frijoles negros, the soup.

we love our beans around here, it's true. so much so my cute husband almost cried in costa rica when the first meal he ordered, the black bean soup, was nothing of what he expected. {and he had some pretty high expectations} basically it was just the water the beans were cooked in with an egg thrown in. he was heart broken.

I'm glad to say that last night I made everything right. last night I made the black bean soup this boy dreamt of. the soup he was expecting, but never got.

thank you stephanie, the crockpot lady, for giving us this soup. this ridiculously easy crock pot soup! your year-long adventure into the slowcooker has been worth it, if only for this.

changes I made to the recipe:
*instead of canned beans I used the dry variety. it was so simple. I soaked the beans overnight in the crockpot. in the morning I rinsed the beans again and then put new water in. added other ingredients. set on low to cook all day long without any effort from myself. the beans cooked along with the rest of it! so beautiful.
*I used a half a cup of corn, carrots and onion. blended thoroughly.
*I also used cotija cheese instead of parmesan for sprinkling. we're all about the authentic mexican flavor around here.

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. . .