I Want That

Isn't she a beaut?

I went to another class at Williams Sonoma this morning - Espresso, Cappaccino, and Coffee. It was great! This little number was one of the demos - it's new to the store. You pour milk in the glass part, fill the bottom part with water. There is a place for the grounds that sets right inside the bottom part. Then from the bottom up the water is forced through the grounds and into the milk. This is all done on your stovetop! Then after it is done brewing there is a wisk inside this contraption that mixes it all together!

Oh- WS is also selling some pumpkin latte mix to put inside of your morning drink, or to drizzle on ice cream. Mmmmm....i love the fall!

Irony

Lelaina: Can you define "irony"?


Troy Dyer: It's when the actual meaning is the complete opposite from the literal meaning
 
 
I LOVE Reality Bites....love it - it's definetly in my top 5. If you haven't seen it rush out and get it. It could just be my reminising about the 90's - but if you have fond memories of that era I think you will like it too.
 
I was thinking of irony because of something funny that happened in class on Tuesday. Maybe it's one of those things that is only funny to me. Let me give a little back story - since moving out here I have heard quite a few times "I'm granola" "We're crunchy" "I'm a total hippie" All of these attributes should be apparent without having to advertise. If you are these things then they will be obvious by the way you live. And I've seen plenty of hippies between here and NM. So when I hear these things I usually roll my eyes.
So on Tuesday there was a girl sitting next to me in class and I heard the guy in back of her asking her if she was drinking another hippie drink and she replied that yes, it was, because you know she's a hippie. She said this in all seriousness. As she was holding her Louis Viton (sp?) purse.
Can you define irony?
Wait - can you define judgemental?

Cooking Class

Last Sunday I went to cooking class at Williams Sonoma. They have free classes almost every Sunday morning. This past Sunday was French Techniques: Braising & Sauteing. It was packed! There were probably 40 people in there. It was ok - maybe not quite what I thought it was going to be, but I was still really glad that I went. I mean, any time spent at Williams Sonoma is a good time! Some of the other women there were kind of pushy though - so I guess that was the turn off part. You know there is always that one person who feels the need to talk the ENTIRE time?
A few things I learned (which you guys might already know - but that was new to me!):
Shallots have more of a garlicly flavor which makes them perfect for sauteing.
Always rub your meats and veggies dry before putting them in the pan. This will prevent any steaming.
Make sure the pan is super hot and turn down after you start sauteing the meat.
Above all - Don't crowd your food!!

Next class - in October it's espresso and coffee.

Happy Cooking!

Sept. 12 - first snowfall

That's right - it snowed on us yesterday in the mountains. Tony and I went hiking yesterday to St. Mary's Glacier. It was 39 degrees and flakes were coming down on us as we drove up to the trailhead.
I would rate the hike as moderately difficult. It was only about 1 mile up, but it was rocky the whole way. It was beautiful up at the glacier though! The lake below it was like glass. There were people snowboarding and skiing down the glacier, so that was fun to see. We're going to look into camping up there. When we got back home it was only 48 in Denver!! It was so nice to have cool weather - much needed.

Beef Stroganoff

Yesterday was a day for a warm comfort dinner - so I made stroganoff. This was the first time I have ever made it. It was very easy and made quite a bit!
Braise the meat in a bit of EVOO. After browning on all the sides I took it out of the pot and sauted my onions and mushrooms. Then I added about a cup and 1/2 of red wine and put the meat back in in. Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup with a bit of water and about 1/2 cup of cream. I added frozen peas as well, but that is optional. Salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 30 minutes. I cooked my no yolk noodles for only 5 minutes - added to the meat and cooked for another 10 minutes of so.

How do you like them apples?

I made an amazing apple pie tonight. I picked the apples from my tree - cored and peeled them, made my crust and viola! Sooo good!
This was the first time I made my own crust. My grandma would be so proud. It definitely wasn't the prettiest - but that's not what matters this go around. I followed the recipe for the pie filling some what - except I boiled the thinly sliced apples in a small amount of water with a cinnamon stick for about 10-15 minutes. Then I drained them, added 2 Cups of Sugar, some cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg, then poured it in pie crust, and cooked it at 350 for 35 minutes.
Tony said it looked better than a Betty pie, what a complement!

On another note I am thinking of starting an additional blog. Dedicated to my LOVE of food, both eating and cooking. Yes, I did just see Julie and Julia (HIGHLY recommend it), so maybe that is where some of the inspiration comes from. I guess I just saw so much of myself in that movie. It made me cry a few times during the movie because it hit home so hard. But I have ALWAYS loved to cook and try new things - so I might give it a shot. See, I say this now while I'm on my school break, so I might have to put it off, but I'm throwing it out there all the same. It's a way for me to be creative, document it and share it.

Fish Tacos....so good!

I've been craving fish tacos all week, and I thought instead of going to my fav restaurant I figured I would cut costs and just make some at home. They are so good! Definitely my favorite (I have probably mentioned this in the past). I made the coleslaw according to this recipe, but I cut the sugar to 1 cup, and it was still to much - I like my with more tang.
The salsa is homemade and the fish taco seasons is from simply organic. I used cod because I like the fish to be a bit thicker and not flaky.
Bon Appetit!

A man named Bob

My first boss when I started working for the government was Bob. He was the first person I got to meet from my new office - he came and ate lunch with me on my second day of induction. He was very kind and gave me, a nervous and overwhelmed girl, a warm feeling that I was going to be ok. He was very specific about his last name and the pronunciation of it. He gave me all his contact info and when he left I felt a little bit better about this huge decision I had just made.
Over the course of working with him for almost 3 years I witnessed how kind he was to everyone. EVERYONE! He never spoke harshly, was always understanding, and most importantly to me - he was a man of God. He truly was a witness - the kind I feel that all Christians are called to be. He wasn't evangelical in the sense that he walked around proselytizing, he did it by his actions and his words.
Last night Bob passed away. Suddenly. This morning when I got to work I found out. And my heart wretched to be with my friends, with my old colleagues. The people who had helped me to grow and develop when I felt so lost. They all know the Bob that I know, his quirky sense of humor and miscellaneous accidents that we always laughed at and said "oh Bob". I can hear it now, I can close my eyes and I'm there. But I'm not there, I'm thousands of miles away. We talked on the phone and it really helped for me to not feel so alone in my grieving.
Bob left behind 2 children, one still young, and a wife. He also left behind many friends and admirers. Most of all though, he left behind a legacy. A legacy of kindness and diligence. He loved what he did and he did it well. He did it with a smile and with a kind word for everybody.
Maybe if we all just had a little more of Bob in us, the world would be a better place. My world is a better place for having known him.
This probably doesn't make any sense except to those who were there, for that I'm sorry if this excludes people. But I was trying to think today of times that were so funny with Bob, and the one I keep going back to was the day we all ate lunch together and Bob was telling his story of his brother's dog and Irene asked him if he wore a mustache because he had been attacked. I hope my friends can find a smile when they read this - and they know that I love them, and I wish I was there to hug each one of them, and go through this together.

Mmmm...salsa

I've been trying a few different salsa recipes - but this one is the best so far (the Authentic Mexican one). I roast the Hatch Green Chiles, but I don't roast the Anaheim. I also roast the tomatoes to peel them instead of sticking them in boiling water. I also didn't add the cilantro. Tony doesn't particularly like it - so we think it's great without it.
Oh, and have you seen the new tostitos with a hint of jalepeno? Awesome!

Can you hear my sigh of relief? Can you?

I am done. I just finished my finance final. It's as good as it's going to get. Ahhh, I am so relieved....and so ready for our vacation!!!!

Gardening, one of the good things about suberbia

We have had such a great time gardening this year. It was one of the things we were looking forward to the most in having our own home with a yard! We are growing (some of it is already through for the year) sweet corn, bell peppers, green onions, purple onions, lima beans, black eye peas, pumpkins, jalapenos, basil, rosemary, tons of tomatoes, arugula, romaine lettuce, and strawberries.
We have enjoyed it so much - and the veggies have all been awesome. We have only had a few red tomatoes but the plants are dripping with green ones. And we tried a couple of the corn - they were tasty but the kernels were super small. The squash have been really good too and we've had so many we've been able to share with our neighbor. If all the tomatoes turn at once I'm going to attempt to can some of them and make my own marinara sauce. That should be interesting.
We also have an apple tree in the back yard. Poor thing - it's limbs look like they are going to break it is so heavy with apples. And this is after 2 hail storms! The apples are not quite ready but I think they will be after we get back from Minnesota. With those I think I'll blanch and freeze most of them but I'm also going to attempt applesause. Well, that's my intention....but we all know how well my intentions usually turn out. :( I'll probably run out of time and try to give most of them away!
Tomorrow I'm going to plant a fall crop - beans and cabbage. I'm not sure how early it is going to freeze here, but I'm sure I'll get a least a bit from this planting.

BWCA here we come!

Tony and I have been wanting to go canoeing/portaging for a few years now. We kept saying we were going to go and FINALLY we are going! We got our reservation back in April and it looks like it's going to be a pretty good spot. We are entering on Monday morning and exiting on Wednesday night. I'm really needing this break...from work...from school. 3 days of doing nothing but paddling around, taking pictures, taking naps, fishing, mainly just enjoying the company of Tony and nature.
We are driving up to Minnesota since we need to take so much stuff and we are taking Kirby. Tony's folks are going to watch him for us while we are up in the Boundary Waters. This will be so much better than trying to kennel him, plus he gets to play with his best friend Champ!
We still need to get a few things, but for the most part we have been preparing for this for a couple of years. For the past Christmas's we have gotten a tent and sleeping bags, and other really nice camping items.
We have been to the Boundary Waters before with Tony's parents, Will and Dan. This was probably 5 years ago though. We rented a cabin and although it had bats and spiders, we definitely weren't roughing it. But it was amazing and beautiful - we still laugh about some of the things that happened. GREAT memories!
On top of it all we get to be in Minnesota with family and friends. It's been 2 years since we've been there for a summer visit. Will and Andrea are having a engagement party so we'll get to spend some time in the Cities as well. It's a long drive (about 17 hours) but we'll drive through the night and it really isn't that bad!
Hopefully we'll have some really great pics to share!
Here's some pics from a couple of years ago -
Tony and I up on the land
Tony and Waylon
Me and Danny at their Aunts cabin

Dr. Ouch! Why I NOW hate the dentist

Let me start by saying that I have NEVER minded going to the dentist. In fact, I usually like it. I like getting my teeth cleaned and when I have a tooth ache I look forward to going because I know that when I leave I am going to feel better. We went for a few years without dental insurance and it sucked. My whole life I have had dental work done, so then when we finally got insurance I went and had to have a root canal and a crown and a few fillings. It wasn't that bad. That was 2005 when I had that done. I actually only had a temp crown put on that I wore for a couple of years. Then I saved up my money and got a real crown. A back story: I had all 4 wisdom teeth taken out when I was 18. With only novicane. And really through it all - it wasn't too bad. Afterwards I probably had to take an ibuprophen - but otherwise it was never bad.
And now I know why people hate going to the dentist.
We found a new dentist recently. He said that one of my molars was cracked and I needed a crown on that tooth. Now I didn't 100% believe him, but I thought, he's a medical professional, and if he says it's cracked it probably is. So I saved up my money for a couple of months and went and got a crown. And now I completely regret it. I should have gone with my gut feeling that said "don't trust this guy". First of all, after they drilled my tooth down to a nub and put on the temporary I was in enormous pain! I thought the side of my head was going to blow up - I was extremely swollen and had so much pressure. Then for the entire week afterwards I was constantly taken advil. My tooth and my entire mouth hurt so bad. I've never had a lasting pain like that from getting dental work. Finally the second week the pain let up but then I had to go in to get my permanent crown. I told them how bad it had been but the tech and the dentist just brushed it off. Then he only gave me enough novicane for about 15 minutes - because that is all that it should have taken. Then 40 minutes later he came to get started on my tooth!!! When he pulled the temporary off the tech shot air on it and I almost came unglued! It felt like an open nerve had been touched. Tears just burst out of me and I couldn't get ahold of myself. He rushed through the rest of it to get it done but it was still bad. I was so angry when I left there I couldn't even speak to the doctor.
It just sucks to pay so much money and to expect so much from a professional then to be so let down. It shouldn't be this hard to find an honest doctor.

104 degrees at Midnight aka Visitng Amy in Phoenix

I went to visit Amy the second weekend of July. My first trip to Phoenix. I knew it was going to be hot....but no idea how hot. It was beautiful - so much prettier than I thought it was going to be, but the heat? Yuck!
Amy has been living there for over a year and this was my first visit, I'm a bad sister. But I finally made it and we had a WONDERFUL visit! It was so much fun - we shopped around and ate out and went swimming (yeah - that lasted for about an hour before I couldn't take the heat even being in the pool).
We also went to the Grand Canyon - Amazing! It was overwhelming and I loved it! We stopped by Flagstaff on our way up and got to see Jenni and Rob's place! I'm so glad that Jenni had the afternoon off and got to come with us to the GC. We had such a great visit! Just a girls day trip - gossiping, laughing, getting to see Condors! After we got back to Flag met up with Rob and went to a little pub in town. We got back to Phoenix around midnight and yes, it was 104 degrees.
It was such a great trip and it was just what I needed - to get away, relax, and just enjoy my time with my sita.

Robin's visit

Robin flew out for the 4th of July and we had a great time! We were so glad to see an old friend! The day after she got here we went to Red Rocks to see Celtic Women - which was awesome! It was really cool to see them in an outside venue like that. Robin and I had gone to see them a couple of years ago in Baltimore and they were beautiful, so when I saw they were going to be here I really wanted to go with her again!
We went up to Vail another one of the days and got to explore around. Tony and I hadn't been up there yet. It was really pretty and it was like you would expect as far as people driving around in their hummers and 3 fur shops in this tiny village! There was a woman trying one on and it was such a crack up to listen to her talk about how she already had a couple but needed another one. She mostly goes to cocktail parties and does things for her daughter's school. WHAT? It's crazy the amount of money dripping around places like that. We ate at a little German restaurant that was really good and it was nice to just chat and catch up.
Another of the days we went up to Eldorado Canyon State Park, but they were at capacity and wouldn't let anyone else in. So we just drove on to Boulder and walked around. They have a nice farmers market and it's always fun to see the people sitting around playing music.
We'll be looking forward to the next visit! Hopefully we can plan to spend a few days in New Mexico exploring around.

Family visits

This summer has been so chaotic. We've had a lot of fun, but it's been busy. I can't believe it's almost August! What happened?
My parents came up the first weekend of June. They left on a Sunday morning and Tony's parents drove in that Sunday night. They spent a few days with us, flew to see Tony's sister, then came back and spent another weekend here. We had a blast! It's always so good to get to spend time with family. It's so nice to now have extra bedrooms and beds to have company! We're not crammed and trying to share a bathroom.
Here's some pics of our time together.

While Tony's parents and Daniel were visiting we went and rode the Royal Gorge train. It was beautiful. The train runs right alongside the river and we saw a lot of rafters. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
MARMOT! That was what Tony shouted right after we saw this little guy. He then proceeded to scatter away. I wouldn't call it running as this little thing is so fat! They are really cute though. And yes, that's snow up there. It was SO COLD!! It was 27 degrees at the top of Mt. Evans. We couldn't even get out of the car for more than a few minutes. There were people up there getting ready to snow board down.
So much snow! I thought there would be snow at the top, but there was quite a bit more on the drive up than I thought there would be.
Putting around - we found a nice little 9 hole course that's really good to walk. We had such a fun time, Tony and I forgot how much we love to play.

Words about an Amazing Lady

My great grandmother passed away on Thursday morning, June 25th. She was 94 years old, and I am one of the luckiest people I know because I had the opportunity to grow up with her and know her. How many people do you know that still have a great grandparent at the age of 28? Not many.
She had suffered a stroke in May, but had gotten better, then the night before she died she had another one.
She was one of the strongest women I have ever/will ever know. She raised most of her 8 brothers, plus her own children. She had stories of when she was little and they would travel by horse and wagon! Isn't that crazy? How much the world changed in her lifetime?
I will miss her greatly - but I have the best memories to treasure. She and my great grandfather used to watch me and my sister when we were little and we would watch Young and the Restless with them and eat green apples. It's those little things that count so much. She would teach us how to sew and let us play with whatever we found.
I've been wanting to post this for a while, but I wasn't sure what to write. Because no matter what I write it won't be enough...it won't do justice. I just miss her. My heart will ache for a long time at the loss, that I won't see her when I go home anymore, that I won't get a grandma kiss from her again.

Mmmmm, Summer Salad

I made the best salad tonight! I looked at a recipe online and then added some of my own ideas - it turned out VERY good! So good that I wanted to share it.
I roasted 2 ears of corn with a red bell pepper and a green bell pepper as well as an onion and a tomato.
The lettuce part consisted of spinach, arugala (home grown!), and some romaine. I added cheese and black beans and avacado to it as well.
For the dressing I put ranch and salsa together.
On top of it all I crumbled up some chips.
Delish!! It was such a good dinner after a hot summer day.

So many books....so little time

I miss reading for pleasure. I thought I would read a lot more on my week and a half break from school. Instead I painted one of the spare rooms (pics to come - I'm still not quite finished). Painting always takes so much more time than I think it will - and it's always much more messy. My new bed spread (a la Sarah moving to England) is now speckled yellow. But I think it's going to turn out great.

Tony's mom let me borrow her book "The Box Children" and I couldn't put it down. I finished it in 2 days. It was a quick read - about a girl growing up in the Texas panhandle with a crazy mom. It was somewhat depressing but it was a page turner.



I've also been reading "The Element". Background on this book: My management professor from last quarter gave it to me as a gift. I wasn't quite sure what she meant by "a gift" because she used that word quite a bit in class referencing the different material we were going over - or clips of speakers - or presentations - they were "gifts". She gave me the book because I had been disappointed in one of our advising sessions - it wasn't necessary, but she did it because she said she felt bad. (WHAT? Have you ever heard of a compassionate professor who actually cares what her students feel? One of the reasons I LOVED this class so much!) So I'm taking this book as an actual gift - a present. What do you think? Should I give it back to her after I read it?

This book is really good so far. I'm enjoying learning about all these people who found what they are good at, pursued it, and excelled. Isn't that every one's dream? To LOVE your job so much that it is no longer just a job?



I would love to get paid to read...at least I think I would. But maybe I wouldn't love it as much if I had to do it in order to get a paycheck? Nah, I would still love it. I can't get enough of books. You should see my "to read" list. It gets longer every day. So I've thought I would love to go into editing, but I am picky and wouldn't want to be editing math books. Maybe I would enjoy teaching people to read? Perhaps ESL? I also enjoy reading for people - one of the best jobs I have ever had was when I worked at the community college and I read text books for blind and dyslexic students. I LEARNED so much - even the subjects I didn't enjoy I still learned from. All because of reading an pre-nursing text book into a recorder I now know that the Penile Gland is pronounced "Pen - ill", NOT "pee-nul". BIG DIFFERENCE - unfortunately Tony didn't catch me saying that incorrectly until I was almost through with that chapter......I just hope the student listening knew I was pronouncing it incorrectly!

10 years since High School?!?

Wow - Am I really that old? Yes... I am. 28 is much better than 18 though. And it keeps getting better.
My reunion is next weekend. I have decided not to go. Many reasons (or excuses), but I thought about it and I'm not going to do it. I didn't just start thinking about it recently - I've thought about it for a while. A for that entire while I knew I wouldn't go.
There's too much water under the bridge and then there's not enought water under the bridge. Does that make sense?
I have kept in touch with a few people that I went to HS with - people I love and I care about and that I want to be part of my life. A few very close friends. There are some people I would love to see and catch up with but I don't think they are going either, although some of them are. And really - if I wanted to catch up with them I probably could.
I haven't gotten to go home very much in the past 5 years and the time I have gotten to be with my family has been limited...too limited. So if I'm going to drive the 7 1/2 hours home I'm going to spend that time with my family, it is precious to me. And I don't want to divide that time with anyone else.
Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of good memories with good friends, some of whom I would like to catch up with. But A LOT has happened in my life in the past 10 years. In many ways I am the same person I have always been, but in many other ways I am changed, as I am sure many others have. There are doctors, lawyers, mothers and fathers. There are world changers and there are those who are still waiting to make their mark. That's the part I would like to see, but the part I'm afraid I would see are the one's who haven't changed that much.
I really wish everyone the best, but this is one party I can't go to. Although I do hope that Mar fills me in. :)