17 September 2010
SCRAPPING!
I actually did scrap this past weekend! I completed a layout for the EFFER DARES, and a Pencil Lines sketch. However, we've had friends visiting from out of town, so I've not taken the time to photograph or post until now. And even now I'm only prepared to post one layout!
This was for the Effer Dare 168 to scrap a memory to music. This is a lovely picture of my late friend Colleen when we were, oh, 16ish. We were hanging out at Universal Studios, and I luckily caught her with her eyes open! She was one of those people who always blinked JUST at the wrong time! The lyrics are to Sarah Mclachlan's "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy". We played her constantly, and we went to this concert at the local theater when Sarah Mclachlan was just starting her career - to top it off, our friend actually won the tickets off of the radio! It was a fabulous time that can never be repeated and will be a memory I cherish forever.
09 September 2010
Wenatchee Farmer's Market & Stuffed Peppers
A couple weekends ago my mom and I made a weekend trip to Leavenworth. It started out to be a one-day trip to get some fresh fruits and some shopping, but then we decided we didn't want to drive back, and got a hotel for Saturday night. I then found the Wenatchee Farmer's Market was open only until 1pm on Saturday, and knew we would be cutting it close to get there in time (it is a few hours drive from Lynden). So, we then added on Friday night!
We got the the farmer's market and were pleased with the selection of fresh veggies, fruits, chiles and everything else! It took two trips to the car, but in the end we came out with three flats of peaches, one flat of nectarines, a few pounds of saturn peaches, a dozen green AND purple bell peppers, red and white onions and the most delicious cantaloupes. There was so much character, too! Corn and cantaloupes being sold right out of the back of trucks, and the tastiest homemade pork tamales with spicy tomatillo sauce. The tamales were the best I've ever had, and only 50 cents each. Moms and I had two each, and seriously would have gone back for more on Sunday if they had been open! Unfortunately I was leaving a three days later for Vegas, so couldn't stock up on as much as I wanted. If I lived within an hour or two of that market I would be there every Saturday. The prices were CHEAP, and the produce was so much better than what our best grocery stores offer.
Example: Stuffed Green Peppers
Sunday night I made stuffed green peppers for supper/lunches before we took off for our trip - I didn't get a final result photo b/c we were starved and they smelled/looked SO good that I forgot! They were THE best stuffed peppers. The flavor of the peppers was amazing; so much better than any of the grocery store offerings. I'd never had a purple pepper before...when fresh it smelled stronger than the green, but when cooked it turned green and was so similar in flavor that they weren't easily discernible from each other.
This originated from various recipes I found online and tweeked to our tastes. By tweeked I mean actually made it a bit spicy (mid-westerners *say* spicy, but really means *flavor*) and cooked them so the peppers retained some firmness.
2 Cups Water
1 Cup uncooked white rice
4 Large bell peppers, halved & seeded
1.0- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic cloves, to taste (I probably used 6 cloves, diced)
garlic powder, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
cumin, to taste
vegetable broth
1. Bring water and rice to a boil; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Brown the beef, drain, return to stove top and add the onions, cooked rice, and spices. Stir well
4. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, stir well and let simmer for 15 ish minutes. After 10 minutes or so, add some vegetable broth if it looks too dry.
5. Put the halved bell peppers into a 9x13 baking dish. Note: some recipes call for steaming the peppers before hand. However, I really think that 45-60 minutes in the oven is plenty of time, and they do turn out nice and soft, but not mushy. I'm afraid that if they were pre-steamed they'd be much. But, if you like really soft veggies, you may want to try the steaming.
6. Spoon mixture into the bell peppers and place in oven for 45 minutes
7. Remove from oven and top with the cheese. We used fresh mozzarella and it was amazing! I've also used cheddar in the past with great success. Hello, it is cheese...anything would work, I'm certain.
8. Bake until the cheese is hot an bubbly and serve!
We got the the farmer's market and were pleased with the selection of fresh veggies, fruits, chiles and everything else! It took two trips to the car, but in the end we came out with three flats of peaches, one flat of nectarines, a few pounds of saturn peaches, a dozen green AND purple bell peppers, red and white onions and the most delicious cantaloupes. There was so much character, too! Corn and cantaloupes being sold right out of the back of trucks, and the tastiest homemade pork tamales with spicy tomatillo sauce. The tamales were the best I've ever had, and only 50 cents each. Moms and I had two each, and seriously would have gone back for more on Sunday if they had been open! Unfortunately I was leaving a three days later for Vegas, so couldn't stock up on as much as I wanted. If I lived within an hour or two of that market I would be there every Saturday. The prices were CHEAP, and the produce was so much better than what our best grocery stores offer.
Example: Stuffed Green Peppers
Sunday night I made stuffed green peppers for supper/lunches before we took off for our trip - I didn't get a final result photo b/c we were starved and they smelled/looked SO good that I forgot! They were THE best stuffed peppers. The flavor of the peppers was amazing; so much better than any of the grocery store offerings. I'd never had a purple pepper before...when fresh it smelled stronger than the green, but when cooked it turned green and was so similar in flavor that they weren't easily discernible from each other.
(this is my first attempt at at collage for the blog, and I think it turned out a little small.
I'm trying to figure out the correct pixels and am going to just improve as time goes on.
I'm trying to figure out the correct pixels and am going to just improve as time goes on.
shout out to Loren for putting a generous amount of cheese on the peppers ;) )
Recipe:This originated from various recipes I found online and tweeked to our tastes. By tweeked I mean actually made it a bit spicy (mid-westerners *say* spicy, but really means *flavor*) and cooked them so the peppers retained some firmness.
2 Cups Water
1 Cup uncooked white rice
4 Large bell peppers, halved & seeded
1.0- 1.5 lbs lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
2 Cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese
Garlic cloves, to taste (I probably used 6 cloves, diced)
garlic powder, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
cumin, to taste
vegetable broth
1. Bring water and rice to a boil; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Brown the beef, drain, return to stove top and add the onions, cooked rice, and spices. Stir well
4. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, stir well and let simmer for 15 ish minutes. After 10 minutes or so, add some vegetable broth if it looks too dry.
5. Put the halved bell peppers into a 9x13 baking dish. Note: some recipes call for steaming the peppers before hand. However, I really think that 45-60 minutes in the oven is plenty of time, and they do turn out nice and soft, but not mushy. I'm afraid that if they were pre-steamed they'd be much. But, if you like really soft veggies, you may want to try the steaming.
6. Spoon mixture into the bell peppers and place in oven for 45 minutes
7. Remove from oven and top with the cheese. We used fresh mozzarella and it was amazing! I've also used cheddar in the past with great success. Hello, it is cheese...anything would work, I'm certain.
8. Bake until the cheese is hot an bubbly and serve!
08 September 2010
Awesome product! and some other stuff.
(stock photo from their site...I wish my faucets were that cool...they aren't. Our guests can attest to our crappy plumbing. The only saving grace is a 75 gallon hot water tank. Niiiiiice.)
The best part about Good Fortune Soap Company? You can use their soaps, lip balms, etc., LOVE them, and know that you are also supporting a company that makes outreach and community care a priority with their profits. I think it is great to actually LIKE the product you are purchasing to support a good cause! Check out their OUTREACH page.
That was the awesome product - now, other stuff.
I'm getting over my cold, and am stoked (yes, I wrote 'stoked') b/c I have 175 photos coming from shutterfly on Friday and I am going to spend my weekend scrapping! I'm going to try to get some lo's done from the following challenges:
- Scrapjack of Maggie Holmes. I know this is expired, but I love it!
- Scrapjack of Maggie Holmes. I know this is expired, but I love it!
- Pencil Lines Sketch 203. I heart Pencil Lines and do not use their sketches nearly enough!
- Dares - saw this on Steph's blog, and she is DARER 168, if you will - "scrap a soundtrack to a memory".
- Good Grief Blog - My friend Jen Waters (if you go to her blog, um, look at all the loot she's recently won. i.n.s.a.n.e.!) is a DT member on this blog, and I have been following it since she joined. Scrapping memories of my friend Colleen is going to be difficult, but I can't think of a better way to memorialize our memories. I don't know if I'll actually get anything done, but I will get some great ideas on how to start.
So, that is it for now. If there are any other good challenges out there this week/month, let me know! :D
05 September 2010
Three day weekend!
But I'm sick! :( The desert air, combined with AC and a couple hours on an airplane, always gives me a sinus infection. UGH! Yesterday I got up at 2pm, took a shower and promptly went back to sleep until 5pm. 20ish hours of sleep. niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. I do feel better today, so hopefully I will get to enjoy tomorrow a lot more!
While lounging on the couch, I've been lucky to have endless supplies of soup and Gatorade, thanks to my sweet husband. Also, he set me up with some Netflix, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It started out with watching "Son of Rambow". Sounds like a cheesy spoof, right? I was ready for some bad acting, bad lines and cheesy stunts. Not really - turns out to be a sweet movie about friendship and the schenanigans of pre-teen boys. I loved it and laughed quite a lot! It is ticketed as a drama/comedy, as there is some serious situations the boys have in their home life to get through.
Next on the movie ticket was "The Cove". This documentary highlights the slaughter of dolphins in a small Japanese town - I'm not an activist, and began watching this with a jaded eye. I eat meat, and I realize where it comes from. And frankly, some animals are more charismatic and it is harder to believe someone would eat them (ie dolphin vs salmon). I couldn't imagine sitting down to a plate of sashimi dolphin, but I wasn't raised with it either, so I was determined to not pass judgement. This said, I am a strong believer in sustainability and the humane treatment of animals. It comes down to 23,000 dolphins killed in a season, yet....dolphin meat is not available on the market. Dolphins are swimming toxic dumps, with about 2000ppm mercury in their meat - the legal limit is somewhere around .4ppm. After eating enough, one will get mercury poisining. It is believed that the dolphin meat is sold in stores as whale, or other similar meats. Further, the dolphins are killed very inhumanely, a similar style to a whale hunt. It.is.horrific. If you have time and inclination, watch the film, or go to the Oceanic Preservation Society for more information.
Last on the lazy TV watching was Arrested Development. Who wouldn't like a show where the son has been named George-Michael? LOL. I catch bits and parts while flipping through the channels, so it is nice to sit through consecutive episodes. "I know she's a brownish area. With points.". :)
The rest of the weekend is going to be filled with more TV, maybe some baking, and not nearly enough yard work. Oh, well. There is only so much Sudafed one should be taking!
Enjoy your labor day weekend, peeps!
While lounging on the couch, I've been lucky to have endless supplies of soup and Gatorade, thanks to my sweet husband. Also, he set me up with some Netflix, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It started out with watching "Son of Rambow". Sounds like a cheesy spoof, right? I was ready for some bad acting, bad lines and cheesy stunts. Not really - turns out to be a sweet movie about friendship and the schenanigans of pre-teen boys. I loved it and laughed quite a lot! It is ticketed as a drama/comedy, as there is some serious situations the boys have in their home life to get through.
Next on the movie ticket was "The Cove". This documentary highlights the slaughter of dolphins in a small Japanese town - I'm not an activist, and began watching this with a jaded eye. I eat meat, and I realize where it comes from. And frankly, some animals are more charismatic and it is harder to believe someone would eat them (ie dolphin vs salmon). I couldn't imagine sitting down to a plate of sashimi dolphin, but I wasn't raised with it either, so I was determined to not pass judgement. This said, I am a strong believer in sustainability and the humane treatment of animals. It comes down to 23,000 dolphins killed in a season, yet....dolphin meat is not available on the market. Dolphins are swimming toxic dumps, with about 2000ppm mercury in their meat - the legal limit is somewhere around .4ppm. After eating enough, one will get mercury poisining. It is believed that the dolphin meat is sold in stores as whale, or other similar meats. Further, the dolphins are killed very inhumanely, a similar style to a whale hunt. It.is.horrific. If you have time and inclination, watch the film, or go to the Oceanic Preservation Society for more information.
Last on the lazy TV watching was Arrested Development. Who wouldn't like a show where the son has been named George-Michael? LOL. I catch bits and parts while flipping through the channels, so it is nice to sit through consecutive episodes. "I know she's a brownish area. With points.". :)
The rest of the weekend is going to be filled with more TV, maybe some baking, and not nearly enough yard work. Oh, well. There is only so much Sudafed one should be taking!
Enjoy your labor day weekend, peeps!
What happened in Vegas....
...really, really, really will stay in Vegas, right peeps? ;) Loren and I just got back from a six-day trip to Vegas with some friends. It was sooooooooooooo fun! Truly, the only place that can take your money and you feel positive about it. The PG highlights include:
Open beverages
60 oz Mojitos
Texas de Brasil
My first limo ride
Mystere
Wheel of Fortune penny slots
Gelato
Glitter Gulch
Buffets
Bellagio fountain show
Oleksandra spa
Water boy turf wars
Open beverages
60 oz Mojitos
Texas de Brasil
My first limo ride
Mystere
Wheel of Fortune penny slots
Gelato
Glitter Gulch
Buffets
Bellagio fountain show
Oleksandra spa
Water boy turf wars
We stayed at TI (Treasure Island), which sucked. We will never stay there again. It started with a 45 minute check-in where we were told our 'reservations' were mereley 'requests' and that our 'requested' rooms were not available. WTF? The final room was not a king view room, but rather a double with a closet view of the freeway. Further, the room had crappy AC, no fan in the bathroom, bad TV, no fridge, lukewarm water, burnt out lightbulbs and stained linens. Yuck. We thought about switching hotels...but decided it would have been a greater hassle. Probably. :D It was good to get home to my king bed and 800 thread count cotton sheets, I tell you what!
One bonus of TI? The Margarita bar just outside of the side doors. Mmmmm.
18 August 2010
the haps.
Life has been crazy since the World Cup started in July. I am crushed that none of my favorite teams made it through, but I guess there is always 2014. I also had a COMPLETE fail with the brackets...I thought I would be a winner, and was already dreaming about what I was going to do with my winnings - scrap stuff? save for a new camera? clothes? - and then the downward spiral occurred (ENGLAND! BRAZIL! GERMANY! You crushed me!) and I went from 12th to 56th. I stopped checking the bracket daily and boycotted ESPN for a day. Or half of a day. Speaking of, I've added ESPN's Page 2 to my daily web crawl. The articles are short and usually don't get bogged down in historical trivia that I've never heard of. I'm really sport illiterate (outside of soccer). For example, when playing Trivial Pursuit, I have three stock answers: GOLF: Jack Nicholson, Baseball: Babe Ruth, Football: Steve Largent (sometimes I'll throw a curve ball in and answer John Elway"). Eventually, the answer WILL be one of these guys. I'd like to keep it that way. However, I would like to know the quick story to who the heck "Lebron" is and why it matters today. Oh, and some days they have cartoons and fail videos. Seriously, check it out.
Other fun stuff - I got a Kindle!!!! WOO! I used Loren's to re-read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and Loved it. I resisted at first. I thought the Kindle would kill my reading spirit by eliminate the need to go to a bookstore (save magazines and such). However!!!! However, it is SO nice to pick up the darn thing and get a book ordered and downloaded in two minutes. I'm five books into the Outlander series and am trying to finish up my "ANALOG" books so I can get even more electronic books! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that I have a gorgeous purple leather-product cover and a matching skin and a teensy led book light to go with it. :)
Rhapsody is my new music haven...I've found new bands to listen to, such as She and Him, Mims and the Pixies. And have added some old faves like Blondie, Tears for Fears and Garbage. I uploaded the app for my iPhone and was able to listen to my mixes while working in the yard this past weekend. It was great motivation to keep at it, even when it got to 90 degrees. So, any good music suggestions??? So far I have a summer mix, a work appropriate mix and a classical music mix. I must admit, tho, classical music is seriously lacking in variety.
I haven't been super crafty in a while. First there was World Cup for four weeks, and then it got HOT (we have no AC, so our house is miserable), but as the summer winds down I plan on getting right back to it. The first project I'm going to work on is the Sketchbook Project. I saw a link on Christina Clouse's blog, and was hooked. I was intimidated to select a topic, so I went for a random selection, and was given "Capture the Flag". So far I have not had any serious ideas for it, but even so, I am very excited to get started! OH! And I saw in their email last week that Seattle will be one of the exhibiting cities this year!!!!
Loren has perfected the mojito, and I'll leave you with the image of a super Delicious raspberry mojito he made:
Other fun stuff - I got a Kindle!!!! WOO! I used Loren's to re-read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and Loved it. I resisted at first. I thought the Kindle would kill my reading spirit by eliminate the need to go to a bookstore (save magazines and such). However!!!! However, it is SO nice to pick up the darn thing and get a book ordered and downloaded in two minutes. I'm five books into the Outlander series and am trying to finish up my "ANALOG" books so I can get even more electronic books! Oh, and it doesn't hurt that I have a gorgeous purple leather-product cover and a matching skin and a teensy led book light to go with it. :)
Rhapsody is my new music haven...I've found new bands to listen to, such as She and Him, Mims and the Pixies. And have added some old faves like Blondie, Tears for Fears and Garbage. I uploaded the app for my iPhone and was able to listen to my mixes while working in the yard this past weekend. It was great motivation to keep at it, even when it got to 90 degrees. So, any good music suggestions??? So far I have a summer mix, a work appropriate mix and a classical music mix. I must admit, tho, classical music is seriously lacking in variety.
I haven't been super crafty in a while. First there was World Cup for four weeks, and then it got HOT (we have no AC, so our house is miserable), but as the summer winds down I plan on getting right back to it. The first project I'm going to work on is the Sketchbook Project. I saw a link on Christina Clouse's blog, and was hooked. I was intimidated to select a topic, so I went for a random selection, and was given "Capture the Flag". So far I have not had any serious ideas for it, but even so, I am very excited to get started! OH! And I saw in their email last week that Seattle will be one of the exhibiting cities this year!!!!
Loren has perfected the mojito, and I'll leave you with the image of a super Delicious raspberry mojito he made:
11 June 2010
ACK! El TRI!!!!
THE FIRST GAME!!!! Because we didn't want to miss too much work, a few of us decided to come to work early (6:30am) to watch the South Africa vs. Mexico game. We had our Red Bull, Via, Nos, fritters and ESPN3 playing on the projector. Oh, and we stole the cushy chairs from 'reception' for our viewing pleasure. We discussed renting some barca loungers for the month - How do you think that would go over??? LOL. I really thought Mexico would dominate, and they disappointed....and already messed up my brackets by getting a draw against South Africa. FIFA ranks?...17 and 83, respectively...who'd of thought????? So, out of Mexico's disappointment came a GREAT South Africa showing, who actually even got the first goal! The challenge now is to find a way to watch the Uruguay vs. France game at 11:30. GO URUGUAY!
CONFESSION: I really don't care who wins the World Cup, as long as it ISN'T those French or Italians. /evil grin
France: They no longer have Zinadine Zidane, who I think went out on a GREAT note by headbutting that italian. Materazzi (or whatever his name is) deserved it. Second, France has Theiry Henry - enough said (I think I'm Irish today)
Italy: Did you see World Cup 2006?
CONFESSION: I really don't care who wins the World Cup, as long as it ISN'T those French or Italians. /evil grin
France: They no longer have Zinadine Zidane, who I think went out on a GREAT note by headbutting that italian. Materazzi (or whatever his name is) deserved it. Second, France has Theiry Henry - enough said (I think I'm Irish today)
Italy: Did you see World Cup 2006?
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