Holiday Happenings!

This year the Holidays were full of adventures with the one's I love.

Todd's mom came to town a week and a half before Christmas so that we could do some traveling!

First stop.

GRAND CANYON

I have been to the grand canyon multiple times, but it always seems to take my breath away. Todd had been to the North Rim, but I guess there is nothing better or more expansive than the view from the other side.

Todd was held at work a little later than we expected so we had a late start. It's a little more than a six hour drive from our house and we didn't hit the road until after 4.

We arrived at the Canyon a bit after midnight.

I have never been so COLD!

It was around 16 degrees!

We stayed in the cutest cabins at the Bright Angel Lodge.

When we woke up in the morning, we had the view of a lifetime!

We ventured a little ways down the Bright Angel trail and then huffed our way back up. It was a bit icy and snowy, but beautiful all the same!

We also enjoyed some fine Dining at El Tovar Lodge.

If you are ever at the Grand Canyon and in the mood for some AMAZING food.

Make a dinner reservation. 

The best part about being in a national park and eating at a 5* restaurant is everyone is wearing jeans and hiking boots. Quite the experience! 

Next stop.

SEDONA

 

The place for all things dirty! Todd got to do some off-roading in my little 4x4 grocery getter. Reminded me of a few good country songs. We were on a Red Dirt Road getting a little Mud on The Tires :)

We hiked up to Devils Bridge.

It was beautiful!

I was so full of anxiety that I felt like puking. I did make it over to the bridge with Todd's help and love, scared to death.

The hike would be nice in dry or even wet weather, but there was snow, slush and ice on the very unforgiving trail. 

From where I am standing taking Todd's picture, there is probably 5 feet of slanted jagged rock, covered in slush between me and the 50 foot drop. 

Scary beautiful!

We then moved onto 

JEROME

Cutest little old mining town built on the side of a hill.

It's a little artist community full of cute shops and some good restaurants.

After returning home and then taking the in-laws to the airport the next day, Todd, Skipper, and I drove up to Sun City to visit my grandparents George and Jane. 

It's always a good time hearing their stories of travel and the mischief my mother and uncles used to get themselves and eachother into.

We got there a few days before Christmas so we had a little time to do some adventuring of our own!

 Todd rode a horse for the first time EVER! We had an amazing old army veteran/cowboy give us a tour of the Desert and told some good tales. Todd now understands why I always ask to go horseback riding. We had a great time.

Christmas was simple and beautiful. I played Christmas elf and passed out all the gifts, we opened all our lovely little gifts 

Todd got me something I know I will be using the most. A beautiful little Le Creuset dutch oven.

I think Todd's favorite is a 1943 edition of the Officers Guide. The best thing about the book, it came with history. Inside we found immunization records and a request from a 1st Lieutenant in the reserves to go active duty from 1947.

I hope you all had an amazing Holiday and a Happy Christmas!

Just Desserts!

As you all know. I LOVE COOKING!

The holidays are the perfect time to share your love and delicious creations with family. I love it because I have some great cooks in my family and I love their input. 

In the last few weeks I have been able to do a few things I have never done.

I have made many cupcakes, but never a real cake!

I am pretty sure my cupcakes were how I won Todd's heart.

When we were newly dating, on Thursdays during college my classes ended around 11am so I would always come home and make Todd and his housemate the most unique cupcakes.

A few I remember:

Mtn Dew Cupcakes with Code Red Frosting

Guinness Cupcakes with Irish Cream Frosting (the decided favorite)

Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Buttercream

Margarita Cupcakes with Lime Frosting

Yumm!  

Anyway,

Todd's birthday was the week before thanksgiving. I asked him what he wanted for his B-day, he said nothing. well, that's just silly so I told him I would make him German Chocolate Cake!

He LOVES German Chocolate Cake. I even surprised him on our wedding day with the top tier of the cake being made special for his love of GCK. So this was kind of a special task for me.

Little did I know, I picked a pretty intense cake to be my first.

Intense, but amazing and yummy!

German Chocolate Cake

Yield: 12-16 servings

Ingredients

For the cake:
2 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 tbsp. water
4 large eggs, separated
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the rum syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 tbsp. dark rum
For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
6 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
½ tsp.  salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted
For the icing:
8 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

Step by step Instructions

I was a little afraid of the rum syrup, but, honestly the more the merrier. It keeps the cake moist and scrumptious!
and the icing I refrigerated for nearly an hour, so I could decorate with it easier.

Enjoy!

It's been a while.

I'm really not sure what I have been so busy with.

We have gotten BIG NEWS since last time.

We Are Moving!!

Todd's next duty station is.... FORT HOOD, TEXAS!

In March we will be making the move to Killeen, Texas. I am excited because for some reason I have always wanted to be a southern belle. Not that I think that living there I will suddenly transform into this big haired, drawl speaking, homemaker in boots, but, who knows!

One thing I cannot wait for..

Waco is about an hour from where we will be living and is the home of my favorite HGTV show!

Fixer Upper! I am so excited to visit Magnolia Market at the new Silo location. 

(and in my dreams I become best friends with Joanna)

A few other notable things that have happened.

Home Sweet Home

 

We got this awesome chair!

We also received this beautiful coffee table and side tables.

In trying to to make our house feel like a home, we were in great need of furniture!

The tables were made locally in Sierra Vista and are amazing quality. I ordered them from a husband and wife and they delivered them a week and a half later! best purchase.

If you are looking for good quality furniture on a budget and don't mind putting in a little elbow grease, I have two words for you.

Home Reserve.

Seriously, amazing 400 dollars for this chair and ottoman that Todd and I can sit next to each other comfortably in. It comes like a jigsaw puzzle of wooden pieces, foam and fabric. You get to pick style of chair or full sectionals for 600$. You get to pick fabric, and then put it together.

We love it (obviously Skipper does)! and both pieces have storage inside them.

I have cooked a few good meals too!

During the last month I took part in the Whole30 diet.

I highly recommend it! I can honestly say it changed the way I think and feel about food.

During the 30 day period, you have to promise yourself to stay away from:

Dairy

Legumes

Alcohol

Sugar

and Grains

Dairy, alcohol and legumes were pretty simple for me.

I'm slightly lactose intolerant so the only thing I really missed was cooking with butter.

I have a bit of a sweet tooth and love dessert and well, bread.

who doesn't love bread!

The first day was easy. Day two was pretty good too!

Days 3-6 I had a huge migraine and I was SUPER TIRED.

Craving all sugars.

My lovely neighbor and friend started with me and she had completed it before.

I texted her that I wanted potatoes and she told me I could!

Anytime I get a migraine the only thing I can ever really keep down is mashed potatoes!

Whole30 doesn't suggest eating a ton of potatoes, but they are allowed!

After that it was pretty much smooth sailing.

It's a good thing I love to cook because I had to get out of my decadant comfort food zone.

It was a lot of veggie and meat combos. This meal was our favorite though!

Pecan crusted salmon with cauliflower mash and asparagus!

This is a Super yummy treat!

I wasn't in love with the cauliflower mash, but Todd loved it!

I lost 7lbs on Whole30 and gained a new outlook on food.

I now know sugar and preservatives trigger my headaches and grains and dairy really mess with my stomach.

Although agonizing at times and sometimes a little boring. I can honestly say it was an amazing experience! If you are looking for a way to kickstart your health. This is it!

SEE YOU SOON! 

Snakes and Suppers

Well, Ok.. it was just one snake. A HUGE snake!

                   A few weeks ago I was getting ready to got to my favorite place. TARGET. Like I usually do before leave, I let Skipper out to go to the bathroom. On a normal day I would have walked away and let her do her business. I am so glad it was not a "normal" day. For some reason I was in a hurry to get out the door, so I opened the slider to our little back yard and stood there to make sure Skipper relieved herself. Ten seconds later, Skipper sniffing around to find the perfect spot, sniffed right up to a diamondback rattlesnake. Until it coiled up and shook that tail, neither of us saw it in our tan gravel yard. My heart stopped when that snake did some warning lunges right at Skip. I screamed, she freezed, I screamed some more, and she ran to me in fear that she did something wrong. 

I called animal control and then waited around for 30 minutes while this giant, menacingly slithered around our yard.

The hero animal control officer informed me this was the biggest snake he had ever caught. He is now living in the desert somewhere far from my home and I hope to NEVER run into him again.

Suppers

I have truly embraced this part of my housewife duties.

I LOVE COOKING!

Every week I dig through Pinterest and all the 2398 food pins I have to create a menu for weeks dinners. I lean toward culturally diverse foods because Sierra Vista doesn't have much to offer.

Sometimes I tackle the most complicated but all three of these were easy and delicious!

Broccoli Beef

This was delicious. One of the things I love about broccoli beef is the caramelized crispy bits and this definitely satisfies that craving. Super easy recipe!

I am in love with the rice maker my grandmother gave me. It is probably over 30 years old but it is one of my favorite kitchen accessories!

I highly suggest getting a rice cooker. It means you have one less thing to worry about. Put the rice in, the water, and whatever seasonings you desire and turn it on. Walk away and go on with the rest of your dinner prep. It dings when it's done, and its perfect every time!

Shrimp Fresh Rolls and Peanut Sauce

I love anything that includes peanut sauce!

This was by far the easiest dinner I have made in a very long time!

I added avocado to my fresh rolls, because lets face it, everything is better with avocado.

Also, the more mint the merrier! 

Chicken Tikka Masala and Garlic Naan

Todd and I love love love Indian food. On our first date he took me to an amazing little Indian restaurant in Lacey, Wa that is a must try if you are ever in the area. 

I was so surprised at how simple this was! Delicious!

 and the naan was amazing.

The last time I made masala I didn't make naan, and now, I will never make one without the other. The naan was so simple that I don't know why anyone would buy naan.

This masala recipe calls for a 24oz can of diced tomatoes. I used a 12oz tomato sauce and a 12oz diced tomato can. I like my masala a little smoother. I also used more like 2tbsp of garam masala spice. It might just be the spice I have but, with three scoops it would have had too much of a nutmeg flavor.

I hope you enjoy!

Washington to Arizona Again! (with a few pit stops in between)

After a month in the sunny state of Arizona I flew back to Washington for another goodbye, to go to Watershed, and to have a roadtrip back to Arizona with my mom!

 The flight in was gorgeous, even made me tear up a bit.

Washington will always be home.

A day later I went on an adventure with some pretty awesome people!

Watershed 2015 

Three days of hot sun, a cool river, beer, amazing friends and some awesome music!

 

I survived my first Watershed but my so called "waterproof" phone didn't survive an accidental swim in the Colombia River. 

It was a long two weeks

The next leg of the adventure  was with my mom!

1st stop Oregon coast

Next, we stayed in Eureka, CA and had the best creole food I have ever! 

It was a darling little place called Bless My Soul cafe. I still cant stop thinking about the Sticky Love chicken and greens. If you are ever in Humbolt, it's a must.

  Through the trees and the Vineyards to San Francisco we went!

In San Fran we stayed at this adorable boutique hotel called the Inn at The Opera House

we ate Lebanese food, rode the streetcars, went to China Town, and drove by Mrs. Doubtfire's house and over the Golden Gate Bridge.

From San Fran to VEGAS!!

What's Vegas without Diva's!? We took in a show and had a late night dinner at Guy Fieri's Restaurant.

Sooo Good!

And I played 7$ in slots and won $9.20

I left VEGAS 2$ richer!

Then we surprised Todd by coming home a day sooner than he expected.

We had an amazing trip with only a few traffic jams and a bunch of amazing restaurants.

Our Big Road Trip!

Leaving Washington was bittersweet.

Leaving my home and family and friends and the place I grew up was hard.

Leaving the PNW also means starting our lives together as Husband and Wife. Being our first time living together alone in a home that is all ours is so exciting!

To get to our new home we took a pretty COOL road trip.

Washington to Arizona

We left Washington on the 5th of July 
We got to spend the 4th at the best place in the world to watch fireworks and celebrate our independence.


Lake Joy

The next morning our trip began

Astoria, OR

Newport, OR

 

We spent our first night in Newport and then in the morning we headed down to the beach so that Skipper could say farewell to the Pacific Ocean.

We stopped in..

While in Idaho we got to stop in Craters of the Moon National Park.

I would highly recommend this! Seriously, and amazing sight to see.

Imagine

You are driving along, looking out the window, and all of a sudden it looks like someone came and just started dumping loads and loads of fresh asphalt everywhere for as far as you can see. 

This is a hill about .5miles up and it felt like walking on the moon

.

Next..

Logan, UT

My mom was a resident director at the college in Logan. It's kind of neat to explore not only the places of your past, but the places that made your family who they are.

 and then on to Bryce Canyon

The pictures don't do it justice.

this place was amazing!

Then we finally crossed into ARIZONA!

The last park we visited was the Petrified Forest

 

I had been here before when I was very young, with my dad. We used to take a trip every year to AZ to go to the gem show. Those trips were a lot more rugged than this one and definitely something i treasure.

After six long days on the road we arrived in our new hometown for the  next 6 months.

I am flying home next week to go to Watershed with my favorite people and then I get to do it all again with my mom and my car!

 

And So It Goes..

Well, to start, I am a small town girl born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. I believe my unique upbringing shaped who  I am and how I view the world.
 
With a father who loves all things random, especially in his food, I learned to develop a zest for cooking and not being affraid to explore new things. He is a free spirit and loves any adventure, especially the one you never thought exsted.

My mother is one of the hardest workers I have ever met and when she sets herself a goal she always succeeds. I think it was her passion for success that fueled my curiosity to know and love all the things and individuals around me.

In the summer before my Senior year in college I met my love, my husband. Two years later we were married! Now we are on the next big adventure in our lives. He is attending an Army Captain Career course which is the next step in furthering his career. With that, we had to leave our beloved PNW and head to the Southwest, Arizona.

With this blog I hope to cronicle our journies and experiences in this amazing and precious life.