finding friday: angelica's birthday

I found this little lovely party invite three years ago on main street in park city after a day of skiing with mr rad dog himself, mike. (btw, mike, are you still out there???) it made me happy that her birthday party was two full days long. she must be one cool chick. it made me sad that we had missed it. we were skiing the PC pow on april 9th. total bummer.

oh, this isn't yours?

as you can see I work with the cream of society. not only do I have to deal with subarctic temperatures and unsafe working conditions, but I have to deal with my fellow warehouse employees. and sometimes they're just not that nice.

every morning I have the joy of discovering what's missing from my desk. will it be my garbage can? my favorite sharpie? my chair?! usually it's just my box cutter and/or radio. so what's a street tough girl to do in the slums of bcdc? threaten her coworkers with the ill-effects of karma that's what. yeah, it doesn't seem to work so much.

one morning, soon after I had written the lovely note atop my mini radio pictured above, I came to work and found my radio missing. again. after searching all over, I found it about fifteen work stations away. it was obviously someone on the night crew who stole it, so I left a lovely little post-it-note. you better believe it had something to do with disrespecting the property of others and bad karma and all that good stuff. and can you believe it, the next morning I found a post-it-note at my desk! it enraged me + made me laugh all at the same time. seriously. I wish I had kept it. kept both of them for that matter. they couldn't believe I was "bringing karma into this." it was "just a radio, after all." and besides, they "put it back where they found it." oh really? they did?! that's why I found it five hundred feet away at their desk?! the nerve of some people. didn't they see my notes? oh, this isn't yours? then please don't take it. thanks! and the do not take from this spot! sounds pretty serious too. unfortunately I didn't want to start a post-it-note war over this. . .

now I've just resorted to taking the cord and hiding it, and hiding all other valuables, before I leave each day. these people cannot be trusted.

how do you bake your potato?

seriously, how do you bake your potato?

I always figured there was one way to do it: wrap it up in tin foil and throw it in your oven. then about a month or so ago I was looking online to try and find an approximate cooking time + oven temp and came across a website that told me I didn't need to even use tin foil. brilliant! I thought to myself. I can save our natural resources one potato at a time.

see, the trick is poking all the holes in the potato (obviously--we don't want exploded potato guts all over the oven), rubbing it in olive oil, sprinkling a little salt all over it and then placing it right on the rack. no pan, no tin foil, nothing.


baked potatoes sans foil are crispier on the outside and oh so soft on the inside. but y'all probably already knew that.

image via.
photos deserving of an honorable mention:
mr. potato head goes home. he looks so happy among his kin.
the evolution of the potato. doin' darwin proud.
the bumper crop. it reminds me a little of these guys.

oh happy day

what a wonderful day. it only comes around every four years (but apparently not in 1900--who knew!) so live it up. make some predicitions on this extra day. make some resolutions. do something hard. take a leap of faith.

what will the next four years have in store for you?

hopefully laughter.
hopefully sunshine.
hopefully progress.
hopefully love.

image via

finding friday: identity theft

I found this on the street just south of the public library. it is identity theft in action. the numbers have been blurred to protect the innocent. it was kind of crazy when I first found this, though, because a lot of the names on there are very similar to people I know--people associated with the camp I work at. but it's not those people, don't worry. it's pretty scary nonetheless to think your sensitive information could be laying in a gutter somewhere. no good can come from that. {unless the good is a finding friday blog post}

magical bakeware

have you all seen this? it's magic. rubber bakeware that goes in your oven. and doesn't melt. how does it do it, you may be wondering? the magic of modern science, I suppose. really, to me it just breaks all the rules of the universe. isn't rubber supposed to get all melty and gooey at high temps? oh, it is also non-stick and since you can twist and turn it, your baked goods plop out easily. truly, truly magic.

silicone: not just for the shallow set; also for the baking set.

I hear this is from my sister inlaw's family recipe collection. they are super yummy and very treaty. if you're looking for all that great taste but a little less guilt, try them without the topping. they are that good. {but who can resist a crumbly topping? oats + brown sugar + butter were meant to be. what a powerhouse trio. so irresistible.}

lovin' the love swap

okay, okay. I've been quite the little blog slacker as of late. and not to mention swap slacker. I really shouldn't be allowed to participate in these things because I am quite delinquent it turns out. my procrastination gets the better of me. I'm so sorry little swap world.

I fell in love with this swap because of the above love sparkler photo. sparkling love on fire is just about the best kind of love around. holly, who I actually met doing another swap months ago, had posted about it and as my motto states, I had to do it for love. so I signed up.

I was absolutely delighted to get my little package in the mail. this is why I love swaps--the fun little surprises on my doorstep. {so much better than bills and junk} wende sent me her favorite movie, pride and prejudice; lovely little chocolates, her fave granola [not in photo] which I love; kissy stickers; and the best of all things ever--the scrabble tile stickers. thank you, wende! you rocked the love swap!

well, needless to say holly finally received her swap package a few days ago. again, sorry for the delay. am glad she loved my love items as well.

finding friday: stranded, not allowed to have a girl

{text on the left}
smoker, to.
roman catholic,
montana.

honest and trusted
in bussinesses.
could you
spair a few
dollars to buy
food I am
stranded in
city traveling

north to
organ on foot
not from utha.

HUNGY.

man oh man does this guy not like salt lake city or what. probably because he's not allowed to have a girl for years. that's gotta be rough.

but I don't really get this. was this just his rough draft for the cardboard sign he'd be holding by the side of the freeway off-ramp? or was he actually showing this to people passing by on the street as he sat in front of the mall? was the no girl thing supposed to garner sympathy translating into more dollars? 'cause his whole honest and trusted in bussinesses, I need food 'cause I'm stuck here in a city I hate thing is a little too small and illegible. I'm hoping this is just his rough draft. he could definitely work on it.

my future food

{hard at work in the garden}

garden team get ready, soon it will be time to get your hands dirty, preparing that land for our future food. right now it is time to plan the layout + the goods. seeds are in the stores. spring is around the corner. the days are getting longer + warmer. I am excited for the community garden this year.

in other good news, I got the word from borksi farms today that we're in for this growing season's CSA. I couldn't be happier.

finding friday: the ducks in my lake

out of all the ducks in
my lake I choose you
to take __________

. . .to the dance?

kids, this is a creative date invite in it's early stages. I hope (s)he put a live duck with the little poem. I'd go out with a guy who gave me a live duck. {well. . . okay, so I don't know if I really would or not. live duck? don't they have diseases or something? maybe just the ones from the liberty park pond. . .} my favorite creative date invite I ever did was when I taped a bunch (or was it just one?) of snickers candy bars to a piece of paper and on the front it said, "find my name." I don't think I even made up some cheesy saying to go with the candy bar. oh and then the best part is that my name wasn't hidden in some secret locale. all you had to do was flip the paper over and there it was. plain and simple. I think the guy appreciated it. he was random like that. my least favorite creative date reply was from a boy who will remain anonymous {according to his valedictorian speech, he might be a world dominator some day. and we'll all be working for him. it was a pretty scary speech.} it was for the halloween dance. he gutted a pumpkin and then put in a lot of different stuff. gross stuff. like smells like puke stuff. let's just say this wasn't a very fun date for many various reasons. favorite moment, however, was calling the cops on the rest of our group. I should tell you all about that someday. . .

diy shakes {the manly approach}

directions:
01. get out your power tools.
02. attach beater to drill.
03. place ice cream of choice into large cup
04. pour in favorite mix-ins (fresh--or frozen--strawberries + bananas, chocolate malt mix, etc)
05. add milk until desired consistency
06. drill mix the heck out of your concoction.
07. serve, and enjoy!

*the perfect treat for surprise birthday parties

I wanna rock and roll all day. . . and party every night.

it seems I've been partying non-stop this entire weekend. bringing in my 30th year in style. if a weekend is any indicator of a year, 29 won't be so bad. not so bad at all.

it all started when peter picked me up from hot yoga on friday. with food on our minds we ended up at barbacoa for fat burritos in our stomachs. he mentioned there was a band playing at kilby court who I'd probably like. it was some good old fashioned americana folk rock. it was leslie and the badgers.

and oh my goodness was he ever right. they were amazing musicians with a fun + funky style. check them out, please! {if not here --I especially love old timers-- then here, here, and here!} I am smitten with leslie and her badgers. just absolutely smitten.

at exactly 12 o'clock am, the very minute my birthday began, we watched one of my favorite movies on the big screen. while leaving barbacoa's I saw up on the marquee, in big bright lights, that the 'burbs was the midnight show at the tower. oh my goodness, I screamed so loudly with excitement! if you didn't know already, I absolutely just love this movie. such a classic. favorite line: [chanting] I wanna kill everyone, satan is good, satan is my pal. {okay, so if you've never seen the movie you might think that's a little weird to be my favorite line. I don't really like satan, and he is definitely not my pal. but I just love it in context. such a funny moment.} we had to struggle just to make it--let's be honest, I'm practically falling asleep at ten o'clock every night--but make it we did. I even stayed awake through most of the movie! (don't worry, I've seen it before. I know how it ends.) seriously, killer movie. (get it? killer movie. . .)


I woke up to a kiss from peter as he was saying goodbye. "I'm going skiing now!" I looked at him suspiciously, "but you're wearing jeans. . ." he then gave me some story about backcountry skiing and having to take all his gear. yeah, not buying it. I knew something was up. he left, then I dragged my birthday butt out of bed. after doing my happy birthday ten miler I came home to find this surprise party: a homemade breakfast {german pancakes} made by peter and a pile of presents.


but the surprise parties did not end there, oh no. peter had planned and pulled off a complete party without my knowledge. (if you remember the costa rica surprise, you'll know that's quite a feat!) I had no idea. {he is amazing.} he got me out of the house because we needed to go to the grocery store. I didn't even notice all the extra cars in our parking lot behind the apartment. not until I stepped in my house and the lights came on and I saw all the cute smiling faces of some of my neartest + dearest did I have any clue. I was in shock. it was the best surprise ever. and a fun, fun party. we even made my favorite shakes! strawberry + banana, a true love story.

the parties haven't seemed to end, either. tonight was a fabulous valentine party hosted by the fabulous marta. holiday cookies + beans spilled everywhere. oh, and some great jokes from the peanut gallery.

what a fantastic weekend. . . do I really have to go back to work tomorrow?

bake room yoga

salt lake city bikram yoga

many people started this year with a word. a mantra that would take them from where they are to where they want themselves to be. what they want to embody. what they want to strive for. recently, I have found my word.

release.

I want to release myself from self-doubt. I want to release myself from a body that is holding me back. I want to embrace what I have been given, where I am right now, acknowledge it and then find a way to push past it. I have been held hostage by tight muscles for far too long. it is time to release. it is time to let my body relax. let the tissue elongate and really start to stretch for the first time.

I am throwing myself full-force into yoga. bikram yoga. as peter likes to call it, bake room yoga, or sauna yoga. I just like to call it hot yoga. plain and simple. it is what it is. in a one-hundred degree room your muscles loosen, your body opens. sweat is pouring out of every inch of your body. it is cleansing + exhausting + energizing. as in the words of the yoga teacher, it is magical.

super bowl, super yum!

even though I love tom brady and the pats, I was rooting for eli and the giants the whole time. hey, I'm a sucker for an underdog. and I just love the mannings. peyton won last year, eli wins this year. it's what dreams are made of.

final score: giants 17 | pats 14


the recipe below is for vlo. he just couldn't get enough of the dip. {and here's the recipe for the crackers} thanks for coming m + v -- and thanks for that fruit tray! the carbonated kiwi was a hit! -- you made the party a party. {we sure did miss you e + p}


Best Ever Spinach Artichoke Dip
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
* 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
* 1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 1 cup Alfredo sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small casserole dish, mix the spinach, artichoke hearts, cheese, mayonnaise, and Alfredo sauce.
3. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly bubbly and lightly browned.

february second: day of the groundhog.

I don't know if that little rat-dog, the groundhog saw his shadow today or not.

but I certainly did.

what does that tell us?

it tells us that it's the beginning of freaking february and we sure as heck have more winter ahead of us. we need snow, folks. we need water for the rest of the year.

what we don't need is a little rodent telling us it will be spring soon. because it will just turn out to be false-spring and break all our hearts.

and anyway, I don't believe in groundhogs.

finding friday: good time in private

would you like to have a good time in privet
please trust me has to be your place

I can only imagine what the good time will entail. probably a game of monopoly and lots and lots of grape soda. he doesn't want to do it at his place 'cause his roommates are kind of obnoxious slobs. and, you know, he wants to impress his lady. yikes.

I laminate because I care.

I am trying oh so hard to be productive at work today. I don't know if it's really working or not {okay, so it's not}. sometimes being a workin' gal is hard. . . especially on a friday.

but I did do something work-related with an arts + crafts twist! it was my very own cut + paste, diy card laminating project! (no pasting required.) I saw the lil' ol' laminating machine eyeing me down and just had to do something with it. so I laminated the script from this, my very favorite lesson: fred the fish and urban stew. now as our cute little fishy friend, fred, swims down stream his cards won't get all wet and gunky from all the over-excited childrens. it's a win, win, win.

photos via the cellular telephone. quality, I know.

now what else can I laminate?? nothing is safe from the protective coat of the hot, melted plastic! {see, obviously I am not being very productive because I am sitting here blogging about laminating peices of paper and other such objects.}

the heart of the matters

the heart truth: heart disease is the number one killer among american females.
are you at risk?

help celebrate national heart month today
by participating in national wear red day.
show support + raise awareness.

a healthy heart is a happy heart; become educated on heart health:

{learn the risk factors
signs and symptoms
and tips for a healthy heart}

national wear red day | friday, february first

the post vaca ski

have you ever had one of those days where you just got back from a fantastic vacation and you really didn't want to go to work? -- and let's be honest, your boss never really knows when you are or are not going to be there anyway -- and it had just snowed a bunch too, so the thought of doing anything somewhat productive seemed a bit silly as well?

yeah. well today I had one of those days. and so did peter. so for anyone who might have a reason to care, our flight got delayed, canceled, rerouted. we could not make it in to work today. sorry.

btw, conditions were pretty good today. not as much powder as might be expected after last night's storm, but there was still plenty of pow-pow for me! my quads kill and my tele turns are getting better. it was a fantastic ski day. now if I could only ditch the rest of my responsibilities tonight. . .

survivor man

this trip was definitely worth waking up at 4 am for.  even if we didn't really need to.  (thank you, american airlines, for rerouting our flight and not telling us.)  I always love staying at hotel stie.  and I always love playing with her three cute, abnormally well-behaved + smart + fun, energetic children.  

we have had the good fortune of eating at the ever exciting emperor's palace chinese buffet.  an experience I will never forget.  we have hiked through the missourian woods.  explored caves + a little touch football.  watched more movies and eaten more treats than I want to think about. toured richie neighborhoods and ditched pieces of church.  I have played house.  swung on a giant rope swing.  been in a synchronized scooter gang.  ran a long run on a level 2 incline.  oh, and don't forget the crazy game of hot foot + freeze dance.  I am going to miss this.

unfortunately tomorrow we have to leave the life of the sixty degree weather for the life of the cold, january blizzards.  at least I don't have to wake up at 4 am.  (thank you, josh, for rescheduling our flight!)

my secret television addiction revealed

I want to be on the biggest loser. not because I think I'm fat, but because I want to work out for six hours a day with a really mean trainer. I want someone telling me what to do and when. I want my refrigerator stocked full of the fresh fruit and veg. all the time. I want a team full of medical professionals plus nutrition specialists making sure I'm doing ok. I want 24 hour access to the gym. okay, not really on that last part. who needs to work out at 4am? not me. but don't those challenges seem fun? I want to work out and do those challenges. I want to compete!

is it weird to want to be on the biggest loser? is it weird to have contemplated gaining a grossly huge amount of weight just to get on the show? I think I would just be ridiculed and ostracized by the other contestants. I would be that skinny girl in the house that already works out a lot and eats healthy. nobody likes that girl.

so this is what I'm proposing. not a show for fat people, but for fit people: fit club. or fit team. or I want to work out in a skimpy outfit on tv to get my fifteen minutes of fame team. come on, with the writer's strike still going on this could really fly.

maybe it could be a show about a bunch of people who are trying to train for some really intense endurance event. you know, like ultramarathons or an ironman. and they have coaches, et cetera but then you can throw in that whole voting off element that everyone loves so much. oh, and don't forget the fun fitness challenges.

I could be on that show. in fact, I think I need to be on that show if I ever want to conquer number fifty off the list. the ironman. [2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run. in one day. the ultimate in endurance sport.] I know a couple of people who have done one, and if they can {be crazy enough to} do it then maybe I can {be crazy enough to} do it too.

but until all this goes through, I guess I'll just stick to the couch.

a little common courtesy, please

hey girl who I do not know--you know who you are--the one that was supposed to come interview with us this morning. early this morning. the earliest it could possibly be, since we don't open our doors until eight. forcing us to show up at seven-forty-five. if you're going to show up late. extremely late. or not at all, as the case may be. just call in advance and cancel. please. for our sake.

otherwise I could have slept in until a reasonable hour. (you know, more like seven o'clock) gone running with the early morning sun and the wintry white world. stretched. iced. eaten a fabulous breakfast with my cutest husband. shower for my day after the said working out, not before. pulled my lunch + other work supplies together without all the rush. and been here a little before ten for the next scheduled interview.

now, girl who I do not know, which sounds better to you?

finding friday: nice parking job

how many times have you tried to park your car but couldn't because of some idiot? how many times have you wanted to leave a note such as this? {how many times have you parked the car like some idiot and hoped you didn't receive a note such as this?} I'm sure we have all felt this way at least fifty times.

I think I found this note in the parking lot of my office building a few years ago--either that or I was walking to my office building from the train--and repeated the words of the note like a mantra all the way to work. I think I liked it because it rhymed. and the fact that the feelings behind the note are so universal. most of us just don't usually put it down in writing, left for said idiot to find.

one for the quotebook

"it's like I died and married heaven."

--peter, talking about his amazing wife

if I had a yard. . .

. . . I would:
plant a garden, green + growing. . .

build a solar oven and cook with the sun. . .

own this dog.

finding friday: suffer with shame

this is one of those finds where I'm left with only one piece of the puzzle. and I'm really wishing I had it all, or at least more of it. from these few words I can already tell this note was a good one. was it a horrible breakup? did someone backstab someone else? we will never know. all that we do know is that someone has suffered with shame. I really really wish I knew why.

runnin' down a dream

when I was in high school--I think it was the summer after my sophomore year--I had a bad habit of leaving my music playing. all day. that particular time in my life it was mr. tom petty spinning pretty much nonstop.

my most vivid memories of that summer are of waking up as the sun was just rising, going to the pool for the early AM swim with bethany (who I would later in the day go to the pool with again just to hang out, and then later at night we'd go back for more lap swimming. we'd actually leave from hanging out with our friends to go swim for the third time that day. maybe that's where my deep love for the pool began?), tom petty and his little heartbreakers would be singing all the while in the background.

needless to say I think I made everybody in my household sick of tom petty that summer. literally playing one cd over and over again might have that effect on others, it turns out.

right now peter and I just watched tp&th on pbs' soundstage. man oh man it was like I was sixteen again. I love tom petty, even in his old age. he is a true rockstar.

{now I just need to catch THIS episode of soundstage. and my little soul would be complete.}

comforting words on a sleepless night

may we all advance confidently in the direction of our dreams this year. truly live that life you have imagined. I know that we can achieve more than we ever thought possible if we just dare to put our two feet forward. believe.

image via flickr | words via henry david thoreau

diy wheat thins

my husband has burritos. I have crackers. and what a simple + beautiful thing they are.

see, my husband and I stopped buying crackers a while ago. have you ever actually looked at the ingredient list on a box of wheat thins? it's about fifty pages long, with very unpronounceable things. I'm pretty sure high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated (partially or not) oils make the list. yeah. not a pretty sight. so we stopped buying them.

if I had known how ridiculously easy it is to make your own crackers, I would have made the transition sooner. what a healthy + cheap alternative. seriously, today is the day to end your dependence on the boxed variety. the possibilities are endless. get creative. if you can dream it, this cracker can be it. the variations are out there, suited to your unique tastes. {special blend of herbs and/or spices, wheat germ, flax seed, coarse salt, sun dried tomatoes, a light brushing of olive oil just before baking, et cetera, et cetera} now go--mix, roll, bake! but most importantly--savor, appreciate, enjoy.


Wheat Crackers
1 3/4 C whole wheat flour
1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
3/4 t salt
1/3 C olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 C water
salt for sprinkling


preheat oven to 350 degrees f.

stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. pour in olive oil and water. mix until just blended.

on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough as thin as possible (no thicker than 1/8 inch). place the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet (or two, or three, depending on how thin you were able to roll out the dough) and mark squares out with a knife. prick each cracker a few times with a fork. sprinkle with salt.

bake for 20'ish minutes, or until crisp + light brown. when cool, remove from baking sheet and separate into individual crackers.

finding friday: Gladys Page

I don't think I've posted a find for the last two fridays. {let's be honest, I've had a complete lack of blogging as of late} so today, as a fresh start to the new year, I wanted to post something fabulous. something favorite. something worthy of the year's first find:

Dear Mama,
We have house cleaning just about all done. Grass tall enough to be mowed. May flowers, violets & Buttercups all over. But we have not [something] garden. . . [can't really read the rest and then it is torn]
[she must have ran out of room on bottom, this was written upside down on the top of the postcard:] saw by paper he was sick.
Gladys Page

the post card is addressed to:

Mrs. Nellie Page
Dell Rapids
S. Dak.

right above the address, written in pen:

Aunt Eds (?) + Gladys

I was out on a run--in fact I think it was THIS run--and saw what looked to be an old postcard lying on the ground. it was an old postcard. a really old postcard dated april 29 1913. what a find! my heart reeled. but what do I do with it? it was so fragile, already held together by only a small thread of paper. so I did the only thing I could do, run home with it carefully in my hands. trying all the way to cradle it, as to not let the pieces separate. {unfortunately they did} by the time I got home, it had fallen apart in my sweaty little hands.

I was so proud of this little find, though. I'm not sure my roommates appreciated it as much as I did. I think they just thought I was weird for collecting trash. but this wasn't trash. this was a peak into someone's life--Gladys' life. a life that was lived in the early part of the last century! I am so far removed from Gladys, from the place + time, but here I am feeling so connected to her. wishing I knew more of her story. honestly, just wishing I could actually read more of the postcard. it's so intriguing though, isn't it? the bits and pieces of everyday life?

my husband, the hot model

posing in the backcountry {click for full hotness}

home sweet home

who does not love this place? especially in winter. especially when it snows.

happy holidays

finding friday: maria

oh my, this is one of my favorite kind of finds: it's like a treasure hunt + puzzle all wrapped up into one. see, I was walking home from the train one day (when I lived on 9th east in the preserve) and there scattered all about the sidewalk and hiding in the bushes were these little pieces of paper. a note! my heart was full of excitement. I hurried and tried to pick up as many pieces as I could grab, hoping I found them all. it looks like I did, because it is a complete note above. the best part about it is I had a roommate named maria at the time. after I went home and taped all the pieces together I accused her of being the author of the note. I think she's secretly still in junior high. (okay, so not really.)

but doesn't this take you all back to middle school? man, I wrote thousands of these notes. I'm sure it was folded up all nice and cutesy at one time too, with the two: and from: displayed on the outside fold.

I especially like her friendship poem. maria and justine must be bff. and the christmas artwork is pretty cute too. and gosh, the news about nico's leg? I hope he's alright!

is it a bird? is it a plane? is it a. . . human flying squirrel?!

check THIS lil' video out. possibly the closest thing to actually flying a human will ever come.

note to self

when you're in a hurry,
running late for work,
and you still need to pack a lunch,
don't even bother.
as you're cutting up your carrot sticks
you'll inevitably cut off your finger.*
and then just forget the whole lunch
on the counter anyway.
(oh, and btw, you'll also forget your cell phone)

I've had a rough day.


*don't get all alarmed and start freaking out that I have no finger. I'm fine. I barely cut myself, much like THIS incident. do not worry your pretty little hearts.

my own treadmill troupe

today on my run I actually had the thought that I would make a great treadmill dancer. I think I would have the knack for something like that. just line 'em up, crank 'em up, and turn it up! I'd be jammin' with the best of them in no time.

an answer to a common question: what to eat with what?

“Food combines with each other when they have major flavour components in common.”

"A list was made of 250 food products each with their major flavour components. By comparing the flavour of each food product eg strawberry with the rest of the food and their flavours, new combinations like strawberry with peas can be made. The way to use is, is just to select a food product like strawberries. You will get a plot where you have strawberry in the middle surrounded by other food products. Take one of those other food products and try to make a new recipe by combining those two. The more flavours food products have in common the shorter the distance between the food products."

"A food product has a specific flavour because of a combination of different flavours. Like basil taste like basil because of the combination of linalool, estragol, …. So if I want to reconstruct the basil flavour without using any basil, you have to search for a combination of other food products where one contains linalool (like coriander), one contains estragol (like tarragon),... So I can reconstruct basil by combining coriander, tarragon, cloves, laurel. The way to use it is to take from each branch of the plot one product and make a combination of those food products."

food is linked by flavor components. food is interchangeable. I am very intrigued by all this information. food pairing in diagram form. it makes me want to go create in the kitchen. get messy. test the theory.

who is in for the challenge?

thanks for the hot tip from lee lou ann
foodpairing: the site | the blog

remembering

our first year of holiday fun:
twinkly lights + burning flames
hand made stockings + home cooked turkey
snowy days + cozy nights
laughter + love + memories

finding friday: love poem + proposal?

Hey my love. I'm under
a spell. oh too sweet
hearing your voice is a treat I'm always
excited for the times when we will meet.
What we have is a special gift
together we were ment to drift
when your near my heart beats swift
I need you so much I crave your
golden touch come on baby lets
go to lunch.
your my one bestest friend good
things to you I'll always send
between us there can be no end.
Tears of joy have droped out from
my eyes no reason for any ties
Take a thought upon my endless tries
I'm so glad your in my life
even though there is so much
strife come with me to be my wife

ahh, yes. the love poem. and what a good love poem it is. I need you so much I crave your/ golden touch come on baby let's/ go to lunch very romantic. even amongst the strife and turmoil of life and their relationship, he still wants her to be his wife. just beautiful.

I urge every man to write his wife/girlfriend/lover a poem such as this. it will surely win her heart and maybe even tears of joy will drope out of from her eyes.

it's finally here

remember my flower in june/november? well, this is my flower in december. yes, december is finally here and guess what we woke up to on its very first morn': snow! a storm blew in over night, much to everyone's surprise. {I hear the weather professionals said there was a slight chance of snow in the morning. . . yeah, it's dumped all day, people!} it has been a white wonderland ever since.

it's starting to really feel like winter around here. yesterday alta opened. today it's been dumping buckets. we have our tree up. and 'tis the season!

finding friday: the election

I don't know about you, but joselyn turner has my vote for sophmore president! with a campaign like this how could she lose?

seriously, I would "pick" her based off of this. I don't remember where I even happened upon this little jewel. but I've loved it ever since. I wonder what high school she went to, and if she actually won the election. (with ralph wiggum on your campaign team how could you not?!)

nasal irrigation in the nineties

okay, so this was going to be a post about how I am utterly and uncontrollably in love with the 90's. I miss them. terribly. I still feel like 1995 wasn't that long ago. everytime I'm listening to X96, more specifically todd nuke 'em's show, and even more specifically todd nuke 'em's 90's at noon I am thrown back to a time where the world made sense and I was happy. {okay, so that was junior high, high school, and my first years of college. did the world make sense? probably not. was I happy? yes, but was going through the angst of youth as well. those were good times. good times indeed.} I don't know, I guess the music just takes me back to the memories. ah, the nestalgia. I miss you nirvana, pearl jam, weezer, rem, [insert fave 90's rockstar here], et cetera, et cetera.

well, this post was going to be all about that. but now it's not. see, I went to x96's site to check out any info on todd's show, nuke 'em's 90's at noon, and what did I find? THIS -- for nasal irrigarion! {in case you didn't follow the links, it's a Netipot. I had never heard of one either. you use it to clear out your nose of gunk. you know, for overall sinus health.} I am slightly intrigued + slightly disgusted. which I think equals willing to try!

has anyone out there ever used something like this? or even heard of this? is anyone even half as concerned about their general nasal well being as I am? I'm ready to try it, people. I've got gunk in my sinuses and it has got to go!

maybe I could use the netipot while jammin' out to some radiohead? it's a win, win, win! (because we all win)

another list of seven.

01::I have lived in my apartment for over a year now and have not decorated one single bit. nope, no cute pictures of peter and myself up on our precious blank walls. not even the cool prints pete already owned. I like to say it's because this place felt so temporary (as if we were going somewhere else?) but really it's because I've just been lazy about the whole thing. I promise that someday--whether it be in this apartment or a cute home of my own--I will decorate. maybe even get matching furniture.

02::I have a slight obsession with surfing. (I've had it my whole life, even when I was in elemntary school, but it became an actual obsession in it's most recent incarnation with mtv's surf girls) but on the other hand I'm slightly scared of big waves. so for now I'll be riding the little guy waves, dreaming of something more. really, it's just fun to be out in the sand + surf. I really, really love the ocean. and by ocean I more appropriately mean shoreline.

03::I have an exceptional sense of balance. I think it's from all the year's of slacklining. I think it helps with the aforementioned surfing obsession. pete thinks that's why I'm so good (and by good we mean I can at least do it somewhat) at everything I try. in the end it's all about balance in life, isn't it?

04::I have book ADD. seriously, I think I am currently reading at least four books. I pick one up and read it until some other book happens upon me, then I juggle reading them both until something else comes into my life. at some point I do actually finish these books, don't worry. right now I'm trying to get everything I've started read before the next onslaught of books come over christmas. so get ready for a splattering of book club posts coming soon. (I have a few I read in costa rica and one shortly thereafter that I never wrote about.)

05::these days I can somehow wake up ridiculously early to go swimming. now if you've ever lived with me you'll know that I am not a morning person. at all. don't even try talking to me (or looking at me) until I'm ready to interact with the world. but lately it's been easier to wake up. I'm not so grumpy and in my own little world. I am, of my own free will, waking up in the five o'clock hour and braving the cold, dark morning to go swim. it's amazing. I hope I can keep it up. I just want to be that early morning exerciser so badly.

06::I think I might be becoming somewhat of a food snob. I don't like anything that comes from boxes or cans. I want to make everything from scratch. ever since I threw out everything in my cupboard that had high fructose corn syrup or anything with the word hydrogenated, I've been paying closer attention to what I put in my mouth. I'm all about eating healthy, whole foods. at least I'm at a point in my life where I have the time to prepare food, healthy food. (now that I'm not the unemployed housewife diva anymore it's a little harder to fit it all in sometimes) I can't imagine how mother's with small children do it. will I resort to foods that aren't good for me or my family out of convenience and lack of time? it's funny because I have no kids of my own, but I am concerned about methods + tricks to get kids to eat healthy foods. I fear I will have picky eaters. I'm actively looking for ways to avoid this--and I don't have kids!!

07::I don't usually do these meme things. mostly because I hate the name--meme. what does that even mean? if they were going to make up a name, wouldn't they go for something slightly cooler? or that made more sense? I'm doing this one, though, because my dear friend bethany tagged me. now bethany is pretty super rad and has been my friend for more years than just about anyone. so I had to oblige. (and the day I got tagged I had just had a horrible dream about her the night before. she died. I was so devasted inside and literally woke up crying. mary and/or camilla, you died earlier in the dream as well--I was totally devastated over that too. don't worry. maybe my next meme should be all about my crazy, psycho dreams. ) anyway, this one's for you, bethany!

* * *

okay, now is the time I am supposed to tag someone else. but see, that just perpetuates the meme. do I want that on my conscience? I don't know. so I'm going to leave this open ended. any of you bloggy's out there just dying to talk about yourself, go ahead. you can even say I tagged you if you want. you know, to make you feel cooler. or legit. or whatever.

alright then. . . one, two three, GO!

pretty as pie

I was quite happy with how well the apple pie turned out on thursday. it had to live up to some high expectations. (dee, I'm glad it did not disappoint.) and the pie crust dough proved to be quite the stressor at times. {what with all the "everything must be cold--almost frozen cold" and the "don't overwork the dough or you'll ruin it" business. yikes!} but in the end it all came together beautifully. the filling was super easy + yummy, and the crust came out flaky + golden. just perfect. it paired quite well with my new no fail fresh pumpkin pie recipe.

recipes:
apple pie (I cut the sugar to 3/4 cup total and added some cinnamon + vanilla to taste)
butter flaky pie crust (trust this recipe--even when you think you need to add more water to make everything stick together like you think it should, letting it chill overnight does wonders. plus if you brush an egg wash on top before baking, the crust will come out with a golden-glazed look of perfection. I sprinkled a cinnamon/sugar mixture on top right before baking as well)

rock 'n roll thanksgiving

first we rolled

then we rocked

hope everyone had a fantastic holiday weekend. I'll be dreaming of turkeys until next year. (congrats, michael, on the tenth frame turkey miracle)

finding friday: twins

I found this in the parking lot while walking to work one day. it was full of little indentations and holes from being run over by cars on the little rocks. I absolutely love it because this mom + daughter duo is not only dressed exactly the same, but they're pullin' such tough faces as well. I wouldn't want to meet these two alone in the woods! {and, btw, who doesn't love the white visor?}

the fight against paper products

I've had a constant battle over paper plates at my mom's house for years. thankfully peter is by my side in this crusade. I can understand if you want to use paperware for large gatherings (and granted that's what every sunday dinner is) but stocking the cupboards full of paper plates, et cetera and using them for every meal? seems a little wasteful to me.

luckily there might be a solution to the throw-away-wares. yes, you can have your cake and eat it too--on THESE little biodegradable beauties:

branch: sustainable design for living

though let's be honest, why create more waste for every day eating? even if it does biodegrade eventually, I would rather just avoid it all together. {sorry, mom, I'll probably stick to using the real plates. it's just a moral issue for me, ya know?} but for a big gathering where doing the dishes seems like a daunting task as big as mount everest, these just might be the answer.