Ghost Adventures Premiere Food and Mary Kay Mondays

About two weeks ago or so, I told y'all about the new Ghost Adventures Season coming up (Season 11!) and that I was really excited because I decided that I was going to make some appetizers for the occasion. Something different.

I wanted to share the appetizers that I made in a quick post. I didn't take pictures of each step (I apologize), but we were really busy buying patio furniture that day and by the time we got home, I had about an hour and a half to make three appetizers and a signature drink.

I planned the appetizers during the week and I wanted each to be associated with one of the guys on Ghost Adventures. There are four main guys at the moment: Zak, Aaron, Billy, and Jay. My other requirement for the appetizers was that I wanted them to be low calorie, even though it was a cheat day. So after much research all over the internet I found (and named):

1. Zak's Zucchini Sticks with Marinara Sauce
2. Aaron's Artichoke Dip
3. Jay's Jalapeño Poppers
4. Billy's Berry Sangria 

L-R: Artichoke Dip, Zucchini Sticks, Berry Sangria, & Jalapeno Poppers

Ha! It was a lot of fun looking up different recipes and it was actually quite difficult finding ones that I wanted to make. I did take ONE picture of the finished products...all lined up and ready to be enjoyed. They were all very tasty. I will tell you though that I enjoyed the Artichoke Dip and Jalapeño Poppers the most. There was something missing from the Zucchini Sticks. 


I got all of the recipes off of Skinny Taste and the only change I made was the Jalapeño Poppers did not have bacon. Therefore, I microwaved some bacon and crumbled it into the cheese mixture. I also did not dredge them in egg whites and then the bread crumbs. I had panko on hand and actually just used the cheese/bacon mixture as a binding agent and pressed each popper into the panko (which I had seasoned with salt and pepper). This added a crunch and it didn't take away from the jalapeñoes themselves. And it wasn't messy. 

Here are the links: Skinny Artichoke Dip, Baked Zucchini Sticks, and Skinny Baked Jalapeño Poppers.

Now I'm sure you are wondering about the Berry Sangria. Well...first off, it's not *really* sangria. You caught me. I've made this type of special drink before and it's something you really can't mess up! You can make it alcoholic or non-alcoholic as well. 

BERRY SANGRIA
Serves 1 

Ingredients: 

Crystal Light Berry Sangria Liquid Drink Mix (the squirt bottle) 
Berry Flavored Sparkling Water (this can be store brand or La Croix), can or bottle*
Ice
Vodka (if alcoholic...no vodka if non-alcoholic), 1-2 shots

Additions: You can add a squeeze of lime or even some frozen berries to the mix

*Note: If it's a can, you may end up using two.  

What I usually do is I take a shot glass to measure the vodka and put it into a blender. I add one or two cans of the berry flavored sparkling water (or a bottle of it). I add the ice and for this particular mixture, I added about 4 good squirts of flavoring. I blend everything together. It ends up being kind of slushy, but not super slushy. At this point I would add the frozen berries to mix in and reserve some for presentation. Mix it well. Then pour into wine glasses or other pretty glasses you may have. And enjoy! I know it's not real sangria and I know it's kind of silly, but I've made this using Crystal Light's Margarita Powdered Drink Mix (which apparently they do not sell anymore) with tequila of course, and it was fun because it's a low calorie margarita that you can enjoy without all the guilt. I also like making this (or other flavors!) non-alcoholic because of the slushiness and it makes you feel like you are indulging...when you really aren't!   

In the end, it was a lot of fun to watch the new season and it was also fun coming up with recipes to make. 

So I've also decided that on Mondays, I'm going to do a post about products with Mary Kay! I get a lot of questions about various products and I wanted to make a post that focused specifically on one or two things each week. I love talking about Mary Kay and I also love making sure that people are informed!! So there you have it!! 

Before I get into the products I'm going to talk about in this post, I wanted to write a bit about WHY I decided to join Mary Kay. The only exposure I really had to Mary Kay before joining was a friend's mom who sold it. And I also know my mom used it. I do remember going to a Mary Kay meeting one evening with my friend's mom because she asked me to be a "model" for her. It was really fun and very interesting to listen to these women talk and help each other out. I also did a little bit of inventory work for her during the summer, which was fun! She let me view samples and try things out. Kind of a girl's dream to play with make up! :) I didn't really have any other exposure to it until November of 2013. I was pregnant and in my first semester of grad school. I had joined a MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group and was approached by one the ladies there to be a practice face for her. I agreed because I was curious about the product and I love being pampered of course. I went that Saturday and loved everything about the experience. She asked me if I wouldn't mind helping her out with the business side of Mary Kay by coming to get coffee with her and her Director one day during the coming week. I wanted to help her out and I was also really curious at this point about the business. When I went home from that meeting over coffee, I had learned everything I wanted to know about Mary Kay. It was really interesting listening about the business side and it's great to hear what your consultant does and why she does what she does. I wanted to join that night in fact, but I was hesitant because I was about to have a baby and of course I was in grad school so I didn't know how I would grow my business. I'm kind of glad I didn't join at that point. A lot of change happened after the new year and even though I know for a fact that I would not have been hounded AT ALL about why I wasn't selling, I would have felt guilty that I wasn't doing something with my business because I always try to put 110% into everything I do. Fast forward to that summer, in 2014. I ended up joining and haven't looked back since! I enjoy everything about this business. I know there are many "whisperings"out there about Mary Kay and I also know that there are Directors out there who are not pleasant. But in my case, I have felt nothing but love and encouragement in everything I do from everyone in my unit. Each time I teach a skin care class, I feel confident. And in fact, I have found that people I know tell me how much more confident I am after joining Mary Kay. I think it has to do with the fact that I am helping women. Whether they purchase a lipstick from me or skin care. I'm helping THEM feel more confident about themselves and I think that's what I love most about this business. :) 


I wanted to start off Mary Kay Mondays with a product that is actually new to Mary Kay. It's called the TimeWise Pore Minimizer. TimeWise is the brand of products by Mary Kay that are proven anti-aging products. In fact our Miracle Set, which I will chat about at some point, has the Good Housekeeping Seal which means that if you don't like the product, you can actually send it to Good Housekeeping and they will pay you back for it. Pretty awesome! 

The Pore Minimizer actually replaced the second step to the Microdermabrasion Set, which I've personally been using for over a year now. Mary Kay kept the first product within the set, called Refine, which has microbeads in it that gently exfoliate your skin to remove all the dead skin cells in and around your pores. After this, you were to use the second step, which was called Repair in order to....repair your skin! Before, you had to purchase the set in order to get both products. But now, you can purchase both the TimeWise Microdermabrasion Refine and the TimeWise Pore Minimizer separately. Which I thought was a great idea! Each product stands perfectly on their own. You can still buy them as a set, though. Which they have re-named the TimeWise Microdermabrasion Plus Set. 

Did you know that there is an average of 20,000 pores on your face?? That's quite a bit!! With so many, it's easy to become hyperfocused on them since some pores are more visible than others. The Pore Minimizer counteracts that and provides a daily defense against the look of enlarged pores. So what is the Pore Minimizer? It's a lightweight serum which you can use in the morning and at night! The one thing immediately noticed the first time I used it, was that my skin texture changed. My face felt softer--in fact I couldn't STOP touching it. The second thing I noticed was that it truly is lightweight. I didn't feel bogged down with product. Mary Kay did an independent consumer study in which 226 panelists used the product twice a day (morning and night) for three weeks. These were the amazing results: 80% said that it gave them close-up-confident skin, 83% said it tightened the look of their pores, 87% said that it improved their skin's overall appearance, and 90% said it left their skin feeling silky. I feel that the results truly speak for themselves! And in fact, I have noticed all of these things myself. 

I also use the Microdermabrasion Refine product, which I love. I thought I would comment briefly about it as well. As I said before, this product exfoliates your skin. I love it because all of the microbeads in it are all one size. What I mean by that, is that I *used* to use St. Ives face scrub. Yikes. I know. When you look at the texture of the scrub, all of the pieces in it are different sizes. So in theory you are exfoliating your skin unevenly. The Refine pieces are all the same size, so you are exfoliating your skin evenly making for a clearer complexion. This product you use only twice a week. Yes, you read that right! I usually say on the Ws. Wednesdays and one day on the Weekend. It's easier for me to remember. I love the feeling of my skin after I use it and because it's gentle, I don't end up with a red face that normal microdermabrasion ends up doing. The best thing I heard recently was during a facial. Matt had bought me an hour massage and an hour facial for my birthday? I think? And I refused to use it until I had passed my Oral Exams for my Masters degree. Mainly because I wanted the experience to be relaxing, but also because I was too busy!!!! So I finally got to enjoy it after I graduated! During the facial, my face was looked at through a larger magnifier. A little nerve wracking because I just knew it would show everything. Well the esthetician doing my facial literally went..."huh." Which I took as a negative thing! Ha! I asked her what was wrong and she said, "Nothing. I just have never really had anyone in here who didn't have any blackheads and clear pores. What do you use??" And I told her that I use Mary Kay, in particular a microdermabrasion set twice a week and she told me to keep using it because it's obviously a great product! How about that for results!!!???  I just thought that was the coolest thing to hear and I wanted to share it with you. :) 

The best thing about both of these products is that right now, when you purchase $40 or more of Mary Kay products you get the cutest little Deluxe Mini Set with your order for FREE. Yep. FREE! The set includes both the Refine and the new Pore Minimizer. Kind of a try before you buy situation! And it's FREE. Did I mention that? :) 

Anyway, I hope that you have enjoyed all the knowledge about the Pore Minimizer AND the Microdermabrasion Refine products. I really love them both and how they make my skin look and feel!! If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section! I hope that you have had a wonderful Monday and I look forward to chatting more!! 




You can find these and more products on my website at www.marykay.com/jenniferbroderick! 

Spanish Pork with Apple-Citrus Salsa

I've been doing a lot of fruit salsas with our dishes lately. Probably because the mantra here at the moment is very similar to Game of Thrones...."Winter is Coming." Apparently, when winter is making it's way to this area, one starts to see a dusting on the mountains. Well. I've seen the dusting. Everyone has seen the dusting. The dusting is all anyone can talk about. Therefore, in an effort to hang onto summer (and avoid the dusting), I've been encouraging a lot of outdoor grilling (and dining!).

I've made this recipe before, but I couldn't remember when. Turns out that I was planning on posting this back when we were in Leavenworth. Never happened. No idea why. In any case, I made it again and it (once again) received raved reviews from the masses. Well just Matt and Nicholas. So I am super excited to share this with you!!

SPANISH PORK WITH APPLE-CITRUS SALSA
Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon pimenton*

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed 

2 cups diced Granny Smith apple

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons apple juice 

1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

Cooking spray 

*Note: I used Smoked Paprika 

The recipe starts with an easy dry rub; combining the chili powder, dried oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, and (in my case) smoked paprika.  

The next step is to take your olive oil and brush it onto your pork tenderloin. Once you have done this, you take your dry rub and sprinkle it over the pork tenderloin, rubbing it into the pork as you go until it's completely covered. 

 
There's a story behind these two pork tenderloins. So the recipe calls for a pound--which in my experience is hard to find...and especially hard to find up here! For some reason these tenderloins only come in one size. LARGE. The one I found was over two pounds and it was the smallest one (and cheapest). I *thought* that there was just one pork tenderloin encased in it's little wrap...but SURPRISE. There were two. I say all of this because the rub was enough for both!

The next thing is that you let the pork sit. For about 30 minutes at room temperature to marinate in the goodness of the rub that is dry.

Did you like that?

While you wait...make the salsa!! All you have to do is mix together the apples, cilantro, apple juice, lime rind (I used my trusty microplane), lime juice, green onions, and jalapeño pepper. Stir well, put a cover on it, and set it in the refrigerator to get happy. 

Once your pork has rested for 30 minutes, fire up the grill and grill it! Make sure it reads 145 degrees before you pull it off though! 

I know my grilling looks pretty shabby...but I am still getting the hang of it. I promise you it still was DELICIOUS. 

Look how pretty on the inside!!! :) I let it rest on the cutting board for about 10 minutes to let the juices do their thang and then sliced it into little medallions. 

When we were ready to eat, I pulled out the salsa to top off the pork. 

The pork was as tasty as I remembered and even Nicholas liked it! I served it with a salad and wild rice. It was so nice outside that we decided to take advantage of our new patio furniture. Totally worth it. 

This dish comes in at 227 calories per serving and it was even great for leftovers over the weekend! I made it into pork tacos using corn tortillas (warmed on the stove) and of course topped the pork off with the salsa. I love it when recipes can be transformed into something different for another day. More bang for your buck I suppose! 

I know that this recipe has gone into my "make again" folder and I definitely will. I think it's pretty enough for company even! The spices aren't too spicy and you can most certainly adjust it per your liking. 

I hope that if you try this dish you will love it! And if you do, let me know!!! :) 

Here's the link: Spanish Pork with Apple-Citrus Salsa