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...was my last Tuesday at KPA.
...is the day I WILL finish up my current freelance project.
...feels like summer.
...I ate a cupcake at the Cupcake Cafe. I highly recommend it.
...I had a Strawberry Goodness smoothie for dinner. MMMMmmm.
...is 6 days away from our closing date.
...is 8 days away from move in!
...is the revival of interesting blog topics, and (hopefully) the end of life-changing (house-buying, job-switching) posts.
...I had an amazing new idea for our new office at the house.
...I learned about magnetic paint.
...I gained a new appreciation for Martha Stewart.
...Emmy and I walked to the fields and back.
...is going to end well, I can feel it.
...I cannot post without a picture! So here is a lovely shot of the German Chocolate cupcake from the Cupcake Cafe website. It might not be beautiful, but it sure was very tasty.
And I hate to break away from my "today" theme, but I must say... I am quite intrigued by the whole cupcake idea. Today I came across the Cupcake Bakeshop blog, and with my visit to the Cupcake Cafe and all... it seemed like a sign. I might just have to try my hand at these little wonders!
I have been collecting things to post about for a little while now. And I would so much rather write nice, separate blog entries for each... but as it goes... here I am "dumping" a whole load of random and unrelated blog topics into one big, fat post. Oh well!!
I finally have a legit sewing project to write about again... I made Emmy a new cover for her bed! The old one was definitely in need of retirement, and with summer here and all the fresh changes coming to our lives, I thought Emmy could just a little pick-me-up as well. So I headed to the fabric store and got an amazing print. It's big and bold and not at all what I had imagined for the new bed, but it fits our home and Emmy. As soon as I put the fabric down to measure... she plopped right on the bed. Her sign of approval I think. :)
Over the weekend Zack and I took a great trip to Taylor's Falls for some grilling and hiking. Em came along and thoroughly enjoyed swimming, rolling in the mud, and dragging me along the trail. We can't help but love her.
It was a really beautiful day on the St. Croix... One of those early summer days that makes you breath deep with anticipation of the months ahead. In case you don't know this about me... I love summer. I am a "summer girl" to the core... granted, the other seasons have their charm. But, let's all be honest here folks.... nothing beats a warm day out on the lake.
Over the weekend we also enjoyed a "real fire" (Jamie will know what I mean ;) at Como Park with the Schussmans. We made some fantastic s'mores and played a good game of bocce. It was a delightful way to spend a beautiful evening with good friends!
Zack and I have gotten really into smoothies lately. They are just so refreshing and good! I made these smoothies for dinner a few days ago. My recipe is simple and made-up, but oh-so-good.
Strawberry-Goodness Smoothies
- 3 bananas
- 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1-2 cups strawberry yogurt (or strawberry banana)
- 1 1/2 cup plain granola
- large dollop peanut butter
- 5-6 large, fresh strawberries
- milk
1) Combine in blender: 2 bananas, about 1 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 1 - 2 cups strawberry yogurt (I use the Danon light n'fit in the big container), 1 1/2 cup plain granola, large dollop peanut buttter (I use the a creamy, natural peanut butter), and milk. The milk is the last thing you add... I just pour it in until it is visually about 3/4 of the way up the blender. I know this is really winging it... basically add more if you like smoothies to be thinner, and less if you like them thick. :)
2) Blend on low. DO NOT over blend! The idea is to have these a little chunky. Which is why you see spoons in the photo.
3) Pour into two glasses.
4) Slice fresh strawberries and the last banana. Divide into cups.
5) Enjoy!! :D
Okay that is all folks! I have a few more things I want to write about... but I know I'll end up rambling, and I have to take off right now. It's 5 PM on a Thursday evening, and my weekend is about to begin!!
Last night I was out picking up some groceries for this week's small group meal. Zack and I are hosting this week, and as per the custom, the host couple plans the meal and makes the main dish. All the other couples bring items that will go along with that main dish. For example, this week Zack and I are making 2 egg bakes, and the couples are bringing hash browns, breakfast sausage, orange juice, fruit salad, monkey bread, and baked french toast. MMmmm... it's going to be good!
Anyways, in the process of searching for a good egg bake recipe, I realized that my very fave cookbook was lacking in that area. Which got me to thinking.... I could use a new cookbook. After my grocery shopping last night, on a whim, I swung into the local Good Will. I browsed the aisles at random, picking up this and that... not looking for anything in particular. Until I eventually ended up at the book section. The first book my eyes wandered to was The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, circa..... maybe 1950? I paged through the index, looked at the aged pages and the simple line drawn illustrations. Then, tucked in the middle of the book, I found a handwritten note with a menu jotted down. The handwriting was distinct, and I found myself more interested in the scrap of paper than the book itself. On it were written things like wassail, cheese olive bake, roast goose, yorkshire pudding, and creamed onions. A few pages later I found another piece of paper. This one was a church calendar from February 1965. Of course, I got the book. For $1.50.
The wealth of recipes is impressive, but it's the history that really intrigues me. I like old stuff.... stuff that has a story; stuff that is worn; stuff that has character. So... I am happy I wandered into Good Will last night, and pleased that I have a new (old) cookbook! It has a story, it's very worn, and it most definitely has character. Oh, and it has a great egg bake recipe!
I like to cook (sometimes). And I like to bake (when it doesn't burn). Recently, I have been doing quite a bit of cooking.... all in an effort to eat out less and consume more healthy foods. So far, so good. We have been dining on baked sweet potatoes, oven roasted asparagus, talapia, turbot, salad, pita sandwiches, and lots of fruit. The reward is a little more $$ in the bank and a little less, eh hem, "extra" around our waists.
The other night I whipped an easy, delish dinner. Here we have oven roasted asparagus, white rice (slightly salted/peppered, but not buttered), and broiled turbot fillets. I would have preferred brown rice, but at the moment, I couldn't find any in the cave I call my pantry. So, white sufficed. The turbot is pre-seasoned and I found it in the freezer section of our local Trader Joe's. Very good indeed. I didn't follow the package instructions because I wasn't smart enough to defrost the fillets ahead of time. SO I just brushed them with a teency bit of olive oil, put them in the oven (frozen solid) on broil, and kept a close eye on them. They turned out perfect... very moist and yummy. The asparagus is a new favorite. And it's so simple. See below:
Oven Roasted Asparagus. by Betsy
Buy a bundle of asparagus. Preheat oven to about 400. Rinse asparagus. Cut off ends (not the pretty end, the already cut end. Give it a fresh chop). Place asparagus in pan. I use a 9x13 cuz they fit very nicely. Add 1 tbs olive oil. Swish around so it coats the asparagus. Season. My favorites are pepper and seasoned salt. Zack has used a powered steak seasoning, which sounds very strange, but it was absolutely tasty. Any seasoning will do. Place in oven near top. Bake until they're done. About 15 minutes. Maybe? I just watch them 'till they are done. When they're done, they start to look shrively, but they still have a certain moistness to them. If they start to look dry, they're overcooked. Once they're done... serve them up and enjoy!
I also like to bake. Except when I burn things. Which is more often than I would like to admit. Initially, I was able to blame it all on my faulty oven. The thing was circa 1960 and it was clearly not functioning well. The thermostat was way off and I found myself cooking things in half the recommended time. That is, if they didn't burn first... which resulted in much frustration and an overall feeling of failure. Then, on a bright and shiny day, our landlords bought us a new oven and all my problems were solved! No more burning things in the oven! Everything went along beautifully for quite some time. Until... something inevitably burned. I couldn't blame it on the oven anymore. So in vain, I searched high and low for an excuse or a reason. At last... I came to the conclusion that I tend to burn things because I am just so darn productive. See, I am never just cooking. Inevitably, I am cooking, doing the laundry, watching the puppy, talking on the phone, washing the dishes, typing an email, and balancing a spoon on my nose. All of which leads to many things getting done, but not very well. Sigh. I am learning.
Here is a carrot cake that I baked yesterday (Zacky shredded most of the carrots for me :). I used a modified recipe from my fave cookbook, Betty Crocker's Cookbook: Bridal Edition. I got it for our wedding and it's my "go to" book for just about everything (although I love cookbooks and have many, this one takes the cake). The carrot cake turned out beautifully, and it is rich and moist. It is the perfect golden brown and I didn't burn it one bit (although... admittedly, I burned a batch of cookies that I was working on simultaneously). The cream cheese frosting is thick and smooth. Tonight I will share it with friends and indulge in dessert #1 of the week (I'm cutting back on sweets). Mmmmm.
Sidenote: Here is a sweet little story about the name "Betsy". My name is Bethany... Beth for short. But from the time I was a wee little one, my dear mother has called me Betsy. She is the only one to have done so, and secretly, I have always loved that nickname. It's not sugary, but it has a certain charm to it, and it brings me back to days of golden curls, sticky fingers, and puppy dogs. The shortened version of Bets came along as I grew up. But still, on certain days, in certain circumstances, I get called Betsy by my mum, and I always love it. ;)
