The Colorado Desert

2010-04-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hello there friends. If you reading this - then you are still coming to my blog - and you deserve a round of applause! Wow! Thanks. I am been more than a little absent lately. I don't know what it is about.

I am doing lots of great projects and making good yummy food- but I just don't feel the same ~~desire~~ need to share it with the world.

Until that day comes again, I am just going to take a break from blogging. I will still ready all your lovely blogs and hopefully commenting, but without much to say so I won't be blogging about my life much.

That is, until something really exciting happens. Maybe when the house burns down or it rains cats and dogs. You never know. . . .

Thanks for making blogging and the internet such an awesome place to be.

Hugs.

Home Tour: Makeshift Hutch

2010-04-14T20:01:00.006-06:00

As I sit here writing this avoiding packing for our short trip to New Mexico I realized something rather exciting . . . something magical has happened.

My first posts about our new house were rightly titled "House Tour."

However, my last one, about the pink bench, was different. Without thinking, I titled it "Home Tour."

I guess our new house has turned into our new home. how.cool.

Anyway, I have one more thing to share- the last thing my parents brought with them from MN at Thanksgiving was this green dresser.

Pretty sweet, no? It was at our cabin for many years, but now my childhood dresser is here to live in Colorado for awhile.

I secretly love the dresser just for the its smell. When you open the drawers it smells just like my childhood family cabin (weirdly- the cabin has a very distinctive smell- a bit of a musty fragrance- but I love it).

Right now it is in the dining room serving as a makeshift hutch. We have all the linens (place mats and napkins) in the drawers. I have thought about repainting, but the color is actually pretty good for the room. Plus, it is naturally distressed- which I find to have more character than when I try to distress furniture. What do you think?

Thanks Mom and Dad- you guys are the best.

(We are going to NM for a long weekend to see Chris' grandparents. I won't have my computer- so- see you next week!)

Homemade Pie Crust

2010-04-12T07:48:00.001-06:00

This weekend we made the quiche from my menu plan and I thought of homemade pie crust. I wish I had made some. Store bought just isn't as good. However, before I learned the proper way to make pie crusts, I made several disasters. One literally had the consistency of graham cracker crust.

Luckily, my good friend offered to help me make a crust so I could see how to do it. I have not tried to make my own since her help, but her crust was divine.

Her instructions and advice are found below.

Homemade Standard Pastry Crust
from family friend

Ingredients

2/3 Cup plus 2 Tbsp shortening or lard (or butter)
2 Cups flour
1 tsp salt
4-5 Tbsp cold water

Directions

1. Mix flour and salt.

2.Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are pea sized.

3. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp of water on dough and toss the dough with a fork. Continue adding water until all the flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans sides of bowl.

4. Divide dough into two even pieces.

5. Gather dough into a ball; and shape into pie crust between parchment paper (or nifty pie things) with a rolling pin. (Try not overwork the dough- then it won't taste as good.)

6. Try to use the crust as soon as possible. I am not sure what happens if you don't, but Candice says its bad.

Good luck.

Home Tour: Entry (Phase 2)

2010-04-07T14:03:00.000-06:00

I did it. I found a bench that meets all of my criteria!

Remember my mirror? It has sat on the floor in the entry since we bought it back in January.
I have been looking for a bench or table of some sort to go under the mirror with these criteria:

1. Be sturdy.
2. Be cheap.
3. Be longer than the mirror- over 60 inches. Do you know how hard it is to find a bench over 5 feet long? Neither did I until I started to look.

Preferences
4. Be paint-able. (Because chances are if it is #2 it is going to need to be painted.)
5. Have storage capabilities. Such as this one:

image from Potterybarn.com

For the past 3 months I was unable to find what I was looking for- despite looking bi-weekly at the various thrift stores around town. And in the end, thrift stores would have been a rip off anyway. . . Last week I saw a estate sale sign while driving Chris to work. On my way home, I drove down the long and winding road until I came to the sale.

Jackpot baby.

Not only did I find an old garbage can for composting in for a buck, but I found this:

The entryway bench of my dreams.

Well, almost. I am thinking about painting the pink to a nice beige. And distressing the heck out of it.

Look at how many criteria it meets:
1. It is very sturdy- made of heavy wood.
3. It is over 60 inches- almost 80 inches in fact!

4. Definitely paint-able. (I was right about needing to be painted, huh?)
5. And it has storage spaces! Although the bench is skinnier (only 9 inches wide) than I would have ideally liked it, it is a keeper. Besides, as my in-laws pointed out, this one is so skinny it won't stick out from the wall too far and cause a shin bruise hazard. Nice.

What about criteria number 2, you ask? Well, it was cheap. Real cheap.

Care to take a guess?

No? You sure?

Oh well, it was a fun game for Chris and I.

The bench was a whopping $2.

I know. It really set us back.

I am so excited to get it painted and get the mirror hung on the wall!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-04-05T08:32:00.000-06:00

I am going to try again- a new approach. I am struggling to do a weekly or even a bi-weekly list- so instead, I just created a long list of meals that correspond with last week's sales and what we have in our pantry and freezer.

Whenever we come close to finishing this list, I will make another list. Hopefully it will fall close to a Monday, but if not, oh well. Menu Planning Thursday will work too- i just isn't nearly as catchy. . .

Meals:

Lasagna Primavera (Made and frozen in the freezer for a day when we need something easy) (Everyday Food)
Pasta with Chicken, Raisins and Almonds (I will abandon the almonds) (Everyday Food)
Vegetable Quesadillas with Corn Relish (Everyday Food)
Brown Rice Casserole from Joy in My Kitchen
Pizza
Quiche
Salmon (I have no idea how I will cook it yet . . . any ideas?)

Desserts:

Grandma's Date Bars
Grandma's Toffee
Meringues

Snacks:

Bread
Crackers
Graham Crackers

I am excited for this. It feels good to have a plan and food in the house.

However, I was reading that we should go to the grocery store almost everyday to get fresh produce. But that does not appeal to me at all. Ick. So I hope we can survive with this plan- besides, frozen veggies are almost as good as fresh, right? Especially when the fresh produce is coming from across the world. . . . (although I suppose I shouldn't be buying that food anyway . . .100 miles?) Hmm.

What is your take? Go to the store every few days? Every month?

Check out more menu plans here.

Awarded- in November?!

2010-04-05T07:35:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone has recovered from the obligatory sugar high that is Easter - I know I enjoyed far to many Cadbury Eggs in one single day. But that is Easter for ya. (I guess that Jesus guy coming back for the dead is kinda important too . . . )

Anyway . . . way back in the day (November) Rose from A Record of Rose gave me a Kreativ Blogger award. Not sure what happened between then and now- but thanks Rose! I really do appreciate you blog love!

I was also awarded more recently by Kayla at Livin' the Great Life!

She is so sweet- she gave me the Happy 101 Award (Anyone know why it is called that?)

Thanks Kayla and Rose!

Friday Fail: Puppy Chow

2010-04-02T10:01:00.001-06:00

Haha- just kidding. You can't fail at Puppy Chow!

After my previous failures, I decided to go back to an old standby- Puppy Chow. I have not had it since high school and well, I wanted to make something delicious, that would be very difficult to mess up. I am pretty sure if you add chocolate, peanut butter and sugar together, you cannot go wrong.

Puppy Chow!
from the back of the Chex box

Ingredients

9 cups Chex cereal (any variety)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I only used 1 Cup)

Directions:
1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, heat chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter over low heat,
stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.
3. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.
4. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. Add powdered sugar. Seal
bag; shake until well coated.
5. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Cheesy Biscuits

2010-04-01T15:28:00.004-06:00

Unfortunately, my failures don't end with the soup. The same night I made soup, I also made these beautiful biscuits.

I am not sure what went wrong, usually SnoWhite's dishes are amazing. But these biscuits taste odd. Weird. Not really all that edible. And that is saying something for a family that loves both bread and cheese.

Cheesy Biscuits
from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Ingredients

1 C flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt (I did not add the salt because I didn't think we needed it- but maybe that would have made the difference)
1/2 C extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 + 1/8 C milk
half of a 1/3 C olive oil

Directions

1. Mix together flour and baking powder.
2. Add in the shredded cheese and stir to coat.
3. Mix in the oil and milk until batter is moist.
4. Grease a cookie sheet and then drop biscuits by the teaspoonful (makes about 12 biscuits (I got about 18) onto the cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes, until biscuits are lightly browned.

Sigh. Maybe things will come around soon.

Back on Track: Quickest Mushroom-Barley Soup

2010-03-31T19:47:00.000-06:00

As you are aware- I am sucking it up in the blog world- but what you don't know is that I am also sucking in real life. You would be amazed at how much I am losing at life these days. For example- this soup:

Failed. Massive failure.

It sounded like a good idea at the time.

It smelled good, and all the ingredients seemed good, but Chris and I could hardly get our dinners down, and the leftovers went down the disposal. I don't know what to tell you- except- please don't make this.

Quickest Mushroom-Barley Soup
adapted from Everyday Food (Oct. 2008)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (I used button mushrooms)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 1/2 cups canned reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used homemade)
1 cup quick-cooking barley (Or regular barley cooked and then added to the soup)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 chunk (1 ounce) Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler (we used shredded)

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add broth and 2 cups water to pan; bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to a simmer; add barley, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. (Or add cooked barley from another pot.) Remove soup from heat; stir in parsley and lemon juice. Serve garnished with Parmesan.

Life as we know it . . .

2010-03-24T22:30:00.000-06:00

I have been a little absent lately- three reasons:

1. Internet has been weird. Hard to get on when there isn't any.

2. Life changed a bit last Saturday. We were driving to the mountains to go skiing and hit some ice, swerved, and rolled in Chris' parents' truck into a freshly tilled cornfield. (Well, I don't know what kind of crops it will grow- but corn sounds good.)

Obviously, I left my phone and camera at home, so there are no pictures to document the event, but trust me, it happened.

We are both fine- thank the Lord. Really. It could have been a million times worse. But thankfully, Chris and I both walked away from the crash with little more than a few bruises and a bit of a headache.

However, the car did not fare so well. We still don't know what insurance is going to do with it, and we are waiting to see how on earth we can ever pay his parents back for trashing their truck . . so yeah. But at least we are alive, right?

And just as my body was ready to take on the world again, I had to go to the dentist.

3. I got two cavities filled yesterday. Two! That doubles my lifetime cavity count in one trip to the dentist. suck. Cavities bite. Plus, smiling with half my mouth was a weird and unflattering experience.

So there you have it friends. Life as we know it is ever changing and always an adventure! I am slowing catching up on blogs- I can't wait to read up on your lives.

Homemade Zucchini Bread

2010-03-18T08:00:00.009-06:00

Hello Friends. I have not been posting much. Why? My hard drive has virtually run out of room. I think it might have to do with the fact that I have about 15 pictures of every thing I have made in the kitchen for the last year and a half. So I have begun the tedious and mind numbing task of deleting the extras- but it is taking a long time because. . . well I don't really like doing it. I don't understand where iPhoto is storing the photos and if I have duplicates or not. Anyway, while I was going through the pictures I did find some photos I have not posted about so here they are . . .

Have any shredded zucchini frozen in the freezer waiting to get eaten? No? Me neither. I think SnoWhite or Lucy probably have some they could share though . . .

This is good bread. Very, very moist with the shortening- I might take a only add 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of 2/3 cup. But we could have had really juicy zucchini though . . . Either way, you won't be disappointed. Plus, the added cinnamon sugar topping is a sweet surprise to most Zucchini Breads.

Zucchini Bread
from family friend

Ingredients

2 2/3 Cup sugar
2/3 Cup shortening (I never have shortening- so I will use butter or applesauce next time I make this)
3 Cup shredded zucchini
2/3 Cup water
4 eggs
3 1/3 Cup flour (regular or whole wheat if you are feeling healthy)
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp vanilla
optional: 2/3 cup each chopped nuts or raisins

Directions

1. Mix shortening and sugar.
2. Add remaining ingredients.
3. Separate mix into two standard loaf pans.
4. Bake at 350 fro 60-70 minutes.
5. When done, sprinkle tops of bread with cinnamon and sugar.

Enjoy!

House Tour: Fire in the Kitchen

2010-03-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

Our cousin Kurt (yep- our cousin . . . long story) is in town for work and he stopped by last night for a little visit. As we showed him the house, Chris and Kurt lighted several matchbooks on fire in the wood burning stove- because well, that is what you do when Kurt is around. So Kurt, this one is for you. Thanks for coming to visit.

Two days after we moved in, Chris accidentally started a fire in the kitchen.

I am not joking.

A real, smoky, burning, dangerous fire.

Luckily, he started it in the toaster oven and the fire politely stayed there until it ran out of air and died.

But it was an exciting 2 minutes while we watched and considered our options .. . "Do we open the door to put it out with a fire extinguisher?" "Where is the fire extinguisher?" "Do we have a fire extinguisher?" (Yes- two in the kitchen actually- thank you previous owners!) "What do you put on grease fires?" "Baking soda? Flour?" "Should we unplug the toaster?"

While we were deciding what to do- the fire died down leaving me with this:

A charred toaster oven and a smokey wall.

In our new-to-us house! Seriously. How ironic would it be if we moved into a house and then burned it down two days later?

Not good is what it would be.

My mother heard about our fire and got Chris a new Toaster Oven for Christmas (Thanks Mom and Dad!) I was unable to wash the smoke off the wall so I just covered it with a little paint. Good as new.

But Chris' toaster oven privileges have been severely restricted.

Best.weekend.ever.

2010-03-08T07:59:00.001-07:00

We had one of the best weekends ever. What makes the best weekend ever?

Start with three great meals (Red Robin, Buca and homemade calzones), add in new experiences (Roller Derby in Denver), continue to knock things off your list of things to do (painting the door and side table) and end with a relaxing night of Oscar watching with friends.

It was the best.

I hope you had a great weekend too. What did you do? What did you think of the Oscars?

Lucy's Chili

2010-03-04T08:00:00.003-07:00

I have failed the menu planning. In order for menu planning to work- you you must go grocery shopping during the weekly sale. I did not. Our stores switch sales on Wednesdays. When I made the menu this weekend, I knew I would only be able to go on Tuesday afternoon, but when that didn't happen . . . well, the menu plan was pretty much useless.

Enter- new game plan. A good opportunity to practice being flexible. (Which I am not. I dislike change.)
Instead of making a meal, I had to pull a meal out of the freezer and wait to make a new menu plan with this week's flyer. I might be able to keep the old menu acutally, some of the same stuff appears to be on sale. I think. It has been a crazy two days.

Anyway, the meal I took out of the freezer was Lucy Marie's Famous Chili. SnoWhite has raved about it. And now I must concur- this is amazing chili. And I don't even like chili!

One thing I did differently was add shredded carrots instead of diced carrots. I had 2 cups of frozen shredded carrots that were begging to be used in something besides Carrot Cake. The carrots give the chili a mild sweetness throughout. mmm, consistently sweet. and a little bit spicy. Yum.

Lucy's Chili
adapted from Lucy Marie

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground meat (I used turkey)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2-3 medium bell peppers, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped (Or 2 Cups shredded!)
1 C frozen green beans
2 cans beans (any combo - I used black and pinto)
28 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup frozen corn
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 heaping tbsp chili powder
Dash salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin

Directions
1. Brown meat with onion and garlic in a large stockpot until meat is no longer pink. Drain, if necessary.
2. Add veggies and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, ketchup, brown sugar and spices.
4. Simmer on medium-low for as long as you like. Lucy usually make this in the morning and lets it simmer all day. I let is simmer for a couple of hours. It is really good.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-03-01T06:18:00.000-07:00

My first trial run with a menu plan was a success. And by success I mean- we made four of the five meals listed. However, I have not posted about all of them yet. We haven't actually finished eating them all yet . . . I will post about Red Beans with Sausage with Buttermilk Cornbread and Tomato and Shrimp Pasta with Feta tomorrow and Wednesday.

I did post about Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli

and the failed Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Feta.

Despite my failure with the salad and my inability to post about the food we eat in a timely manner, I think the menu plan is very helpful. I think the real success and strength of the menu plan is that I prevented me from going grocery shopping anytime during the last two weeks. Bingo. I am sure if I didn't have a menu plan, I would have gone shopping- and spent money on stuff we didn't need. But since I had the stuff to make meals at home, I didn't need to go shopping.

So I will try again.

Menu Plan

Quickest Mushroom Barley Soup
Greek Stuffed Peppers
Chili Tacos
Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta

all recipes come from Everyday Food (October 2008)

Check out more menu plans here.

Shrimp and Scallion Stir-Fry

2010-02-26T06:43:00.000-07:00

I know its not the best picture- but hey- at least I took one, right? right??

All I can say about this meal is- easy.quick.yum.

Chris doesn't really like shrimp- but he was pleasantly surprised with this dish. In his book it is even a do-over/make-again dish. Psh- as if I ever make something twice. What would I have to blog about?

Shrimp and Scallion Stir-Fry
from Everyday Food (Jan 2010)

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil
1 lb large shrimp
2 garlic cloves minced
2 bunches scallions, chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
cooked brown rice for serving

Directions

Heat pan (or wok if you have one) until hotish.
Add oil and swirl around.
Add shrimp and cook until mostly firm.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add scallions, lemon juice and 2 tbsp water. Cook (stirring continuously) until scallions turn bright green.
Serve over rice immediately.

House Tour: Kid Room

2010-02-25T06:24:00.002-07:00

When my parents came for Thanksgiving in addition to the table, they brought our childhood bunk beds from the summer cabin. Now that their children are grown, they are going to put a real bed in that room at the cabin. And we were happy to take the bed off their hands. Not that we are hiding any kids from you- or even planning on having kids right now, but as the new "hand-me-down-kids" I will take another bed without much persuasion. It might come in handy someday . . .

For fun- here is the downstairs bedroom the way the previous owners had it:

Here is the bunk bed all set up:

I have to show you two details that make this bed extra special for me. First: my sister and I grew up spending summers on this bed. We played hard on this bed: we did gymnastics on the bars and jumped so often on the bottom bunk it warped. We went fishing for each other, built forts and even made Barbie go bungee jumping to her death. Repeatedly.

Second: I spend most of my time on the bottom bunk, and placed this hemp like bracelet on the never-used ladder in my preteens. I don't know, but it reminds me of those awkward years and makes me smile.

I am glad that we accepted the bunk bed because it has already gotten used! We had two people spend the night- one in the guest room and one in the bunks. Sweet.

Amazing Amazon!

2010-02-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

PJ at Seens From the Backs of My Eyelids is having another amazing giveaway. Really. Remember when she gave away $50 to Amazon? Well- here is another chance to win bigtime. Check her out!

You did what without an Apple Peeler?

2010-02-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

Last summer/fall I learned how to make my own versions of applesauce, apple-pear sauce and apple butter. It was a lot of fun, but honestly, a LOT of work. Mostly because I had to peel every.single.apple by hand.

That is a lot of apples.

And this next year, I hope to do it all over again, only with a little help from this:

An apple peeler, corer, and slicer!

My father-in-law forwards me his work's internal Craig's List of sorts (remember the table and chairs?) and I jumped at the chance for a slicer for $10. I can't wait for an opportunity to use it!

Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli

2010-02-22T05:54:00.002-07:00

Bam! Another one off the menu plan.

Interesting idea to make a cream sauce using cream cheese. It was a little on the thin side for my taste, which could be fixed by adding less water. Also, I might add something else to the sauce for more flavor, maybe some diced tomatoes? Something a little sweet would really go a long way. Perhaps that is why the oringinal recipe called for ham instead of sausage . . .

Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
adapted from Everyday Food (Nov. 2009)

Ingredients

3/4 pound broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets (or one bag of frozen broccoli)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces wide egg noodles
5 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 sausages, cut into pieces and browned

Directions

Cook broccoli accourding to bag, or roast in oven (Preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss broccoli, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast until broccoli is tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.)
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta.
Return empty pasta pot to medium-low heat. Add cream cheese and 1 cup pasta water; whisk until smooth. Add broccoli and sausage and cook until hot. Gently fold in noodles. Thin sauce to desired consistency with more pasta water and season pasta with salt and pepper.

Awarded!

2010-02-21T09:36:00.001-07:00

Thanks Adie- you are the best. (Adie from Almost Perfect gave me this award.)

House Tour: The Loft

2010-02-18T06:26:00.001-07:00

The loft is the area of that really sold Chris on the house. He loved the wood burning stove, and they open-ness to below. He loved everything about it actually . . .

(What the loft looked like when we saw it)

I was not so sure. I feared the loft would never get used- It can't be used as an office because then the mess could be seen from any room in the house! It can't be used for pretty much anything- but a sitting room- and isn't that what living rooms and family rooms are for?

But I was wrong. At least during the winter, the loft in my favorite place. Chris has been building fires with the mountain of firewood the previous owners left us, making it the warmest place in the house - like 75 degrees warm.

We have nice seating up in the loft. The love sac is finally free to expand to its fullest potential. Plus, Chris' brother is allowing us to borrow his futon (and couches)(and coffee table)(thanks again Dave) so we have lots of comfy seating. (Please disregard the wrinkles on the futon- I bought a full sized sheet set to cover the black futon (white dog hair and black futons don't mix) and didn't iron the sheet before I put it on because ~~I am lazy~~ I wanted to make sure it would fit.

See?

The loft serves another unforeseen purpose- as a dog play area. PeeWee has this toy:

We put his dry crunchies in it and he pushes it around with his nose to get the food out. He loves loves this thing- but he will only do it on carpet because the hard wood downstairs is too loud. So the loft is a perfect area for him to push it around and eat to his heart's content.

We all enjoy this loft more than I had anticipated- I am so glad Chris could see its potential.

dog toy image from here

Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Feta

2010-02-17T05:59:00.001-07:00

My first meal with the menu plan was a bust. Total fail.

I knew this was going to be a different meal, I could not imagine what it would taste like, but thought I would give it a try (it did have feta after all).

But I don't know if I would recomend this salad to my worst enemy. It was nasty.

But if you like mush and tang and vinegar all wrapped up in each bite- go for it. We however, will never make this again.

The vinaigrette was way to vinegar-y for my taste, and when paired with the sweet potatoes, it was actually gag inducing. But I have some issues with texture . . .

(However- the potatoes by themselves were delicious.)

If you are brave enough to try this, or just want the recipe to know to stay away, here it is:

Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Feta
Everyday Food November 2009

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest (I used extra juice)
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
Salad
1/3 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with coarse salt and ground pepper if desired. Roast until tender and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons oil, grated orange zest, orange juice, and white-wine vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Add sweet potatoes, salad, and feta. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

Note: This was originally a side salad, but with the starch and fiber from the potato and the protein from the cheese, I served it as a main dish.

Image from here

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

2010-02-16T05:51:00.001-07:00

Our good friend came back to town for a few days right before we bought our house and while he was here, he showed me how to make a truly 100% whole wheat bread. However, I didn't remember it all so while he was here over the weekend he filled me in so I can now share the nitty-gritty with you!

We used this flour:

White whole wheat flour is a lot easier to use than regular whole wheat flour. I am not sure what exactly the differences are, but white whole wheat flour seems to taste more like the enriched stuff. (However- if you want- you could use whole wheat pastry flour- that stuff is hardly discernible from regular enriched flour.)

The problem with the bread is that we didn't take exact measurements of the flour. Apparently, even within any certain brand of flour each bag will have different moisture content, so instead of measuring, we must just work the until it fells right. I am still not sure exactly when the dough "feels right" but I will try my best to express the process to you.

100% Whole Wheat Bread
From Ian

Ingredients

about 6 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp yeast
3 cup water

Directions

1. Add all ingredients together.

2. Stir up.

3. Add more flour until the wooden spoon stand up by itself (remember not to use any metal utensils with yeast- the metal will kill the yeast). Or until the dough forms a ball that you can pick up out of the bowl.

4. Wait. 8-12 hours. Let the yeast do its work. The next morning ours had escaped out of the bowl!

5. Take the risen dough and work it down back into a ball. You could roll it out and shape it into a longer loaf if you like.

6. Let the bread rise again while you wait for the oven to preheat to 450 degrees (with the pan in the oven too). Then bake until the crust is brown and the insides are done (about an hour).

I baked the bread in my green enamel-coated cast-iron dutch oven- however, my lid is only oven safe to 375 degrees so I had to bake without the lid. If you have a lid that can bake at 450- use it! A lid would help retain moisture and allow the bread to rise more before the outer crust gets done.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-02-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends. I have a confession: I suck at menu planning. I have tried a few times but I always deviate (Majorly- one time I didn't make anything I had planned to- anything.) It is like there is this rebellious part of me that resists making the planned meals just because I had planned to make them.

But now we have moved away out into the farm land and there are fewer grocery options. So I have been trying to plan my trips out better, so I don't waste gas and resources.

And thus, I have begun to menu plan, again.

I have had one successful menu plan- for the last two weeks I picked out six meals and I have just finished them all. (We ate out a few times and had to deviate from the plan for some vegan dinner guests, and we ate at his parents' house once or twice.) But regardless, I planned six meals, and we ate all six meals. Now I feel confident I can try again. Hopefully, telling with world will keep me even more accountable.

Additionally, with my first success, I think I finally figured out the benefit to the menu plan. I look at the ads, I look through some food magazines, I find what I can make with what is on sale, I buy that stuff. And then I am done. I have everything needed to make five meals and no excuses. And no temptations (Target) 4 minutes away . . .

I am still too rebellious to place food on certain days, so I have just planed out five meals and will pick and choose from those on each day.

So here is my Menu Plan for the week (or maybe two):

Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Feta
Red Beans with Sausage
Side: Buttermilk Cornbread
Tomato and Shrimp Pasta with Feta
Creamy Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
Homemade Pizza

All the above recipes can be found in Everyday Food (Nov. 2009)

Can you tell what was on sale this week? If you guessed sausage and feta- you would be correct!

Check out more menu plans here.

(P.S. I would like to thank the Presidents for this wonderful day off.)

Christmas Cookies

2010-02-13T09:26:00.001-07:00

After taunting me for over a month, I finally decided to make the Christmas cookies from a jar. See?

So pretty.

I have no idea what the recipe was, but they were similar to the best cookies ever- Olympic Cookies. If you have not seen or heard of Olympic Cookies before, please please please try them. You will not be disappointed.

Happy Birthday Kathryn!

2010-02-06T06:58:00.001-07:00

Well, today is my sister's big 22nd birthday. All I have to say is: Happy Birthday Kafrin. xoxo

(Check out her birthday blog last year here. Pretty sweet if I do say so myself.)

House Tour: The Guest Bedroom

2010-02-04T06:15:00.004-07:00

When we came home from Minnesota with a car full to the brim- we managed to sneak an Ikea dresser into the mix. After the box sat around for a few weeks, I have finally turned this

into this!

Building the dresser was not the more easy thing I have ever done- I am afraid I am not quite the perfectionist the engineering team was hoping to buy and build said dresser. Oh well- turned out alright. It is a little bland, but it will do the job for $34.50. Plus, with a few drawer pulls, it could look a lot cuter.

I have even partially lined the drawers with my fancy drawer liners I got for Christmas (thanks Mom). And please note the bowling trophy with the jumping girl. I got that this New Year's Eve when we went cosmic bowling. My dad cleaned up some old family trophies in the garage and used the pieces to create new masterpieces. Like this one. (P.S. My dad also bowled a 197 (or maybe 193) that night. No.Joke. He got 4 strikes- in a row! Way to go daddyo!)

By the way, I have no idea where this super girl-y room came from. When I started trying to fill the guest room for my parents to stay during Thanksgiving I found I had a bright pink quilt, pink pictures and art, another quilt with pink to lay on the bed, a girl-y sweater pillow . . . I guess I was holding some girl decor inside- out of respect for Chris. Now the guests will just have to deal with the pink. I do love this room. (Maybe when I get all the boxes cleaned out I will show you the closet and stuff. But maybe not, it is just a closet.)

Curry Chicken and Chickpeas

2010-02-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Fact: Our house is bigger than our apartment. It makes me lazy.

I made this curry last week- but the night I made it the camera was not in plain view, so I though "I'll take a picture of the left-overs." However, we ate the last of the leftovers last night and guess what I didn't do? If you guessed take a picture- you win!

I am still working on this whole having-to-take-more-than-3-steps-to-get-anywhere situation. Sorry friends.

I did find a picture online. If I was a good photographer, our curry looked similar to this:

image from Daley Food

Although, I served it over brown rice and added some shredded chicken for my meat loving husband. With the addition of the meat, Chris thought that this dish was a do-over dish. That is saying something because Chris (and I) both tend to stick to standard American and Italian fare. Big step taking on this . . . dun dun dun . . .CURRY!

Ha- sorry, I guess it is too early in the morning for a blog post. Here is the recipe.

Chicken and Chickpeas with Curry
adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced small
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches
1 pinch of ground cloves
2 cans (15 ounces each) no-salt-added chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 pinch course salt
2 cups water (I used broth)
2 cups cooked rice
1 handful shredded chicken
chopped cilantro and lemon wedges (optional), for serving

Directions

In a large straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium high. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown around edges, about 6 minutes.
Add garlic, curry, cinnamon, and pinch of cloves and cook, stirring until fragrant, 30 seconds.
Add chickpeas, ketchup, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes.
Uncover and increase heat to medium high; cook until sauce is slightly reduced, 5 minutes.
Serve on rice, topped with cilantro, with lemon wedges along side if desired.

Lemon-Lime Tea Cakes

2010-01-29T09:49:00.001-07:00

I love tangy stuff. As I kid I couldn't get enough of those little Warheads and other sour candy. Remember Warheads? I kind of wish I did not . . .

Now that I have grown up, lemon bars are a particularly favorite dessert- especially since they make me think of my good friend Kenzie and our college years. sigh. Anyway, I was hankering for something with a little zing, so I decided to try these Lemon-Lime cupcakes from Everyday Food.

Not a great decision actually. These were an epic FAIL.
1. They didn't stick together at all- They had the consistency of cornbread- loose cornbread at that. It could have been because I don't have a mini-muffin pan and just used my regular sized one (indecently from Kenzie and her family). I don't know.
2. Whoa, people- these suckers had some bite. They were SOUR. After eating one or two (okay- maybe 3 or 4- I really do love sours) I felt like the enamel on my teeth had been eaten away a bit. It was not a good feeling.
3. Instead of adding the topping Everyday Food suggested, I made a frosting from powdered sugar and fresh lime juice. Which was very good- but probably added to the extra enamel eating power of the dessert. So yeah- probably don't make that kind of frosting (if you are even brave enough to try these anyway!).

Here is the recipe, just for kicks.

Lemon-Lime Tea Cakes
from Everyday Food

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a muffin pan.
2. Beat butter, 2/3 cup sugar, and lemon and lime zests on medium speed until light and creamy (not fluffy).
3. Add lemon and lime juices along with eggs and beat to combine, scraping down bowl.
4. With mixer on low, gradually add flour and salt and beat until blended.
5. Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake until cakes are golden around edges and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
6. Frost with tangy frosting of your choice.

Warhead image from here
Cupcake image from here

Big Weekend

2010-01-26T06:59:00.004-07:00

It was a big weekend- Pee Wee made it into the evening prayers. We are now officially thankful for Pee Wee. Kind of a big deal.

In all honestly- it is strange how much I love the little stinker in just a few months. He just fills me with smiles and love. Cheese alert!

Side note: I have worked with babies my entire life- and I have loved some of them more than I ever though possible. And now this dog. I often wonder how I could possibly love my own real children more than those kids or this dog. Anyone else feel that way? Or I am just the crazy?

Well, I am off to corral some kiddos while their mothers get a chance at adult conversation for a few hours. Cheers. (Or more likely- Cheerios!)

Homemade Shell

2010-01-25T06:51:00.004-07:00

Are you a fan of this stuff? I had never had it until last year, when a friend suggested we buy some for sundaes. Ever since, I was hooked.

And being the kook that I am, I decided to try to make some. Yum.

There are two types of recipes floating around out there for Shell- but both are ridiculously simple- melt chocolate with either butter or coconut oil.

I chose to make mine with coconut oil, so I could keep it in the pantry without the risk of spoiling.

I used some pretty dark chocolate (like 75%) and melted it with coconut oil. In the end, my Shell worked, it hardened on the ice cream and was chocolaty- but it wasn't quite as good as real Shell. I think I need to use sweeter chocolate next time. I would recommend a mix of semisweet and milk or something. And you can add different stuff to make different flavors- like peppermint and orange. (Check here for more ideas and fancier names.)

Homemade Shell
recipe loosely adapted from here

Ingredients

1 part coconut oil
1-2 parts chocolate
optional: pinch or salt

Directions

1. Melt chocolate and oil together in microwave or on stove.
2. Pour onto ice cream or into another container for later use.

Enjoy. I do love Shell.

image from amazon.com

Awarded!

2010-01-24T12:50:00.001-07:00

Oh dear- I am so behind. I would still like to recognize Meghan from Unintended Housewife for giving me this award. You are too kind.

Trouble in the Bedroom

2010-01-21T06:33:00.001-07:00

Our problem: Our bedroom is too big.

This might not seem like a problem at first, but when you get down to decorating and living in it- our bedroom is just too big.

I will show you what I am talking about and then we will see if you all can be as helpful with my bedroom problem as you were with my table.
This is what the bedroom looked like previously:

And now it looks like this:

See the Ikea rug? And the cute doggie? And the awesome drapes from my mother? Oh, be sure to go back and look at the curtains again (sorry for the sun- the blinds were drawn- stupid Colorado desert sun).

After seeing all the empty curtain rods in the Realtor pictures (as seen above) when my parents came for Thanksgiving my mother packed in a huge bag of all her extra curtains. I guess Mom has a phobia of empty curtain rods. I believe the tan ones in our room are from a comforter set my parents' bought but had no use for. My grandmother made the white sheer ones long, long ago. How cool is that?

Don't they look like they were made for the room? I love how they puddle on the floor. It is so romantic. Thanks mom.

Anyway, back on track. Just for kicks, here is the view from our window. A peek-a-boo view of the mountains.

Here is our closet. Long and skinny. A problem for another day.

And here is the weird space.

The little indent when the mirror and boxes of frames and decorations are being stored is only like 2' deep. And see the edge of the double doors our bedroom on the right? When you open them up, second door squishes into the weird space.

I have toyed around with putting a desk in there for scrapping- but that is messy (rather- I am messy). Or having a fainting couch- but those are expensive and I don't usually wear corsets. In addition- I subscribe to the idea that bedrooms have one purpose and one purpose only- sleeping (we'll just leave it at that- keep it G-rated). So I don't really want to add another activity (fainting or scrapping) to the area. Maybe napping? You got any better ideas?

Dining Room Table - HELP!

2010-01-19T07:58:00.010-07:00

This is our dining room as it is right now.

The 4 brown chairs are from our original table and chairs, the two chairs with cushions are from my fab Target find, and the table is from an internal Criag's List of sorts from my father-in-law's work. (I actually bought the table with six matching chairs for only $75! I really bought the set just for the chairs so we could have 4 matching chairs in the kitchen. I was planning to paint them white- but we will get to that later.)

The new table is significantly longer than our old table. It fits six place-mats without overlapping. What a novel experience!

However, the new table does not match. So here is my question to you- what should I do?

I would love to sand it and stain it to match the chairs because I loved the look of the old table, but that is way too much work. Plus, I don't think I would every be happy with the stain color.
(The old table's color)

My next idea is to try to paint it to a similar color on the cushion of the two Target chairs. The problem with this idea is that the cushion is kind of microfiber/suede, and it changes depending on how the person sitting in it got up. You know?

Plus, gray is a dangerous color for a seat cushion- what will I do if I match the table to the chairs, and then I reupholster the chairs because they get all stained?

After writing this I think I am thinking too much. Maybe I should just paint it and enjoy it for a few years and then decide what to do about any problems. What do you think? Any other ideas?

Next: The Microwave

2010-01-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

The last big thing my parents did while they were here for Thanksgiving was to replace the hood with a new microwave.

The hood was fine- you can see it here.

But both Chris and I would prefer to have the microwave over the stove. It takes up a lot of space on the counter and I didn't feel like we needed a hood. So Black Friday we headed out around 11:00am and found a super deal on a microwave. $100 baby.

Daddy installed it for us while Chris, Mom and I went to the humane society to pick up PeeWee.

Isn't he cute? Too bad he hates all cameras. We get one picture and then he waddles to his bed with his tail between his legs. I don't get it- what bad thing could have happened to him with a camera?

Anyway- back to the story. Here he is, moving the stove . . .Good work Dad.

My dad also spray painted the silver exhaust fan white for us. You can see how much it stood out from this picture of my father installing the kitchen light.

Nice, right?

But now it looks like this:

It could have used another coat- but it was time for them to go home. I am sure I could figure out a way to spray paint it more if I really cared. But I don't. I like it just fine. It looks lots better than silver don't you think?

By the way- before he spray-painted the exhaust- we had 4 colors going in the kitchen: we had a black refrigerator, white dishwasher, white microwave, cream stove, and silver exhaust. Impressive no? Now we are down to 3 colors. Making progress.

Thanks Mom and Dad- for everything. I am so happy you could come out for Thanksgiving. And I promise- next time you come- we won't make you work so much . . . maybe. XOXOXO

Settlers of Catan

2010-01-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry no pictures of the house today. I took a bunch yesterday as I finally made progress in the guest room and office- but instead of blogging last night- we had Chris' brother and a couple of friends over to play Settlers of Catan. Do you know it?

I have played a few times now, but I am not very good at the game. Kinda pathetic actually. Oh well- it was fun.

Hope you have good Thursday. I know we will- we can't wait to got to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

image from bn.com

Homemade Beefaroni

2010-01-13T06:35:00.001-07:00

While this might appear to be glorified pasta with meat sauce- I promise- it is. When I planned to make this, I didn't really think about this recipe's similarity to this meal. However, when we made Homemade Beefaroni- the dish was actually quite different than I expected. I think the grated cheese adds quite a bit of flavor and texture to the sauce.

Also- If you like pepper, you could add 1/4 tsp rather than 1/8 tsp. I don't like pepper- and 1/8 was too much for me. But that is just me.

Homemade Beefaroni
adapted from Cooking During Stolen Moments

Ingredients

1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 28 oz jar tomato sauce
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. water
1 T. sugar
1 t. each garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt (I didn't add salt because my pasta sauce already had added salt)
1/8 t. black pepper
1 lb. cooked pasta (I used wheels to make it interesting)

Directions

1. Brown meat.
2. Add remaining ingredients (except pasta). Simmer to combine flavors.
3. Add pasta and stir to combine. Serve warm.

The one where Taryn got a great deal on a Mirror . . .

2010-01-12T06:50:00.001-07:00

Now the entry.

The previous owners had some lovely sea turtles in the entry, but I want something bigger. Something with presence. I was hoping to fill the entry with a large mirror and a bench or table. But that was until I started to look at how much mirrors cost. I didn't know that mirrors are wicked expensive for some glass and wood. Did you?

However, I am not willing to pay and arm and a leg for a mirror, so every time I went to Salvation Army or the Habitat for Humanity ReStore I would look for mirrors. However, they usually only had dresser mirrors- you know, the ones with a flat base (with supports) and whacko stuff going on up top? That is, until one time I found this sucker.

Yes that is 46" by 58" of pure awesomeness (approx. 3.8' by 4.8'). We had to get the truck from his parents- and it didn't even lay flat in the bed. Yeah.

And the best part- it was only $40. Yes, $40. Salvation Army was having a 50% off sale of the entire store. Sweet.

I have yet to find the correct table or bench yet, so it is not hung. Plus, this sucker is not going to just hang in the drywall- it needs studs and reinforcements, so I only want to hang it once. But I love it.

Next- The Light

2010-01-11T06:25:00.005-07:00

After the turtle was gone, the next thing to do was tackle the kitchen light fixture.

It was hanging over by a wall, it was a blue color of which I was not fond, and well, it just wasn't right.

See?

So when my parents were here (over Thanksgiving- I know, I know- I'm behind) we bought a new fixture, and my father, the ex-electrician, installed it in a jiffy. I am sure I could have done it (maybe . . .) - but it was nice to have a professional do it. Thanks Daddy.

Here is the man in action:

All done - complete with antique table from my parents' first home. Thanks Mom and Dad.

Will it fit?

2010-01-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends.

Let's play a game- Do you think all of this . . .

. . . will fit in this?

The answer is yes!

For a 15 hour drive this was my seat. With a dog on my lap. I will tell you, my bum was numb by the time we got home.

This week I have been getting back into the swing of things, while finding homes for all of my new treasures. The 8 ft rug is looking fantastic in our bedroom, thanks for asking. I am so happy it got to come home.

Homemade Spinach Dip

2009-12-17T15:19:00.001-07:00

As I looked into the fridge- I noticed that it was nearly empty. Emptier than I have really ever seen my fridge. I needed to come up with some delicious food for friends (who didn't come- boo (hope you are feeling better!)). How does one make magic deliciousness out of nothing? Homemade Spinach Dip is the way to go. It was great the first day- but that is about it. Don't even try to keep it- it isn't worth it in my humble opion. (But I am sure I will keep it next time I make it anyway- because that is just who I am.)

Enjoy!

Homemade Spinach Dip

adapted from M Cubed

Ingredients

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened (or the remnants of two tubs in your fridge- check for mold first)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (13.5-ounce) package tortilla chips (about 16 cups)

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, sour cream, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and next 5 ingredients (through spinach) in a large bowl; stir until well blended.

3. Spoon mixture into a 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Spaghetti with Rotini

2009-12-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

I was unable to post yesterday because Chris took my laptop to school with him for his final. It is so nice to have him done with school for the semester.

Here it is- Chicken Spaghetti with Rotini. As you can see- it is not the prettiest dish- but I most comfort casserole aren't lookers anyway.

This super fast and easy dinner is awesome. It will definitely be made again sometime when I need dinner and haven't gone to the store in weeks. Or maybe I will make it next time I want some delicious cheesy goodness.

Lucy used spaghetti- but I didn't have any . . . so rotini it was! I think it turned out fine- with the advice to "use what you have" I left out carrots and celery in favor of tons of red, orange and green peppers and 3/4 cup of corn. Yum.

Chicken Spaghetti with Rotini
adapted from Lucy's Kitchen

Ingredients

1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cups peppers, chopped
3/4 cup corn
1 cup chicken, cooked and shredded
2 cup shredded cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can tomato soup (Oops- I forgot this! It was fine without it- but I can only imagine how awesome it would be with it)
A few shakes of Worcestershire sauce (I added some soy sauce and white wine vinegar instead)
Pasta

Directions
1. Satuee veggies in olive oil until tender. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
2. When pasta is cooked, drain and rinsed. Add sauteed veggies and chicken.
3. Add cheese, soup (or soups), Worcestershire sauce (or substitute), salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
4. Transfer to a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake, covered, at 350 for 30-45 minutes until cheese is bubbly and casserole is heated through.

I am working on it

2009-12-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday it was so nice to get back into the kitchen. We had dinner plans with my bestest bud- but she had to cancel due to a fever (ick- hope you are feeling better Mandy!)

However, I had already planned out the meal so I just made it anyway. (It was a lot easier because I didn't have to clean the rest of the house too.)

I will post about the meal tomorrow: I made Homemade Spinach Dip for Fatties (found here), Lucy's Chicken Spaghetti (here), and some No Bake Peanut Butter Balls (from Cabin Cooking).

I had forgotten how much I enjoy the challenge of trying new things and creating good food. (Confession- we have eaten quite a bit of fast food and convenience foods from the freezer these past few weeks.)

Oh my gosh- the one where I got the best deal ever on chairs . . .

2009-12-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

Let me start by telling you the situation: We are in the market for some chairs. We have 4 from our kitchen table and two solid ones from the dumpster. We also have two more dumpster finds that are less than solid- not fun to wonder if today is the day they will give out. I would like to replace those wobblers and get more chairs since we now have two tables to eat at (thanks Mom and Dad!)

I have been scoping out craigs list hoping for some stellar buy on simple wooden chairs that I could stain or potentially paint white. But I am super cheap (read: lazy) and $25-50 for a chair that is an hour away didn't seem worth it. So we have continued to be sparse on chairs . . .

. . . until now. Here comes my story: I was at Target the other day just perusing the clearance like always and came to the furniture section. Low and behold- there was a set of two chairs and a set of two stools on clearance. Hip hip hurray!

But I told myself not to get too excited- often clearance stuff isn't that cheap. But you will not believe what I found . . .

The chairs:

Originally $169.00 - reduced to $10.64 I kid you not.

And the stools:

Originally 119.00- reduced to $10.64

I am in heaven. I checked them out as best I could at the store: the stools do have a minor scratch on one of the seats, and the wood on the underside of one of the chairs is a little rough. Hopefully that is why they have been returned- because I am willing to work with those imperfections! I just hope all the pieces are there when we try to put them all together . . .

images from target.com (here and here)

First Things First- The Turtle

2009-12-06T16:59:00.000-07:00

When we first saw our house, it was evident that the owners loved sea turtles. Turtles were in the entry, the bathroom and even the living room. The crown jewel of the turtles was this- what seemed to be a painted faux stained glass sea turtle.

Splendid, right?

But since I did not plan on having sea turtles be one of the major decorating motifs in our home, the turtle needed to go.

After much consideration, it looked as though we were going to need to buy some sort of paint thinner and apply it to the window to get the turtle off. But my mother, the genius, discovered that it was actually a huge sticker. With the help of a razor she was able to rip it off. And wow- just so you know- that stuff smelled wicked. Thanks mom!

With the sticker gone, I just needed to clean off the vinyl residue. This has proven to be fairly difficult, and I still have not gotten it all off. But good enough for baby Jesus. = )

Now we just have to deal with the new problem of looking right out at the neighbor's deck . . . any suggestions? Maybe I need to get a sticker made of Chris and I . . . Or maybe PeeWee . . .

As if life couldn't get more complicated . . .

2009-12-04T15:24:00.008-07:00

. . . We got a dog!

His name is Pee Wee. He is a 5 year old Jack Russell Terrier/ Dachshund mix. We adopted him last Friday from the humane society in Boulder.

He is slowly coming out of his very subdued state- showing a bit of personality if you will. Awesome. The last week we have been keeping a close eye on the little guy and giving him lots of loves and walks. So fun!

Now that the circle of trust is mostly in place, I can move on to taking pictures of the new house - focusing on what we have done and not what we have left to do. = )

Oops . . .

2009-11-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

Okay - so I obviously grossly underestimated the time and energy that it would take to move into a new house.

Sorry about the bread. I'm sure you were all counting on that recipe for dinner on Wednesday night.

We have made great progress on the house- my mother in law has painted the pantry and master closet, while I have cleaned just about everything in the house- which is nearly 3 times the size of our apartment! It takes a long time to clean all that.

Plus, I had to clean so much hard wood flooring- my knees are going to kill me as soon as I give them a chance. seriously.

But the big move happens tomorrow. We are moving the beds and dresser and all that "big" stuff. (Everything that requires two or more big men to life) This means that sleeping the the new house is going to happen! Hip Hip Hurray!

I hope y'all had a great week. I have missed you.

Yea!

2009-11-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

So my first day of home-ownership is going to be filled with cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. thankfully, my mother-in-law has graciously offered to help. Hopefully tomorrow I can start doing more exciting things- like painting!

I will try to take pictures of anything exciting. = )

Until then, I will leave you with this bread. It is so easy- kind of ridiculous actually. I will share it tomorrow.

We are Homeowners!

2009-11-16T08:11:00.007-07:00

Well- not yet . . . but today is the day! I cannot believe that we are really going to do this, but we are, and that is super exciting.

I expect things to get a little inconsistent around here for a bit- with all the moving and lack of kitchen stuff- but I have some dishes to share and I will be sure to let you know when exciting things happen. = )

Homemade Beefaroni

2009-11-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

While this might appear to be glorified pasta with meat sauce- I promise- it is. Ha ha. I didn't really think about this recipe's similarity to this meal. However, when we actually made Homemade Beefaroni- the dish was actually quite different than I expected. I think the cheese adds quite a bit of flavor and texture to the sauce.

1/2 lb. ground turkey
1 28 oz jar tomato sauce
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. water
1 T. sugar
1 t. each garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt (I didn't add salt because my pasta sauce already had added salt)
1/8 t. black pepper
1 lb. cooked pasta (I used wheels to make it interesting)

Directions

1. Brown meat.
2. Add remaining ingredients (except pasta). Simmer to combine flavors.
3. Add pasta and stir to combine. Serve warm.

Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Soup

2009-11-13T09:14:00.000-07:00

After reading about Lucy's Red Pepper soup and then SnoWhite's Red Pepper soup- I knew I needed to try my own.

So when red peppers were 55 cents apiece last week (wow!) I decided to give it a try.

Unfortunately-I do not have any decent pictures of the soup. I just have this picture of the roasted peppers. Yumm.

You will just have to use your imagination on this one- ok?

Homemade Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Soup
adapted from Lucy and SnoWhite

Ingredients

3-4 large red bell peppers, roasted and diced
4 large potatoes, diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
2 C chicken broth
1 C half and half
1 tsp dried oregano*
1/4 tsp dry thyme*

*I read recently that when using dried spices that are over 6 months old (ours are from our wedding . . . ) to at least double what the recipe calls for. Good to know. However- I just shake a bunch in the pot and call it good.

Directions

1. Roast peppers like Lucy does here.
2. Cook garlic and onion in oil until softened.
3. Then add potatoes, peppers and broth and bring to a boil.
4. Add seasonings and simmer until most of the broth has been absorbed.
5. Blend soup in a blender. (I made the soup ahead, let it cool, and then blenderized it. I have had bad experiences with hot soup and my blender.)
6. When ready to serve, warm it back up and add cream right before serving.

Chris really liked this soup- He liked it even more when he added bacon and cheese to it the second night. = ) Nothing a little bacon and cheese can't fix- right?

Homemade Whole Wheat Pitas

2009-11-12T06:36:00.005-07:00

Yum! what is better than fresh homemade pitas?

Well- lots of things actually- like homemade ice cream, fresh hot cookies, pies and cakes- just to name a few. But pitas are pretty good too.

Pitas are nice because they are very versatile.

We have used them for quesadillas, tacos, and personal pizza crusts. And because they freeze well- they are an excellent quick dinner item.

Now I just need to work on getting them to be more round.

Homemade Whole Wheat Pitas
adapted from Good Eats

Ingredients

3 cups whole wheat flour
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
1 packet yeast (2-1/4 tsp)
1 1/2 cups water, warmed a bit
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Take one cup of flour and 1/2 cup water and mix together. Set aside for 30 minutes. (If you are using regular flour- you can skip this step.)

2. Mix the yeast in with the rest of the flour, salt, and sugar. Add to the water/flour mixture. Add the olive oil and 1 cup water and stir together with a wooden spoon. All of the ingredients should form a ball. If some of the flour will not stick to the ball, add more water.

3. Once all of the ingredients form a ball, place the ball on a work surface, such as a cutting board, and knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes.

4. When you are done kneading the dough, place it in a bowl that has been lightly coated with oil. Form a ball out of the dough and place it into the bowl, rolling the ball of dough around in the bowl so that it has a light coat of oil on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and set aside to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 90 minutes.

5. When it has doubled in size, punch the dough down to release some of the trapped gases and divide it into 8- 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover the balls with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel, and let them rest for 20 minutes. This step allows the dough to relax so that it’ll be easier to shape.

6. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to preheat as well. If you do not have a baking stone, you can use a cookie sheet.

7. After the dough has relaxed for 20 minutes, spread a light coating of flour on a work surface and place one of the balls of dough there. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough and use a rolling pin or your hands to stretch and flatten the dough. You should be able to roll it out to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick - 6 inches in diameter. If the dough does not stretch sufficiently you can cover it with the damp towel and let it rest 5 to 10 minutes before trying again.

8. Place discs on a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, until barely doubled in thickness, about 30-45 minutes.

9. Bake for 3-7 minutes depending on how crispy you want them.

Mama's Standard Quiche

2009-11-11T06:59:00.004-07:00

One standby dinner at our house is quiche. We have had a couple quiches before (Hash Brown Quiche, and Asparagus, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quiche) but this one is a good base recipe to build off.

My mother has a standard quiche recipe that is a cheap, easy, and fast dinner option. I take the standard and then add whatever we have in the fridge at the time to compete the meal.

Mama's Standard Quiche
from Mom!

Ingredients

4-6 eggs
milk
pie crust (I am still learning to make this well)
cheese
meat (chicken, bacon, ham, etc.)
veggies (onions, peppers, asparagus, etc.)
optional: ground flax or wheat germ

Directions

1. Crack 4-6 eggs into a 2 Cup measuring cup.
2. Add milk until it reaches 2 Cups and mix well.

3. Lie pie crust in a pie pan.
4. Add whatever meats, veggies and cheese you would like to the mix. You really can't mess it up.

5. Pour egg mixture into pie pan.
6. Bake at 325 for 1 hour until a knife comes out clean.

Homemade Salt Scrub

2009-11-10T07:04:00.004-07:00

A long time ago, I made a Sugar Scrub. It was nice. But then I used it all and never made more. I don't know why.

Oh yes, I remember- it really hurt to rub on your skin. Sugar is tough stuff.

But with winter coming, I wanted that moisturizing shower stuff again. This time, I bought some Epsom Salt to use instead of sugar.

Here is what you need:

1 part olive oil
2 parts salt
essential oil if desired (I use grapefruit. I love it.)

Directions

Mix together. Done.

Taryn's Take:
Much, much much better than the sugar. Doesn't hurt and it works like a charm. Be careful- it makes the shower slippery!

Homemade Dried Apple Chips

2009-11-09T07:02:00.002-07:00

When I had a bazillion apples, I turned a few into apple chips. I wasn't sure I'd like them, so I didn't make very many. I wish I had made more!

I find myself choosing them often when I am hungry- but don't want to make (i.e. do any work) something. Oh well- you live and learn.

Homemade Apple Chips
from me

Ingredients

Apples
water
lemon juice

Directions

I followed the same protocol as with the Dried Pears.
1. Cut apples.
2. Soak in water and lemon juice mixture.
3. Lay on dehydrator at 145 degrees for 5-6 hours, until dry.

An Award!

2009-11-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Kristen at Happily Ever After has given me an award! Thanks so much Kristen. She just moved into a new house so the joys of home ownership really shine through. Check her out if you get a chance.

Roasted Chicken on Potatoes and Red Onions

2009-11-06T07:07:00.006-07:00

I don't really touch meat.

I really don't like to associate meat with the animal from which it comes. If not for Chris- I would be a part-time vegetarian- I would only eat meat if someone else prepared it. Well I guess that is what I have been . . .

Until this week.

Wednesday I did this.

Yes- I roasted a chicken.

I found a happy (read: organic/free range) chicken on sale at the store and something changed in me.

I bought the chicken. I took it home. I opened the bag.

I touched the uncooked chicken. I took out a bag of something like gizzards. I washed it. I pushed butter, herbs and garlic under the skin. I cooked it. Then I picked it. Then I ate it.

It is kind of a big deal.

And today I am going to revisit the bird for some broth making. Wow.

Be impressed people. Be impressed.

(I followed directions mostly from here.)

No Bake Cookies

2009-11-05T06:55:00.003-07:00

I made these with the kiddos I sit for- and they had a lot of fun helping out with the measuring and to stirring- but somewhere along the way I think we may have messed it up.

Kate's from Cooking During Stolen Moments looked like this:

Ours tasted fine- but they fell apart really easily. I don't really know what went wrong- so I will just give you her directions. Hopefully yours will stay together better.

No Bake Cookies

From Cooking During Stolen Moments

Ingredients

2 T. butter
1 c. butterscotch chips
3/4 c. peanut butter
2 T. milk
2 c. oats (quick or old-fashioned will work)

Directions

1. Melt the butter over low heat in a medium sauce pan. Add butterscotch chips and peanut butter. Stir until chips are completely melted and mixture is smooth. Add milk and cook an additional 3 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in oats. Drop mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls onto greased aluminum foil or parchment paper. Allow cookies to cool until set and firm.

Good Luck!

Want $75 to Amazon.com?

2009-11-03T09:52:00.001-07:00

Yes? Well then- go on over to My name is PJ at Seens From The Backs of My Eyelids and enter to win!

Hurray!

Homemade Lotion Bar

2009-11-03T07:24:00.005-07:00

Well last week we had two days of being snowed in. I love it. It seems a little early in the year- but it just gets me thinking of Christmas! yippee!

Anyway, while I was snowed in, I finally got around to some of the stuff I have been wanting to do, but never really got around to doing.

Such as the sweater.

And making homemade lotion bars.

I got the idea from Screams of Terror from My Kitchen. (She is pretty awesome. She told me about the Apple Pie Jelly from apple peelings.)

Good lotion is expensive. In Colorado you need good lotion. So I was willing to try a very hydrating lotion that came in a neat form.

I adapted the recipe from here.
Here is what you need:

1 part olive oil
1 part shea butter
1 part beeswax
a little essential oil if desired (I used Birch Sweet- I have no idea what it is but it smells like bubble gum- yum.)
some vitamin E if you have it or want it

Directions

1. Melt beeswax and shea butter in a doulbe boiler. (I used two pots.)

2. When melted, add oil, essential oils and vitamin E.
3. Pour into a mold or a container that you want to use.

4. Cool and then use!

Taryn's Take:
This bar feels like the consistency of soap. But I must have done something a little wrong because mine broke apart when I picked it up. Maybe it needed to be in a smaller container so it would be thicker. It works like a charm- very moisturizing (read very oily- I have to rub a lot to get it in- but once it is in- it is great!)

Homemade Peachy Pear Fruit Roll Ups (Fruit Leather)

2009-11-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Try number two- peaches and pears- even better food combination, if you ask me.

I still need to work on the evenness- this one dried unevenly. It is my fault- I knew it was uneven, but I didn't think it was too bad and I really didn't want to fix it. Oh well. Next time.

Peachy Pear Fruit Leather
from me!

*I have to admit, I made these several weeks ago- while we were still drowning in fresh fruit. However- if you have some frozen you could use those or wait until next year. I wanted to make sure I documented what I did when next summer comes around.

Ingredients

2 cups peaches
1 cup pear

Directions

Puree fruit.
Add to dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 145 degrees for 4-5 hours, or until dry.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T09:17:00.000-06:00

Jacques the spider says "Have a safe, healthy and happy Halloween!"

Homemade Snickerdoodles

2009-10-30T07:26:00.006-06:00

Smitten Kitchen is one of my favorite food sites. Not only are the pictures absolutely gorgeous- but the writer is a doll to listen to any day of the week.

Oh yeah- and she has phenomenal desserts. Just last week she posted about chocolate mousse. Oh yum.

This recipe came from her.

Snickerdoodles
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 stick or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, plus more if needed
2 large eggs

Directions

1. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
2. Combine butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar in mixer. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl.
3. Add eggs, and beat to combine.
4. Add dry ingredients, and beat to combine.
5. Deb chilled her dough for an hour- I just went at it.
6. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the ground cinnamon.

7. Form balls of the dough, and roll in cinnamon sugar. Place about two inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

8. Bake at 400 degrees until the cookies are set in center and begin to crack (they will not brown), about 10 minutes.

Sentimental Sweater Pillow

2009-10-29T07:21:00.004-06:00

I am a sentimental person. I struggle to throw things away that are associated with good memories. Anyone else?

I am learning to let go of the thing- while still maintaining the memory- but I have not quite perfected it. Instead, I am finding a way around throwing things out by turning them into new things.

Take this sweater. (I know it is inside out- I forgot to take a picture right side out- and I can't find any pictures of me wearing it.)

I wore this sweater while driving in the car to meet Chris on our wedding day. I didn't want to wear my dress in the car (wrinkles?) so I wore the sweater and some jeans.

We decided to take pictures before the ceremony at the lake where Chris proposed. (Oooo- very romantic . . .) The unromantic part is that I had to change in the parking lot! Chris and my sister held up sheets while the photographer got a show.

The problem is that I never wore the sweater much before that day- and never after.

But I couldn't just give it away!

So I made it into a pillow. It doesn't really match any room in our apartment- but oh well. I get to keep it a bit longer. Success!

Here are some cursory directions.

I followed instructions from Leeann from Mint Basil.

1. Find a sweater you like- but don't wear. Sew from armpit to armpit.

2. Cut off the top. Sew over the edge one more time to make sure it is super strong.

3. Measure and make a pillow to fit inside your sweater. (My pillow is too small for my sweater case- I need to work on this skill.)

4. Like Leeann- my sweater pillow got "ears" where the armpits were, so I just sewed the sweater in a bit and cut off the extra. (Leeann has pictures and explains it better- just go see her.)

5. Sew some ribbon on the bottom of the sweater to hold your pillow in the case. Tie closed and enjoy!

Just for fun- here is a picture of Chris and I at the lake. sigh.

Happy memory lives on.

Homemade Croutons

2009-10-28T07:05:00.000-06:00

I as you may have noticed- I love my (new) dehydrator. As I was cleaning out the freezer (for our impending move) I found some sourdough bread I had frozen. It wasn't the best bread, which is probably why it got frozen in the first place. So rather than throw it away, or make more bread crumbs, I decided to whip up some croutons. Chris loves croutons on his salads. yum.

Homemade Croutons

Ingredients

Leftover bread
a few Tbsp of Olive oil (depending on how much bread you have)
seasonings to taste- I used garlic powder, Super Salt and Rosemary

Directions

Cut your bread into desired size.
In a bowl, drizzle oil and make sure the bread is coated evenly
Season with garlic powder, Super Salt and Rosemary- or other seasonings you choose.
Place on dehydrator and cook at 145 degrees for 4-6 hours until dry.

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet

2009-10-27T07:30:00.000-06:00

Wow- this is GOOD! Really good. Better than I was anticipating. Chris doesn't really like peppers- but he ate this one and admitted that it was pretty darn good (after you take out the peppers.) Ha- thanks Chris.

He might not like them- but he must admit- they are so pretty!

Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
adapted from Finding Joy in My Kitchen

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced
3 bell peppers, seeded and cut into large chunks (I used green, yellow and orange)
1/2 of a standard 26 oz jar of tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/8 tsp. chili powder
2 C brown rice, cooked (I cooked mine in homemade broth- it really makes a difference in the flavor of the dish)
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Cut up your peppers and set aside.
Brown meat and onion.
Add seasonings, tomato sauce, peppers and carrots to the skillet and simmer until carrots and peppers are softened to you liking.
Add rice and stir to combine.
Serve warm and top with cheese if desired.

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-10-25T08:15:00.001-06:00

I won a contest! How lucky am !?

Thanks Ashley. Happy Birthday to you.

image from Our Little Apartment

My First Memory Quilt (T-Shirt Quilt)

2009-10-24T11:06:00.000-06:00

Look at what I did . . .

A memory quilt using Chris' Hawaii t-shirts. It is not perfect- but I am happy with the results. I just need to buy backing, batting, binding and then tie it up!

Then on to my childhood . . .

Flashback Friday: Schwans

2009-10-23T07:02:00.007-06:00

Did the Schwan Man ever come to you house? When I was a kid- this MN based company made regular appearances at our front door. My Daddy would order all sorts of delicious (but hardly nutritious) treats for us- and the Schwan man would carry boxes up our very steep (and often frozen) driveway.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago: Chris got us some free icecream from Schwans.com. They delivered the ice cream, and then a week later they came back to ask if we wanted more. I didn't need any more 5 gallon tubs of icecream- but I did need some nostilgia.

So I looked through the magazine and picked out two treasures. We had them for dinner (and dessert) last night. Ahh, the memories.

We had Bagel Dogs

and Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

I have looked through the rest of the magazine and I can't wait to try some of my other childhood favorites. Yum.

images from schwans.com

Another Conversational Gem

2009-10-22T12:05:00.003-06:00

A couple days a week I nanny for 4 year old twins. Today I had another conversation concerning my size that is worth noting.

It went like this:

E said- "Taryn, we are playing Star Wars. H is Princess Leia. You can be Jabba de Hutt- You are big enough."

H (Princess Leia) added- "Do you know Jabba de Hutt? He is like a worm."

Do I know Jabba de Hutt?

Yes I do. Thanks guys. Next time couldn't I be Han Solo? Swoon.

images from en.wikipedia.org

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Granola Cookies

2009-10-22T07:01:00.000-06:00

I had some granola that I hadn't used in ~~years~~ months which needed to be used or tossed. Rather than toss it- I looked online for a recipe and found this one.

Not quite as good as Olympic Cookies- but they sure didn't last long around here.

Also- this was my first attempt at using Truvia.

I used half sugar, and half Truvia. I couldn't tell that "weird" sugar was present- and neither could Chris. What are your thoughts on this stuff?

Crunchy Peanut Butter and Granola Cookies
Adapted from Culinary in the Desert (awesome blog- he is blogging from MN!)

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup dark brown sugar (I used 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1/3 cup equivalent of Truvia)
1/2 cup peanut butter, smooth or chunky
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of sea salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups granola
Optional: 1/2 cup dry roasted salted peanuts, chopped and 1/2 cup dried fruit (I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips instead)

Directions

Beat butter, sugar (and Truvia), and peanut butter until well blended.
Beat in baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
Mix in egg and vanilla.
Slowly add flour and mix until blended.
Add granola (and peanuts, chocolate chips and fruit if using) and combine.
Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheets and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Enjoy!

Homemade Peachy Grape Fruit Roll Ups (Fruit Leather)

2009-10-21T07:19:00.000-06:00

Hi, my name is Taryn and I love fruit snacks. I love the nasty off-brand ones with sea animals and the high priced ones with Princesses . . . and I would never turn down gummy worms, gummy bears, fruit roll ups, fruit leathers or anything of the sort.

Now that you know this we can move on to my latest creation: Homemade Peachy Grape Fruit Leather.

Now that I have a dehydrator- making fruit leather is so much easier! I made many oven versions of a cranberry apple recipe I found from Martha- but since growing into my kitchen I decided to make up my own recipe. Turned out well.

I have to work on spreading the fruit very evenly- because the dehydrator does not compensate for my errors. It took a bit longer than it should have to dry because of my unevenness- plus some parts got over-done. (However- those over-done dried fruit leathers- if broken into small pieces make excellent salad toppers.)

Homemade Fruit Roll Ups (Fruit Leather)
from my dehydrator book and me!

*I have to admit, I made these a couple weeks ago- while we were still drowning in fresh fruit. However- if you have some frozen you could use those or wait until next year. I wanted to make sure I documented what I did when next summer comes around.

Ingredients

2 cups peaches
1 cup grapes

Directions

Puree the fruit.
Add to fruit roll tray on dehydrator and dehydrate at 145 degree for 4-5 hours or until dry.

Homemade Apple Pie Jelly

2009-10-20T07:09:00.000-06:00

I made 12 pints of applesauce from our apples- and I kept most of the peelings to make Apple Jelly.

I got the idea from Screams of Terror from the Kitchen. She was so helpful!

I made three batches of jelly- and got 20 1/2 pints. See, my jelly is so talented and beautiful, no?

What am I going to do with 20 1/2 pints of jelly you ask? Good question.

I am going to give them to my MOPS volunteers and workers for Christmas. Good idea, Taryn.

But, I would like to give them something else too- something that goes with the gift, you know? I was thinking about putting a quick bread mix in a pretty bag and giving them that . . . so they could make the bread and spread the jelly on it?

I don't know- what are your thoughts? Any good ideas?

Apple Pie Jelly
adapted from Screams of Terror from the Kitchen

Ingredients

Leftover Apple peels, cores and discarded pieces (I almost filled my 5 quart pot)
water to cover the peels
pectin
3 cups sugar
cinnamon, all spice and nutmeg to taste

Directions

Put apple peels and cores into a stock pot- I used my green pot- but you could use anything really.
Pour water in until it almost covers the apple peels.
Bring to a boil and then simmer until the peels have lost their color and the cores are soft.
When cool enough to touch, wring the juice out of the apple with four layers of cheese cloth - or let it drip through a jelly bag.
Process according to the instructions in the pectin box.

My instructions were to add pectin and bring to a boil.
Add sugar and spices- and return to a boil for 1 minute.
Process into jars.

Thanks friend! This jelly is delish!

Weekend Fun: Smartwool and Apples

2009-10-19T07:07:00.008-06:00

Are you familiar with Smartwool? They are a Steamboat Springs based company who makes wool clothing that is super warm and super soft. Not itchy like most wool clothing.

This weekend, they had their sample sale (which included several other vendors such as Simple, Roxy, Quicksilver and some others I had never heard of before). Lucky for me- they sold half of the stuff here in Boulder and the other half in Steamboat Springs (3-4 hours away).

Here is how it went down:

20 minutes of waiting to get in + hordes of people + $28 = 7 pairs of Smartwool socks

See? I even got several pairs of "high performance socks" so my poor little feets won't have to be cold when we go camping next year. That, and I will have the appropriate sleeping bag.
In addition to finding the best socks ever- I also processed apples this weekend.

Remember when I said I went apple picking? Well here is what we got.

About 35 lbs of apples. Crazy.

From those apples I made 12 pints of applesauce, 2 cups of dried apples, and from the peelings, I made 20 1/2 pints of Apple Pie Jelly. My hands are stained a nice brown/red from the apple peels. Seriously.

Details on the apple jelly and dried apples to come.

Best Conversation from Last Night

2009-10-18T11:41:00.000-06:00

While at dinner at a fancy Japanese resaurant:

Taryn (frustrated with her inability to get more than one or two pieces of rice with her chopsticks): Man, if I had to eat with chopsticks all the time I would be . . .

Chris: Thin . . . er.

Friend #1: Good catch Chris- good catch.

Wanna see pictures?

2009-10-17T10:03:00.000-06:00

I hadn't posted any pictures of the house we are in the process of buying because I didn't have any of my own pictures of the house, and I didn't want to link to the website I got them from - I didn't think the whole world should know our (hopefully) new address.

But I want to show the house to you- so nobody at coloproperty.com get mad for not linking back, ok?

Here she is! Please ignore the decor and landscaping- obviously the trees need trimming and some new paint should do the trick.

Front

Kitchen

Dining Room

Loft

Master Bedroom

Backyard

Exciting, no?!

Grilled Cheese with Bacon?

2009-10-16T09:46:00.001-06:00

Seriously. Grilled Cheese with Bacon.

I got this from Everyday Food- and at first I was skeptical. I first picked the meal for the tomato soup the sandwich was paired with- but in the end, the soup ended up as an epic failure and the sandwiches were divine.

Give them a shot sometime. Spice up your grilled cheese with something less healthy than a tomato. = )

Grilled Cheese with Bacon
adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients

a few slices of cooked bacon (please tell me you bake your bacon in the oven- right? Its the best way to cook it.)
a few slices of bread
some cheese- we used cheddar- Everyday Food called for some fancy cheese we didn't have- but the cheddar was just fine.
butter

Directions

I hope you can put together a grilled cheese sandwich . . . butter the outsides of the bread, put cheese and bacon inside and grill that bad-boy until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

2009-10-15T07:57:00.000-06:00

Last night for dinner we had our good 'ol standby dinner- spaghetti with meat sauce. We always have jar spaghetti sauce, pasta and frozen ground meat in the freezer. And it is always a nice dinner choice when in a rush.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

What is your good 'ol standby dinner?

What happened to me?

2009-10-13T20:25:00.000-06:00

What has my world come to?

Tonight, as I cooked dinner and I didn't take any pictures. None. The camera was even sitting on the counter and I didn't even think to take a picture of anything.

What has happened to me?

I miss you blog world.

I promise- I'll come back soon.

(P.S. I made chicken pot pie and it was worth making again for some pictures. yum.)

And Done!

2009-10-12T18:35:00.000-06:00

We are under contract!!!!

Can you believe it? Whoa.

Thanks for all your support and advice friends. We have a long way to go- but getting this far is super exciting!

They Counter . . .

2009-10-11T08:54:00.000-06:00

. . . we counter . . .

This doesn't look good.

OMG...

2009-10-10T08:04:00.002-06:00

...we just put an offer on a house!

EEKK!

I am a Graduate!

2009-10-06T22:32:00.000-06:00

Today was an exciting day- I looked at 9 more houses and . . . .

I got my diploma in the mail today!

I am officially a graduate with my Masters of Arts. According to the diploma, I graduated on my birthday back in August. Pretty sweet. The only sad part is that I don't have any pictures of me walking across a stage- oh well.

It sure feels good to be done. = )

Apple Picking!

2009-10-05T13:13:00.000-06:00

In addition to house hunting (which went in a totally new direction- weird)- this weekend Chris and I went out to Lyons (a quazi mountian town) and picked apples! One of his new coworkers has some apple trees which are producing way more apples than he needs- lucky us! We picked about 30 lbs I think. It was a HEAVY basket!

I can't wait to try all my apple recipes I have been storing up just for this occasion! Dehydrated apples, apple sauce, apple pie filling, apple cake . . . the list goes on. I'll let you know how it goes!

image from here

Perfect House?

2009-09-30T21:20:00.000-06:00

Here is my question: How do you pick a house?

Everyone seems to tell me to "Wait for the perfect house- it will come."

But I don't think it will.

My perfect house is on a lake, with mountain views, mature trees that grow on their own, and is in some magical land that is close to both MN and CO. I don't think I will ever find my perfect house- and even if I did- I am pretty sure we could not afford it.

So, what level of perfection are we looking for here?

I found a house that I quite like (Chris will see it this weekend- I went out looking without him to weed out the "no way" houses yesterday). The layout is pretty much perfect. Its in a great neighborhood. In our price range.

But I wish it had a bigger yard, was in a cul-de-sac, and had a formal dining room (not that we have a table to put in there- but I would like to have one).

How perfect is perfect?

One More- My life is Changing for Crazy!

2009-09-28T14:51:00.004-06:00

I am going to be a little scattered for the next couple weeks- Chris and I have offically entered the race to find a house before Nov 30th. We will see how it goes. We are just out to look at what is there and see if one is for us!

And lucky for me, Emily from The Lamb Family gave me this Fabulous award late last week (Thanks Emily!). I am supposed to share my five current obsessions- but I really only have two:

Money. Looking at how much we have, how much we need, down payments, interest, mortgages, taxes, rent, and rebates. In addition to house stuff- I have been tasked with investing our Roth IRAs and Chris' 401(k) money *(see not below)- so my mind is also filled with investing, IRAs, rollovers, index funds, ETFs and so much more- I have much to learn!
Houses. My mind is filled with online images of houses as I am looking at them, finding Realtors, mortgage brokers/banks/ or credit unions, locations, schools, houses, square feet and all that jazz. I mean whoa!

I am dreaming houses and money these days- literally. Last night I was coughing in my sleep and as I was kinda in that half awake/ half asleep place I was dreaming that every cough was a different down payment- the really big coughs were huge down payments and the little ones were more reasonable down payments. I think you can define this as obsession.

So yeah- any advice from you guys who have done this before would be much appreciated . . .

I am going to look at half a dozen houses tomorrow! I'll let you know how it goes . . . wish me luck. I don't know how much longer I can be dreaming of down payments

*(Also- just so you know- Chris quit his job last week and has started a new job at a new company today! (He will still be doing relatively the same thing- but it is still very exciting!) Hope your first day is going well Chris!!)

Garage Sale Treasure 3

2009-09-25T12:47:00.008-06:00

Oh boy! My husband is the best. Not only did Chris remind me that today was our community garage sale- he also gave me all his cash ($12)!

I went all out and spend all $12- wanna see?

I got these Tupperware cake and pie storage containers. My mother had the bigger one and used it all.the.time. It will be nice to have something that I can carry my carrot cake in . . .
$4

My next find is not for everyone- these were made for me. I found almost new Chacos- size 7- Wide. I have one pair of Chacos already- exactly the same stats- size 7- Wide. I had to special order them because stores don't usually carry the wide width. But apparently garage sales do.
$5

Lastly, I impulsively bought these canisters. I already have canisters- but I have always wanted ones that have words on them. So when the guy asked $3 for them- exactly what I had left- I took them home. I am sure I will be able to find something else for my clear canisters to do now that I have these beautiful white ones.
$3

Sigh. I didn't find what I was looking for- but I did find some treasures, no?

Tag- Freeze!

2009-09-24T13:40:00.000-06:00

Get it? It is Freeze Tag- only backwards! Get it? huh? Yeah, I know it is lame.

Anyway- I have to tell you- I am the luckiest girl around because I have been given two awards! Really- I know it is hard to believe- but it is true.

Thank you to PJ from Seens From The Backs Of My Eyelids for this "I give good blog" award. Thanks PJ!
If you have not seen my post about Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog- you might want to check it out. I am pretty sure that it is PJ's favorite post ever. Well, not the post- but she is forever indebted to me for introducing her to Dr. Horrible.

Also- the hippest chick I know in Virgina has also given me an award. What, you don't know who is the hippest chick I know in Virgina? Well- her name is Della.

She awarded me with the "Your Blog is Freakin Fabulous" award. Thank you Della- your blog is freakin' fabulous too. She is a skilled decorator and goodwill shopper. Check her out!

Thanks blog friends. I am honored that you choice to award me. Thanks. And I am super sorry that I didn't post this earlier- I don't know what happened!

Peanut Butter Choclate Chip Muffins

2009-09-23T12:52:00.002-06:00

Yum! These muffins were my first attmepts at baking with many new and newer substitutions.
First: banana for egg

Second: Homemade chocolate chips for regular

Third: Applesauce for oil

These muffins baked up really well- I couldn't tell that I had substituted anything weird in there . . . nice. However, despite all the natural and less natural sugars, I didn't feel like they were not all that sweet. Not like my carrot cake muffins. Oh well.

I think the banana substitution actually adds a nice flavor to the mix- who doesn't love banana, chocolate, and peanut butter all together?

All in all- these are very good-and not too bad for you, eh?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Cooking During Stolen Moments

Ingredients

3 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
pinch of salt
one ripe banana (or two eggs)
1 3/4 c. milk
2 t. vanilla
1/4 c. applesauce or oil
1/2 c. peanut butter
1 c. chocolate chips

Directions

Mush up the banana.
In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients.
In another bowl, mix wet ingredients (excluding Peanut Butter and chocolate chips).
Add wet ingredients with dry and stir until combined.
Add in peanut butter and mix.
Add chocolate chips and combine.
Drop into muffin tins and bake at 375 for 15 minutes.

Taco Bake

2009-09-22T12:40:00.000-06:00

Remember the cottage cheese that we had to use? This is the recipe I picked. Very, very good if you are feeling like tacos!

Taco Bake
loosely adapted from bigoven.com

Ingredients

1/2 ground turkey
1/2 cup diced onion
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1/4 tsp Super Salt
1/2 Pint crushed tomatoes (8 oz)
1 Cup cottage cheese
1/2 Cup shredded Jack Cheese
1 egg
6 corn tortillas (I used taco shells)
lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese

Directions

Brown meat with onions and garlic.
Add seasoning, salt and tomatoes and simmer.
Combine cottage cheese, shredded Jack cheese, and egg.
Place half of the tortillas in the bottom of a 7 x 11 inch pan (or 8 x 8).
Spread on meat mixture, then top with the other tortillas.
Finally, top with cheese mixure. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
When done, add lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cheese on top and serve immediately.

Lets try again- Camping in Rocky Mountain National Park- one week late

2009-09-21T20:49:00.001-06:00

Okay- here we are one week later. I am feeling much much better. I still can't sleep very well, but I can walk around for more than three minutes without feeling like I am about to die! Hallelujah!

Last weekend we went up to to Rock Mountain National Park with our good friends Andrew and Mandy. (Also known as Mandrew if you are talking too fast.) Anyway, they were kind enough to let up join them in an adventure!

We saw some amazing sites. I mean whoa. It was raining (awesome) but in a way, I think it made the hike and sites more beautiful. You will see.

When we first made our way into the park we saw tons of elk. People were stopped all over the road looking and these guys.

I didn't use zoom- we were really that close.

This guy was nursing!! How cool is that?

Then we went for a 8 mile hike. It was so much easier than hiking the 13er. I felt like we had SO MUCH oxygen the whole time- and my legs didn't really even get that tired (until the way down). It was so beautiful. Here are some pictures.

Here are Chris and I at the waterfall. I had to get really close because Chris told the photographer to cut me out of the picture.

My buddy Mandy and I at the waterfall. I got close because I LOVE HER!

See what I mean about the rain? I think the clouds and mist make it look like it was out of a movie. I literally gasped when we came up the hill and saw it. Sigh.

Here is all four of us at the lake.

Then came the fun part. After we finished the hike and got the campsite- we quick set up our tents and roasted some hot dogs. And Ate more S'mores than I can count. It was a good night.

It was late, and cold, so we went to bed. It was going to be cold, so I had on two pairs of pants, three shirts (and a sweatshirt), two pairs of huge socks and my hood on. I should have been good.

However, the whole night I could not get warm.

After many hours of in an hour of fitful sleep, I woke Chris and tried to get into his sleeping bag with him. However, then it would only zip up to my waist. We lay like that for awhile and then when it reached a respectable time to get up (5:00 am) I begged him to get up and make a fire because I was still cold.

As we emerged from our tent, we saw ICE on the tent. On the car. On everything. It was so cold it was freezing! No wonder I was cold. I often get cold at night, so oh well.

We made a fire in freezing temps and finally started to get warm. Kinda. It took a long long time.

The best part about this adventure though, was that when we took everything back to his parents' house (we were borrowing their stuff) guess what we discovered? The bag I was sleeping in- it was only rated for 40dregees and above. No wonder I was Cold!!!!

And Chris' bag? Rated to below freezing.

Ugh.

Next time- I am going to get a different bag.

All in all it was a ton of fun. I LOVE camping. Not so much the cold, but the camping part is awesome.

Oops!

2009-09-21T13:42:00.000-06:00

I wrote a post about our adventures camping last week over the weekend, and was going to post it today- but I didn't upload the photos so I can't post it from work today. Oops.

Tonight?

I hope you are staying warm on this cold and rainy Monday.

Cheesy Egg Bagel Sandwich

2009-09-18T10:18:00.001-06:00

Thank you for all your kind words of advice yesterday- if I don't feel better soon- I will go back to my doctor!

I bought some dry curd cottage cheese because it was on sale last week. It is cottage cheese without the cream added back in to make it all liquid-y.

But, because I haven't done any cooking for the past week, the cheese was approaching its end. I asked Chris to find something he wanted to make using the cheese and this is what he came up with- Cheesy Egg Bagels. Not too shabby.

You could make this is regular cottage cheese if you prefer- just drain the juice or let it cook off. You don't want a soggy bagel!

Cheesy Egg Bagel
From Chris and Taryn

Ingredients

1/4 C chopped onions
4 eggs
1 C dry cottage cheese
1 pinch of super salt
2 bagels

Directions

Brown onions. Add whisked eggs and cook until almost done.
Add cheese and finish cooking.
Season with salt.
Meanwhile, toast bagels and butter (believe me- this is the best!)
Assembly egg sandwich and enjoy!

Urgent Care

2009-09-17T09:23:00.000-06:00

After Chris came home from work yesterday I was pretty sure I was dying. I had had a low grade fever for over 24 hours, my ears hurt, I couldn't breathe and it hurt to swallow. So Chris took me to the Urgent Care. And guess what?

I have . . . a cold.

Seriously.

How embarrassing. I went to Urgent Care for a COLD!! Not strep, not pneumonia, not Swine Flu- not even a flu! Just a cold.

And I even can't leave this shrinking one bedroom apartment for another 24 hours (if my fever stays away).

So yeah. Sorry about the pathetic posts this week- I have a cold.

Otter Pops

2009-09-16T08:25:00.000-06:00

Well, I am still sick (Chris tried to convince me I had the Swine Flu- but I am sure I just have a bad flu)- Anyway, I want to fix this Otter Pops issue. Otter Pops are the best.

There are six different flavors:

Blue Louie-Bloo Raspberry (Berry Punch)
Red Strawberry Short Kook (Strawberry)
Green Sir Isaac Lime (Lemon Lime)
Light Red Poncho Punch (Tropical Punch)
Purple Alexander the Grape (Grape)
Orange Little Orphan Orange (Orange)

My favorite is green- imagine that.

Here is a picture of what they look like before being frozen.

Here are frozen otter pops.

Did anyone else go up with something similar to otter pops? I never had these until I met Chris, but I had Freezie Pops from childhood. (Trivia: my sister can eat more Freezie Pops than anyone I have ever met before. It is amazing.)

otter pops logo image from www.nottro.com
otter pops information from here
unfrozen otter pops from here
frozen otter pops from here

Freaks and Geeks

2009-09-15T14:21:00.000-06:00

I am spending the afternoon on the couch eating Otter Pops and watching the complete series of Freaks and Geeks (thanks Dave!). Goodness I hope I feel better soon.

image from here

Ugg

2009-09-14T12:55:00.000-06:00

Well- we are back from our adventures in the mountains, but due to yesterday's Bronco's game, Kanye's dis to Taylor and the fact that I got an ear infection this weekend- I have not been able to write a post about our little vacation. Hopefully I will feel better soon and will be able to tell this tale to its fullpotential. Believe me- it is a good one.

Hope Monday is treating you better than me!

Hello Again Mountains

2009-09-12T09:05:00.000-06:00

We are off on another spontaneous trip to the mountains. This time we are going to sleep with the bears . . . hopefully we won't get eaten!

(Be jealous- I get to sleep on the cot! Heck yes!)

See you Monday.

The Easiest Homemade Bread Ever.

2009-09-10T07:23:00.004-06:00

When we had our soup I posted about yesterday, I made some delicious bread to go with it. This is by far the easiest homemade bread you can make. And it is pretty good too.

It's ease comes from the fact that it does not need to be Knead. haha- sorry I could not resist. It is just like a quick bread or sweet bread (such as Strawberry Bread or Lemon Blueberry Bread)- just mix it all together, place in pan, give a little rise and let it bake up!

(Mine did not bake up quite as much as it has in the past, I think my yeast might be sickly, or I had too much whole wheat flour.)

Four-Grain Batter Bread
adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

4 1/2 Cups flour (I used my mix of whole wheat, white whole wheat and pastry flour)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 tsp dry yeast
2 Cups water (or milk)
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup whole wheat flour
1/2 Cup wheat germ
1/2 Cup quick oats

Directions

Grease two standard bread pans and sprinkle with cornmeal or extra oats.
Mix 3 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt baking soda and yeast.
Add warmed water (or milk) (120 degrees) to flour mixture.
Beat until moistened.
Stir in additional whole wheat flour, wheat germ, oats and remaining whole wheat flour mixture- enough to make a stiff batter.
Divide mixture evenly between the bread pans. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until done.