Friday Funday: My Adventure

GO TO FACEBOOK AND LIKE MY PICTURE!!!  PLEASE!

Today, being Friday Funday, I thought it appropriate to share with y'all a little bit about me.  I love a challenge. Like Barney from How I Met Your Mother I will turn things into a challenge that were not intended to be challenges.  With that being said I will begin the background story.

Samantha and I were watching Miss America and commenting about how they were a bit too skinny, how it was incredible that they had six-packs and how a lot of them did not directly answer the question they were asked in the interview portion.  Well, in reality all of these were my comments because I can never keep my mouth shut while watching TV.  I then began to tell Samantha how much I would love to be asked an opinionated question in front of a large crowd and give the audience a piece of my mind.  After that I said to myself, 'self, you could totally be Miss America'.  So, after some focused internet searching I signed up for a local pageant.  Yes, that's right I will be competing - in 2 weeks!

Well, after signing up it occured to me that I would have to do more than just answer a question, I would have to strut my stuff in a swimsuit, wear a ball gown, perform a talent, and submit head shots!  Samantha, being the most wonderful friend ever, kindly accepted to help me with my head shots which were taken at home.

These are the two photos I submitted to the pageant, but in the process of getting these head shots I made plenty of not so pretty faces.  This one is my favorite, I feel it depicts the true me!

Samantha had the wonderful idea of using a fan and I loved acting like a super model with it, that is why my hair has such volume!

I hope you enjoyed a peak into my life,

Felicity

Capers?

I had capers.  What does a college kid do with capers?  They were not the cheapest thing in the world so I went on an internet search to find an easy recipe with capers and boy did I ever!  It is called Tilapia with Caper-Parsley Sauce and it was scrumptious.  I love fish plain so I figured I couldn't go wrong with the tilapia but the sauce had a tangy taste with a good color, much better than just squeezing lemon juice over the fish!

The recipe from realsimple.com included potatoes in the recipe but yesterday was a very busy day for me so I skipped the potatoes and steamed green beans instead.

This is how easy this recipe is:

Ingredients:

• Tilapia
• salt
• pepper
• 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup white cooking wine
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley

Directions:

• Season with salt and pepper. 
• Cut the tilapia in half lengthwise.
• Cook the tilapia in batches in a skillet with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat (it takes about 2-3 minutes per side).
• Pour 1 cup of white cooking wine in the skillet and wait until it is reduced by half.
• Whisk in 3 tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons capers, and 1/4 cup fresh parsley.
• Spoon it over your tilapia and enjoy!

Well, gotta run,

Felicity

The Polls are Closed

Thank you for your input friends!  Based on the poll 66% of voters decided Claret would be the color of choice for finishing the turtleneck of my poncho!

. . . and now, the moment we have all been waiting for (drum roll please); Felicity and her completed poncho!

This project used about 7 skeins of yarn and is the warmest poncho ever!  It is a bit heavy with all that yarn but I feel as if I am in a cocoon of warmth and beautiful yarn.  The colors remind me of fall and the poncho surrounds me in soft cozy comfort.

The turtleneck, with the claret portion connected to the main body of the poncho and the oatmeal portion being folded over, is a large circle of Lion Brand Wool-Ease that I can bury my entire head into for extra warmth.

This project was so much fun to make and gave me a nice blanket in the winter as I was knitting it!  

Poncho up,

Felicity

Recycle Day: Leftover Yarn

Hello, my name is Felicity and I am a yarnaholic.  That's right, I am addicted to yarn.  Right now I have nine skeins of partially used yarn from past projects that I finished.  Often I am left with a little over half a skein of yarn.  This is not really enough yarn to make a full fledged project but I usually don't want to go buy more of the same color to make another project because I want a new color, a new weight, new, new, new.  I did find a nice project, requiring a small amount of yarn in which to use the leftover yarn from my poncho project!  Glovelets!

Easiest project ever!  It uses very little yarn and is a quick project you can finish in just a couple hours!

Materials:

• 9mm (U.S. 13) Knitting Needles
• Appropriate sized yarn

Procedure (make 2):

• Cast on 15 stitches
• Garter stitch (knit every stitch, every row) until piece measures 8 1/2 inches
• Cast off leaving a long tail
• Fold piece in half width-wise
• Mattress stitch sides together starting at one end for 2 inches
• Leave 1 inch without stitching sides together (thumb hole)
• Stitch the remaining length together 

There you have it - easy-peasy glovelets!

Knitters Anonymous,

Felicity

Day of Service

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  A perfect day to fly your American flag and be proud of your privilege of freedom.  Martin Luther King Jr. fought for an end to racial discrimination and segregation using nonviolent methods.  he stood up for his rights as an American in order, not only to obtain civil rights for himself, but for everyone being discriminated against.

"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, 'Life's most persistent and urgent question is; 'What are you doing for others?''"

This is the time to take advantage of your freedom and your rights and to reach out to those who are struggling around you.  We live in America!  We live in a land of liberty and freedom!  We have the largest national economy, the most ethnically diverse nation, the Constitution, and civil rights!  With all of these blessings it is time for us to reach out to those around us, living in the great nation, and lend them a helping hand.

This is our time to serve our country, and honor the freedoms our forefathers fought so hard to obtain.

Go to http://mlkday.gov/ and get involved in an area near you.

"Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.
God bless America"
-God Bless America, Irving Berlin

Felicity

Friday Funday

It's Friday!  The good news is that I don't have class today.  However I do have homework.  But in my spare time I have been dreaming of knitting, quilting, and baking.  Here is a preview of some of the projects I would love to conquer in the future:

Pi Cloth {source}

Sockhead Hat {source}

Chocolate-Blueberry Cake {source}

Scrap Map {source}

Have a wonderful weekend,

Felicity

Put a Neck Scarf On

It's winter and it's not that chilly here in the great Southwest.  I have been knitting up a storm and have four scarfs ready to go, but it has not been cold enough to wear them!  It has however been cold enough to make some warm comfort food!

Wanting to try something new I went on foodnetwork.com and they offered to plan healthy weeknight dinners.  I let them plan away and they suggested Pasta Puttanesca.  It took 17 minutes to make, it smelled great, and it was really tasty.  The only downfall in my opinion is the lack of protein.  To make this a well rounded meal some protein and a side of veggies would make it perfecto!  In terms of looks I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

8 ounces whole wheat thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup pitted chopped Spanish or Greek olives
2 tablespoons capers
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves of 1 teaspoon dried
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped fresh arugula
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

I substituted spinach for arugula and left out the olives.

Mmm . . . Pasta.

Parmesan cheese; I could eat it straight.

Mama Mia Pasta Puttanesca, Magnifico.
{source}

Truly Scrumptious,

Felicity