Thanks, Thanksgiving!

I worked on Thanksgiving so I am posting this now:

Thank You, crazy drink ordering lady, without you I would have a memory of mush; and when did you become so specific on a $7 drink?

Thank You, mashed potatoes, without you my turkey and gravy would be naked.

Thank You, friends and family, you all are crazy but at least you are my kind of crazy.

Thank You, Black Friday, for making it one day out of the year that everyone has to go shopping.

Thank You, old lady driver, I forgot what a left turn blinker looks like when you don’t turn left.

Thank You, not 15 items or less person, I wanted to wait in line for an extra 15 minutes to catch up on what’s going on in Readers Digest Magazine.

Thank You, pumpkin pie, you always taste better in November.

And Thank You, gory 3D movie, I always wanted to know what my inside parts look like without seeing them in person.

Better late than never- Happy Holidays!

-Girl in Pigtails

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S-A-M-P-L-E Update!

The Safeway grand opening was a huge success! Thanks to all the wonderful customers that stopped by, and to those that still haven’t gone… you should go! It’s not too late to enjoy the new store and they will be giving samples for a few weeks. The nice thing about the store, is that each department (like the deli area, bakery, and Starbucks) is mucho bigger! I won’t make this much longer but basically, take a break from your normal store and go see the real job creators. 🙂

Have FUN!

-Girl in Pigtails

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Let’s Get Ready to S-A-M-P-L-E!

My biggest news this week, is not my awesome hot chocolate recipe. Oh no, I was chosen to be at a Grand Store Opening for Safeway this weekend! The new store is in Pleasanton, off of Bernal Ave and 680N. My assignment for the next few days, will be to hand out yummy food samples to the brand new customers. Besides free food, there will be great deals for shoppers and new experiences that some stores don’t have. This store is supposed to have a full size Starbucks, who can say no to that? Also, the deli has their own seating area :-)! I’m excited to share my recipes and talk to everyone, so come see me! Friday and Saturday I will be there pretty much all day, to find me; I will have my signature pigtails!

So Excited!

-Girl in Pigtails

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The Best Hot Chocolate Ever!

Google has been such a big help in finding great recipes. This next recipe, was inspired by a blog I found called Live, Love, Pasta. If you are reading this, and want to be inspired, check these wonderful people out! So, now for the hot chocolate! These bloggers love to drink hot chocolate from Italy. The biggest difference from other hot chocolate recipes is mainly high quality and thickness. Let’s face it, powdered hot chocolate is not that great and buying hot chocolate every time from a coffee shop can be overpriced.

What you will need:

1 1/2 cups of half and half (I used Safeway O-Organic)

1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch (I used Kingsford brand)

3 tablespoons of sugar (I used the Slpenda brown sugar mix)

3 ounces of chocolate ( I used local high quality made semisweet chocolate chips)

Directions
In a bowl, combine 3 tablespoons of the half-and-half with the cornstarch, whisking until smooth. It is important that there are no lumps. Place the remaining half-and-half in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. When the half-and-half begins to bubble around the edges whisk in the sugar. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture until the half-and-half thickens slightly, usually less than a minute. Add chocolate chips and let simmer or until the chocolate has melted.

Next time, I want to buy a bar of chocolate and chop in finely like livelovepasta.com recommends it. I just thought the chips would save time but it ended up taking longer to enjoy.

This will be very rich, savory, and thick. As a warning, this should only be had out of a cute personalized mug. It just tastes better and the hot chocolate deserves it!

Enjoy 🙂

-Girl in Pigtails

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Yo Quiero Yummy Food!

Anyone looking for real-homemade Mexican food? I have found the place to go! Rancho Grande Taqueria in Pleasanton at the corner of Hopyard and Valley Ave. This place is kind of hard to find; it is in a little strip mall next to a nail salon and a Check N Go. However, totally worth it!

I ordered a chimichanga and it was amazing… You will first notice the giant size of the plate; the chimichanga takes up a good half and is served with beans and rice. It was fresh, healthy, and delicious! My partner, in fantastic food crime, ordered enchiladas… Again, served with awesomeness.

The taqueria has a small family atmosphere,  especially with the TV’s playing soccer. The people where really nice and the prices were great for the amount you receive. You will definitely find me there again!

Happy Eating!

-Girl in Pigtails

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Recap!

Halloween month was awesome! We went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom with our friends. We started off dressed up and our group consisted of a musketeer, a robed guy, a soccer star, and a deviled egg. We arrived to a long line and a massive heat wave. We made it through the metal detector and then we got the terrible news… “you guys can’t come in the park with costumes unless your under 12”. So with a few discouraging thoughts… we went back to the car and thankfully we brought extra clothes. So once again, we get up to the metal detectors and get to the entrance gates and then… we find out one of our friends lost their pre-printed ticket. About 20 minutes later, we finally made it in the park. Then the awesomeness started! Six flags had 6 haunted houses and many mini shows. The park was decked out in ghoulish themes and the employees where in zombie costumes. By the time 8 o’clock came around, we were stuffed with fair food and had adrenaline running through our bodies. The final show was a sweet rocky horror picture show tribute! The only bad part was that we got kicked out for being festive: we are so going to Disney Land next year and NOT getting kicked out for wearing costumes! On Halloween, the cutest costume was a little 1 year old girl, dressed up like a cup cake; hat and all! Can you say adorable?

November 1st marked the end of my first three classes at Grantham University. It was a fast 8 weeks but I finished strong with all A’s. I hate to toot my own horn, but TOOT TOOT! 🙂 This has been a great experience so far! The professors are wonderful and I love that I don’t have to worry about requesting days off of work to go into class. My next classes are Consumer Behavior and Business & Society. To celebrate, I’m having a big sunday at TCBY!

Also, Thanksgiving Day is right around the corner and Safeway is prepared! A few of my new obsessions are: fuji apples (they are extremely sweet and juicy), tiramisu cake from the bakery (so light and fluffy delicious) and Starbucks hot chocolate (there are 3 different kinds: regular, mint, and salted caramel- FYI ask for them stirred!). Another side note, we are opening a new store in Pleasanton… I have been asked to go there and pass out samples! Stop by and see me…

– Girl in Pigtails

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Best Stuff Ever!

So, this month I have decided to try a few new cooking ideas… homemade apple cider and the classic beef stew. Both are great for the fall and pretty easy to make and even easier to eat!

Let’s start with the classic beef stew:

I went to my computer, and literally Googled “classic beef stew”… there where a lot of finds but I decided to go with Ms. Betty Crooker. Let me tell you, that woman can cook! Here is the recipe with my own twist:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 lb boneless beef  pot-roast, cut into 1-inch cubed
1/4 cups flour and spice mixture
3 cups beef broth
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large unpeeled potato, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 cup)
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 cup cold water
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. In a zip lock bag combine 1/4 cup of flour and spices of your choice (I used McCormick Grill Mates Barbecue flavor)
2. Place the meat in the bag, close it securely, and shake. Make sure all meat cubes are coated.
3. In a 4-quart pot, heat oil over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add beef and cook about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and until brown on all sides.
5. Add beef broth and bay leaf; heat to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 2 hours 30 minutes or until beef is almost tender.
7. Stir in remaining ingredients except cold water and flour.
8.Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf.
9. In a container, whisk cold water and flour.
10. Gradually stir the water/flour mixture into the stew.
11. Heat to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly for 1 minute until thickened.

It was very simple to make and very easy to eat! To make it easier for myself, I asked the friendly Safeway butcher to help me find a good piece of beef. We eventually found, a beef pot roast that looked good and was at great price. The butcher even trimmed the fat and cubed the roast for me. I bought enough ingredients that I could make two pots of stew.

Now for the homemade apple cider:

2 quarts of apple juice (not from concentrate, no preservatives, no sugar added) Safeway has a few brands to choose from.
1 small orange cut in slices
4 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tablespoon all spice
1/4 cup splenda brown sugar

Put all ingredients in a 4qt pot and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling bring to a simmer on medium heat for 30 mins. Let cool a little and strain with a cheese cloth bag. Enjoy!

For adults, add 2 cups of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum when adding other ingredients. It’s not too strong but is an awesome flavor booster!

Fall is the best time for cooking… bring out your inner Betty Crooker!

– Girl in Pigtails

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Perfect Saturday!

So, Mr. Awesome Boyfriend surprised me with the Perfect Saturday. For starters, he let me sleep in without the annoying noise of an alarm, which would have been hit to snooze and/or off completely. Then, we had a delectable meal for lunch (yes, I slept in long enough for it to be lunch time). Safeway makes “homemade” soups from their Signature Cafe brand. All the soups are amazing and I will never go back to condensed soup. We had a pot roast soup with a sandwich. It was quiet filling and wonderful on a cool fall day. Boyfriend then, started packing a backpack full of extra clothing and told me to dress warmly. With a full backpack, and excitement in the air, we where out the door. Boyfriend lead me to the BART station, which is literally two blocks away from our place. He bought us two tickets and said, “We are going to walk and explore our own back yard!”.

Once on the train, he unfolded his masterful plan. It was about 3pm, and we where going to walk a route he found online from an interesting blogger. It included walking from AT&T park (which all you Giant fans might call home), along Embarcadero (overlooking the ocean sea side), and ending at Coit Tower for the sunset. On Boyfriend’s high tech phone, we fallowed the bloggers route, which included some historical information and some not so up-to-date comments. We started at 4th and King St. which, some baseball fans know as AT&T park -Home of the San Fran Giants! The stadium is huge and built beautifully; with iron statues freezing base ball history.

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We were a little distracted with a police blockade in the street. But, we soon discovered it was not the President of the USA but a high ranked military person. They were being driven very fast, to someplace important. We continued, as our bloggers told us, to walk behind the stadium and enjoy the view. I was amazed at how beautiful the harbor was on a fall Saturday. There were a lot of sail boats on the water getting ready to dock and settle down for the evening. Many people where out riding bikes, jogging and walking and enjoying the weather.

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Along Embarcadero, you will find many pieces of art work, street performers, and even military. At the pier, we found a military boat that was docked. With that came a lot of service men in uniform. They where enjoying having their land legs and real food again. A lot of the San Fran pier’s have been closed or converted into tourist destinations. We managed to stop at one with a bunch of little mom and pop businesses. This is where we decided to get a little snack for the road, and was parted with the image of good old Gandhi.

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Crossing over Embarcadero to Lombard St. we eventually found the stairs to Coit Tower. Lucky for us, P90X got our butts in shape. Those stair where long and steep! Eventually we got there, and for $7 each adult, we got into an over-crowed elevator with a spunky Asian lady employee. At the top, it was about 6:40pm and it was the most beautiful view ever! It was 200ft above the ground and the sun was setting. San Francisco was ending it’s day. We managed to get back down to the lobby and check out the murals. It is funny to see some topics keep repeating themselves.

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It was getting darker and darker and we were defiantly hungry. Instead of using our cool phones, and finding an app for a good restaurant, we did it the old fashioned way. We asked a local! The kind security guard pointed us to a local hot spot… the mall at the Powell BART Station. Down in the hart of SF, the mall was hopping with all the locals. This is were we ending up eating really good Mexican food. Boyfriend and I split shrimp nachos and beef quesadillas. We also had yummy gelato for dessert. Never underestimate mall food!

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Heading back home, I had boyfriend holding my hand and I realized… it was the Perfect Saturday!

-Girl in Pigtails

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Hakuna Matata!

So Boyfriend and I enjoyed a three hour hike at the Pleasanton Foothill Park. We took a few essentials like: water, snacks, extra socks, and jackets. It was a beautiful hike! Pictures will be posted… the weather was great; not too hot and slightly cloudy. We even stopped to watch a family of ground squirrels play. While watching the playing, Boyfriend decided to try and communicate to them by squeaking.  I laughed my butt off wondering if he was telling “yo mamma” jokes to the rodents.

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But then, we where met with the sound off birds screaming… and the squirrels soon took refuge under ground. We didn’t think much off it and continued heading back to the car (which was still a few miles away). It was odd… the sound of screaming birds seemed to follow us. We where soon met with a biker, who was heading back down, and he looked as white as a ghost. “Did you guys see that big cat!?” I don’t think I have ever been so afraid of a question… The biker gave his warning and booked it!

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I looked at boyfriend and with a kind smile and comforting words we continued walking to our car. When we where safely back, Boyfriend told me he had seen the “big cat” and it was in fact following us. I thought, “oh great a big cat was stalking me!” There is no restraining order for that situation… he assured me nothing would have happen. It turned out to look like a juvenile mountain lion or bob cat. The little tike was most likely curious and feeling brave. I will say our voices and laughter are quite contagious and our apples and nuts probably smelled interesting. I would like to say to little Simba next time roar “the circle of life song”, so I know not to be a scaredy cat. — Thank you!

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   It’s the price to pay when you want to go out into nature… it might stalk you. Respect nature and realize the dangers, but don’t go looking for trouble.

Happy Hiking!

-Girl in Pigtails

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60-100mph test… in 3.70 seconds

Holy Horses! I have a DashDaq and did a speed test starting at 60MPH to 100MPH in 3.70seconds. Oh and I only had it in fourth gear! This car is a beast that I will train! Weight is a huge factor and can be the difference in seconds. I did this test a few times with Mr. Awesome Boyfriend and could only get about 4.1seconds. Then, he got out of the car and I snatched the 3.7seconds. So SWEET! I am still trying to get comfortable switching from 3rd to 4th gear and the right RPM’s. I am so nervous that I will switch to the gear of death… (which is going really fast and then switching to a low gear). I will get comfortable soon.

 

In the words of Rianna… “shut up and drive!”

girl in pigtails

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