Master Chef

One of the most amazing things about my husband, in my opinion, is that he shares in my love for all things food.

We are total foodies. 

I'm pretty sure that if we didn't have to be responsible adults and have jobs and the such we would just go to cooking school and travel around the world finding new places to eat. 

We love food. Cooking it, eating it, discussing it, we love it. One of our favorite things to do is order a meal and try to break down the ingredients that are in the dish.

Lately though, Logan and I have been looking for a new hobby we could do together and we happened upon a brilliant idea. 

Master Chef.

We LOVE this show and decided to do our own little mash up of it.

The break down:

1. The pickin's.

     -There are 3 options: 

              1-Pick one ingredient to be the star of the dish.

              2-Pick an assortment of ingredients that will be the only ingredients that are allowed to make the dish.

              3-Pick a specific dish which the both parties have to attempt to make.

2. The prep.

      -Once the objective is revealed 15 mins of prep time is given to come up with the idea, browse through recipes, etc. 

3. The process.
     -When all the prep is through, the fun stuff starts! One fast paced hour of cooking time.

4. The pressure.
     -Our meals now complete we critique the dishes and score them on presentation, creativity, use, taste, and technique. 

This round was Logan's choice, he decided on Option 1: One star ingredient. . . BRATWURST!

The dishes turned out fantastic! Logan made a middle eastern take on toad in the hole with grilled broccoli, garbanzo beans and an amazing brown gravy. While I made peach glazed brats with roasted vegetables and cous cous.

Logan accidentally made his look like a smiley face without meaning too, and it wasn't till after time was up that he realized it so I squeaked by with a win this round. 

All in all it was a fantastic experience and I suggest you give it a try if you are as die hard foodies/cooks as Logan and I are. 

Someday I will pretend I am profession cook. Check.

California Trip

Sooooo, I'm in love.

Cali.

I was completely ready to pack up and move over to this gorgeous place, that is until I saw the price tag of everything. Yeah that threw a wrench in my plans, but I still love Cali. 

Logan and I went down there about 3 weeks ago for 10 days with Logan's best friend, Riley and his family.

Funny story that, a few months back Logan and I were having dinner with Riley and his wife, Trez and they mentioned a family biannual trip to Carlsbad. Their description made it sound like heaven (rightfully so), and Logan and I, having been vacation deprived, may have tried to invite ourselves to come along. . . yeah, we were kind of desperate for a vacay at that point and Riley and Trez being as fantastic as they are were actually ok with us joining them.

Angels, they are freaking angels.

Logan and I haven't been down to California for a really long time, like when we were 5 "long time", so I don't think we really knew what to expect.

We started out by driving down and staying two nights in Vegas. We played around on the strip, saw a movie, and just relaxed.

Our view from the hotel in Vegas.

We then met up with Riley and Trez and drove down to Carlsbad and end up at the South Carlsbad State Beach. . . It was surreal. We pulled up to the campsite just before sunset to the sights, sounds, and smells of the ocean.

Our camp site

The view.

Again, THE VIEW. 

There were stairs that connected the cliff campsite to the sandy beach below. When we finally stopped gawking and made our way down the scene was picture perfect.

The sun was setting, it was a perfect 75 degrees, and waves were crashing on the sand.  The beach was isolated with only a few other visitors on it's shore, and we could see dolphins swimming not even a few 100 years off.

The days that followed were just as picturesque. We went down to the beach almost every day, Logan and Riley surfed and boogie boarded. We ate smores and played games by the campfire and fell asleep to the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach.

We also got to explore San Diego, saw the zoo, sea world, went shopping, ate some fantastic Indian food, explored balboa park, and Logan got to eat a burrito the size of his arm.

Sea world!

San Diego Zoo

It was a blast! And we owe Riley and Trez big time for letting us tag along.


Some day we will be tempted to move to Cali. Check.

Copy Cat- Zupas

So I know this is the wrong time of year to post this but the level of goodness is worth it.

 A few weeks ago Logan and I came down with a bad case of food poisoning and it took us a good while to fully recover from it. With sick, picky stomachs on our hands, we felt it was our obligation to eat at Zupas practically every night. Obviously a necessity when sick. 

Their soups are SOOO delicious. . . and addicting. I'm pretty sure any time we feel the least bit sick we use it as an excuse to go to Zupas for dinner.  

The problem with this is for a poor married couple like ourselves this habit can cost a pretty penny after a while, and because we both enjoy cooking so thoroughly we decided we should probably look for an alternative means of obtaining that bowl of goodness. A compromise of sorts.

Copy-cat Wisconsin Cauliflower Recipe. 


It was so good and so similar to the original recipe I feel I should share it with those who would like to partake. Enjoy. 

WISCONSIN CAULIFLOWER

INGREDIENTS

• HEAD OF  CAULIFLOWER
• OLIVE OIL
• 3 tbsp. bUTTER
• 1 mED. oNION [CHOPPED]
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1 cup Half and Half
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 1/2 cups Water
• 1 (14.5 oz) can Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 cup Pepper Jack Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place Cauliflower head in oven at 450° F for ~20 mins.  
2. In the meantime, melt butter and chopped onion together in a large saucepan and sauté for approximately 10 minutes over medium heat until onion turns golden in color.
3. Add flour, it will turn into like a wet paste looking mixture (i.e the beginnings of a roux).
4. Slowly add half and half along with the milk. Gradually add and stir the entire time. Following the milk, gradually add water and chicken broth and stir constantly.
5. Once cauliflower is done, coarsely chop it up and add to your creamy soup base.  
6. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until cauliflower is tender [This takes about 10 min]
7. Place contents of sauce pan into blender and blend until smooth. [Remove center part of blender cover to allow steam to escape]
8. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and cheese until melted and smooth.
9. Serve and Enjoy :]

Some day I will have glorious restaurant food originate from my kitchen. Check.  

Staycation.

A few weeks ago I had a comp day that I needed to use before things at work got too crazy, so I decided to take off Friday and have a long weekend. Logan and I conversed about what we should do with the 3 days. Moab, Park City, and St. George were among the options discussed. However our decision ended up being an exploration of the city in which we currently reside.

A staycation.

I have to admit, I was at first a little bummed with this choice. I would have preferred getting out of town, however it turned out to be just what I needed. 

Here are some of the lovely adventures that occurred...

Breakfast at Blue Plate Dinner with this attractive man. It was a really good ol' fashioned breakfast joint. I loved the atmosphere there. 

 I also made Logan go get a facial with me... aaand I got record of it. Mmmwwahhhahaha!

He didn't care for it, but he was a very good sport. Now every time I see this photo all I can think of is this gem of a clip from peter pan...

http://youtu.be/tKWy_bwygJ0

Then we attempted to go rock climbing and realized how pathetic our forearm and hand muscles are. They seriously burned for the next two days every time we tried to use our hands for anything. It was sort of hilarious to watch us try something that required any sort of dexterity. Good times.

To appeal to our foodie side we also tried a restaurant we have wanted to go to for a while now. Its called Sea Salt, we found out about it through my mother, who happens to provide the produce, honey, and eggs to this lovely place.  We definitely shouldn't have waited so long, it was absolutely fantastic.

Appetizer: Focaccia di Nonna Maria and Fresh, Seasoned Nocellara Olives

Logan's Dish: Ribbon pasta with a Duck Ragu, Sweet Basil, and Grana Padano

And Mine: Oven Roasted Chicken Breast with Orzo Pasta, Arugula, 

Blood Orange, Kalamata Olives and Roasted Red Pepper. 

Our first night ended back in our apartment watching Netflix by a relaxing fire.

Our next day started out just as delicious and the last one had ended. Breakfast at Pagos.

Logan's: Pago Burger with Pickled Onions, Black Garlic Mayo, and Country Potatoes

Mine: Eggs Benedict- Don't usually like this dish but it is amazing here! 

Black Currant Scone with Orange Marmalade.

Yeah, that last picture pretty much describes it...Seriously so good. :]

Following breakfast we went shopping, saw the mummy museum, ate awesome pizza and gelato at Settebello, napped, read and relaxed for a bit.

Next up was pajama night at color me mine!

                                 

     

Our pieces turned out to be pretty high class if I do say so myself, 

all while we were rocking our pj's nonetheless.

Our night ended with some chips and salsa, delicious Mexican food, and fresh pina coladas.

Many of the things we did were firsts for the both of us and we truly had a good time, even if it was all within 15 miles of our home. I would highly recommend a staycation to anyone who needs a quick break.

Some times I think I forget what it is to truly relax. I have a habit of packing my day so tight when I go on vacation that I don't know if I truly enjoy everything that I do.

So this, this was nice. And needed.

Some day I will take time to enjoy the city I live in, staycation style. Check. 

A little bit of courage.

I wanted to make a quick post about something that happened today. Not really sure if it goes with the theme of my blog but it taught me a lot.

Quick Synopsis:

I can be crazy insecure, to put it frankly. I like to meet new people and make new friends but I'm not good at  it and most times it leaves me feeling very vulnerable and insecure. 

Yes. So now with that back to today.

Only a few minutes into sacrament meeting at church today I noticed a cute little brown haired, green eyed girl in the row in front of me sitting with  her grandpa. At first I didn't pay her much attention, and it wasn't until just after the opening hymn when I noticed her turning about and peeking up at me numerous times as I scribbled notes on my program. 

Normally I probably would have just politely smiled back and ignored her for the rest of the hour. Some might think this to be rude and I'm sure on more than one occasion I have come off as standoffish because I unintentionally do not handle these types of situations well.

You see, people scare me. Well not specifically them, but their reactions. You never know what you are going to get, how they are going to react to you and that scares me. 

I have had many times where I attempted to be open and friendly and was painfully shot down. More times than I care to remember actually. I feel stupid and awkward when I try to reach out and think that people must think the same of me, so I usually try to forego such uncomfortable situations.

But today I guess I felt a little more confident.

So on my program I wrote. . .

Hello! :]

And held it up the next time she peeked around. At this she shyly smiled, quickly turned around and squirmed a little in her seat.  

Not alone, I realized, in feeling a terrible mixture of insecurity/desire to make friends. So I continued and next wrote, "What's your name?".

They reply was "Moriah". 

And that's how it started. For the next hour I wrote back and forth, shared sheets of paper, gum, and was shown a feather from her pet bird. This 9 year old little gem probably didn't know it at the time but she totally made my day. 

After promises to reconnect and meet her mom the next time we were in sacrament meeting I left to relief society. Our lesson for the day was about love, charity, and service. Comments regarding uplifting and serving one another, as well as, stepping out of our comfort zone got me thinking about the relief society motto.

Charity Never Faileth. 

I sadly have to admit, even with the many times I have heard this motto I have never really deeply thought about it. 

What does it mean?

Because like I described before, some of my attempted acts of charity and friendship have blown up in my face. . . and that feels like a fail to me. But if that is the case, if it is failure, why do I keep trying to attempt the outreach?

What is it about charity?

Charity Never Faileth. I could be completely wrong about this but as I contemplated my encounter with Moriah today and my passed positive and negative experience with trying to befriend others and exercise charity, I felt that charity isn't about what it necessarily does for the person, but what it does to me. Regardless of the outcome I had the courage to step outside of myself and offer a simple piece of me. 

And that makes me happy.

I'm not sure why or how but it does. I guess to know that I was brave enough to try gives me peace and happiness; because at least I tried and I am realizing now that I'm ok with that.    

"You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it… ”
- We Bought A Zoo


So I guess I learned that although people seem like they've got it all worked out, they probably don't and they could probably use some cheering up and help along the way. So I'll be courageous  because in then end I will hopefully gain a wonderful friend or I will at least be happy that I tried. 


Someday I will be courageous. Check. 

    

Bethel, Alaska

About a week and a half ago I got the chance to go to Alaska for work. It was, well. . .
interesting.

A month ago my boss let me know that there was a possibility that I may have to go to Alaska. When I further inquired where exactly in Alaska I was told Bethel.

Bethel, Alaska.

My initial reaction was a mix of emotions. I was nervous, surprised, excited, and a little confused. I had never heard of Bethel and tried to flip through the notes in my head on all things Alaska. . . Polar Bears, Dog Sledding, Deadliest Catch, Eskimos, Northern Lights, No sun and then a ton of sun, and Snow, lots of snow.

Yeah after going through that list I guess I became more excited then anything else. I couldn't help but think, this was going to be an ADVENTURE!!! Now that I look back on it, my "notes" didn't help create a realistic expectation of what was to come.

I may or may not have imagined getting to experience most, if not all, of those things on my list.

Yup. And I'm not afraid to admit that I'm still a kid when it comes to thinking about places I've never been.  To me they are all just like the movies. Just as fantastic and grand and magical.

So did I experience all of those things, much less any of them? No. Not really, except snow. I did have that idea right but not much else. However I did have an adventure. . . just of a different sort.

Bethel.

Let me give you an idea of what it is like.

**Sorry I had pictures for this on my iphone but it decided to completely die before I could get them off, so I had to pull some from other sites that were basically the same pictures I had**

http://www.alaskatravel.com/alaska/bethel.html

Population: 6,000

Average Temperature in March: 6 degrees (though it was -23 the week before I went)

They have two languages in Bethel, English and Yup'ik

It takes roughly 12 hours to fly there from Salt Lake City.

And its ~400 miles west of Anchorage and can only be reached by barge, plane. . . or dog.

Yes, they really do ride snowmobiles to get around.

And because there is so much snow that never melts, all of the houses are on stilts and everything is metal.

http://sherylsgreatadventureyear2.blogspot.com/2012/02/trip-to-bethel-alaska.html

Gasoline is over $7.00/gallon and a jar of peanut butter is over $12.00.

The water is tainted yellow, but apparently still safe to drink.

It costs $2,000 just to ship a car into Bethel so most people take cabs everywhere (has more cabs per capita then NYC).

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/19814043/ns/travel-destination_travel/t/its-easy-hail-cab-bethel-alaska/#.UUZ6HBxJMx

Reindeer was on the menu in every restaurant (all 4) we went to along with sushi, Mexican, Chinese, and hamburgers.

And when you look up Bethel this is pretty much the only news you can find. . .

Yup. Taco Bell.

And that's what I love about going to different places, you get to see how they deal with their environment. You get to experience a culture different from your own.

I don't know, I guess it just brings it all back into perspective for me what life is all about. That some of the things I think of as "standard living" really are luxuries, not commodities. And that you can find joy and savor the experience of having something as simple as a taco from taco bell.

And that IS the adventure.

Someday I will go to Alaska. Check.