Road to Rio: Olympic Venues

The open ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games is one week from tonight! Not only do the Olympic games allow athletes to shine, but puts the spotlight directly on the host city. Host cities spend years building and perfecting their venues to be ready when the world's watching.


MARCANA


The Marcana Stadium will stage the opening and closing ceremonies, along with the finals of both men's and women' soccer. Maracana Stadium hosted the 2014 World Cup.

SAMBODROMO


Sambodromo is most know for hosting samba school parade during carnival. This venue will host events such as archery and the marathon for the 2016 games.

RIO OLYMPIC ARENA


This arena was built in 2007 for the Pan American Games. For the Rio Olympics it will host artistic, rhythmic, and trampoline gymnastics.

PONTAL


Pontal is a temporary facility located on the coast in Rio's Western Zone. It marks the starting and finishing line for road cycling.

ENGENHAO (OLYMPIC STADIUM)


Like the Olympic Arena, the Olympic Stadium was built in 2007 for the Pan American Games. This summer it will host soccer and track and field events.

OLYMPIC AQUATICS STADIUM


The aquatics stadium is the stage of swimming competitions and water polo finals. The venue has two swimming pool, one for events and one for warming up. This is a temporary structure that will be dismantled after the Games.


To see more venues in Rio click here! 




Blogging The Bachelorette: Men Tell All

JoJo is down to her final two suitors, Robby and Jordan, which means it's time for all the guys to reunite for an epic Men Tell All.



All of our favorite guys are back Nick/Santa, Jonathan and his kilt, Barber Vinny, Derek, Evan, Alex, James Taylor, Luke, Chase, Wells, and CHAD (among overs).





Chad gets his own trailor and security guard. He waits in the wings as the other guys being to rehash the season.



Alex is first up in the hot seat as we recap his battles against and Chad and Derek. He's called out as being manipulative. Santa bring up a great point that once Chad was gone, he immediately started trashing Derek. Many agree that he spent more time taking down Chad than spending time focusing on JoJo.


Chad is next up and there is a lot of drama surrounding Chad hanging our or hooking up with Grant's ex and Robby's ex. Santa randomly stand up, removed his suit jacket, and challenges Chad to a fight. Chad declines to fight because they are both wearing dress shoes and they both are "going to fall and look stupid." HAHAHAHAHAHA.


All the guys still think he's nuts and Evan maintains that he was using steroids prior to the show. Chad claims that Evan pushed him and that's why he ripped his shirt. They roll tape, and clearly Evan pushed him. Chad calls Evan a Cock Doc. Moving on...


Chad had some amazing one-liners during his interview. He has been a great character and I think underneath it all he has a sweet soul. #TeamChad


Chris interviews Luke to be the next Bachelor and I really hope it happens. Luke makes me swoon and I'd die for an entire season of him!





Chase is still heartbroken and he still has a lot of love for JoJo and Chris Harrison think he "needs some closure."





JoJo comes out and all I can think is, she probably should have worn a bra under that dress. The girls were hangin' kinda low.




Chase finally get his time with JoJo. She admits she doesn't know if she did the breakup right and that she feels guilty. Chase absolves her of all her sins.



And Chad is eating meat from his jacket pocket.




Chad wishes JoJo well in her relationship endevours by telling her Robby broke up with his girlfriend to go on the show and Jordan is a liar and a cheater and his own brother won't even talk to him. Can't blame a guy who speaks the truth, but JoJo doesn't even bother to respond to his comments.




JoJo then fields some questions from her men and one of her man's moms! JoJo puts to rest the debacle over Derek's group date rose. She confirms that Derek's rose was not a pity rose and that he did not ask for reassurance. Because we all still cared about that. I'm sure JoJo did too. NOT.






Join me next week for the FNALE RECAP!



Who will JoJo pick - Jordan or Robby?







Blogging The Bachelorette 12.9

Welcome back! Let's get right in to it. We left off with JoJo revealing she is going to let go of Luke. Luke then pulls her aside to tell her he loves her. My mouth is wide open and JoJo is a mess...


Rose Ceremony
Jordan gets the first rose (shocker) and Robby takes the second. It's now between Luke and Chase! What is she going to do?!

JoJo goes with her gut and chooses Chase, sending Luke (my favorite) home. JoJo is a moron. #LukeforBachelor.

Luke is SHOCKED.



The magnitude of JoJo's decision finally hits her, and she cries about why it was so hard and that she misses him already.


Alas, then there were three...

JoJo takes Chase, Robby, and Jordan to Thailand for overnight dates. It seems one night's rest has healed her broken heart. Boo.

JoJo + Robby
Robby and JoJo weather a major storm in Thailand by getting a Thai massage, which I am praying doesn't have a happy ending, because I'm pretty sure that can't be shown that on ABC.

JoJo has a very nice dinner with Robby and they discuss falling in love fast. Robby pulls out the CUTEST note from his dad, with words of encourage for the remainder of his journey. JoJo loved it and I'm pretty sure every woman across America loved it. I know I did.


JoJo invites him to the Fantasy Suite and tell him she has "very strong" feelings for him (aka JoJo loves Robby).

The morning after JoJo had sex with Robby After leaving Robby in the morning she reports that she's "in trouble." She loves Robby, but isn't ready to say that she knows who "the one" is yet.


JoJo + Jordan
JoJo takes Jordan on an intense hike to a temple. She challenges herself and Jordan to "respect the culture" and not kiss in the temple. So, you shouldn't kiss, but it's okay to wear booty shorts? Whatever.

JoJo has less makeup on today and I love her freckles. 


JoJo still fears that Jordan won't be able to commit to a forever future and wonders if he is too good to be true. Basically, she's in love with Jordan, is going to pick him, and doesn't want it to blow up in her face.

At dinner Jordan can't answer what his life will look like in the next year. Shady. He can't answer any of her questions about the future, but he does know he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.


In the end JoJo "got every answer" that she "wanted" (fancy that) and invites Jordan to the Fantasy Suite.


JoJo: What did you think of last night?
Jordan: It's exactly what I needed.
Whaaaat?!

JoJo+Chase
With Luke gone, Chase is now my current favorite, but after the dates with Robby and Jordan (let's be real) he has a snowball's chance in hell. Although, JoJo says that after this date she may be in love with THREE men!

JoJo and Chase have some nice, down to earth fun together at a fish market and hanging out in an ocean.


Surprise! Robby shows up at JoJo's door in the middle of her freakin date with Chase. He again tell her that he loves her and sees a life with her, and it's really pissing me off because it's taking the focus off of Chase!

O-M-G how can you not be in love with Chase after he was sweet and open with JoJo at dinner. THANK GAWD she invites him to the Fantasy Suite!


Dun, dun, dun. Chase says I love you and you can tell right away that something is wrong. He's for sure a goner.


Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

This Chase/JoJo break up is the most epic break up in Bachelor history.
"That's like pull your pants down and kick me in the nuts." - Chase

Good luck with happily NEVER after with the two you have left, JoJo.

Rose Ceremony
Jordan and Robby are both coming in to the rose ceremony feeling confident thanks to their time away from the cameras.

As JoJo starts explaining why Chase isn't there, he comes strolling in. Whaaaaat.


Chase comes back and apologizes for his anger the night of the break up, showing what a stand up guy I always knew he was. JoJo is upset that she didn't fall in love with him. Uh, just so much sadness.

Crap, can you believe we are down to the final two?!

Join me later this week for a recap of The Men Tell All.
If there's one thing I love in life, it's grown men acting like little bitches!





Road to Rio: Brazilian Cuisine + Brigadeiro Recipe

The opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics is just 12 days away! Although there has been negativity surrounding the water quality and Zika virus, Brazilian offers a beautiful cultural experience. This included Brazil's cuisine. Food brings everyone together and understands all languages.



Brazilian cuisine was developed from European and African influences and varies by region. The country's climate is tropical and it's biggest exports include coffee, fruits, cattle, and vegetables. Brazilian recipes feature the fiery spices and tropical ingredients. Rice and beans are staples of Brazilian cuisine. The national dish, feijoda, a beef stew, features kidney beans and is served with rice.


Meals vary by region, but common Brazilian breakfast items tropical fruits, tapioca, local cakes, couscous, and grilled ham and cheese. Lunch is usually the largest meal of the day and may include dishes such as barbecue churrasco (steak), pincanha (rump roast), or moqueca (fish stew). Lunch and dinner also include bread and butter or jam, a strong, small cup of coffee, and ends with tropical fruits.


Sweets are a very important part of Brazilian culture. The brigadeiro, also knows as the Brazilian Truffle, is the most popular Brazilian dessert. It is commonly made from condensed milk, cocoa powder, butter, and chocolate sprinkles.


The brigadeiro makes up a big part of Brazilian culture and it a dessert that is eaten by the rich, the poor, adults, children, men, and women. It can be found at all special occasions from a child's birthday party to state occasions.

Brigadeiro has recently gone gourmet, adding pistachio, almond, hazelnuts, strawberries, nutella, passion fruit, and coconut to the recipe. There are oven 50 flavors available and are sold at brigadeiro boutiques. This Brazilian delicacy pairs well with wine, whisky, Baileys, and  cachaca.




What You'll Need:

1 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of vanilla extra
chocolate sprinkles
mini cupcake liners

What You'll Need to Do:

1.Whisk condensed milk and cocoa powder together until there are no lumps from the cocoa powder.
2. Stir in butter.
3. Put mixture in a non-stick saucepan and cook over medium- low heat, stirring constantly, for 5-8 minutes, or until mixture starts to thicken and starts to peel away or show the bottoms of a the pan when you scrape it with a wooden spoon.
4. The chocolate fudge mixture should be thick enough to show the bottom of the pan for a couple of seconds before the mixture levels about again.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Mix in the vanilla extract.
7. Spread mixture onto to greased plate.
8. Let cool to room temperature.
9.  Rolls mixture into balls.
10. Dredge in chocolate sprinkles, covering completely.
11. ENJOY!




Road to Rio: Women's Gymnastics

There are only 16 days until the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil begin! I have been obsessed with the Olympics since childhood with women's gymnastics being my favorite event. This year's team is the clear favorite for gold. Let's meet the team!



//1// Laurie Hernandez


Age: 16
Hometown: Old Bridge, NJ
Specialty: All Around

At 16, Laurie is the youngest member of the newly minted Olympic gymnastics team. She was the 2015 Junior National Champion and makes her first Olympic team in her first year as a Senior Elite. Laurie is strong on all events. Expect for her to compete on at least three (if not all four) events in the team finals at the Olympic Games. I also expect Laurie to be stiff competition to earn one of two spots in the Olympic All Around. She may even qualify for event finals.

//2// Alexandra "Aly" Raisman


Age: 22
Hometown: Needham, MA
Specialty: Beam, Vault, Floor

Aly should be a familiar face as she has been a face in elite gymnastics for a decade. She was a member the gold medal team at the 2012 London Games. She is the reigning Olympic champion on the floor exercise. On top of golds in the team and floor competitions, she has a Olympic bronze on the balance beam. Aly will most likely compete on floor, vault, and beam during the team finals, and will fight for one of two spots to compete in the all around competition. Like Laurie, we may also see Aly in event finals.

//3// Simone Biles


Age: 19
Hometown: Spring, TX
Specialty: All Around

Simone is the most decorated gymnast history. As a four time US Champion and three time World Champion it's no surprise that she won the Olympic Trials and automatically made the team. Simone will most likely be seen on all four events for the team final. If she is left off one, it will be bars. Simone is a shoe-in for the All Around competition, and is the clear favorite to win. Don't be surprised if you also see her qualify for all four even finals.

//4// Gabby Douglas


Age: 20
Hometown: Virginia Beach, VA
Specialty: Bars

Gabby is the reigning Olympic Champion, but don't expect to see her in the all around this year. Gabby can be strong on all events, but this go around she will most likely be used on bars. She may compete on more events during the qualifying around. She was also a member of the gold medal team in 2012.

//5// Madison Kocian


Age: 19
Hometown: Dallas, TX
Specialty: Bars

Madison was solely but on this team as a bars specialist. However, she is a consistent gymnast on all events so she will be helping Team USA in the qualifying round. You can almost guarantee you'll see Madison on the uneven bar event finals, as she is the reigning world champion on the event.


 Make sure to check out Team USA's alternate athletes:
MyKayla Skinner, Reagan Smith, and Ashton Locklear.