Wedding Photoblog 1 - Engagement, shower, bachelorette party

A year is a long time to be engaged, but in some ways, it's awesome to have so much time to plan and celebrate. I'm a BIG planner, so though we've already knocked out some of the most important details (venues, hotels, date, dress, etc.), there are tons of little things to work on whenever there's time. A goal for me during this year is to plan because it's fun, and to do so in a way that will ultimately allow for a stress-free event. I really want to enjoy the planning process - and upon thinking of this today, I realized how many awesome wedding things have already happened. Not wanting to let them slip away so quickly, I've posted some pics below that capture the highlights. I think I'll keep doing this throughout the year, too - sort of like an online scrapbook. Enjoy!

Morgan proposed at a scenic overlook of the Dallas Divide, which is
en route to Telluride. Truly, a most beautiful place!

The ring has its own tales to tell; all of the diamonds
are from Morgan's paternal grandmother.

In August, I met my mom and sister in CA to spend a weekend
with Tete Bonnie, Uncle Paul, and cousins Annie and Rosie.
On night one, they all surprised me with a shower! 

Tete Bonnie makes a KILLER shower cake! Even better  eaten
cold, for breakfast!

My wonderful friend, Tina, created these amazing bachelorette party invites.
The party was actually a Hanson concert, and (I think) everyone had an
awesome time! The success of the evening can be attributed entirely to
Summer, Tina, and Kasey, who worked so hard to make it fun for everyone.
I just love those ladies.

We waited in line for several hours, killing time with food, drink, and games.
It was a blast!

Summer, Kasey, Katie

So close to the stage - with Tina and Janelle

Hanson ♥ ♪ ♫ 

Tina, Janelle, Robynn, Elizabeth, Ryan

Such a great night - so lucky to have friends who are such incredible women! 

Scenes of Autumn Photoblog

Historic Golden

Golden Farmers Market

Mini Mines fan

Leaf peeping

Near Eldora, CO

Nederland, CO

Pumpkin patch

Pommer tots

Colorado ♥

Cincinnati Chili

In 2010, I had the great pleasure of visiting Madison, WI, on two separate occasions. Madison is probably one of the only cities in the Midwest to where I would wholeheartedly move – such liveliness and charm! There’s a restaurant downtown called The Old Fashioned, a place that ranks in my top 10 of favorite dining establishments. The beer cheese soup! The cheese curds! The cherry and blue cheese salad!

Ahh, anyway, my immense love for this restaurant will be left to a later blog, as this one is all about a dish I saw on The Old Fashioned’s menu: Cincinnati Chili. To sum up, it’s a giant bowl of chili with the works (onions, sour cream, cheese)…ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI. Yes, yes, you read that right – chili spaghetti. Apparently, Cincinnati Chili is a big deal – a quick Wikipedia search rendered multiple recipes, photos, and instructions for ordering the dish (bowl, 2-way, 5-way, etc.). I will admit that my original thoughts on chili spaghetti were strangely close-minded. Honestly, it just sounded weird.

A few months after my second visit to The Old Fashioned, I decided to taste test this Cincinnati Chili at home. I was admittedly nervous – how odd, too, for the ingredients add up to carb-and-comfort-food heaven, a place I like to visit often. In a bowl, I layered steaming spaghetti, shredded cheddar, piping hot chili, and topped it off with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of scallions. As the sour cream melted and oozed over the surface of the chili, I jabbed a fork into the mix and twirled. The cheese, trapped between tendrils of pasta and chunks of chili, had melted into a delightfully gooey sauce.

Oh, my.

One perfect bite and my mouth was filled with an amazing combination of textures and flavors. I cannot even accurately explain it other than to ask you to imagine all of the components of comfort food (soft, warm, cheesy, creamy, hearty) in one place at the same time. I’m not sure what is more unbelievable – that such deliciousness exists from such simple ingredients, or that I lived 33 years of my life without this dish.

Suffice to say, Cincinnati Chili is now a year-round staple in my kitchen, though I especially love it in the autumn and winter seasons. I made it for Morgan a few weeks ago, and he wasn’t quite as impressed…he prefers regular, tomatoe-y spaghetti. So now I just freeze single servings of chili, which make for a quick trip to carb-and-comfort-food heaven on any chilly eve. 

It should be noted that an authentic Cincinnati Chili recipe includes cinnamon, cloves, and chocolate, but I'm partial to my own chili recipe. Also, the picture above is not my own - I'll be sure to update with a photo of my version when I make it again. 

Cincinnati Chili

For the chili:

1½ lb. ground beef or turkey

2 pkg. chili seasoning (low sodium)

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 jalapeno pepper

1 clove garlic

2 cans kidney beans

3  15 oz. cans tomato sauce

1 can sliced black olives

1 T. sugar

Dice all three peppers and mince the garlic. Brown meat in a large Dutch oven and drain fat. Add pepper and garlic to meat; cook on med-low for 5 minutes. Sprinkle chili seasoning in and stir to coat. Add beans, sugar, and tomato sauce. Simmer on low for 2-3 hours, adding water in small amounts if chili gets too thick. Add the olives in the last hour of cooking.

Now, layer the following items in a bowl, in this order:

- whole wheat spaghetti, cooked/drained

- shredded cheddar

- chili

- sour cream

- scallions

This dish is massively filling, so go easy on your portion sizes at first. Allow to cool just enough to eat without scalding one’s tongue, and enjoy! J

So, I broke up with Facebook...

In a manner disturbingly similar to how breakups often work with real people, I simply cut myself off – cold turkey. Sure, I gave out a warning for a few hours, just in case one of my “friends” needed it, and I emailed this blog address to my actual friends, just in case they wanted to keep up with it in the future. But otherwise, with the click of a button, it was over. Ouch.

If I could explain why in a single statement, “I don’t think this relationship is working for me anymore,” should cover it. Over the past few days, I’ve mentally tracked the pros and cons to my relationship with Facebook, and eventually concluded that said relationship was unhealthy – toxic, really. For example:

Love
-       simple photo sharing
-       keeping up with long-distance friends and relatives easily
-       knowing others’ business (yes, this was a pro – I’m nosy)

Hate
-    others’ annoying posts (i.e. political/religious slants, braggy, TMI, etc.)
-    wasting time stalking people I barely know anymore
-    general clique-y-ness formed when show-offs get together and blab their combined awesomeness all over cyberspace
-    knowing there are people on my “friend” list who are not friends and should not know about my daily doings – yet feeling trapped in this “friendship” because de-friending is way too harsh
-    feeling like a bitch because I wouldn’t accept friend requests from everyone
-    finding myself irritated/frustrated DAILY by what other people were doing and saying on FB
-    feeling like a fraud/creeper when I knew personal information (i.e. pregnancies, deaths, drug addictions, break-ups) about people who I haven’t spoken to face-to-face in years
-    realizing that these same people knew/shared personal things about me, too
-    constantly de-tagging myself in photos because I looked like an a-hole in said photos and didn’t want to world to see that (when, in fact, they did, regardless of the de-tagging)
-    knowing that I couldn’t just minimize my time on FB, that I didn’t have the self-control to just leave it alone for a few days; in a sense, I was “addicted”

If the above lists were representative of a real relationship with another person, the immense outweighing of hate over love would certainly inspired me to end it, and the situation was no different with FB. Realizing that there were so many things I wanted to do but couldn’t find time – and then seeing that I was spending hours a day on Facebook – really got me thinking.

For some people, Facebook is an awesome thing. These are people who have figured out how to manage the connection, how to keep Facebook from taking over their lives. I am not one of these people, and the only way for me to take back my life was to stop –

Just.

Stop.

Quitting has been sad…and I am embarrassed to admit it. I’ve felt a bit like there’s a hole in my soul; like there’s a big party happening somewhere and I’m not invited.

But on the flip side, there are so many great things I will have time for now; things that have been horribly neglected during the course of my five-year relationship with Facebook.  Things like blogging, reading, trying new recipes, working out, spending quality time with Morgan, planning our wedding, answering emails, visiting friends – in person. And though my most popular cyberspace outlet is now gone, there are still millions of online distractions with which to engage: Pinterest, Hanson videos, friends’ blogs, cooking websites, NPR, Netflix streaming. And, now when I see an old friend or long-distance acquaintance, the experience will be genuine because that element of mystery will have returned. Maybe my high school reunions will actually feel special now! I’m excited to move on; I’m excited to be free.

Goodbye, Facebook – it really wasn’t you, it was me. But in the end, it was for the best!

Dear Hanson (a love letter)

I was 19 in '97, when your first song made it big, far too old to possibly enjoy a bubblegum hit sung by a bunch of kids. But something about the sound drew me in. It was different - the arrangement, the vocals, the beat. My sister was 15 then, and in a time when we had nothing in common, suddenly, we had your music. We spent hours upon hours that summer dancing and lip synching to the Middle of Nowhere album, plastering our bedroom walls with your Teen Beat photos, trying time and again to make our parents REALLY listen and appreciate your talent. We squealed with glee when your videos appeared on MTV and dissected each and every shot on film, hoping to demystify your creative brains. It was a wonderful summer.

Years passed, and my sister and I phased through different paths of life, all the while keeping up with your music. We've seen every show we could - The Orpheum Phoenix (2000), Nita's Hideaway Tempe (2003), The Marquee Tempe (2005), The Ogden Denver (2009), TLA Philly (2010), The Fox Boulder (2010), Cain's Ballroom (2011), The Fox Boulder (2011). We've watched as you guys grew up - got married, had kids, became masters of your own independent label universe, and used your talents to give back to others. We've been on this road with you, made possible through your music and your incredible communication to fans through the newest age of online streaming. We've joined your crusade against poverty in Africa, worn TOMS and then removed them for a walk. As if your music wasn't inspiring enough on its own, your philanthropic hearts take it to the next level.

Last May, I journeyed to your hometown for a Members Only Event. Your hometown is just as charming and genuine as you all are, and the MOE, not surprisingly, was an incredible gift of music and friendship. It seems funny to reference "friendship" with people I've not known as friends in the traditional sense - but that's how you guys present yourselves. You invite your fans into your lives. There's an obvious level of trust you've established with your fans, and it fosters an authentic sense of respect in return. Never in my life have I seen such a gesture of kindness from a band to its fans.

So all in all, thank you. Thank you for your philanthropic goals; they inspire so much compassion in the world. What you started with your walks has begun to trickle into the world. There's a frozen yogurt shop that just opened near my home this past spring, and its owners donate money to local schools each week. Inside the shop, there's a big poster stating the owners' inspiration: Blake Mycosksie of TOMS shoes. I thought it was so cool to see others catching onto that "giving circle" philosophy - something that I've learned about from you guys.

Thank you for your camaraderie with your fans - for the late-night gas station streaming events, the MOE photo sessions, the funny website blog updates, the 2+ hour long concert sets. These things only begin to explain why we all love you! And, for forever and a day - thank you for your music. It's been a beacon in the night, a shoulder to cry on, a source of comfort in high and low points in life, a definition of heart and soul.

Sunday Soup

I just love soup. Warm, hearty, and served in a bowl - it's the ultimate comfort food. During the school year, I typically make a batch of soup each weekend to eat for lunch that week. Any leftovers beyond that are frozen for a quick, last-minute dinner option.

Last fall, I posted soup recipes each week, and I hope to continue that practice this year. Here's a new one that highlights one of Colorado's greatest seasonal crops: Olathe sweet corn.

Sweet Corn Chowder

1 1/2 T. butter

2 slices bacon, diced

2 shallots, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 t. dried basil

1 bay leaf

6 ears sweet corn (Olathe is best)

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 c. chicken stock

1 c. milk

2 T. scallions, sliced thin 

Fresh grated Parmesan

Remove husks from corn and slice corn kernels from the cob. Cut cobs in half and place to the side. 

Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium. Add bacon and cook for 4 minutes. Add shallots, onion, basil, and bay leaf; cook 5 minutes. 

Add corn kernels, salt, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add stock, milk, and corn cobs (about 6 halves) to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove corn cobs and bay leaf from the pot. Using an immersion blender, partially puree the soup. Season and serve, sprinkling with scallions and Parmesan. 

Serves 4-6.

Summertime Pasta

I just love pasta, pretty much any day of the year. However, as pasta typically serves to be a comfort food for me, so I have many warm and cheesy recipes for cold winter nights. In the summertime, I struggle to find pasta recipes beyond the typical antipasto or macaroni salad - delicious, yes, but so boring. So if you're looking to add some pizazz to your summer pasta options, here are a few creative options.

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Matchless Macaroni Salad

An old standby of my mother's - from the Colorado Cache cookbook 

2  1/2 cups seedless green grapes

8 oz shell macaroni or bowties

8 oz pitted ripe black olives, drained + halved

3/4 cup chopped green onions

3 oz blue cheese, crumbled

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 t. garlic powder

3 T. lemon juice

1 cup mayonnaise

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain. Combine hot macaroni with grapes, olives, onion, cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix together lemon juice and mayonnaise until smooth. Combine macaroni and mayonnaise until evenly mixed. Refrigerate covered several hours or overnight. Add more mayonnaise if desired, before serving. Serves 8-12.

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Nouveau Macaroni Salad

From www.101cookbooks.com, one of my favorite healthy cooking sites. 

Unique and refreshing!

1 pound elbow macaroni

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cups thinly sliced green onions

3 medium cloves garlic, chopped

salt/pepper to taste

zest and juice of one lemon

1/3 cup grated Parmesan

4 big handfuls arugula (or spinach)

1 large apple, diced

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of well-salted water per package instructions. Set aside at least 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Then drain pasta and set aside.  In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot. Add most of the green onions, all of the garlic, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften, and the garlic begins to take on some color, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a couple minutes.


Use a hand blender or food processor to puree the green onion mixture along with 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, zest of the lemon, half the lemon juice, and the reserved pasta water. Puree and taste. The green onion flavor should be assertive. Stir in the Parmesan.

Combine the macaroni with the green onion sauce in a large bowl. Toss well. Add the arugula and most of the apple and toss again. Taste, and add more pepper, salt, or lemon juice if needed. Serve topped with the remaining apple and green onion. Makes enough for a crowd or potluck.

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Fresh Corn, Zucchini, and Cream Pasta

I threw all of these ingredients together one night and discovered a quick and delicious summertime dish. Other add-ins would be great with this, too - like spinach, asparagus, or cherry tomatoes. 
2 cups cooked pasta (fettuccine or penne would be great; or cheese ravioli for added decadence)

1 T. olive oil

1 cup fresh summer corn

1 cup diced zucchini or summer squash

1/4 cup real bacon bits (or just real bacon, cooked and crumbled)

1 T. fresh basil, chopped

1/3 cup sliced green onion

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup half and half

shredded Parmesan for sprinkling

Place a large saute pan over medium high heat and add oil. Toss in corn, zucchini, and bacon bits and saute for several minutes until vegetables are lightly browned. Add basil, onion, and salt/pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook for a few more minutes. Finish off with half and half, allowing the liquid to bubble and coat the vegetable mixture. Toss in pasta and split into bowls. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serves 2.