tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7408568654398552062024-02-19T20:39:35.625-08:00infinite zestZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-20779976992738155872013-06-02T17:03:00.001-07:002013-06-02T17:03:32.662-07:00More updates! Obviously, I forgot that I even had a blog. Then yesterday, I decided "hey, it would be SO MUCH EASIER to do a photo collage-y thing to show the progress that Sam and I have made on our house over the past year (plus)." I log in, and BAM, I'm redirected to a page with scantily clad ladies who would just LOVE to have my credit card number. If I were to give them my info, I would be granted access to a peek into their "everyday life." Yep. My blog was redirecting to adult entertainment sites. So, um sorry to anyone who checked this for whatever reason and saw that. Thanks Google/Blogger for catching the malware in the HTML code for my layout, oh wait - they didn't. <br />
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Anyways, onto updates. Short version: We still live in mumblemumble, Colorado. I think that our town is the best town ever. I still work where I work. Sam is now an ordained minister (weddings and baptisms are half off!), Hunter is still big, and just a month ago we proudly announced an addition to our unofficially hyphenated family (the lastname1-lastname2/lastname2-lastname1's); Lucy, an Australian Cattledog/Blue Heeler mix adopted from the local Humane Society. <br />
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Long version with pictures:<br />
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When we purchased the house, it was pink. With red bark, red yard brick, and a fuchsia/purple crabapple tree in the front. The sprinkler system hadn't been used since I was probably in the first grade. <br />
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Without further ado pictures (sequenced clockwise).<br />
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Not bad for folk who have only been in the house for a year and a half. Our neighbors are ecstatic about the changes. We've already been challenged to a "who has a prettier lawn"competition for next year. Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-43447947911138976922013-06-01T16:44:00.002-07:002013-06-02T07:09:16.955-07:00grr. <strike>Hacked. Fuckers. </strike><br />
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Fixed! YAY. Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-62892634656955673642012-08-02T17:54:00.001-07:002012-08-02T17:54:03.691-07:00Updates!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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Things
have been progressing nicely at the house. We have shiny new gutters,
discovered that the GFCI outlet for the garage is in the upstairs
bathroom (not in the kitchen, right off the garage), and cut down some
trees. We're the worst Oregon hippies ever, but I'm pretty sure that
getting rid of the fuchsia crab apple gives the house greater curb
appeal, or something someone on HGTV would say.</div>
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Pretty marked difference, I'd say. Next up? Getting rid of the pink. The red beauty bark will be a project for next year. Our next door neighbors gave us some info about native Colorado plants, so that'll be the big landscaping project for the next year.</div>
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I am proud to say that our garden is doing relatively well! We had a pretty awesome raspberry harvest, and although we planted late, we're starting to get some other produce.</div>
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Gratuitous front yard rabbit picture thrown in for good measure. Eventually I'll talk about the sous vide that Sam built, but for now, houses, gardens and rabbits. You're all lucky I haven't thrown in a cat picture! </div>
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Sorry for the weird formatting. I was trying to be fancy and play in HTML, but once again, the internets owned me. </div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-72624627605315570422012-04-16T08:50:00.001-07:002012-04-16T08:50:55.554-07:00Home Ownership is Fun!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
"Fucking Tafoyas" is a common refrain heard in our home. The previous homeowners had some, um, "creative" solutions to issues that they had in the house. When we moved in, the dryer was in the basement, and the washer was one level up, so we hired an electrician to reroute the electrical for the dryer to the laundry room. Then we discovered that the cabinetry above the fridge wasn't hung level, after the new shiny fridge was purchased, and in our kitchen (of course), which meant we had to run out and buy a planer to shave inches off of the bottom of the cabinetry. The latest fun? Replacing all of the interior doors. Not only were they pressed "wood grain" particleboard, but apparently someone in the previous owner's family had a bit of an anger issue - EVERY interior door in the house has a "punch" or a "kick" hole in it (please make punching and kicking motions as you read this. I do). The previous owner's solution wasn't to replace the doors - instead they purchased wood-grain contact paper to cover all the holes. It's pretty hilarious actually, and what's even more hilarious is that we didn't notice the punches or kicks until I was working with the home inspector. </div>
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I'm sure this goes without saying, but S and I don't really care for wood-grained doors with other wood-grained contact paper covering the holes. We fancy ourselves pretty handy, so we've decided to replace all of the doors in our house ourselves. Sounds easy right? HA. We thought we could just buy new doors, and use the existing frames - FAIL. The door frames in the house aren't standard (maybe they were when the house was built), so we have to go the pre-hung door route, which involves tearing out the existing frame, putting a new one in, and shimming everything. We've replaced 3 doors (out of 11), and we've got a system worked out. I cut the shims (using my awesome dremel. Best. Purchase. EVER), and hold the door when need be - S is best at shimming. Then he hammers the shims into the frame (for stability), and I use my nail punch to drive the nail into the wood fully, so I can putty and paint over it at some point. </div>
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The particular door that we did this weekend was awful. To close it, you had to grab the handle and hold the door up to get it to close, because the holes the screws for the hinges were in had been stripped at some point in the past. The Tafoya's solution? 3 INCH WOOD SCREWS. GAH. I have jokingly told S that we should make up a family crest and have "Fucking Tafoyas" as our family motto. </div>
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Anyways, on to a few pictures:</div>
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This is a listing picture. If you look closely, you can see the contact paper covering a "kick"</div>
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Not the coat closet door, but this fully illustrates the awesomeness of the 80's door with kick-holes in it + wood patterned contact paper = success mantra that the previous owners followed. </div>
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The somewhat final product - missing the trim of course. We'll start working on that once we get a nail gun (and we'll be gangsta like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_wire">Snoop</a>) The doorknob is oil-rubbed bronze, and the walls are Martha Stewart's Fawn. I love our house. Especially the stained glass piece above the closet, and my first stuffed animal ever, Eggbert. He watches over everything.</div>
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Our entryway is nearly complete - I still think I want to find something to do with the area that has the coats hanging on the wall, and my china hutch will make everything nicer, but I'm pretty happy with the way it's all turned out. </div>
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I was going to include a picture of the cat, but blogger's photo uploader thingy is sucking balls, so sorry, no Huntercat. </div>
</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-14100122938517477162012-02-24T08:13:00.003-08:002012-02-24T08:19:14.214-08:00Sriracha-Honey Salad Dressing<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Ready for more of my rambling? </div>
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We had a wicked wind storm this past week. It picked up the grill and blew it across the yard. The next morning it snowed. I kind of love the changes in weather here. </div>
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The Seafood and Wine Fest in Newport, OR is this weekend. It always used to drive me nuts that people called it the SWinefest. Last time I checked it was centered around Wine and Seafood. Not pork. </div>
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A bit ago, I asked S if he'd like to get Men's Health Magazine, you know, to counteract the cooking magazines that I have in the house (in my defense, I also get Vanity Fair and National Geographic). S mentioned that there were recipes in the Men's Health, and I was a little skeptical - what recipe from a Men's magazine could be all that good? </div>
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I'm eating my words on that thought. We've tried a couple of recipes out of the magazine, and have loved both of them. The one we tried last night was FANTASTIC. Recipe follows. Men's Health Magazine 2 - Z 0.</div>
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So, the recipe is for a seared steak salad with a Sriracha-honey dressing. I used a lettuce blend (the ones in the plastic clamshells), used sliced red onions, fried chow mein noodles (from a failed recipe), diced roma tomatoes and avocados. </div>
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Fun tip: if you slice the red onions a bit beforehand, and put them in a bowl of cold water to soak, it lessens the "raw onion" bite. </div>
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<b>Sriracha-Honey Dressing</b><br />
<i>adapted from Men's Health Magazine</i><br />
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2 tsp. honey</div>
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1.5 tsp. Sriracha sauce (more if you like it spicy, but be sure to taste before adding more) </div>
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0.75 tbs. low sodium soy sauce</div>
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Juice of 1 lime (~1 tbs.)</div>
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0.25 c. canola oil </div>
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Dash ground pepper</div>
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<li>Whisk together honey, Sriracha sauce, lime juice and soy sauce. Slowly whisk in canola oil. Refrigerate for a bit to allow flavors to meld. </li>
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</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-75199357350005318712012-02-20T12:14:00.000-08:002012-08-02T16:37:33.050-07:00An Open Letter to WhateverI made a fantastic chicken soup this weekend. It was necessary, as the gentleman and I were under the weather. (insert expletives about the stomach flu here).<br />
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Since we were both feeling cruddy (I luckily got the long end of the stick, and ended up with just aches and fevers, and let's just say I didn't get the flu as bad as my gentleman), we spent a bunch of time just being lazy asses. I avoided watching cooking shows while S was watching, as the worst thing ever during the flu is not being able to eat what you want (I always want pizza), but when S went upstairs, I was drawn to the trainwreck known as the Pioneer Woman. Here are my thoughts on that cluster of a cooking show: <br />
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<li>Smore. one word. not Sah-more. I'd be fine with S'more, but there's no freaking "ah" in the word. </li>
<li>Ree Drummond has a rabid following of "home cooks." Her blog is full of picture of how to dice a freaking onion. Perhaps it would be a good idea to explain liquid v. dry measuring cups, and why she was able to use dry measuring cups for liquids and not screw up her recipe (hint: if you fill a dry measuring cup to the brim it has the same volume as a liquid measuring cup, except, NOT REALLY.) USE A LIQUID MEASURING CUP. hey y'all, I hear the prairie has those new-fangled glass cups, I think they're called Pyrex? </li>
<li>Hey, PW, how about you stop pretending to be a normal "ranch wife"? The sheer amount of Le Cruset, and designer drapery you wear every day doesn't mean you're "Just like everyone, y'all!" </li>
<li>My Marta's family is in the farming industry. The women don't prance about in designer clothes and shirk away from getting dirty. (for the most part). </li>
<li>Learn how to make a fucking roux. Sorry for the language, but if people consider her recipes as their bible, stop touting butter as the fix-all for every recipe. </li>
<li>She's just like us, y'all, except for the 6K in LeCruset and $500 mixer, oh, and that whole "place where I make my food" makeover the gal needs to come back down to her reader's level. I fully expect Martha Stewart and Ina Garten to have fancy stuff - it's who they are, and they don't pretend to be anything else. Ree Drummond? She's "one of us, y'all" except that she writes shitty recipes that anyone with an inkling of how to cook can realize that they're shit. Does that mean I'm snobby? No. It means that I get offended by someone who pretends to be a "simple ranch wife" making difficult recipes that DON'T MAKE ANY SENSE. </li>
<li>Stop pretending that because you go to the Wal-Mart, you're on the level of the "normal folk" aka, the people who may have a Kitchen-Aid mixer, but surely don't have french enameled cast iron pots. They have shit from the wal-mart, most likely paula deen brand. </li>
<li>The accent. You can tell she's wealthy Oklahoma because of the lack of it. 4 years at USC (eating sushi and dating gay guys, y'all) doesn't erase 18 years of an accent. </li>
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Other things that rile me:<br />
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<li>Jello cups with sticks in them. (I'm talking about YOU, ConAgra)</li>
<li>The stomach flu.</li>
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Anything sticking in your craw as of late? <br />
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<br />Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-91145601837338854292012-01-25T11:26:00.000-08:002012-01-25T11:26:30.395-08:00I tried sushi, and didn't hate it!<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Here's my attempt at a wrap up. </div>
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<li>Still sucking at using my cookbooks. </li>
<li>I feel like I'm in a cooking rut...again</li>
<li>I go back to full-time next Wednesday.</li>
<li>Hunter LOVES going outside. </li>
<li>We tried out a new-to-us place last week - it's a sushi/tapas bar. For a self-professed sushi hater like me, this was awesome; but then I discovered that if you take the cucumber out of a spicy tuna roll, and substitute it with avocado, I don't hate sushi! Sam is beside himself, as this means he get sushi much more often. </li>
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That's all I've got. </div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-32210875824797287882012-01-13T14:04:00.000-08:002012-01-13T14:04:22.313-08:00Progress?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
So, before I went on the rant about the Tebow and how much I despise CenturyLink, I had talked about some of my cooking goals. I'm going to attempt to hold myself accountable, so here's how I'm doing so far:</div>
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<li>I froze my sourdough starter. Older windows + granite countertops + Glass jar + temperatures outside below 10 deg F = dead starter. So I'm going to start that over again, and make sure that I keep the starter in a warmer place. </li>
<li>I've been really good about trying some of the recipes I have pinned on the <a href="http://pinterest.com/kim_zimmer/">Pinterest</a>. I've decided to edit the pin once I've made the dish, because apparently everyone can see your pins, so some things have been repinned by random people. </li>
<li>I've been using more recipes out of my recipe binder things. yay!</li>
<li> I'd give myself a B on typing up recipes. </li>
<li>Probably a D on higher difficulty recipes. </li>
<li>Big fat F on using my cookbooks more. Although to be fair I think I have a fair amount of recipes in the binder that are actually in a cookbook too. I know this is true of most of the stuff I have clipped from Cook's Illustrated. </li>
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So, one goal that I didn't mention. Menu Planning. I seriously need to get on that. I don't think I've ever followed a plan for a whole week, but I know it's pretty awesome on the nights that I do, because I don't have to worry about what I'm making. </div>
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How are you doing with goals for the new year? </div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-3817809611573207352012-01-03T13:53:00.000-08:002012-01-03T13:53:38.527-08:00Because I'm Feeling Rantyand no one reads this anyways. Here is a list of things that currently piss me off:<br />
<ul>
<li>CenturyLink. Hands down the worst customer service I have experienced. EVER. That's saying quite a bit. I once had to cajole Compaq into admitting their product was defective. Talk about pulling teeth. </li>
<li>The Pioneer Woman. She may be the "everyday housewife's" go to but, seriously, learn how to make a goddamned roux. Also, butter does not make everything better. Her recipes are shit, unless you need a bazillion pictures of chopping onions and garlic. I used to read her site, but NONE of her recipes ever worked. Why is she famous? I just saw a preview of her show, and her voice is as obnoxious as her lack of decent cooking skills. I could teach the cat to cut an onion like she does, but he prefers eating butter. </li>
<li> Centurylink. Again. Seriously, screw those guys. </li>
<li>That picture that is a mashup of Tim Tebow praying vs the Muslims praying, and asking why Tebow is wrong. I'll break it down:</li>
<ul>
<li>The Muslims are praying towards Mecca at their place of worship. No one (should ever) get on someone for praying/etc at their place of worship. </li>
<li>Tim Tebow is making a show of his religion at his place of work. Last time I checked the NFL is not a religious organization. </li>
<li>Comparing the two is like (to sound utterly cliche) comparing apples to oranges. </li>
<li>People who love the Tebow would be super irate if a player of another religion </li>
<li>(Muslim/no religion/Jewish) made a show of their faith</li>
</ul>
</ul>
So pretty much, everything pisses me off at the moment. Especially those asshacks at CenturyLink.<br />
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<i>Before I get a bunch of angry comments about the Tebow rant, let me get one thing clear; I am an athiest. I am not a militant athiest. I firmly believe that everyone has the right to observe their religion (or lack thereof). I am not going to be the person who sues the government because our currency says "in God we trust." I respect people with religion and the people that believe that I respect the most are the folk who don't feel as if they have to make a production out of their faith. For what it's worth, I was raised Protestant. Feel free to call me an awful person for my lack of faith but know this: I refuse to look down on a person for their faith, unless they are militant in their beliefs (as in, everyone needs to believe in what I believe in). To each their own. </i>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-80141627803036895102011-12-31T06:17:00.000-08:002011-12-31T06:17:01.958-08:002012 Plans<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Assuming the Mayans weren't right, and the world doesn't end this year, I've got some things that I'd like to do in 2012. Not necessarily resolutions, per say, because I can't go through with a resolution to save my life, but accomplishments! </div>
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Here's a 2011 recap:</div>
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<li>Got a new job</li>
<li>Sam got a new job</li>
<li>Bought a house</li>
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Not all that exciting, I know. Without further ado, here's a list of house-related things I'd like to do in 2012:</div>
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<li> Replace all the damned outlets in the house. (This is already in progress, and proving to be more difficult then I thought)</li>
<li>Same for the light switches.</li>
<li>Swap out bathroom light fixtures. Currently they're fluorescent lighting. </li>
<li>Replace baseboards in the house</li>
<li>Build raised beds in the backyard</li>
<li>Pay someone to replace windows. </li>
<li>New gutters (woo exciting)</li>
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Kitchen related items:</div>
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<li> Project where you put sliding drawers underneath the cabinetry. <a href="http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Home-Organization/Kitchen-Storage/how-to-build-under-cabinet-drawers--increase-kitchen-storage"> This</a></li>
<li>Get better at cooking with legumes. </li>
<li>Whittle down my recipes - I think one of my binders is thereabouts of 10 lbs now. </li>
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<li>Sub-goal: make one recipe from the magazine files, a cookbook AND internet bookmarks a week. So, three new recipes. </li>
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<li> Sub-sub goal: keep this all organized and type the recipes up in a timely fashion</li>
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<li>Organize, print and bind the recipes I have typed up. </li>
<li>Make an awesome sourdough starter. </li>
<li>Try at least one higher-difficulty recipe a week. </li>
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Well, that should keep me busy. What are your goals for this year? And yes, I have other goals that I'm not putting on the internets. Some things stay private. </div>
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Oh, one more big goal: get Hunter a friend! (of the non-human variety)</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-77723300593138108542011-12-27T15:00:00.000-08:002011-12-31T06:17:25.963-08:00House and all that Jazz<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
So, we bought a house. Here are some pictures. The house is a tri-level with a basement. </div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;">This is the entry way, as seen from the front door. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><i>Entryway/kitchen, as seen from the upper level.</i></div>
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<i>Where the entryway leads up to the bedrooms/office, and down to the TV area and eventually the basement</i></div>
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<i> Kitchen/dining room, from the top of the stairs. </i></div>
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<i>Office (upstairs)</i></div>
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<i> </i><i> Guest bedroom (upstairs)</i></div>
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<i> </i>Master bedroom (excuse the unmade bed)</div>
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<i>Living room (downstairs)</i></div>
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Craft/Beer room.</div>
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<i>Gym (basement)</i></div>
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So there you go. With the exception of a few rooms (bathrooms, laundry room, paper product storage room, and the pantry), here's the house. The light is a bit crappy, but oh well. Oh, and the backyard is covered in snow. Nothing fun to see there. </div>
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Sam, Hunter and I are are beyond excited to finally have a place we can call our own. </div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-70565249182354786122011-12-02T08:12:00.001-08:002011-12-02T08:16:55.395-08:00News.So, the news that I alluded to in my previous post (you know, that one about a month ago?), was that S and I were under contract to purchase our first home. I may not be a religious gal, but I am a superstitious one, so I didn't want to go about saying we had a place when there were still so many unknowns. Total side note: as an engineer, unknowns freak me out. <br />
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Well, I can say with absolute certainty (since I'm typing this from the new house), THAT WE OWN A HOME. Hunter did slightly better with this move, but he still scared the living hell out of us by disappearing for a good 12 hours when we had movers coming over. We still have no idea where in the hell that cat hid. Don't worry though, he casually sauntered out from his hiding spot around dinnertime. At least he's predictable. <br />
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I'll be posting a bit about the house for the next while, with all the painting, and the new projects (and somewhat failures, ahem, fridge-tastrophe). Bear with me, I'll get to pictures when we have things unpacked a little bit. Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-64869901425566523142011-11-01T06:34:00.000-07:002011-11-01T06:34:44.591-07:00November<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm obviously pretty bad at updating this blog. I could just post random things that I bookmark and think are neat, but what's the fun in that (That is also why I have a pinterest account. Let me know if you want one)? Or, I could post pictures of the cat, but really, even I know that no one is interested in seeing a bunch of pictures of how "regal" Hunter has gotten. (hint: Henry VIII regal, timeframe: last wife)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Anyways, there are some exciting things coming up that I don't want to talk about because I am superstitious about jinxing things, but once I get absolute confirmation, I'll ramble about it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Z</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(oh, if anyone wants more cat pictures, I've got a ton of them, including one where Hunter is Jabba-the-Hutt-ing with a Princess Leia pez dispenser. Yes I staged this. So?)</span>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-66053335469590772022011-10-28T09:57:00.000-07:002011-10-28T09:57:23.239-07:005 years ago today, the OSU beavers took down the USC Trojans. Yay.Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-41410324297392470502011-10-05T17:13:00.000-07:002011-10-05T17:14:01.757-07:00I Don't Feel Like Cooking Dinner<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I'm in a cooking rut. I shouldn't be - the weather is (FINALLY) changing (goodbye 80 degree days, hello cooler weather!), and fall is my favorite season. It's finally cool enough, without spending my entire paycheck on air conditioning, to start baking and making soups and the like. I don't know why, but I just can't get into it right now for some reason. Sure, I have some random things that I've cooked that were good (panko french toast), and some things that were awful (portobello peach sandwiches with avocado), but I just can't get motivated to get back into the kitchen. This means that more often than not, I default to the "easy" dinners - the ones I don't have to think about when I throw them together. So I guess I'm asking for some new ideas - difficulty no pork, shellfish, and well, everyone knows my odd obsession with trying to make everything from scratch. I'm also curious - what are some of your "easy" dinners. Here are mine:</div>
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Annie's Mac and Cheese w/chicken or turkey sausage</div>
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Salmon burgers (I make myself a veggie burger) w/ sweet potato fries</div>
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Turkey burgers (with random spice mixes thrown in) w/sweet potato fries</div>
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Pacific Organics Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Grilled Cheese (dinner tonight!)</div>
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Smoked salmon green-leaf salad </div>
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Pasta with Pesto sauce (I've recently resigned myself to the fact that it's cheaper to buy pesto at costco than make it myself)</div>
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<br />Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-59138567246832239862011-09-12T10:32:00.000-07:002011-09-12T10:34:23.607-07:00Menu Planning?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> <i>This post brought to you by Dayquil. Not as in a sponsored post, as in I consumed some Dayquil and have an urge to operate heavy machinery irresponsibly. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> There are several websites that do a "Menu Plan Monday" feature, and some that go over the meals that the author had the previous week , and I really get a kick out of seeing what other people post about what they eat for the week - it's a peek into someone else's life (aside from all of the oversharing people do on the faceyspace). I'm not known for being the most traditional of gals (see that whole shacking up and adopting a kitten before being hitched thing), but I do believe that one of the best ways to show affection (and to blow off steam - who doesn't want to chop the hell out of some veggies after someone's been an ass at work) to your loved ones is to cook for them. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, I've always shopped the sales at the grocery stores, and loosely "planned" around that, but I've been trying to attempt to write out a plan, and stick to it. The only hitch that I keep coming up on is that Sam objects to "Pizza" for dinner every night. Apparently he has standards. Anyone else do the meal planning thing? Any tips? </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> I've also been trying out this whole couponing thing, and I'm actually having some success with it. I managed to score 2 cases of Clif Builder Bars (Sam's favorite) at Whole Foods for over 50% off, using their secret case discount, and by snagging eleventeen of the Whole Deals booklets, which have lots of coupons and are good through October 31. I also have managed to build a pretty good stockpile of goods that the local animal shelter, and the local women's shelter can use at little to no cost to me. After watching Extreme Couponing, and seeing the gluttonous ways of the people on that show, it feels pretty good to know that you can help other people out, instead of being the people who hoard shitloads of stuff. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I digress (and blame the rambling on the Dayquil, which I have a coupon for, BRING IT COLD SEASON). </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Here's a random picture of Hunter battling a snake, and a recipe for pizza sauce that makes me happy. I'm a sauce type of person when it comes to pizza, so finally making one at home that tastes the way I wanted it to makes me all sorts of happy. Maybe I will put pizza on the menu every night this week. Dayquil!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Pizza Sauce</b></span></div>
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1 (14.5 oz.) can tomato sauce</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">3 Tbsp. tomato paste</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">1 garlic clove, finely
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<span style="font-size: small;">1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
(or 1 tsp. dried basil)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp. dried oregano </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">0.5 tsp. onion powder </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tsp. dried marjoram</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tsp. kosher salt</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">0.5 tsp red pepper flakes</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">splash of red wine </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">1 tsp. sugar</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: small;">Combine all ingredients in a small
saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbles begin to rise (and
pop) at the surface. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for another
15 minutes.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-52623970023419594042011-08-18T15:34:00.000-07:002011-08-18T15:34:01.624-07:00AugustAugust in Colorado compared to August in Newport are two completely different experiences. In Newport, August meant tourist season was almost over. You could drive on 101 or 20 without getting stuck behind a RV or a group of tourists going 15 mph to stare at the ocean. Everything was back to normal.<br />
<br />
In Boulder, 'normal' is the complete opposite. August brings back all the college kids. You can't set foot in the Target or the Costco; there are lines of parents in various states of an anxiety attack with their kids buying a metric shit ton of top ramen, hot pockets, mini-fridges and shower sandals. Even the local grocery store turns into an absolute zoo. Frat kids discussing the virtues of one flavor of jello over another for jello shots (total aside: I once overheard the frat kids talking about which flavor of jello would be best for a slip and slide. I still don't understand why anyone would think that would be a good idea, but maybe I'm just old). In the latter portion of the month, if you're lucky, you can catch a walk of shame at the grocery store, the person who hasn't yet been home buying whatever they think will help out their hangover. <br />
<br />
<br />
August also brings Hatch Green Chiles, and if you know a New Mexican, you know that chiles are serious business, and the question "Red or Green?" isn't referring to anything to do with Christmas. People who aren't from New Mexico (me) just don't understand it, much like I will never understand the prevalence of Macaroni and Cheese as a side dish, or Sweet Tea (blech) in the South. It has to do with where we were brought up, I suppose.<br />
<br />
Our local grocery store has Hatch Chiles, so I bought about a pound and a half to roast and freeze for the upcoming year, because, again, if you shack up with a New Mexican (as I do), you know that green chiles can be put on almost anything, and green chiles from a can just aren't good enough most times. I learned one thing from this experience: Buy the roasted chiles from the grocery store. More often than not, the hatch chiles you get that aren't roasted don't have much "meat" to them, and are very easy to over roast. <br />
<br />
I gave in and purchased roasted chiles from the grocery store, chopped them all up, and froze them in an ice cube tray, for handy-dandy use later in the year. My ice cube tray will never be the same. Chile Ice cubes, anyone?Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-22885957559360065042011-08-10T19:20:00.000-07:002011-08-10T19:20:50.208-07:00Today<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To say that I haven't been paying any attention to my corner of the internet is an understatement, to say the least. In the time that I've been not writing an entry, this happened:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/5737524999_a8687c61c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/5737524999_a8687c61c5.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6031132790_33efe83893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6062/6031132790_33efe83893.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/6030575293_5ca43a88a3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6127/6030575293_5ca43a88a3.jpg" width="320" /> </a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today marks one year that Sam and I have been in Colorado. It may not be all sunshine (although it is sunny here, ALL THE TIME), unicorns and rainbows, but I wouldn't change it for the world. I'm lucky to have a gentleman caller that convinced me to leave what I knew and charge out for the unknown. I'm pretty resistant to change of any sort, and I don't do well with feeling like I'm not in control of things, but I'm glad we ventured out here. I miss everyone at the mill (with very obvious exceptions), but Colorado is finally starting to feel like home. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Enough with the sentimental shit. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">What we've (the royal We, of course) have been up to:</span></div><ul><li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sam took a work trip to Germany, came back with awesome soccer scarves and a 1.0 L glass boot. </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While Sam was in Germany, I drove down to New Mexico to pick up Jane (HI!) to bring her back to Boulder and force her to watch My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, and the Next Food Network Star with me. I even got to meet a friendly New Mexico State Trooper who pulled me over! New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment. Oh, and Hatch Chiles. Jane and I have picked out my 200 pound wedding dress. I think Hunter might have to be dressed as the "mini-bride" though, as I have no siblings, and well, we took his balls. </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hunter finally overshot his landing on the bannister, and flew towards the TV. The look on his face was priceless, as was the embarrassment hiding that ensued. </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">After sufficiently putting Jane into a reality TV coma (which may or may not have involved the "mean tweets" episode of RHONY) and sending her back to the land of chiles, Mr. Zimmer came into town! Mr. Zimmer was saddened at my tiny grill, and took it upon himself to remedy the situation. I <3 Mr. Zimmer, oh, and my shiny new grill. </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sam finally got home! From what I understand, jet lag is a bitch. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hunter caught a gigantic grasshopper, and proceeded to play with it, and finally eat it, while Sam and I watched, mesmerized. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh yeah, and we have hops. </span></li>
</ul><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-14813830080544179192011-05-19T14:00:00.000-07:002011-05-19T14:00:53.557-07:00GardeningWithout fail, every spring I get an itch to plant a garden, and start driving Sam nuts with my inane chatter about what I should plant. Sam always reminds me that we have a limited area to plant in, but I never let that deter me: come hell or high water I am determined to have my vegetable garden.<br />
<br />
More often than not, what I tried to grow was an absolute failure: some plants won't grow well in containers (which is what I was working with), and other plants just wouldn't grow in our little corner of the coast (I'm looking at YOU,basil, tomatoes and peppers). I had some triumphs: my rosemary plant was fantastic (I still miss it, I left it with a friend when we moved), I could always count on chives coming back, and I had figured out how to grow onions and sugar snap peas.<br />
<br />
When we arrived in Colorado, with all of my planters in tow, I immediately <strike>forced</strike>, nicely asked Sam if he would buy me a new rosemary and thyme plant. He bought them for me at the market, and I promptly killed them. Who knew that you actually had to water plants? In Oregon, I watered our plants once or twice a year, and NEVER had to worry about them freezing. This whole having "seasons" thing has taken some getting used to.<br />
<br />
This year, we're planting more then we have before in hopes of having a fairly decent yield. I've got radishes, lettuce, onions, broccoli, New Mexican chiles, tomatoes, and HOPS! Sam bought some rhizomes this year, and the first one that we got has taken off! It'll only be a matter of time before our neighbors get irritated at the beer-smelling vine growing up the side of our place. <br />
<br />
Now for a boatload of photos:<br />
<br />
Hops!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2269/5738070268_3551063cba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2269/5738070268_3551063cba.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2341/5737519473_8053a992a0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2341/5737519473_8053a992a0.jpg" width="240" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/5737524999_a8687c61c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3196/5737524999_a8687c61c5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Hunter!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/5738074036_b3e2cc79ca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2565/5738074036_b3e2cc79ca.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-10428532293926477392011-03-23T18:24:00.000-07:002011-03-23T18:24:07.223-07:00Spring Break<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All of the students are on Spring Break at the university I work at, and campus has been silent. When I get off the bus and walk across campus to my office, I see maybe one other person, when I used to see hundreds. There isn't the tempting smell of bacon coming from one of the residence halls, which is good, because of one these days I swear I will break down and go in there and order a plate of it. When I leave, the bus isn't crowded, and I haven't encountered a hammered undergrad in almost a week. (High point: St. Patrick's day - shorter guy, red hair, dressed as a leprechan, literally being dragged across campus at 5 PM.) It's been very nice - all of the spring bulbs are starting to come up, the squirrels are getting more active (I keep trying to catch one for Hunter, but I think the squirrels are onto my game), and the weather has been gorgeous. Colorado is entirely different from Oregon, and in more ways than relative humidity. I've found that in Western Washington/ Oregon, for the most part, it's green year round - Spring really kind of sneaks up on you. You first notice it in when the cherry trees bloom in the Quad, but it doesn't fully hit you that it's spring until then. Here in Colorado, if you look closely, you can see the grass starting to green a bit, and the weather is starting to warm up. We've been trying to grill more now that it's nice out. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Grilled Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b><i>Adapted from Rachel Ray's <u>30-Minute Meals 2</u> </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tbs. balsamic vinegar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">1 large lemon, juiced</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2 tbs. olive oil</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2 medium to large Portobello mushroom caps</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Salt and pepper to taste</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">3 large plum tomatoes, seeded and diced</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stripped from the stem and finely chopped</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Mozzarella cheese to top, sliced</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Arial;">Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl or plastic bag.<span> </span>Coat mushroom caps evenly in marinade and let sit for 30 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Place caps on the grill cap side up (gill side up) and season with salt and pepper, light grill and set to “medium-high” cook caps for 4-6 minutes on each side.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Combine tomatoes and rosemary, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Turn mushrooms cap side down and fill with tomato mixture, and cover with mozzarella slices, heat until cheese melts.</span></li>
</ul>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-76079741660528350222011-03-17T16:38:00.000-07:002011-03-17T16:38:26.329-07:00Martha's Turkey Burgers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5535524679_2b41df1385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5099/5535524679_2b41df1385.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"> I actually took a picture of one of our dinners. Don't I deserve a gold star?</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Turkey burgers are one of our dinner standbys. When everything gets busy, and/or we don't feel like putting a big effort into making something, turkey burgers always work. I probably have about 4 variations that I use as a standby, and another 10 recipes to try out! I buy the ground turkey at Costco (it's usually the cheapest), and then transfer it all into freezer bags in one pound increments, which is the perfect amount for Sam and I to have leftovers for lunch the next day. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Turkey burgers get a pretty bad rap, but it seems like the opinion of them is changing. Turkey (as well as ground chicken, which I've never used) is a pretty blank slate, so you can really flavor it in whatever way you're leaning. Will it taste like a hamburger? No, because it's not beef, and you shouldn't expect it to. If you do, you'll be disappointed every single time. Kind of like thinking that a veggie burger is going to taste like a McDonald's Cheeseburger (side note: mmm, cheezburger). It won't. Ever. Even if you fry your veggie burger in bacon fat, which in my opinion defeats the purpose. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Martha's Turkey Burgers</b></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b><i>From <u>Everyday Food: Great Food Fast</u></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 lb. ground turkey</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.5 c. grated gruyere or swiss cheese (Swiss is the cheaper option)</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 green onions, thinly sliced</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.3 c. bread crumbs</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.25 c. dijon mustard</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, minced or put through a press</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pinch of salt and pepper</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 Hamburger buns </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">whatever toppings make you happy; lettuce, pickles, cheese, etc</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li>Heat a grill or a grill pan (if you are making these inside), medium-high or high, depending on how touchy your grill or stovetop burners are. In a bowl, gently mix together all ingredients except for hamburger buns, for obvious reasons. Just mix everything together until combined. If you overwork the ground turkey, it can change the texture a little bit, and not in a good way.</li>
<li> Divide the mixture into 4 equal-sized patties. Make a slight indentation with your thumb in the top of the patties. This prevents the burger from ending up "domed," which for me, always results in the ketchup sliding to the outer edges of the burger. </li>
<li>Lightly oil your grill, or grill pan. (pro tip: don't spray PAM on a hot grill. This equals fire. I speak from experience) Place patties on your cook, cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until well seared, then either reduce heat (on your grill pan) or move the burgers to a cooler part of the grill (usually the perimeter), and cook for another 5-10 minutes per side. Towards the end, if you want cheese, put it on the burgers, and serve when melted. </li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Note: light of the earthquake, resulting tsunami in Japan, and now the multitude of failures at the nuclear facility, I've hesitated to post my inane drivel about my every day life. Seems a bit inconsequential in the light of things. I hope that the scientists and engineers at the stricken nuclear facility can get the reactors cooled and under control to avoid further injury to an already crippled nation. </div>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-4614719073633146132011-03-07T20:10:00.000-08:002011-03-07T20:10:44.130-08:00Kiwi Sorbet<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Things have been a bit different around here for the past couple of months. Sam picked up some Goddesses, and Hunter got into the tiger blood (again), and I started a new job. So far, the job seems like it has potential, but I've always found that the first couple of months are never really representative of how a job will be - there's the learning curve associated, the training etc, and this job has been no different. My new position is definitely a change from my last - the pace isn't as fast (no one needs anything yesterday), and the culture is totally different (wait, you couldn't change your own light bulbs at your last job?), but I'm starting to really like it, without going into too many details which would be so boring (or awesome) to most people that your body would explode.</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Having a new job has meant shifting the balance of my free time a bit, and I'll be the first to admit that while I was a real (pretend) housewife of Boulder County, I really let my time management skills slide. I mean, I was home for a good 6 months before I started work. I think I managed to post on here once? Twice? Sorry, I was too into watching Judge Judy and Maury to be bothered with coming up with coherent sentences, and watching Hunter learn that not only are squirrels not your friend, but they may be tasty as well. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Where am I going with this ramble and a half? I'm going to make an attempt to post more often. There may or may not be pictures, because I always forget to take them, but I'll post the recipes, and maybe one day update with pictures. Hell, we all know I won't do that. I'll get distracted by Hunter, or another shiny new cookbook. </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, onto the recipe:</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kiwi Sorbet</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>(total side note, it took me 5 minutes to find the cookbook I got this recipe from. Maybe I have too many cookbooks? Ah, no. you can never have too many cookbooks.)</i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i>From <u>Martha Stewart's Cooking School </u><i> </i></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">4 c. chopped kiwi (thereabouts of 16 kiwis)</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">0.5 c. water</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 tbs. lime juice</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1.25 c. simple syrup (3 c. water + 3 c. sugar + heat + winning = simple syrup)</div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li>Puree chopped kiwi and water in a food processor. Using a mesh strainer, strain pulp and seeds out. Add a little bit of the strained seeds back into the puree to make it pretty. (But not so many seeds that they're overpowering.)</li>
<li>Combine puree, simple syrup and lime juice in a bowl. Wash an egg off (a whole egg, mind you), dry it, and put it into the bowl. If a quarter-sized area of the egg floats above the puree, you're good. If not, add more simple syrup until you get the egg to float properly. Remove egg, cover mixture and refrigerate or freeze until thoroughly chilled. </li>
<li>Process according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions. Once frozen-ish, transfer to a container and freeze overnight. </li>
</ul>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-54421182856822308282010-12-31T09:30:00.000-08:002010-12-31T09:30:18.227-08:00Merry Whatever, and Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mega64.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/new-years-celebration2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://mega64.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/new-years-celebration2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Photo from <a href="http://mega64.com/">here</a></i></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Christmas completely snuck up on me this year, I (gasp) still have yet to send out gifts. I"ll just maintain that it's nice to get gifts in January...when no one is expecting them...right? As I told anyone who asked (and many who didn't), I'm pretty sure I spent all my holiday cheer planning our first whole family/Colorado Thanksgiving. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a name='more'></a> That's not to say we didn't celebrate Christmas this year, it was just on a smaller scale, and very relaxing. We went down to New Mexico (my folks were basking it up on a cruise), and I got to see the luminarias in White Rock, and even eat a Chileworks Burrito (Chileworks is serious business. Sam came back with 4 of them, thanks to his wonderful mom (hi!)) which promptly made my face melt. </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The latter half of 2010 has been a bit rocky for us, and I"m excited (and hopeful) that 2011 will be a little less stressful. Without further ado, here are some things that I'd like to accomplish in 2011:</span></span></div><ol><li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Get a job. I know I've been at home too long when I start to notice how some people on the Maury show say "Murray" instead of "Maury" Also, having an income would be pretty awesome. I could buy lots of pancetta that way. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Organize my recipe file. I have three accordian folders that probably weigh as much as the cat with recipes that I've clipped out of magazines. (Maybe if I had main ingredients, such as chicken, sorted into Whole, Breasts and Thighs, I wouldn't have to spend half an hour tracking down a recipe.)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Make at least 2 recipes from the file a month.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Make at least 2 recipes from all of the website bookmarks I have a month</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Use every cookbook in my bookshelf once. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mail out the late weddings gifts (Hi Aldis & San, Shayna & Justin), AND the late Holiday Gifts. (Hi everyone else!) (Note: How awesome is it that I'm late on the gifts for two weddings, Hanukkah, AND Christmas? That's talent!)</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Mail shit out on time. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Write a letter/send a card to someone once a month. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Go fishing. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strike>Steal someone's boyfriend by cooking them chicken tettrazini</strike> - shit, sorry, I have Maury on right now. How ridiculous is that? Um, #10, well, huh. I guess I'm out of goals. Wait! Finish Mason & Dixon! </span></span></li>
</ol><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Well, that's all I've got for now. Hunter says his #1 and only goal is to figure out how to open the food tupperware. He already accomplished the goal of making the auto feeder give him food whenever he wants. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">I hope everyone who reads this (all 3 of you) has a happy, healthy and safe New Year and a bitchin 2011. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">-Kim, Sam and Hunter </span></span>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-38394106654920886252010-11-30T11:00:00.000-08:002010-11-30T11:00:59.429-08:00How many have you read?Now for an entirely unrelated to cooking post:<br />
<br />
I LOVE to read. Almost as much as I love cooking. (I will take a moment to state that I don't particularly care for the Harry Potter or the Twilights) When I was in the fourth grade, I started working my way through my parents bookshelves, much to the consternation/wonder of my teacher, Dr. Tensmeyer. (He was worried I was reading inappropriate material for my age.) I lucked out when I found another guy who loved to read as much as I do. As a matter of fact, one of the first non-work related conversations that S and I had was me grilling him about his bookshelf. Bookshelves are serious business to me, and all I'll say about his bookshelf is that is continues to make me happy to this day. <br />
<br />
There's a BBC Book list Meme-internety thing going around with a list of 100 books, and from what I understand, the BBC says that on average, people have only read 6 of the books on the list. I've seen a couple of friends post this on the facebook, and a few of the blogs I follow have put this up, so I figured what the hell, I'll have a go at it too. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Titles in <b>bold</b> are books I've read. Titles in <i>italics</i> are books I've started, but not finished. <br />
<br />
<b>1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen<br />
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien<br />
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte</b><br />
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling<br />
<b>5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee</b><br />
<i>6 The Bible</i><br />
<b>7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte<br />
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell</b><br />
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman<br />
<b>10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens<br />
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott<br />
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy<br />
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller</b><br />
<i>14 Complete Works of Shakespeare - read some, but not others...</i><br />
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier<br />
<b>16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien</b><br />
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk<br />
<b>18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger</b><br />
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger<br />
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot<br />
<b>21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell<br />
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald</b><br />
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens<br />
<b>24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy<br />
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams</b><br />
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh<b><br />
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky <br />
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck</b><br />
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll<br />
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame<b><br />
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy<br />
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens<br />
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis<br />
34 Emma - Jane Austen</b><br />
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen<b><br />
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe </b><br />
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini<br />
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres<b><br />
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden<br />
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne<br />
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell <br />
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown</b><br />
<i>43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez</i> - This is what I'm currently reading<br />
<b>44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving</b><br />
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins <br />
<b>46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery</b><br />
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy. <br />
<b>48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood<br />
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding</b><br />
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan<br />
<b>51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel</b><br />
52 Dune - Frank Herbert <br />
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons<br />
<b>54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen </b><br />
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth. <br />
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon<br />
<b>57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens<br />
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley<br />
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon<br />
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck<br />
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov</b><br />
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt<br />
<b>64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold </b><br />
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas<br />
<b>66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac</b><br />
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy<b><br />
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding</b><br />
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie<br />
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville <br />
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens<b><br />
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker</b><br />
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett<br />
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson<br />
<i>75 Ulysses - James Joyce</i> (one day I will tackle this one)<br />
<b>76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath</b><br />
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome <br />
78 Germinal - Emile Zola<br />
<b>79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray</b><br />
80 Possession - AS Byatt. <br />
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens<br />
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell<br />
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker<br />
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro<br />
<b>85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert</b><br />
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry<b><br />
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White</b><br />
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom<br />
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle <br />
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton<b><br />
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad</b><br />
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery <br />
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks<b><br />
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams<br />
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole</b><br />
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute<br />
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas<b><br />
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare <br />
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl<br />
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo </b><br />
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So, I've read 53 of the books on the list, read 4 of the books partially, and have at least 10 more of the books on the list on my bookshelf currently. Neat!Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740856865439855206.post-6052380359585226662010-11-29T08:18:00.000-08:002010-11-29T08:18:00.158-08:00Thanksgiving Recap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5216413306_df1d03dc62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5216413306_df1d03dc62.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Our first family Thanksgiving was a total success (if I do say so myself). Traveling went well, no one got the pat down at the airport, and BOISE STATE LOST (!!!). I can't imagine having a better Thanksgiving, surrounded by family. </span><br />
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<a name='more'></a> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I didn't take many pictures, other than the one at the head of the post, because I was hustling and bustling about. Joan took an ordinary grocery store bouquet and turned it into a beautiful centerpiece. She seriously has an eye for this stuff, whereas I don't. I did most of the prep in the weeks and days beforehand, but left some last minute things (such as making rolls, etc) for the day of, so I would be busy. There is one picture I would have LOVED to have - at one point Sam and I were debating turkey and oven rack placement, and apparently we looked hilarious - I had on one normal oven mitt, and an oven mit in the shape of a lobster claw, and was gesticulating wildly. </span></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I like to challenge myself by making things from scratch - often making something from scatch can be done more cheaply then buying the processed version, and you can control levels of salt/fat/whatever, which is pretty important to me. This Thanksgiving, I made ALMOST everything from scratch - the two exceptions were the pumpkin pie - I used canned pumpkin, and the guest-requested cool whip. I made a somewhat traditional green bean casserole, making the sauce instead of using the canned soup, and it was a big hit. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Green Bean and Mushroom Casserole</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <i>From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Best-Casserole-Cookbook-Ever/dp/0811856240/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290993137&sr=8-1"><u>The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever</u></a></i></span> </div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 lb. fresh green beans, trimmed</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.5 tbs. butter or margarine</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">0.5 lb. baby portobella mushrooms, sliced</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 cloves garlic, minced</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tbs. flour</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">0.75 c. chicken broth</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 tbs. dry sherry</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">0.5 c. heavy cream</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">salt, pepper</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 slice whole grain bread</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><ul style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Preheat oven to 425 F. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Cook the green beans in salted water for about 3 minutes - you want them to be crisp and bright green. Drain beans, and shock in ice water to stop cooking. Drain again and transfer to the casserole dish. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Melt 1.5 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add mushrooms and garlic. Saute for about 6 minutes (adjusting heat if necessary) until the mushrooms are softened, but retain some of the moisture. Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute. Stirring constantly, mix in chicken broth, sherry and cream. Allow to come to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste, add sauce to green beans in casserole. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">If you're making this dish ahead, after the last step, you can cover the casserole and refrigerate it for a day).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Break the bread into pieces and pulse in a food processor until it's crumb-y. Add remaining butter and pulse again until blended. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">Sprinkle crumbs over the beans. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are browned. </span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">A few notes:</span></div><ol style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><li><span style="font-size: small;"> I totally spaced the bread crumb part. Didn't realize there were supposed to be a topping on this until I re-read the recipe after starting this post. Obviously it didn't make much of a difference. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">As I only have one oven (when we get a house, it was unanimously agreed upon by all parties present that I NEED to have the dual oven setup), and the turkey's roasting temperature trumped every other dish, I actually ended up baking this dish for about an hour at 325. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">I obviously don't pay proper attention to ingredients at times - I used full grown portobellas. Using the baby ones (or even button mushrooms) would have been better - everyone would have gotten smaller slices, instead of the larger pieces. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;">One could throw the french fried onions, or fry up some shallots for the topping instead of the bread crumbs, I opted not to, as I was hell bent on making almost everything from scratch. </span></li>
</ol>Zhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00175562403385330456noreply@blogger.com0