We dipped marshmallows in Valentine's colored chocolate & then in a plate of Valentine's sprinkles. After they hardened, we packaged them up in treat sacks for the kids' classes. They also made origami hearts for Valentine's!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Our Story - Draft One
Tim and I had been dating for a little over a year... I was anxious.
Okay, let's be honest, I was anxious after like 4 months. When you know, you know, you know? And even when you thought you'd known before, when you really really really know, you really know.
So, anyway, we had had some adventurous time over the holidays: power outage for Christmas, trip to California for MSU's first Rose Bowl appearance in 26 years, and a flooded basement upon returning after the new year. Things were just about to settle down a little, and we were going to have a quiet, productive weekend.
We shopped Menard's for all sorts of home fixtures and ideas, put up shelving in Maddie's closet, and finally, after almost 8 months, put up an IKEA pantry organizer in the kitchen. We cleaned, did laundry, and just felt good. I even got in a "quick" Target trip!
I had made a garlic-studded pot roast for dinner (thanks, Emeril ;)), and Tim was trying out this new "melting potatoes" recipe he'd found in Cook's Country. We had a couple different bottles of wine open, so we decided to pour some and reward our hard work, along with our "fancy" dinner. As we were clearing off the coffee table to settle in for some serious Pirates of the Caribbean, Tim handed me some of my "fancy" earrings and asked if I was going to wear them for our "fancy" dinner :) (Little did I know, he had another "fancy" piece of jewelry he planned to add to my collection!) Since those earrings didn't match my outfit, I chose a different "fancy" pair (some fabulous pearl chains that my mom had gotten me for Christmas), and we settled in for dinner.
I was just about to drink some wine when Tim said, "No! We need to toast to all our hard work!" Since toasts are not uncommon in my house (kids included :)), I didn't think anything of it. "Yes," I said, "to being so productive today, and to a nice dinner!"
"And one more thing..."
As Tim said that, he set down his wine glass on the table, pulled the ring out of his pocket, and got down on one knee right in front of my couch. "Kristen, will you marry me?"
I couldn't stop crying. I don't think he had a chance to breathe for at least a minute, I was holding onto him so tightly! After our hug, and my excitement, oh, and of course, my saying, "Yes!" I remembered he hadn't put the ring on my finger yet. It fit perfectly. I couldn't stop staring at him. It was so pretty, but it wasn't the ring that caught my eye (though it does every time I type anything), it was Tim - it was us. I was, and still am, so excited!
Okay, let's be honest, I was anxious after like 4 months. When you know, you know, you know? And even when you thought you'd known before, when you really really really know, you really know.
So, anyway, we had had some adventurous time over the holidays: power outage for Christmas, trip to California for MSU's first Rose Bowl appearance in 26 years, and a flooded basement upon returning after the new year. Things were just about to settle down a little, and we were going to have a quiet, productive weekend.
We shopped Menard's for all sorts of home fixtures and ideas, put up shelving in Maddie's closet, and finally, after almost 8 months, put up an IKEA pantry organizer in the kitchen. We cleaned, did laundry, and just felt good. I even got in a "quick" Target trip!
I had made a garlic-studded pot roast for dinner (thanks, Emeril ;)), and Tim was trying out this new "melting potatoes" recipe he'd found in Cook's Country. We had a couple different bottles of wine open, so we decided to pour some and reward our hard work, along with our "fancy" dinner. As we were clearing off the coffee table to settle in for some serious Pirates of the Caribbean, Tim handed me some of my "fancy" earrings and asked if I was going to wear them for our "fancy" dinner :) (Little did I know, he had another "fancy" piece of jewelry he planned to add to my collection!) Since those earrings didn't match my outfit, I chose a different "fancy" pair (some fabulous pearl chains that my mom had gotten me for Christmas), and we settled in for dinner.
I was just about to drink some wine when Tim said, "No! We need to toast to all our hard work!" Since toasts are not uncommon in my house (kids included :)), I didn't think anything of it. "Yes," I said, "to being so productive today, and to a nice dinner!"
"And one more thing..."
As Tim said that, he set down his wine glass on the table, pulled the ring out of his pocket, and got down on one knee right in front of my couch. "Kristen, will you marry me?"
I couldn't stop crying. I don't think he had a chance to breathe for at least a minute, I was holding onto him so tightly! After our hug, and my excitement, oh, and of course, my saying, "Yes!" I remembered he hadn't put the ring on my finger yet. It fit perfectly. I couldn't stop staring at him. It was so pretty, but it wasn't the ring that caught my eye (though it does every time I type anything), it was Tim - it was us. I was, and still am, so excited!
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Sweet Ama-Whiskey Sours
I have to give a nod to Ina Garten on this... I made fresh whiskey sours based on Ina's recipe about a month ago, but I had yet to make it true to proportions (and I've still not made it true-to-form completely, but this is too good not to share).
Since I'm quite short of a good Boston shaker, I used my tall Blender Bottle (with the blender ball in it still). My ice cubes are made in an ice-cube tray, so pouring out of the top of the cup kept the ice in as well. As per Ina, pour all ingredients in the shaker and shake for about 15 seconds. I prefer to skewer a maraschino cherry or two on a stir stick and pour mine into 2 handled Mason jar glasses (you could be classier and pour smaller portions into 4 jam jars, or if you must, 4 martini glasses with the cherries on cute cocktail swords, or party picks), and garnish with a lime wedge.
A delicious refreshment for a warm spring or summer day...enjoy!
- juice of 2 lemons (yields about 1/2 cup)
- juice of 3 1/2 limes (yields about 1/2 cup)
- 2/3 cup simple syrup
- 1/2 cup amaretto liqueur
- 1/4 cup honey whiskey (my fav is Jack)
- a good handful of ice
- at least one maraschino cherry per drink
Since I'm quite short of a good Boston shaker, I used my tall Blender Bottle (with the blender ball in it still). My ice cubes are made in an ice-cube tray, so pouring out of the top of the cup kept the ice in as well. As per Ina, pour all ingredients in the shaker and shake for about 15 seconds. I prefer to skewer a maraschino cherry or two on a stir stick and pour mine into 2 handled Mason jar glasses (you could be classier and pour smaller portions into 4 jam jars, or if you must, 4 martini glasses with the cherries on cute cocktail swords, or party picks), and garnish with a lime wedge.
A delicious refreshment for a warm spring or summer day...enjoy!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Mix Your Own Oatmeal
Welcome! In traditional KT fashion, many months have passed since my last post ;) This morning, I felt particularly inspired to share what I thought was a pretty innovative breakfast with anyone who'll take the time to read my post!
Let me start by telling you that I've never, in all my 28 years, made oatmeal on the stove. Now, my mother would probably scoff at that and tell me that I must have made old fashioned oatmeal at some point in my life, but seeing as I didn't even like oatmeal until I was in college, and at that time, I was a lazy college student and bought things that only required a bowl & a microwave, I can vouch for the fact that it hasn't happened. I've even gotten my kids (ages 5 & 6) hooked on packet oatmeal! But honestly, if you take a look at them, those oatmeal packets get expensive, especially in comparison to just buying straight-up Quaker in one of those fun tubes. Also, whether you're a busy college student or a busy mom, packet oatmeal is convenient.
I had a notion a while back to make my own oatmeal packets (who knew you could buy quick oats & just make oatmeal in the microwave?! Yes, it's sad, but I never knew until this summer...). I could just bag up enough oatmeal in sandwich bags, add some general tastiness for the kids, like brown sugar and/or cinnamon, and then have them mix with water, microwave, and add some fruit - voila!
That great plan of making my mornings cheaper and no more time-consuming hasn't happened yet, but I did make some oatmeal on the stovetop this fine Sunday morning, and we mixed our own tastiness with fixings that I already had in stock: chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, real maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, fresh apple slices, and dried cherries. You take your pick! I'm including how I made the oatmeal along with our different chosen concoctions.
Let's Start Healthy Oatmeal
This is based on the recipe on the side of the Quaker old fashioned oats tube... just as I'm sure you do, I made it my own.
1 1/4 c water
1 1/2 c milk
heaping 1/8 t salt
1 3/4 c oats
1/8 t pure vanilla extract
2 T chia seeds
Bring water, milk, and salt to a boil. Stir in oats. Stir in vanilla. Continue to cook oatmeal for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches desired consistency. About a minute before removing it from the stove, stir in chia seeds. Serve warm with mix-ins as desired.
Serves 1 adult & 2 kids, for sure... adult serving ~ 3/4 to 1 cup / kid servings ~ 3/8 cup each
Maddie's Campfire Oatmeal
My daughter loves loves loves chocolate (she is her mother's daughter ;)) and she mixed in about 2t maple syrup, 1T brown sugar, a sprinkle of cinnamon, 25 chocolate chips (yes, she counted :)), and 8 mini marshmallows.
Mondo and Mommy's Orchard Oatmeal
My son and I have very similar tastes when it comes to oatmeal. We both added about 1T maple syrup, 1 1/4T brown sugar, and a good sprinkle of cinnamon. Then we each added 1/8c apple pieces. I further customized with about 1/8c dried cherries (Traverse City love!).
Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
-kt
Let me start by telling you that I've never, in all my 28 years, made oatmeal on the stove. Now, my mother would probably scoff at that and tell me that I must have made old fashioned oatmeal at some point in my life, but seeing as I didn't even like oatmeal until I was in college, and at that time, I was a lazy college student and bought things that only required a bowl & a microwave, I can vouch for the fact that it hasn't happened. I've even gotten my kids (ages 5 & 6) hooked on packet oatmeal! But honestly, if you take a look at them, those oatmeal packets get expensive, especially in comparison to just buying straight-up Quaker in one of those fun tubes. Also, whether you're a busy college student or a busy mom, packet oatmeal is convenient.
I had a notion a while back to make my own oatmeal packets (who knew you could buy quick oats & just make oatmeal in the microwave?! Yes, it's sad, but I never knew until this summer...). I could just bag up enough oatmeal in sandwich bags, add some general tastiness for the kids, like brown sugar and/or cinnamon, and then have them mix with water, microwave, and add some fruit - voila!
That great plan of making my mornings cheaper and no more time-consuming hasn't happened yet, but I did make some oatmeal on the stovetop this fine Sunday morning, and we mixed our own tastiness with fixings that I already had in stock: chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, real maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, fresh apple slices, and dried cherries. You take your pick! I'm including how I made the oatmeal along with our different chosen concoctions.
Let's Start Healthy Oatmeal
This is based on the recipe on the side of the Quaker old fashioned oats tube... just as I'm sure you do, I made it my own.
1 1/4 c water
1 1/2 c milk
heaping 1/8 t salt
1 3/4 c oats
1/8 t pure vanilla extract
2 T chia seeds
Bring water, milk, and salt to a boil. Stir in oats. Stir in vanilla. Continue to cook oatmeal for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reaches desired consistency. About a minute before removing it from the stove, stir in chia seeds. Serve warm with mix-ins as desired.
Serves 1 adult & 2 kids, for sure... adult serving ~ 3/4 to 1 cup / kid servings ~ 3/8 cup each
Maddie's Campfire Oatmeal
My daughter loves loves loves chocolate (she is her mother's daughter ;)) and she mixed in about 2t maple syrup, 1T brown sugar, a sprinkle of cinnamon, 25 chocolate chips (yes, she counted :)), and 8 mini marshmallows.
Mondo and Mommy's Orchard Oatmeal
My son and I have very similar tastes when it comes to oatmeal. We both added about 1T maple syrup, 1 1/4T brown sugar, and a good sprinkle of cinnamon. Then we each added 1/8c apple pieces. I further customized with about 1/8c dried cherries (Traverse City love!).
Thanks for reading, and enjoy!
-kt
Sunday, May 6, 2012
I made a comeback?!
Okay, so is it bad that I forgot that I had posted to my blog & changed my theme back in February? I made a comeback and then never came back... that's unfortunate :-/
No promises this time. It may be forever until I blog again, but man, what I said before was true: I want to and I need to write more! That much is for sure.
Things at the top of my mind - prime blogging topics?
No promises this time. It may be forever until I blog again, but man, what I said before was true: I want to and I need to write more! That much is for sure.
Things at the top of my mind - prime blogging topics?
- buying a house
- raising children
- wine... sweet, dry, fruity, punchy, aromatic, fun wine
- summer (cuz, let's be honest, everyone loves summer ;))
- volleyball, running, pilates, yoga (some of which I'm more likely to partake in than others)
- travel (especially that involving family)
- ...and so much more!
(Yeah, like that last bullet? I know there's so much I could ramble on about, so I decided that my list was long enough... for now!)
I should add my use of ellipsis... let me count the ways... ;) (All right, all right, enough overly punctuated sentences!) Anyway, I'm getting back into the hang of things (again)... (ooh! add my use of parenthetical asides to the list as well!) Let me share just one thing for tonight, one little fun tidbit. This is of course, if you're of legal age to imbibe in it:
tall glass {¼ c lemonade syrup* + 1 thinly sliced strawberry + 1 oz strawberry vodka + cold water}
_____________________________________________________________________
4 ice cubes
= fabulous summer refreshment
Enjoy!
* Lemonade syrup is made by boiling 2c. water + 1c. sugar on the stove, removing from heat and adding the juice of 4 lemons. Allow to cool completely. Mix ¼ c. w/ ice & cold water to make a glass of lemonade. You can store the syrup in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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