Today’s Fave Rave: LEMONADE

Is it called an obsession when you eat at the same place 3 times a week?

Lemonade on Beverly. OBSESSED.

It’s a gourmet marketplace/buffet with all organic food in combinations that you would never think to put together yourself and it is absolutely DELICIOUS!

They have about 10 different seasonal lemonade flavors, I think my favorite right now is Blood Orange. And their dessert bar...don’t even get me started (half-marathon minded!!)

It’s on Beverly/Doheny in Beverly Hills and luckily it’s right down the street from my office so we all get to go there all the

time.

Not only that but they opened one a few miles from my apartment in Brentwood. Lunch and dinner covered! Amazing!

BEWARE: It is HIGHLY addictive. Don’t say I didn’t warn you :)

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Grandma-isms: The "Willy" Pepper

They say "like mother, like daughter." But have they ever said "like grandmother, like granddaughter"? People always ask me where I get my raunchy sense of humor. My answer? My grandma. She may look like your average home-economics professor turned home-maker who won't leave the house without make up (I mean her name is Charlotte, like Charlotte York Goldenblatt), but looks can be deceiving...

She may look all sweet and innocent...

If you don't know me, my vocabulary is full of "that's what she said," and dirty jokes that will make most grandmas cover their ears and smack you with a ruler. Not this dirty ol' bird. I am proud to say that my grandma-dearest is the reason that I have embraced this sense of humor.

Grandma's salt-and-
pepper shakers

Not too long ago (2008), I studied abroad and brought back Christmas presents for my entire family. I brought my darling grandma a pair of salt and pepper shakers. They were these beautiful white with blue windmills on them salt and pepper shaker towers that would have been perfect for any dinner party. Except for the fact that they were shaped like penises. When she first opened them, she asked me facetiously where the "on" switch was. She also joked that they were too small for her, and now shows them off to all of her friends as her "souvenir from Amsterdam."

So today she sends me an email with birthday salutations and a picture of a "willy pepper" (yes, that's it's real name). These supposedly exist IRL, and of course, leave it to Grandma to find it and email it to me on the eve of my 23rd birthday.

The "Willy" Pepper

And now I'm sharing it with you. I hope you like peppers. Try eating them all in one bite - I'm pretty sure that's what Grandma does.

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Confessions of a Caffeine Addict (Part 1)

Hello, my name is Amy Turman and I am a caffeine-a-holic.

It has gotten to the point where if I don't get at least 2 cups of coffee in the morning I have a horrible headache, I get irritable (like every noise and person annoys me), and I can't concentrate. This is because usually, I'll wake up to a pot of coffee already made, drink a [large] mug of it as I'm getting ready for work, and take a [large] carafe to work. I don't put that much in it- a splash of organic or soy milk and a packet of Splenda (with fiber!) - so I know I'm not craving sugar. Then, in the afternoon if the headache comes back I'll either buy a Diet Dr. Pepper, or pop a few Excedrins (that have caffeine in them).

I've decided - I have a problem. This addiction to caffeine needs to stop before my heart explodes. I mean, if Mormons outlaw the substance it must be evil, right?

However, it doesn't surprise me. It's in my blood - I come from a long line of caffeine addicts. At one point, my dad was such a caffeine junkie that he was drinking two sugar-free Monster energy drinks and popping 6 Excedrin per day. My sister has to have her coffee when she wakes up, and pops Excedrin constantly as well. We love caffeine, and obviously we like running around like gerbils on crack. It needs to stop!

I was reading the other day that people who drink 4 cups a day actually have LESS heart problems or weight problems - but then I also read that drinking too much caffeine can lead to high blood pressure, insomnia, and high anxiety. Since my caffeine habit has gotten out of control, I definitely have had problems sleeping and my anxiety has been through the roof.

So, here is my pledge. As the founder of C.A. (caffeine-a-holics anonymous), I pledge to cut back to 1 (or two...) cup(s) of coffee per day, to not take caffeine after 12 pm (unless I am going out on the weekends), and to research alternative, all-natural energy boosters to coffee and soda (which cause horrible crashes).

Join me in my journey to break this nasty habit. If you are a caffeine addict too, we can do this together. I refuse to be a caffeine junkie!

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The Happiest Race on Earth

Just signed up for the Tinkerbell Half-Marathon at Disneyland in January! What better way to put myself through hardcore training and kicking my own ass than getting to run through the happiest place on earth?

Me, my younger cousin, and
my dad last November

I’ve always been very active, I played basketball through high school and did IM sports through college, and now and workout about 5 times a week. But the half-marathon is definitely something I’ve never put myself through, but I thought I'd be up for the challenge and a new goal!

I’ve never even run a 5K before, and right now after about 4-5 miles of run/walks I feel like I’m going to keel over and die, so it’s definitely going to take a LOT of training. 18 weeks to be exact. Oye

Although the tough stuff doesn’t start until September, it’s time to start getting my butt into shape now. There’s a lot more to training than just keepingup with the cardio -- it’s an all around lifestyle change. The food, the routines, muscle toning, sleep cycles, etc.

Here’s what I’m going to do for the rest of the summer to prep myself physically and mentally just to get ready for training so it doesn’t all hit me hard at once (and let’s be honest, it’s a great way to stay in tip top bikini shape!)

FOOD & DRINK

- Avoiding all white carbs (potatoes, breads, pastas etc.)
- No carbs at all after 7:00 pm, no food after 9:00 pm
- Lean protein and vegetables throughout the day
- No desserts…(unless it’s the occasional Yogurtland because I just can’t live without it)
- Only boozing once a week – the true test of willpower!!

EXERCISE

- 3-5 mile runs, twice a week
- 30-minute sprint intervals, once a week (or swimming)

- Weight training, twice a week

I think that’s enough for now…I’ll keep you posted about how I’m surviving the PRE-training. Wish me luck!

And just in case you were wondering, yes I will be wearing Tinkerbell wings during the half-marathon. Maybe not so much during training though..that may be frowned upon.

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Amy's Dangerously Delicious Sangria

I made this recipe with two versions - a red version and a white version. It is definitely dangerous (beware) but it tastes practically like soda. We made this during our Carmageddon barbecue with beers and margaritas. Let's just say we made about 4 pitchers of each the red and the white... so yes, roughly 8 pitchers total.

Turman "Traditional" Red Sangria

2 bottles of mild red wine (pinot noir or merlot preferred) - we actually used boxed wine for bulk
750 ml of Brandy
Two cups of frozen fruit (preferably peaches, strawberries, and tropical fruit)
1-2 liter bottle of Ginger Ale
1 lemon, sliced
1 lime, sliced
1 apple, sliced
1 cup of ice

Mix all of the ingredients (except for the ice) in a large bowl and chill. This way all of the flavors will marinade together and the frozen fruit will melt a little bit releasing the fruit juices into the mixture.

Before serving, add the ice and either put into a pitcher or in a large bowl with a ladle.

Lighter, White Sangria

Megan and Amy at the
Carmageddon BBQ

2 bottles of sweeter white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) - we also used boxed white wine for bulk
750 ml of Triple Sec
Two cups frozen fruit (peaches and strawberries)
1-2 liter bottle of Ginger Ale
1 cup of ice

This requires less ingredients but has a fruitier, lighter taste and won't stain your lips! Follow the same steps as the other combination. This is a little bit less dangerous because Triple Sec has less alcohol than Brandy.

Serve at any get-together. It's bound to be a hit. I can't tell you how many people have asked me for the recipe!

You could also blend them with the ice and the frozen fruit for a more luxurious alcoholic smoothie. However, for large masses doing that tends to dilute the wine mixture. Enjoy!

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When I say "sake," you say "bomb" (and other random Friday occurrences)

This last Friday was very unique... to say the least.

The night started at a Japanese restaurant for our friend's going away party for med school. I showed up late and by the time I had gotten there everyone was already toasted. Mistake #1: Thinking I had to play catch-up the entire night. But I did anyways.

Between sake bombs we managed to take a quick pic.

While the waiter was trying to cut us off for ordering too many pitchers of beer and too many carafes of hot sake, we were pounding them down intermittently while eating as much spicy tuna as we possibly could since a handful of us had not eaten dinner. Mistake #2: Not eating dinner. So we called a cab because we were becoming too much of a liability.

Mistake #3: Thinking it was a good idea to run to the bar next door to take a shot of Patron. I guess we hadn't had enough beer and hot sake to go, so we hauled into the next bar and took a shot of Patron (the bartender convinced me that Patron was the only way to go when I ordered 4 shots of well tequila).

So we got into our cab. The cab driver wouldn't tell me his name so I made it my mission to find out what it was. Alas, I found it - his name... Gholum. I'm not even kidding. Mistake #4: Not taking a picture of Gholum's cab license as proof. I'm not even a Lord of the Rings fan; I couldn't even sit through all of the movies. But for some reason we all decided to geek out and talk to him in the "My Precious" voice... poor man. He liked us enough to give us his card to take us out on a regular basis. Oh the people you meet in cabs...

The "precious" business card

Then the highlight of my night happened. My thirteen year old self died of happiness once I met this pseudo-celeb. I think this might be added to one of my favorite nights. Senior year, Megan and I stumbled upon the cast of ABC Family's show "Greek" at a random frat party. While another one of our friends was doing handle pulls with Calvin (does his real name matter?), Megan and I were socializing with Rusty and Evan.

This night I run into no other than Ethan Craft from Lizzie McGuire... (name IRL: Clayton Snyder).

On of our other friends had the guts to go up to him and we ended up hanging out with him the entire night. Mistake #5: Taking a shot of tequila with Ethan Craft and accidentally calling him Ethan a few too many times. Who would have thunk that I'd be binge drinking with one of my "celeb" crushes from middle school? Turns out he's a really cool guy and a bomb water polo player.

And then there were three... somehow it got down to only three of us girls left with Ethan Craft and some of his friends (that were very drunk). We wandered our way back into a cab, stumbled our way home... and the rest is history. Unfortunately, I am still feeling the repercussions of drinking a lot of beer before drinking a lot of tequila... and whatever fruity drinks we ended up drinking. All in all - a good night... worth the pain. Motto of my life (that I actually need to stick by): "Beer before liquor, never been sicker." The proof is in the pudding.

Beer before liquor, never been sicker.

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Black & Jewish

Black and Jewish (Black and Yellow Parody) from Kat Graham

Can I get a ch-allahhhh

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The Real End of Childhood

Graduating college a year ago is probably the biggest milestone in my life so. I left childhood behind – no more summer vacations, no more back-to-school supplies, and most importantly, no more Tuesday Pint Nights that resulted at Buck-Fitty’s burritos and falling into bushes on the way home.

Of course graduation is exciting because, hell yeah, no more school! But most people also have the sentiment that college and life as we know it is OVER..except for me. Not that I’m completely cold hearted, and you’ll see why.

The week leading up to graduation, we had senior testimonials in my sorority. Younger girls say goodbye to the seniors and read poems and tell stories about their memories with a girl that they admired. When mine was read…not a tear (although it was very very nice – shout out to Jen!)

The night beforegraduation, my friend H thought it’d be funny to watch everyone shed waterfalls of tears when she told the DJ at Maloney’s (our always go-to bar) to play Vitamin C’s “Graduation (Friends Forever).” You looked around and almost everyone had a mug in one hand and their hand wiping their beat red, sweaty drunken face with the other… but not me.

The actual graduation ceremony came where the classic Pomp & Circumstance played and everyone, students and parents, realize that THIS was the moment…except me.

I had gone through every step of the end of my childhood with not a single tear or a riddance of what I was leaving behind.

Until…

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS: PART 2.

I cried for 20 FREAKING MINUTES at the end of the movie. I had read the book and knew exactly what was going to happen. I kept telling myself to stop and couldn’t help but question what was going on with me. Yeah, it was a great movie and of course an amazing book series, but why NOW?!

Not only that, but get this: a few days after I saw the premiere, I read an article about it in The Hollywood Reporter. AND I STARTED CRYING... AGAIN...AT WORK!

Well, I guess that goes to show that the end of Harry Potter was the actual end of my childhood. Not graduating college, getting a full time job, or paying for my own rent. Harry Potter.

So, thank you J.K. Rowling, for providing me with the real milestone in my life. Forget the 16 years of school and growing up with my real family and friends to give me inner perspective to my life -- wizards and the death of Voldemort was all it took.

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I Love the 90s: Nickelodeon Television Nostalgia

I don't wanna grow up!
Well, now you don't have to...

Generation Y-ers rejoice! Nickelodeon is bringing back 4-hour blocks of the 90s hit shows that we all grew up with and learned to love. The nostalgic hits those of us that watched Nickelodeon all day on Saturdays to catch the new (and repeat) airings of the debatabley bizarre shows are finally back!

Considering Nickelodeon has arguably not produced anything of quality aside from iCarly and Spongebob Squarepants since these "classic" shows IMO, undoubtedly anyone ranging from 18 to 30 years old will embrace this addition and Nickelodeon will re-capture this audience.



How you may ask? Well, according to a New York Times correspondant, this craving for nostalgia that is present in many-a-Facebook group dedicated to dig up these shows is what ultimately convinced Nickelodeon to bring them back (like Justin Timberlake and sexy). The same groups of millions of people (similar to the ones who voted to put Betty White on SNL) are quite a driving force. If this plan works out, these shows could be a permanent fixture, and I would be permanently ecstatic.

The catch? It's only on from midnight to 4 am. Although they shouldn't expect more than the nostalgic insomniac to watch, surely plenty of people will set their TiVos and tune in for a chance to catch their favorite cast member on All That or their most memorable Pete and Pete episode (Case in point: I still can't figure out the name of the song from Pete and Pete that I used to scream out my dad's car's window... incentive enough for me!).

This is also great because now "grown-ups" (if you can even call us that) are now allowed to watch cartoons because we are the only demographic that will be able to relate to bizarre shows like Aah! Real Monsters, Rocko's Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy (I still can't believe my dad let me watch that...), Rocket Power, Hey! Arnold, Doug, etc. These cartoons are basically South Park and Family Guy before their time, except without needing the blatantly grotesque and sexual sense of humor to capture an audience (not that I'm complaining).

Announcing the complete line up for the new Nick-at-Night specials:
Aaahh!!! Real Monsters
The Adventures of Pete & Pete
All That
The Amanda Show
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Catdog
Clarissa Explains it All
Double Dare
Doug
Hey Arnold!
Kenan & Kel
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Nickelodeon GUTS
The Ren & Stimpy Show
Rocket Power
Rocko’s Modern Life
Rugrats
Salute Your Shorts
The Secret World Of Alex Mack

So, ready! Set! DVR!

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Living the Roaring Twenties

We already conquered the first few years of our 20s. And by conquered, we really mean had a ridiculously good time in college at UCLA (and just for the sake of our reputations, it’s probably a good thing we didn’t have a public blog).

But just because we’ve grown up a bit and have full time jobs and so-called “adult” lives, it doesn’t mean we still don’t still have a few tricks up our sleeves. We’re in our freaking 20s and are still finding ways to live it up!

We've decided that since these are the best years of our lives, and we really have mastered both our twenties and the gorgeous city of Los Angeles, it is time to share our insight and funny stories with you.  Not only will we feature some great deals we find and the hottest events in LA, but also you will read goofy stories about us and take a look into our lives and our circle of hilarious friends. You won't believe some of the stuff you will read!

So follow us through our adventures, stories, and maybe even a good piece of advice or two, and join us through our totally unpredictable lives in LA. Rock on.

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