Mermaids

I love mermaids. I want to share some pretty pictures with you:

Popular vs. Unique Names

I want to preface that I love language and etymology. Always have. (And I'm NOT pregnant!)

• etymology |ˌetəˈmäləjē|
• noun ( pl. etymologies )
• the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.
• the origin of a word and the historical development of its meaning. 

It's no wonder that my major in college was Linguistics. One of my favorite classes was semantics where we had a whole section on names and their meanings. My professor introduced me to the Social Security website. They track the popularity of names in the United States. It's very neat to compare today's trends to ones as far back as the 1800s.

I thought it would be fun to create a list of comparable names of the top 100 for both boys and girls. (Yes, I consider this a fun activity! Go ahead and call me a nerd.) 

The list I created includes names that are totally usable, more unique, and less popular than the ones on the top 100 list. I love a lot of the names on top 100 list, so it was hard trying to come up with comparable names that have/give the same feeling.

I used the website to look up new names. They've got some awesome blogs about names if you want to check them out!

(The names in black are the U.S. popular names and the names in red are their alternatives.)

Popular Names in 2011/Unique Alternatives

Rank	Male name	Female name
1	Jacob Jacoby	Sophia Cassia
2	Mason Miles	Isabella Isadora
3	William Wilder	Emma Gemma
4	Jayden Holden	Olivia Odelia
5	Noah Noll	Ava Ada
6	Michael Micah	Emily Esme
7	Ethan Emmett	Abigail Ariel
8	Alexander Xander	Madison Matilda
9	Aiden Oden	Mia Mina
10	Daniel Dashiell	Chloe Clio
11	Anthony Anton	Elizabeth Eliza
12	Matthew Mattias	Ella Etta
13	Elijah Uriah	Addison Adelaide
14	Joshua Jasper	Natalie Noelia
15	Liam Lucian	Lily Iris
16	Andrew Atticus	Grace Greta
17	James Jude	Samantha Seraphina
18	David Daughtry	Avery Ivy
19	Benjamin Brighton	Sofia  Saskia
20	Logan Lawson	Aubrey Selby
21	Christopher Crosby	Brooklyn  Bryony
22	Joseph Jet	Lillian Lilianna
23	Jackson Jameson	Victoria Viviana
24	Gabriel  Gardner	Evelyn Lennon
25	Ryan Royce	Hannah Harlow
26	Samuel Samson	Alexis Allegra
27	John Vaughn	Charlotte Margaret
28	Nathan Breccan	Zoey Suzy
29	Lucas Silas	Leah Lola
30	Christian Bishop	Amelia Aurelia
31	Jonathan Jensen	Zoe Zara
32	Caleb Callen	Hailey Hadley
33	Dylan Declan	Layla Leila
34	Landon Denton	Gabriella Genevieve
35	Isaac Ike	Nevaeh Nova
36	Gavin Griffin	Kaylee Maylee
37	Brayden Boden	Alyssa Amalia
38	Tyler Trevor	Anna Annabel
39	Luke Duke	Sarah Cora
40	Evan Everett	Allison Ellison
41	Carter Porter	Savannah Delilah
42	Nicholas Nico	Ashley Ashton
43	Isaiah Asa	Audrey Audra
44	Owen Rowan	Taylor Sloane
45	Jack Jed	Brianna Bianca
46	Jordan Gordon	Aaliyah Alora
47	Brandon Bram	Riley Rory
48	Wyatt Wade	Camila Cecilia
49	Julian Harlan	Khloe Cleo
50	Aaron Alden	Claire Clara
51	Jeremiah Garrison	Sophie Josie
52	Angel River	Arianna Aurora
53	Cameron Camden	Peyton Portia
54	Connor Dexter	Harper Briar
55	Hunter Gunnar	Alexa Adia
56	Adrian Hadrian	Makayla Myla
57	Henry Henrik	Julia Jane
58	Eli Arlo	Kylie Kalina
59	Justin Trace	Kayla Katia
60	Austin Weston	Bella Della
61	Robert Ronan	Katherine Keelin
62	Charles Calvin	Lauren Lorelei
63	Thomas Theo	Gianna Georgiana
64	Zachary Rigby	Maya Raina
65	Jose Che	Sydney Sadie
66	Levi Levon	Serenity Circe
67	Kevin Kellan	Kimberly Waverley
68	Sebastian Shephard	Mackenzie Kensington
69	Chase Dash	Autumn Anona
70	Ayden Odin	Jocelyn Gisele
71	Jason Jace	Faith Faye
72	Ian Ewan	Lucy Ruby
73	Blake Blair	Stella Flora
74	Colton Trenton	Jasmine Juniper
75	Bentley Bradley	Morgan Margo
76	Dominic Donovan	Alexandra Veronica
77	Xavier Kiefer	Trinity Elodie
78	Oliver Otto	Molly Polly
79	Parker Pierce	Madelyn Miranda
80	Josiah Soren	Scarlett Sabrina
81	Adam Graham	Andrea Aviva
82	Cooper Granger	Genesis Isis
83	Brody Brogan	Eva Isla
84	Nathaniel  Bartholomew	Ariana Amara
85	Carson Burke	Madeline Emmaline
86	Jaxon Jove	Brooke Blythe
87	Tristan Kelton	Caroline Coraline
88	Luis Lash	Bailey Bellamy
89	Juan Joaquin	Melanie Maxine
90	Hayden Tiernan	Kennedy Kenley
91	Carlos Hugo	Destiny Story
92	Jesus Moses	Maria Marigold
93	Nolan Quinn	Naomi Neely
94	Cole Cade	London Teagan
95	Alex Calix	Payton Perry
96	Max Dex	Lydia Libby
97	Grayson Grant	Ellie Ellery
98	Bryson Gideon	Mariah Maura
99	Diego Milo	Aubree Rosalie
100	Jaden Shane	Kaitlyn Kelby
Note: Rank 1 is the most popular, rank 2 is the next most popular, and so forth.

Yummy Flavorful Week-Day Dinner

Panko-covered Wild Sole Tacos with a Spicy Cilantro Cabbage Slaw

and 

Chile & Lime Roasted Cauliflower 

Panko-covered Wild Sole Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of wild Denver Sole, cut into strips
• 2 cups of Panko crumbs
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/3 cup of corn starch
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 tsp of chile flakes
• 1/2 tsp of lemon pepper
• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
• Olive oil, 4 circles around the frying pan

Directions:

Prepare the Panko crumbs by putting them on a plate with the flour, lemon pepper, garlic powder, chile pepper and mix together throughly. Put the corn starch on another plate and begin coating the fish in the corn starch mixture. Then dip the fish into the milk. Coat the fish in the Panko crumbs. Circle 4 times around your frying pan with olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes. Heat the corn torillas on another frying pan. Smear Spicy Ranchero sauce on the torilla. Add the fish and Spicy Cilantro Cabbage Slaw.

Serve tacos with: Taco Bell's Spicy Rachero Sauce.

Spicy Cilantro Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:

• 1 package of shredded cabbage
• 1 package of shredded broccoli and carrots, (I get mine at the 99 cent Store!)
• 3/4 cup of Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3 Tbsp of sugar
• Juice and zest of 1 Lime
• 4 Tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro, (I love cilantro!)
• 1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• ½ tsp Paprika
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
• 4 dashes of Tapatio
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Ground Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Prepare the coleslaw dressing by whisking together the greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, sugar, the zest and juice of 1 lime, serrano pepper, cilantro, paprika, cayenne pepper, Tapatio. Toss the dressing with the cabbage mixture and season with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Chile & Lime Roasted Cauliflower 

Ingredients:

• 1 package of cauliflower florets
• Olive oil
• 1/8 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
• half the juice of a lime

Directions:

Coat the cauliflower with olive oil, Cayenne Pepper, and lime juice. Put on a foil covered baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. (It should get a little crispy.)

Football Man-Dip

I would like to start by saying I am by no means a "Football Fanatic," but I do enjoy making food that they can enjoy during the game! With that being said, yesterday I went over to a friend's house to "watch the game." I was told to please bring an appetizer and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make some "Football Man-Dip." (Plus, I already had everything in my pantry/fridge.)

This is what you will need:

(I actually used 2 packages of cream cheese, because there was a lot of meat.)

RECIPE:

Cook the sausage

Add your diced tomatoes with green chiles and diced tomatoes with spicy red pepper, let them cook for a couple minutes.

Drain the excess juices.

Add both packages of cream cheese and stir until all ingredients are incorporated.

Congratulations! You're done! See how easy that was?

My Dream Kitchen

How AMAZING is this kitchen?! I love everything about this and would not change a thing. It's neutral but not boring. The counter tops are not white, but an off-white/cream. The dark hardwood floors are a perfect contrast to the white cabinetry. 

I can see amazing gatherings in this kitchen. You could have people sitting on the window seat or one of the three islands. Yes I said three islands! I WANT IT! I WANT IT! I WANT IT!

www.susanfredman.com

Jellyfish

There is something so calming about watching jellyfish move. I could stare at them forever, but instead I'm going to share some of the prettiest pictures I've found. Please enjoy!

The Easiest Dinner

You may or may not be familiar with the Budget Savvy Diva, but after this post you will be a fan. Trust me! She posts all types of budget friendly meals and best part is that she posts a new recipe everyday! I stumbled upon her blog through Pinterest. (FOLLOW ME ON PINTEREST HERE!) 

I decided to try one of her yummy recipes; The Crescent Burgers, (honestly, I only had the ingredients for this recipe). 

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE

TIME:  If your ground beef is already defrosted this recipe will only take you 20 minutes! Ten minutes to cook the meat and ten minutes in the oven. Super easy!

MY COMMENTS:  She says they taste just like White Castle Burgers, but I've never tasted those before. My boyfriend and I both thought they tasted simular to the cheeseburgers at In N Out. (Our California comparison!) 

SUGGESTIONS:  For a healthier version, I'll use ground turkey instead of ground beef. 

**Also, I made a quick dipping sauce which consisted of: ketchup, mustard, a garlic & herb mayonaise, (regular mayonaise is fine, just add a dash of garlic powder and dried parsley).

Christmas 2012

Here is my 2nd annual peppermint Christmas tree! My boyfriend and I decided to save some money this year and for go the real Christmas tree. We decorated our 6 foot artificial tree instead. It was definitely harder to decorate with the big empty spaces between the branches. My solution was to add more peppermints!

I decided not to post a picture of my decorated bookcases, (the ones that were in my last post.) I was not happy with my decorations so I didn't even bother taking a picture. ::sigh:: I'm sure it was just me being too critical, but I actually had a hard time spreading the Christmas cheer this year.