Things To Do During Summer In AZ

The Kalamata

What do olives, pigs, and cookies have in common?

While visiting with some friends from out of town we made a journey out to the Olive Mill, located in Queen Creek. The Kalamata sandwich (delicious) from the Eatery at the Olive Mill was featured on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and Mike Rowe (Stef's celebrity crush) from Dirty Jobs also took a trip to the farm.

Aside from the mill's moments of fame, it's just a fun, unique place to visit. It has a quaint little shop and sells branded clothing, olives, and a myriad of olive oils. On our next trip, we plan on taking advantage of the tours and the Olive Oil 101 class. 

Your go-to place for meat sticks!

Naturally, after the Olive Mill, we needed a meat stick. WTF!? Explanation: The Pork Shop -- a tiny, family-owned meathouse with characters that put Duck Dynasty to shame. Fresh meats from every part of the pig and a piggy propane tank outside, what's not to love? Oink oink.

Speaking of oink, it was time for dessert: BJ's pizookies. A half-baked warm cookie topped with ice cream is just orgasmic.These tasty bits of heaven can satisfy anyone's craving for dessert.

Olives at the Olive Mill. Pork at The Pork Shop. And cookies at BJ's. A Saturday well spent.

Homemade Healthy Granola Recipe

What's to discuss? Granola is healthy and fabulous. Let's get right down to business. Wait, preheat the oven at 350 degrees. You'll need three bowls and a large cookie sheet.



Mix the following ingredients in large bowl:

• 3 - 4 cups rolled oats (not instant)
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/2 cup raw, unsalted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/2 cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• (optional additions - slivered almonds, coconut)

Mix in separate, small bowl:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (others work, too)
• 1/4 cup applesauce or apple juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar or honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• (optional additions or substitutes - cinnamon, maple syrup, molasses)

Now, mix all ingredients evenly and spread on a cookie sheet. Cook for 12 - 15 minutes. Take it out, stir it up, and put it back into the oven for 5 additional minutes. As the granola cooks, prepare the dried fruit. Do not cook the fruit.

Mix into a medium sized bowl:

• 1/2 cup dried, unsweetened cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried bananas (chopped)
• 3/4 cup dried apricots
• (optional additions - raisins, dried blueberries)  

Let the granola cool for 5-10 minutes. Add dried fruit and enjoy! I like to add milk and eat while it's still warm.

Smartphone Case Review

Finding the right case for your phone can be a challenge, especially for females. It needs to be a fun color, not too bulky, and have some cute factor to it. The biggest selling point in picking a phone case should be functionality. I purchased an iPhone 5 back in December when my Droid went kaput. Of course, Verizon tries to up-sell customers on cases, extra chargers, screen protectors, etc. Don't fall for the trap! Repeat this mantra: "Amazon is my homie."

$8.95 iPhone wristlet wallet from Amazon

I became envious of a friend's adorable Kate Spade wristlet iPhone case. It had a cute pattern, room for a credit card, I.D., and space for cash. Plus, she didn't need to carry a purse. Everything she needed could be held in the wristlet. The price tag: $70. Ouch. I was on a mission to find something comparable and I did -- for $8.95! I'm sold on this case. The functionality can't be beat. It has an opening in the back for your camera and is available in five colors with fun patterns on the inside. I rarely carry my purse anymore. Ladies, I seriously recommend this product if you're in the hunt for a new smartphone case.

Why You Should Watch MTV's Teen Wolf

Attention adults, it's OK to watch MTV. It's even OK to admit that you enjoy it. Yes, Miley twerked her way into infamy during the Video Music Awards. And yes, Jersey Shore was a complete waste of time. And absolutley yes, there is at least one fantastic, adolescent program worth watching: Teen Wolf.

The story line isn't fantastic. The acting isn't great. The special effects leave you shaking your head.

The high-school drama is often annoying. So why should you watch? I can give you at least five excellent reasons:

1. It feels more mature than Twilight (for real, click on this link and puke with me)
2. It will annoy your rational, no-fun spouse
3. It will fill your need for the Supernatural
4. There's nothing better to watch on Monday nights (returns January 6th)
5. It makes you feel young and silly again

BONUS REASONS SIX AND SEVEN: My favorite character, Stiles, doesn't even have any supernatural powers. Oh, and The Teen Wolf mysteries are not easy to solve ... seriously, I'm not joking. More importantly, I am not ashamed to admit that I watch Teen Wolf, and I love it. ROAR!

Dining Room DIY

Apartment living. Oh, the joy! It's hard to get settled into a place when you know it's going to be temporary. Being newlyweds, Scratch and I wanted to make our apartment feel like home without investing a ton of money. So off we went to thrift shops to find some unique items to furnish our new home.

We found a dining table right away at a place called MacAlpine's Soda Fountain. Here you can get lunch and shop for antiques! Strange combo, right? What started out as a $400 dining set, turned into a $100 table. The next obstacle would not be as easy, finding chairs. Don't judge a book by it's cover when antiquing, you never know what has potential under the rough exterior. That's the case for the chairs we found. All four iron chairs were purchased for a "steel" of $80. Not bad!


These chairs definitely needed some TLC as they were kind of rusted and the color of ... metal. We figured out our color scheme, went to Home Depot, Hobby Lobby, and got to work. 1 - Scrub, scrub, scrub. Armed with latex gloves, steel wool, and some elbow grease, we cleaned the iron. 2 - With a damp cloth we washed the dust from the chairs. 3 - One coat of white spray paint primer (Krylon $7). 4 - Two coats of colored spray paint (Krylon $24). 5 - One clear coat (Rust-oleum $4). 6 - Felt bottoms for the feet ($1). 7 - Chair cushions from Amazon ($60).

This is my favorite space in our little home. Pinterest gave us the idea for the plates on the wall ($30) which were purchased from Goodwill. The centerpiece on our table from TJ Maxx is suppose to be a planter, but we use it as a fruit bowl ($15). Total investment: $321.