Super Yummy Bean Dip

Who is ready for a new, easy recipe? If you like delicious and simple recipes, this one is for you.

My momma got the recipe from her coworker Paige Davis. I am not sure if the dish has a formal name, therefore I am choosing to call it Super Yummy Bean Dip. Paige must know what she is doing in the kitchen because this bean dip recipe was a hit.

Ingredients you will need:
1 red onion
Black beans
Dark Kidney Beans
Diced Tomatoes
Green chilies (These are optional, depending on how much spice you want in your life. You can purchase diced tomatoes without the green chilies.)
Sugar

Step 1: Drain the beans.

Step 2: Put the diced tomatoes into a separate bowl.

Step 3: Chop up onion.....It was on this step that my eyes began to hurt and water so much that my momma had to finish chopping up the onion for me. I know, I am a wuss.

Step 4: Mix the beans, diced tomatoes, and chopped up onion together in a bowl.

Step 5: Sprinkle in some sugar. The amount of sugar added depends on your taste buds. I have a serious sweet tooth, so I added quite a lot.

Step 5: Place the dip in the refrigerator over night.

The finished project should look like this:

 
At this point, you should break out your nacho chips (I prefer Tostitos Scoops) and enjoy this Super Yummy Bean Dip for yourself.

ps- I am now the owner of gold glittery Crackle Nail Polish. All of you girly girls need to stay tuned because I will be testing it out soon!

Start Your Engines

Boogity, Boogity, Boogity...

LET'S GO RACING!

Bristol Motor Speedway

Can you guess what I have been up to? That's right! I have been watching some racing. How did you know?! :)

If you knew me growing up, you will be shocked at this post. I admit, I was never a big race fan. My family was always all about baseball, and I just didn't see what could be fun about watching cars drive around in circles. The only exciting part about it was when they wrecked. Then, I met Brandon Coble, a very dedicated race fan. He convinced me to go to a few races with him and I slowly began to understand the appeal of the sport.

Allstar race 2010

Now, don't get too excited. I have yet to figure out all the rules and I have not picked a favorite driver (I just always cheer for who Brandon wants to win). However, I have grown to like the race atmosphere. Hundreds of people gathering to support their favorite driver and celebrate a sport that was born in the South...what could be better than that?

However, I always have the same problem whenever I attend a race. What am I going to wear? I have sweated to death at Bowman Gray Stadium and I have been crying for a jacket in Richmond, Virginia. I never seem to wear the right attire.

I recently headed over to Bristol, Tennessee with Brandon to enjoy some modified cars and truck races. This time, I googled what to wear to a race, and came more prepared than ever before. Today, I am going to share with you what I believe every girly girl needs when they attend any type of race.

1. Sunglasses or a hat

  

It is very sunny. You will need these. You might even need to wear both at the same time.

2. A poncho or jacket.

Unexpected rain at Bowman Gray Stadium

It can and will rain or become chilly unexpectedly. You are not allowed to bring umbrellas into the race track. I learned this the hard way when the man searching bags at the gate in Bristol told me that I was not supposed to have an umbrella. Luckily, he didn't make me walk all the way back to the car to put it away :)

3. Comfortable shoes.

You will be doing a lot of walking. There is no point in wearing those cute new flats that rub your toes. Skip the pain and throw on your Rainbows or your tennis shoes.

4. A light shirt.

All of the websites I read recommended that you stick to the t-shirt. The material is lighter and it will keep you cooler. On the Bristol trip, I decided to make my white shirt a little more girly by adding an orange scarf that I borrowed from my cousin Katelyn.

Pit stop to check out the mountains

4. A bag.

I chose to use a Catawba bag that I had available in my jeep. This was much easier than digging around for my wallet or sunglasses in my huge purse.

5. Water.

You will get thirsty. You will need this. Coolers are usually allowed inside, so you can stock up and bring some in with you.


6. The final and most important thing that you need to remember before you head out on your racing adventure is MONEY.

You will need some extra cash. There are all kinds of vendors and many different concession stands. Once you smell those hotdogs and pizzas cooking, you will not be able to resist. Or, a cute hat or shirt may catch your eye. I saw some girly pink hats that I wouldn't mind purchasing. I just have to find a favorite driver first...

I hope that this post has been helpful. Now all of you readers can enjoy a day at the race track, while remaining girly and classy. AND if any of you girly girl race fans out there has an idea of who I should root for when I attend my next race, I am open to your suggestions. 

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

It's That Time Again

So there I was, minding my own business and watching some mindless television with my cousin Katelyn, when she began looking at my hair. As soon as I saw her face, I knew what was about to come out of her mouth...

"Erin, your roots are showing, it is time for us to dye your hair again."

Just like that, the Katelyn Kidd Hair Salon was back in business. We ran to Kerr Drug, picked up the right color and went to work. The pictures below will explain it all.

This time, Katelyn took it up a notch. She brought out a chair for me to sit in and she provided me with a lovely bottled Coca Cola, which is always refreshing. She knows how to keep her customers happy ;)

We had to fight off the dogs, and wait for Katelyn's brother Caleb to hold the camera straight, but we eventually got it done. Yay for my roots being gone once again!

I love having my own personal hairstylist right down the road. The Katelyn Kidd Hair Salon did an excellent job once again! I would recommend her for all of your hair dying needs. :)

Let's Get Cracking

Hooray, Hooray, Hooray!! Today is a good day.

Why is today a good day you ask? Only because you are reading my blog of course :) AND today is a good day to be reading my blog because I have a wonderfully exciting topic for you. We are about to get cracking with Crackle Nail Polish.

This week I got to have a girl's day with my friends Hannah Thomas, Kelli Ferguson, and Maleah Cole. It was very much needed. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. We went and ate lunch at San Felipe and then we headed to the mall so that they could get pedicures. I use the word 'they' since my lack of funds kept me from joining in on the fun. However, I did have just about the same amount of fun admiring all the different kinds of polishes as I would have participating in the pedicure party. After the pedicures, we wondered around the mall for a while and then decided it was time to head home. Hannah and I jumped into her Volkswagen Bug and headed out.

Hannah's car is white btw

On the way home, Hannah informed me that she had just purchased some Crackle nail polish from Sally's Beauty Supply and that she had it in her car. I was so excited and I immediately asked her if I could try it out. She said yes :) So, as soon as we got to my house, I jumped out of the car and went to work on the nails.

Hannah bought the pink China Glaze polish. She told me that she thought it would look best with a dark color or a really light color underneath. So, the first step was to paint my nails dark blue.

After my blue nails dried, Hannah painted on the Crackle nail polish for me. She had to leave after she was finished painting, so she told me that I just had to be patient and wait for the cracking to occur. So I waited.....Eventually, the nails dried and the waiting was worthwhile. I loved my nails. Check them out!

I was very impressed with how the blue and pink went together. Just looking at my nails made me happy.

Now, I would like to apologize that my pictures aren't that great, my camera would not focus and I couldn't get a good close up. However, you can like the Crackle Nailpolish page on facebook and see lots of different pictures with all kinds of colors. You can also upload your own pictures of your painted nails. Click here to check it out. You can also go online and find out what stores sell this product. Or, you could just do what I did and borrow from a friend ;)

Thank you Hannah for helping to make my nails look fabulous! I give Crackle nail polish a big thumbs up!

The Earth Was Quakin

Today, I had a first. Not a first kiss or a first date, but something way more exciting than that.

Today I felt my first EARTHQUAKE!

There I was, minding my own business and taking my finger nail polish off in the bathroom. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. My little brother Eric came running to me yelling that his room was moving. After a few seconds, the shaking stopped.

Naturally, since I am in North Carolina, the idea of an earthquake never crossed my mind. I quickly ran to the laundry room to see if our dryer was going crazy...(that happens sometimes). Realizing that the dryer was not on, I went to look in the basement to see if I could find anything that could have caused this shaking. I was unable to find anything wrong and since the shaking had stopped, I went back to removing my nail polish.

When my daddy and brother Andrew got home, I told them about the weird shaking. They looked at me like I was crazy. They had not felt anything. However, once daddy turned on the television and saw the news, all of our questions were answered. The shaking of the house was all thanks to an earthquake that occurred in Northern Virginia around 1:50pm. The earthquake had a magnitude of 5.8 and was felt all over the East Coast. Including our beautiful state of North Carolina!

Can you tell I am a Tarheel fan?

Anyway, I would like to apologize to all of you readers who were hoping to find a new girly post, but I just felt that this monumental moment in my life needed to be shared. Today, I was shaken by an actual earthquake! I am just glad that it didn't shake me all night long ;).

It's Hard to be a Girly Girl Around Here

As I have mentioned before, my family raises tobacco. Every summer we head out to the fields to set, top, and prime. Working in the field this summer has put a little kink into my attempt to become a girly girl. The combination of sweat, dirt, and bugs is enough to make any girl run away screaming. It is just not a good activity for most girly girls out there. However, the girls and women in my family work hard and do not mind getting a little down and dirty. We are used to the dirt stained hands and the blisters.

One day in the field, we were brainstorming about blog post ideas and we stumbled upon a great one. We decided that it would be entertaining to do a blog post on how to remain girly while working in a tobacco field. After thinking about it for a while, I compiled a list of items that are required to keep yourself as clean and pretty as possible while working. I don't know how much this will help any of you out there, but maybe you can just be entertained by our misery.

The first thing you should never leave the house and head to the field without, is water. You will be thirsty during the day because the sun is hot. Taking water breaks periodically is necessary to keep from becoming dehydrated and getting sick. Water is also a healthy subsitute for soft drinks or other sugar drinks. You need water while working in tobacco.

The next thing that you should never leave your home without is a hat. It can be any kind of hat that you want, as long as it covers and protects your face from the sun. The hat gives you shade and keeps those powerful rays away. No sun=no sunburn faces. The sun can be very cruel to faces. I mean, what girly girl wants to have wrinkles before her time?

I just thought that this was cute :)

Going right along with the hat, you should also apply sunscreen before you head out. It keeps you from those painful sunburns. Take it from me, you do not want to be working out in the field with sunburn. It is not fun. Plus, it also protects your skin from future wrinkles and keeps you from getting what we like to call a "farmer's tan." I don't think any girly girls want one of those.

Now, if you are like me, you don't do well in the sun. My eyes are very sensitive to light and can really start to hurt if they are exposed to it without protection. For this reason, I always wear sunglasses while I am working. They help me to see clearer and keep my eyes from hurting later in the day. Just make sure that your shades are really protecting you from the UV rays. I have some plastic ones that did not get the job done.

The last thing that I always make sure to take with me to the field are gloves. Wearing gloves while you work keeps you from having dirt stained hands. Believe me, those stains take forever to go away. The gloves also help to stop blisters and callouses from forming on your hands. I personally use rubber gloves. These really come in handy (haha get it?). Anyway, these really come in handy for a girly girl who doesn't want embarrassing, dirt stained hands all summer. The boys will not be attracted to that!

So there you have it. Everything that you need to stay as girly as you possibly can while working in a tobacco field. These items can also apply to all kinds of outdoor work, from gardening to working with straw. I hope all of you hard working girly girls gained something from this post. AND if you have never had to work in a field somewhere, then look down at this picture of my cousin Katelyn and I and count your blessings. But, no matter what kind of work you do...stay girly my friends :)

Rock Your World Quesadillas

Part of me growing up and becoming a girly girl is learning to cook and take care of myself. So watch out! I am back in cooking action!

I promised that I would be making some quesadillas soon, and they are finally here. However, these are not your average, everyday quesadillas. These are Rock Your World Quesadillas.

My friend Brandon Coble and I have a goal to visit as many Hard Rock Cafes as we can. It is almost like a challenge to see how many of the restaurants we can conquer. We have been to one in Florida (Destin), one in Spain (Madrid), and one in France (Paris).

I first encountered these Rock Your World Quesadillas at the Hard Rock Cafe in Madrid, Spain when I was studying Spanish abroad. I have always loved quesadillas, but I was usually just a chicken and cheese kind of girl. After Brandon introduced me to the barbecue quesadillas that he makes (which are super yummy), I began to be more open to other options.

As I was reading the menu, these babies caught my eye. They sounded scrumptious and featured ingredients that I would never have thought would be included in a quesadilla. Feeling experimental, I quickly ordered them and dug in. They were so good! I left the restuarant very happy that I had found something new that I enjoyed. My world was rocked....

As you know, this summer my Momma and I have been trying to think of new recipes to cook. I suggested that we try to find the recipe for the quesadillas. I described them to her and we enlisted the help of Google. We typed in "recipes for quesadillas at the Hard Rock" and guess what we found? That's right, those scrumptious quesadillas. We got to work immediately.

Ingredients:
flour tortillas
sprinkle cheese
grilled or boiled chicken breast
barbecue sauce
crushed pineapple
bacon bits

Step 1: Sprinkle the cheese over half of the tortilla. Then add chicken and pieces of pineapple. After this is done, it is time for the barbecue sauce and bacon bits. The amount of each ingredient is up to you. Go by your own taste preferences. 


Step 2: Spray the pan with cooking spray and place the quesadillas inside. Make as many quesadillas as you want.

Step 3: Stick them in the oven until they are golden brown.

When they are brown, get them out of the oven. Once they have cooled, get out your plate and get to eating. You can enjoy them alone, or add some extra sour cream or barbecue sauce for dipping. After the first bite, your world will start rocking. :)

Now, I have a question for all you readers and girly girls....Which Hard Rock Cafe do you think Brandon and I should conquer next?