{Friday Cocktail} Basil Bloody Mary

Can you feel it yet? There's a change in the air. The light looks a little different. Something is coming... Fall. Do you know what the best part of fall is? FOOTBALL SEASON! and football season means lots and lots of day drinking. Morning drinking really. And this girl is not exactly one to pop open a cold beer at 8 am. I am however a big fan of a good Bloody Mary. 

Now, I know there are a lot of people out there who are not really Bloody Mary fans, but I urge you to try again. The great thing about this drink, is it is so customizable. Don't like spicy? Leave out the pepper. Love salt? Throw in more olives. You can go as light or as heavy on the vodka as you please... with out really noticing. 

A while back I got a taste of a basil bloody mary, and I've been dreaming of it ever since. The basil pairs so well the the tomato juice, and really holds up to some spice. Love it! I would definitely recommend adding it to your bloody next time your whipping up a batch.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. Tomato Juice (any kind is fine)
• 3 oz Vodka (lets not drink anything that comes in a plastic bottle folks... we need to pace ourselves)
• Worcestershire 
• Bitters
• Tabasco
• Cayenne Pepper
• Basil (about a handful)
• Black Pepper
• Celery
• Ice
• Lemon wedges

Directions

In a cocktail shaker muddle the basil (reserve a few leaves for garnish), juice from lemon wedge (start with 1/8 of the lemon, add more if desired), a tsp. of Worcestershire, dash of bitters, pinch of cayenne and black pepper, and vodka. It looks gross, but keep going. Add tomato juice. Shake until your heart is content. Pour over ice. Garnish with celery and a basil leaf or two. Remember to pace yourself. 

* I don't love basil and olives together here... but that's totally my preference. Feel free to throw in a few, and maybe some horseradish, or bacon? mm or cilantro? all good options. Just have fun with it!

Either way, fall is coming, and football is right around the corner. I'm going to apologize in advance, if you're not much of a college football fan, Blue Dog Belle may be going Red and Black in the coming months, so If you get sick of me, come back in January. (Okay, okay... I'll try to keep football mentions on Monday's and Friday's)

Thursday Randoms

Hey ladies,

I've seriously been missing y'all lately. I hope you've been enjoying all the guest posts. I know I appreciate the break from daily blogging (plus I love getting to know some of my favorite ladies a little better), but I miss y'all. I miss writing, and I feel like I'm phoning it in. When I started this blog I knew it would be a time commitment, but sometimes it's really like a second job. whew. emails, comments, writing code, keeping track of a schedule? It can definitely get overwhelming at times. I know this whole LSAT thing is temporary, but man is it a lot of work. Since I haven't really updated y'all on my day to day happenings lately, I'm going to do a bit of a check in.

Trying to get in a few more fruits and veggies | Succeeding at Brunch at Matchbox

Some of the greenery in my life lately. Pretty flowers on my desk | basil on the stoop

who doesn't need georgetown cupcake in their life | latest makeup obsessions

Not that y'all are super interested in the details of my LSAT prep (though if anyone wants to talk about it/has questions, I could probably discuss the subject for hours), but I wanted to share a little bit of my progress. I'm about a month in to my class, and I hadn't really been seeing improvements in my scores. BUT I took a timed full length test on Sunday and had a wonderful 6 pt bump (You can score a 120-180, generally you need to be 150+ to get in to any school). I was so happy I literally jumped up and did a happy dance around my kitchen. not kidding. Hopefully all this hard work will pay off come test day.

It's August Recess. I forgot how awesome August in DC can be. No traffic. Recess hours for weeks on end. No mandatory fundraisers or other functions requiring appearances. Jeans whenever? I mean, I'm loving it.

I have also been craving chocolate milk like a crazy person lately. I've gone through like 4 containers of chocolate soy/almond milk in the last 2 weeks. It's kind of ridic.

sidenote--- I'm not a health freak person, but drinking milk kind of sketches me out. I've never been a big fan taste or texture wise, but I can't get over the whole drinking another animals milk... pretty sure we're the only species that does that. I don't know. I much prefer almond and soy milks. thanks.

 Oh! I won one of Fashionably Broke's giveaways--- any pair of glasses from Firmoo

what do y'all think? I'm kind of obsessed with them! I have this stupid dream of being mistaken for a hipster... and I feel that these glasses might just help this dream come to fruition.

Why I desire to be mistaken for a hipster is beyond me. I think it's probably because I'd like to blend in with the cool kids... and in my neighborhood (Bloomingdale for all you dc folk) hipsters reign supreme.

I think that's about everything happening in my life lately. I really just go to work and practice for the LSAT.

HOWEVER. I'm going to do my best to make it to Kate's big shopping event on Sunday. Let me know if you're going! If you aren't, you pretty much need to.

Now that recess is here, and I only have 2 more weeks of lsat class, I'm hoping to put a little more effort into my posts. Have some exciting things planned for you ladies, so I hope you keep coming back!

In the mean time, I'll see you for a cocktail around these parts some time tomorrow.

Guest Post: My-Cliffnotes

I have another great one for y'all today. Tabitha of  My-Cliffnotes  is one of my daily reads. I usually leave her blog laughing and near tears. She's hilarious, unfiltered, and just generally awesome. And she has a really cute fiance who I don't mind seeing every now and again. It makes me beyond sad she's on the west coast, but we will meet one day perhaps... Anyways. I love her antics. Please go visit her. Oh and ask for an update on the nub.

Hello Blue Dog Belle friends!

My name is Tabitha, and I blog over at My-Cliffnotes.

Do you see the Kangaroos?

As you've heard the gorg Emily is studying away for the LSAT. Smart people, whatev.

My Twin has taken the LSAT; and all I know is that this test is an all day event and you have to bring your pencils and ish in a clear baggy. I can only assume they all leave with cramped hands and exhausted minds.

No wonder Lawyers drink after work.

But you're not here to read my ramblings about smart people, you're here for some fun.

So I thought I'd share with you my favorite Blue Dog Belle's.

Blue

I do love the color blue, especially Colbalt.

Like this dress

From Nordstrom

And Greece, I always think of the color blue, do you?

Uncool Blue

Blueballs, now I don't know firsthand, but I've heard these suckers blow, pun intended.

.

Dog!

Who doesn't like dogs?

I could look at pup pictures all day and melt over and over.

I die love them.

Uncool Dogs

Little barking rat bastards that pee everywhere, you know them I know you do!

Belles

This girl for sure!!

This post would  never end if I tagged all the beautiful bloggers out there.

Ashley hit the mark with this post

You're all fab!

Uncool Belles

Drug addicts, rapists, murders, child abusers, and anything else that will only hurt people.

You're ugly, really freaking ugly.

A cheer: "U G L Y, you ain't got no alibi, you ugly, hey hey you ugly"

Some more about me; because I'd love to be friends.

I've dated Anderson Cooper...in my head

I'm Engaged to a hot baldie named M.
If you haven't dated a bald man before, I suggest trying one out, they're fab.

I could eat popcorn for every meal, but I don't because even though being swollen and fat would make me happy, M would leave me, and we can't have that.

I'm in the process of planning a wedding. By in the process I mean we're at a venue standstill.

I've been to Iraq and Afghanistan.

I'm an awkward height, 5'6.5", not short but not tall.

I have a HUGE head. Not even joking.

See...

I don't like peas or mushrooms. They're gross, they will always be gross.

One goal in blogging is to make people laugh, even if only for a second.

I don't like the ocean, you can't trust water, you just can't.

Come say hi!
Blog
Twitter
Instagram @tabadoo
Phone number

xoxo

{Beauty Tuesday} Mascara and Lipgloss Swap Reveal!

I've been wanting to do a swap for a while now, and when I saw Tara, Meg and Holly's plan for a Mascara and Gloss swap I knew I'd found one to break the ice! I was paired with the wonderful Jennifer of Dexter Morgan's Mama and OMG y'all did she spoil me.

Can y'all even believe her? I looked at most of the other swaps, and I have to say, I have pretty much the best partner EVER! 

For the actual makeup she sent me: Almay One Coat Thickening  Mascara,  a Maybelline Volum'express Mega Plush, a beautiful Almay trio for blue eyes, a gorgeous Revlon Colorburst gloss in Sizzle Canicule, and EOS balm in summer fruit, a Almay purple eyeliner, some gorgeous coral nail polish from Maybelline in Orange Fix. I mean seriously. Stop it. Made my week.

THEN she threw in a perfect little two pouch makeup bag from Sonia Kashuk, pink tubler, some gum! An adorable little red notebook that says "She makes the day brighter. She leaves a little sparkle wherever she goes." How cute is that? Plus a few hair ties (you can never have enough), an adorable little light up compact in leopard print, the latest issue of people, and a fun bath bomb. 

I mean really. I don't know what to do with myself. I love all of this! Thank you again Jennifer!