Just Stopping By...

...to wish you all a very Merry Christmas (or Happy Hanukkah!)

In just a few minutes, Jeremy and I will be packing up the car and our puppy so we can head up to my parents' home in Bellingham.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and travel safely!

One last thing...

if you're looking for one more dish to complete your holiday meal, I highly recommend The Pioneer Woman's Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries. I made these sprouts last night and they turned out perfectly. Very simple and very delicious.

Not to mention festive red and green!

Until next week!

xoxo, Merry Christmas.

Commitments for 2012



{Courtesy of Google Images}

"Resolutions" has become a dirty word. Every year we make our list, which is usually comprised of things we have no intention of actually doing if we're honest with ourselves. How many times have you sworn to yourself, "This year I'm going to spend less time watching TV" or "I'm going to stop gossiping" or the classic "I'm going to go to the gym FIVE TIMES A WEEK, without fail!"? I know I do, every single year. But these are empty promises that are more based in tradition than any sort of actual commitment.

But this year I have some extra motivation to follow through with my resolutions. And I'd like to start by throwing out that dirty little world. I'm not sure what I want to call my philosophy for the year 2012 or the little promises I'm making myself, but I do know that I want them to stick. I'm tired of doing things half way. Sabotaging myself and my goals. I have a feeling I'm not the only one who knows what I'm talking about.

Take this blog for example. Writing this blog is something I wanted to do for myself. I enjoy writing it and I enjoy hearing my friends and family respond to it. It's a positive thing in my life. But how often do I stick to my resolution, commitment, goal (whatever you want to call it!)? I haven't posted since early November. How did something I wanted to do, dedicated time and energy to, become a chore? How did my thinking go from "what should I write about on my blog today?" to "eh, it's already been two weeks since my last post...maybe I'll just wait until tomorrow". So beginning now and moving forward into 2012 my goal is to tell the voice in my head to shut up when it says you can wait until tomorrow. Because you know what? If I write here today, I'll be happier today.

Exercise is the same way for me. It's become a chore, something that I can always put off until tomorrow. I don't know why. I love the way I feel when I'm active. Particularly when I get the chance to do something fun and active...spin, hiking, jogging outside in the winter, yoga, dancing, or walking through the city. There is no excuse. I can make the time and I should make the time, because just like with blogging, exercising is a positive thing. Just because it's easier to sit on the couch and just because technically I could wait until tomorrow, doesn't mean that I should. So how do I remind myself of this everyday? Maybe it will require reading this entry or calling a friend and making a date to exercise, but I've got to figure it out. "Tomorrows" add up pretty quickly and before you know it days, weeks, months have gone by.

Then there's my biggest, most important, promise to myself. Enjoy 2012. Give it my all, 100%. Jeremy and I are beginning a pretty big journey this year and I don't want to waste it. I haven't figured out exactly what that will require, but I know a huge part of that is savoring every single moment. Even when the pre-wedding stress causes me to have a meltdown I need to appreciate this time. Because these are also the moments Jeremy and I will be building the foundation for our future together on. The choices I make as the wedding approaches all go into forming that foundation. I want to be less selfish and I want to show Jeremy what an incredible life I believe we have in front of us. That's accomplished through each small deed, kind word, and cherished moment.

These are huge commitments. I won't call them resolutions, because resolutions seem to fade by February. But I really think I can do it and the true test will be whether or not Jeremy and I are both still smiling a week before the wedding!

Holiday Wish List

It's never to early to start dreaming of presents under the tree.

This year Jeremy and I are cutting back on our holiday spending..saving for the big day! But that doesn't mean I can't fantisize about all of these goodies :) Maybe tomorrow I'll show you what Jeremy's Hannukah Wish List looks like.

Trust me it's a lot more manly.

Watch Out

Guess who just discovered Picnik?

This girl, that's who.

Just when I thought Pinterest was going to singlehandedly revolutionize my wedding planning, along comes Picnik. Now I have a creative and easy way to share with my bridesmaids dress options. I don't want to have everyone wear the same thing, but it's also difficult for a bunch of girls to interpret a color the exact same way.

Now I can share suggestions like this!

Since I already spend countless hours searching the web for ideas (table decor, flowers, dresses, guest books....the list goes on and on), this will be an incredibly efficient and fun way to share what I find with those who are involved!

I'm sorry I've been MIA for the last month or so, but wedding planning has sort of consumed my life.

Maybe I'll just have to start sharing a bit more with you guys.

Stay tuned, more to come.

A Little Rant (I can't help myself)

I have a dirty little secret to confess to all of my blog readers.

My neighbor hates me.

Well, I shouldn't say me.

He hates Buoy. So by association he hates me.

I don't know how we got so unlucky, but we live next door to the Grinch and it isn't getting any better.

This morning my alarm went off at 6:15, I climbed out of bed and let my angelic baby Buoy out to go potty.

Every morning he walks down the stairs, tinkles in the dirt, and then comes back upstairs.

Every morning I stand in the doorway keeping an eye on him...ten feet away.

Well this morning at approximately 6:18 the Grinch came outside and walked by Buoy.

As he walked by Buoy, not realizing I was watching, he says in his Grinchiest voice,

"What are you doing out here?!"

Which I responded to with the following, "He's just going to the bathroom!"

Well, I think Buoy could feel the hate and animosity radiating from the Grinch, because he barked.

One lonely but loud bark.

And then I kid you not...

que the 5 second delay...

1,

2,

3,

4,

and 5.

"Ouch! Your dog bit me!"

You've got to be kidding me. I'm standing right here, I saw the whole thing.

So I said to the Grinch, "Are you serious? Did he actually touch your skin?"

To which the Grinch replied, "Well no."

And then proceeded to lecture me on how "this has got to stop, your dog peeing off the leash."

Then the Grinch stormed off.

So, I've been fuming all day. Replaying the incident in my head over and over.

And let me tell you, the Grinch is a drama queen. I try pretty dang hard to be friendly with just about everyone. I don't hate people, but this guy is getting pretty darn close to changing that.

How would you handle this situation? Kill the Grinch with kindness? Maybe it would turn out just like Dr. Seuss planned...

"And what happened, then?

Well, in Whoville they say - that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."

All I know is you would have to be crazy to think this little bundle of love would cause anyone harm. I mean come on! He's lived next door to Buoy for 2.5 years...he's hardly the neighborhood terrorist.

Alright, I feel better after telling the story. If anyone has advice for dealing with my Grinchy neighbor I'd love to hear it!

This is where I'm at

It's funny how much life can change in the span of one year. This time last year, Jeremy was just getting home from a two month deployment in Mobile, AL. Something to do with an oil spill...you might have heard of it. We had barely lived together two weeks before he was boarding a plane. Airport hellos and goodbyes had been the theme of our relationship for the past 6 years and I can't tell you how hard it hit me when we found out that it was already time for another goodbye. I thought we were done with airports, done with long separations, and finally starting a life together. Physically together, same place, same time.

But life went on. Our Portland friends, who at that time were still "Jeremy's friends", completely opened their arms to me. I remember how much I relied on my "girls' nights" with Dani and Lauren. Looking back I feel so much gratitude for the way they supported me through that time. Two months is nothing in the scheme of things. Jeremy and I had spent much longer apart (try 9 months on a cargo ship in Asia circa 2006). But after building up in my head how perfect life would be after moving in together, I was pretty devastated.

But let me get back on track. I was trying to make a point. We've come a very long way. Now we're engaged. Planning a wedding for next summer. Enjoying our second Oregon fall together. And wait for it...we've become savers. Jeremy and I are saving every penny. It's like suddenly we realized "oh wait, weddings, houses, babies, take a lot of planning!" I guess we always knew that, but we were kind of hoping we could avoid having to do something about it. Let me tell you this is hard for me. I like to shop. We like to eat out. We like to go adventuring. But now that we have these big life goals, that are worth planning and saving for, suddenly life has changed. Yesterday we talked all day about going out for dinner, but when it came time to pick a spot, we unanimously decided to eat in. Look at that! We just saved $40!

Choices like that one have slowly started to catch on. A few months ago I wrote an entry about my wardrobe staples. I heard from a lot of my friends how much they liked reading that entry. So I figure it's time to add a few more "must haves" to the list. But this year splurges are probably not going to look the same. Rather than splurging on a pair of shoes, I'd like to be able to invite a couple more guests to our big day. You get the idea.

So here you go. A few items and pieces of fashion/shopping advice that won't totally break the bank.

1. Here is the most important lesson I can share with you. If you work in an office or you just love shopping at Banana Republic...sign up for Banana Republic emails. I know you probably already receive 8,000,000 emails from online retailers you shopped at once, but BR is worth it. See 'butters, they have something called power lunches. A 3-hour window of opportunity when everything is 40% off. Did you hear me? Everything. Yes, that includes $200 wool suit jackets, $100 wrap dresses, and $70 pencil skirts. Suddenly, items that were once on your dream shopping list are affordable. BR has these sales at least once or twice a month, so bottom line...don't ever buy anything at BR full price. Wait for a power lunch. The offer is good online or in stores.
   You're welcome.
   
2. Zara. Maybe I'm crazy, but I swear Zara used to be an "in stores only" opportunity...meaning no online shopping. But just the other day I went on their website and (hallelujah!) you can shop Zara online now. Zara isn't quite H&M affordable, but they are pretty inexpensive and their clothes a) fit well and b) last forever. Sign me up. I ordered this dress a couple of days ago ($79!).

I'm also considering this dress (below), because it screams Kate Middleton to me.
Screams Kate, but costs only $59.90. Perfect.

3. Last but not least, I would like to share this other amazing sale. I don't know how long it will last, so take advantage of this ASAP. Ann Taylor The Loft is having a $35 sale. Dresses, shirts, pants...a lot of their new line is on sale for only $35 (some shirts are even $25!). I found this sweater dress that I'm hoping will be as cute in real life (with black tights and suede boots) as it is online. Original price: $89.50. Sale price: $35.

Check it out.

That's all I have to share for now, but I will continue to fill you in when I find something worth sharing!

I'd love to hear from you guys if you have a minute to comment. Where were your lives one year ago? And how have you changed?

xoxo. Happy Friday.

Engagementmoon

Jeremy and I are definitely blessed. The day after our engagement we boarded a plane to Maui, well Maui by way of a 4 hour layover in San Fransisco. It was my first trip to Hawaii and we had been counting down the days for weeks! 8 days of sunshine, ocean, and engagement excitement.

Maui was everything I had hoped it would be, but I learned a very important lesson while I was there. You could say it was my first lesson in being a fiancé. I'd like to share it with all of you.

 After we landed and had picked up the rental car, Jeremy turned to me and said...

"We should take a picture." To which I responded, "Did you bring your camera?". Which was followed by, "No. Bringing the camera is the girl's job."

News to me. Did you all know the camera is the responsibility of the girl? What's mine is yours sounds great, but if that means the camera is now my responsibility...we aren't going to have many pictures. We spent 8 days in Maui and have exactly 4 pictures to show for it. Fantastic.

Proof we were really there. This was before we set out on the Road to Hana.

Proof I was in the Maui airport and there are tikis in Hawaii. How's my impression?

So there you have it. That's 50% of our trip's photographic evidence. Maybe someday you'll get lucky and I'll share the other two outstanding photos with you.

Maybe.

Aloha.

Life Changing Events

Dear Scuttlebutters,

Most of you who read this have probably already heard the news, but Jeremy and I are engaged! Jeremy proposed on September 16th, so this post is long overdue. But I think it's just now starting to sink in! I can't tell you how overjoyed we are and how blessed we feel by all the warm wishes we've receieved from our friends and family. Thank you all for making us feel so loved!

The proposal was perfect. Spontaneous and in our home. Buoy was there and played a very important part in the whole thing.

 Here we are right after! Luckily, Dani and Jared were there to capture the moment right after it happened. A little blurry and we look a little splotchy, but you get the idea!

Now, without getting to cheesy, I just have to say how totally happy I feel. Jeremy and I met 8 years ago in our high school physics class. There have been plenty of ups and downs along the way, but with a lot of love and blind hope we have managed to grow up and stay together. He's my best friend and I can't wait to make our little family official. You better believe Buoy will be a part of the wedding too :)

So there's the important update! I am very excited fall has returned. October is going to be a wonderful month, I can feel it! There are so many exciting things to do.

1. Return to the Corn Maize on Sauvie Island.

2. Get a very special visit from Jeremy's brother John.

3. Attend a Bridal Expo with Lauren this weekend.

4. Confirm our date and venue! (We're thinking July, ahhhh!)

5. Make a tour of the Fruit Loop out in Hood River with my parents.

6. Dive head first into all sorts of fall cooking...which you all will hopefully benefit from too!

Side note...last night I decided to make homemade chicken soup, stock from scratch, the whole bit. After two hours carefully preparing the soup, right before I was about to laddle the deliciousness into bowls, I dumped practically the whole jar of pepper into the broth. There went the soup and out came the toast for dinner.

Learn from my mistakes people. Double check which side of the pepper (or any other spice for that matter) you open!

Love,

Allison {almost} Maginot

The Return of Fall

Darling 'Butters,

I've decided that's what I'll call anyone who reads the 'Butt. Appropriately endearing, no?

It's been way too long since I last blogged, but without ever really making a conscious decision, I took the summer off. Before this summer, I didn't know it was possible to be busier than I was in college or grad school, but I definitely learned how wrong I was over the past 3 months. That being said, even though September looks like it will be just as crazy, I felt a shift when I woke up this morning. My body could feel the first changes of autumn...the cold air (50 degrees!) outside, the darkness out the window even at 6:15, and the return of Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. That last one is a particular favorite of mine! :)

As many of you know, in Oregon we have to make the absolute most of the few precious weeks of sunshine we are gifted. And let me tell you, we did. I don't think I could possibly recap all of the adventures I've experienced since the start of June, but I will do my best to fill you in.

June

June was still filled with plenty of rain and gray days, but it was also filled with excitement. One of my best friends, Dani, married our other good friend Jared. What an exciting month! Beginning with a bridal shower in Seaside, then a bachelorette party in Catalina, and finally a beautiful wedding in Portland...June was filled with celebrating.

I also had the chance to see my parents a couple of times, celebrate my mom's birthday with a Randy Travis concert, and play lots of softball. Playing is not to be confused with winning, unfortunately.

July

July kicked off with my darling Vassar friend Maya coming out for a visit. Read all about it here. We had an amazing time and I can't tell you how hard it is to believe we've been friends now for 6 years!

In July I also discovered the beauty of Forest Park, a Portland gem filled with miles and miles of trails. Buoy and I spent many hours exploring the trails. Dani and I also shared an adventure when we went to the Highland Games, find out all about that trip here. The adventuring continued with a trip to Bellingham, a weekend in Kennewick, Washington for the Columbia Cup Races, and the discovery of a new favorite blog cupcakesandcashmere.com.

August

Here's where things got crazy. The first weekend of August was spent at Salishan for my work's summer convention. Jeremy and Buoy joined me, and as a thank you/birthday present for Jeremy I put together a little surprise on the way home. We drove up to Netarts Bay, OR where I had reserved a boat so Jeremy and I could go crabbing. It was one of the most fun things we've ever done together.

As you can see Jeremy and I did fairly well for beginners! We came home with 20 Dungeness crabs...

...which we shared immediately with our friends Matt and Carrie. (P.S. They got engaged the day before so it was a great occasion for celebrating!)

The following week we celebrated Jeremy's birthday at the new Trader Vic's restaurant in town. I recommend going there for drinks, the cocktail menu is insane!

August continued with the highly anticipated arrival of my college roommate Katie. Darling Katie lives all the way in Buffalo, NY, the Northwest was a new experience for her and I couldn't wait to share with her all that the NW has to offer.

In true Allison/Katie style we jam-packed every second of her visit. From the minute she landed, when we headed to Secret Society Lounge for drinks, to the second she left when we had Podnah's Pit for dinner, we had a blast. There was a hike at Multnomah Falls, a brewery tour, a 3 day camping trip on the Olympic Peninsula, a visit to Seattle, and dinner high atop a skyscraper downtown at Portland City Grill.

Here are a few highlights:

We successful pitched our tent two nights in a row. This is Katie showing us who's boss at a campground in Lake Quinault, WA.

We hiked to beaches along the Washington coast.

Visited the Hoh Rainforest.

Stopped at Lake Crescent and hiked to Marymere Falls.

And climbed high above the Strait of Juan de Fuca at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park.

What a trip right? I think Katie definitely experienced so much of the Pacific Northwest.

August was an incredible month. It ended with a trip up to Bellingham last weekend. Bellingham is always a lot of fun, but this time Dani and Jared decided to join us. We had the best time.

We hiked, we swam, we kayaked.

We also drank a few too many margaritas! But hey, that's what life is all about.

The best part...our new family nickname...

meet the Schaabinots.

That is all. I hope you enjoyed the summer recap. Now that it's wrapping up I promise to be back in full blogging fashion. And you better be excited, because something tells me September will be just as adventurous!

Pretending to be Scottish

Anyone who knows me and/or anyone who frequents "The Butt" (aka The Scuttlebutt)...

has probably figured out by now I like to go really random places.

I'm a nerd at heart, I love exploring, and I have a strange appreciation for people who like to "go all out".

What does that mean?

Well, you know the types...

these are the people who spend their weekends taking part in Civil War reenactments,

or go to the Renaissance Faire in full costume,

or recreate Colonial Williamsburg.

I'm not sure what I love about these things. Maybe it's just I appreciate the attention to detail.

And since I love reading historical fiction, some of the time it gives me a chance to pseudo-experience the books/time periods I've read all about.

Take for example this weekend.

Dani (a former Civil War reenactor) and I decided to head out to Gresham, OR for the annual Highland Games.

A giant, all-day Scottish Festival...featuring men in kilts, lots of plaid, bagpipes, and bangers and mash.

We had an absolute amazing time, and for anyone who has read the Outlander series (if you haven't you should)...clans Frasier and MacKenzie were out in full force.

I spent the festival scoping out the crowd for potential Jamie Frasiers.

I highly recommend visiting the Highland Games in your area.

Look it up. I promise you have one.

The dancing, music, food and atmosphere makes for an awesome day.

The man in the kilt who made our necklaces.(Don't mind my crazy hair!)

And if you happen to be lucky enough to have a friend who appreciates this kind of thing as much as Dani did, consider yourself lucky and get out there!

That's right...bff necklaces...we're that cool.

Where will your next adventure be?

Dear Summer,

I'm obsessed.

Please don't ever leave.

I don't care that we only get a few days of sunshine at a time, I'll take what I can get.

I savor every second of your warmth and endless days.

The long winter is a distant memory.

Everyday is filled with hikes, meals on the balcony overlooking the river, late nights, and barbecues.

Not to mention the s'mores

It's funny, summer.

As a child I never appreciated you. California sunshine overflowed year-round.

Honestly, I didn't really notice you.

But now everything has changed.

One 9 month winter in Portland and I finally have learned to appreciate you.

I feel like I need to get in all of my summer loving that I never did as a child.

So please don't leave.

At least not for a few more weeks.

I promise not to take you for granted.

Love,

Allison

Dear blog readers,

I'm sorry I've been gone so long.

I haven't found time for anything lately besides work and enjoying summer.

There has been precious time with an old friend.

Hikes.

Gorgeous views.

A beautiful wedding.

Wine tasting in the Oregon countryside.

A rodeo.

Enjoying Portland's many microbrews.

And plain old summertime.

I promise I will be back, but for now it may not be as soon as we all would like.

I'm just too busy enjoying my new found love of summer!

summertime.

Hello again!

I'm so sorry I haven't been blogging as regularly as I should.

Summer has arrived (thank goodness!) and we've been busy spending time on our balcony, playing softball, and seeing our family and friends.

This past weekend I had the chance to see Randy Travis in concert. My Mama and I headed over to the Emerald Queen Casino near Tacoma, and celebrated her birthday with a girls' night.

It was a blast and Randy's still got it!

This week is full of adventures.

One of my best friends in the whole world is flying all the way to Portland from New York for a visit. Maya and I met freshman year of college when we both joined the swim team.

Here is a tribute to our friendship.

From it's very beginning...

...until now...almost 6 years after we met!
We will definitely need to take some new pictures while Maya is here...we look approximately 15 in all of these.

Oh college, I miss you!
I can't wait to show her (and share with all of you!) everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Maya and I have been shooting emails back and forth with ideas for her trip and so far it looks like we will be doing a bit of hiking, heading out to the St. Paul rodeo, and eating and drinking our way through all of Portland's amazing restaurants and breweries.

If anyone has any Portland must do's leave me a comment!

With all the craziness the past couple of weeks I've had less time to share with you what I've been doing in the kitchen. The past week it seemed like we had friends over every night for dinner and there's just something a little odd about pulling out the camera and taking pictures of your guest's dinner before they're allowed to eat it.

But I promise I'll try to make it up to you with some great recipes this week!

Last night Jeremy and I had Chicken Pot Pie.

Not your typical chicken pot pie, but a delicious version I discovered on Joy the Baker.

This one was made in a long casserole dish and had homemade chive biscuits on top.

I've never had pot pie quite like this one and it turned out to be worth the time/effort...

Jeremy said it was Top 5 meals I've ever made material!

Chicken Pot Pie with Chive Biscuits
Inspired by Joy the Baker

What you'll need:

Biscuits--

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 T baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp granulated sugar

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes

4 ounces (half of a brick) cream cheese, cold

3/4 cup buttermilk, cold

Filling--

4 T unsalted butter

1/2 C all-purpose flour

2 C low-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 C whole milk

4 ounces (half of a brick) cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

the juice from 1 lemon

1/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg

3 C shredded chicken meat (from a rotisserie chicken)

2 T butter

1 small onion, diced

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 cup thinly diced carrots

1 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

What you'll need to do:

Biscuits first.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, black pepper, and chopped chives.

Add butter and cream cheese to the dry ingredients.  Use your fingers to combine butter, cheese, and flour. You want to keep mixing it together with your fingers until you have small pieces (pebble size or smaller).

Make a small well in the center of the dough and add the buttermilk.  

Using a fork, combine the wet and dry ingredients.

Dump the shaggy biscuit dough onto a lightly floured work surface.  Knead together until dough forms a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick.

Use a round, 1 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut biscuits (or use a 1/4 C measuring cup like I did). 

Place biscuits on a small cookie sheet and place in the fridge until ready to bake.

Now for the filling. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Dice onion, garlic, carrots, and thaw the frozen peas.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour.  (Mixture will be very thick.)  Heat for 1 minute.  Turn flame to low and add the chicken stock.  Whisk until no flour bits remain.  Whisk in the milk and add the cream cheese.  Heat over medium low heat, stirring often, until cream cheese has melted.  

Add chicken, lemon, and nutmeg.  Stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.   Remove mixture from heat and set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add minced garlic and saute for one minute more.  Add carrots and peas.  Cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vegetable mixture to the creamy chicken mixture.  Stir to combine.

Spoon filling into a 9×13-inch pan.  Remove the biscuits from the fridge and place them on top of the filling.  Brush the tops of the biscuits with heavy cream, buttermilk, or egg wash.

Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until biscuits are puffed and golden, and the sides of the pot pie are bubbling.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

brussel sprouts.

Happy Wednesday!

I have a very special treat for you today.

I know I'm always experimenting with weird (disgusting to some) ingredients in the kitchen...but this time even I was shocked at the tasty outcome.

I did it.

I made and liked brussel sprouts.

I didn't think it could be done.

Let me share with you the brief history of my relationship with these little green demons.

Experience #1: circa 2003. I was in high school. Laura's mom, an amazing Italian woman who cooked for us kids non-stop, had us over for dinner. Zelyne, Laura, and I sat around the table excitedly awaiting the arrival of what we were sure would be a mountain of pasta and meatballs.

Enter the plate of brussel sprouts.

You might not believe it, but up until that point I had never had a single brussel sprout in my very long 15 years of life.

They smelled like a fart. I put one in my mouth.

Long story short...tasted like a fart too.

Experience #2: circa 2011. Earlier this year I went on a trip to Lake Tahoe with some friends. I had successfully avoided a recurrence of the brussel sprout episode of 2003 up until this point. But when our good friend Andrea offered to cook up dinner with her boyfriend Zeph, how could we resist?

Enter the bowl of brussel sprouts and bacon.

I don't know what she did to those little sprouts, but with the addition of bacon they suddenly became edible. Enjoyable even.

Experience #3: circa Monday. I'll admit...even after the successful brussel sprouts and bacon experience I was nervous. But I figured there's no time like the present to tackle the seemingly impossible. I gave myself a little pep talk, promised Jeremy if they turned out disgusting I'd never make him eat another brussel sprout again, and began cooking. I found this delicious recipe on The Little Red House blog and since nothing Sheena (author) writes about ever tastes anything but delicious...I gave it a go.

This was the result.

It was amazing and delicious and I didn't even need to add bacon.

Here's the really simply recipe:

Mix up brussel sprouts, 1 or 2 T olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. You want the sprouts to be a little brown.

Add roasted sprouts to salad greens. Put in a little avocado, onion, a fried egg on top and voila!

If you'd like to add some dressing. Mix up a honey mustard dressing or use your favorite store bought. I mixed honey, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and olive oil.
Plus some S & P.

Shake it up in a jar and pour over salad.

Yum.

Last but not least, serve it with whatever else you like. In our case...that happened to be steak with blue cheese crumbles on top!

Delish in a dish.

Hey Good Lookin'

Hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'?

How's about cookin' somethin' up with me?

Each week I assign myself the fun job of coming up with the week's grocery list.

Some people really can't stand grocery shopping, but honestly for some odd reason Jeremy and I love it.

We look forward to our weekly excursion...discussing which market to go to, what we need to pick up, and then carefully and slowly working our way through each aisle.

Maybe it's because we both love shopping and we both love food. So I guess it makes a bit of sense that this "chore" is one of our favorites!

For me, grocery shopping begins with the list. I rarely go into the store empty handed.

I like to be prepared.

Everyone has their own list making style, but I like to break mine down by day/meal.

For example:

Monday

Flank Steak and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

-flank steak

-mixed greens

-brussel sprouts

-avocado

-eggs

This helps me to plan out what I'm going to cook during the week ahead. And since I usually try out new recipes each night, I hold on to my list to remind me what I had planned as the week unfolds.

So what's on the menu this week?

You'll hear all about each recipe in the coming days, but so far this is what I have planned!

Monday: Flank Steak and Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Tuesday: Dinner out for my Mama's birthday (mmm Podnah's Pit!)

Wednesday: Chicken Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Fries, and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Thursday: Fish Chowder and Soda Biscuits

Friday: Matzoh Ball Soup pre-softball game, something yummy and bad for us after!

I'll let you know how it all goes as I try out each recipe!

For now, I'd like to leave you with something we actually made up last week for dinner.

Greek Tuna Salad

(inspired by 5 Ingredient Fix on the Food Network)

What you'll need:

2 albacore tuna steaks (you can use Ahi, but it's much more expensive)

3 lemons

1 C red grapes, washed and halved

1 C plain Greek yogurt

1/2 C toasted walnuts

What you'll need to do:

First, toast your walnuts by placing them in a skillet over a medium-high heat, stirring until you can smell them.

Then, preheat oven to 350.

Thinly slice two lemons and lay out the slices so they overlap on a piece of parchment paper. You want to create a bed for your tuna steaks. Then salt/pepper the steaks and place them on top of the lemon slices. Zest your third lemon and sprinkle zest on top of the steaks.

Now, wrap up your steaks by folding the parchment around the tuna. Tucking the ends of the parchment under like an envelope. You are trying to create a little package for your tuna to bake inside.

Place in the oven and let bake until the tuna is no longer pink and you can flake the fish easily. (The original recipe said 18-22 minutes, but I found this took closer to 40 minutes--must depend on the thickness of your tuna.)

Remove from the oven and open the parchment. Let cool until you can handle it comfortably.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, including flaked tuna.

Add the juice of that third lemon and salt/pepper to taste.

We ate our tuna salad as a lettuce wrap for dinner, then on bread for lunch the next day.

This is a delicious and unusual alternative to traditional tuna salad.

The best part?

No mayonnaise or unhealthy ingredients!