{The Stud Muffin} Peruvian Beer Can Chicken

Those poor chickens. We kill them, pluck them, and then stick a beer can in a compromising place. To add insult to injury, we set them on the grill. All of that, and they didn't even get to make the trip to Peru.

And yet, they reward us with amazing flavor.

Taking one for the team

This guy... so uptight.

{Chicken}

1 Whole Roasting Chicken (2lbs)

2 Dried Ancho Chilis

2 Dried Smoked Chipotles

1 Tbsp Cumin

1.5 Tbsp Sea Salt

1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

4 Lg. Cloves of Garlic

1 Dark Beer in a Can

1 Lime (Zested and Juiced)

1 Tbsp EVOO 

{Dipping Sauce}

2 Cups Greek Yogurt (Plain)

1 Lime (zested and juiced)

1 Jalepeno (seeded and chopped)

1/2 Cup Cilantro

**If cooking on charcoal grill, light coals 1 hour before cook start time**

1. Blend all spices, chiles, oil and lime juice/zest together to thin consistency (We use Magic Bullet)

2. Pour mixture into gallon Ziploc bag

3. Place chicken into bag with marinade and massage marinade into chicken through bag

4. Let chicken sit for as long as possible before cooking (2-4 hours min.)

5. Blend all dipping sauce ingredients together in food processor (or Magic Bullet)

6. Cover and refrigerate sauce until chicken is finished

7. Open beer can and enjoy 1/4 of can before inserting into chicken (no epidural available)

8. Chicken should be able to stand upright awkwardly with drumsticks facing down without touching grill

9. Roast chicken until interior temperature reaches 160 degrees with meat thermometer

10. Outside should look carmelized and evenly charred

11. Rip and dip! Enjoy!

{If you roast corn in the grill with the chicken, wrap in foil and corn will take on smoked flavor of chicken.} 

Delicious.

Coloring Outside the Lines

I have been trying to expand my shopping arena. 

I shop like I order food. I may peruse the menu, but I always go back to my original order. The one I get every time. Same with shopping. I go to the same few stores over and over again, and neglect glaringly obvious ones. 

Take Kohl's for instance. I knew they had 'celebrity lines' but I usually find those a little much, and ridiculously overpriced because there's a famous name on the tag. I walked into Kohl's the other day on the hunt for a navy and white striped maxi dress and ran across the LC Lauren Conrad line. Once I started looking at the styles (and the prices!) I wondered why I hadn't stopped at Kohl's before?

I have always liked her style, and she never has an unflattering moment. She is the perfect balance of the girl next door and the girl you always wished you could be, and her style is relatable, approachable and translates to real life flawlessly.

As for the product, the quality is much better than I would have expected, and the colors and prints all translate well in real life. The pink dress above actually has a faint cream polka dot print, and the florals are all very detailed and richly colored. The fit is questionable with many of the items, namely the dresses, but then again, Lauren Conrad I am not :)

As I wandered through the pastel and floral infused selections, I started getting a little overwhelmed with all the items I would buy with an unlimited budget. I reigned myself in and chose a few items to try on, hoping for a miracle. 

It so happened that most everything I tried on needed to be sized up or down, so I went to the interwebs, hoping for more luck. I ordered a few of the pieces seen here, and fingers crossed they work!

Check out more of her style and tutorials on beauty, decor and food on her website, as well as Pinterest! There are a ton of things I want to try, and no better time than the present to get started.

Glutton For Color

Dress: Issac Mizrahi (2008)  Sweater: Target (2009) 
Belt: Forever 21 (2012)  Shoes: Payless (2012)  Bangles: Forever 21 (2012)
Nail Color: Jaded by Revlon

I love this dress. 

It caught my eye the minute I saw it on the rack, and has been one of  my favorite pieces ever since. There are so many different ways to wear this, and pairing it with this short sleeved sweater and bright belt add more dimension and allowed me to work it as a skirt.

This was my Easter Sunday outfit, and I felt like a technicolor Easter egg. And it felt fantastic. I actually paired it with raspberry heels once I got to looking at it more, and decided that I just needed thismuch more color. 

I'm a glutton for color. Sue me.

{Beauty Mark} Loreal Sublime Bronze

Summer is fast approaching, which means shorts and bathing suits are on their way as well. And we all know how much I love that idea.

Not sure about you, but I tend to keep a pretty pasty pallor during 9 months (ok, 12) of the year. I am completely incapable of getting a tan. I step into the sun, turn pink, burn, peel, repeat. So my idea of being 'bronze' is with 6 layers of self tanner topped off with SPF 85. I'm a regular Brazilian beach bum. 

I don't quite have the cash to get airbrush tanned every 10 days or so (but if I did, I would!) so I use this stuff. 

Loreal Sublime Bronze is pretty spectacular. I get compliments on my 'tan' every time I do it, and it's pretty much foolproof to apply. The Sublime Bronze is a quick dry formula, which means it can tend to dry out your skin if applied on its own. It also increases the chance of streaks.

I buy the Deep Natural and mix it in with my regular lotion. The beauty of this is I get a medium color while moisturizing. Using it with lotion also allows me to layer it gradually to prevent that Oompa Loompa orange that too much tanner can cause. 

This product is also sold in wipes, gels, and sprays, as well as temporary color options. I am a fan of the wipes as well. If I'm going for a really dark look and don't want to spend a week building up the color, I use the wipes to buff on the color first. I use 2 wipes (1 for legs and stomach, 1 for back arms and chest) and rub in circular motions to make sure I have completely even coverage.

I let that layer dry for around 10 minutes, and then apply the lotion on top.

You can find this at most grocery stores, drugstores, Amazon and mass retailers such as Walmart and Target.

Disclaimer: This product was not given to me nor was I compensated for this review in any way. This product was purchased by myself with my money because I felt like it. That's how I roll.

My First Child

I don't think I have quite explained to you the depth of my love for my dog, Corky.

He is essentially my child with wavy black fur. No, not the 'dress your dog up in clothes and marry it off to the neighborhood mutt' kind of child. No dog would be good enough for my precious... 

Corky has been my dog for almost 5 years now. He's a 6 year old border collie/golden retriever/sometimes human mix. He is not only my loyal companion, he's my shadow. If I take a shower, he lays by the the door. I can't cook without tripping over him, go for a quick errand without him in the front seat or leave town without taking him with me. He looks at me like I hung the moon, and I simply can't get enough of my handsome guy.

Keepin it classy

Keeping close watch on the garbage man

Corky came from a shelter, where he was placed after he was found beaten and chained in someone's backyard. He was 6 months old when he was removed from the property, after the original owners moved and left him abandoned in their yard. They beat him with brooms, hoses and left him to starve. Luckily, someone found him before it was too late and took him to the shelter. I found him at 10 months old, and we haven't been apart for more than 10 days since. 

He is a calm and gentle guy that is a complete gentleman indoors. He doesn't bark unless someone knocks on the door, is very careful with people, and actually worked as a therapy dog when I was in college. Hopefully we can get him back into the swing of things soon. Outdoors, he's a beast. He loves hiking, kayaking, jumping on trampolines, the snow and his most favorite thing is paddleboarding. No joke.

He's impossibly soft, and loves nothing more than to lay next to me on the couch with his head on my lap. He adores cats and will frequently share his bed (totally platonic) with one of our kitties, or let her clean his face and ears.

Corky and his best friend, Kitten

We got another dog 10 days before Christmas and she is high maintenance, to say the least. Micah wanted a dog that was more 'his' and that worshiped him like Corky worships me. Mission accomplished. She is a lot of crazy in a petite package, and drives him nuts. There are many times he has looked up at me with her hanging from his collar, tugging and growling, with eyes that say 'Are you serious with this? Why mom, why?'

I love him so, and have dog mom guilt every day for getting another dog that steals even an iota of attention from him. So, today, I have dedicated this post to my Corky Bear.

Corky in the mountains in Idaho

Paddleboarding in Austin

Instagram Pics of the Week

Spring has sprung! And so has Instagram for Android! All of this beautiful sunny weather has brought us out of our winter hiding, and has been keeping us pretty busy over the last couple of weeks!

Here are some photos of the week's happenings.

Clockwise from top left:  Bonfire at the ranch | Micah and the pups paddleboarding | Orchid Nail Lacquer in When Lightning Strikes | Spring mushrooms | Confetti egg attack | Spring fields | Finally back to climbing | Zilker Park for doggy play day | Paddleboarding date night

Spring Showers Bring Summer Swimsuits... Eek

Well people, spring is here. 

While I love the signs of the world waking up with the green leaves, endless flowers and pollen dusted cars, a small part of myself cringes. Spring and fall are my most favorite seasons. So why cringe?

Summer is my least favorite. By far. And it's on its way in a hurry.

Summer in Austin is like living in a humid sauna with a bunch of ridiculously tanned and fit people, all wearing tiny clothes. Right when we moved to Austin last summer, all of the health stuff kicked in, and I was incredibly uncomfortable (and insecure) wearing shorts, tank tops, really anything summery. I was having insane hot flashes and would sweat profusely in the air conditioning, so venturing out was out of the question.

 

I was also 30lbs heavier. And feeling pretty low about myself. Now, I am on the up and up and trying to shake the fat girl feeling. I am shrinking slowly, but definitely still have lots of lumps and bumps, as well as some really weird extra skin hanging out in very visible places.

With cooler weather clothing, I have been able to artfully disguise the parts of me that are still changing, and I have grown very accustomed to being more covered up. Now that the temps are rising by the day, I'm having to come to terms with a lot more of this new figure being exposed. 

I also realized that I beefed up my fall and winter wardrobe, and nothing from the last two summers fits. By a long shot. 

  

Outfits like this aren't going to fly for long, as I was already a little toasty in this in the 80 degree evening. I know shorts, shorter skirts and tanks are going to be essential to survive the hot summers. And swimsuits. Even typing that word made me a little dizzy.

I guess there is a part of me that thought by this time, I would be back to 'normal' and I wouldn't be worrying about buying a whole new crop of clothing in larger sizes. There is a little bit of embarrassment, a little bit of defeat and a lot of determination to return to my normal size. 

Zebra print? Or Crazy squiggly line print?

Shirt: NY&Co (2008)  Skirt: Old Navy (2012)  Belt: Forever 21 (2012)
Sandals: Charlotte Russe (2011)  Bangles: Forever 21 (2012)
Aviators: Gas Station   Purse: Thrifted (2012)

So, I will be venturing out to find some more transition clothes for the upcoming heat and humidity, as well as a very cute one piece that I can wear shorts with. Excuse me, I believe I just threw up a little.

Pray that I don't have a completely unhinged moment and that the shop girl doesn't find me rocking in a corner in the dressing room. Drunk and crying. Because right now, that's what my Saturday is looking like.