Foods

I have had this post percolating for months now, but left it unpublished because I thought it was "too soon" for another food post.  Then I thought 1) it's been a long time and 2) when is it ever "too soon" for anything food related?  (The answer to that rhetorical question is: after food poisoning)

If a lot of these seem a little summery, that's because, well, we ate most of these things during the summer.  So don't forget these things come next summer!  In the meantime, enjoy your hot cocoas and pies and perhaps some ham. 

Zucchini Rice Gratin
I had never really made anything like this before.  Partly because, well, I just don't really like rice.  But if there's a way to make me eat rice (besides making it sticky), it's to cover it all up with tomatoes and cheese.  This was delicious!  I think as it is, it's a good main dish for two hungry people, but for more I would probably double it, if only for leftovers.

Strawberry Summer Cake
I'm not even sure how many times I have made this cake now.  It's so easy, it's so tasty and it's so pretty.  I love my triple-decker cakes, but this is a little more...shall we say, practical.  (PS, I love smitten kitchen.  It never fails me!)

Pizza Stromboli with Spinach, Mushrooms and Cheese 
Try to look past the unappetizing photos!  It really was good.  I prefer my pizza crust recipe from Betty Crocker, but theirs is fine too (a little tougher/denser).  It was quite a pretty thing to behold right out of the oven!

Avocado Brownies with Avocado Frosting
I know, right??  But trust me, these were SO good.  We ate the entire first batch ourselves.  The brownies don't taste like avocado--just like super fudgy, dense brownies.  The frosting, if you add all that powdered sugar, doesn't tastes like avocados either.  Personally, I thought the frosting was way too sweet, but it's definitely a taste-as-you-go situation.  I liked having it taste a little more like avocados.

Dark Chocolate Banana Cookies
An easy, tasty way to use up bananas.  They aren't terribly pretty but that's never stopped me.
 
Tomato and corn pie 
I wanted to try this out both because it looked so pretty but also as a different take on our regular tomato pie.  They're both winners, but this one is definitely a little more labor intensive.  Also I had corn all over the kitchen.  It's a small price to pay!  Gosh, I want some tomato pie right now.
 
Avocado Enchiladas
So delicious you won't even notice they're vegetarian.  I like my enchiladas stuffed so I used 4 avocados, and of course it's flour tortillas all the way because corn tortillas are barfy.  

Smitten Kitchen Brownies 
Well, not my favorite brownies, but, you know...brownies nonetheless.

(Still hanging in there?  Like I said, this has been building up for a while now...)

Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Soup 
Maybe bok choy isn't my thing, but while I liked this soup, it did not amaze me.  I made it a little too spicy on accident, which didn't help, but Drewbles was a big fan so there's an endorsement for you.

Grilled Ham and Cheese Pull-Apart Sandwich Loaf 
This is not high-brow eating.  But it IS good eating, when you're in the mood for something a step up from a Hot Pocket.  We baked ours.  

Jalapeno Popper Dip
Over the last year or two I have become a big, big fan of poppers.  I save them for special occasions when I need something to look forward to, but since this isn't *technically* poppers, I could make it for no reason whatsoever!  And then eat it all.  

Oreo Pudding Cookies
Another item we ate all on our own...with no complaints.  Maybe we need friends?  Anyway, I was a little skeptical about these cookies, maybe since Oreos aren't my favorite.  But, hear me, blog world, you want these cookies and you want them ASAP.  Do yourself a favor and eat them fresh out of the oven.

Panko Mozzarella Sticks 
You KNOW these were good.  Don't even stop to wonder.  Bonus: they fried up nice.  Much nicer than the poor, ill-fated fried cheese curds...

Baked Mac and Cheese
This summer I kind of went on a homemade mac and cheese streak--partly because I've never met a homemade mac and cheese I love more than Velveeta and partly because, well, I've also never met a mac and cheese I didn't like (except YOURS, Ikea).  Anyhoo, this was one of the experiments.  Better than Velveeta?  Hah!  I thought it was a little heavy and didn't have the smoothness that I like.  But that doesn't mean I didn't scarf it down.

Banana Ice Cream
Meaning, made out of bananas.  Though it's kind of annoying to have to use the food processor, this really does work!  And it even tastes like ice cream.  It's just amazing, and worth a try if only to see how it really works.

The Consequences of Watching LOST

Lately I've been rewatching (ie, relistening) to LOST at work.  It works out well except when Jin says anything.  Anyhoo, it's led to a few changes in my diet and mental wishlist.  Par example: 

(Pictures link to the original sources, if you're curious)

I want to eat these all the time:
 
In fact, I do.

I want to eat these all the time:

Alas, they're not in stores.  Do I even like papayas?  I have no idea.

I want to eat this all the time:

In fact, I do.  (And here I thought I had killed my interest in Kraft mac and cheese with too much in the college days.  Not so!  Thanks, Dharma.)

This would be okay too:

(Haven't gotten to this...yet)

I would like to be here:

Duh.

I also wouldn't mind my body looking like this:

So close!  ...  (We both have four appendages.)

As for everything else, well, I think I'm okay without submarines, dinosaurs smoke monsters and Benry.  FOR NOW.

Did It Myself

Why blog about big exciting things like cruises and holidays and...well, that's it...but why blog about those thing when you can blog about small crafty things you accomplished?  The answer is this: it's a lot faster to talk about crafts than a big trip.  Hold tight, cruise, I'll get to you one of these days.  

Anyway, the last few weeks I have been trying to make some things that we generally buy.  I'm not clear on my motivation, but I think sometimes I see these how-to things as a challenge from no one the universe.  I just like putting my fist in the air and saying, "I can make that!"  One day I will make my own flag to wave in these moments. 

Thing the First: Freezer Jam

I am daunted by the canning process.  I don't actually know what that process is, but I know it involves a lot of pots and a lot of jar boiling.  So, you can see the appeal of freezer jam for me, which involves no pots or jars or stoves.  I used the recipe that came with the pectin but it is essentially this: mash the fruits up, add some pectin and sugar and put it in the un-boiled container.

Thing the Second: Ranch dressing

I re-stumbled upon this recipe and, since we were out of ranch anyway, I decided to give it a whirl.  I have never been huge on ranch, but the Mister would happily use it on anything so we go through bottles regularly.  And while he would gladly eat any kind of ranch, I think this is already my favorite kind!  It's closer to the Cafe Rio ranch than, say, Hidden Valley, but...the Cafe Rio kind is better than Hidden Valley anyway.  

Thing the Third: Glass cleaner

Lately I have been intrigued by homemade cleaning supplies, and this was my first foray (I used the winning recipe found here).  I tried it out in the bathroom, and it cleaned up nice.  No, it wasn't the most amazing glass cleaner in the world and it does run, but since our bathroom is small and windowless, I appreciated the lack of ammonia fumes.  
Plus it works pretty well for general cleanup, as you can see from how I cleaned off the windowsill before taking the picture.  

Now all I have to do is not get it mixed up with this bottle of water for Drew's haircuts: 

   
You know what else I can make myself?  A sandwich press. 

Things I Learned in Las Vegas

Weekend before last we took a jaunt down to a little redneck town called Las Vegas.  I had never been (unless you count driving past on the way to Disneyland), and it seemed like high time.  We were only there for a weekend, but I learned a few life lessons along the way:

1) The GPS is not always right.  How did we learn this?  By trusting it to take us to a long-term parking place but instead it led us to the heart of downtown Salt Lake.  Consequentially we missed our flight...

2) All is not totally lost if one misses one's flight.  Well, maybe it is sometimes, but it was not for us.  We missed it by less than ten minutes, thanks to the GPS, a crawling shuttle, long security lines (at 7 AM??), extra security hassles and having a gate at the very end of the terminal.  You know, pretty much everything.  BUT Southwest bumped us onto the next flight and we made it to Vegas just a couple of hours later than planned with no further issues. 

3) I do not want to own a timeshare.  On the way to check in at our pyramid, we were unwittingly suckered into what turned out to be timeshare presentation.  Long story short, we spent several hours with Mr. Timeshare and got free lunch as well as some dirt cheap tickets for a few different attractions.  He kind of looked like an older Karl Urban and by the end I was having a rather good time telling him no.  I don't think he had as much fun.

4) I very much enjoy a buffet.  Intent on stuffing my face as much as possible, we got an all-day, unlimited pass for the buffets at the Luxor and Excalibur hotels.  Naturally, we went to both at each meal.  Highlights included the chocolate milk (yes), a cheese-stuffed something, the desserts, crab legs and...well, that's all I can remember.

5) Aquarium tunnels are just as magical as I hoped.  

One of our timeshare benefits was tickets to the aquarium at Mandalay Bay.  It was pretty small but fun and they had a tunnel!  For some reason I have always longed to feel as though I am at the bottom of the ocean...

6) There are slot machines for every fandom.  Do people really walk through a casino and say "Oh man, a Wizard of Oz slot machine??  I will gladly give it hundreds of dollars in coins."?  Speaking of which...

7) People waste a lot of time. 

8) People waste a lot of money.  Egads.

9) People are unscrupulous.  This wasn't really a surprise, knowing Vegas's reputation, but I'm still amazed at the lengths businesses/people go to to push their sordid, seedy entertainments.  And with kids walking around and all!  Of course, that also begs the question of why anyone would bring small children to the Strip.

10) It is delightful to eat with one's hands.  I was skeptical about the Tournament of Kings (in which you are given a medieval-ish meal [sans silverware] and entertained by a horse-filled medieval play of sorts), primarily because it cost about $60 a person.  Ridiculous.  But thanks to Mr. Timeshare it was about $5 for both us.  Now, maybe I was just starving, but I devoured that little Cornish hen and everything else.  In fact, maybe we also LOOKED starving because the waiter offered us extra soup. 

11) I still got it, or, I prefer Drewbles.  While Drew waited in line to pick up our Tournament of Kings tickets, I went back to the hotel to pick up some stuff.  Whilst on my way back, I met with a few fellows, one of whom declared himself in love with me and tried to lead me away from my matrimonial obligations.  I think not!  Later, while Drewbles was still gathering his crab legs, another fellow tried to talk me into eating dinner with him.  Oh ho!  Dudes.

All told, Vegas has its fun things and it was a fun trip, but overall--and I don't think this will come as a surprise to anyone--it has a fancy exterior with a cheap substance.  It reminded me of a creme puff I ate once, that turned out to have mold on the inside.  But at least there was no mold at the buffets. 

Here, have some pictures:

The real New York has a roller coaster in the midst too, right?

The closest I will probably ever come to one of my very favorite works of art in the world.

What a delightfully fancy mall.

Drewbles surveys the kingdom.

This amused me to no end.  No end!

These little globs enchanted Drew to no end.  No end!

Another lesson: Las Vegas is very hot and sunny.

One day I hope to compare this to the original.

I give the fountain show two thumbs up.

This also amused me to no end.  And yes, I did cut out the strip show ad below it.  Take that, Vegas!

Bring in the Cat

Today I finished watching Battlestar Galactica again.  It's always a little sad when it's over because it's SO GOOD.  But luckily I have this new little number to comfort me:

 

Now if only it weren't too hot to wear it...

As a side note, I have to include a picture of Roslin because I love her hair so much.  In fact, I'm a little obsessed with it.  But look at it!  Isn't it so plentiful and lovely?

All this has happened before, all of it will happen again (because it's SO GOOD).

(Seriously, so good.)

Retroactive

Almost four years ago I filled out this list.  It's rather like a little snapshot of my life at the time, so I decided that it's probably time to do it again, as a lot has changed in those four years.  Lists are still my favorite and my best, though they are also my bane.

(PS: Let's not talk about how it's been four years.  FOUR!  I'm going to vomit.)  


8 TV Shows I love to watch* (I would say "like" after the first 4):

1. Battlestar Galactica
2. Firefly
3. Sherlock
4. Veronica Mars
5. Project Runway
6. LOST
7. Survivor
8. House Hunters/International

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1. Panera/St. Louis Bread Company
2. Thai Village
3. Cafe Rio
4. Bombay House
5. Imo's Pizza
6. Comalitos
7. The Blue Bayou
8. Tarahumara

8 Things That Happened Yesterday:

1. Gave a talk in church.
2. Made this strawberry cake (two thumbs up).
3. Finally watched the opening ceremonies, along with some diving and swimming.
4. Watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
5. Talked to the fam. 
6. Pitter pattered on Quinn.
7. Worked a little on some arts.
8. Made and ate this stromboli for dinner (also two thumbs up).

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To:

1. Watching more Harry Potter
2. Our third anniversary
3. Going to Las Vegas at last
4. The Hobbit
5. Our cruise! (This deserves its own blog post)
6. Seeing Spider-man again (right, husb?!?!)
7. Pumpkin foods in the fall
8. More summer

8 Things On My WishList:

1. Sky High: Irresistible triple layer cakes
2. Spider-man! 
3. A shiny new tablet
4. A really long trip to England
5. A spot on Goodreads
6. A day at the beach
7. More Sherlock!
8. ...Spider-man?

This is the part where I tag other people to fill this out for themselves, but since I'm not the boss of you, fill it out if you like!  It's fun to read later.

*Drewbles and I couldn't decide if this means current shows or any shows, but I went with any shows.  Apparently most of the shows I love ended a long while ago...

Unfinished Tales

This blog has been going for eight years now.  Eight!  I'm amazed with myself.  It's definitely had its highs and lows, but looking back, I'm quite pleased with it.  In fact, recently I was reading old entries and laughing at how funny I was.  Oh ho, me!  So funny to myself.

Since blogger changed to its new format, I've realized that fourteen of my posts are only drafts.  When I looked at them more closely, I realized most of didn't even get past the title.  Some of the subjects I remember, some I don't.  But since I'm never going to go back and finish them, I thought I would record the titles here for posterity.  Then I can delete them!  *rubs hands*  So, here are the blog posts that might have been:

"A List of", from 2008. 
I labeled this "Twilight" but it's actually a (long) list of complaints about the third X-Men movie.  Just because.
 
"This One or That One?" from 9/11/2008
No clue.  But it ALSO has a Twilight label. 
 
"A Boy Named Coop" from 9/24/2008
This was a collection of tales involving a very amusing young fellow that I met my last year at BYU.  His last name was Cooper, hence Coop.  This also inexplicably has a Twilight label.

"Distance: I Shake My Fist at Thee" from  2/18/2009
Surely related to Drewbles and the miles that separated us at the time.

"Blog Blahs: I Have Them" from 4/22/2009
Pretty self explanatory. 

"Water: There's so Much" from 7/1/2009
Probably related to how Finding Nemo made me afraid of open water.  Also possibly involving the Titanic exhibit I went to around this time.

"Dueling Lists" from 9/25/2009
No idea.

"Autumn!" from 10/2/2009
I dunno, probably something about spring or summer.  Maybe winter.

"(Untitled post)" from 11/3/2009
This happened to contain Drew's resume.  Why not, right?

"A Story: Part 1" from 12/10/09
But WHAT story??

"2009:It's Over" from 2009
That's true enough.

"Unemployment: It's a Lifestyle" from 1/22/2010
A lifestyle so accurately depicted in the fine film Post Grad.  (...)  This was actually mere days before my unemployment ended.  Maybe I should have written it earlier...

"In Which We Go to England: Part 3" from 8/2/2010
This one was posted so who knows what it's doing in my drafts.

"For my Special Little Friend" from 1/23/2011
I started this after my precious little Rosie cat passed away.  Then it was too hard.

If anything can be learned from this post it is that since early 2011 I have published all the post I started.  Surely that means I have become a better human being, right?  Smarter? More mature?  Better looking?  Let's just say yes.

Who's Hungry?

We eat food!  Here is what we have been eating lately: 

Tilapia burgers with watermelon salsa and avocado
Confession: this was the first time in my independent adult life that I made meat burgers of any kind.  Who knew you could make them with fish?  I was kind of grossed out by food processor-ing the fish but the end result was well worth it.  The watermelon salsa was an excellent addition.

Asiago portobello burgers with roasted red peppers + balsamic glaze
I think my mushroom love has been pretty well established by now.  These were so fast, easy and tasty, plus the English muffin was an interesting twist.  I'll admit that every time I read the words "balsamic glaze" I just get out the ol' Newman's Own balsamic vinaigrette.  I enjoy making easy things easier for myself (usually).

Roasted strawberry, brie and chocolate grilled cheese
I like to think I'm willing to try just about any grilled cheese combination at least once.  And I like to think I'll be trying this one more in the future.  It's hardly your everyday grilled cheese but it's fun for a more celebratory occasion (like finishing moving).

Roasted tomato caprese grilled cheese
Remember that thing I said about balsamic glaze?  Yep.   

Reuben dip
While I cannot abide rye bread, I love all the other ingredients in a reuben.  This was a fun way to eat them.  I also tried this recipe and, while good, I preferred the stronger reuben taste over the cream cheese taste. 

Pizza dip
We MIGHT have had dip for dinner one night.  Actually, that is not true.  We had PIZZA for dinner, followed by multiple dips.  The series finale of Veronica Mars calls for such extravagances!  Anyhoo, good dip.  

New York-style bagels
Long ago, in the shadowy days of my youth, my mama made bagels.  They were delicious but I think she thought they weren't worth the work because we never made them again.  I've been haunted by the deliciousness of those bagels and finally I made some myself.  SO worth the work.   And actually, they weren't very hard or time-consuming either.  (In my mama's defense, we made many more bagels that day than I did, plus I don't have four kids.)

Peach and crème fraîche pie 
My latest pie endeavor.  Side note: I think I am finally getting the hang of making pretty-ish crusts!  This was a great summery pie that was actually fairly simple to make.  I took the make-your-own crème fraîche route and used the sour cream method.  I also tried the buttermilk method and...that attempt is still in the fridge, refusing to thicken.

Chocolate Quake Cake
Ah, quake cake.  So good I made it twice.  Sometimes I think about making just the frosting and eating it for dinner (along with some dips of course).

So, does anyone have any good recipes to share?  I don't use pinterest because, honestly, I am already prone to being overwhelmed enough in my life.  I don't need or want an entire internet's worth of recipes...but I'm always interested in personal recommendations.

Awesome Things, or, In Which I Ramble About Stuff

Have you ever been sitting in a public place and suddenly heard a sound like a tiny Godzilla cry?  That happened to me, just this very minute.  I'm going to take it as a sign that this blog post will be as epic as a gigantic reptile creature bent on massive destruction.

I like making lists.  I also like other stuff.  Sometimes these likes come together and I write a blog post dedicated solely to things I am currently liking a lot.  That's what this post is!  It has no other purpose.  

(Did anyone else read that last line with Aragorn's voice?  "It has no other master.")

Here's stuff I like lately:

The Amazing Spider-man!  I feel I should declare my love for it publicly, since people keep not believing me when I say it's my favorite movie of 2012 and I want to watch it everyday and I want to put Andrew Garfield in my pocket.  I (completely unexpectedly) loved it!  It's true.  It's true, I swear!

Strangeland!  I want to put this in my pocket next to Andrew Garfield.  He can keep pressing play for me.

Veronica Mars!  We just finished watching it recently (Drewbles had never seen) and every time I rewatch it I love it all over again.  And hey, Veronica would probably actually fit in my pocket too.  Two words: huevos rancheros.

Sherlock!  Need more be said?  I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of season 2 uponst my doorstep.

(We watched the second Sherlock Holmes movie the other day...I spent most of it killing Mephisto in Diablo II.  Need more be said?)

Summer!  I know summer has its sweaty inconveniences, but overall I think it has a lot of fun things to offer and this has been a great summer so far, full of fun and new things.  That said, I am very glad we have air conditioning--and a hearty supply of otter pops to keep Drewbles going.

Last and by no means least, is this beautiful thing:

Look at it big!  Giggle and flail over the anticipation!  Then put something awesome in your pocket. 

Keen

We saw Keane last night!  Here is how it happened: Drewbles heard someone mention the upcoming show on the radio.  He mentions this to me.  I say "Let's go!" in a squeaky sigh.  Drewbles investigates tickets.  Drewbles scores tickets for $10 each.  Huzzah!  So off we went.

We decided to be extra adventurous and take the Trax up to Salt Lake.  It was more uneventful than adventurous but mostly it was successful.  We arrived, staked out our bit of grass and got a dinner of concession food (pizza and nachos--both winners).

 

 
First Kiev played.  Look at them, playing music and stuff.

 

  
Then after a while Keane came out to play!  Let me say now that I fully admit to not being any kind of dedicated music person.  I don't spend much (=any) time finding new music peeps and I don't really care about seeing people in concert.  It's just not really a big thing for me.  But that said, I did get rather giggly when they came out, maybe because I love Strangeland SO much.  

Anyway, hello, Keane!  Let's be BFF.  

Here's a bunch of pictures:

(Did I mention that there were two very tall people in front of us?  Luckily they sat down for a lot of it.)

I liked their show so much that I even shelled out for the overpriced t-shirt.  Doesn't that say it all?  I confess I was a little nervous--you never know how someone's going to be live--but I was not disappointed.  (Phew.)  You know who else wasn't disappointed?  The mom in her khaki capris and cardigan who was REALLY excited to be there.  Also the dancing guy in the football jersey and black pleated skirt.  In other words, a good time was had by all the different types of people in attendance.   

As a bonus, now Drewbles is their biggest fan ever and they are his most favorite people in the world.  Well, that might be an exaggeration, but he has been won over.  Win win! 

Now, what's that mysterious ticking noise?  It's the countdown until August when we'll go see Harry and the Potters AND Potter Puppet Pals.  Ohhhhhh yeahhhhhhh!

A Place for the Living

More real life stuff!  We moved.  Drew already covered the outside area so I thought I would do a little tour of the innards.  So...here are the innards!  We'll start with the living room:

There's plenty of room for, you know, sitting on the couch.  Clearly most of our pillows have not gotten on board our UK theme but 1 out of 5 is, um, some low percentage.  

Next is one of my favorite rooms--the kitchen!  And it has counter and cabinet space to spare. 

It is such a delight to be able to throw things hither and thither while making dinner.  

Speaking of dinner, we have a new table and now it's no longer a choice between eating at the table or watching TV during dinner.  Now we have our cake and eat it too.

 As you can see, Toothless watches over us.  Now let us go upstairs!

It is fun to have stairs!  Sometimes I drop something upstairs or stomp around and, for a brief moment, wonder if the people downstairs heard.  Then I remember that only Drew is downstairs and he'll just have to DEAL WITH IT. 

Ahem.  

At the top of the stairs we have our children's library.  

So far one visiting child has taken advantage of it so we will call it a success.  

We also have a bathroom.  

It has a mirror in it!  And toothbrushes.

Lucky little squire Drew now has his own office room for work.  Gone are the days of having a kitchen table office, which is a win-win-win. 

If we were the kind of people to use the term, we would perhaps call this his "man cave."  As it is, we call it the office.  

One of the biggest upgrades here is that no only do we have laundry capabilities, but we have a laundry capabilities ROOM.    

Huzzah!

We also have a bedroom!  It features a window nook that is the perfect size for our new dresser.  Did I mention we recently went to IKEA...?

Yes, come morning it is very bright in there.  We are currently pondering curtains, though I always hate to cover nice big windows.  

This room also features a closet, with plenty of room to accommodate both of our wares.

 

I like not digging around in the dark to find my running stuff.  Actually, I like not digging around period.

And thus concludes the tour!  Of course it's best appreciated in person, where you can see other features like the backyard space, pantry and window seat/ledge/thing.  We are happily settled in and every time the dishwasher/laundry/AC run we do a high five.  Eiffel tower!