End of the Year Update

I know it's been awhile, but slow and steady wins the race...or in this case, completes the list. I started this a year ago today and I'm really happy I haven't ditched it over the past 365 days. Last year was full with challenges and blessings, and I'm excited to see what 2011 will bring. We will be moving this year, and because of where I think we're going, I may be revamping several of my items. But since it's been more than two months since I updated this list, here are the things I've worked on:

(014) Read a book a month (8/34)
I wish I had more to put down, but I've only read one book in the past two months: Something Blue by Emily Giffin. I need to step up if I want to cross off this category!

(018) Learn to take great food photos
Definitely a work in progress. I need to change this to "Learn to take great photos" just in general. I started a photography blog to help my progress and I'm considering taking a photo every day in 2011 to help. The new blog: Shutterbug Jess. 

(027) Buy an SLR camera
I bought a Nikon d3100 on Black Friday, 2010. I'm over the moon with this purchase and love practicing with it!

(065) Watch 26 Movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet (19/26)
R. The Rock. Watched this with my husband...it was okay, I suppose.



(075) Try one new recipe a month (35/34)
It turns out that I really like to cook and bake, so this category is now CROSSED OUT!! P.S. Have you checked out my new cooking blog with my sister-in-law? The Tale of Two Kitchens :)
29. Sweet and Spicy Tilapia
30. Coconut Macaroons
31. Taco Soup
32. Puppy Chow
33. Tahini Cookie Bars
34. Eggs Florentine Casserole
35. Black-Eyed Pea Salad




(077) Bake and give away a dozen different baked goods (2/12)
3. Baked three dozen for my husband for Christmas/New Years.


(081) Bake at least 10 different cupcakes (3/10)
4. I made Creepy, Crawly, Dirt(y) Cupcakes! 

(082) Get my grandma’s recipes
CHECK! Now I just need to put them into a recipe book!

(088) Tip 100% of a restaurant bill
CHECK! I did this at a restaurant called O'Charleys, but I'd like to leave a 100% tip again sometime. I went to a very large group lunch (about 20 women PLUS kids) and the waitress we had was amazingly patient and got all of the orders right. She handled the group like a pro and did it all herself, which is a feat all on its own. My bill was only around $15, but she deserved every penny.

(091) Make a gingerbread house
CHECK! I went to a gingerbread house party and had an absolute blast! It was my first experience with making a gingerbread house and definitely won't be my last! 

(092) Go on a ghost tour
CHECK! I have photos, i just...um...haven't posted them. I went on a ghost tour in Savannah the week before Thanksgiving, 2010. Unfortunately (I think), it wasn't scary at all. The acting was actually pretty horrible—that may have been the scariest part. 

** Go through a corn maize 
This was an extra goodie, but my husband and I went through a corn maze in Georgia. I loved wandering through the labyrinth and can't wait to go through another one!

(100) Take a bubble bath with candles at least once a month (5/34)
6. November, migraine
7. December, migraine
8. December, flu

It's Been Awhile...

I know, it seems like it's been forever since I last updated, and maybe it has been, but I've been keeping track of what I've been doing! Oh! And I officially have less than two years to finish this, crazy, huh.

(017) Learn Photoshop
My husband bought Elements for me, so I'm learning!

(032) Send 10 random “thinking of you” cards to friends/family
1. Sent a card to my friend in Idaho

(046) Pay off my credit card
Paid that sucker off on September 20, 2010. SO happy!

(065) Watch 26 Movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet 
A. Air Force One
O. Only You

(066) Host 10 game nights 
1. Had a game night with our friends Kurtis and Michelle

(074) Take a cake decorating class 
Complete!

(075) Try one new recipe a month 
20. tequila lime chicken SO delicious, and is now a staple on our menu.
21. hearty lasagna This was also delicious and easy to make.
22. Smoked Mozzarella Meatballs Personally, I didn't like these.
23. Raspberry Cucpakes
24. Oven Fried Okra These turned out really well and we'll probably make them again when okra's in season.
25. Garlic Potato Fries LOVE, love, LOVE these! Make them now! Delicious!
26. Zuppa Tuscana Oh, this was good and I"ll definitely make it again.
27. Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

(081) Bake at least 10 different cupcakes
2. Sour Cream Raspberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

(100) Take a bubble bath with candles at least once a month 
4. Took a bath august (headache)
5. Took a bath in October (with epsom salt)

Movies, books, food, and links!

Getting My Learn On

(014) Read a book a month 

4. Savannah Comes Undone
This was the second book in the trio and it was a very quick read. Nothing spectacular about it.

5. The Best Day of Someone Else's Life
This book took a little getting into before it got good, but I really enjoyed it. A great chick-lit read and especially entertaining if you just got married, you're about to tie the knot, or you're a repeat bridesmaid!

*I need to step up my book reading; I should have seven complete by now...

Entertainment
(065) Watch 26 Movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet  
B. Bounty Hunter 
*Saw this at the $1 theater and thought it was entertaining. I'm happy I didn't pay full price to see it, though. 

F. Fake Identity
*I have a confession to make: I LOVE Val Kilmer. Well, I loved him in The Saint. This movie, on the other hand, was terrible. Like awful, real bad, don't even think about watching it. 

I. It's Complicated 
*Cute movie. I thought I'd be grossed out by the adults being all in love, but it was cute.

N. North by Northwest
My husband put this on and made me for us to watch last night and I really liked it! I have another confession to make: I thought all Alfred Hitchcock movies were scary based on the few I've seen. This was a classic suspense movie, though, and not scary at all! I liked it :)

T. Time Traveler's Wife
*I read the book last September and sobbed like a baby through the last half. I really enjoyed the book and contemplated not watching the movie, because I didn't want them to ruin how much I liked the book. The movie, I thought, was created very nicely and followed the book enough to satisfy my imagination.

W. When in Rome
*As far as chick flicks go, this one was awful. I wish I could say what I didn't like about it, but honestly, the whole movie was pretty lame in my opinion...

Domestic Goddess
(075) Try one new recipe a month 
14. Pasta with Tomato and Blue Cheese Sauce (Pioneer Woman)
*LOVED this dish and can't wait to make it again!

15. Twice Baked Potatoes (Pioneer Woman)
* Oh. My. Word. These were beyond delicious and unbelievably easy to make. I can't wait to have these again sometime. I also lightened it up by using fat free sour cream, Brummel and Brown butter, and not as many bacon bits. Delicious.

16. Margarita by Alton Brown
*Okay, I technically didn't make this, but I sure drank every last sip of it. My husband made this and it was hands down one, one of—if not the—best margarita I've ever tasted. Yes, it's time consuming and a sticky process, but the outcome is lip-smacking deliciousness.

17. Blueberry Pie 
*See above, because I didn't make this one either. It was also extremely tasty and surprisingly not as bad for you as most pies are. He substituted Splenda for part of the sugar, too. Mmmmm...so yummy.

(082) Get my grandma’s recipes
*I got her recipes, but now I want to make a recipe book with them, so I'm not marking this complete, yet. 


Good Will
(084) Pay for a stranger’s meal/coffee once a year 
1. While I was home I got coffee at Satellite Cafe and left a $10 after I paid for my coffee and asked the drive-through attendant to pay for the next couple cars' orders after I left. 


Leftovers
(098) Get three people to make lists of their own (0/3)
1. JoJo's Life in the 505
2. Kristin's 101 in 1001 Days
3. Amanda (my sister in law)! *Amanda, let me know when you get yours up and running so I can add a link here :)

Movies, Food, and Valentines!

I can't cross anything completely off my list yet, but I have a few more "in progress" items to add. Things have been a little crazy with the upcoming wedding, so I'm excited to work more diligently at this list in the near future!

#65 Watch 26 Movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet
I watched Leap Year and Dear John in the theaters, which takes care of the letters "L" and "D."

I thought Leap Year was a great chick flick and I can't wait to watch it again. It made me laugh, cry, and even made me say "aawwww" here and there!


Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed with Dear John. I didn't think the characters had any sort of chemistry throughout the entire movie. I consider myself a chick-flick connoisseur, if you will, and really wish they had cast that movie better. And don't get me started on how the character of "Savannah" never seemed to grow up. Ugh!

#75 Try one new recipe a month
2. Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Not only have I never made spaghetti squash before, but this was the first time I've ever tasted it. I wasn't a huge fan—it was a little too sweet and bland for me (is that an oxy-moron?)—but I'm willing to try it again maybe with some spaghetti sauce. Click here for the recipe I used.

#90 Send out Valentine cards each year
YEA!!! I did this one and I even took a photo of the before they went out, but—sigh—my camera is having technical difficulties and it's telling me it's an "unrecognized file format." You'll just have to trust that I really sent these out!

In progress

I figured it was time to get this party started! Here's what I've been up to:

#14
I'm currently reading this book:



















#65
I watched Julie and Julia, which took care of the letter "J"


















#75
Last night we made Slow Cooker Lasagna (Weight Watcher friendly) recipe below

Sorry for the silly picture. I forgot to take a photo till we after we ate. This was a good recipe and I'll most likely make it again, but I'll tweak it to make it more flavorful. As it is, it's a very bland, meat and sauce lasagna, and I like it with a little more flavor.






Slow Cooker Lasagna (8 Weight Watcher Points)

Ingredients

	1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
	1 small onion(s), chopped
	1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
	28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
	15 oz canned tomato sauce
	1 tsp table salt
	1 tsp dried oregano
	1/2 tsp dried basil
	1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
	1 cup(s) part-skim ricotta cheese
	1 1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded, divided
	6 item(s) dry lasagna noodles, no-cook
	1/2 cup(s) shredded Parmesan cheese, strong-flavored like Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano

Instructions

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef, onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil and red pepper flakes; simmer 5 minutes to allow flavors to blend.
  
  
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together ricotta cheese and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
  
  
• Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5-quart slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna sheets in half and arrange over beef mixture; top with half of ricotta mixture. Repeat with another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
  
  
• Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Remove cover; turn off heat and season to taste, if desired.
  
  
• In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes. Yields 1/6th of dish per serving.