Summer of Selfies Challenge: FINAL Week & Giveaway

Are we really at 6-weeks already? Time flies when you're shootin' selfies! So, how'd it go? Was it easier than you thought?  Harder?  I will admit that even I was getting a bit weary of posting everyday... but I did it and I'm hoping to finish strong this week!

Here's your FINAL list of prompts! Use them or feel free to make up your own.

I'm also having a fun little giveaway as a way to say "thank you" for joining me in this experiment! These mugs are SUPER ADORBS and I knew that one of you just had to have them (I got a set for me too!!)!!

Here's how to enter to WIN (gotta do 'em all):

1. Follow me on Instagram. CupcakeDD (comment on this post to let me know you did)
2. You'll need to post at least 4 selfies this week (7/26-8/1) and come back and let me know that you have .
3. Leave a comment letting me know what you've learned during Summer of Selfies. Did it change the way you see you? Did you find your "good side"? Did you discover a favorite technique or app?

Easy peasy, right? I'll pick a winner on August 3rd! Now, have a GREAT WEEK and keep clickin' those selfies!!!

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER: Taffi Graham!!!!

Here's where it all started: Summer of Selfies Challenge

 

Summer of Selfies Challenge: Week Five

Week Five is all about technique! Strike a pose! Try something different.

For most of us, one side is more attractive than the other. Tilt your head to the left and then the right as you view yourself on your phone’s screen to find out your “best side”. Also, try extending your neck forward to accentuate your jaw line and get rid of the double chin effect.  You can also shoot high or hold the camera slightly above you and look up… that technique can help with a multitude of things! Most importantly, try and try again. Just keep clicking and figuring out what you like best and what is most comfortable for you!

Here are this week’s prompts with a little more explanation:

The Two Fisted Selfie - Hold the camera with two hands, away from your body. It’s easier to take a selfie this way because you can steady your camera with one hand and push the shutter release button with the other.  Be careful not to cover up the lens.

Standing In The Light - Pose in an area with good lighting, like inside near a window or outside. Gorgeous lighting = a more flattering selfie. The best time to shoot for lighting is “the magic hour”—one hour after sunrise and one hour before sunset.

The Full Monty (with clothes please!) – Do a full body shot! Strike a pose in front of a mirror or experiment by holding your camera at different angles (over your head, off to the side, etc..). Angle your body to the left or right, that's usually more flattering than shooting straight on.

Feet First – A selfie isn’t just about your face… try snapping a fun shot of your feet or another body part (keeping it clean!), like your hands, your shoulder, knees, etc.

Get Tight – Don’t like that “I’m holding my arms up to take a selfie” look? Crop in tight on your face. Zoom in on your phone just slightly and hold the camera far away from your face. You’re features look proportionate, you declutter the background and you can’t see those arms at all!

Accessorize – Try wearing a hat, throwing on some sunglasses, don a wig, or sport a mustache… the possibilities are endless.

Express Yourself – Let’s break away from the duckface and try a good old fashioned smile! Not feelin’ it? Pout, frown, smirk, laugh, be goofy!

 Just a little heads up…. We will be having a giveaway in Week Six to celebrate completing the challenge! There will be a few rules, but nothing you can’t handle! Stay tuned and keep up those selfies!!

 

 

 

26 - Cherry Apple Cobbler

I LOVE a good cobbler, but for some reason I forget how easy it is to make one. Seriously, it's so simple! I saved time in the kitchen by replacing fresh, cut fruit with canned pie filling. I used a can of cherry and a can of apple, but you could use any kind you want (oooh, blueberry would be yummy!).  Serve this baby warm with a big ol' scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and you'll be a big hit!

Cherry Apple Cobbler
(Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com )

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 - 21oz. can cherry pie filling
1 - 21oz. can apple pie filling

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put butter in a 9x13 baking dish and place in oven until butter melts.

Blend together flour, baking powder, sugar, and milk.

Pour batter into baking dish over the melted butter. Spoon pie filling on top of the batter, do not stir.

Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

#25 - Summer Vegetable Frittata

I may be repeating myself, but I love breakfast! I love it anytime of day! I'll have breakfast for breakfast, breakfast for lunch, breakfast for dinner, breakfast just because..... ya got me? Anyway, I made this Summer Vegetable Frittata for dinner the other night. It just so happened that I had gotten my monthly produce delivery from Farm Fresh to You and it had all of the veg I needed to whip this baby up!

Eggs and vegetables... that's pretty much all you need.  You can definitely throw in your own mix of vegetables, swap them out seasonally. I matched it up with fried potatoes and fruit (more stuff from my Farm Fresh to You box). It's definitely tasty served warm, but you would also make it the day before and serve it cold.

Oh, and if you're interested in getting local, farm fresh produce delivered to your front door, I've got a $10 off your first delivery coupon code for ya! Stop by Farm Fresh to You and USE CODE: JULI4353 !

Summer Vegetable Frittata

(Recipe adapted from my recipes )

Serves 4



INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1/2 cup chop
  ped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped seeded tomato
• 9 large eggs

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

 

1. Heat olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick broiler-proof skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, bell pepper, onion, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic. Cover and cook 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

2. Combine eggs, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until frothy. Pour egg mixture into pan over vegetables, stirring gently. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 15 minutes or until almost set in the center.

3. Preheat broiler.

4. Broil frittata 3 minutes or until set. Invert onto a serving platter; cut into 8 wedges.

 (Recipe #25 of 52)

USE CODE: JULI4353

Summer of Selfies Challenge: Week Three

Keep it up... WEEK THREE, the half-way point! You may have gotten a little behind with your selfies, but don't give up!! Why not challenge yourself to post at least THREE selfies this week!

 

Y'all are ROCKIN' the selfies so far!!!

 

 

 

 

#24 - Beef Barbacoa

This one is a keeper... fix it and forget it! I got it all ready to go, threw it in the crockpot, went to the beach, and came home to the delicious smell of Beef Barbacoa! All I had to do was shred the meat, heat up some tortillas and chop a few veg and dinner was served. A few days later I made quesadillas with the left overs and I STILL had meat left! It was good stuff!

Beef Barbacoa

(Recipe adapted from That Skinny Chick)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

4 garlic cloves, sliced

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

A pinch ground cloves

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 12 oz.bottle of beer (can substitute chicken broth)

3 bay leaves

3 tablespoons lime juice

2-4 chipotle chiles in adobo

¼ cup tomato paste

4 pound chuck roast

½ yellow onion, sliced

diced tomatoes, grated cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, tortillas, etc.

 

Instructions:

1. To make the adobo sauce combine vinegar, lime juice, chipotles, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt and cloves in a blender or processor on high speed until smooth.
2. Remove any excess fat from the roast and then cut into a few large chunks.
3. Pour oil into a frying pan and sear all sides of roast on medium-high heat until browned.
4. Place meat into Crockpot and pour adobo sauce over meat.
5. Pour in the beer and add bay leaves and onions.
6. Cook on high heat 6 hours or on low all day.
7. Shred the meat with two forks and serve with tortillas and a variety of toppings when ready.

Enjoy!

 

 

Had to share some of our beach day too (aka. what to do while dinner is cookin' )...


Beach Glam!

 

My Guys

 

#23 - Quick & Easy Pasta Carbonara

Even though today is only the second "official" day of Summer, we are almost halfway through our Summer Break! June has basically been a blur! I have to say that it has NOT been easy to try a new recipe each week. When things get busy I'm much more likely to slip into cooking the same ole, same ole instead of taking the time to plan for something different. There's nothing wrong with tried and true recipes but for the sake of this blog and the challenge I made myself (a new recipe each week), I've got to keep going!

This one is quick and easy, hence the name... Quick & Easy Pasta Carbonara. Fifteen minutes from the stove to the table (or the countertop if you're at my house). Use any kind of pasta you have on hand. I used rigatoni.  It would also be good if you threw some frozen peas in towards the end of cooking. I might try that next time!

Quick & Easy Pasta Carbonara
Serves 4 - 6.

Ingredients

1 pound of pasta

2 large eggs

1 cup grated Italian-blend Cheese 

4 slices bacon, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1 cup water and drain well.
• In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and cheese; set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes; leave about 2 tablespoon of bacon grease in the pan.
• Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
• Working quickly, stir in pasta and egg mixture, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, topped with more cheese, if desired.

 

Summer of Selfies Challenge

There’s much being said about selfies lately.  I’ve put in my two cents about them (Me, Myselfies, and I).  Yes, sometimes they can be a bit over the top or even annoying, but are they really hurting anyone?  For me, selfies aren’t a “rub it in your face” or “look at me, look at me” kind of thing, they’re more of a “wish you were here to share this moment” kind of thing.

Selfies have also been a learning experience for me. When I started posting my “Faces of Chemo” selfies, I had no idea the world it would open up for me. I posted my daily pics as a way to chronicle my breast cancer journey. That turned into 154 consecutive selfies posted (plus other “unofficial” posts). They weren’t meant to be pretty. It was just me, how I was feeling on that particular day.  Don’t get me wrong, there were rarely one-click-and-post shots and many re-shoots (I always go with the “law of three”, take at least three shots and pick the best one… take three more if needed), but something got posted every day.  And they weren’t all selfies in the traditional sense, I would from time to time enlist someone to snap the shot for me… sometimes my arms just aren’t long enough… still pictures of my “self”.  Anyway, back to the “learning” part.  As time went on, I started to become comfortable, comfortable with me.  I began to accept myself and how I looked (although the chemo clean slate of no hair, eyebrows, or eyelashes wasn’t ideal).  This is me, today. I’m ok with that.

You don’t need to go through something like cancer to have that kind of self-discovery. It just takes giving yourself a little bit of grace every day.  Embrace your flaws, they’re what make you YOU.  Don’t hide who you are.  Don’t be so hard on yourself.  And the people who know you, they see you anyway (in real life). They love you and a less than perfect picture isn’t going to change that. If anything, it will help them share in your day, your up’s and down’s, your fun, your frustration, your adventures, your success and your losses, life.  That’s not a bad thing.

Still not convinced?  Well, my friend Christine (my partner in selfie-crime) and I would like to invite you to join us in a “Summer of Selfies” Challenge. A selfie experiment, if you will.  Beginning on June 21^st (the first official day of Summer) and running for 6-weeks, we will post prompts each week for daily selfies (like “sleepy selfie” or “at work selfie”). You would then post your selfies to Instagram and/or Facebook with the hashtag #SummerOfSelfies.  No worries if you miss a day or two (or three…), just pick right back up when you can.  It’s not a big deal that will require hours of pre and post production. Just do it and just be you.  Why should I, you ask?  Why not?!  It’ll be fun!! And let’s just see if you start to look at yourself a little differently when it’s all done.  Maybe you’ll decide you’re not so bad.  Maybe you’ll kind of start to like what you see.  You’ll never know unless you give it a try!

Here are the prompts for the first week... start posting June 21st!