Like Mother, Like Daughter

Kyle was out of town this weekend, so my mom came up to stay with me! In a family with five kids, one-on-one time with either of my parents is hard to come by, so I definitely felt privileged to spend some quality mother-daughter time.

We kicked off the weekend with a little shopping. Well, a lot of shopping. Actually, I think we ended up at the Mall of America three times! We also went out for Starbucks, went on a walk, saw a movie (Baby Mama, it was hilarious), and went out to eat at a great Indian restaurant Saturday night. We even stayed up until one in the morning, which is pretty unusual for either of us!

I’m a lot like my mom (that’s a good thing except for being directionally challenged), so it was fun to hang out together. We like to do a lot of the same things. The whole weekend was just perfect!

Wordless Wednesday

If this post wasn't wordless, it would say "peek-a-boo."

Light Oat Bread

This is my favorite bread recipe! It turns out light and fluffy, and has a great flavor, not to mention that it makes your house smell like Subway while it is cooking!). Just add the ingredients, hit “start,” and everyone will think you slaved away in the kitchen. Don’t have a bread machine? Check your local thrift store; I actually got mine for six dollars and it works great!

· 1 1/4 cups water
· 2 tablespoons butter, melted
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1/2 cup rolled oats
· 2 tablespoons brown sugar
· 1 1/2 yeast

Add ingredients to bread maker in the order listed. Use regular light setting. Slice and serve; best when hot!

Blogging

I first heard about blogging from a friend. I didn’t quite understand exactly what it was or why she did it. She explained that it’s sort of like an online diary that helps people stay updated on their life. So, I started reading their blog. Then I started reading their blog almost every day.

I started reading more blogs. They were all very interesting. Mostly blogs of friends, sometimes friends of friends. More recently, I decided to join the world of blogging myself. It’s definitely a world of its own!

This leads me to a conversation I had the other night with another friend (note to friend: if you’re reading this, I hope you don’t mind). She confided in me that she is a blog stalker. Her “guilty pleasure” is reading blogs (probably yours if you are reading this!), even if she does not know the person. She finds it fascinating. But don’t we all? Isn’t that why you are reading this right now?!

I’ve come to a conclusion about our society: we want to know the realness in people’s lives. This is similar to the enthrallment that we have with reality television. Our style of entertainment has changed; it’s genuine “real life” that we are interested in. We no longer care as much about the scripted stuff as we do about getting a glimpse into people’s daily lives, which is what reality television is all about. In a way, a blog is a glimpse into a person’s life.

Even though the prospect of having people I hardly know (or don’t know) read about my life freaks me out a little, it is also pretty fun. I enjoy thinking of things to write about, finding recipes to share with friends, and sharing pictures about what we’ve been up to. So, whether I know you or not, welcome to my blog and to a glimpse of my life!

Perfect Peanut Sauce

Here's an (easy) recipe for Thai Peanut Sauce that works every time! I made a few changes to the original recipe, so this one's perfect!

1/4 c peanut butter
2 t soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T lime juice
1/4 c coconut milk (or milk is fine)
1/4 c water
1 t Thai chili garlic sauce or 1 clove crushed garlic
1 t ginger

Optional Flavors to Add:
sesame oil
curry paste
fish sauce

Combine all ingredients with a whisk in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat (still stirring) until sauce begins to bubble and thicken. Remove from heat. Experiment with this sauce, adding a teaspoon at a time of one of the optional additions and tasting as you go. Serve hot or cold. Spice level can be adjusted, so it can spicy or mild (great for the kids). This sauce is really good with grilled chicken or beef satay (as pictured), lettuce wraps, spring rolls, or on anything you can think of!

Here's an idea for a super easy meal or appetizer: chicken or beef satay (marinade in remaining coconut milk, soy sauce, and some lime juice) on the grill. Serve with peanut sauce, sliced cucumbers, a side of your favorite rice, and cilantro to garnish!

Clean House

I have to admit, I don’t clean our house nearly as often as I should! Generally, I only clean when we are having company or when the house gets so dirty that it grosses me out. I know, it’s embarrassing! So, I have a new strategy that I want to share…it actually works really well.

A few months ago, I typed and saved on my computer a list of everything I need to do to clean my entire house, room by room, from vacuuming, dusting, wiping off the TV, to cleaning out the microwave, cleaning the shower, washing sheets, washing towels, etc. So now, when it’s time to clean, I just print off the document, turn on some music, and check things off as I go! It’s nice to get everything done at once. I try to do my little routine once a week and I’ve got it down to about 2-3 hours. If anyone is interested in my list, send me an e-mail and I will send you the document.

It’s amazing how much better I feel when the house is clean. I think it’s actually calming. Now, if I can only figure out a way to stay organized…

Travel Destination: Santorini, Greece

Santorini, Greece, is probably one of the most beautiful places that I’ve been to in the world, and one of my favorites. This Greek island is part of the Cyclades, and is only a short flight away from Athens. It is a “C” shaped island that was formed from a volcanic crater. The buildings, which are all white, contrast with the black volcanic rock, and are laced with blue accents. Beautiful! Some highlights of Santorini are:

●Amazing sunsets (people even applause at the end)!
●The Caldera (huge crater cliff with white houses in it)
●Greek salads with fresh vegetables and feta cheese
●Hiking across the island on a stone path
●Blue-domed churches (there are 365 on this small island)
●Hearing people speaking Greek
●Grabbing a gyro and bottle of Fanta for lunch
●Snapshots that turn out just like calendar shots
●Greek yogurt with honey for breakfast
●Vineyards and wild olive trees
●The myth this was where the lost city of Atlantis was
●The sapphire-blue ocean

Five Things Before Thirty

About three years ago, I made a list of five things I wanted to do before I turned thirty! This was just for fun. I looked back on the list last night to see how I'm doing. Here they are, in no particular order:

-Start a business
-Travel to 6 continents
-Run a race
-Have a kid
-Scuba dive

How am I doing on my list?

Well, one major accomplishment is that I started my own business! Which, by the way, I absolutely love. I am thankful to my husband for being supportive and letting me try my “idea,” because it was quite a risk (I had to quit my full time job). God has truly blessed me with the opportunity to work for myself, doing something that I enjoy, and I am thankful for that.

I’ve done a lot of traveling – I’ve been to the following continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia. I have a few more to go: Australia and Africa (I’m not counting Antarctica). I only have 2.5 years left! We’ll see…

Run a race…why did I put that in there? Once Cross Country was over after high school, I came to the conclusion that I didn’t really like running all that much. Maybe I’ll try it again? I would like to run a 5K sometime. Hmmm…

Have a kid...we'll see about that one!

I have to admit, scuba diving really scares me. I LOVE snorkeling, it is one of my favorite things, but being in deep water is scary, because it’s not possible to just “run away” from something. I just may have to face my fears and do it, because I think it would be amazing to see more of God’s creation…underwater!

What are the five things you want to do before you turn 30 (or 35, or your next mile-marker birthday)?

Brick-Oven Grilled Pizza

I just discovered a way to have brick-oven/wood-fired pizza...without the brick-oven! It's super easy and fun, and the pizza turned out similar to Punch Pizza, one of our favorite pizzarias in town. Here's the recipe I used (super easy with a breadmaker, too). Sunday night is pizza night at our house, and it was a gorgeous weekend, so we decided to try it on the grill! This recipe would be great for a party.

Brick-Oven Grilled Pizza

1 1/6 c water

1 1/2 T oil

3 c flour

2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

1 t garlic (minced)

1/2 t italian seasoning

2 t yeast

Combine ingredients in bread maker and set to "dough" cycle (if making by hand, combine water, sugar and yeast, then rest of ingedients and knead; then let rise for 20 minutes). Light grill to medium-high.

Once dough is formed, divide into 4 balls. Roll each out to desired shape/size and spray each side with cooking spray. When grill is ready, put pizza dough directly on grill (two at a time). Cook on one side, then flip. Immediately add desired toppings while the second side is cooking. Keep in the grill until cheese is melted. Check frequently that the bottom doesn't burn (may need to move to top grill rack while the cheese melts).

Makes 4 individual pizzas. Yum!

Macaroni and Cheese

Seriously, macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite foods of all time! This is actually a relatively healthy recipe since it uses milk instead of cream and just a little butter. It's from my mom's cookbook Good For You (Cindy Rebarcak). It makes a lot, but it's good as leftovers, and kids love it (I like to make it when friends come over with their kids). Did I mention it's easy to make?

Macaroni and Cheese

12-oz package cavatappi noodles (my favorite - as pictured)

4 c whole milk

1/4 c cornstarch

1 t salt (or more as desired)

1/4 t dry mustard

dash hot sauce

dash nutmeg

4 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 T butter

Cook and drain macaroni according to package directions. Meanwhile in very large pan, add milk, cornstarch, salt, dry mustard, hot sauce and nutmeg. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Boil gently one minute then remove from heat. Stir in cheese and butter until melted, then mix in macaroni.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

A New Earth, A New Religion?

I don't know if any of you watch Oprah, but since I got TiVo, that seems to be one of the shows I try to watch (more like listen to while I'm doing other things around the house) regularly.

Now, I am definitely a fan of the Oprah show. I think her show is interesting, and I always like hearing the latest and greatest in news, fashion, health, and entertainment. I admit that I do respect her generosity. However, I have noticed lately that she is really pushing Eckhart Tolle's book titled A New Earth. This has me a little curious.

From the outside, it sounds like a nice philosophy. It seems that everyone’s reading it; over 2 million people from around the world are streaming into her online class on Monday nights, as well as celebrities from Suze Orman to Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy. From the outside, there are no contradictions with Christianity, and they say it “compliments” any religion. It seems to agree with Christian values, saying it will “transform your life” and encourages you to be aware of your conscienceness and live “in the present moment.”

However, from the inside, A New Earth is a book that teaches spiritual views such as “my holiness is my salvation” and “my salvation comes from me.” Oprah claims to be a Christian and even talks about God and the Bible quite frequently. However, she has said that she believes “there are many paths to what you call God” and that “God is a feeling experience, not a believing experience.” In my opinion, this book does not seem to go along with other religions, but is a new-aged religion of its own. I do not want Christians to be led astray by this. Let's keep Oprah as a talk-show host, and not a spiritual leader.

I believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, and in the saving power of Jesus Christ alone. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

Office Party

In celebration of the return of one of our favorite shows, NBC's The Office, we had an Office party with some friends on Thursday! Andrea, the awesome head of the Party Planning Committee, brought dessert (pictured below). Nice! Can you guess who we all dressed up as?

L Family Weekend

The other weekend, we had a great time with Kyle's family! Brian, Debbie, Elyse, Annie, Nana and Boompa all came to visit! We had family from three different states -- Elyse flew in from Tennessee; Annie, Debbie and Brian from Iowa; and Nana and Boompa from Illinois! It is so fun to spend time with and catch up with family.

We went to a Twins game, did a little (or a lot of) shopping at the Mall of America, and even went out to eat at Jake's (aka, Kyle's favorite restaurant in Eagan that he raves about)! Needless to say, we had so much fun.

Kiley and Matthew!

Kiley and Matt, my sister and her husband that live in Chicago, came to stay with us this weekend! We love having company (hint hint), and we had a blast with them. We realized that we like to do a lot of the same things, and we have a lot in common with both of them. I am so thankful that God has blessed my with such a great sister, and He has given her such a loving husband!

We did lots of fun activities -- we went shopping downtown, "broke in" to Target HQ to see where Kyle works (we needed a special pass and everything!), went out for Caribou, and played Rummikub (my new favorite game). Matt is getting his MBA and Kyle of course just finished his, so they had "business talk" a lot. Then, we went out for sushi on Saturday night in Uptown. Sunday for lunch, we all went to Nate and Natalie's house -- it was fun to see and catch-up with friends from college.

I remember when I was younger, thinking about how fun it would be when Kiley and I were both married and could "double date." Funny to think that those days are here! And now, we are thinking about how fun it will be when our "kids" are cousins!

Lake Tahoe

Kyle's wish finally came true this year for spring break -- we went on a ski trip! Our good friends Steph and Alan from Phoenix invitied us to join them!

As you can see, the view from Mount Heavenly was just gorgeous. We had beautiful weather the last two days of our trip, which makes for my kind of skiing! Thanks, Steph and Alan, for a great trip.