Life hack #1: you can't stop the train.

I act like I am surprised.

That life moves this fast.

But it does.

Steady and constant.

Like a chugging locomotive. One that I can't stop. Because before I knew it, we were flying halfway across the world to a land unknown. To a beautiful land filled with beautiful people and pricey restaurants and breathtaking backdrops. Before I knew it, he was down on one knee, dangerously too close to the blackened lake and my mind dangerously spinning and before I knew it my head was shaking yes. Yes!

And here I am, on the train and wondering how the hell did we get this far? Two years ago I was uncomfortable in a big city, contemplating whether or not to take my walls down. (And wondering how they were built in the first place.) And maybe I think too much. And maybe I overanalyze. But I know one thing for sure. My gut tells me to shut up and be happy! So I am.

I say "I love you" every day.

And I don't worry as much when he is near.

Cuz he helps me with the over-thinking and over-analzying, too.

Love can be complicated and effed up and scary and amazingly beautiful. And if you are scared like I am was, take a shot (cuz it helps, no seriously) and take a chance and you might just fly instead of fall.

And this love will feel good. Steady and constant. Just like this train.

Cuz we'll never stop.
This.
Train.

Sometimes it'll feel fast and all you can do is hold on tight. Squeeze your eyes shut only to open them and realize you're in a whole new place. Sometimes it'll feel slow, like the engine can't seem to pick up speed. Either way, I promise you, it will move and you will move with it and maybe you'll be different or you'll remain unchanged just like the rails of the track.

Wherever you are going, I hope you enjoy the ride. And no matter where you are, we're all right there with you.

Don't for a minute change the place you're in. Cuz in the end, you can't stop this train.

Tuna Tastes Better Debt-Free

I posted on Facebook about a month ago about my journey to becoming debt-free. This journey wasn't overnight, and I want to reiterate that here. Candor really is a lifestyle -- not just how you prepare your food. And I'd like to think I'm pretty candid when it comes to personal finance.

I know what you're thinking.

*Yawn!*

Just hear me out.

When I graduated from college I moved back in with my folks, you know, to save money on rent and because -- well hell, I didn't have any place to go! I was starting my internship which would ultimately lead me into my first big-time job at the advertising agency. I didn't have much and before I knew it, the student loan notices were coming in.

That's when panic started to set in that oh my God, I really am going to be a broke college student for the rest of my life!

Then I picked up Financial Peace Revisited by Dave Ramsey and read it cover to cover. I thought maybe somehow I could actually pull myself out of these knots of worry. Gahh, doesn't it SUCK to worry about money? Where's it going, what little there is, how the hell am I getting back to the beach?

I drank, calmed down and then made a promise to myself. That I was going to pay off this $30,000 plus debt in 5 years and be done.

I went into ninja mode and wrote all of my expenses down in my typically Type A fashion in a color coordinated spreadsheet.

Every time I spent money on gas. I wrote it down.

Every time I spent money on food. I wrote it down.

Every time I farted. I wrote it down. Hah, okay no, just kidding. That would be odd.

The truth is, I didn't want to be making payments for the rest of my life. I thought about what I could do with the money. Who I could give it to that needed it or how to give myself a comfortable life without going overboard. It was those thoughts that motivated me to get rid of the debt.

I was doing really well on literally paying 10x as much on the small payments and double on the big ones. I was on the fast track to getting rid of the debt in 3 years at this point!

Then this happened:

I got whiplash, I got pissed and then I cried. What was I going to do!!?? That's my freaking car bumper smashed to pieces. And by the way, that shit looks expensive to repair!

I could have easily slipped into another loan payment for a new car. I mean, I already had the student loans, right? My inner Dave said no and as luck had it, insurance deemed the car totaled and offered me cash - double the value of what the car is actually worth.

Check, please!

I took the money and threw it at the debt. No body shop was gonna touch that thang with a ten-foot pole. So I drove the car for 3 months without a bumper.

People say that's dangerous.

I say it's living on the edge.

Or living redneck.

.... Okay, redneck.

Also, as luck would have it, my dad and I treasure hunted at a you-pull-it junk yard and found the exact same bumper, same color for my vehicle all for 25 bucks. I was amazed. My dad was amazed. We drank beer to celebrate. *Burp*

2 years, 5 months, $35,000 and a lot of tuna, discipline and self control later, I am debt free!

I'M DEBT FREEEEE!!!!! (I'm practicing my debt free scream)

My journey in getting to this point was not an easy one. I had to sacrifice many a sushi date in order to save and slave to get rid of Sallie et al. I downgraded to the canned fish variety and thought there's gotta be a tastier way to eat poor man's tuna.

So, I made this. (A LOT!). Still do. You kinda get hooked.

Tuna Salad with Crackers

You'll need....
2 cans of albacore tuna in water
3-4 tbs. of mayo
1 tbs. of parmesan cheese
1 tbs. of dried onion
1 tbs. of dried parsley
1 tsp. of dill
Pinch of garlic powder
Pepper to taste

It really just takes a bit of spices and you'll soon forget the delicate fish you're consuming was only 79 cents a can.

I normally get albacore packed in water, but I've used this recipe with tuna in oil. Tuna is as tuna does!

Toss two drained cans into thy bowl.

Add one tablespoon of parmesan. 

And one tablespoon of dried onion. 

Change up the perspective on the camera to confuse you. And then one tablespoon of dried parsley.

One teaspoon of dried dill. You could use fresh dill if you have it. 

A tinkling of garlic powder.

About 3-4 dollops of mayo. Don't go overboard -- we don't want the tuna swimming. Heh, even though it was swimming at one time. Awwhh, that's sad....

A tinkling of pepper.

Mash'er up with a fork until it looks good and binded.

Serveth with a cracker of your choosing. I had multi-grain on hand but buttery club crackers or even between two slices of honey wheat have also satisfied the craving.

Load and stuff. Try this now! Make a tuna melt out of it with some swiss cheese. Add a teaspoon of curry powder for some Indian flair. Chop some fresh tomato and avocado and make it a tuna garden salad. Any way is cheap and delicious. And it just might give you that extra protein to go out and kick debt's ass!

Down Home Pot Roast

I recently went on a trip to Ft. Worth to visit some great friends and to see one of my mentors live, Mr. Dave Ramsey. The man knows how to stir up an audience of 7,000 plus individuals looking for advice on life, marriage, kids and money. On my trek from Kansas down south, I most likely witnessed our entire nation's supply of beef between Oklahoma City and Dallas. I mean, are you freaking kidding me? You've got Herefords and Angus and Limousin and heifers and steers and cows! (Now you know what all I remembered from my animal science class). All these happy cattle, roaming fields, all heads down feeling their way across the plains with their mouths. And I took a silent moment, to thank God for the circle of life. Hey, I'm no vegetarian, but have you really taken a moment to think about where your food comes from?

After staring at miles and miles of cattle and spending some time in the Lone Star state, I decided there was only one recipe that I really needed to blog about. 

Down home pot roast.

Do you ever get that *sniff* "ahhhh" feeling when you walk through the front door after a long day of sitting on your ass and staring at the computer when you take that first whiff of stewing meat and veggies?

Yeah. You know that moment.

That moment -- there's nothing sweeter. Or savory-er?

Nothing quite says welcome to the Midwest like beef and fresh vegetables thrown together in Madame Crockpot. And at the same time, the Midwest would not be complete without the love and grace of its people to craft the perfect pot roast.

Down Home Pot Roast

You'll need...
3 potatoes
4 carrots
1 package of white mushrooms
2 lb. chuck roast
1 packet of Lipton onion soup mix
2 tbs. of butter
1/3 cup of flour
2 tsp. of meat tenderizer
Salt and pepper

Madame Crockpot never fails me. She is a hand-me-down from my Nana. I like to think she is watching over me whenever I pull out the crockpot. It only has two real settings: happy and warm or spit-fire hot. Just like Nana.

Take your chuck roast and generously sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides.

Add your favorite meat seasoning. I just used meat tendorizer, but garlic salt, onion powder or even a BBQ blend will work.

Sprinkle some flour...

And work it into the meat with your hands. Yeah, you and chuck roast sort of bond through this process.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium to high heat in a large skillet, but be careful to not burn the butter as I am demonstrating. Although it did make for a really good crust on the roast.

Strike that. Brown that butter, baby.

Brown the meat on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.

Aww yeah. See that butter crust? Think of the possibilities. It's just like when you get a little butter crust on a cheese quesadilla. Your hips and taste buds won't lie. 

Grab a pair of tongs and carefully lift the roast into your crockpot. No, I didn't throw this away. Although the plastic liner I use for easy cleanup could be easily mistaken for a waste basket. Just get past the plastic...

Dump one packet of Lipton's French onion soup mix on top of the meat.

Pour about 1 1/2 cups of water, just enough so that the water is covering half of the meat.

Like dis. Cover on low for 4 hours. Or, if you have a touchy Madame Crockpot, crank it to high. It'll be falling apart before you know it!

Go take a nap or listen to some old school Maxwell or watch Robin Hood. 

All of these things are good.

In the mean time, peel and cut the carrots and potatoes into 2 inch pieces or 1 inch or half inch. Hell, it's your pot roast so you can do whatcha wanna do! Throw in some celery for all I care!

This is about 4 hours into cooking time and I decided that the veggies were ready to join the party. You can also boil the carrots and potatoes in a pot of water and dump it in the crockpot during the last half hour of cooking time. Or you can start the veggies at the same time as the meat, I just didn't want the potatoes and carrots to be too mushy.

Match made in beef heaven if you ask me. Cover and keep on low for another 4 hours.

Then go do something else.

And then go looking inside the fridge for a snack because the fumes from cooking meat are starting to get to you. Then find some mushrooms that were hiding behind the milk jug.

I decided these just had to go in with the roast. So I cut them in quarters and threw them in the mix in the last 2 hours of cooking time. It just felt like the right thing to do.

After 8 hours, I couldn't take it any more. I grabbed the tongs and the meat was just falllllling apart. Tell me that's not a pretty sight to see! I served this up with a side salad and some warm sourdough bread.

Get down home and make this pot roast. Make your inner Texan howl out loud and all that shit. Your Midwestern mates would be proud.

Clean Slate

I drank way too much on New Year's Eve.

I am never not drinking again.

You see, when you reunite with some of your closest sorority sisters (ahem, yep, I was one of 'em) it's easy to miscount the number of drinks one might consume in a few hours. I went from an educated 25-year-old working woman to a newbie college student at her first college party in a matter of seconds.

We started doing robot poses.

It got weird.

So the next day, after letting go of any shred of hope that I might be able to function, I rolled around in my cheetah robe and thanked God for my boyfriend and his willingness the night before to buy Jimmy John's after narrowly escaping a pick-pocketer.

Like I said.

It got weird.

I decided to lay low for a couple of days and then grabbed the leftover salmon lox in my fridge and had a brilliant idea. A new year calls for a new recipe.

Smoked Salmon Dip

You'll need....
8 oz. block of cream cheese, softened
3 oz. of smoked salmon
1 tsp. capers
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dill
Juice from half of a lemon
Couple dashes of Tabasco

I used my Ninja for this but a food processor or even a fork will do!

Add the cream cheese to the Ninja. It will need to be softened. I grabbed mine straight out of the fridge and popped it in the microwave for 20 seconds and it worked perfectly.

Isn't the color of salmon so beautiful? I have found the best lox at Costco but of course, living in the Midwest we don't have a ton of options for this type of delicate fish!

Squeeze a half of a lemon into the mix.

Couple of dashes of Tabasco. I used 3-4 dashes. It's the cajun in me.

About one teaspoon of dried dill. Give or take. You can't go wrong with dill and salmon.

Couple of dashes of Worcestershire.

If you haven't tried capers, you have not lived! They taste like mini pickles. My little sis lives off these things. Capers also make an appearance in my dad's chicken scallipini -- so devine!

I put in about one teaspoon of capers. You may add as much as you'd like.

Let the blades work through the cream cheese mixture...

Blend until the dip looks pink in color. Wouldn't this be fun for one of those color-themed parties? I heard about these "white" parties where all the food is white and you have to dress in white. I wonder if all the people are white, too? In that case, I'm not sure how many pink people there are in the world that would come to my pink party.

I digress.

And then I digest. 

Spread these on your favorite cracker. I had buttery club crackers but tablewater crackers, veggies or your favorite bagel would be heavenly.

May you have a great start to your new year and remember: Dip. Don't drink! (Too much.)