NEXT UP: Avocado Breakfast Spread

Sick of eating boring cereal and milk for breakfast? This delicious Avocado Breakfast Spread will become your new favorite morning meal.

This recipe will also start your day on a healthy note. Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins, eggs are packed with protein and essential amino acids, and onions can ease the symptoms of a cold or cough. Something tells me that those Lucky Charms aren't quite as beneficial to your health...

Requiring no actual cooking, this recipe only take a few minutes to throw together. Spread it on lightly toasted wheat bread and you will not be disappointed. Make it your whole meal or pair it with a grapefruit or fruit salad. 

So what do you think? New favorite breakfast meal? (Don't worry, I won't tell the Lucky Charms leprechaun.)

Avocado Breakfast Spread

1 onion

2 hard-boiled eggs

2 medium avocados

Salt

Pepper

Toasted bread slices

1. Dice the onions until you can fill a 1/2 cup. Set aside.

2. Remove yolks from hard-boiled eggs; you only need the egg whites. Use a fork to mash up the egg whites into crumb-size pieces.

3. Slice and pit avocados. Place avocados in the same dish with the egg whites. Use the fork to mash up the avocado, mixing it with the egg white pieces.

4. Mix diced onion with the avocado-egg mixture until evenly distributed. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

5. Serve with bread slices to use for spreading on.

Serves 2 people as a full meal, or 4 people as a part of a meal.

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NEXT UP: Watch "Revenge"

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Since the end of "Friends" and "24," I've been searching for a new television series to look forward to every week. ABC's newest show, "Revenge," finally filled that void. It's a suspenseful crime show, a bloody action series, and a not-too-corny soap opera all in one.

Of course, the plot is the main reason you should become a fellow "Revenge" fanatic. Amanda Clark learns that her father was falsely framed for funding a terrorist attack on the United States. He dies in prison, leaving Amanda with a roadmap back to the people who betrayed him and clues for how to bring them down. Thirsty for revenge, Amanda changes her identity, becoming Emily Thorne. She moves to the Hamptons where she lived as a child and where the victims of her vengeful plight--the Graysons--still live. She meticulously begins exposing secrets, from murders to cover-ups to romantic affairs. It's constant edge-of-your seat drama.

Not hooked on the plot alone? You should be! However, here are three more reasons why you should give this show a chance:

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Besides the fact that they're all drop-dead gorgeous (maybe literally since there's always the potential for a character to be killed off), the show boasts an amazingly talented cast. Emily Thorne/Amanda Clark, played by Emily Van Camp from "Everwood," is a rock star. She is able to create a strong female character whose bad side you would never want to get on, yet still has the audience rooting for her. The wealthy Grayson family (four characters on right) are deliciously conniving and twisted; Emily's first love Jack Porter (second from left) is adorably naive; even Mrs. Grayson's assistant Ashley Davenport (far left) mesmerizes with her British accent and ambitious desires. PLUS, Mr. Grayson (far right, played by Henry Czerny) also played "Yuri the Trainer who Trains" in Steve Martin's Pink Panther movie. Now you definitely want to check out the show, I'm sure...

 

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

All that talent is packaged into a very well-dressed ensemble. Perfectly tailored and always flattering, the cast's wardrobe deserves some recognition. The characters look like they just stepped off a photo shoot for a chic fashion magazine. The men and women dress in enviable designer duds, creating a show that's both exciting to watch and pleasant to look at. Hey Emily Thorne, any chance you want to trade closets?

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Fictional shows can give the viewer a chance to fantasize about living in another place. Who wouldn't want to frolic in the glitzy Hamptons, partake in elaborate dinner parties on the beach, or enjoy Sunday Brunch in a multi-million dollar mansion? The show's set often reminds me of a Williams Sonoma catalogue; I feel like I should be jotting down interior decorating ideas for my future home. The Grayson Manor is dripping with luxurious linens, furniture collections, and artwork. Emily's more modest beach house has a rustic, classic appearance, complete with a front-porch hammock. Can't make it out to the Hamptons this afternoon? Just live vicariously through the characters on "Revenge."

So there you have it: Three more reasons why you should tune in to this show. My only complaint is the erratic schedule. It is supposed to air on ABC at 10pm on Wednesdays, but there have been several interruptions lately. Plus, the show is now on a hiatus until April. Wah wah. But hey, that just gives you a chance to catch up/rewatch all the episodes posted on Hulu!

Are you a "Revenge" fan? What TV series currently has you hooked?

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NEXT UP: Breezing Through Chicago

Here's the first of many travel posts. Last weekend, I visited a friend who goes to school at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Since I flew into Chicago, it seemed only fitting to spend several hours checking out this new city.

I almost didn't make it to Chi-Town (am I allowed to use the nickname now that I visited?) due to wintry weather conditions. Fortunately, my flight only arrived an hour late, so there was still time for my friend to show me some major Chicago sights.

So where does a Chicago newbie go when she only has a few hours to see the city? The top of the former tallest building in the world, of course! For the student discounted price of $17.50, we rode an elevator to the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower, formerly (and more widely) known as the Sears Tower. I must have a thing for going to top floors of tall buildings...

How 'bout that VIEW?

It was a looong way down. There's even a special spot where you stand on a glass floor. This part of the experience is not for the faint-hearted.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before going to the skyscraper, we fueled up on a classic Chicago deep dish pizza from Giordanos. Forget stepping on the glass floor of a skyscraper; this pizza is not for the faint-hearted. I wish I could've weighed this monster because it was HUGE. 

Spinach and mushroom cheese pizza from Giordanos, Chicago

We decided on a spinach and mushroom cheese pizza. A generous layer of cheese painted with spicy marinara sauce covered a melty mix of veggies and cheese, and the entire thing was held together by a flaky, buttery crust at least 1/2 an inch thick. Between the two of us, we basically finished the entire pie. And then I got really sick to my stomach. Surprise, surprise. But oh man was it worth it!

My very first slice of Chicago deep dish pizza...followed soon after by my second and third...

I'm so glad I got to experience a deep dish pie in its hometown, but I think I'll stick to my preferred thin-crust version.

Chicago itself seemed like a really exciting place to be; I wish I could have spent more time there! I hope to be back in the future to really explore what Chi-Town has to offer.

Are you familiar with Chicago? Which pizza do you prefer: deep dish or thin crust?

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NEXT UP: Shrimp & Mushroom Couscous

It's not often that I have the guts/time to cook up a dinner that does not involve spreading almond butter and jelly on two slices of bread. I know it seems funny coming from someone who constantly bookmarks recipes like Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Curried Barley Chickpea Salad, and Mahi-Mahi with Pineapple-Mint Salsa.

However, cooking with a partner is a lot more fun than balancing two pans while crying over a pile of diced onions by myself. When my boyfriend was over the other week, we decided to prepare a recipe his dad had once cooked for us: Shrimp and Mushroom Couscous.

The exciting--and scary--part of this culinary endeavor was that we didn't have a strict recipe to follow. No book. No blog post. No French mouse named Remy guiding our hands (Ratatouille, anyone?). Instead, we had a quick call with BF's dad, some jotted notes, and our taste buds' memories to go by.

The recipe yields about four servings...but we ate the entire thing ourselves. It was that good. The white wine and lemon adds a silky taste to the savory pearls of couscous. Paired with fresh shrimp and meaty mushrooms, you have a delicious, filling meal. Plus, our recipe was super easy. Enjoy!

I used a pot instead of a pretty saucepan. College-kitchen cooking, woo!

Shrimp and Mushroom Couscous

1 tbs olive oil 

1 1/2 cups of Israeli Couscous (We used 1 package of Trader Joe's Brand)

2 3/4 cups water, boiling

1 onion

8 oz sliced mushrooms

Uncooked shrimp (1 package, or about 1 lb)

White wine

Lemon (for flavoring)

Salt & pepper

1. Prepare the couscous by heating 1 tbs of olive oil in a large sauce pan. Add the couscous and sauté until it is lightly browned (about 5 minutes). Add in the boiling water and cover. The couscous is done when it has absorbed most of the water (about 10-12 minutes). Set aside.

2. Spray and heat a large frying pan. Prepare 1 cup of diced onion. Sauté diced onion in skillet. Once onions are turning slightly yellow, add in the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms are soft.

3. Add the shrimp to the frying pan and saute the mixture until the shrimp are light pink. Add in the cup of white wine. Cover pan with lid and let simmer for a few minute to soak in the wine flavor.

4. Add the contents of the frying pan (onions, mushrooms, shrimp) to the sauce pan with the couscous, keeping most but not all of the white wine liquid not absorbed (depending on your flavor preference).

5. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Serves 4 (or one hungry couple).

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NEXT UP: Collage Your Next Birthday Gift

Are you one of those people who loves figuring out the perfect gift to give to your friends?

Ew. Really? I am so not. In fact, deciding what to get my friends for their birthdays stresses me out. A Starbucks Gift Card? Too impersonal. A bracelet? Too pricy. A lifetime supply of perfectly ripened bananas? Too weird to get for anyone but myself (but a dream-come-true for me!).

So more often than not, I rely on my creative skills to make homemade gifts for my friends. It's really a foolproof strategy. If they like it, they worship your artistic abilities and brilliant idea. If they don't like it, they won't be able to say anything because it would mean personally offending the giver. The birthday prince/princess can bash a store-bought scarf or plastic iTunes gift card all they want, but insulting handmade goods is always a no-no. Am I right or am I right? (Correct answer: I am right.)

Several of my girl friends have received collages from me over the years. Creating a collage of your friend's interests--whether with magazine cutouts and puff-paint or with a simple ball-point pen--creates a keepsake that shows off....I mean, showcases...how much you know about your bud. Below are some of my collage creations:

In the same vein, I also created a movie collage for a Secret Snowman Holiday Gift Swap. My friend Erin B. fought for this one. I was just happy that I had contributed a gift that someone really loved! (At this year's Secret Snowman, my contribution was Chocolate Lip Smackers from CVS. Things have gone downhill.)

Recognize these movies?

Of course, if you don't have time to put together a collage, a Starbucks Gift Card is not such a bad idea. Any time's a good time for an extra hot tall decaf two-pump skim chai tea latte. Just sayin'.

What's your go-to last-minute birthday gift? What's the best birthday gift you've made or received?

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