Bermuda Shorts: Ragin' Cajuns

Move over, Real Housewives! I have just discovered the most amazing reality TV show: Discovery Channel's Ragin' Cajuns.

The star of the show? The Louisiana Bayou; and she's a "fickle temptress." This show has it all (in no particular order): a pet raccoon, family feuds, age old superstitions, bacon wrapped shrimp, back stabbing deck-hands, Louisiana accents, gators, and hardened, seafaring men who unabashedly talk about how much they love their daddies (really, they call their fathers "daddy").

The series follows a handful of Louisiana shrimping captains on their hunt for "Louisiana white gold." Their livelihoods rest in the hands of mother nature; as a result, these shrimpers often find themselves navigating some precarious financial situations. The BP oil spill had a devastating impact on the Bayou's shrimp population, and the wreckage of Katrina still weighs heavy on the hearts and minds of these ragin' Cajuns, but "in Bayou country everybody dances, [and] nobody shakes it quite like Blimp!"

Thanks, Netflix, for the random, yet somewhat serendipitous, recommendation tonight. Happy Mardi Gras, y'all; laissez les bons temps rouler!

Bermuda Shorts: Good, Clean TV

'Tis the season for binge-watching your favorite television programs; after all, it's far too cold to leave the house. If you start right now, there's still just enough time to catch up on some new-to-you series before they start up again for the new year (I recommend Hannibal or House of Lies). Do you have trouble finding enough time in the day for all of this must see TV? Or do you end up so enthralled in marathon Netflix sessions that it's impossible to tear yourself away from the couch on weekends?

Well, I have the solution! You no longer need to forgo that Sunday shower so that you can catch an episode of Scandal before meeting friends for brunch. Now you can watch your favorite streaming shows on your smartphone while in the shower- all you need is a Ziploc bag! That's right, y'all, just seal your phone in a clear plastic bag and then go ahead and treat your locks to a deep conditioning mask while you finish that final episode of Girls. Consider it multitasking!

Good, Clean TV™

What are you binge-watching right now?

Bermuda Shorts: I Hope Not Sporadically

Summer's over, and I'm finding it difficult to carve out time for everything that I have grown used to doing over the last few months. The university I work for gives its employees the option of working "summer hours" from June through the end of August. We have to show up for work a little earlier, but we're out of the door at 4:00 each afternoon.When the students return in September I greet them excitedly, but a small part of me mourns the loss of my beloved summer hours.

The return of students also marks the beginning of my department's busy event and lecture season. So, my average workday isn't just an hour longer now that we've kissed those glorious summer hours goodbye. No siree! There's often event prep (grocery shopping) to be done when I leave the office. Some nights there's media to run at 7:00 pm movie showings, and there are plenty of receptions to cater following evening lectures. This is the job of an academic event coordinator, though; and I love the job! It just takes a little while to get back into the swing of things. Figuring out how to schedule a personal life, an online course, and hobbies into the mix might take some time, so I'm afraid blog posts will be a little sporadic until I settle into a new routine.

I know that feeling "busy" is not a novel problem. Please let me know how you fit so much into your busy schedules! Is there a way to do it all without sacrificing my treasured 8 hours of sleep?

Bermuda Shorts: Meet My New Crush

I have a friend that can't stand the word "crush." She feels that crushes are shallow, superficial,  and fleeting, and that they are, therefore, insulting. I wholeheartedly disagree with her, though. I'm such a fan of crushes that I probably have a bit of a crush on having crushes!

While it's true that I no longer cover my lunchboxes with Teen Beat magazine collages of small screen heartthrobs (my lunchboxes were the coolest!), whenever I catch an old episode of Dawson's Creek I'm reminded that a small part of me still "hearts" Joey Potter.

A few of my 90's crushes

I love the giddy rush that comes from experiencing an exciting new person, place, or thing. It's that rush, that thrill, that inspires a new "Crush on You" series. A new restaurant, an inspiring artist, a creative event, an interesting blog- these things make me giddy, so that makes them crush-worthy; I'll introduce you to my new crushes here on the blog. I'm going to kick things off on Friday with a Class-y first crush. Stay tuned!

Who were you crushing on in the 90's? Do you still think they're dreamy?

Bermuda Shorts: Slow Roasted Tomatoes

* The "Bermuda Shorts" series is a space for short posts, simple recipes and amusing anecdotes.

I bought some tomatoes on Sunday. Actually, I bought LOTS of assorted cherry and Roma tomatoes. Simply because they were pretty! I spent hours scouring Pinterest for tomato recipes this week as a result. In that process I came across Smitten Kitchen's post for slow roasted tomatoes.

"What?" you ask, incredulously. "You turned on your oven for three hours during this heatwave?!"

Well, as Smitten Kitchen tells us, slow roasting the tomatoes won't add that much more heat to your already too hot kitchen.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Servings: Will vary depending on your use Serving Size: ~ Points Plus*: 3 pts, whole tray
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen) 

Ingredients

Cooking spray
~2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
~1/2 tbsp Olive oil
~1 tsp Garlic paste
~1/2 tsp Basil paste
~1 tsp Balsamic vinegar
Dash salt and pepper

Directions 

Preheat your oven to 225°, and prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray. Gently mix all of your ingredients in a bowl, then spread the tomatoes evenly on baking sheet. Bake tomatoes for 2.5 to 3 hours. Enjoy! They're delicious by themselves, with eggs, in wraps, and tossed with pasta.

Slow roasted tomatoes with tuna salad on a wrap

*PointsPlus values calculated using the Recipe Builder on the Weight Watchers website