As much as I despise that it was 39 degrees here in Chicagoland last night, the one part of the cooler weather I enjoy is hearty meals and comfort foods (think fluffy, warm sweaters to hide the extra 5lbs of bulk I don't have to worry about for 6 months).

I thought I'd share some of my Fall favorites, and hope you do the same. (Good lord, I sound like Suzy Homemaker...I must have popped too many mood stabilizers this morning with my glass of vodka.)

Squash Soup in Pumpkin Bowls

I made this last year, sans the pumpkin bowls, but this year think I will take that extra step and hollow out the mini-pumpkins. Not only will it look cute, but hopefully it will make my husband think I slaved away while he was at work, so he doesn't know I sat on my ass and watched my stories and ate Bonbons all day à la Peg Bundy.

Pumpkin Pie Parfaits

These will clog your arteries, but there is bourbon in them, so add a few extra splashes than the recipe calls for and you'll forget all about the calories, cholesterol and your impending heart attack.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

This is easy to make, so I usually bake a few loaves and freeze them until I need them. I add some orange zest to give it an extra little kick. The sweet taste of the bread with the tartness of the cranberries and oranges is a really tasty combo.

Apple Pie Shots

I make this recipe in bulk - it's like a fancy moonshine. Instead of baking apple pies, I cook this delicious recipe. A couple years ago I made this for Christmas presents. Went to a local Brew & Grow and bought a case of wine bottles along with the foil tops to shrink-wrap them closed and make them look all store bought and shit. Designed labels and printed them out, slapped them on the bottle and voila! People think you're the most creative person ever. P.S. I also printed out a warning that it will kick your ass and affixed that tag to the neck of the bottle with some ribbon.

What are some of your favorite Fall foods?

How can I stop being so dependent on oil?

Don't worry, I'm not going to suggest that you dress only in hemp and ride a bike or hitchhike everywhere.

It's virtually impossible for most of us to go oil free. However, if all of us take a few steps towards ending our dependence on petroleum based products, a little can go a long way.

Here are the ingredients to keep an eye out for, and where you can find them:

Ingredients to avoid:
Petroleum
Petrolatum
Mineral Oil
Fragrance
PVP/VA Copolymer
Paraffin oil
Liquid paraffin
White petrolatum
Paraffin wax
Di-ethyl phthalate (DEP)
Di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP)
Benzyl butyl phthalate
Polyurethane

Things they are in (just about everything):
Skin creams—hand lotions, facial products, etc.
Hair spray
Candles
Paint
Deodorant
Antihistamines
Cortisone
Soft contact lenses
Detergents
Shampoo
Shaving cream
Bandages
Diapers
Perfume
Insect repellants
Food wrap
Toothbrushes, toothpaste
Crayons
Purses
Shoes
Rubber boots
Rubber bands
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes, flooring, shower curtains, and countless other household products


Kinda scary to think we're putting that stuff on our skin and brushing our teeth with it, isn't it?

As some of your products are running low and it's time to re-stock, take a look at the ingredients. If you see one of the ingredients listed above, spend some time researching to see what healthier, more environmentally friendly products are out there.

I did some searching and will share them with you here.


Method Products - These can be found at Target.

I absolutely love these cleaning products, and they are reasonably priced at around $4 a bottle for the multi-surface cleaner. They work great and to be able to smell French Lavender while cleaning your kitchen is way better than having your eyes and throat burn from inhaling some of those cleaners that are out there.

Method also makes a bunch of different scented handsoaps, even holiday/season themed scents throughout the year.


Physicians Formula Organic Makeup - organic make up doesn't have to cost a fortune!

This is a full line of makeup (from lip gloss to mascara to makeup remover and moisturizer) found at drugstores and department stores and won't cost you your next pay check. Not only is it organic, they don't do any testing on animals.

Trader Joe's - They have a great selection of organic foods, as well as many affordable organic toiletries.

Don't feel like brushing your teeth with petroleum anymore? You'll find organic toothpaste here, as well as shampoo and soap.


Some other steps you can take -- try to stop using disposable water bottles. Buy a reusable container and fill it at home with a Brita filtered water pitcher. If you do have a disposable bottle, don't just pitch it in the nearest garbage can when finished. Try to hold onto it until you are able to recycle it.

If possible, consolidate your errands, it will save you money on gas, and help cut down on your usage. When possible, try to carpool.

These are just a few suggestions, go ahead and add some of the ways you are making changes in the comment section.


Also, here are some websites that have a lot of helpful information:

Join the Oil Detox Challenge


Treehugger - Buy Green Guides


The Go Green Blog

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

Make BP Pay

Watching the news on this oil spill is very disheartening. Usually when something newsworthy happens, it is blown out of proportion and exaggerated to get everyone's attention (i.e. The recent Hawaiian tsunami that was supposed to happen after the Chile earthquake).

The initial story of the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 focused on the 11 missing and presumed deceased employees. Don't get me wrong, the loss of these lives is very sad, especially on the wake of the coal miners that lost their lives in West Virginia. However, there was no mention of a potential catastrophic oil spill that will affect so many people and wildlife. We were assured that things were under control and the leak was being taken care of.

Here we are 10 days later and we are finally starting to see that this is something that we need to be worried about. They are already starting to pull the oil coated birds out of the water, Louisiana is closing oyster beds due to the spill. As the news comes out, we will continue to see more and more widespread devastation.

Why did the news media downplay this for so long? Whose pockets was BP lining to keep this hush hush until they could come up with some BS plan about how they are willing to do everything they can to protect the environment?

I am just 1 teeny tiny person in the factor of this, and I alone cannot do anything to affect BP. However, I will start by not filling up at any of these gas stations. Please help spread the word. We can make BP feel the effect of us angry consumers. We will not sit back and let them destroy our world one oil spill at a time while they continue to profit from their catastrophic mistakes.


Link: www.tinyurl.com/boycottBP

Twitter: @BoycottBP

I♥ChrisBrown .... Really???

I♥ChrisBrown is the sixth most popular trending topic on Twitter right now. What is wrong with these girls??? I will be the first to tell you that the Jonas Brothers and Justin Bieber fans grate on my last nerve, however, they are simply kids being kids - God forbid Twitter was around when I was worshipping the New Kids On The Block in 1989. I can't wrap my head around the fact that Chris Brown isn't sitting in jail, let alone that he still has a career with a ton of supportive fans.

It really makes me sad that these girls are choosing to so quickly forget what Chris Brown did to Rihanna. In some cases they are even blaming Rihanna and saying she must have done something to deserve being beat. What does this say about our society? Are we really that delusional? Where are these girls' parents?

We are increasingly becoming a society where you don't have to claim responsibility for your actions. When did this happen? Have we become so PC that we are afraid to actually punish and shun those that deserve it? Does celebrity status automatically give you a set of rules that us regular folk don't have access to?

What happens when some of these girls get older and get involved in relationships and their boyfriend hits them? Or if they realize one of their friends is in an abusive relationship? Will they come to their senses and realize that it is NOT OK for a man to put his hands on a woman (and vice versa)? Would they help their friend to get out of the relationship? Would they turn a blind eye? Or would they assume she must have done something to deserve it?

Seeing that Chris Brown and Ben Roethlisberger (and many others) simply brush the dirt off their shoulders and carry on like nothing happened is disgusting. Nothing changes for them, sure there is the initial shit storm of media, but it quickly fades out of the media spotlight as another star overdoses or files for divorce. They bounce back from the minor setback in their career and can go out and still have women throwing themselves at them, further inflating their egos and sense of entitlement.

Is this a continuing downward spiral we are on, or have we as a society already collectively hit rock bottom? I'd like to think that the only way from here is up. Wake up girls, get some self respect and realize that you are special and you do deserve someone who is going to love you for who you are and treat you right.