MARK

LOVE. That's all. :)

Finally, SVU has made it on ESPN

This is so funny! Mark sent it to me. Sorry the link thingie won't work... so just copy and paste or something.... it's worth it! :)

http://espn.go.com/blog/sportscenter/post/_/id/43126/sportscenters-not-top-plays-7

Cookies?

I am done with my hard finals! The rest of the week is a breeze.... as far as finals go. I still have to pack up my room though!!! :( Lots to do, lots to do. I'm kind of sad to be leaving. I am going to miss it so much! All my friends, people, my apartment, my room.... almost everything. But the show must go on.
Just a thought: I think that this teeny tiny baby sized water bottle is great for kids. But NOT FOR ADULTS. I seriously guzzled 3/4 of it in like one swig. I was slightly frustrated.


Next: Look at our mini Christmas tree!! It's adorable. AND it has candy canes on it. Peppermint is the flavor that completes the Christmas season.


So, last week was COOKIE week. I made 3 different kinds of cookies on 3 different days, and then my roommate made cookies twice as well. I learned a few very important lesson last week. 1. Don't make so many cookies in one week. 2. Don't commit to making cookies for every social gathering 3. (MOST IMPORTANT) DON'T ACCIDENTALLY MIX TWO RECIPES. When I was making cookies on Monday, somewhere, somehow, I mixed two different recipes. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, and the cookies would be salvageable. However, I made a bad move and combined two very bold flavors: peanut butter and pumpkin. The final product: Peanut Butter Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were very.... interesting. Everybody who tried them said they weren't BAD, but they were interesting. I would agree 100%. They were unique. Don't do it. I did find one person who really really liked them though. Although, I'm pretty sure he just said that and took the whole bag on "inedibles" with him because he has a little crush on me. Ya, pretty sure that's it. After he told me he liked them, he proceeded to act like he knew a lot about cooking and flavors etc and said he discovered the missing ingredient: nutmeg. All I could do to prevent myself from laughing in his face was smile. Returned missionaries will always be a little bit more awkward for the rest of their lives. But I'm ok with it, because he made me feel a little better.
In an effort to redeem myself, I made snickerdoodles (how can you go wrong with Snickerdoodles?) for the volleyball assistant coaches (finally had our banquet). Those turned out great. Then I made the soft pumpkin cookies for the ugly sweater party... BY REQUEST! Do you know what that means? That means that I am now known for my delish pumpkin cookies. It made me so happy. PLUS, the party was fun fun fun.
Needless to say, I haven't made cookies since. BUT, I'm going to make more today - - Our art final is pot luck-ish, and I would never pass up such an opportunity to make something for such an occasion. :)
Picture time:

My HOTT sweater. and Yes, I'm bringing it home with me.


Yummy snickerdoodles


The snickerdoodles recipe is amazing. Here it is, if you're interested. I searched forever for one perfect for my liking: no cream of tartar, less than 2 sticks of butter, and a sweet twist: maple syrup! Found it.

Maple Snickerdoodles
• 2 C flour
• 2 t baking powder
• ½ t salt
• ½ C butter – room temperature
• Slightly less than 1 C brown sugar
• ¼ C Maple Syrup
• 1 egg
• 2 t white sugar
• 1 t brown sugar
• 2 t ground cinnamon
Blend flour, baking powder, and salt together. In a separate bowl, cream butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add the egg and maple syrup and mix. Then add the flour mixture in mini batches, mixing just until the flour is mixed in.
Make the sugar-cinnamon mixture in a little bowl (you may need more). Coat SMALL balls of the dough in the mixture. In a 350 F oven, bake for 6 minutes. If you like them cakey (they won’t look done when you take them out). Cook for 8 minutes for crunchier cookies. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool, then move them to a cooling rack.

Tofu Marinade and Gummy Vitamins

I just remembered that I never posted something very important: Tofu Marinade. I was inspired by some food blog... go figure. So this was MY experiment with marinating tofu:

Samantha’s Tofu Marinade
Start by pressing your tofu.* This will drain the water out of it so that it will absorb the marinade. Cut in triangles. Marinate the tofu for about an hour in the marinade. Then bake, sauté, fry, or eat it cold!

1 ½ tsp minced garlic
1 ½ tsp sesame seeds
5 tsp vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup pineapple juice
1 tsp vegetable oil
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano

Save the leftover marinade to dip the tofu in. Serve with rice. Or on a salad. Or or or...

*Pressing tofu is easily done by sandwiching the tofu between 2 plates and placing something kind of heavy on top. Drain the water as it appears. 15 minutes each side.

Next time I might add ginger and lime. Also, I won't marinate the tofu for so long... it had a very distinct flavor. I like a more mild flavor. But for some people (like... anti-tofu eating men), the flavor might be completely necessary in order to prevent gagging. I just so happen to like tofu and don't mind its texture or "flavor".

NEXT ITEM OF BUSINESS

You know those gummy vitamins you used to eat when you were a kiddo? Ok. Just because you're bigger than an 8 year old does not mean your too old to keep eating them. In fact, 2 of these gummy bundles of *JOY* a day is a great way to prevent cold sores. And other sicknesses. Don't get me wrong, I still take my daily vitamins via old lady pill box, but more vitamins can't hurt, eh? PLUS, I really don't know why, but I literally look forward to the time of day when I get to take my vitamins. You betcha I don't ever forget to take my vitamins anymore!
(Available at Wal Mart, Sam's Club, Costco etc.)

Thanksgiving Week

I am grateful. SO grateful. For.... not having school for 3 days. :) That was a nice, and much needed break.
Real things that I'm grateful for:
-Health
-Education
-Family
-Nature
-Food

I started the break out with a game of Frisbee golf. It was so much fun!! I played with real Frisbees, so it was LEGIT.


And then I went to the ranch with Suzanne and the Knights. It was so much fun to be with a family and CHILDREN. Kids are so nice.



And Colton is ADORABLE. I love making him laugh and smile... he thinks everything you do is hilarious!


So, dinner was amazing, of course. I felt absolutely NO guilt after Thanksgiving for feeling stuffed to the max. What a wonderful feeling! Eating actual meals becomes a rarity when you are always having to "grab something quick" or eat left overs for a week. So I really don't care if I have to work on that food baby for the next week, because I have made myself happy by eating large amounts of food.


Then I went to Washington DC for a few days with a friend. It was a BLAST! We saw the capital building (which we initially thought was the white house. We were so confused when we saw people on the front lawn! And then we got smart.) and we went to the natural history and airplane/space Smithsonians PLUS the Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson memorials. And we drove by the white house. It was great fun!


(This picture was taken when we knew that the building was the capital building.)


My love, the toad.




Jefferson Memorial




Washington DC is SUCH a beautiful city! I love it.
And now it's back to school. I CAN DO THIS. Only 2 more weeks of school, then finals. And packing up all of my stuff somehow. No biggie.

Cranberries are in season apparently.

A lot can happen in a week! First of all, let me share my favorite recipes from this week:
Cranberry Scones! Delish. When I moved to the East coast, I quickly learned that "scones" are not fried bread dough with honey butter and cinnamon/sugar on them. They are actually this biscuit-like goodness. Here ya go:


I don't remember what I did with the recipe, so... go look one up. They're really good.

Next:
Ok. This was the BEST idea anybody ever had!

10-minute Apple Crisp Recipe
Ingredients:
Filling-
• 1 apple, peeled and thickly sliced
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon cornstarch
Crisp Topping-
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons oats
• 2 tablespoons flour
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
Starting with the crisp topping: Heat a small frying pan on med-high and cook/fry the all the ingredients for the crisp topping mixture until it is a darkened golden brown making sure to constantly stir so it doesn’t burn (approx. 3 min). Remove from heat and set aside.
In a small mixing bowl combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch. Add sliced apples and with your hand, massage the dry ingredients into the slices until all the dry mix is used up. Place apple mixture in a microwavable cereal bowl, cover with plastic wrap (folding some of it back to vent it), and microwave for 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and add crisp topping and gently press it down into the apple mixture with the back of a spoon. Place the bowl back in the microwave and heat for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Top off with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!



And then today I made CRANBERRY BREAD! (I needed to use the rest of the fresh cranberries from the scones). After waiting half a day to find a bread pan, I finally got my hands on one and made THIS:


Cranberry Bread: (makes 1 loaf)
(Adapted from Ocean Spray's Classic Cranberry Nut Bread)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons butter (softened) or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
• 1 egg well beaten
• 1 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract ( my addition to the recipe)
Preheat the oven to 350F

Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Chop the Cranberries and walnuts and set aside.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Stir in the orange juice, orange peel, egg and butter.

Then fold in the chopped cranberries and walnuts.

Spread the mixture evenly in the greased loaf pan and bake in the oven at 350F for 55 minutes (or more).

I made SOUP

SO.... it's the weekend. I've been crazy busy all week and haven't really been able to MAKE anything for myself to eat (you know, besides salad, cereal, sandwich, snacks, leftovers etc). So I went all out tonight and made TWO soups! (I couldn't decide between the two:) ). This is what I made:

Madame Sucre's Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients
3-4 fresh tomatoes - sliced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 big onion chopped
3 garlic cloves
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter
2 tbs cream
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbs basil
olive oil
salt n pepper
1. In a pot, roast the sliced tomatoes, some olive oil, chopped onions, garlic cloves and a drizzle of the balsamic vinegar, and salt n pepper.
2. Roast for 25 minutes , at 200c (medium low-ish heat??).
3. In a sauce pan , melt butter , add flour until a bit browned.
4. Combine the butter and flour mixture to the roasted tomatoes and onions, then add 1 can of diced tomatoes, 2 cups of chicken stock and salt n pepper. Boil for 15 minutes.
5. Remove from heat. Blend together until very smooth and creamy.
6. Add cream and mix together on very low heat for about 2 minutes.
7. Add basil and serve with some garlic bread or something with a lot of delicious carbs. :)

This is my soup! (Excuse my Tupperware)



Blender Black Bean Soup - Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 cans black beans – drained and rinsed
2 cups gluten free chicken or vegetable stock
½ cup prepared salsa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt & Pepper
1 lime – optional
Garnish:
½ cup sour cream
Juice of ½ a lime
Sliced green onions or cilantro

Directions:

Put 1 can of black beans in a blender with the chicken or vegetable stock, salsa and ground cumin. Blend until smooth. Put into a saucepan with the other can of beans and heat over medium heat. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Add the lime juice.
p.s. I added rice and corn. Just because.

Stir some lime juice into the sour cream until smooth and swirl some over the top of each serving and garnish with chopped green onions or cilantro.


Go make it.

JOSH IS JACOB BLACK

Does Josh not look IDENTICAL to Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) from Twilight?!?! I never saw it so clearly until this picture was taken:

On Wednesday night I went to the Anberlin/All American Rejects/Taking Back Sunday concert in Fairfax... and some random girl came up to Josh and told him he looked like Jacob. CRAZY. HAHA But ya the concert was freaking AWESOOOOOOME!!! I was really disappointed that Anberlin played so few songs, but they played some of my favorites... (Paperthin Hymn, Time and Confusion, Breaking etc). The lead singer, Steven Christian, used to be sooooo hot. Now he is getting old and chubby. That is not hot. Plus he wore a tight muscle shirt with a skinny tie, which is also not hot. :( AAR was good... but their lead singer is a PSYCHO. He wore white pants, no shirt, and had pink/purple glitter and baby oil plastered on his chest and back. This could have potentially been attractive (minus the glitter), however, he is really just does not have the body required to make the scene enjoyable. ew. anyway.... as for TBS, they were amazing on all levels. I love "Cute without the e"... great song. Here's a pic of the group:

Other things that have happened:
Girls Night:


Made Caramel Apples:
Bought new smell goods (and did a photo shoot with them):

Let me just say that I am so excited that tomorrow is Friday.
The end.

I love everything

I love volleyball
I love volleyball


I love my sisters and my mom


I love being done with my philosophy paper... 1 of 5 major projects all due in the same week
I love being home and able to eat what I want... not what everyone else wants to eat
I love food blogs
I love nature

I love my nephew

And I love orange starbursts

Halloween Weekend

I told you I would make these!

I made these for a Halloween party we went to. They are seriously amazing. I think they're so great because they're like little mini cakes! Haha

I was a Barbie for Halloween. :) It was great to wear pink and be covered in sparkles for a whole night! One of my friends decided he would be "Josh Patino" for Halloween. He stole his BYU soccer gear (Josh's trademark) and sunglasses, and did his hair all sweet (he even sprayed it dark). It was hilarious! He and I arrived to the party together. Everyone loved it! I thought it was very clever.


After the football game with some friends(we only go to support our dear friend David, the kicker. He's actually on the soccer team, but just kicks for the football team).