Meet The Gibsons: Top Ten Tuesdays

Showing posts with label Top Ten Tuesdays. Show all posts

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

So Thankful... Now Take a Drink.

Turkey Day is upon us... let's have a moment of silence for the 85 million turkeys that gave their lives so we can feast on Thursday.

Okay, now let's talk about something more fun... like booze. Thanksgiving boozing to be more precise. A coworker* sent me the link to this fun Thanksgiving drinking game. And what better way to make the best of the inevitable awkward moments that will take place? For the full set of rules, click here. These are my favorite.

1. When someone refers to the turkey as moist... TAKE A DRINK!

2. Someone asks for an unreasonably large piece of pie**... TAKE A DRINK!

3. Someone actually eats the canned cranberry sauce... CHUG YOUR WHOLE DRINK!

4. Someone brings a "raw", "clean eating", or "paleo" side dish***... CHUG YOUR DRINK!

5. Someone asks a personal question you'd rather not answer... CHUG YOUR DRINK!

Why do people think this is okay?

6. Someone actually says, "Gobble Gobble"... CHUG 2 DRINKS!

7. Someone unbuttons their pants... TAKE A DRINK!

8. Someone takes off their pants... CHUG 2 DRINKS!

9. You're forced to awkwardly say what you're thankful for... CHUG 2 DRINKS!!

10. Someone (and maybe it's you****) eats 5 or more rolls... TAKE A DRINK!

I am thankful for so many things this year, not the least of which is boozing on Thanksgiving. Hope ya'll have a happy happy turkey day! Gobble Gobble!

*My coworkers are awesome.
**That would probably be me.
***How about vegan/gluten free?
****It is.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Top It Off.

People, I have to tell you something. I love to eat. Did you know that? I love food. I love to talk about it, read about it, watch it on TV, look at food porn on Instagram, pour over cookbooks while drinking wine. Food is my jam. For real.

I just thought you should know.

So here's some food talk. These are 10 of my favorite condiments... the spreads and sprinkles that really rev my foodie-engine.

1. Peanut Butter. At any one time you will find about 5 different brands or kinds of peanut butter in my casa. We all love it. BUT, a life-altering event happened this weekend when I made my own peanut butter in the Vitamix. I may never buy peanut butter again.

Nutter Butter.

2. Green Tabasco. I have always been a Tabasco fan, but when I discovered the green version, I was in love. There is not a lunch I eat that wouldn't benefit from this green juice. Plus it makes guacamole sing.

Wacky Tabaccy.

3. Nutch. AKA Nutritional Yeast. These cheesy flakes add flavor and texture to sauces, salads, and soups. This is another condiment that I find goes well with just about everything.

Nutch.

4. Stockyard BBQ Sauce. This sauce is local, gluten-free, and tastes amazing! It's a little sweet and as thick as molasses. Amazing.

Gooey Dreamy Yummy.

5. Gulden's. In life there are ketchup people and there are mustard people. I'm on team mustard. And I only buy Gulden's. This spicy brown mustard has been putting pizzaz on my sandwiches since I was a kid. I've got serious Gulden's brand loyalty.

I love you, mustard.

6. Tamari. Tamari is gluten-free soy sauce. They can be used interchangeably. I love tamari in sauces, dressings, or just sprinkled over dinner.

Tamari Love.

7. Siracha. Seriously, who doesn't love siracha sauce??? I always put a bottle out in class for the kids to use and now they are addicted too. One mom told me her kid was insisting that she buy the "rooster sauce" and she had no idea what he was talking about. Mix this spicy sauce with the tamari above if you are looking for serious flavor.

Hot!

8. Pumpkin Butter. Okay, this is a seasonal one, but I've been eating so much I felt I had to share. This stuff is amazing spread on toast, mixed into oatmeal, stirred into yogurt, or in place of the jelly on a PB&J. It's amazing. And only available for a limited time.

Pumpkin Butter.

9. Trader Joe's Goddess Dressing. This is my fave for veggie dipping. It has a really unique, almost Asian flavor. I like it... a lot!

Oh yeah!

10. Trader Joe's Hummus. There are so many to choose from! I love the classic, but sometimes have to mix it up and try one of their many flavors. However, who knows what will happen once I nail hummus in my Vitamix. Hummus may go the way of peanut butter.

Oh how I love you!!!

What are your favorite toppings, sauces, and condiments?

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

The Dirty Lou

We were in St. Louis this weekend for the at-home reception from the wedding we went to Hilton Head for. Can we just talk about how super-fun St. Louis is??? I have so much freaking fun every time we're there. Love that town! Here's 10 pics from our weekend adventure.

Dressed up!

The group. We're all super fun.

Scenes from the dance floor.

The Groom.

Getting our K-S-U on. And please check out Alexis in the back.

More dancing.

Ummm.... dancing?

The bride & groom.

The cab ride home... our cab was decked out in strobe lights and I thought we were on Cash Cab.

The bar we ended up at instead of going back to the hotel.

For real, we had a super fun weekend. It helps that Drew has such a fun group of friends and all of their wives/girlfriends are just as cool.

Happy Tuesday!

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Books!

I don't always find the time to read like I wish I would. But here are ten books I've read this year.

1. Blood Bones and Butter

Yummy.

While Googling this book I found out it is going to be a movie! Starring Gwyneth Paltrow! So regardless of what I have to say about it, you know you should read it! In case you are wondering, it is the memoir of a gal who refers to herself as a "reluctant chef". It made me want to travel to Italy and do nothing but eat.

2. Kitchen Counter Cooking School

Learn to Cook.

I was so excited to find this book. I read Kathleen's first book The Sharper Your Knife The Less You Cry and I loved every juicy detail of her adventures at culinary school in Paris. In this book she teaches real people to cook. It was so wonderful and actually inspired some new lesson plans for me.

3. A Dogs Purpose

Puppy Love.

I originally thought this was just a collection of fantastic dog stories surrounded by the idea that a dog has many lives. But when I finally realized the connection, I just died. And hugged my puppies. It is so good. If you have crazy-dog-lady tendencies, you really need to read this book.

4. Racing Weight

Run run run.

Meh... I checked out this book during my hard-core training phase before Chicago. It was interesting, but I was kind of turned off by the way he hated on runners in comparison to other athletes like triathletes. I wasn't a fan.

5. Silver Linings Play Book

Read this right now!

Oh my goodness. I know you've seen the movie... who could say no to Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence??? But the book is 1,000 times better! We listened to the audio book on our way to South Dakota and both Drew & I absolutely loved it. So entertaining. Read it!

6. Tao of Martha

I ♥ Jen & Martha

I've always loved Jen Lancaster. And I'm accepting that as she gets more famous and less bitter her writing will also change. This book isn't Bitter is the New Black or Such a Pretty Fat, but it was pretty dang fantastic. It made me smile and even cry. I continue to love Jen.

7. Kara Goucher's Running for Women

Love Kara!

Kara Goucher is my running inspiration. She's amazing and wonderful. I didn't find a ton of new information about running in this book, but I was obsessed with and in love with the stories she shared from her running career. She's so wonderful. And I think if you are a newbie runner, you should absolutely check out the book for it's straight-forward advice and information about running.

8. Born to Run

Born to run.

I loved this book! It is full of all kinds of history about running and also features my favorite vegan/ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek. It was so inspiring!

9. The Beauty Detox Solution

OMG.

I cannot believe I'm admitting that I actually read this book. I can't believe I made it through the entire thing. I couldn't put it down because I was so intrigued by what crazy thing this gal would say next. She writes about a diet and lifestyle that will lead you to your most beautiful self. It's basically an extreme vegan diet mixed with colonics and bizarre food pairings. I thought it was mostly BS. But, that's just me.

10. Salt Sugar Fat

Holy moly.

Oh wow. This book is fascinating! It's all about the evolution of the food industry and how they've shaped the way Americans eat. It is full of food science, history, and stories from industry insiders. There was a section about how Home Ec teachers were the biggest opponents of the industry's push of convenience foods in the 1950's and how the food industry got us on board with their products. I was horrified. A lot of the book horrified me. And made me hungry. I absolutely stopped to buy chips after reading about the scientific formulation of Lays. What an idiot.

Okay, looking at this list I realize that almost everything I've been reading has been non-fiction. What novels should I add to my list? I need more stories and less science.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Hilarious Marathon Signs

I've never seen such hilarious and motivating signs as I did during the Chicago Marathon*.

Here are 10 great signs that any runner would love to see during a race course.

1. Worst Parade Ever.

2. Kim K.

3. Chuck.

4. People love to talk about poop.

5. Kicking Ass.

6. I think Nike stole this one from me.

7. That's what she said.

8. I can never hear that enough.

9. This is my go-to for race spectating.

10. Kenyan signs are always motivating.

I will tell you that one of my fave signs in Chicago* was one that read, "I don't do marathons, I do a marathon runner." That guy was my hero.

*Yep, still talking about it. :)

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Sky Mall

During our recent travels* I spent a good deal of time reading through the Sky Mall magazine. Confession: it's my favorite part of traveling. I'm not a good flier. And reading each and every description of each and every product offered not only takes my mind off the fact that we are millions of feet above the safety of Earth, but it also entertains the heck out of me. Here are ten things I think we all need from the Sky Mall.

1. Human Sling Shot. Price: $99.99