I'm Back!

Apparently going on vacation was just too much for me and I never found my way back to the blog this fall!

With the holiday break from school and work, as well as the end of 2013 and beginning of a new year, I'm going to try to recap a lot of the highlights of 2013 like our vacations and holidays and get back in the kitchen!

#tbt - South Dakota State Fair

Labor Day weekend for several years was incredibly occupied with the South Dakota State Fair.  It made for a ridiculously busy weekend with more sheep shows than I can count, but a lot of fun.  And, of course, baby sister and I had fun goofing around to break the tension.

 

These pictures are, I think, from the 2008 State Fair, the summer I graduated from high school and about a week before I moved to California to start college.

 



#tbt - Bruce

Bruce [Almighty/the shark from "Finding Nemo"] was my favorite ram.  I realize how weird that sounds, but it's true.  The big guy had a special place in our hearts, and our show schedule!

 

This summer of showing (2007) was made more interesting by the fact that I had recently had ACL reconstructive surgery and was still wearing a huge knee brace. 

 

This picture of me with Bruce and baby sister was taken just inside the barn in Parker, South Dakota at the Turner County Fair - The 4 Best Days of Summer.  I don't even know what to do with myself the 3rd week of August now that I'm away, since every year that I can remember through 2011 was spent there.



#tbt Paris 2008

I'm about to leave for a European vacation and I couldn't be more excited!  In honor of this trip, I dug out a picture of me taken at the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France when I was there just over 5 years ago. 

I met a few great guys from Texas in the Louvre one evening.  We instantly hit it off and had fun exploring Paris together over the next few days.  One of them snapped this photo of me.  I was having such a great time, and I can't wait for my next European adventures!

#tbt Besties in Chicago

One of my best friends from home, KT, is a wonderful young woman that I've known since I was just a young pup.  She and I have definitely had our differences over the years, including most of high school, but we managed to grow closer than ever even with the physical distance of me moving to California.

She is constantly inspiring me.  Just this year, she had a beautiful baby boy, graduated from nursing school, passed her boards, and started work as an RN.  She's marrying a wonderful man in a few months, and I can't wait to help them celebrate their day.

The wedding is less than two months away, and I can't wait!  While I'm beside myself with excitement, I'll share an oldie but a goodie of the two of us in Chicago as high school juniors right before we saw "Wicked."

Lasagna rolls

I love love love lasagna.  And I actually really like making lasagna, surprisingly.  However, I know it's not very healthy for me once I load it up with lots of cheese, sauce, and noodles.  I decided to try something more portable to bring in my lunches at work and dinners during grad school, and also a more healthy spin on one of my faves. 

These turned out even better than I expected!  This recipe is definitely a keeper.

Ingredients:

• 1 box whole grain lasagna noodles
• 15 oz. ricotta cheese
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 10 oz. package frozen spinach, thawed
• Marinara sauce

Directions:
Add lasagna noodles to a large pot of salted boiling water.  Cook until al dente, 12-15 minutes, then drain in a colander.
Thaw spinach in the microwave then squeeze out as much water as possible by placing it between paper towels.  Add ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, egg, and spinach to a bowl and combine with a little salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease glass casserole dish with cooking spray.
Lay out noodles.  Spread filling across noodles, getting it all the way to edges.  Roll each noodle up and place in the casserole dish.
Pour a layer of marinara sauce over rolls.
Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Adapted from Budget Bytes

 

Weezer date night!

When I heard that Weezer was coming to the Bay Area, I knew I had to go!  I mentioned something about it to Tall Dark and Nerdy one night, saying I was going to try to get two tickets and just worry about finding someone to go with me as it got closer.  He got super excited, and I knew it was going to make for a fun night together.

This was my first time seeing Weezer.  It was also our first time going to a concert together.  AND it was our first time in the new - but temporary :( - America's Cup Pavilion.

 

We caught the train together up to the city, then got to experience the "Dirty 30" bus ride across town, and had a nice walk along the piers together.  America's Cup Pavilion is on two of the piers in San Francisco, so it's right along the water - although you can't see the water.

 

It was a little chilly, and the fog rolled in near the end of the opener's set.  By the end of the show, it was almost misting on us, but it was wonderful!  Weezer definitely lived up to the high expectations I had for them!  I also love that the lead singer's style is and always has been "nerd."  He's in the perfect place!

 

After the concert, we went for a walk and a beer with a couple that we're friends with and were also at the show, before cabbing it back across the city to the train and my nap on the way home.

#tbt - My Maria

I can't believe this girl is getting married on Saturday!  Maria and I have known each other most of our lives, and I wish we could spend more time together now.  And I really wish I could be there to help her celebrate her big day.

 

I still love this picture of us because it reminds me of such a great day we spent together.  These were taken at an SDSU football game on my 18th birthday.  Go Jacks!

Butterscotch Neimans

I have recently become a big fan of butterscotch.  Anything with melty butterscotch chips is good in my book.

Naturally, when I came across a butterscotch-y recipe on one of my favorite blogs Mix and Match Mama, I couldn't wait for an occasion to try them!

That occasion was Tall Dark and Nerdy coming home from a weekend backpacking trip.  Not much of an occasion, but enough to warrant fresh-baked sweet treats!

Man, these did not disappoint!  Plus, TDN and I made a wonderful discovery:  his favorite parts of cakes, bars, etc. are the crunchy corners...mine are the middle pieces.  Perfect match! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 bag butterscotch chips (2 cups)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 13"x9" pan and set aside.
For crust, combine cake mix, 2 eggs, and butter in medium-sized bowl.  Spread in bottom of pan.
Melt 1 cup of chips in microwave, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds.
Combine powdered sugar, remaining 2 eggs, cream cheese, and melted butterscotch chips with electric mixer until smooth.  Stir in remaining butterscotch chips.
Bake 35-40 minutes.  Edges should be a little brown.
Cool 30 minutes, then refrigerate.

Borrowed from Mix and Match Mama

Turning 5, the pirate way

One of my favorite munchkins just celebrated his 5th birthday and I was so happy to be a part of it.

Apparently, he's really into pirates and horses right now.  So we celebrated by having a picnic at a polo match, then cake back at their home.

A family friend baked a wonderful orange dreamsicle island cake, with a treasure chest cake on the side.  Delicious AND beautiful!

The fake septum piercing really made the party.  But he found it very uncomfortable, so I was lucky to get a picture snapped before it came off!

#tbt - Medicine ball trouble

Now that my knee is mostly recovered, I have started a new weight lifting program of sorts thanks to Mik, my personal personal trainer :)

 

Any type of weight lifting gives me flashbacks to my time on the Stanford Women's Rowing team.  We were an uncoordinated bunch, and our strength coach tried to fix that by making us throw medicine balls around all the time - at walls, at the floor, at each other.  I'm still a little hesitant to use medicine balls in the gym.

 

Someone snapped this gem during weights my freshman year as I was doing a killer ab exercise with a medicine ball and one of my team captains.

 

Spicy Taco Bake

There are so many yummy variations on tacos.  My sophomore year of college, Mik and I lived in an apartment together and our most requested dish was my taco salad.  We may or may not have eaten it a little too often, so I've taken a break from taco salad.  This dish might become my new taco go-to, it was so easy and so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 3 flour tortillas (8")
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet spicy taco seasoning
• water
• 3/4 cup salsa con queso
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used the Mexican blend)

Directions:

Brown ground beef on stove.  Empty excess grease.  Add taco seasoning.  Fill seasoning packet with water, add to meat.  Follow directions on packet (bring to boil, then simmer).

Turn off heat.  Add in salsa con queso (I used medium salsa con queso with spicy taco seasoning and it had some good heat, use mild if you don't want it so spicy) and combine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a round 8-inch pan.  Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, then add in 1/3 of the cheesy meat, top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.  Repeat until all 3 layers are finished.

Bake 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and edges begin to brown.

Slice and serve with sour cream and diced tomatoes on top.

 

Adapted from The Country Cook

I love Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite places.  It's the place in California that makes me feel like I'm back home in some of the ways that I miss.  I absolutely love all the weekends I get to spend there with my Tall Dark and Nerdy, like this one in June. 

We get out of the car when we first arrive on Friday night and I spend my first several minutes in Tahoe just staring at the stars.  I spent countless nights growing up lying in a pasture or yard and staring at the stars, so it's nice to get that feeling again.

 

 I also love being near water.  I think I can blame that on my time rowing for Stanford, and on my water-loving roomie Mik.  Lakes don't get much prettier than Tahoe.  This trip was my first time being in Tahoe in the actual summertime, and it did not disappoint!  The water was cold, but it was beautiful, with three distinct colors of blue in layers.








Something about Tahoe makes me want to be adventurous.  I get there and I want to snowboard, hike, kayak, paddleboard, and do anything else I can try!

TDN also planned for us to watch the sunset at Emerald Bay, which has special sentimental value for me.  I saw a photograph of Emerald Bay last year over graduation weekend when TDN, Grams, baby sister, Papa Rist, and I were looking through a gallery.  I looked at TDN and said I wanted to go there - and had no idea where it was!  Over my birthday weekend (3 months later), he planned for us to spend an afternoon at Emerald Bay, and when I looked confused about what that was, he reminded me of the photograph.  He is so thoughtful.  That makes every visit to Emerald Bay special to me.

Any day that ends in s'mores is a great day for me, and this was no exception!

#tbt - First day at Stanford

Now that I'm a few weeks into graduate school, I have been reflecting a lot on the last time I started school - nearly 5 years ago when I began my freshman year at Stanford University.

 

This photo was taken by one of my roommates' parents, right after we all got there and moved in.  I couldn't have been luckier with the roommates I was given for my freshman year.  We had a wonderful year, and Mik and I essentially lived together all through our undergrad experience and miss her every day now that we live more than a couple feet apart.

 

Butterscotch protein bites

After how successful my protein bite adventure was, I decided to try another variation.  They're not even cold yet, and I already know I like them!

Tall Dark and Nerdy has been trying to eat a little healthy since he got home from Nepal, and I know how bad his sweet tooth is for my baked treats, so I'm trying to make healthier treats so I can support him in this.  This is the perfect snack for the sweet tooth when we're trying to eat somewhat-healthy foods.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 1/3 cup unsalted cashews
• 1/3 cup butterscotch chips
• 3 1/2 - 4 Tablespoons simple syrup (1 part water to 1 part sugar)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Directions:
Combine oats, cashews, and butterscotch chips in blender or food processor, and run until it's near a flour consistency.
Add remaining ingredients, combine using blender, food processor, or hands.
Roll into small balls.  If mixture is too dry, add more simple syrup.
Place balls in a wax paper-lined container.  Refrigerate or freeze.

Adapted from Sunday Baker

Three more concerts!

This has been such a fun last month!  Margo and I saw three more great shows at the Rodeo Club:

Jason Michael Carroll

 

 

 Craig Campbell 

 

 

 And Lauren Alaina

 

Margo and I have so much fun together, and these shows are no exception!  I even got a little two-steppin in with Kev before the Lauren Alaina show!

#tbt - July 4th 2009

In honor of the holiday happening to fall on a Thursday this year, I thought I'd dig out a July 4th throwback.  This is from the summer after my freshman year f college when I went back to SD for the summer.  Papa Rist and I rode the motorcycle up to Watertown and spend the day on Lake Kampeska with my godparents, family, and friends.  This photo was snapped near the end of the night, sitting on the dock watching the fireworks.

Gluten-free cheesecake bites

When Tall Dark and Nerdy was coming home from his 5-week trip, I was so excited to see him and spend time with him.  I've also been told that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach - something I like to practice constantly. Because of this, I decided it was time for another cheesecake adventure.

This time, I went with bite-size cheesecake so it would be easy to take a few to TDN's house and to an "Arrested Development" viewing party I was going to.  They were so delicious and so portable - a total win.

Ingredients:
Crust

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tablespoons sugar

Raspberry puree

• 1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries
• 2 Tablespoons sugar

Filling

• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, room temperature

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line cupcake pans with liners.
In small bowl, combine crust ingredients with a fork until moistened and well-blended.  Spoon 1 Tbsp into each liner, then press down with a drinking glass.  Bake 5 minutes.
Combine raspberries and sugar for puree in blender until smooth.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.  Blend in sugar until smooth.  Mix in salt and vanilla, then beat in eggs slowly one at a time.
Spoon cheesecake batter over crust into each cupcake liner.  Dot raspberry puree in a few dots on top.  Using a toothpick, lightly swirl puree through the top of the cheesecake filling.
Fill a large pyrex dish with hot water and place on bottom shelf of oven.  Bake 22 minutes on middle shelf until filling is set, rotating pans halfway through.  Transfer to cooling rack until room temperature, then refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Adapted from Annie's Eats

The cutest karaoke

A few weeks ago, I went to a going-away dinner for a wonderful family.  They were the Resident Fellow family in Murray House at Stanford, where I lived and was on staff my junior and senior year.  They were like my family out here, and I don't know how I could have gotten through some hard times without them.

 

They have three kids, two girls and a boy.  When I first moved into the house, their boy had just turned 2, and we hit it off right away.  For the next two years, he told everyone he was my boyfriend, and it could not have been cuter.  I am also lucky enough to be his teacher, so I've really been able to watch him grow in many ways. 

 

Now that he is about to turn 5, we're "just friends" so that he can have other girlfriends.  Yes, I was friend-zoned by a 4-year-old.

 

Anyway, at the going-away dinner for his family, some old staff members set up karaoke.  Little man got up there and sang "twinkle, twinkle, little star" and it was the cutest thing I've ever seen.  He didn't know the words to the second verse - who does? - and couldn't read them, so his sister helped.

 

I'm sure going to miss him when he heads to kindergarten in the fall!

 

#tbt - Frosh Formal

Stanford graduation was a week and a half ago. 

This fact has left me feeling a little old.  I have officially been out of college for over a year.

This picture is a classic from my freshman year at Stanford - dancing down the hallway of my frosh dorm (Roble!) before Frosh Formal.

Protein bites

This was one of my most adventurous concoctions so far, and it was so fun and such a success!  I had been seeing recipes for months for "energy bites" and "oat balls" and "pregnancy cookie dough" and liked parts of them all, but thought this was a great opportunity to make something perfectly me.

I could not have been happier with how these turned out!  They tasted like a cross between a peanut butter and honey sandwich - one of my childhood favorites - and oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough.  How could I not love these?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup oats
• 3 Tablespoons chia seeds
• 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Run oats and chia seeds through blender or food processor until smooth and floury.  Add cashews and blend until the large chunks are broken up.
Add to medium bowl with all other ingredients.  Combine well.
Roll into bite-size balls.  Place in waxed paper-lined container.  Refrigerate or freeze.

Adapted from Smashed Peas and Carrots, Sunday Baker, and Super Healthy Kids.

My first adventure in Yosemite

It's been hard for everyone around me to believe that I had lived in the Bay Area almost five years and hadn't made it to Yosemite National Park yet. 

I started having a hard time believing it, too, after awhile!  Luckily, I got the opportunity to experience Yosemite for the first time a couple weeks ago, thanks to TDN - of course.

TDN's aunt and uncle were in town and wanted to see it, so we were excited to be able to show it to them.  We had a beautiful drive in and saw some great scenery, like Mono Lake - a really cool salt lake on the way in.

There was also a waterfall on the way into the park that apparently makes for good winter ice climbing...not sure if I'll be trying that!

 

Once we were in the park, we checked out the view from Olmsted Point and got our first glimpse of Half Dome. 

TDN and I also got to goof around a little bit together climbing up and down the point on what looked like a huge staircase!

 

My little buddy Max was with me most of the day, and took multiple car naps on my feet.  I just love him.

Bridal Veil Falls...with a lot of wind blowing near the top.  I love waterfalls, and this one did not disappoint!

Our first view of Yosemite Falls while standing on the banks of the Merced River.

Yosemite Falls from the Valley.  It was mid-afternoon and the thunderstorms were starting to roll in on top of the mountains while it was a beautiful June day down here.

 Looking back across the Valley.  It was so lush and green and beautiful!

I told TDN that we should probably take a picture in front of something at some point in the day - you know, do that couple-y thing - to appease my Grams, since she thinks he is great and loves seeing pictures of us together.

We made it to the most well-known view of Yosemite - Tunnel View.  This view starred in Ansel Adams's work, and it is breathtaking.  El Capitan is on the far left, Half Dome is to its right in the back, and Bridal Veil Falls is in the middle of the photo. 

Our last stop in the park was Mariposa Grove - the home of some of California's majestic Giant Sequoias.  This particular tree is named the Grizzly Giant...both words are very fitting!

Tall Dark and Nerdy and I went a little farther into the grove after his aunt and uncle headed back to the car.  It was a beautiful little late-afternoon hike together, and I had so much energy that we decided to turn the last of the trail into a nice run - now that my knee is healed and I can do that again!  The last named tree(s) we saw was the Faithful Couple - two trees that grew together in the coolest way.

 

I can't believe I waited this long to experience Yosemite!  It is so beautiful, and now I can't wait until I can go on a backpacking trip there!