In the Dark

Woke up this morning to no power. The entire town of Breckenridge is in the dark due to high winds.

Wind gusts reached 126 mph early New Years Day:

http://summitcountyvoice.com/2012/01/02/summit-county-records-top-wind-speed-in-state-again/#more-35301

Breckenridge from the Balcony

We are in Breckenridge for the weekend.  It has been really windy here and the snow conditions are just so-so.  Our friends who are renting the condo with us skied Keystone yesterday and the lifts were closed due to the wind.

Erica is working from the condo today, Chris is headed to the mountain.  The wind died down today, but it is supposed to be windy again tomorrow.

Whole Wheat

I found a blog called 100 days of Real Food.  A family of 4 has taken 100 day food challenges and do not eat processed foods that contain more than 5  ingredients.  I like the idea, but who has time for that?  Anyway, we took a small step by buying 100% whole wheat flour and busting out the bread machine.  I made our first loaf last night.  It tastes good, but it didn't get as big as I would of liked.  Whole wheat breads don't get as big as other types, but I was hoping it would be a little higher.  

Does anyone have a good bread machine recipe for a 1.5 pound loaf of whole wheat bread? 

Merry Christmas!

Hummel Fitter

This recipe was given to me by Aunt Krystal.  According to Google Translator, Hummel=Bumblebee and Fitter=Food.

2 eggs - well beaten
1 C. Sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. Flour
1 C. Chopped nuts
11 oz. mandarin orangees
16 oz. pineapple
2-3 bananas
Large Cool Whip

Combine and bake the first 6 ingredients at 375 degrees on a greased and floured cookie sheet for 25-30 minutes.  Cool and break the cookie into pieces. 

 Layer the fruit, cool whip, and cookie and serve.

Bzz: The Truly Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookie

2 boxes of Kroger's The Truly Awesome Chocolate Chip Cookie arrived in the mail last month from Bzz Agent.  I opened them the minute I got home from work on they day they arrived - I was STARVING and needed a snack.  Chris was also there to try 'em out.

Chocolate chips are the number 1 ingredient and I would have to agree.  You couldn't take a bite without a mouthful of chocolate - not chocolate shnibbles either, but full sized chips. The other thing I picked up on is butter.  According to the package, they are made with real butter.  It was not an overwhelming flavor, but they were buttery enough to taste more like home made. 

The only downfall for me is that they were crunchy.  I prefer soft cookies, but that is just me.  I got around that by dunking them in milk.  I even warmed one up for a few seconds in the microwave and had it with ice cream. 

I don't usually buy this type of "treat" regularly, but there are other products in The Truly Awesome line of products like Macaroni and Cheese that I would be inclined to buy more often.

McChristmas

We had Christmas with Chris's family today.  I made Hummel Futter for the occasion.

All of the Cousins and Significant Others

Buffalo Chicken Dip

We made this for our company last week.  We hadn't made it in a while and forgot how addictive it is.

8 oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 C. chopped cooked chicken

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 C. blue cheese dressing

1/2 C. buffalo wing sauce

Microwave all ingredients until heated through.  Serve with celery sticks, Wheat Thins, or tortilla chips.

Recipe: Kraft

Recap of the Week

It has been a busy week!

Emily and Andy left on Sunday evening.  Mom and Dad left Monday morning.  We had such a good time - I think this was one of the best family get-together's yet!  Head on over to rak-kak.blogspot.com for some pictures.

Tuesday and Wednesday Erica had dinner and drinks with out of town work people at Rioja, The Corner Office, Corridor 44 (cool Champagne Bar), Green Russell, and Euclid Hall.  

Warning as you enter the Green Russell.

Thursday night Chris felt a little under the weather, possibly due to the Swing Thai he ordered in on Wednesday night.  It was tasty and spicy, but Chris's tummy was doing flip flops.

Friday we got up bright and early to head to Breckenridge for some snowboarding with my old boss from Utah and a few other co-workers from the Denver office.  It was our first day out this season and we were beat when we got home.  We had a Steak and Mashed Potato, Carmelized Bell Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, and Gruyere Pizza from Hops and Pie for dinner.  It was very delicious and soon after that we were asleep on the couch and out for the night.

Christkindl Market

Drinking Gluwhein in downtown at the Christkindl Market.

U.S. Mint Tour

We toured the Denver Mint today.  Sorry there aren't any pictures, no cameras allowed inside.  

And the Stockings were Hung by the Chimney with Care

Erica picked the fabric and Pam sewed.  Thanks Pam, they turned out great!

O Christmas Tree

We thought about getting a real tree this year, but then we found this cute little Cashmere Pine at Target.  It is 4.5 ft tall.  My favorite ornament on the tree is the little fluffy owl in the center.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas

It snowed all day this past Wednesday.  It started snowing again last night and it is still coming down now.  More snow tomorrow night and into Monday morning is also in the forecast.  It is going to stay cool, in the 30's-40's for the rest of the week.  So, it might just be a White Christmas when our Christmas guests arrive in town this week.  

Carmelized Brussel Sprouts

We made these last night along with Crock Pot Ribs.

Ingredients:

12-14 large brussels sprouts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch sea salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Directions:

Slice each brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of feathery brussels sprout ribbons. Heat the olive oil over medium high in a large skillet and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the brussels sprouts and continue sauteing for another 4-5 minutes, until bright green and tender. Add the sea salt and brown sugar and toss together. Finish by adding the toasted nuts.

Time:

20 minutes

Recipe from Eat, Live, Run.

Handmade Ornaments

CB2 sells these Recycled Flowerball Ornaments for $3.95 ea.

photo: CB2

OR, you can make your own with this tutorial from How About Orange.  You can download templates for 3 sizes: 10", 5", and 3"

photo: How About Orange

I plan on making some soon.

Happy Thanksgiving from your Favorite Turkeys

Crock Pot Applesauce

Peel and chop a 1/2 peck of organic apples into the crock pot and throw in some cinnamon sticks and brown sugar.  Cook on low for 6 hours.  You can find the original recipe here.

Brussel Sprouts

Who knew!?  Never really thought about how these things grew before.  Kinda cool.  Going to roast 'em!

Whirlwind

We have been BUSY and are now feeling a little ragged.

It all started the week before Halloween. We had our first visitors coming to stay at the house and we needed to get the place in shape. It was a great weekend of friends and fun. We recapped the whole thing here.

Halloween came. I took our house guest, Will to the airport. Later that morning, Chris flew to Minden, NV for a 9 day business trip. I actually kind of talked him into it - this was the first vacation we went on together back in February, 2007 when Emily lived there. I planned on joining him for a get away over the coming weekend. So, Chris put his name in the hat.

I spent Halloween night at the house alone...with no candy, and a neighborhood full or trick or treaters!! I watched TV in the dark, and also made a phone call to mom to wish her a happy birthday. The door bell only rang once and I did not answer. We will have candy next year.

The next night (Nov 1) was our second snow of the season, just in time for my early Wednesday morning flight to Dallas for 2 days. I had to put on my snow boots and jacket to clean off the car (garage is not car ready yet) and then went back into the house to put on my pumps to get on the road!

Thursday, November 3 was Chris's birthday. I flew into Reno that night to meet him. I got in after 9pm and we had a late birthday dinner in Reno, complete with a pizookie before heading 30 minutes South to Minden.

We both worked on Friday and then headed to dinner with GE people who were in town for the same event. We stopped at a couple bars including JT Basque Bar where Erica stuck a dollar bill to the ceiling in customary fashion. We finished the night at Buckaroos. They had a live band and the lead singer had no front teeth. They were pretty good. We got home in the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday, November 5th. We wake up bright and early for breakfast at the hotel and a trip into Amador County wine country with 2 of Chris's work friends. Not feeling the greatest and trying to drink wine is not easy! We did recapture a picture that was taken on our first trip, here in the parking lot of one of our favorite wineries. We were in bed early this night.

We slept in on Sunday, had breakfast, and then drove to South Lake Tahoe for a little shopping and sight seeing. We picked up dinner at Trader Joes and ate in.

The morning of the 6th, Chris drove me to the airport and I returned to reality, for a couple days at least.

Wednesday night, the 9th, I flew to Kansas City for our good friend Christina's 40th birthday celebration. Chris flew home to Denver on Thursday morning and 4 hours later, also flew to Kansas City.

Friday 11/11/11 was Christina's 40th birthday party. The girls met up for mani-pedi's and mimosas. The boys joined us for lunch. We napped and got ready for the party. Close to 100 people were in attendance. The rest of the weekend was shenanigans with the KC gang.

We flew home Sunday night. We have a lot of laundry to do.

Emerald Bay - Lake Tahoe

We drove to South Lake today for a little shopping and sight seeing.

Vino Noceto's Doggie Diner Head

You can read all about it here.

Spinach Egg Bake

I had to call mom to get this recipe.  I made this on Saturday morning and it seemed to be a hit with the boys.

Ingredients

• 4 bunches green onions, finely chopped or 1/2 of a large onion
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 pound fresh spinach, trimmed (I use 1 small box frozen, thawed and drained really dry)
  You can also make with broccoli instead of the spinach
• 6 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup sour cream or 1 cup half & half cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese (sometimes I add some shredded Swiss if I have it)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• In a large skillet, saute onions in butter for 2 minutes or until tender. Add spinach and parsley; saute 3 minutes longer or until heated through. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream and salt until smooth. Stir in the spinach mixture and cheddar cheese. Pour into a greased 11x13 pan.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean

McApple Pie

I baked an apple pie yesterday afternoon.  I used the same recipe as the rhubarb pie except for the addition of cinnamon and substitution of apples.  I served it warm with vanilla ice cream.  Perfect fall dessert.

Reunited (& it Feels So Good)

This weekend we celebrated our good friend Brian's 40th Birthday. His wife, Stephanie, had asked our friends Brian and Will if they would like to join in. They currently live in Atlanta and Roanoke, respectively. Brian said 'yes' right away and Steph was stoked to surprise Brian. Will initially said 'no' but then changed his mind. So, Will surprised both Brian and Steph on Saturday night with our help.

Will arrived Friday morning and Brian arrived Friday afternoon. They both stayed with us on Friday night and we dined at Root Down, one of our very favorite restaurants. On Saturday morning, we had breakfast at the house (thanks for the Egg Bake recipe, mom!) and then headed into Boulder. We stayed at the Hotel Boulderado and spent some time on The Mall.

Saturday night entailed about 20 of us getting together for dinner at The Med where we saw the Sklar brothers - they ate a couple tables away from us) and then out on the town. We met up with Brian and Steph in the hotel lobby before hand where the surprise occurred. Seeing Steph & Brian's faces and hearing Steph shriek in surprise was priceless.

It has been a fun filled weekend and it is so good seeing everyone. We are both very lucky to have some really great friends. We don't get to see each other as often as we would like, but when we do, we always pick up right where we left off the last time.

We are relaxing at the house right now and hopefully for the rest of the weekend :) We take Will to the airport bright and early in the morning.

From L-R: Brian, Steph, Brian (birthday boy), Will, Ivan, Chris, Joy, Erica

Snow Day!

First snow of the season.  It started last night and it is still coming down.  This is a picture from our dining room window.  There is a tree/bush right outside, against the house, and it is currently laying down in the driveway because of all the snow.  Although my car is trapped right now, I am very happy - I hate that tree/bush and it was on my list to take down.  It looks like it might have to be taken down right now!  

We are both working from home today.  I am in the wine room and Chris is at the dining room table.  We turned on the heated floors in the kitchen/wine room today and they are awesome!

Bathroom Before & After

Before 

After

Squash Casserole

Yesterday, Erica roasted a pie pumpkin, the Yugoslavian Finger Squash and the Hubbard Squash in the oven.  She used the Yugo in a Squash Casserole.  The recipe is from Paula Deen.  Usually her recipes are avoided as they are high calorie and fat.  But, this recipe isn't so bad and Chris liked it.  It was good.

There were only a few crackers on hand, so in addition, crushed pretzels were added for the topping.  Non-fat plain yogurt was substituted for the sour cream as well.

Ingredients

• 6 cups large diced yellow squash and zucchini
• Vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon House seasoning, recipe follows
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 cup crushed butter crackers (recommended: Ritz)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saute the squash in a little vegetable oil over medium-low heat until it has completely broken down, about 15 to 20 minutes. Line a colander with a clean tea towel. Place the cooked squash in the lined colander. Squeeze excess moisture from the squash. Set aside.

In a medium size skillet, saute the onion in butter for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and mix all ingredients together except cracker crumbs. Pour mixture into a buttered casserole dish and top with cracker crumbs. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

House Seasoning:

• 1 cup salt
• 1/4 cup black pepper
• 1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

What Actually Happened Today

Chris finished the fence

Another view of the fence

Chris fabricated a tool so that he could turn off the water to the front yard sprinkler system. The valve is about 7 feet  below ground in a 2 inch diameter PVC pipe.

Erica finished her work in the bathroom.

What's Happenin' Today

Chris is putting all of the slats on the fence. He is at Home Depot right now picking up 62 slats. He put the posts in last Sunday and the cross supports were erected yesterday.  Cannot wait to get the fence back up so all of the neighbors junk is out of sight.  Chris met them yesterday. They have been remodeling their house going on 15 years now (!!).  Chris was invited in for a tour and he said the entire place is a complete mess.  It looks really cute from the street at least. 

In the bathroom, Erica the Spackle Artiste, put the first coat on a couple weeks ago, did a round of wet sanding a week after that, put on the second coat yesterday, and is now dry sanding. She also patched the hole from the old light this morning. First coat of spackle is drying right now, hence the pretty pink color up at the top.  Yesterday she spent 3 hours organizing her downstairs walk in closet and getting the attached bedroom in order.  It is almost ready for guests in December!  Pictures to follow sometime this week.

Etsy Art

We got this awesome oil on canvas from Jolina Anthony, an artist in Germany. We founds her online shop on the Etsy website. We bought the piece in September and it has been in the capable, but terribly slow, hands of the world famous framers at the local Michael's until today. Three days to ship from Germany and one month to stretch. It took a long time and a lot of patience on our part, but it was totally worth it. We love it!

SQUASH!!!

The little orange guys are Golden Nugget Squash.  We had these for dinner this week.  They had the consistency of sweet potatoes but were not as sweet.  

The white squash is a Yugoslavian Finger Squash. You cook it with the skin on like a summer squash.  I have read that they have the consistency of a potato with a hint of pumpkin flavor.  

The big olive colored squash is a Hubbard Squash.  Chris figures it is 5-8 pounds.

We got these in our CSA shares.  I think Chris is getting vegetabled out.  I did make beet biscuits this week that he really liked.  I threw some roasted beets in the food processor and added them to Bisquick batter.  They were really moist and a pretty red color.

25 Ways to Wear a Scarf

It is getting to be that time of year and scarves are more popular than ever.

Wine Room Update

Last Sunday we ventured to Ikea.  We decided when it first opened that we were not going anywhere near the place until the flocks of people died down, but we had been hearing reports that it was not that bad.  We made it a point to be there pretty close to the time the doors opened and had a good experience.  We were finally able to pick up our Ikea Family card and got our free ice cream cone for joining.

We picked up a rug and new chairs for the wine room while we were there.  We had our old bar stools from the old house around the table and they were not ideal.  We weren't 100% sure the colors of the rug would work, but now that it is in place, we really like it.  It ties into the giraffe chair and the cream and yellow lines match the tile floor.  Plus, the pattern of the rug makes a perfect spot for the table.  

Erica thought she loved the room before, imagine how she feels now!  When she works from home, she sits in the giraffe chair at the built in desk.  

Since we had new chairs, we sold the bar stools on Craigslist today.  We also sold 2 new-in-box tub/shower faucet sets that we never installed at the Fort Collins house.  

We found dark wood blinds online from Home Depot that were half off with free shipping.  They will arrive this coming week, and the color matches the dark cabinetry in the room and adjoining kitchen.  Once they are installed all that is left to do is paint the trim.

Face Lift

It was time to give the blog a make over, so Erica whipped up a new Header last night. We aren't quite sure if this will be the final product yet.  Erica really wanted to put the Little Man Ice Cream building in the picture.  For now we will have to settle with the Cash Register Building, Denver Art Museum, and Capitol.

Beet, Cheddar, & Apple Tarts

Chris really liked these.

Ingredients

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and cut into six 4 1/2-inch rounds
• 3/4 cup shredded white cheddar (3 ounces)
• 1 small apple, cored and very thinly sliced
• 1 small beet, scrubbed, peeled, and very thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pastry rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and prick all over with a fork. Divide half the cheese among pastry rounds. Top each with 2 to 3 apple slices. Tuck 2 to 3 beet slices among apple slices and top with remaining cheese. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme. Bake until pastry is golden brown and slightly puffed, 13 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature

http://www.marthastewart.com/331822/beet-cheddar-and-apple-tarts

Green Mountain Coffee Fair Trade Bzzzzzz

Today we received Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup love in the mail courtesy of BzzAgent!!  We each had a cup immediately, as it is only 10:30am on a leisurely Saturday.  Chris enjoyed the Sumatran Reserve Fair Trade Extra Bold.  We like strong, dark coffees and this one fit the bill.  Not for the faint of heart.  Erica tried the Fair Trade Vermont Country Blend.  It was very smooth drinking, but still had nice flavor. More of an everyday coffee than the Sumatran.  We also received a box of Colombian Fair Trade Select that we have yet to try.

I had never even heard of Green Mountain Coffee until we bought our Keurig last month.  They offer the largest selection of Fair Trade Certified coffees in the U.S.  Fair Trade promotes farming communities with fair prices for coffee harvests, sustainable growing practices, and is environmentally friendly.  In order to become Fair Trade Certified, farmers must protect water resources and cannot use pesticides and certain chemicals.  

Green Mountain Coffee offers K-Cups as well as bag coffee.  We have $1 off coupons we would love to share.  The coupons are valid in grocery stores only.  Leave a comment and we will be sure you get a coupon!  Or stop by the casa for a cup sometime :)

I almost forgot, you can enter to win K-Cups for life.  Enter at www.PerfectKCup.com.  They are also giving away K-Cup packs daily as well as a Keurig Platinum brewer every month.

Thar She Blows!!

Working from home to the sound of the howling wind. It is crazy out there.  Had to give a presentation today where I gave a disclaimer that if they heard any loud noises, it was just the patio furniture being tossed around.  

We do have a patio chair down. We also have a fence down...

And finally after a lot more wind, and a little rain:

Chris took a look at it when he got home from work tonight.  His diagnosis: the fence is toast.  One of the 4x4 fence posts snapped.  It didn't help that the back neighbor had some really heavy old windows leaning on their side of the fence.  Oh the joys of living near other people.

Grillin' our First Steaks!

Flat Iron steaks on the left, potato wedges on the right.  The potatoes were cooked directly on the grill after being tossed in olive oil and a slew of spices. 5 minutes each side on high, and an additional 5 minutes on a low burner.

We don't have any light by the grill.  Chris has to wear his headlamp. A light on the back of the garage is on the to-do list.

Broncos vs Packers

Roger had a great idea. He and Chris should place a little wager on the Broncos Packers game. Of course, Roger got the Packers and Chris got the Broncos. Roger was kind enough to give Chris 8 points, which Chris knew would be of no use. All Chris wanted to know was what he was going to have to give Roger. The wager was a 12 pack (or 2 six packs) of beer.

So, Roger gave Chris 8 points. Vegas gave the Broncos 13 points. In the end, the Broncos gave the Packers 26 points. Roger gets the beer!

Lucky for Roger he will be in Colorado in December so Chris will be able to hand over the beers in person. Maybe Roger will share :)

Sealed

The finished product. We are so happy with the way it turned out!

New Addition

Hold on to your hats, folks!! Chris finally pulled the trigger on a new vehicle. Ever since we started dating, almost 5 years ago, Chris has spent countless hours "shopping" for a new car on-line. His shopping sprees consisted of building option heavy cars and SUVs on the flavor-of-the-month car manufacturer website. He also had an ongoing love-hate relationship with the car we just traded in: a 2001 Audi A4 with 128,000 miles. Chris was the only owner. Until today. It was starting to nickel and dime us, which means it was time to say goodbye. 

Why we picked a Subaru Outback: Cargo space, gas mileage (it gets 22city/30hwy & Chris is quite the highway commuter, driving 37.5 miles one way to work), All wheel drive, bang for our buck, and it looks pretty sharp to boot. Our 2 next door neighbors also have new Subaru Outbacks and they love theirs.

Houston, We Have a Library

We are loving our new neighborhood - good restaurants (including dangerously close proximity to Little Man Ice Cream) parks, grocery stores, AND the library.  You heard it, we are the proud holders of Denver Public Library cards, among others. 

Our library is the Smiley branch.  It is about 1 mile away from the casa.  I don't know why we haven't checked it out sooner, but since we decided not to subscribe to cable TV, and the price hike with Netflix made us downgrade our account, we have tapped into the DVD section lately.  I must say, they have a pretty good selection.  We watched Invictus and Life as We Know It this week and we have 4 more checked out.

They not only have good movies, but they have fun adult activities too, like knitting classes (which Erica might try to take) or "Learn to Play the Ukelele in a Month", or you can even sew a plush owl.  

It might not be fancy like our old library in Salt Lake City, but it gets the job done.  We are so glad we have a little gem like this within walking distance of the house.

On an unrelated note, the patio and pad are in!  We are waiting for the concrete guy to come back and seal the patio either tomorrow or Saturday and then there will be pictures.

Ready for Concrete

You will have to imagine it until tomorrow.

Concrete pad behind the garage:

Stamped concrete patio for the back yard:

Holed Up

Lots o spackle and paint are the next steps.

Patch & Paint

Patching up the hole in the bathroom and centering the electrical box over the vanity for our new light fixture.

Royal Arch Hike

Today we met Erica's former coworker and BFF, Ashley, in Boulder and decided to hike to the Royal Arch. We started from Chautauqua Park in Boulder. It was a beautiful day for a hike and things got exciting pretty quickly. We were not too far into the hike before we met our friend the bear. He/she was just wandering around on some rocks below the trail, maybe 100ft from us. It was quite the surprise to see the bear and it just added to the wonderful experience. The hike was quite strenuous, the views from the arch were spectacular, and now we are happily relaxing at home.

 Our friend the bear

 The Royal Arch

Taking a rest toward the end of the hike