lime
3 tbsp of sugar/simple syrup
Salt and pepper to taste

What you'll need for the kebabs:
Kebab sticks
Various fruit/veggies. I used:
Pineapple
Red & Yellow Peppers
Onions
Shrimp


Thaw the shrimp (if frozen), remove the shells, and then marinate for 15-20 minutes.  While they're marinating you can cut up your fruit and veggies into kebab sizes chunks, and soak your kebab sticks in water to prevent them from burning on the grill.  Once you're done prepping, skewer all your goodies, heat up the grill, and throw 'em on the barbecue.  Grill until the shrimp are opaque white.  You should definitely serve with this dipping sauce.

Cheap Date Night Ideas

Dan and I are pretty thrifty individuals, but we love hanging out together out on the town.  Fancy dates to expensive restaurants is never something we've been into, so we've found a bunch of other inexpensive ways to get out of the house and on the town for some quality time together.  Here are a few of our favorite little dates that we go on around town...

Pool tables usually only take 50 cents to a dollar per game, and if you both get a cheap beer, the date is really inexpensive!  Plus, what I love about sipping on beers and playing pool, is that you can chat while you play, and taking turns shooting keeps you from drinking the beer too fast, so you can really nurse that cheap brew for a while!

Thrifting is fun because you can even make a whole day of it!  Dan and I have a route that we go on to hit most of the thrift shops in town.  It's kind of like a scavenger hunt, and there's always super silly things to be found at thrift stores, as well as memories dug up from finding a similar article of clothing or toy from your childhood!

Coffee shops usually have little shows happening in the evenings, and they're almost always free.  Find out when the shows usually happen at various coffee shops around town, and hit them up on those nights!  A lot of coffee shops also have open mic nights where you can get a taste of budding musicians belting it out!  It's a fun way to support your local musicians and coffeehouses, and in between sets, you can sip on a tasty drink and chat!

LivingSocial type deal sites can be a great way to do something super fancy for a more affordable price!  I frequently see wine tastings, discounts on fancy restaurants, and even fun activites like sushi-making classes in the emails I get from LivingSocial.  It can also be a great way to try something you normally wouldn't, simply because you wouldn't be able to afford the full price.  LivingSocial even has a part of their site where you can find deals on hotels or getaways, if you want to go on a little weekend trip or something.

Instead of going out for dinner, get together with some friends and make dinner at home!  This can be pretty fun if you are friends with another couple, kind of like a double date, but more fun.  You guys can split the costs of the food and drink some cheap wine or beer as everyone cooks.  Or you can do it potluck style and each agree to bring a course or dish!

Find a local hike and spend a few hours out in nature.  The drive out there is a nice time to chat, and being in the woods can be a really beautiful to spend an afternoon.  Plus, it's totally free except for the gas it takes to get out there.

If you guys are into art, head out to the galleries in town!  It might not be art of the caliber you'd see in the MOMA, but you'll get to see some local artists' work, and maybe you'll find something really interesting.  Most cities have a "First Friday" or "Third Thursday" type of art-walk night every month where all the galleries are open to walk through, and it's a bonus if they have wine or snacks available!

Dan and I like walking down to the local farmers market every Tuesday.  Even though we usually only get one thing, it's nice to be a part of the community and see all the artisans and local farmers.  We like to get a tasty treat like fresh cherries to eat on the way home.  A lot of the time farmers markets have some live entertainment, too, which can be fun to sit and watch.

This is more of a christmas/winter time date, but still really fun!  Make some hot chocolate, put on some mittens and take a long walk.  We did this on Christmas Eve (and spiked the hot chocolate with my homemade peppermint liqueur!), it was really fun!  We stopped off at a couple coffee shops along the way to get more hot chocolate, so we went for a really long walk!

They're usually much more inexpensive than going to the regular movie theater, especially if you can bring in your own snacks.  Plus, a lot of second-run theaters show old movies and cool classic films. Awesome!

top photo by arrow & apple

Looking Forward + Looking Back

Yesterday my little brother (the vest-wearing one with the glasses in the picture above) packed up his belongings, got on a plane, and flew a few thousand miles from the home he grew up in to start a new chapter of his life as a freshman in college.  I got a little nostalgic and went through old photos on Facebook from my college days.  It's so crazy to think I've already been out of college three years, how has it been that long already?  I have "college days" people, is this what getting old is like?  I digress.
I remember packing everything up into a few suitcases, walking onto campus and finding my new dorm room, and saying goodbye to my parents while trying not to cry.  New chapters are always so exciting and simultaneously kind of terrifying.  Looking back on these photos, though, it's amazing to relive the moments and relationships that defined that time, and the (hopefully) lifelong friendships made.  It's exciting to see my littlest bro heading off to embark on that journey, so, Matt, here are a few things to keep in mind as you start this new adventure!


* Make friends.  Matt, you are so much better at this than I.  I may have been a straight-A student, but you were friends with everyone, so outgoing and approachable.  You won't have a hard time making friends in college.  College is like the ultimate friend-making territory.  But don't worry if you don't find your core group of solid friends in your first semester.  I didn't find my core group who I just *clicked* with until the very end of my freshman year.



*Spread your wings.  You've got em', spread em.  Something that kept me from spreading my wings as a freshman was my boyfriend (remember him? yuck...).  Instead of immersing myself in my college experience, I was on the phone for hours with a codependent boyfriend who lived 2,000 miles away.  I couldn't embrace my new situation because part of me was still stuck in Anchorage.  I didn't feel comfortable going out with people and worried about if he'd approve of my actions.  A lot of people will tell you to break up with your significant other when you go to college, but we did the opposite (you know, that whole "promise/commitment/quasi-engagement ring" thing? yeah. we did that).  Thankfully I realized that the relationship wasn't good and broke up with him, and I honestly didn't start my college experience until second semester when I was single.  I started feeling like Spokane was my new home and was really excited about forming relationships with people there (oh, and I kind of fell in love with Dan... go figure!).



*Consider other viewpoints.  I know you probably have pretty strong convictions, ideas about how the world works, viewpoints on issues, etc. In college you'll be exposed to tons of new ideas, people with completely opposite viewpoints, and ideas you may have never considered.  Evaluate things.  Take in this new information.  Most of my friends in college had completely opposite beliefs and viewpoints on most issues than I did and often were very passionate about expressing them, even to the point of being very rude and condescending towards people of the opposite viewpoint.  I preferred to keep quiet and evaluate their arguments for validity, fact check, etc, rather than get in heated arguments.  My beliefs and viewpoints overall aren't too radically different now, but some issues I've completely re-thought and I'm thankful for those friends for giving me a look at a different view of the world.  Don't surround yourself in people who constantly agree with everything you think.  Challenge yourself to understand, or at least try to understand, where people of different viewpoints/beliefs/ideals are coming from.


*Take fun electives.  Use your electives as a chance to take some random classes that you normally wouldn't!  I took ballet, pilates, African life and culture, ice skating.. and there's more but my brain doesn't remember them all.  I also had fun sitting in on a few lectures from classes that my friends thought were interesting.  This doesn't just apply to classes, though.  Do stuff like join clubs or intramural sports.  I did the Luau at my college and it was so crazy fun!  I also joined the hip-hop and ballet dance groups and did a couple performances.  It was a blast!


*Be silly, not stupid.  Lots of silly and stupid things are done at college. Learn to enjoy the silly times and let other people make the stupid mistakes.  For an example of silliness, see below.



*Get hard gen-eds out of the way early.  I got through my annoying, hard, gen-ed classes as fast as I could and was chuckling to myself every time one of my fellow Seniors complained about having to take those classes last semester of senior year and I was free and clear.


*It's okay to be homesick.  Don't worry, Christmas isn't that far away.  Find a place that makes you feel less homesick.  I spent many many hours driving in my El Camino freshman year.  It was a sanctuary for me.  Find your sanctuary.


* Go on random trips.  Whether it be to the corner store at 3 am, or a camping trip.  Some of my favorite memories from college were from random trips, and most of these photos, actually.


* Study hard.  Because that's why you're at college, mainly.  There are no pictures of this, because no one takes photos of writing a paper.  Plus, studying at college is way cooler than studying in high school because you're actually studying things that you're interested in.  And you're majoring in some pretty sweet stuff.

* Don't spend all your time on Facebook.  That's lame.

* Call home!  I called home (almost) every Sunday night and it was so great to hear Little Bit and Pansy barking in the background, and just to catch up on family junk.  Plus, Mom and Dad will be sad and lonely in their empty nest.  They'll love to hear all the sweet stuff you're learning in your classes, and about all your new fraaaands!



* Dancing is an acceptable form of exercise.

* Conversely, don't pig out in the cafeteria on burgers, fries, and soda everyday.  Trust me, it's tempting.  They have tons of yummy options, though.


* Here's a practical tip for finding somewhere to sit in the cafeteria.  Most people stand at the front of the cafeteria, tray full of food in hand, scanning for a friend to sit with.  To avoid the awkward scan-stand, do a pre-sweep before getting food, and then when you come out, scan as you walk.  Way smoother.  Also, don't be afraid of sitting alone.  Sometimes you're just not in the mood for telling the thousandth new acquaintance where you're from and what you're majoring in.  P.S. during the first few weeks, you will tell about a thousand people where you're from, what dorm you live in, and what you're majoring in.  Also, useless information to you since it won't snow there, but cafeteria trays make decent sleds.


* 8 am classes suck.  Just sayin.

Interested in Sponsoring?

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Casual Vintage Rolls

I love how easy these victory rolls are, and you can make them more or less fancy, depending on the look you're going for.  For a more casual look, like the rolls in this tutorial, I don't straighten my hair or curl the rolls with a curling iron.  If you want to make them more polished and pin-up-esque, you can make them stand more upright, rather than flat against the head, as in the last photo.  This style is nice because it works on both long and shorter hair.  I loved doing this when my hair was longer, and was excited when I realized I could do it with short hair!  It's nice for those days when I just want my hair out of my face, but don't want to throw my hair in a ponytail.

1. Part your hair down the middle and separate the front 1/2 to 1/3 on one side.

2. Take the tip of your hair and roll it back on itself towards your scalp until you get to your head.  Secure with a couple bobby pins.

3. Repeat on the other side and...

4. secure with a couple more bobby pins.

5. Ta-da!  Super easy.  

6. These ones were a tiny bit more polished, as I straightened my bangs and the hair I put into the roll, but still pinned them down against my head for a more casual look.  Here's a picture of a really nice, polished, yet casual, victory roll 'do.  Or if you wanna go full-on pin-up you can go for the victory rolls like below!  If you want more inspiration, just google "victory rolls," tons of great vintage hair ideas!