Pure & Simple

Belated

2010-07-12T20:19:00.005-05:00

Hi. I've been gone for a LONG time. I am sorry. I will probably be sporadic for a while.

But, I did want to say hello and post this picture. Mostly because I love the app my husband used to take the photo... and because I love my birthday.

Cheers!

Happy Flag Day!

2010-06-14T11:28:00.003-05:00

How great is this poster?!

Hope you've been enjoying the last days of Spring; seven more days 'til summer!
{photo source: wikipedia}

Simple Pleasures

2010-06-10T16:16:00.002-05:00

Earlier today I purchased soup from my work's cafeteria. I picked up a soup spoon and grinned. I love soup spoons.

Here are a few other simple pleasures that make me smile:
- Sporks.
- Cherry slurpee from 7-11 (or a Cherry Icee from anywhere).
- Lattes.
- Solving a crossword puzzle.
- Tomatoes + Basil fresh from the garden.
- Spontaneous, unsolicited expressions of love.
- Fresh baked bread.
- Farmer's Markets.
- Cool, foggy mornings.

Gotta be quick

2010-05-21T12:53:00.004-05:00

Oh my - It is already almost 1:00p!

I have been a busy lady today:
- Went grocery shopping
- Made caramel buttercream frosting, followed by the act of frosting cupcakes
- Baked half a dozen bagels
- Prepped an appetizer for a party tomorrow
- Cleaned up my kitchen mess
- Packed
- Showered
- Took the dog out x2

All because... I'm going to Fargo!! My friend Gina should be at my house in four minutes. Several months ago she asked if I would be interested in running the Fargo Half Marathon with her and I said sure. The race is tomorrow morning. It's her first half and my second 'official' half. I think we'll have a lot of fun. I just hope the rain holds off.

I had intended for this post to have pictures of the cupcakes, bagels and more... but I just ran out of time.

With all that, I still needed to blog because I offered Round II of Pay it Forward. Okay, it really is still Round I, but since it involves a second trip to the Post Office... you can see my thought process.

The winner is: Jen! Congrats Jen! I'll get your stuff in the mail soon.

Oops - gotta run. Gina's here and I still need to shut down. Have an outstanding weekend! [Sorry... I didn't have time to proofread. I hope this post is coherent.]

Pay it Forward, take II

2010-05-19T06:35:00.002-05:00

Back in October I posted about an opportunity to Pay It Forward and send gifts to five readers of this blog. I never posted a follow-up, probably because it took me until the end of January to send them, but I did indeed ship out five gifts to the lucky winners.

One was returned. Apparently because of my incredible delay in getting the gifts assembled, I missed one of the winners and she moved. To Korea. Seriously.

So... does anyone else want to play? If so, leave a comment on this post. Winner(s) will be selected on Friday. The package will be mailed soon thereafter, because I am in desperate need of stamps and must go to the Post Office.

{the goods: a tea wallet + four bags of tea, a dish towel avec hearts, a note pad and lip gloss*}

*Outside of my uncle, I don't believe there are many other male readers of this blog. But if a guy wants to play (and wins), I will put together a more masculine version and select a female recipient for the girly gift.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-18T07:25:00.004-05:00

1. If your name was a verb, what would “to Nicole” mean?
Oh gosh. I know I've used my name as a verb before too, but I can't remember what I had done. I'm sure it was something forgetful or clumsy or caused a mess.

2. What myth have you always wanted to prove or bust?
I received a forward on this a month or so ago. It's a video of people around the world using their cell phones to pop popcorn. Kind of alarming.

For the record, it isn't true. I searched snopes.com to find out if it was real or not and it isn't. In fact, there is a full CNN story with the person who created this video. It was an advertisement. Here's a link to the story (scroll through the egg cooking part, the popcorn portion is at the bottom).

3. If you had the ability to get a message out to the entire world, what would you say?
Babies are born without 'traditional' knee caps; it's just cartilage until they are 3-5 years old. It's crazy and true. I mean... it's mentioned on wikipedia, after all! I share this interesting tidbit with everyone I know who has a baby.
*I realize this question is meant to be much more profound, but I'm just not in a profound state of mind right now.

4. I know you’ve answered a similar question before, but it’s been awhile. Please name your current top 10 blogs.
I follow a variety of blogs: food, fitness, crafts, friends, parties and misc. Sometime I'll post some links, but for now categories will need to cut it.

5. Do you have a junk drawer?
Yes. It's actually a portable plastic drawer. I think it's stackable, but we only have the one. We keep stamps, flower food, rubber bands and other 'stuff' in there.

6. Bottled water or tap?
Tap. It's free. I'm cheap.

7. As a kid, did you have a favorite Biblical story?
Noah's Ark. I have a lost of little trinkets, sewed a pillow and recovered a chair, in Noah stuff too.
8. What is your favorite black and white movie?
To Kill a Mockingbird

9. Aside from your engagement/wedding rings, what is your favorite piece of jewelry that you own? Does it have a story behind it?
I really love the pearl necklace and earring set Rich gave me for our wedding day. I very rarely wear them, but they are very special to me.

10. What sports/activities do you hope your kids will be involved in? (Answer for both a boy and a girl)
Boy or girl, I would like him/her to try something with music, either sing or play an instrument. Definitely complete swimming lessons and try a team sport.

Weekend Wrap-up (sans photos)

2010-05-16T22:50:00.005-05:00

Eh. I don't feel like adding photos to this post. So you'll just have to take my word for it that these things really took place.
Speaking of pictures, I've heard wordpress allows you to drag and drop photos into a post. Is that true? I don't use wordpress so I don't know. What I do know is adding and arranging photos in a post is a tedious task. Is there any advice you can share to make it easier?

:: Baked cookies. Ate lots of cookie dough and then ate no less than five cookies fresh from the oven.
:: Added fresh mushrooms and jalapenos to our $4.99 Papa Murphy pizza. Such a bargain.
:: Ran 20 miles. Fort Snelling to St. Anthony Main and back. C-R-A-Z-Y!
:: Culver's: one scoop vanilla custard + numerous chocolate chip cookie dough pieces = one very happy girl
:: Inspired by an opportune meeting with his BBQ mentor, Rich smoked two pork shoulders. Y.U.M.
:: Hosted an impromptu dinner with the family to share said delicious pork.
:: Made bagels. From scratch.
:: Outlet shopped with my mom and aunt - bought new crocs, kitchen stuff, plants.
:: Watched my mom plant our new lilac bush.
:: Quested for potting equipment.
:: Plants planted!! [Separate post to come, with pictures]
:: Walked the dog and lamented on the incredibly pleasant weather.
:: Rested and readied for the upcoming week.

It was a truly lovely weekend.

What did you do this weekend?

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-11T09:20:00.003-05:00

1. What was your high school superlative (if you didn’t have one - what would it have been)?
I'm pretty sure I didn't have one but if I did, I forgot what it was. If I was to pick one now it would sound so incredibly sad, it's not even worth mentioning.

2. What sports did you play in high school?
No sports for me. I am not a 'natural athlete' as my brother once pointed out. However, I was in choir and ensemble 9-11 grade, if that counts for something.

3. What was the best part about your wedding (if you’re not married yet, what are you looking forward to)?
We were really looking forward to the trolley ride we took with the wedding party after the ceremony. I thought it was a fun way to explore the town, take some pictures and relax a bit too.
4. It’s your last meal– what Appetizer, Soup, Salad, Entree and Dessert would you choose?
Appetizer - Bread, with olive oil & balsalmic vinegar for dipping
Soup - Tomato Basil, sans cream (or French Onion Soup)
Salad - Wedge Salad w/ tomatoes, bacon + blue cheese; blue cheese dressing on the side
Entree - Crab legs, Lobster, Steak, grilled asparagus + hollandaise, sauteed mushrooms, mac & cheese
Dessert - A scoop of vanilla ice cream with hot fudge on the side.
*Phew! This sure would be a LOT of food! And apparently I want to go to a steakhouse.

5. What song is your guilty pleasure?
This one is kind of embarassing. I really like anything that plays on Delilah. When I work late, I love to drive home and listen to her program. The people who call in to confess their love? So cute! Plus I love the singable love songs.

6. What is your favorite professional sports team, and why do you like them?
The Minnesota Vikings. I just really like football. I think it's a fun sport to watch, especially when they win.
My second favorite right now is the Minnesota Twins. Mostly because of the new stadium.

7. What is your favorite reality show and why do you like it?
Biggest Loser, I guess. Though I haven't watched this season.

8. How would you classify your home decorating style (modern, classic, french country)?
A combination, I guess? I'm not good at decorating. Our house definitely isn't modern, though it has some modern stuff. It's not classic either, in fact I'm not sure exactly what is classic. And it's not country, though I'm sure there's some of that too.

9. Pizza- deep dish or thin crust? White sauce or red sauce? What toppings?
From your standard (read: Dominos, Papa John's) pizza joint: I like a traditional crust pizza with red sauce, mushrooms, jalapenos and pineapple.

10. Favorite weekend getaway within a two hour driving radius?
Visiting Rich's family in WI.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-05-04T07:18:00.001-05:00

1. Do you prefer markers, crayons, or colored pencils?
My immediate answer was crayons. But after further thought, I love the wide array of Sharpie markers available nowadays. So much that I have asked for (and received) sets for Christmas. Love them!

2. As a child, how did your parents celebrate your birthday? (Parties, cake, you pick the dinner, etc.)
Ice cream cake. I have a summer birthday and my mom loved it, so I had it ever year. I am not the biggest fan, but I always knew my mom loved it, so I let her get it every year.

I also remember the parties my mom threw for me and my friends: kids games like 'pin the tail on the donkey' the year after Kindergarten, trips to the wave pool or movies (if and when it rained), a trip to the beauty school for fancy hairstyles and manicures, a sleep-over (complete w/ running around the neighborhood in the middle of the night). Fun memories!!

3. How do you feel about leggings?
Unsettled. My mom bought me a pair this winter that I have yet to wear. I did try them on once, and they aren't terrible, but I'm pretty sure I cannot pull them off.

4. How do you prefer to follow directions? With a map? Words?
WORDS!!! Maps are nice in addition, but I prefer words with arrow icons indicating which direction I need to go.

5. What do you eat for snack?
It varies, but today I had blueberry yogurt with generic Grape Nuts mixed in. [Originally they were packed for breakfast, but was eaten at 4p.*]
*In case anyone is curious, I did eat a lunch. Food was consumed prior to 4p.**
**And clearly I wrote this answer on Monday, not today.

6. Have you ever ordered anything from an infomercial or bought any As Seen on TV products?
I ordered Nad's hair removal gel. What strikes me as really funny is that I am not a hairy person. I have blonde, fine hair that is practically invisible. So it wasn't really the number one product that I need. But I ordered it and tried it. I guess it works for some, but I was just sticky.

7. What’s your favorite thing about summer?
Blue skies, skirts, sandals, painted toes, tanned skin, warm sunshine, thunderstorms, grilling, outdoor parties, ice cream, long daylight-filled days.

8. Do you have a tattoo? What and where is it?
No I do not, though my husband got a tattoo during our honeymoon that I call "our" tattoo.

9. Are you good at journaling?
No. Isn't that evident by how infrequently I update this bad-boy?!

10. What’s your favorite way to eat a hamburger?
I really liked the burger I had from Five Guys with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, grilled onions, mushrooms, pickles, fresh jalapenos and A1.
Last week Rich made wonderful burgers topped with a spoonful of chili garlic sauce and a slice of horseradish cheddar cheese.
Other times I'm happy with a plain ham or cheeseburger. But the concoction I want to try soon is: a hamburger topped with cream cheese and freshly diced jalapenos. I saw it on the Travel Channel's Chowdown Countdown and looked t-a-s-t-y!!

Weekend Wrap-up

2010-05-03T07:16:00.006-05:00

Ahhh... the weekend! Every Sunday night I seem to end up wishing there was more to come. This weekend was no exception.

Here are the details, bulletized.

Ran 18 miles in Mpls + St. Paul + Bloomington
Organized (+ purged) an enormous magazine stack
Baked cupcakes fit for Sunday morning consumption

{cupcakes pre-cream cheese frosting}

Celebrated Dad's birthday w/ a fast 18 holes
- [the first time I had golfed in >10 years!!]
{birthday boy}
Followed by cinnamon roll cupcakes + coffee in the Clubhouse
- [where my Dad's name adorns the walls boasting each tournament success]

{Sixsome, minus mom-the-photographer}{self portrait with mom-the-photographer}

Talked of our next trip to the golf course
- [soon, we hope!]
30 minute nap
Wake
More celebrating my dad, this time with birthday dinner + two desserts
Resting up for the week ahead

Not incredibly productive [read: around the house], but most definitely a pleasant respite from M-F.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-04-27T07:29:00.008-05:00

1. Think back a decade, do you remember what your first cellphone was? Was it as cool as Zack Morris’s phone?
I got my first cell phone when I was 21. It was a Kyocera. Shortly after getting it, I left it in the car on a hot summer day and it never worked again. Thankfully I had purchased a warranty. My replacement was a Samsung flip phone and I used it for 3 years.
2. What is the first children’s book you remember being read to you?
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. I'm sure this wasn't the first book that was read to me, but it was the first that came to mind.
3. What was your first car? Did you love it or hate it?
A 1984 Toyota Cressida. It is my understanding this was Toyota's version of a Lexus. It was ahead of it's time when it came to features. It had automatic everything: locks, windows, side mirrors, rear-window defrost, locks. The car met an untimely death thanks to me, but I was very fortunate to be given such a great car when I turned 16!
4. Who was your hero growing up?
My mom. And she still is.
5. Think back to your first kiss. Was it everything you dreamed of?
I don't remember hating it.
6. What was your first BAD hairstyle choice? (Extra points for embarrassing photos)
Second grade, wedge-cut with a perm.

Mom came through and found a picture!!

7. What was your first realistic dream? (One where you had to think “Oh dang, was that a dream?”)
Oh gosh. I've had a few. Usually someone I love dies in my dream and when I wake up, I (thankfully) remind myself it wasn't real. Not cool.
8. What was the first phobia you remember developing?
I don't think I have any phobias. Though there are plenty of things I am not fond of such as: spiders, WORMS, rats and larvae.
9. Which character on Sesame Street do you most identify with?
Cookie Monster. Right now all I want to do is eat a cookie. Om Nom nom nom!
10. What was the hardest goal you ever accomplished?
Gosh this one is really tough. There are a number of things I have accomplished that I am immensely proud of: summiting Mt. Whitney, running a marathon, baking my first yeast bread (seriously), passing Cell Biology and thus graduating from college, getting married to a wonderful man, having a loving family and being a parent to our dog, to name a few.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-04-20T07:04:00.013-05:00

1. What two cities should be moved closer together?
San Francisco and New York, but I really just want them moved closer to me so I can visit whenever I want. I love both cities and every time I leave I feel like there is so much more to see! Plus, I really love NY style pizza and San Francisco clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.
2. What was the first plane ride you took?
I'm not positive, but I would venture to guess it was to visit my grandparents in Mission, TX.
3. What continent would you most like to visit?
Europe. I want to go to Italy and Portugal (as mentioned last week). I'd also like to go to Poland to meet my sister-in-law's family and tool around the Mediterranean Coast. [Yes, I know that Poland is not along the coast... that was just a series of thoughts strung together.]
4. What’s your favorite place to window-shop?
Anthropologie. There are so many things I would love to have, but I don't necessarily have the funds for them.
5. What’s the least fun you’ve ever had at a place specifically tailored for fun?
The day before our wedding I had planned a luncheon with my mom, aunt and bridesmaids followed by mani & pedis at a nearby nail salon. I called a few weeks in advance, made an appointment and asked if they would have enough room to do eight sets of nails/toes simultaneously. They said yes.

Well, when we arrived for our 3:00p appointment and they only had two people working AND let a customer who walked in after us go before us!! I had all of the bridesmaids, my mom and aunt get their nails and toes done first to make sure they got through. Meanwhile I was practically pacing the joint. By the time it was my turn I didn't even care whether or not mine turned out nicely. I just wanted to get out of there.

Our rehearsal started at 5:30p and I had expected to have at least an hour of relaxation and get ready time post-mani/pedi. By the time we got out of the salon we only had 10 minutes to get to the hotel, change and get to the church. Needless to say, it was not the least bit relaxing experience.
6. You’re stuck on an island with plenty of food, a companion, and a relatively stress-free lifestyle. What do you say when the rescue ship comes?
Rich's answer was to ask if they have TV. But I guess I would ask if they have a phone. In my mind, my companion would be my husband, but if not I would want to call him and then my parents to let them know I'm okay.
7. Which day of the week do you look forward to most?
I really like Wednesdays. When I was younger Wednesday meant I had fun church activities after school. Now it generally means I get to work remotely. But most of all, it means the work week is half over!
8. What’s your favorite place to enjoy the great outdoors?
My uncle Rollie's cabin. It's fun and rustic, complete with an outhouse and all. I haven't been in nearly five years! We used to go every year around the 4th of July and then we'd also celebrate my birthday. So fun! [Fun story: Rich and I had only been dating a few months when went to the cabin. My uncle said, "Now that you've brought her here, you'll have to marry her." Three of my cousins had visited the cabin before us with their boy/girlfriend and each couple had gotten married. Guess it worked for us, too!]
9. What’s on your “to do” list this summer?
Enjoy the weather, create a potted garden, and run two marathons!!
10. Which natural disaster freaks you out the most?
Gosh, being in the path of an erupting volcano would be pretty scary. Or a tsunami - definitely a tsunami. In fact if I'm ever on the coast, tsunami's do cross my mind. When we were in French Polynesia on our honeymoon I mentioned several times how if a tsunami came in we would be goners. Thankfully that didn't happen.

Wonderful Weekend

2010-04-19T12:42:00.016-05:00

Whew! What a great weekend! It was fast (aren't they all?!), but really wonderful. It sure didn't hurt that the weather was absolutely outstanding!!

We started the weekend off on the right foot with friends and the Twins vs. Royals game at the brand new Target Field. Such a cool night [literally and figuratively]!

{our seats}

{scoreboard} {our view} {Hrbek's} {batter up}

{Minnie & Paul}

Saturday morning we woke up and started about our day. Twenty minutes later, Malin's face looked like this.

{poor swollen puppy}

A dose of Benadryl later, he was on the mend. And after a few hours of surveillance, Rich and I left to check out a newly opened restaurant in the neighborhood.

{five guys burgers and fries}

{fries}

{burger}

It was delicious!!! The menu reminded me of In-N-Out burger and the food was really, really tasty.

Here are the perks: bulk peanuts available while you wait in line to order and as you wait for your burger to be prepared and the toppings (excluding cheese and bacon) are F-R-E-E!! I'm talking lettuce, tomatoes, onions, grilled onions, mushrooms, pickles, fresh jalapenos, ketchup, mustard, mayo, BBQ sauce and A1. And you guessed it - everything in bold was added to my burger. Yum.

Did you see the fries?! There are two varieties: Cajun and Regular. They are from fresh-cut potatoes and scrumptious! [Frankly the fries are like the ones from the State Fair and they have malt vinegar on hand, which made for some tasty dipping. BTW - the fry portion is huge, we could have done with one order, but I insisted on getting the Cajun too. While they were good, next time I'd stick with the Regular and douse them in malt vinegar followed by ketchup.]

After our yummy lunch, Rich did yard work while I put on a sundress, grabbed a few magazines and caught some rays on the deck.

{sun city}

Post-sun [and sufficiently feeling like a bum], I changed clothes and helped in the yard for a few minutes before transitioning to indoor housework. Our evening came to a close reclined in our Adirondack chairs, me with wine, Rich with beer and Malin lapping up water. Lovely.

{our family, including a cured dog}

Sunday was equally splendid, but not as eventful. We slowly woke up, no impromptu hives this time, reviewed the paper. I ran some errands, came home, painted my toenails and then left on more errands. I came home again to Rich making his famous charcoal chicken.

{the chef and his grill}

Our friends stopped by to pick up a crate we used when Malin was just a pup [they bring home their own puppy this Saturday!]. We chatted about summer plans and dog play dates while snacking on pretzels and dip. Before long it was 9:30p, our friends departed and it was time to clean up, get ready for work and head to bed. Another delightful weekend come and gone.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-04-13T07:26:00.004-05:00

1. What book, movie or song has made you want to travel to a particular place? (eg. I went to Prince Edward Island because I was such a Anne of Green Gables fan)
After we watched the movie Sideways, we have talked about taking a trip to taste and tour a few wineries in Napa Valley, CA.
2. Aside from your significant other, who would you want to take with you on a dream trip?
My mom.
3. Where would said dream trip be to?
Italy.
4. If you were hosting guests or providing tips, what three things would you show visitors to your hometown? (be it where you live now or where you grew up)
- Walk around one or more of the following lakes: Lake Calhoun, Isles or Harriet. In high school we went to Calhoun multiple times per week; it was our place to hang out. Plus it's pretty, bustling and great for people watching!
- Swing by the Farmer's market. This is more for me, than them. But I want to go... so my guests can come with. We'd purchase fresh produce, meats, bread, cheese and olives before heading back to our house to have Rich grill up a delightful dinner.
- Most people want to go to Mall of America so if that's something they are interested in, I'd take them. If they would rather stay outdoors, I think we need to see a Twins game at Target Field!
5. If you had a long weekend ahead of you, where do you head – beach, city or country/mountains?
I'd like to go to the country and hang out at the beach before heading into the city. [We don't have mountains 'round these parts.]
6. Do you have a passport? If so, did you get it for a particular trip or just to have, in case?
Yes. I got my first passport so I could visit my brother while he studied abroad in London.
7. Are there any travel souvenirs you collect? If not, is there something else you collect?
Nope. While I do have a lot of stuff, I don't have any collections.
8. If you could name a paint colour, what colour would it be and what would you call it?
Hmm... right now I would pick an orangeish-red and call it: August Sunset
9. If you were heading away for a weekend citybreak solo, where would you go? (forget about practicality here and flight times, assume you can get to any city in the world for the weekend)
I'll be by myself, so as I was looking up "Pedestrian friendly cities in the world" I came across the Five Best Cities in the World for Women Travelers and picked Lisbon, Portugal since it's along the Mediterranean. And because I looked up images and came across this one.

{Photo Source: Destination 360}

10. Is there a song or a smell or something that you strongly associate with a particular holiday/place/time, such that it always takes you back?
There are a few songs that remind me of high school, such as:
"Kiss from a Rose" by Seal = Riding the bus my freshman year of high school.
"Angel" by Sarah McLachlan = Working at the local coffee shop my senior year of high school.

Sprung

2010-04-07T07:14:00.000-05:00

Spring has sprung. Trees are budding, grass is greening and I am day dreaming of flowers, plants and gardens.

However, I am not a gardener. My mom is. She has skillz I can only dream of. So instead I hope that she has enough time to work in her gardens and help me with mine!

Rich and I would love to have a full-fledged garden, but I can't seem to conceptualize where I would put it. Thus, this year we will attempt container gardening. We tried tomato plants at our old house, but squirrels and chipmunks harvested the fruits of our labor before we could. At our new house we have a different layout that I think will lead to more success.

I don't know what types of crops we'll plant - but for sure there will be herbs. And I've got a head start on those already!!

Last Sunday (3/28/10) we bought this herb kit. By Saturday (4/3/10) we had germination and growth of basil and the start of chives. And Monday (4/5/10) we had full on cotyledons!

Come on parsley! Get growing!!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-04-06T07:42:00.001-05:00

1. If you could travel back in time, would you? What decade would you visit?
Sure! I would want to go back to the 1920s. Is that crazy? I'd like to experience a week on a farm and then in a city, just to see what life was like.
2. What was your best Halloween costume? (fun to make? most creative?)
My senior year of college I had a nurse costume: white smock, nurse cap with a red cross on it, bright red lips and a pair of white tennis shoes. I loved the ensemble and have kept it on deck ever since, just in case I'm invited to an impromptu costume party.
3. Do you like your name? If you weren’t called by your name, what would you want to be called?
Eh. I've went in phases, but I'm not changing it so it's here to stay. I don't have any other names I want to go by, so this one works for me!
As an aside, for some reason I don't like when Rich calls me Nicole. It just feels weird to me. However, I love when he calls me Nic. Unfortunately, that is a rare occurrence.
4. In the past year, what is the BEST recipe you made. Please share it!
I tried making a number of things this year. While many were tasty, very few were made more than once. But Julia Child's Coq Au Vin I made twice, including once for a dinner party. The recipe consists of a number of steps, but the results are delish and most of it can be completed well in advance of your guests arrival.
5. Look around – what is the nearest object or picture hanging on the wall?
A television.
6. What was the last movie you saw in a theater? Would you recommend it?
Alice in Wonderland. It was my first 3D IMAX film ever and the visuals were awesome! Consider it recommended.
7. Did you go to summer camp? Will you/do you send your kids to camp?
Sure did! I went to a Camp Wapo in Amery, WI. It is a Lutheran bible camp and I always had a great time. I would love to provide a similar opportunity to my future kids some day.
8. What kind of ringtone do you have?
No songs for me, my ringtone is your basic telephone ring.
9. Where is the farthest away from home you have ever been?
With a loved one? Tahiti. By myself? California.
10. Has anyone ever written a song or a poem for or about you?
I don't believe so. Though when I was a kid my mom changed the lyrics of "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" to our last name instead. I was pretty old before I learned the true lyrics.

Easter Weekend

2010-04-05T08:29:00.000-05:00

Our Easter weekend was once again wonderful. Rich hung out with some friends Friday night, and I hung out with the dog. While Malin and I were on a walk we saw this. I wasn't able to get my camera out very fast, but...

{...that is a water skier on the back of a boat. On April 2nd. Craziness.}

{Malin, leading the way}

Saturday morning we woke up, packed up and headed to Wisconsin to visit Rich's family. We met up with Rich's parents, sister Tina and brother-in-law Paul at Tina and Paul's house. We also introduced Malin to his dog-cousin Cosmo. They were fast friends and chased each other around the yard for a while before the humans left for lunch at a pizza buffet. Yum!

After lunch we went back to Tina and Paul's, picked up Malin and did some shopping before heading to the farm. We unloaded, let Malin loose and enjoyed the warm (but windy) weather for a while before heading to the local watering hole.

{we played dice}{enjoyed a local brew or two and racked up the drink tickets}

After a while, I left with Patti to get some rest while Rich and his dad practiced their pool game.

Sunday we enjoyed a lazy morning before heading to brunch with the family. I neglected to take pictures though, which is a shame. We followed up brunch with another trip to Huron. The boys, Rich and his dad vs the son-in-laws, played their annual pool tournament [the son-in-laws won the title this year] while the ladies chatted.

Once it started getting late and we started getting hungry, the crew headed back to Rich's parents' house for a lovely dinner.

{supper}

After supper, Rich and his dad took on the son-in-laws for two more rounds of pool at the house. This time with money on the line the son + father team came out victorious x2!! Hmm... makes you wonder if they threw the title series?! :) Too soon it was dark, time to pack up and start heading home.

Always too short, it certainly was another wonderful weekend spent with family.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-03-30T13:49:00.016-05:00

So I'm not back 'up and running' like I thought I'd be. I'm in a serious blogging rut and beyond lazy when it comes to uploading pictures. So... once I'm over that I'll be back? Maybe. On to the questions & answers.

1. What television character do you identify with?
Elaine Benes from Seinfeld; I certainly dance like her (unfortunately this is unintentional).
2. Describe your morning routine.
Alarm goes off. I hit snooze. Ten minutes later, my alarm goes off again. I hit snooze. (repeat multiple times). Finally I get out of bed, go to the bathroom, weigh myself and then brush my teeth. I start the shower (for whatever reason it takes a long time for hot water to reach our bathroom), then a few minutes and many gallons of water later, I shower. Next up: pick out clothes, dress, blow dry hair, apply make-up, take dog outside, fill water dish, fill food dish, grab work bag, purse and lunch bag and drive to work.
3. How do you do lunch? Bring from home or dine out? Same thing every day or mix it up?
During the work week, I almost exclusively pack a lunch. Occasionally I'll eat out. Generally those occurrences are more like lunch meetings w/ friends.
4. What is one moment that, although seemingly trivial at the time, changed your life?
Martha Stewart Living magazine, February 2003. This issue contained instsructions on how to knit. I don't knit nearly enough, but without this particular publication I wouldn't have picked up the skill.
5. Name your top three beauty products.
Face Lotion (w/ SPF, please); Eye Liner; Mascara
6. What do you do when you’re alone in the car?
Sing like I know the words.
7. What is the ideal city for you to live in? If you can, take this survey and tell us the results. Do you agree with them?
- My initial answer (considering distance from family and $$ are not factors): San Francisco/Sonoma County, CA
- Results from the quiz: # 1: Portland, OR
(2. Baltimore, MD; 3. Corvallis, Oregon; 4. Frederick, MD; 5. Charleston, WV; 6. Champaign-Urbana, IL; San Fran was #20)
- Based my answers, I think this assessment is fair. I've briefly visited Portland and considered it as my initial response to this question.
8. Are you waiting for something?
I'm looking forward to a few things: planning our next vacation, nice weather, flowers, spending time with friends and family.
9. What was the last shocking news you heard?
My uncle's property was searched by police, a SWAT team, 3 police K-9s and 1 bloodhound during a manhunt a few hours ago. The police think the fugitive ran through his yard. Crazy!!
10. What are three things you wouldn’t do for a million dollars?
- Eat buffalo testicles. [I know that sounds random, but remember the show Fear Factor? They did it once and it was disgusting to watch. No, thanks. Actually there is a lot from that show I wouldn't do.]
- Anything that would cause me (or anyone else, for that matter) harm and/or pain.
- Traffick drugs or humans

Interested in playing too? Put your answers in the comments!!

Procrastination

2010-03-25T21:36:00.004-05:00

At 6:30p tonight I was given a deadline for work. The deadline? Tomorrow morning. My response when asked if I could meet it: "Oh sure! After all, I have 18 hours!"

I'm not sure if most people are procrastinators or not, but I am one. So instead of buckling down and getting to work, I went for a walk w/ the dog and then started watching The Real Housewives of NYC on Bravo. I'm on hour 2.5 of this programming and intend to watch another half hour.

As an aside: NYC is my favorite of all of the Real Housewives series. Bethenny Frankel is my favorite and Alex McCord is probably my second fave. Jill Zarin used to hold that spot, but based on how this season is going, she might not be any more.

While watching Housewives, I made dinner, talked on the phone, read some blogs, checked Facebook and now I'm blogging myself.

In the interest of full-disclosure, I did do some work mixed between everything else. I generated five reports and have spent quite a bit of time waiting for my Excel to catch up with me. But I've goofed off quite a bit!!

Editedto add: Last night I completed my necessary data pulls and assembled most of the metrics requested. I still have more work to do, but just one portion is left. I didn't stay up too late, but I did fall asleep watching television once again.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-03-23T12:35:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the extensive vacay from here. I hope to be back up and running this week. In the mean time, here is this week's Ten on Tuesday.

1. When you were a senior in high school, what career did you think you’d choose? Did you? Why or why not?
I had thought being a microbiologist would be awesome. I had read an article some where that listed their salary at $180K, which sounded pretty good to me. I did graduate with a BS in Biology, and while I was successful in labs I knew lab work wasn't for me. I spent the summer before my senior year of college working for an adhesive company supporting the VP of Global Operations. It was then that I realized I really enjoyed working in a corporate atmosphere, running reports and playing with data. The good news is - that's precisely what I do now!
2. What one thing about the “real world” did you find most surprising once you were on your own?
I was surprised to find out you have to pay for garbage collection service. I'm not sure why I didn't realize this. After all, I remember my parent's switching garbage collectors throughout the years, but I guess I hadn't realized they paid for that.
3. Name 3 things you think your closest friends DON’T like about you.
I have spent way too much time thinking about this. I'm not sure what my closest friends don't like about me, but I'm hoping, because they are my closest friends, there isn't much. If anyone would like to comment on what they don't like about me, feel free to fill me in, I guess.
Here is one for sure: I appear to disappear off the planet for months at a time. [I need to get better about that! Many of my friends I haven't seen in MONTHS! Not cool.]
4. In order to sleep, do you need background noise or absolute quiet?
I am fine either way. Most nights I fall asleep watching television, but on the rare occasions I actually go to bed before I go to sleep I prefer no noise.
*BTW - I really need to work on physically going to bed before I fall asleep!
5. Why do you choose to reside in your current city? Yes, you have a choice
When we were looking for our new house we had two cities in mind. Our goal was to be closer to my family (though we ended up being virtually equidistant) and to gain a yard. We ended up picking our current location because it seemed calmer than the other city and we have everything we need within just a few miles from our house.
6. Are you close to your parents?
Yes. I love them and couldn't pick better parents if I tried. I am probably closer to my Mom, because I talk or email with her daily. I don't talk to my Dad as frequently, but I still think we are pretty close!
7. What is your favorite fiction book? Poem? Blog?
Book: James and the Giant Peach. I have always loved that book!! And while I don't love peaches, this book makes them sound so juicy and succulent!
Poem: I'm sure there is some adult poetry I like, however I still really enjoy Shel Silverstein poems like: Peanut Butter Sandwich and Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out.
Blog: I check a crazy number of blogs. When I check for updates, I tend to scroll to my favorites first and am thrilled to see an update. One the first ones I check is my good friend Krystle's blog. I'm not sure if she would be okay with me linking to it, since it includes her last name, so instead I'll just mention it.
8. Do you enjoy cooking or is it a chore?
I love to cook. I am not good, by any means, but I like to do it. In fact, my husband is a much better cook that I am, but he rarely gets the opportunity anymore because I'm always in there. I am trying to get better!
9. Be honest. What one thing would (the majority of) your blog readers would be shocked to find out about you?
I was very afraid of dogs before we got our pup, Malin. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before on here, but most people tend to be surprised by this statement. [For example: I used to have to cross to the opposite side of the street if an owner and dog were approaching. And once I cried, full-out bawled, when three dogs (off their leash) ran by me and Rich while we were on a walk.]
10. If you were given your own national holiday, what would you require people to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Day of You? Would there be a parade? Greeting cards?
Breakfast: Eggs Benedict (or anything w/ Hollandaise sauce) + bacon
Lunch + Dinner: This would be a combo of both, so maybe it should be called "Lunner" or "Dinch," either way it should include a gathering of your favorite people to enjoy a plethora of appetizers, drinks and board games.
Parade: Not necessary to celebrate, but not forbidden. (only rule: you must give the free stuff to everyone, no age restrictions)
Greeting Cards: Again, not necessary. In fact, I would prefer potted herbs be exchanged as gifts.

Ten on Tuesday: Rich's answers

2010-03-16T22:25:00.010-05:00

Guest starring Rich. I started throwing these questions at him, and captured his answers. I think whoever wrote these questions has either recently watched Shawn of the Dead or read Pride and Predjudice and Zombies. [We did do this last week, but I wanted to re-read the answers before I published. It all seems fine so here goes...]

1. Quick! Zombies are coming!! What do you do?"Get them in their eyes! Their weakness is in their eyes"
2. Whew, that was a close one. …I think your phone is ringing. Oh, it’s your best friend! She thinks she’s been bitten by a zombie. What advice do you give her?"Take two Tylenol and call me in the morning. That's dumb... that's stupid... Call the doctor. If he's not available call Dr. McGillicuddy's... that's stupid too"
3. You realize it’s time to leave your current location because it’s clearly not safe anymore. Are you going to move at night or day? Defend your reasoning."Day. I have a curfew"
4. During your relocation, you come across a weapon superstore. My, that’s convenient. What kind of weaponry do you choose?>"A semi-ak-glok-oozy-with an optional pump action" [me: how do you spell that?] "You aren't getting my humor... this is my best stuff here and you chose to ignore it." [Rich claims he was misquoted with the whole humor bit, but I thought it was funny.]
5. As you leave, an old lady on the side of the street begs you to help her. Do you? Why or why not?"Is she hot? haha... stop it. You are typing this. You can erase that. I'm done playing" [me: I had accidentally skipped this question and had to come back to it. Good thing this was actually treated as the last one or we wouldn't have had the comic genius that is below. Rich jumps back in:] "You can erase that please. Can we change the old lady one? What's the question again?"
6. Good choice, you’re clearly a good person to have around in a zombie apocalypse. Oh hey, there’s a wifi signal here! You can’t stay long but this is your chance to gather some intel on the current situation. What’s the first website you check?KSTP [me: Rich's real answer was: "http://www.purelynicole.blogspot.com/", but I thought that was crazy-talk]
7. SHH! What was that noise?!"It's my deodorant" [me: Rich didn't realize we were still playing]
8. I think it’s time to get out of here. I hope you have a plan. Where are you going now? "That's kind of a dumb one... umm... happy hour"
9. Wait a minute, that looks like a bite mark on your arm… You may be infected too! Will you tell other people? "Hickey"
10. How does this story end? "It doesn't; there's a sequel"

Ten on Tuesday

2010-03-09T07:40:00.013-06:00

Isn't it nice that I found this so I at least blog once a week?! Things have been pretty sparse here lately. I ran into a computer issue the day before the Olympics and things haven't been the same since. Hopefully I'll get things straightened out in the next few weeks or so. In the meantime, thanks for continuing to check up on me!!

1. Of your current hobbies, which would you choose to spend more time, money, and effort on? Why?
In the last couple of years I've picked up a number of hobbies. Most recently I've wanted to work on sewing my own things - clothes, blankets, stuff. Rich bought me a sewing machine for Christmas and I've used it a few times. I want to get more daring. In other words, I want to graduate to trying a pattern.
2. List the two other hobbies/habitual activies (not chores) besides the one listed above that you regularly do now and didn’t choose in question one.
Knitting & Baking
3. Why are you spending time on the above two hobbies/habitual activies at all if you really wanted to spend your time on the first one you chose? …or to put it another way, what are these two hobbies/habitual activities fullfilling that the first one doesn’t if you don’t want to put all your effort into the first hobby?
Like I mentioned in my first response, I've picked up a bunch of new hobbies recently. I seem to enjoy meddling in a series of things. The other two hobbies are things I'm more comfortable with and can do while watching TV. And to be honest, the sewing thing will require much more attention and focus.
4. Read John 3:16 in the bible… In what way does this passage affect you? What are your feelings towards these words, positively or negatively?
I like it and find it comforting. It also makes me really want to go to church. On Palm Sunday. My favorite service of the year.
5. M&M’s: nuts, no nuts, or peanut butter?
Easy. Peanut Butter.
6. Putting away the feeling of pride being a bad thing; what secretly/openly are you proud about yourself?
This is nerdy, but true: when I create a complex report at work and it works - I am thrilled. I have been known to pump my fists in the air out of excitement.
7. Given one room in the house to do with what you want, not changing the actual size of the room and with all the money you would need, what would you do, and be specific? (this can range from bouncy floor,walls & ceilings; to hard wood floor with wood paneling and purple ceiling with a chair; to nothing)
I really like our kitchen and don't need a single change; however, in a dream world scenario I wouldn't be opposed to the following enhancements: industrial gas range, granite counter tops, a pair of stacked ovens, new refrigerator+freezer (fridge on top, freezer on bottom), walk-in pantry (!), wood floors that are magically scratch resistant, a funky new back splash, new cabinets (Rich says re-faced, but whatever money is no object, right?). And as long as we're on the subject, I'll take a self-cleaning kitchen, at that.
8. What’s the next movie you’re going to see? Not what you’d LIKE to GO see, but the next movie you realistically are going to watch.
Well, the next movie in our Netflix queue is The Time Travelers Wife and we are borrowing Gran Torino from my brother, so either one of those is likely.
9. Use the keyboard only and make your best smiley/funny/cool face –> like this! 8^)
In Yahoo! Instant Messenger, this was my favorite :(|)
*It's a monkey and awesome.
10. What makes you cry? What makes you pray? What makes you laugh?
Onions make me cry. And crying over onions makes me laugh. Hard. My mom and I have taken photos of our onion-tear-stained faces. We fake cry and laugh and then laugh and cry more onion-induced tears. Ahh... such a great time.
I wish I prayed on a more consistent basis because of my true answer: most of the time I either pray when I've done something bad or when I want something. I have prayed because I'm happy or reveling in my blessings, but I should do that more.
*Oh, back to laughter. Are you familiar with Mitch Hedberg? Rich just introduced me to his comedy last week. He was funny.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-03-02T06:52:00.001-06:00

Thought I'd give this another whirl.
1. If you were given an hour to use a $200 Amazon gift card, what would you buy? According to the emails they send me, I'd buy cookbooks. But with $200, I'd get a magazine subscription and... okay, so that's the only thing I know I want right now. That leaves me with 59 minutes to browse other stuff. I'd have no problems spending the money, that's for sure.
2. Are there any fairly common foods that you’ve never had? I never had beef stroganoff. Not sure if you would consider that common, though.
3. What was your favorite way to use your imagination as a kid? We had polka-dot curtains in our bedroom and I would love pretending the dots could teleport you (via a Jetson's-style car) from one place to another. It was awesome! [One of the stops was K-mart... they had a quarter-operated miniature carousel and Icees, who wouldn't want to go there on a whim?!]
4. What’s your favorite state? Why? I tried thinking of other states I love, but Minnesota is my favorite. It's my home state, and I love it. [I also like NJ, but only because it is shaped like a peanut.]
5. If it was our culture to have our parents choose our spouses, do you think yours would make a good choice? Gosh, wouldn't that be different? It might work, afterall it's worked for people before, though it is hard to imagine. I'm pretty happy with what I've got, though.
6. What’s your favorite herb? Basil. Runners up are: rosemary, flat-leafed parsley and cilantro.
7. If you could have dinner with one celebrity, who would you choose? This is a tough one. I know there are famous people I really love and would love to talk with. But whoever they are, I'm drawing a blank right now. So instead I'd like to learn a little something - how about Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis or Martha Stewart. One of those three would be great!
8. What’s your favorite Disney movie? Hands down, The Little Mermaid!
9. If you had to listen to the same song over and over for 24 hours, what song would you choose? I gotta feeling, by the Black-eyed Peas. Yes, I still love that song!
10. How do you order your steak? I usually look to Rich for advice, but I am finally starting to learn what I like - medium. (For years I ordered 'well-done' only and was freaked out by any pinkness.)

The weekend, sans photos

2010-03-01T18:53:00.000-06:00

This weekend Rich's sister Cheryl came to visit! She was gifted "Gloria" a GPS system from her sons this Christmas. She plugged in our address, packed up LB (her pup), followed Gloria's instructions and came for a visit!

Friday night my brother and his wife joined us for dinner. We snacked on fresh WI cheese curds and crackers before sitting down to the main course: stuffed chicken breasts and steamed broccoli. For dessert we cracked open a boxed assortment of Jelly Belly's and some fudge. It was casual and fun!

Saturday Cheryl and I shopped 'til we dropped at the outlet mall. I was pretty sure I didn't need a thing before we headed there, but sure enough I walked out with quite a bit! We did score some pretty great deals, though!!! After all that shopping we came home for some R&R with the pups and Rich. We got pretty cozy at home, so we ordered pizza and stayed in.

Sunday we went a quest for some grub and ended up at Lone Spur. Rich wanted to introduce Cheryl to the "onion loaf," which is similar to an onion ring, but in bread loaf-form. It's tasty. Especially with their BBQ sauce. We ate and then headed to Ikea to look around. We again found some good stuff and I couldn't help but get the $1 soft-serve. Yum! We came home, said our goodbyes to Cheryl + LB and turned on the US/Canada Hockey game.

All-in-all it was a super fun weekend albeit very few (1) pictures were taken!! I hope Cheryl and LB come again soon. Next time I'll do a better job of documenting the visit!!

Ten on Tuesday, my first edition

2010-02-23T10:38:00.005-06:00

I thought I would play this week and answer 10 (well, in this case there were eleven) questions. Hopefully I can add this to my weekly repertoire.

1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
Gosh, it sure is hard to choose. I've enjoyed the home made ice creams I've made. Especially the "Peanut Butter Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches" - yeah... probably need to think of a shorter title for that one.
2. What is your earliest memory?
I remember laying on the couch with my mom when she was pregnant with my brother. I was 2.5-3 years old. As the months progressed, pretty soon there wasn't room for me along side her and I got bumped down by her feet. That was my spot for a long time after that, but I loved it!!
3. What is your earliest memory of a dessert?
I remember getting to help my mom bake when I was younger. I'd pull up a chair, stand on it and help her out. I also remember making Christmas cookies (she makes terrific spritz cookies) and decorating Valentine sugar cookies. Yum!
4. Do you have any recurring dreams?
Yes, though not consistently - and oddly enough, I can't recall any specifics.
5. Have you ever dreamed about dessert?
Probably. Though again, nothing specific comes to mind.
6. What is one thing (aside from a cell phone or computer) that you cannot go the entire day without?
Clothes. I would prefer to be clothed.
7. What is one dessert you could go your entire life without ever having again?
I could live without chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream or brownies. Don't get me wrong, if you put one of those three things in front of me, I will eat them. Also, I will make them.
8. If you could go on vacation tomorrow, where would you go? (Assume someone else is footing the bill, but within reason…so “the moon” won’t work)
I would love to travel Europe with my husband, including a long stay in Italy along the Amalfi coast.
9. If you could have any dessert tomorrow, what would you have (assume someone else is buying it for you. Within reason though, no “gold sprinkled ice cream cones.”)
With all this talk about ice cream, I would love a large scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with really thick hot fudge, whipped cream and a cherry.
10. What was your first impression of your significant other? If you’re single, what was your first impression of your best friend?
Quiet, but sweet.
11. What is your first impression of dessert pizza? (Personally, I think it’s weird. I love dessert but I don’t want any on my pizza.)
I've had both fruit pizza and dessert pizza and find both delightful. It's not something I traditionally go out of my way to make or purchase, but I will eat it and have been known to enjoy it. So I probably liked it.

Popcorn...

2010-02-18T19:25:00.000-06:00

it's what's for dinner.My mom has stovetop-popcorn-making skillz. I haven't mastered her abilities in the least. In fact, I couldn't even say I'm close. But I love that popcorn.

Growing up we had it every Friday night. As I got older, it sometimes appeared more frequently. Sometimes my Dad would even make it, and then smother it in delicious melted butter. {Both renditions are outstanding.}

I have, and always will, loved popcorn. Rich, however, doesn't really care for it.
Well... he wasn't home for dinner tonight, which meant: I made myself a meal of popcorn. No protein. No greens. P-O-P-C-O-R-N!

Simply lovely.

Shrimp + Coconut Milk

2010-02-16T20:22:00.005-06:00

Make this recipe. Tonight. It is seriously delicious.

Some dinners I make are just okay, some are good enough to eat and then there are the few that I simply cannot wait to make again. The dinner I made last night fits into that last category.

We had leftover coconut milk from when Rich made us Poisson Cru I wanted to use. Coincidentally, my mom sent me a recipe last week that called for coconut milk and shrimp, among other things. Before I committed to a recipe, I intended to do a comparison. However, after I reviewed the first result of my coconut milk and shrimp recipe query, I called Rich for an inventory of what we had at home and hit print. I did tweak the recipe to my own preferences; my changes are listed in full below.

Shrimp + Coconut Milk
{adapted from Food and Wine}
Ingredients
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 can Red Gold diced tomatoes, drained
2 1/2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk (from two 15-ounce cans)
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, shelled
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges, for serving
Bed of cooked basmati rice (optional)

{ingredients in photo form}

Directions
In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat.
Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.

{onions+garlic+ginger+spices, mingling}

Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk, water, and salt and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat and cook at a low boil, stirring frequently, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes.

{saucy}

Add the shrimp to the pan. Reduce the heat to low and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are just done, 3 to 5 minutes.

{scrumptious sauce+shrimp}

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.

{ready for plates}

Serve with the lime wedges over a bed of rice.

{dinner time!}

For fun, I assembled nutritional information for this recipe. As far as I am concerned the numbers are pretty good. Though the stats exclude the optional rice; if you use 3/4 c. cooked basmati rice, add an additional 150 calories to the total number. Oh. I forgot to mention, this recipe is fast and flavorful, too!

Valentine's Weekend 2010, briefly

2010-02-15T08:30:00.004-06:00

Friday we watched the Olympics' opening ceremony. I love the Olympics! I adore the patriotism that oozes from spectators rooting for their country's athletes. Frankly, I love cheering on the athletes representing the US!

{For the first time in my life, I have actually visited an Olympic host city!}

Saturday we woke to trees coated in frost and fresh snowflakes; it was beautiful and lasted nearly all day. We watched Dexter {Season 1} and the first games of the Olympics before getting ready for our dinner date downtown. Dinner was outstanding and my date was delightful.

{winter beauty}

{date night}

{the house specialty - my fave}

Sunday I woke up, made some breakfast and continued to watch Olympic coverage before getting ready for our family celebration. My mom invited us along with my brother and his wife for an early dinner (or late lunch, depending on how you look at it). Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures, outside of the dessert. But the meal was wonderful - potato dumplings, ribs, asparagus - and the company outstanding. Yum. Dessert was a meringue cupcake filled with raspberry curd, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. Double-yum. Seriously. Makes sense why I took a picture, no?

{valentine's breakfast}{dessert}

♥ a weekend inspired by love; doesn't get much better than that

image sources:
*Vancouver Olympic Rings - Tim Wang's elearning blog
*Fogo - Shea
*House specialty - Gusto

I just called to say...

2010-02-10T20:04:00.003-06:00

"Thank you."

I received the following phone call from our alma mater, thanking me for a donation supporting the athletic department. The call came from a member of the men's gymnastic team.

I thought that was pretty cool. As soon as I heard it was the U, I started thinking up excuses on why I didn't want to donate at this time. But here he was just calling to say thank you. Not asking for a thing.

I loved that. Like really, really appreciated he had called to simply say thank you. What an uncommon act. Well done, U of M, well done!

Happy Birthday!

2010-02-09T06:32:00.004-06:00

One of my biggest blog fans turns 49 today!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Rollie!!!

{He says he checks 3x daily to see if I've made any updates. He's even commented once or twice!!}

Polar Plunge: Mission Accomplished

2010-02-06T21:43:00.011-06:00

Today I jumped in a frozen lake. On purpose. For a good cause. And because I thought it would be a "life experience."

Today, I was "freezin' for a reason" for the Maple Grove edition of the Polar Plunge. From their website: "The Polar Bear Plunge (presented by Minnesota Law Enforcement to benefit Special Olympics Minnesota and part of the year-round fundraising of the Law Enforcement Torch Run to benefit Special Olympics Minnesota) is a unique opportunity for individuals, organizations and businesses to support Special Olympics athletes by jumping into frigid Minnesota waters. January through March, 13 plunges across the state give you the chance to be Freezin' for a Reason!"

I raised $265.00 for Special Olympics Minnesota. Pretty rad. Thanks for your donations! They meant a lot to many, especially me.

So, without further adieu. My Polar Plunge Photo montage:
Special thanks to my photographer: my husband, my cheerleader: my mom, my supporters: many friends and family.

{images with the word "Proof" across them are courtesy of CL!X Portrait Studios: Sports & Event Photography}

*For the record, I would totally do this again.

Mystery Meal à la Rich

2010-02-05T21:17:00.014-06:00

Earlier this week Rich and I celebrated five years together. I've mentioned it here before - but I've been working a lot of hours. So on the day itself, when I got home at 6:30p Rich asked who I was, because his wife is usually at work until 9p. (An exaggeration, yes, but not terribly far from the truth.)

He mentioned he had wanted to make a special dinner, but wasn't sure when I would come home so he hadn't picked up the ingredients. Right then and there I promised that on Friday I would leave work no later than 5:30p and from then on referred to the dinner he was going to make as his "mystery meal."

Man, this guy does not disappoint! I arrived home to him chopping, slicing and dicing in the kitchen. And everything was a surprise. I had no idea what we were having. I asked prodding questions that led nowhere.

Until... our Appetizer:

{fresh coconut}

The coconut was a huge clue - we were revisiting our honeymoon!! (I told you Rich is good!) He made our favorite Tahitian entree, Poisson Cru!

Poisson cru is similar to cevice in that it consists of raw fish, quickly marinated in lime juice to "cook" the fish. Coconut milk is added, along with diced and seeded cucumber, tomatoes, chopped scallions, salt and pepper. Interested in the recipe? Check out this link.

{Rich taking a picture of our meal for his Project 365}

The dish itself was terrific. It was a first attempt and I must hand it to Rich, it was a fantastic replica of our initial poisson cru experiences!

{Lime+Coconut+Fish=Fresh+Simple+Tasty}

{that's me in the background, chowing down}

To go with our French Polynesian meal, we also opened one of the bottles of rum we bought during our visit. {I guess we'd been saving the rum for a special occasion too, because this was the first time we'd opened a bottle.}

{ice, liquer banane, oj}

What a fun way to celebrate love and bring the tropics to us. Great work, babe! ♥

Blocked

2010-02-02T07:28:00.003-06:00

Yesterday my mom tried to check this blog while at work and the site came back as prohibited. The reason? Content in this website is "suspicious."

I think my mom put it best when she said, "I wonder what did it...the bundt cake, the ice cream recipes, boy it is tough to know!!!!"

Good thing I don't usually update my blog at work!
{Apparently this only applies to my site; other blogspot locations are unaffected...}
Edited to add: I'm unblocked now!! That sure was short-lived - yea!

This weekend, briefly

2010-02-01T07:22:00.007-06:00

Our agenda this weekend was solely that we had no agenda and we welcomed these plans whole-heartedly.

::Enjoyed early mornings of leisure.

{Mrs. C + Sunrise}

::Caught up on 24.
::I spent time with my mom - erranding.
::Read.
::Dined.

{5-8 Lucy}

::Caught up on Grey's
[I am finally up to date after being more than several episodes behind. For whatever reason, I feel like capturing my opinions on the current couplings (yes. they cheat. a lot. I do not support that, but... this is TV and they are fake relationships.)
Izzie + Karev = Yuck. Love Izzie... dislike Karev. And for the record, I do not think he is a good man. BUT if they are not together, I want that to be Izzie's choice and no one elses.
Sloan + Little Grey = Like. Mark's throwing a bit of a double-standard right now, don't you think? Get back together!
Cristina + Owen = Eh. When they start kissing do you think they get hurt? They sure are forceful.
Arizona + Callie = Fine by me. Not too much to say about this one, other than: times have changed. A few years ago it would have been a HUGE deal to have two women kissing or taking showers together on Primetime. Now... well... I haven't heard anyone talking about it.
Derek + Meredith = love them! Still do. So glad they are married and the back and forth ceased.]
::Crafted

{craft component}

The previous Saturday, briefly

2010-01-30T22:03:00.003-06:00

{breakfast bundt}

{parade heat via hot air balloon burners}

{our star of the show}

{dabbling}

{dabblers}

{the coolest celebration on earth}

14 hours

2010-01-28T22:32:00.004-06:00

My work day was unusually l-o-n-g today. Coming home to the following sure made my day, though!

{dog + clean crate. Phew!}

{cocoa + whipped cream + unpictured candy cane}

{surprise email from husband stating he bought us airline tickets for an upcoming vacation!}

Yeah. I feel much better now. ♥
{airline ticket photo source: international cheap flights}

Drats!

2010-01-24T22:26:00.002-06:00

What a huge bummer that the Vikings lost! I can't help but dwell on the outcome of the game. It's possible I'm upset that the game concluded an otherwise SUPER fun weekend... or just that I'm bummed the Vikes aren't going to get to play in the Super Bowl.

Gosh, with less than a minute left to go in regulation I started daydreaming about this year's Super Bowl party. There were talks of sleepovers, drinks and eats. I even snapped an excited "oh-my-gosh-we-will-win-this" photo!

Humph. The urgency to send our Evite quickly fizzled. We'll still host a party, and it will be fun, though could have been more fun watching our Vikings!

Man-oh-man, it sure was a great season though!
{image from theage.com}

I-O-U

2010-01-21T09:23:00.020-06:00

Hi. So I feel like I owe you an explanation. Between October 31-January 10, I wrote four posts. FOUR!? Don't you wonder where I've been???

In short, this is what took place November-January in my world.

Cheered on the Gophers FB team, x4
Celebrated 7 loved one's birthdays
Hosted 4 parties
Baked 7 cakes, 14 batches of cookies, 40 pita pockets + 5 batches of caramel
Attended 2 baby showers
Canned 2 batches of cranberry jam
Stamped holly leaves + berries on 8 tea towels
Went to a bridal shower & bachelorette party, on the same night
Assembled homemade Christmas gifts {towel+cookies+caramels+jam}
Traveled to WI + cherished time spent with family
Bought a snow blower, the day before getting 16+ inches of snow!
Celebrated Christmas in MN, was introduced to Polish traditions {Wigilia} and baked my first ham, Eve + Day, respectively
Went Sledding
Was witness to a wedding ceremony + gained a new sister {siostra}
Rang in 2010 with friends
Toasted to both a new marriage and one 30 years strong with family + friends
Seized a new opportunity at work
Savored these moments

{BTW - Pay it Forward winners: I have not forgotten about you!!}

2010 Resolutions

2010-01-20T20:24:00.005-06:00

I've been thinking about my 2010 goals since 2009, but here it is 01.20.2010 and I haven't posted a thing. Probably because I originally had just one, a spin on last year's "Year of the Craft." However, after some serious thought, I tacked on additional objectives.

:: Create 12 tangible things throughout the course of the year. {read: no food}
:: Love more, judge less.
:: Log 1,000 miles.
:: Explore more.
:: De-clutter.
:: Repurpose.

As I did last year, I'll update this post to detail my progress.
♥

2009 Resolutions, revisited

2010-01-19T22:01:00.001-06:00

I finished updating the status of my 2009 Resolutions:
- Couple Resolutions - 2.58 of 6 accomplished
Clearly we didn't do very well on our Couple Resolutions.

- 2009: Year of the Craft - 12 for 12!!
I wrote up posts for 10 of the 12 crafts. So, if you are interested in knowing what I did for my last two crafts, check out the updated post.

On to 2010!!

Freezin' for a Reason

2010-01-18T12:04:00.004-06:00

I signed up to jump into a frozen lake on February 6, 2010 to raise money for the Special Olympics. If you are able to make a pledge, that'd be awesome!! If interested, you can donate here. I promise to post photo(s) of the jump!!

Skol

2010-01-17T18:46:00.001-06:00

{image from Reuters}

Giada is at Target!

2010-01-16T15:33:00.001-06:00

I am a Food Network fan. If I have control of the remote, we are most likely watching Food Network.

My all-time favorite Food Network star is Giada De Laurentiis. She is adorable, makes simple, yet tasty recipes and is adorable! Oh yeah. I mentioned that already. A few years ago Rich bought me one of her cookbooks for Christmas. I read the cookbook like a novel. Loved it. (By the way, her crab and ricotta stuffed cannelloni is wonderful!!)

Anyhow, I guess she has a new line of products available at Target. One of which is a similar to something she uses frequently on her show. A tool I've been coveting for some time now.
It's a stainless steel, "Scoop and Strain" Colander. It's $14.99. And I think I need it. Though I really want the one exactly like she uses on her show... so this might not cut it. Nonetheless, it's worth a stop at Target.

{images from target.com}

30.

2010-01-11T07:54:00.003-06:00

in 18 months.

image from Crystal Zaragoza

Christmas Bargain

2009-12-02T19:09:00.003-06:00

I love our wreath. It is full, festive, colorful and best of all inexpensive. I was planning to purchase a plain $9.99 wreath and then I found this gem. Costco: $14.99 & fully loaded, at least loaded enough for us. Go buy one for yourself. Instant festivity.

{Edited 1/11/10 to add: We put away all of our Christmas decorations on 1/6, except for this wreath. It is still as lovely as the first day we brought it home. If it keeps looking this good, it might still be up in July!}

Decorations are up

2009-12-01T07:02:00.002-06:00

The decorations have been up since last Wednesday. Yes, the day before Thanksgiving. And I love them; can't believe we went this long without decorating. I definitely have missed this.

Christmas gifts: I have a few purchased and am working on a few handmade gifts as well. It's already crunch-time; Rich's family is celebrating Christmas early, so I have an abbreviated timeline. Better get crafting.*
*speaking of crafts, I made one in November. But because I will be gifting crafts this year I am going to hold off before publishing to maintain the element of surprise for the recipient

Can't wait!!

2009-11-24T06:47:00.000-06:00

It's been 4 years since we've had a Christmas tree. We are getting one this year. I want to buy one today. The tree stands are open... or at least getting set up, which is close enough.

{photo courtesy of Martha Stewart}

Last week a local radio station started playing Christmas music. I'd been on the hunt for it and I'm so glad it's started already. I listened on my way in to work today.

What I've been up to {briefly}

2009-11-23T01:22:00.018-06:00

I've been MIA in November. Sorry. So far it's been a fairly busy + fun time. Tonight was the first time I've downloaded photos in well over a month. Whoops! Hopefully I'll be back at it very soon. ♥

{stocking up on supplies}

{frosting}
{Gopher Football + short-sleeves in November!}
{baking}
{getting in the spirit}

{my favorite song}

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

2009-10-29T22:45:00.006-05:00

Throughout the month of October we have had a lot to celebrate. My brother got engaged, a couple of friends had babies and simply the fact that it's Fall. To properly enjoy this season we needed a treat with pumpkin... some cheesecake wouldn't hurt either. Let me just say: these bars are creamy, pumpkin goodness!! We served them at three separate dining engagements and each time they received glowing reviews.

Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with a Gingersnap Crust
(Source: Recipezaar)
SERVES 12, 12 -15 squares [I think I cut closer to 20 squares]

Ingredients
CRUST
2 cups finely crushed gingersnaps
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

PUMPKIN BATTER
1/2 cup canned pumpkin [I used 1 c.]
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

CREAM CHEESE BATTER
3 (8 ounce) packages light cream cheese, softened [I used 1.5 packages]
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
Directions
Preheat oven to 325°.

Line bottom and sides of a 9"x13" baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Set aside. CRUST: Blend cookies, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor until finely ground; add pecans and butter and combine. Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and press gently into bottom. Bake until fragrant and slightly firm, 12 to 15 minutes. PUMPKIN BATTER: In a medium bowl stir together pumpkin, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until combined; set aside.

CREAM CHEESE BATTER: In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla, beating until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at low speed after each addition just until combined.
Stir 1/3 of the cream cheese batter (about 1 1/2 cups) into the pumpkin batter until smooth. Pour remaining cream cheese batter over crust. [I followed the 1.5 c. suggestion and ended up with way more pumpkin batter than cream cheese mixture; probably because I upped the pumpkin and decreased the cream cheese. Unfortunately I didn't realize this right away.] Place large spoonfuls of pumpkin batter randomly over cream cheese batter. Using the tip of a table knife or a thin metal spatula, gently swirl the two batters together. This should have a marbled look. [By the time I realized my pumpkin batter situation, I already dumped the cream cheese mixture on top of the ginger snap crust and topped that with the pumpkin batter. However, I still wanted a marbled bar. My only choice was to scrape the cream cheese batter remnants from it's bowl. Thus my marbling is minimal. Next time I would put the pumpkin layer as the base and add spoonfuls of the cream cheese batter for more substantial marbling.] Bake for 25 to 30 or until center is just set.

Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours before lifting out of pan and cutting into squares or bars. Store any remaining bars in the refrigerator. [I slightly over-cooked the bars, which lead to a crack. On the bright side, once cut... no one knew but me... and now you.]

Cut+Eat+Enjoy!

With this post, I'm also joining in on Flavor-of-the-Month, hosted by Bridget of Bake at 350.

Great way to start the day

2009-10-28T08:12:00.000-05:00

{sunrise this morning}

Craft #10: Bake + Decorate a cake

2009-10-26T07:39:00.007-05:00

I've mentioned my brother is getting married. Early last week my mom, Dominika and I were out to lunch talking wedding and they suggested I bake the wedding cake. Having never baked a 9" two-layer cake, let alone decorated one, I was excited to accept the challenge. {By the way, when my brother found out he was a little disappointed; he had was really looking forward to the fun (and boy is it ever!) of cake tastings. Good thing I don't like to see my little-bro upset.}

Eric and Dominika had invited us to dinner on Friday; the perfect opportunity for cake tasting #1. I asked what flavor they would like to try and my sister-in-law candidate suggested raspberry. I googled raspberry and almond layer cakes (Who doesn't like almond right?!) and started perusing. It took some time, but I finally landed on a recipe that worked for me [i.e. - didn't require 12 egg whites or 2 lbs of butter].

Classic White Layer Cake with Butter Frosting and Raspberry Almond Filling
{Source: Cook's Illustrated via this link}

Classic White Cake:
Nonstick cooking spray
2 1/4 cups cake flour (9 ounces), plus more for dusting the pans
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites (3/4 cup), at room temperature
2 teaspoons almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

Butter Frosting:
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened but still cool
4 cups confectioners' sugar (1 pound)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whole milk
Pinch table salt

Raspberry-Almond Filling:
1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds (2 1/2 ounces), toasted and chopped coarse
1/3 cup raspberry jam (seedless)

For the Cake: Set oven rack in middle position. (If oven is too small to cook both layers on a single rack, set racks in upper-middle and lower-middle positions.) Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray two 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment or waxed paper rounds. Spray the paper rounds, dust the pans with flour, and invert pans and rap sharply to remove excess flour.

Pour milk, egg whites, and extracts into 2-cup glass measure, and mix with fork until blended.

Mix cake flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed. Add butter; continue beating at slow speed until mixture resembles moist crumbs, with no powdery streaks remaining.

Add all but 1/2 cup of milk mixture to crumbs and beat at medium speed (or high speed if using handheld mixer) for 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup of milk mixture and beat 30 seconds more. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl. Return mixer to medium (or high) speed and beat 20 seconds longer. Divide batter evenly between two prepared cake pans; using rubber spatula, spread batter to pan walls and smooth tops. Arrange pans at least 3 inches from the oven walls and 3 inches apart. (If oven is small, place pans on separate racks in staggered fashion to allow for air circulation.) Bake until thin skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes.

Let cakes rest in pans for 3 minutes. Loosen from sides of pans with a knife, if necessary, and invert onto wire racks. Reinvert onto additional wire racks. Let cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours.

For the Frosting: Beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, milk, and salt in bowl of electric mixer at slow speed until sugar is moistened. Increase speed to medium-high (high if using handheld mixer); beat, stopping twice to scrape down bowl, until creamy and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Avoid over beating, or frosting will be too soft to pipe.

For the Filling: Before assembling cake, set aside 3/4 cup of the frosting for decoration. Spread small dab of frosting in center of cake plate to anchor cake, and set down one cake layer. Combine 1/2 cup of remaining frosting with almonds in small bowl and spread over first layer. Carefully spread jam on top, then cover with second cake layer. Spread frosting over top and sides of assembled cake. Pipe reserved frosting around perimeter of cake at the base and the top. Cut the cake into slices and serve.

{almond layer topped with seedless raspberry jam}{topped with second cake layer}{crumb coat + second frosting... should have thinned the icing some}{decorative piping on top of cake + raspberries}{the last piece of cake}

For my very first attempt, I was pretty impressed with myself. The cake itself? I liked it. I thought it was moist and flavorful. My mom and Rich, however, both thought it was a bit dry. So I'll try to remedy that next time. I would probably omit the almond layer next time; paired with the raspberry jam it tasted a too much like PB&J. {Oh! And I learned Dominka does not care for almond... so I would omit it for that reason too.} The flavor for their second tasting has already been selected: lemon + poppy seed. Yum!!

About dinner: My brother and Dominika are such wonderful hosts!! We were greeted with drinks and didn't mind (and if they did, they sure didn't let on) that I had invited our parents over for the cake tasting. Once a drink was empty the offered more of the same (+ other fun options like Polish Wodka or tea in addition to beer, wine or water)! Once our parents left they worked together in the kitchen putting the final touches on dinner. Eric chopped the veggies and dressed the salad while Dominika topped the pork with a sour cream sauce and plated the rice. Eric even added a sprinkle of his favorite Polish salt on top of each rice pilaf before we sat down together. In a word: YUM!! Dinner was spectacular! I am not a big fan of pork roasts, chops, etc... but I think I just don't know how to prepare them, because this was outstanding! Thanks you two for such a terrific dinner and lovely time; I can't wait for a repeat performance!

Winners + Possible Craft #10

2009-10-23T07:25:00.000-05:00

Yay! Thanks for visiting my blog and participating!! I was really impressed with your enthusiasm to pay it forward!

So, without further adieu, here are the randomly selected winners:
holly-lynn, SassyCassie, Denise, Drina & JRF

Congratulations ladies!! I will send you an email for your mailing address.
{Drina, I don't have your email... can you please leave that for me?}
I hope to get your packages shipped in the next few weeks!!

Here's a quick preview of what I worked on last night. Wait until you see the finished product... ...and yeah, you really do need to wait. The good news is you won't have to wait long - the recipients will see it tonight! I'm thinking this will make a really good craft #10.

Have a great weekend!!

More work than I thought.

2009-10-22T20:09:00.003-05:00

It continued to rain the remainder of the afternoon, so any chances of getting Malin outside to play were foiled. So we had fun on our own. We played fetch for a bit (man we should have played that more when he was younger!!) and then his favorite, tug on the rings. Must've been enough activity, because he's nice and tuckered now. :)

I did have an afternoon snack: the other half of the trail mix. I didn't take a photo of it because it's already featured in today's meals. Sorry if that breaks the rules...

Around 6p I started making dinner. I decided to try my hand at butternut squash soup. After all, I certainly had lots of leftover squash. I started by chopping up half an onion and an apple and threw them in to a pot over medium heat.

Once the apple and onion softened (~4 minutes), I added the precooked butternut squash and some chicken broth. After the mixture was heated through, I used the immersion blender and blended until smooth. I needed to add quite a bit more liquid (both water and chicken broth) in order to end up with a soup vs. a stew.

I'm so glad I added the extra liquid because the consistency was spot on!! Along with the butternut squash, I heated up the remaining brussel sprouts and topped the soup with croutons.

It was good enough to eat!! However after finishing dinner, I felt like I was lacking some serious protein. So I made a quick and easy addition to my meal.

Eggs in a basket. This is simply a slice of bread, with the center ripped out (I ate that too). Heat a pan over medium heat, once hot spray with cooking spray place bread in pan, crack egg and put in center of the hole. Flip once egg appears set. Cook to desired egg doneness.I topped my "Eggs in a Basket" with a smattering of Cholula. Great addition! This was a delicious second course. So glad I made this!I ended my dinner with two Pepperidge Farms cookies from their "Golden Orchard" collection. These made for a yummy end for both the day and my little test.

Observations & Feedback Post-Food Blog Trial:

This is not how I eat every day. Not any where close. With this experiment not only was I blogging about my every eat, but I also tried to eat like the food bloggers I was emulating. Of course there were differences to what they eat vs. what I ate. For example, they probably would have had beans included in the lunch salad and they most likely would have topped their oatmeal with a scoop of nut butter in addition to the trail mix or granola (for some reason I just wasn't feeling nut butter this morning).
This is a lot of work. Taking photos of everything eaten doesn't sound like a big deal, but then you need to download your pictures each and every time you post. It ends up taking quite a bit of time.
In fact, I couldn't keep up with the posting schedule. I actually ate all of this stuff on Wednesday and wrote my posts Wednesday night. Because in all honesty, I just don't have the time to write posts and add pictures like this during the work day.
I found myself not eating more than was included in these posts for two reasons. One: I had to put a lot of thought toward my food choices. Two: I didn't want to take another picture.
The items photographed truly show all the food I ate today. However, it's now 11:52p and I'm hungry. So I am going to have a protein bar. Just thought I'd let you know... because I'm not taking a photo of it but will be eating it. Now that I think about it, I might technically eat it after midnight so it doesn't count...

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

2009-10-22T13:23:00.006-05:00

Around noon I started getting hungry again so I started working on my lunch. I knew these two ingredients would play a starring role. So I got started. I preheated the oven to 400* F and prepped the butternut squash. I trimmed both the top and bottom off, split the "bulb" portion from the "non-bulb" portion of the squash and proceeded to peel the two portions. To peel the squash I used both a vegetable peeler and a knife. Both worked well. Once peeled, I split the bulb in half and scraped out the seeds.

At that point, I cut the peeled squash into 1" cubes and placed them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
During this process I got inspired and decided to cut a few apples to roast with the butternut squash.

And then I prepped the brussel sprouts by trimming the bottoms and halving as necessary, so they were all similar size. I also placed these on a parchment lined baking pan.

I coated both pans with ~1 T. olive oil (each) + salt & pepper and tossed each tray to coat. In to the oven the both trays went... for 45 minutes.

In the meantime I snacked on a piece of garlic ciabatta bread. Which led to inspiration... croutons!! So I cut two more slices, and cut those into 1" pieces. I threw them into the oven with 15 minutes bake time remaining.

As my veggies + croutons roasted, I tried to figure out what else I would have for lunch. Brussel sprouts + squash + croutons do not make a satisfying lunch for me. After some brainstorming, I decided to incorporate my now three key ingredients into a salad. I grabbed some sun dried tomatoes (five or so), chopped those up and added them to a base of 3+ c. spring lettuce mix.

After 45 minutes the brussel sprouts, squash, apples and croutons were golden brown. Perfect!! I tried an apple slice. Delicious!! So delicious that I didn't eat them off a plate or snap a single photo. They were gone in no time. Super good.I tossed a bunch of the brussel sprouts, squash and croutons on top of my salad and dove in. 45 minutes of roast time equated to a hungry hungry girl. I'm not even sure it took me more than 5 minutes to eat this salad. And... it was a BIG salad.

With lunch over, I am back to work. For Malin this means... back to nap time.

A Day in the Life...

2009-10-22T07:39:00.002-05:00

I read a handful of health food blogs. Blogs where the bloggers write and photograph everything they eat throughout the course of a day. Every single thing. This lends to about three posts per day. Today, I am going to emulate those "food bloggers." Why? Because it's something to do... :)

Okay... so here goes. Today is a cold, soggy October day. Sooo glad I'm working from home! Bright side of the day: the view from our bedroom shows we are in the midst of Fall, even if we did get snow last week. Through the rain you can still see the beautiful colors of the trees. Lovely.

Another positive spin about working from home: this guy. Just look at him. I get to spend the whole day with our little Malin. Doesn't he look happy about that? Okay... rhetorical question. With me home, that means he has full reign of the house. He doesn't really take advantage of that though, since he usually just follows me around and as I work, he sleeps next to me.

To start of my morning I was thinking about breakfast. Something warm sounded like a good choice so I went with the logical option: oatmeal!!! I made the same creamy version as before, the differences being I used multi-grain cereal and instead of 1 c. skim milk I used 1/2 c. skim milk + 1/2 c. water. Oh and I omitted the PB in lieu of trail mix from Trader Joe's.

I scooped my oatmeal in to a bowl and topped it with about half of the trail mix package. Creamy oatmeal + crunch from the nuts + sweetness from the dried cranberries was definitely a yummy start to the day. This should keep me full for a while. Next stop, lunch!

Spaghetti Squash Experiment

2009-10-21T20:18:00.008-05:00

My friend Jen has talked about spaghetti squash on several occasions, but I hadn't gotten around to trying it myself. In fact, I was at the grocery store two weeks ago, picked up a spaghetti squash, ground turkey and marinara sauce and even had Rich convinced it would be a good idea for dinner. Too bad when I googled spaghetti squash to find out how to cook it I realized I had a butternut squash. Whoops!!

This weekend I rectified my error and picked up an actual spaghetti squash. Plus, I had a dinner planned with just me and my "sister-in-law candidate." Perfect opportunity!

So I am going to be honest here. I was not so sure about this dinner. When I was younger I was not a squash fan. And I like pasta. Real pasta. So, just in case it was terrible we had a backup plan: eat at our local hang out.

With our backup plan established, we started cooking. I preheated the oven to 400* F, halved the spaghetti squash (this takes some muscle... and a large knife) and placed the halves cut-side down a baking dish. Once the oven was preheated, I put the baking dish in the oven for 30 minutes.

During that time, we chatted, sipped wine and Dominika played with our pup.

{He was grateful for such a fun playmate!}

Soon enough it was time to start the marinara sauce. To a hot pan we added olive oil, followed by half a diced onion and two cloves of minced garlic. Once the garlic was fragrant and onions softened, we added 20 oz. ground turkey. We (okay, Dominika did this part) broke the turkey into small pieces and allowed it to brown over medium heat.

{Dominika working on the marinara}

{Me posing like I'm working on the marinara}

After the turkey was fully cooked we added a jar of prepared marinara sauce and stirred the mixture. We also added fresh sage, dried basil, thyme, red pepper flakes and rosemary + more garlic. Oh, and we added chicken stock too... because I wanted a saucier-sauce.

When the timer went off, I removed the spaghetti squash from the oven. I ran a fork along the squash and sure enough... it separated into strands similar to spaghetti.

{post-oven}

We also made garlic bread and a salad to go with our meal. Voila, time to start plating.

{See?! Looks like spaghetti}

{Dominika readied her plate}

{Our lovely meal... oh, and Malin under the table looking for scratches}

All in all, it was good. Eaten my itself, the spaghetti squash tastes like squash. But with the marinara? It definitely had spaghetti tendencies; the texture was similar to el dente spaghetti noodles. With lots of sauce it was not bad, not bad at all.

Thanks for participating in my experiment, Dominika! It turned out well... guess we didn't need that backup plan after all.

Pay It Forward

2009-10-20T07:46:00.001-05:00

Last week I received a fun little package from Ashley of the chic line. I was one of five fortunate recipients of her "pay it forward" gift!!

{The gift tag (probably too small to discern) reads "a towel for your hands + a book for your thoughts." So cute! Love them!!}

The concept behind "pay-it-forward" is that you reap the rewards of a little something from someone and instead repaying them, you pass along something nice to someone else. Thus spreading the love.

Now it's time for me to spread that love! Five people will receive a package from me, on the condition that you continue this trail of gift-giving and select five lucky people to receive something from you.

Nervous about the commitment? It's low pressure! The gifts can be small and you don't have to get them out right away. Don't have a blog? No worries, you can continue the fun by sending packages to five of your friends and/or family.

Interested? Leave a comment on this post. If I get five people, awesome! If there are more than five, I'll draw names. Winners will be announced on Friday.
{And because I have very few readers, your chances are pretty darn good!}

Random Thoughts

2009-10-19T13:31:00.007-05:00

I am a bad story teller. I always provide way too many details. Here is a prime example.

The long: This past week we received snow in Minnesota. I can't think of a time in the last 10 years when it snowed in early to mid-October; if it happened, I don't remember it. Anyhow, as a result of the snow my beautiful pots were met with an untimely death. Thus, I spent this weekend ripping out frost-bitten plants and readied my pots for winter.

The only survivor: my rosemary. I decided to transplant it and try to raise it indoors over the winter. I thought it probably needed some nourishment so after searching high and low for fertilizer, I gave up and headed to Menard's to buy some. Right next to the fertilizer {which is apparently not in season... odd :) }, was this display.

{The short: Is it wrong that I was really happy to see Christmas decorations and even browsed for a bit?}

This year will be the first time in 4 years that Rich and I will have a Christmas tree. In fact, this will be Malin's first Christmas tree experience (and only my second time with a real tree!). I can't wait to get it set up and am trying to convince myself that now is too soon to put tree toppers in my newly emptied pots.

Second thought, and this one is short.

{what do you do when there is this much wine left in a bottle and you've already had 2 glasses?}
*Transplanted Rosemary in the background...

Okay - last thing: Tomorrow I am going to offer a fun opportunity for a few readers...

Chicken and Dumplings

2009-10-18T09:29:00.001-05:00

Two weeks ago we invited my brother and his fiancee over for dinner. It was a work night, so I was hoping for something relatively fast to put together. I also had a hankering for chicken noodle soup but also had an extra tube of Pillsbury biscuits in our fridge that I wanted to use. So... I went with chicken and dumplings.

To be clear, I'm not sure I've ever eaten chicken and dumplings, which in turn means I certainly haven't ever made them before. I googled for recipes and found a bunch that had various features I liked, but none that really were amazing or fit my desires. So I pieced some ideas together and came up with my own version. (When you have some time, google chicken and dumpling images. There are some very bland, monotoned looking photos out there, people!)

Without further adieu, the recipe
Chicken and Dumplings
{source: multiple, but ultimately me}
Makes ~8 servings

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts [I used 4 breasts]
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, chopped
4 celery stalks, diced
5 carrots, chopped
3 c. chicken stock
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (reduced or no sodium, if you can find it)
3 c. water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 T fresh thyme
1 can of corn, drained + rinsed (low sodium, if you can find it)
1 can of green beans, drained + rinsed (low sodium, if you can find it)
1 small tube refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 c. chopped parsley

Before I cooked the chicken, I prepped all of the veggies. If you are a master-dicer, you can probably just do this as the chicken cooks.
To cook the chicken, to a hot skillet (next time I would just do this in a soup pot) I added ~1 T. olive oil. Once the olive oil was hot, I added the chicken breasts and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Once the chicken was browned on one side (~4 minutes), I flipped them over and allowed them to cook another 4 minutes, until juices run clear. I removed the chicken from the skillet set on a plate, covered with foil and allowed to cool. Once cool, shred the chicken by fork or by hand.
Then I started on the stew portion. I poured the pan juices from the chicken into a soup pot, added the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and cooked over medium heat until the veggies were tender. Next I stirred in the bay leaves, chicken stock, condensed chicken soup, water, bouillon cubes and thyme. Allow the mixture to come to a boil. Add chicken, canned veggies (drained and rinsed) and chopped parsley, stir to combine.

I simmered the stew for a few minutes while I prepped the "dumplings." This was seriously the easiest part: open the tube of biscuits (there were 10 biscuits in the tube I used). Separate the biscuits and cut into quarters. Give the stew one final stir *before* adding the dumplings. [At this point, if the stew is thicker than you would like it, add more water or chicken broth.]

Add the dumplings to the stew, they should sit on top of the stew. From what I've read, don't stir once the dumplings have been added [this may cause the dumplings to dissolve]. Instead, gently submerge the dumplings, reduce heat to low, cover the pot and allow to simmer for ~7 minutes or until dumplings are no longer doughy.
Serve and enjoy!!

{I forgot to take a picture of the finished product at dinner, so this is from lunch the next day. By the way, this makes for great left overs!!}

Oh - and the nutritional breakdown isn't that bad either. Okay, it's high in sodium. I did use low or no sodium where I could (condensed soup and canned veggies); unfortunately those choices are not reflected in the table below.Last thing: I am contributing this recipe to Jen's cookbook. I'm late (a week + 1 day past the deadline), but am hopeful she will still accept it. :)

Mama just bought a new pair of shoes!!

2009-10-16T09:16:00.002-05:00

{Delightful!}

Sorry I've been MIA for the nearly two weeks. At first I was just lazy, but then I forgot my camera at my parent's house... which caused further delay. We (my camera and I) were reunited yesterday so I am back now. Coming up: I tried a bunch of new recipes and expect to post those over the next few days.

*The shoes are from Target (also available in black); I bought them on my way in to work this morning! Love.

Pretty, Pretty (belated) Birthday Pots Post

2009-10-13T14:35:00.004-05:00

It snowed today. And it snowed yesterday. I wanted to take pictures of the snow but forgot my camera at my parent's house. So instead, I'm thinking back to July when I was gifted with these beautiful pots that I never posted photos of. Enjoy. I'm heading out to make snow angels. :)

26.2

2009-10-04T22:37:00.006-05:00

Today I ran the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon; my first marathon ever!!! Since June 1st, I have run a little over 400 miles (405. 76 miles, to be exact) to train for this race. Initially my goal was just to finish all 26.2 miles in the allotted time. As I got further into training and analyzed my pace, my stretch goal was to finish in 5 hours or less.

Here are the pictures -

{me in the morning = nervous; affixing the time chip to my shoe}

{official time chip}

{the leaders, mile 6} {me, mile 6. So excited because it's the first time I saw my personal photographer, Rich!!} {Steve Kalina running with a 55 lb backpack and both an American and POW flag. He was promoting Toys for Tots. I graduated high school with him, and watched him pass me by.}

{me, mile 17? This time my mom, brother and his fiancee are there with Rich cheering too!} {me, mile 21.5!! Prior to today, I had never run this far before in my LIFE!!}{huge American flag visible as runners approach the state capitol and mile 26) {me, running by my cheerleaders one last time! Approaching mile 26.} {me, crossing the finish line. The race clock read 4:59:58, however my race time on the website is 4:59:23!

*my official chip time was 4:53:18!!!} {me and my finisher's medal!} {me & my photographer. Love him!} {me and my other cheerleaders: my mom, brother and Dominika (his fiancee)} {me and my brother. He ran the 10 mile race!!} {post run treat: chocolate hazelnut cupcake from Cupcake}

I had such amazing cheerleaders on the course!!! Rich was the first person I saw at mile 6. Shortly after him were three of my friends from college; they had made an ENORMOUS banner! Half a mile later my friend Janelle was out cheering me on!! Rich hit up mile 8.5, but we missed each other at that one; I guess my mom, Eric and Dominika were around mile 11, but I missed them too. My Uncle Russ and Aunt Sue were right after the halfway point, which was a fun surprise! My friends Alicia and Beth were shortly after that. I get fuzzy with the exact mile markers for these next ones, our neighbors were around mile 14, followed by my friends Krystle and Pierce (you may remember Krystle's wedding) close to mile 15, I think. Mile 17 my neighbors were back -- cheering me on through a water station. Rich, my Mom, Eric and Dominika (R,M,E,D) were a little bit after that, still within mile 17. Our fabulous neighbors were back again at mile 21. R,M,E,D weren't long after at mile 21.5. My friend Mary was at mile 22; she even hopped on the course for a bit and ran with me. My Aunt Colleen was cheering at mile 25. And R,M,E,D were there waiting at the finish line!!

I seriously had such a wonderful cheer team!! It was so cool to see everyone along the course and really made the miles fly by!! I know Rich worked really hard to try to tell people where I was and I really appreciate it!! Thanks cheer team!!!

731 days ago...

2009-09-29T07:15:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin Ice Cream

2009-09-25T11:12:00.010-05:00

First off... Hello to any visitors that came over from Jen's blog!!

Below is the recipe I used for the pumpkin ice cream we had last night for dinner.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
(Source: based on the recipe I used for the PB+cookie ice cream I made in July) - makes 1 quart
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature
2 c. fat free half and half
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 1/2 T. dark corn syrup
1/4 t. salt
1 c. pumpkin puree
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg [I used 1 t. for the version I made last night and it was a little overpowering. I think 1/2 to 1/4t. should be plenty]
1/4 t. ground cloves
*Optional: Gingersnap cookies for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly so the cornstarch doesn't clump up. In another large bowl, whip the cream cheese, pumpkin, salt and spices until smooth.

In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk with the heavy cream, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. You may need to pull the mixture half off the burner so it doesn't boil over.

Take the milk mixture off the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes - no more.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese+pumpkin until smooth. Chill completely - overnight, ideally.

After mixture is completely chilled, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it's frozen, scrape the ice cream out of its freezing chamber and into a large bowl. Serve immediately with a gingersnap cookie or pack the ice cream into a plastic container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
Because this recipe included a lot of fat-free ingredients, minimal sugar and no eggs I was really interested to calculate the nutritional content. I use a website and based the calculation off the assumption that 1 quart = 8 servings. I think it actually will contain more, but just in case I want to eat a *big* bowl, I thought I'd go with fewer servings. Needless to say, I liked the numbers even if they do equate to a C+.

Leek Soup

2009-09-23T14:12:00.015-05:00

I was at our local farmer's market last Thursday when I ran into my neighbors. We discussed our purchases and I mentioned I bought leeks. They asked what I was going to use them for... and frankly, I didn't know. I just wanted them. Ina Garten uses leeks in her recipes and I figured with a little research I'd find a use for them...

However my neighbor saved me the trouble. She told me about a leek soup recipe that her family loves and is super easy. Of course I asked for the recipe. On Monday when our dogs met up to play in our yards, she brought me her recipe to share! I made a few changes to the original, but all in all it was her recipe. My changes are listed below.

Leek Soup
(source: my neighbor)
3 T. butter [I used 4 T.]
3 large leeks* (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, thinly sliced (about 4 1/2 c) [I used 4 leeks]
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and diced [I used 3 potatoes]
4 1/2 c. chicken stock [My soup was THICK! So I used more stock to thin, as recommended below]
salt + pepper, to taste

Melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks and stir to coat with butter. Cover and let simmer until leeks are tender, stirring often (~10 minutes). Add potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes soften, but do not brown, stir often (about 10 more minutes). Add chicken stock and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender (30 additional minutes).

Puree soup in batches using a food process, blender [or in one fail swoop using an immersion blender] until smooth. Return soup to pan and thin to desired consistence with additional stock, if soup is too thick.

Serve immediately.
*Ina Garten always talks about how important it is to thoroughly clean leeks. They are made up of lots of thin layers that can easily trap sand. I trimmed and halved them and then ran them under water, cut side up to make sure any trapped sand was able to escape.

{4 large leeks, trimmed, cleaned and halved}

{leeks thinly sliced and melted butter}

{3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced}

{leek + potato + broth}

{me and my immersion blender at work}

{blended, before the addition of more broth}

{final product... looks kind of like applesauce, no?}

Clearly this is not the most aesthetically-pleasing soup, but it definitely is a palate-pleaser!! I wish I would have taken a picture of Rich's face as we sat down to eat. I tried to get him to do it again, but he wasn't interested. Let's just say he was doubtful this would be very good...

The verdict? It's good! Really good!! Even Rich agreed it was tasty. He thought next time I shouldn't puree it... but I kind of liked it that way. Maybe next time I will puree half and leave half au naturale; that might be a good compromise.

Craft #9: Canning

2009-09-20T20:58:00.008-05:00

Yup... another food craft but again, something I've never done "on my own" before, so I'm counting it. [And when I say, "on my own," I really mean that my mom was there to show me the process.]

Each year my mom plants a bunch of tomato plants in her garden and each year she ends up with quite the bounty. Rich and I asked if we could get in on some of that action and my mom did not disappoint. For a large part of August and September we have had a large dish filled with tomatoes on our counter top [see craft #7 photo of finished loaf]. Rich and I couldn't eat them fast enough and didn't want to miss out on their amazing flavor, so I asked my mom if she would help teach me how to can.

My mom has been canning as long as I can remember. When I was super young I only remember her canning pickled beets. Then when I was in high school she started making her own salsa which lead to pickles, green beans and banana peppers. She doesn't can as much any more, but still probably ends up canning something once a year.

September's Cooking Light issue had a blurb about how to make the end-of-summer tomato goodness last into fall. Following their suggestions, we made a tomato sauce that we will be able to use as a base in soups, pair with pasta or eaten on it's own as a soup later this year.

Cooking Light: Blanch tomatoes for 30 seconds in boiling water; peel, seed and chop once cooled. Then simmer slowly with basil and sauteed onions and garlic for a sauce that can be bagged and frozen.

Our version of End-of-summer tomato sauce:
2 yellow onions, diced and sauteed
1.5 heads of garlic, minced (what I had on hand)
1.5 packed cups of basil, chiffonade (approximation, I didn't measure)
5 lbs. garden fresh tomatoes (another approximation)
salt + pepper, to taste

In a large stock pot, bring water to a boil. Place tomatoes in water, after 1-2 minutes remove tomatoes using a slotted spoon and place in an ice bath. Once cool, remove tomatoes from ice bath, peel, slice in half, gently squeeze out seeds and place in a large bowl. [repeat this process until all tomatoes have been peeled, sliced and squeezed]

Dice onion and saute over medium heat with 2 T. olive oil until softened. Mince garlic and add to onions, saute until garlic is softened. Add tomatoes allow mixture to warm, then add basil followed by salt and pepper to taste. Allow sauce to thicken over medium-low heat (if mixture begins to boil, reduce temperature), approximately 10-15 minutes. We tasted again at this point to make sure the sauce was fully seasoned and then started the canning process.

To can: start with sterilized jars. We let them run the jars and rings in the dishwasher first, not the lids. Once ready to start canning, bring a small sauce pot of water to boil and add lids. Ladle sauce into jars. [Be sure to keep the mouth free of sauce. If you get sauce on the mouth, just wipe with a wet rag.] Once jar is filled, use tongs to remove a lid from the boiling water. Place lid directly on top of jar. Using a rag, hold the lid in place while ring is screwed on. Place jars together and place a towel over them to retain warmth. In a few hours you should hear the jars *pop* indicating they have sealed.

In all we ended up with 7 quarts of sauce and... it was really, really easy!!! I wonder what else I can can! :)

{my mom squeezing the seeds out of the tomatoes}

{tomatoes, post-squeeze}

{sauce, pre-thickening}

{ladling sauce into jars And yes, I really am that red; I got sunburned at yesterday's Gopher game.}

{putting on the lid}

{My first canned good!}

{the loot - they all sealed!!}

Mr. Jones and them, they're gonna be big stars...

2009-09-19T21:29:00.011-05:00

{Hangin' around}

Rich and our friend Heidi love Adam Duritz and his band the Counting Crows. I am not sure that Rich is a bigger fan of anyone else on the planet.

Earlier in the week Heidi had sent an email that read, "Does anyone else think that there is a decent chance of Adam being at the game on Saturday? No concert scheduled, so I don’t see what else he would do with his day." And sure enough: Adam really was at the game!! [Adam is a huge Cal State fan and apparently he has an "All Access" pass, per the tag hanging from his belt loop.] I am soooo happy that Rich and Heidi were able to pose for a photo with him!! They just adore him; it seriously brightened everyone's day!!

*Final score: Golden Gophers: 21, Golden Bears: 35

First Game at the Bank {more pictures}

2009-09-13T21:10:00.011-05:00

{our tailgating setup}{craft #8 in use}{view from the other side}{walking into The Bank}{our seats}
{current players saluting 400 Gopher FB alumni}
{excited} {the band}
{opening kick off}{and that's another Golden Gopher... FIRST DOWN!!}
{nightfall}
{TOUCHDOWN!}{Final Score : the first TCF Bank Stadium victory was locked up in "The Vault"}{Minnesota Hail to Thee}

First Game at the Bank

2009-09-12T23:03:00.005-05:00

This is video of the fly over before the first Gopher game at TCF Bank Stadium. Our opponent was the Air Force, so we had a fighter jet formation fly over before the team came out on to the field. If it wasn't for the lady sitting next to us I would have missed the whole thing [you can hear me yelling that to Rich in the video]. The whole stadium was electric with excitement; it was awesome!

Oh and the Gopher's won... so that was awesome too! Final score: 20-13, Minnesota.
Ski-U-Mah!

Craft #8: Bean Bags

2009-09-07T22:07:00.006-05:00

Remember Rich's craft from July? I was also involved in one aspect of the craft. And we were working on a deadline; it needed to be completed prior to the first Gopher Home Game at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, September 12th. This craft involved something I haven't touched in years: a sewing machine and I was super excited!!

My mom has a sewing machine so we partnered together to make these bad boys. I started out slow, really, really slow... I think it took 2 hours to make the first 5 bags. The second set of 5 however took much less time -- maybe even less than 45 minutes. [Note: Rich is a perfectionist, so we naturally wanted to make sure the bags were perfect... in case he checked the measurements. :) We were very careful to make sure the bags were the appropriate dimensions. Now I'm not saying that was the reason it took me ages to sew these, that was due to my rusty sewing skills. I guess I'm just making sure, in case Rich reads this, that he knows we were very meticulous about creating a consistent product that met the outlined specifications.]

{cutting the fabric to make white and maroon bean bags}
{sewing the first bag}
{I was very focused}
{but finally finished the first one}

*My mom will want you to know the pile of stuff in the background is not clutter or garbage, but unwrapped Christmas gifts... so if you think you are getting a gift from my parents, don't look too hard or you'll know what you are getting.

{we ironed the bags before we filled them}

{each bag was filled with 16 oz. dried split peas; my mom sewed most of them shut}
{but I sewed the last bag closed}
{...just about done...}

{ta-da! finished products}
{in front of the picture of me and Goldy, circa 2003} {Our completed craft*}

*I want to point out that Rich made these cornhole/bean bag boards all by himself; he started with plywood and 2X3s, created the design, painted and assembled them. Aren't they gorgeous!?!

Craft #7: My Daily Bread

2009-09-06T19:12:00.011-05:00

I know I said that I wasn't going to count making food as my craft of the month, but bread is different; I had never before in my life baked bread with yeast, sans bread maker. BTW - not sure if I've ever mentioned it... but I ♥ bread. Love it!!

Several months ago I heard about the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day written by Jeff Hertzberg, MD and Zoe Francois [both are Minnesotans!]. I've looked at the book several times on Amazon but haven't yet purchased it. The basis behind their process is mix together the ingredients, let the dough rise and then refrigerate the dough for up to 14 days - using dough as needed to bake bread. What a great way to introduce myself to bread baking no need to knead, rest/rise and repeat!

I got really excited about this possibility, so I googled the book and found a site where Jeff had provided the basic master dough recipe along with instructions. I had all four ingredients on hand and instantly mixed together the dough.

{ingredients: flour, kosher salt, yeast + water}
{the dough, immediately after mixing}
{the dough, after 90 minutes of rising}

{the dough, after 120 minutes of rising}

{bread, immediately after going in the oven}

{bread, almost done baking}

{finished product, cooling}
{check out that crumb!}

I baked my first loaf of bread!! I am not good with shaping the loaf, but my first attempt was identifiable as bread {a plus} and tasted really good {huge bonus}. I've made a few other loaves since this one and they have all turned out... minus the misshapen-ness.

In a few months I hope to tackle bread that requires kneading, resting, rising and shaping, but for now I'm pretty happy about this version. I am my own bread-maker - so cool!!

The Great Minnesota Get Together

2009-09-03T17:50:00.006-05:00

We love the Minnesota State Fair. Love it. We usually plan to go twice during it's twelve day run. There are fun displays, farm animals, exhibits... oh... and there is food there too. My favorite building is the Horticulture building; Rich's favorite is the Food Building. My favorite food is a blackberry malt from the Dairy Building; Rich's is Jalapeno cheese-on-a-stick. Ooo... the fair is always a good time.

{Food Building Mural}
{Walking in - Day 1}
{Poland Stand for D}

{Poland Stand, view II for D}

{Beautiful day!}
{Minimal animals were viewed*, but here are some sheep...}
{And the milking room at the Cattle Barn} {BFB}

{Lots of other people's plans included the Fair that day; 191,071, in fact}

{End of Day 1 = full-fledged carnivore}

{Walking in = Day 2}

{Senator Klobuchar is in the lime green top; Pat Kessler is wearing a blue polo}

{Christmas tree shopping in September}

{More xmas tree browsing}

{Winner! We'll take this one!}

{Love the Horticulture Bldg}

{Largest Pumpkin - 1,186 lbs}

{We were thinking our friends could help us get one of these}

*Apparently Sunday and Thursday are "moving" days for the animals. So we never did get to see the largest boar, walk through the rows of cows or do additional exploring.

Every year we keep track of the food and drinks we consume during our visit, but apparently I'm not quite brave enough to post that on here. However, I will share the $$ stats I heard on the radio as we drove home from our second trip to the fair.

Top 4 2008 Food Booth Gross Revenue (over the course of 12 days)

4. Mouse Trap (Cheese Curds) - $741K

3. Midwest Dairy (source of my fave malts) - $822K

2. French Fries - $840K

1. Sweet Martha's Cookies (chocolate chip cookies) - $2.0M

Can you imagine making $2.0M over the course of twelve days? Amazing!

Craft of the Month

2009-08-31T22:04:00.002-05:00

Eh. Didn't get done again this month. I am now officially two months behind. Gotta catch up - triple time.

Women's Clinic {semi-wordless}

2009-08-28T22:37:00.002-05:00

Have I mentioned we are season ticket holders for the Gophers? Have I mentioned they have a brand new stadium this year: TCF Bank Stadium? During the fall the Gophers (and the Vikings) basically make up my weekends. So, in the upcoming weeks... a lot of my posts will probably revolve around the Minnesota Gophers: tailgating, games and parties. It's fun, but I wanted to warn you.

{Gopher's 1960 National Championship Ring}{DQ Club Room}

{Did you know the helmets are glittery? They are.}

{Figured I should try it on}

{pads made sense to put on next}

{why not make an outfit out of it?}

{The tunnel the team takes to to the field}

{Coach is electric!}

{The largest professional and collegiate locker room is football shaped}

{Speech! Speech!}

{Ski-U-Mah!}

First View of The Bank {nearly wordless}

2009-08-22T20:17:00.009-05:00

{scrimmage day = gorgeous} {friends+us outside TCF Bank Stadium}
{females}
{third largest outdoor scoreboard in the nation}
{endzone, non-student side}
{climb to the penthouse} {view from the penthouse}{us, post-scrimmage}{us+friends, post-scrimmage}{view of our seats from the student section - we are the A in MINNESOTA}
{testing out the bleacher seats}{us+Goldy: Gold Country at The Bank}

They're here...

2009-08-21T11:28:00.001-05:00

Our season tickets arrived at my parent's house [at the time of order we weren't sure what our permanent address would be at the time of delivery] on Saturday, August 15th. By Sunday, August 16th they were in our possession. I can't beleive our first scrimmage (and chance to get inside the stadium) is already this Saturday, August 22nd. Sooooo exciting!!

Finally...

2009-08-20T22:01:00.002-05:00

I can finally check this off my list.

{yum}
photo source

I like him.

2009-08-19T18:46:00.001-05:00

Let me say this - I didn't like Brett Favre as a Packer. It wasn't so much him as a person I didn't like, but the fact he was a Packer. I remember after his last game as a Packer, he shed tears as he left the field (in fact so did some of the packer fans I was watching TV with). Retirement # 1.

Shortly after this was followed by his decision to become unretired. Ultimately Brett played for the Jets. I thought it was weird. I thought he probably should have stayed retired, but he looked good on the field. And much to my chagrin, started the season well and then: Retirement #2.

This year, when rumors started to fly that Brett Favre was coming out of retirement again *and* was considering the Vikings, I thought, "hmm... interesting." But didn't think anything could possibly come to fruition. When Brett confirmed at the end of July that he was going to stay retired and Brad Childress said the option was over, door closed, I was a little bummed, but ready to rally behind our current QB options. In the first preseason game I thought Sage looked good. But Monday morning, rumors started to surface again. It made for an interesting story, but rumors only.

Then Tuesday morning turned into Tuesday afternoon and we had a new Vikings QB, Brett Favre. And you know what? I think I like him. Yes, this was quite the process and roller coaster, but he seems legit. He loves the game, really questioned whether or not his shoulder was in a playable condition and waivered. Then Brad "made one phone call" (a story which I do find suspicious) and *ta-da* we have ourselves a new QB. While I'm not sure that a Super Bowl is in our future, this certainly has added a new spark to the upcoming season.

And can you even wait for October 5th or November 1st? I am ready for some football.

*Rich's family consists of mostly Packer fans (for some reason, Rich is the minority and a Viking fan). My mother-in-law has dedicated their basement to the Packers, complete with wall paintings, art work, clocks, etc. It's great. I would love to hear their feelings about this. Regardless, this should bring some lively conversations at Christmas!!

Happy Herb Pot

2009-08-18T17:31:00.000-05:00

Remember my "saddest pot of herbs ever" post? Well... look at them now!!
I've actually harvested the basil on several occasions, in addition to the rosemary. They are thriving and I love it!! To me, nothing says summer like fresh herbs... oh! and tomatoes straight out of the garden.

*Happy, Happy*

Polish Cabbage Rolls (Golabki)

2009-08-17T11:51:00.010-05:00

Last Friday our neighbors gifted us with a bunch of fresh produce. We received 3 zucchinis (one of which was probably 5 lbs and turned into 4 loaves of zucchini bread + a batch of zucchini cupcakes), 2 cucumbers and a red cabbage the size of my head. Okay, it's bigger than my head...

I've been trying to figure out what to make with this. I have never once bought cabbage, green or red, and outside of coleslaw I had no idea what to make. Thankfully for my recent trip to the Polish Festival, I knew that cabbage could be used to make cabbage rolls (Golabki).

I found a few recipes on line and ended up combining them to create my own version.

Polish Cabbage Rolls
{Sources: recipezaar.com and globalgourmet.com}

16 cabbage leaves
1 lb Ground Beef, 93% Lean
1 lb Ground Turkey, 93% Lean
3 c. brown rice (cooked)
1 T. olive oil
1 white onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
2 garlic cloves
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried basil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
2 T. caraway seeds

16 oz tomato sauce
2 T. fat free Greek yogurt
1 T. brown sugar

Cut 16 leaves off of the cabbage head, place in boiling water until leaves are limp (2-3 minutes). Remove from water and set aside.

{Cooked leaves are on the left. The remaining cabbage will be used for a different meal this week...}

Sauté the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in the olive oil until vegetables are soft. In a bowl add the sautéed veggies, meat, rice, basil, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and caraway seeds, mix this well. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place about 2-4 Tbsp. of the meat mixture in the center of a cabbage leaf (depending on size of leaf); tuck in sides and roll to cover meat. {I rolled my leftover filling into meatballs and cooked them along with the cabbage rolls.} Place cabbage rolls, seam down, in a 9x13 baking dish.

Mix tomato sauce with the sugar and Greek yogurt; pour over rolls.
Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes.

{At the tail end of baking, I removed the cover (risked tomato sauce splashes in the oven) and turned on the boiler to get some additional color}

This meal had veggies, protein and carbohydrates, so I didn't serve it with anything else. As I plated Rich's serving the cabbage roll flipped, splashing sauce all over the plate. So aesthetics weren't that great, but I thought it was funny and I asked Rich to take a picture of it.
My plate worked out a little bit better...
All in all, these were delicious! Rich really seemed to like them, which is always considered a success. Apparently growing up he would get cabbage rolls at family events and large gatherings. So I was happy this meal brought back a touch of nostalgia, even if I used red instead of green cabbage.

Oh - the leftovers were even better! We will definitely be making these again!!

Twin Cities Polish Festival

2009-08-15T23:42:00.004-05:00

Have I mentioned that my future sister-in-law is Polish? (No, this is not the start of a Polish joke...) She is, as my brother and I put it, "Polish, Polish," in that she lives in Poland. Anyhow, she encouraged my brother to go to the Twin Cities Polish Festival and check things out. In turn, my brother invited me to go with.

{Eric and I upon arriving at the Polish Festival}

The TC Polish Festival had quite a bit to offer. There was Folk Music and Dance, Artist Booths, Polish Poster Exhibit, Traditional Food Market, Polish Dog Exhibit, Polka Bands, Polish Beer Garden, Free Polka Lessons and more. {This list was taken from the website and a lot of it I hadn't realized was going on -- like the polka lessons. That would have been fun...}

We walked around, checked out the vendors and their mechandise, asked questions about the Polish-American organization, picked up a flyer for a Catholic church service held Sunday entirely in Polish. It was fun.

{D - I had Eric pose with this. Do you know what it is for?} {Eric pointing out where Dominika went to school}

And then we focused on two specific areas: the traditional food market and the Polish beer garden...

{Beer fresh from the garden}

Apparently I was way too eager to eat the food we bought, because I didn't take a single picture, but here's what we had (all was shared):

- Kielbasa with Sauerkraut

- Pączki (a Polish doughnut)

- Meat Pierogies

- Placki Kartoflane (potato pancakes), served w/ sour cream

*Eric bought a Chleb to take home (a 2 lb loaf of Polish Rye bread)

We also had two piwos (beers) each, one Zywiec, two Zamkowe and one Okocim {Is that even a beer?}

{Before we left we took in some culture and watched these young Polish dancers}

After the festival, we headed to Kramarczuk's, a deli featuring Eastern European foods. And we ate some more...

{Eric eating a Polish(?) sausage with sauerkraut}

{me getting ready to dive into a golabki (cabbage roll) with a side of sauerkraut}

Unpictured we shared two liquor filled chocolates and had our own pastries. It was such a fun day and outside of eating and drinking, I think we picked up some good information for Dominika. After this trip it is official, my aversion to sauerkraut is history. I even picked some up at the grocery store. Yum!

Summer Break

2009-08-12T17:40:00.005-05:00

{Apparently I needed a summer break to spend some time on the deck, Diet Squirt (my fave), a magazine and the sun.}

Plum & Blueberry Cobbler

2009-08-10T20:08:00.007-05:00

Last week we were invited to our friend's house for a mid-week dinner party. Weekends get so hard to plan around, especially during the summer, but weekdays... I just never think to capitalize on them. I offered to bring a fruit cobbler for dessert and they accepted. I already had plums and blueberries on hand and was hoping I could find some a recipe that combined the two.

In the general scheme of things, this was a relatively light dessert; no butter, less than 1 c. sugar and fresh fruit. I, of course, partnered it with vanilla ice cream which took away some of the "lightness" of the dessert, but it was "light" vanilla ice cream so that helped.

Plum-Blueberry Cobbler
(Source: Prevention Magazine)

8 plums, quartered [I used 5 plums, sliced thinly ~12 slices/fruit]
1 pint fresh or frozen blueberries [I used fresh]
1/2 c. sugar [I used 1/3 c.]
4 t. sugar
2 T. unbleached or all-purpose flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/8 t. salt [I probably used closer to 1/4 t. salt]
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 egg white, lightly beaten [I used a whole egg]
1 1/2 T. vegetable oil [I used 2 T. apple sauce and 1 t. vegetable oil]
Dash of cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat an 8" x 8" baking dish with nonstick spray.
In a large bowl, combine the plums, blueberries, 1/3 cup of the sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the flour. Pour into the prepared baking dish, sprinkle fruit with cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, combine 3 teaspoons of the remaining sugar, the baking powder, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour.

In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk, egg white, and oil. Pour into the medium bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until a thick batter forms. Drop the batter in tablespoonfuls on top of the fruit. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar.Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Remove to a rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition facts (recipe w/o my alterations): 203.5 calories, 3.3g fat, 0.3g saturated fat, 0.6 mg cholesterol, 75.3 mg sodium, 41.7 g carbohydrates, 25.6 g total sugars, 2.3 g dietary fiber, 3.5 g protein

{Here's what the dish looked like after the party. Yeah, they must have hated it.} :)

Pesto-Chango

2009-08-06T17:18:00.001-05:00

My mom offered us some basil last weekend to make homemade pesto. It's been well over 5 years since I've had enough basil at my disposal to make my own pesto, so I jumped at the chance. She filled an entire plastic grocery bag full of basil leaves and I was on my way.

I removed the leaves and washed the basil as soon as I got home. I took out the food processor and olive oil, started researching recipes and then called it a night.

The following morning my Mom stopped by; I told her I was going to start making the pesto and she wanted to help. I had wanted a defined recipe in order to find the 'perfect pesto' recipe. SUPER long story short, my mom is well-versed in making pesto. She is a pro. As a result, she doesn't use a recipe she just goes with the flow. Using the ingredient list below, she made pesto.

Basil Pesto
(Source: my mom)

Fresh basil
Garlic
Parmesan
Olive oil
Pine nuts
salt + pepper

She stuffed the food processor with basil, tossed in the garlic, added a little olive oil and let the processor run until the volume of the basil went down. She then added more basil, Parmesan chunks [she usually uses grated, but I didn't have that], salt + pepper and more olive oil and ran the processor some more.

At this point she had left to run errands, so I had to finish it off. I added the pine nuts and ran the processor a bit longer until the pesto reached my desired consistency.

{This will be a nice treat in the winter when basil season is long gone.}

I poured the pesto into five small plastic containers, labeled them and put three of the containers in the freezer. The other two I gave away: one to my mom and one to my brother. I haven't used any of mine yet and my mom and brother haven't mentioned anything about using theirs. I did take a small taste when I was done and it was good.

Banana Soft Serve, in the raw

2009-08-05T19:20:00.009-05:00

Have you ever tried or considered eating a "Raw Food" diet?

A raw food diet is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, sprouts, seeds, nuts, grains, beans, nuts, dried fruit, and seaweed. Heating food above 116*F is believed to destroy the enzymes that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food. Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and "life force" of food. Typically, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw. {Source}

To be honest, I have not. However I might consider it if everything "raw" is this good!!

Banana Soft Serve
(Source: I've seen this multiple places, but most cite Gena)

Ingredient
1 frozen banana

Blend banana in food processor or blender until smooth.
Top as desired (I, of course, topped mine with Trader Joe's natural peanut butter)

{frozen banana, quartered}

{Banana + Food Processor + 2 minutes = banana chunks}

{Banana + Food Processor + 5 minutes = smooth banana soft serve}

{Soft serve in a dish}

{Soft serve in a dish, topped with a heaping spoonful of peanut butter}

Seriously this is delicious. It's not quite ice cream, but if you like bananas it's real tasty. Plus it is a cool and refreshing summer treat. {This is what I referenced making in my no-craft-for-July post; I've made it twice now. Yum!}

Eggplant Chips

2009-08-04T17:28:00.004-05:00

Last week at our Farmer's Market I bought some eggplants. I want to make grilled eggplant Parmesan. Well -- I haven't done that yet, so I found another use for one of the three I bought: eggplant chips.

I found a recipe on a blog I've been following for a while now, Beantown Baker. Unfortunately my version was not very tasty, but that had to do with the very stale bread crumbs I used, not the recipe. I will likely make these again, but make a few more changes {still no dressing, omit bread crumbs, just top with salt, pepper and garlic}.

Here's the recipe (with my modifications) -

Eggplant Chips
(Source: Beantown Baker)
Ingredients
1 regular sized eggplant (2 medium zucchini or 2 baby eggplants)
1 Tbsp Kraft Free Italian Salad Dressing {omitted, I didn't have any on hand}
1/8 cup seasoned bread crumbs {I used super STALE, plain bread crumbs and added garlic powder, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper}
1/2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese {omitted, I didn't have any grated Parmesan on hand}

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice eggplant (zucchini) into 1/4" slices. ~~Toss in bowl with Italian dressing. Mix breadcrumbs and cheese in a bowl and~~ dredge coated zucchini slices through bread crumb mixture. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray {I just lined the sheet with parchment paper} and lay eggplant (zucchini) flat. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping chips once halfway through. After 20 minutes, remove baking sheet from oven and turn broiler on high. Broil on each side for 2-3 minutes. {Okay - that last part? The part about broiling. Well, I honestly didn't read that part before now. Instead, I baked my chips for ~30 minutes until browned} Serve with a side of marinara sauce for dipping.

Yields 2 servings.

{finished product}

Hungry + Angry = Hangry

2009-08-02T18:31:00.004-05:00

While running errands with Rich today, I casually mentioned that I was getting hungry. We were on stop 2 of 7. We started talking about just picking up something fast for dinner (instead of making the slow-cooked ribs we had previously planned). No dinner decisions were made.

I had to have mentioned my hunger at stops 3-4. At least I'm pretty sure I did. Stop 5 included an incredibly long waiting period. I'm talking somewhere around 30+ minutes of standing around waiting for an available person to answer a question that honestly took no less than 30 seconds.

I was still hungry, but now I'm moving beyond hunger into another phase: anger. Stop 6 - we walk in and I start checking the register area for food. Rich weighs the pros and cons our prospective purchase. I again express how hungry I am. I mention the word "hangry" to Rich. He's not familiar with the expression, but one look at my face and he instantly knows.

Rich decides to purchase the product, goes to the register and is told, "We will need to check inventory for this item to ensure it is in stock. Unfortunately our computer system is very slow." I back up, survey the food options at the register, grab a Hershey bar w/ Almonds, throw it at the lady ringing us up and say, "He doesn't know it yet, but he needs this." She smiles and then... moves it to the side, to be rung up when they find out if the item we want to buy is in stock. She rings up other waiting customers.

H-A-N-G-R-Y!

After 10 minutes (or hours, who knows at this point), another employee approaches the register. He manually went and checked the inventory (because the computers are so slow). The item is in stock. I grab the candy bar and put it back -- I tell myself I can wait 5 more minutes. The lady rings us up. Asks about the bar. I inform her the bar was needed that very moment. She tells me I could have eaten it and asks if everything is okay. (Poor lady probably thinks I am a diabetic and am experiencing a low like Julie Roberts in Steel Magnolias). I snap back that I am fine.

We take our purchases, load up the car and leave. Rich makes a fast food decision: McDonald's. He drives directly there. Our regularly scheduled stop 7 is abandoned; we can do that another day.

He gets to Mickey D's, places our orders: meal for him, ice cream cone for me and pays. The lady gives us the bag of food and his drink and starts to say goodbye. I (not kidding) reach across his lap, arms extended and yell, "ICE CREAM COOOONNEE!!" She turns around, grabs the cone and gives it to Rich who in turn passes it to me. I take a lick and the hanger was instantly diffused.

{I quickly took a picture; I've already licked the side facing the road}

{one lick and peace was once again restored}

Meet Rich, the crafter

2009-08-01T10:55:00.002-05:00

Since I was a craft-slacker in July {I still haven't done anything to change that status...}, Rich has stepped in to fulfill the crafter role in this household.

Based on the picture, I'm sure you will agree that his craft likely has a more "manly" edge than mine usually do.

{I'm not sure if his "craft" is a secret, so I purposely excluded any photos of the project}

Do you like the artwork in the background? They are seriously the only things we have hung so far at our house. Can you guess what room these are in???

July Craft: Expect Delays

2009-07-31T22:45:00.005-05:00

Today is July 31st and I did not complete a July craft. I could say that the grilled pizzas were my craft of the month, but I'm tired of food fulfilling that role. I suppose I could also consider my July craft the sad herb pot I planted, but that's not exactly what I had in mind. {BTW - the herb pot is much improved!! I've been meaning to post an updated photo, though I'm not sure it will do the plants much justice. I've been harvesting the herbs left and right, so they are still rather small.}

I made something else new today (I will blog about it soon), I could count that, but don't want to because here's the deal: I have future crafts planned; I just haven't started any of them. In fact, I have all of the materials for the craft I wanted to do in July. I've had the stuff since May. I know exactly where the supplies are in our house. I just haven't done anything yet. Instead I like sitting around reading magazines or watching TV.

For example, right now it is 10:48p and Rich is working super hard sorting through still unpacked boxes and moving them to appropriate rooms. And what am I doing? Sitting on the couch, watching a Nightline feature about Kelly Clarkson... and typing this post.

Another thing I didn't do this month? I didn't read our book club book. Granted, July Book Club has been postponed until August 3rd, so I still have a chance on that one.

I will complete my July craft, but in the month of August. I will unpack a box sometime in the future. But first I'm going to finish the magazine I was reading last night.

A Colorful Way to Start the Week

2009-07-27T07:43:00.001-05:00

{view from our deck}

Creamy Oatmeal

2009-07-26T22:29:00.000-05:00

This is not a new recipe, but it was new to me. And boy am I ever glad I tried it!! This is hands down the best oatmeal I have ever tried. And frankly, it is by far the creamiest bowl of oats to date.

Yummy, Creamy Oatmeal
(Source: Multiple)

Ingredients
1/2 c. oats (not quick cooking)
1 c. skim milk (or a combination of 1/2 c. water + 1/2 c. skim milk)
1 very ripe banana
1-2 T. peanut butter
Put oats, milk and banana into a pot on medium heat. Mash the banana with the back of a spoon while stirring the oats and milk. Cook to desired creaminess, when most of the liquid is absorbed {mine takes ~5 minutes}.Pour into a bowl. Top with 1-2 T. peanut butter. Enjoy!!!

{The heat of the oatmeal allows the PB to melt across the top of the bowl of oats. Seriously. So good. If you look closely, you can see the banana chunks in the bowl above. If you like banana bread, I think you would like this!}

E+D's house: nearly wordless

2009-07-25T22:32:00.005-05:00

{Rich + Eric: Kitchen}

{Rich attempting the Mensa test - aka: turning on the shower}

{Mom, Eric, Rich in the basement}

{Blast from the past: awesome retro oven}

{post-tour: me + Rich}

Eric and Dominika - what a lovey home!! Congratulations - we are truly thrilled for you both! May this home be filled with happiness, laughter and good times for many years to come. {Plus, how cool is it that you are so close to us!}

Potato Pizza on the grill

2009-07-24T22:19:00.007-05:00

At the farmer's market last Thursday I bought a bag of tri-colored potatoes consisting of yukon gold, new and purple potatoes. I knew I wanted to use them for something and soon. I also had another Trader Joe's pizza dough on hand, from the second attempt at pizza on the grill, that had to be used. I've heard of putting potatoes on pizza, so I thought I'd give that a try.

Pizza on the Grill Attempt III: Potato Pizza
(Source: me)

Ingredients
Trader Joe's prepared pizza dough (plain)
6 small potatoes, thinly sliced
3 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. fresh rosemary, minced
prosciutto
1 c. garlic herb cheese (or whatever cheese you have on hand)
salt + pepper

Heat oven to 350 F. Thinly slice potatoes, spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, place on cookie sheet and cook for 10-15 minutes in the oven. Preheat grill {I turn 3 of our 4 burners to high}. Then prepare pizza toppings: chop prosciutto, mix with minced garlic and rosemary. Set aside. Shred cheese topping.
Divide prepared pizza dough in half (or quarters), place on a well-floured cutting board. Roll out pizza dough to desired size. Spray olive oil directly on dough, place on grill grates, shut lid. Turn down burners to medium. Allow to grill for ~3-4 minutes and remove dough from grill using a pizza peel or cookie sheet. Grill side up, spread prosciutto mixture on crust. Layer potato slices along the top of the pizza.

Top pizza liberally with cheese. Place pizza back on the grill, turn off 2 of the 3 burners to grill using indirect heat. Close grill lid and allow cheese to melt, ~8 minutes. Remove from grill using a pizza peel or cookie sheet. Salt and pepper to taste.

So this one must have been really, really good. Rich commented on several occasions how much he liked the potato pizza. He loved the addition of prosciutto and fresh rosemary. *Ding* *Ding* *Ding* - we have a winner!!

Peanut Butter obsession turns to ice cream

2009-07-21T22:10:00.011-05:00

One word: Yum. Second word: Amazing. Three more words: Must Make Again.

Oh my gosh! This was so good! I made the base yesterday and the ice cream today. This was a different base than I've made before. No eggs - instead the thickener is corn starch. It didn't get quite as thick as I expected {maybe because my cornstarch is old?}, but it was thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and made for a yummy ice cream.
PB ice cream w/ Chocolate Covered PB Cracker Sandwiches
(Source: The Kitchn)
makes 1 quart

1 1/2 c. whole milk [I used skim]
1 T. cornstarch
2 oz. cream cheese at room temperature [I used 4 oz. light cream cheese]
2 c. heavy cream [I used fat free half and half]
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 1/2 T. light corn syrup [I used dark]
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. creamy natural peanut butter [in addition to the creamy PB, I also added the rest of my almond butter]
1 container Trader Joe's Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Crackers, frozen solid and chopped in half

In a small bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the milk with the cornstarch. Whisk thoroughly so the cornstarch doesn't clump up. In another large bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth. {After mixing, my version had very small chunks of cream cheese, probably because I hadn't let the cheese fully warm to room temperature.}

In a large saucepan, combine the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk with the half and half, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the milk mixture to a boil and simmer over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves — about 4 minutes. You may need to pull the mixture half off the burner so it doesn't boil over.

Take the milk mixture off the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Return to a boil and cook, stirring constantly, over moderately high heat until the mixture is slightly thickened, about 1 minute - no more [I did more]. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the salt. Chill completely - overnight, ideally.

After mixture is completely chilled, pour the ice cream base into an ice cream maker. Add the peanut butter in big spoonfuls and then freeze the ice cream according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it's frozen, scrape the ice cream out of its freezing chamber and into a large bowl. Fold in the frozen, halved peanut butter crackers.

{take note of the gigantic spoon}

Pack the ice cream into a plastic container. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream and close with an airtight lid. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

{Huge spoon = perfect sample size}{Delectable summer treat}

Wordless Wedding Weekend

2009-07-19T22:38:00.006-05:00

Pizza on the Grill: Attempt II

2009-07-14T22:01:00.006-05:00

Now that we are "settled" in our house and have almost all of our belongings, we are finally able to tackle some fun new cooking options. The first on my list, after the cupcakes, was pizza on the grill!!

I've tried this a once before, and while I am no expert, I do have a few tips to share:

1. Do not go into your first grilled-pizza experience expecting perfection. (well you can if you want, but if I had, I would have been very disappointed).

2. Don't use the full amount of dough. Cut it into halves or fourths and grill smaller pizzas. The more dough you use, the harder it is to get on and off the grill.

3. Prep all of your toppings before putting the dough on the grill

With that said, here is a recount of my second grilled pizza attempt. {I forgot to take pictures of my first try, which didn't turn out. Basically I didn't cook the dough enough. It looked fine, but made for a very chewy pizza. Unfortunately this turned Rich off from the start and he is not a fan. So now I need to try to win him back.}

Pizza on the Grill Attempt II: Margarita Pizza

(Source: me)

Ingredients (all quantities are to your own preference):

1/2 bag of prepared pizza dough at room temperature {I used the garlic kind from Trader Joe's}

Trader Giotto's pizza sauce, jarred

fresh mozzarella, sliced

fresh basil

prosciutto (optional)

Preheat grill {I turn 3 of our 4 burners to high}. Then prepare all toppings. {I put them in plastic containers so I can bring everything outside with me}.

Divide prepared pizza dough in half (or quarters), place on a well-floured cutting board. Roll out (or toss, if you have mad-pizza skills), pizza to desired size. (If pizza dough shrinks back to original size, allow to rest a few minutes then try again). Spray olive oil directly on dough, place on grill grates, shut lid. Turn down burners to medium. Allow to grill for ~3-4 minutes and remove dough from grill using a pizza peel or cookie sheet. Grill side up, apply desired amount of pizza sauce.

Layer on cheese, basil and any other toppings you desire. {I made one with prosciutto - YUMMY addition}. Turn off 2 of the 3 burners to grill using indirect heat. Close grill lid and allow cheese to melt, ~8 minutes.
Once cheese and toppings are heated through to preferred melty doneness, remove pizza.

Cut, serve, eat, enjoy!!

Rich thought this attempt was "OK"; I thought it was "good." Either way, it is definitely an easy, tasty and fast meal.

Birthday Cupcake Formula: Cherry Coke Float + Margarita = YUM

2009-07-12T11:49:00.015-05:00

Below are the recipes I used for my birthday cupcakes. They were relatively easy and very tasty. I ended up with a 16 cupcakes per recipe. I brought an even assortment of each kind to my parent's house, my aunt and uncle's, more to another aunt, more with to tailgating and we still ended up with some at the house! I promptly ate them all. (Okay - Rich had one.)

Cherry Coke Float Cupcakes
(Source: Coco Bean, among others)

Cupcake Ingredients
1 large egg
1/2 c. buttermilk [I used what I had on hand: fat free half and half]
2 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
3/4 c. Coca-Cola
1/4 c. maraschino cherry syrup
1/2 c. unsalted butter
3 T. cocoa powder
24 maraschino cherries

Cola Icing Ingredients
1 c. powdered sugar
2 T. cola

Cherry Buttercream Icing Ingredients
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. butter or margarine
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
About 2 T. maraschino cherry syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Beat the egg, buttermilk, and vanilla in a bowl. In a second bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In a saucepan, boil the Coca-Cola, and cherry syrup gently for five minutes. Melt in the butter and cocoa powder. Pour into the dry ingredients, stir well with a wooden spoon, and then add the liquid ingredients, beating until everything is blended. Pour into the cupcake pans and push a cherry into the center of each cupcake. Bake for 15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

When cool, mix together to Cola Icing ingredients (powdered sugar and cola) drizzle over the cupcakes. Let dry.

To make the cherry butter cream frosting, mix the powdered sugar and butter together in an electric mixer on low. Once combined, add vanilla and cherry syrup. Increase speed of mixer to medium and beat for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth and of spreading consistency. Top cupcakes with cherry buttercream and a cherry.
{I thought these cupcakes were a bit dry and dense compared to the margarita variety. Additionally the frosting was way too sweet and thick; I should have thinned it out more. Lastly, I wouldn't add the Cola icing next time; it looked cool but was too sweet for me.}Margarita Cupcakes
(Adapted from: Hip Hostess & Annie's Eats)

Cupcake Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large egg whites
1 t. vanilla extract

Margarita Ingredients
3/4 c. margarita mix
4 T. tequila
2 T. Cointreau

Lime Buttercream Icing Ingredients
4 T. butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 T. margarita mix
1 t. lime zest
3 cups powdered sugar
fresh limes (for garnish)

To make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cups of muffin tins with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with a fork. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine the margarita ingredients (margarita mix, tequila, Cointreau), mix and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the egg whites one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Stir in the vanilla extract.

Add in the dry ingredients in three additions alternately with the margarita mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir just until combined, being careful not to over mix. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

To make the icing, in a large bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, margarita mix, and lime zest. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, and continue beating until smooth. If icing is too thin, add more powdered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.

Spread icing generously on each cooled cupcake or use a pastry bag to frost. Sprinkle cane sugar around the edges of the cupcake for a “salt rimmed” look and garnish with lime wheels or wedges.
{These were delicious!! They were moist, airy and light in texture; I am totally going to make these again!! Oh, word to the wise, do NOT inhale as you take these out of the oven; the alcohol in the air is quite potent. }

Birthday!!!

2009-07-11T22:12:00.003-05:00

Today is my birthday!! Growing up I used to pretend that birthdays were nothing special, no big deal. But to be honest: I love them!! I don't necessarily mind getting older, though it is strange to think I have been an adult for 10 years!! It seriously feels like just a few years ago I turned "double-digits" and my aunt Colleen gave me my first YM magazine!! (Loved that magazine and had a subscription for years!!!)

I had a relatively low-key birthday. I got up early and ran some errands. Then my Mom, Aunt and Brother stopped by the house. My mom and aunt planted some pots for us (I will take a picture and add them to this post; they are beautiful!!). My mom assembles the most wonderful potted arrangements, so when we bought our house I specifically requested she make me some for a birthday gift.

While they were working, we gave my brother a tour of our new house.
*Eric was in Poland when we moved in. During his visit he proposed to his girlfriend, Dominika! Soooo... pretty soon I will have a sister-in-law!!! Yea!! So excited for the two of them!!!

Rich had told me Friday night that my gifts were hidden in the house somewhere, but I wanted to wait until my birthday to start hunting. So Saturday on the tour I was on the lookout. However, as I breezed by the storage under the stairs, my brother opened the door to check it out. I caught a glimpse of my gift: a new bike!! I took it for a spin around the block, but haven't really biked much since. I don't have a helmet and think I kind of need one.
On the back of the bike was a wrapped gift that included: an apron!!! I have wanted an apron for a while now. And look how cute it is!! Great work, babe!!
After the tour and planting, everyone came inside. We had cake (yummy brownie cake w/ peanut butter cream filling) and I opened presents from my family. Eric and Dominika gave me a beautiful wooden box and amber bracelet. (I'm wearing the bracelet in the pictures, but you can't see it...) In addition to the potted plants, I got a Splenda cookbook, Budweiser BBQ sauce and yummy dips. Colleen gave me a marinade+rub cookbook and even brought a gift for Rich a cookbook all about Bacon. (Perfect!) My Dad even sent gifts: two rolls of duct tape and a saw (we used the duct tape pretty soon after). I wanted to make cupcakes, so we chatted for a while as I mixed up some batter. I had decided to try two variations: Cherry Coke Float & Margarita cupcakes. I had stumbled across recipes a long time ago and had been itching to try them out. They turned out well, though the margarita cupcakes were my favorite (recipes to follow in a later post)!
After a while my mom and aunt got bored (Eric had taken off earlier) and they headed out to run errands nearby. I finished making the cupcake batter and then went to Caribou to get my free bday coffee!! (Yay!!)

I came back home and started assembling some stuff for tailgating. Our afternoon/evening plans included tailgating and then watching a Saint's game with a few friends. We had turkey burgers, beef burgers, turkey dogs, veggies w/ hummus, fresh fruit, cupcakes and drinks. It was a great test-run for Gopher tailgates. (Only 2 more months until the first home game!!) I forgot quite a bit of stuff, so the boys were keeping a list for next time. I've got to say, it was a very fun birthday!!

{our group at the Saints game}