A Fun Halloween Ride!

 Today was a gorgeous day...until 3 pm.  Then it opened up and poured buckets the rest of the day and evening! Greg and I went on a bike ride to celebrate the next to last day in October before the rain came pouring down!  We set off at around noon and I became a bit enthralled with some of the scenery we saw.  I meant to take nature pictures of our beautiful ride and I did take one,

          but ended up mostly taking pictures of people's Halloween fun!                                                                   Here is what I saw:   

                                    Some cool-looking cornstalks and pumpkins!

                                   Cute Pumpkins near some scary gargoyles!

                                    

                          A beautiful front porch with an awesome pumpkin display

                                                      
                                             Some very creative jack-o-lanterns

                             A porch that needed sweeping and cleaning very badly!

              And this strange fellow, running straight toward me.  It gave me quite a scare...

                                Until he wished me a very Happy Halloween!
                                                    I hope you have one too!

Easy Stir-Fry Venison

Prepare all your favorite rice, vegetables and Asian inspired dishes on this versatile Calphalon stir fry pan. The traditional round-bottom Calphalon pan is easy use on Western ranges, and has a long handle for easy lifting, tossing, and turning, and a flat bottom for stability.

One Infused Anodized 10" Stir Fry Pan

A Great Way To Stir Fry!

By Helena from Sandy, UIT on 10/26/2010

5out of 5

Pros: Non-Stick, Easy To Clean, Handle Stays Cool, Retains Heat, Distributes Heat Evenly
Best Uses: Simple Meals, Small Kitchens, Gifts
Describe Yourself: Casual Cook

I was impressed with this pan! The first meal I prepared was a real test. My son brought home a deer and after it was processed, I cooked venison stir fry in this pan. It turned out great! The meat was evenly cooked and tender. The flavor was delicious! I love it!

 Recipe for Easy Venison Stir-Fry! 
 To remove any gamey taste, marinate venison in 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup water for 3 hours.  Next, rinse meat and soak in 2 cups milk for another several hours. Rinse meat.

Slice 1 onion,1 green or red pepper and 1 tomato.  Set aside.

Brown venison in oil.  It works best if you use higher heat b/c meat will be less dry. 

When steaks are nearing desired wellness, add pepper, onion and  tomato. Continue cooking until vegetables are thoroughly heated and stir continuously.  Serve over white or wild rice. Enjoy!

(legalese)

Some New Hair Ideas!

Do you ever get that ho hum feeling about your hair?  It's just same old, same old all the time?  Yes, I do too!  And seriously, I've done the lightening, highlighting, the perming, the cutting, teasing, the curling the straightening.  I've done pony tails, buns, pig tails, bangs, spikes and ringlets.  I get all that!  But I'm looking for some new ideas! Well, I found a great new resource in the Alternative Hair Show!  This year it was held at London's Royal Albert Hall on October 14th!  This was their silver anniversary and they really did it up...I now have a whole new vision of what my hair could look like!  There were 25 teams representing 25 years from all over the world.  Angus Mitchell represented the US.  I don't have any more excuses for boring hair--take a look at what I mean!  My top five:

No more excuses, ladies!  Just do it!!!

Great Cookware Giveaways!

Here are some great cookware giveaways I found around the net:

• Win a 10" Extrema Skillet at BabyGearToday!  Ends 11/15/10!

• Win a 3-piece set of nano-ceremic pans from Bialetti at Momstart! Ends 10/25/10!

• Get cookware at CSNStores.com with a $75 Gift Code!  Go to Cuckoo For Coupons!  Ends 10/19/10!

• Win 3 yummy 30-minute meals delivered to you from Schwan's!  Go to Kitchen Bellicious and find out the details! (No end date)

• Win a grater that grates and measures all at once at Mr. Food!  It's the Good Grips Container Grater!  Ends 10/31/10!

Very Glassy Indeed!

 From jewelry to stained glass windows, glass artwork is some of the most visually appealing art on the planet!  Yet, all that is required to make glass is a little sand, a little soda, a little lime and a lot of heat.  But not anyone can turn glass into art.  The glass artisan has to have a great eye for detail, color and line.
 Enter Nancy Giere founder of  NGlassworks! She is such a talented lady who has always had an eye for color.  As a toddler, instead of carrying a baby blanket, she carried around a tangled and colorful array of  yarn from her mother's knitting basket.  Nancy started creating for herself, family and friends in a variety of mediums until she found what she loves best and established NGlassworks because of the many requests for her work.  She combines dichroic, iridescent and sheet glass to make unique works of art!  Here are a few examples of what she does!

 Based out of  Williamsburg, VA, Nancy's art is sure to please even the most discerning of tastes. You can be sure that every piece will be original and lovingly made by Nancy.  The main color schemes are in jewel tone or red/bronze. 

"Each piece is inspired by colors, shapes and patterns I've observed in my back yard and in my travels throughout the world.  Different sizes and shapes of glass are stacked in unique designs and fired in a kiln.  During the fusing process the glass comes alive and takes on a whole new character.  After the first firing each piece is cold worked and fire polished in the kiln until I'm satisfied with the overall design and quality." --Nancy Giere

 I received a jewel toned Sassy Slide pendant and I think it is absolutely gorgeous!  It has pink, turquoise, dark blue, gold and green in it and I can wear it with many things.  It makes a feminine yet fun statement where I work at a local high school!

You can find Nancy's jewelry in selected shops across the country and at Art Shows and Exhibits.  Her pendants retail for about $35.00, her handbags run about $1000.00 and her bracelets are $50.00.  Personally, now that I own one of Nancy Giere's unique fused glass pieces, I think that a gal needs....at least one beautiful NGlassworks piece.  They are beeeeautiful! 

Disclaimer:  I was provided product for an honest review.  The opinions here are mine and mine only!

A CSN Stores Giveaway!

The winner of the $70 CSN Gift Certificate is #343, The Crave To Save who said https://twitter.com/#!/TheCraveToSave/status/28599000592
October 24, 2010 8:19 AM !  Thanks so much everyone for entering.  I will be putting another one up shortly so stay tuned!

Today we just had our first rain of the autumn season and yesterday, our probable last day of 80 degree weather. Alas, summer is about done and fall is upon us!  That's all well and good, you might say, but what has that got to do with CSN?  Well, that's easy!  A Gal Needs...to prepare for fall by getting a few necessary items like:  A chef's knife to cut up all the great fall produce that is coming our way,  binoculars for viewing all the fall sports games that we love,  a cover for the BBQ that we still want to use but shortly will put away,  a sweater for the doggie and a tool rack for the hubbie who will be doing oh, so much yardwork when the leaves fly!  (I know, we're so thoughtful that way!)   

 All of these things have at least one thing in common...they can be purchased at CSNStores.com and they can all be purchased with the $70 Gift Code that I am giving one of my great readers!  These are just a few of the things I feel the need to get with a $70 Gift Code but I'll just bet there are a few things that you might be able to envision yourself having this fall! 

You're welcome to enter to win this $70 Gift Code from the great people at CSN!  Just complete the mandatory entry and any or all extra entries that you'd like!

MANDY:  Be an e-mail subscriber to A GAL NEEDS...(right sidebar) and tell of one thing that autumn is a good time for!  This counts as your entry for the $70 Gift Code!  

EXTRAS: (Leave one comment per entry!)

+8 Purchase something from CSN!  ($10 minimum) Forward the e-mail confirmation that CSN sent you to daisydoo200 at yahoo dot com  Subject: CSN Purchase (You may delete any personal info!)  Must be done during the time of this giveaway!
 
+1 Follow me on Google Friend Connect!
+1 Follow @CSNStores on Twitter!  Leave your tweet name!
+2 Be a fan of CSN on Facebook!

+1 Follow me on Twitter and tweet 1x daily for an entry/day!  You may copy and paste this.....Visit A GAL NEEDS...for a $70 @CSNStores #Giveaway! Everything you need for fall! http://bit.ly/dkWkAX 10/28 #Win


+2 Blog, Stumble or Facebook this giveaway, linking back to here!  Leave me the link where you did this!  (2 entries per method!)

+2 Add me to your blog list!  Leave me the link so I can check it out!
 +2 Add my A GAL NEEDS...button to your home page!  Leave me the link!

This giveaway is open to both US and Canada and will close on 10/28/10 sometime at approximately 11:00 pm MST!  I will choose the winner with Random.org and post the winner here!  The winner will also be notified by e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond.  I was not compensated in any way to provide this giveaway.  Thanks to the CSN team and all of those who have partiicipated!

No Shortages At CSN (Review)!

I have been visiting the CSNStores.com site quite frequently recently because I am in need of some Christmas items, as well as a few personal items for myself.  I always go away with more items in mind that I definitely NEED!  I realize that I have a need for a functional coffee table and so came up with a few really nice examples at CSN.  Believe me, it was easy 'cause there are no shortages there!  They have some great console tables that are both beautiful and useful! Plus, all of the tables shown here are highly customer rated and come with free shipping! Please stay tuned for another great giveaway right here!  Trust me, if you like CSN, you'll want to stop on by!

Some Great and Not-So-Great Car Decorations!

My husband was driving down the freeway today and he called me up (a total no-no, I realize) as he was driving, talking very animatedly about the Dodge Ram truck driving along beside, behind and in front of him.  First of all, the guy driving this thing was obviously a hunter.  The truck was detailed in camouflage and on the hood was a pair of deer antlers.  


Now, I'm as amused as anyone by a creative looking detail job on a car.  Take a look at some interesting things people do on their cars.  After all, some people spend as much as 5 - 6 hours a day in their cars.  Why not make it a personal expression of individuality?  

images
But I think I draw the line at something like these hanging off the tow bar of any truck/car/SUV of mine! This is what was on the back of the aforementioned Dodge Ram!  Notice the red lips on one side and my husband's rearview mirror with his phone reflected in it!

A Cooking Class Adventure

I actually paid money to go to a cooking class this past Saturday!  It cost more than a couple meals at the local 'Cafe Rio' here in Utah Valley.  However, I learned a lot and the food was delicious.  It was driven by Raw Melissa and taught by Jenny Johnson of Delightful Delicacies.  The class was held at Jacob's Cove Heritage Farm, where they specialize in heirloom crops of tomatoes, squash and other seasonal favorites!  We She made Chipotle and Lime Baba Ganoush, Pumpkin Cardamom Rolls, Weeknight Ratatouille and Naked Apple Galette!  I would have to say that the Ganoush was my favorite because it is so good on crackers and who knew that roasted and mashed eggplant could be so delicious?

  A close second was the Weeknight Ratatouille,  with plenty of garlic, onion and roasted green peppers.  

She demonstrated how to make a beautiful herb bouquet or garnier consisting of fresh thyme, rosemary, parsley oregano, basil and bay leaf, which was thrown into the pot to simmer with all the vegetables.

Adding an herb bouquet adds interesting flavor to otherwise mundane flavor mixtures!

  This food was all vegetarian and was so filling and yummy!  I would definitely do this again! 

Bronzed Envy Review and Giveaway Notice!

I love a good tan as well as anyone, but to get it is another story.  I have never been to a tanning salon, never had a air-brush tan and quit laying out in the sun trying to get color on my skin as of 18 years ago.  Frankly, I thought it took too much work and time--time that I wasn't willing to put into getting that golden, tanned look. Plus, as it turns out, it may not be the best thing for you to lay out for hours in the sun or be radiated with infra red and ultra violet light in a tanning booth.  

But wait, there is one option that I am definitely open to, provided it doesn't turn me orange!  That option would be a self-applied tan!  I had a great tanning product 2 years ago, but then the company that made it quit making it!  I couldn't find another product or seem to have the motivation to get into using one regularly.  

When I was presented with the opportunity to review Can Tan, a great new spray-on self-tanner made by Bronzed Envy, I jumped at the chance!  I wasn't disappointed either!  This tanner has a great ability to go on without streaking and without blotchiness!  It also presents with a really great color, very natural, and no orange!  I'm now back on the self tan wagon and just love it!  And what a fun name--Can Tan!  Yes, I can tan!  And you can tan too!  With Bronze Envy! 

Bronzed Envy also has other great products, all with the intent and ability to make your skin look as beautiful and luscious as you could ever imagine!  Go check it out at Bronzed Envy! 

One more thing--Bronzed Envy offers a home business option with this.  There is a huge income potential with vanity the tanning industry! If being an airbrush tanning consultant sounds like you, explore the possibilities here!