haphazard musings

LOVE IT / HATE IT - vol. 2

Irony - I love it.

Here are a few perfect examples. 

1.  Voting in churches.

Please note this is not a commentary on voting or or politics or anything.  I just think its funny.

ironic.

2.  And I quote, "Man, look at those birds, they're huge."  Then the speaker gets pooped on.

ironic.

3.  Signs in the game reserve that said beware of animals - right beside the benches.

Ironic.

4.  Ryan prays - "Help this food to nourish us and keep us healthy..."

In case it's unclear yes that is a bacon cheeseburger and fries from our favorite restaurant. :)

Ironic.

5.  Waiting for the right moment to say something "smart" in class, finding it, and then learning it was neither the perfect moment or something smart.

Well I don't know if it is technically ironic, but it is funny anyway.

Irony.  You gotta LOVE IT.

Can you even call ...

... it football when your team loses by a ton and basically had like 100 offensive yards total?

Last week, Ryan and I went to the K-State/Nebraska game.

How'd it go you ask?

NOT GOOD. (In case you live under a rock and didn't hear or read, k-state got smoked.)

We still had a great time visiting with Ryan's family. (even if a few were a little confused about the right team to cheer for.)

We even got some Nebraska folks to play the Wabash.

We drank a lot...

of Cherry Coke (the beverage of champions) and Dr. Pepper (the beverage of Ryan's choice).

We also saw some amazing parachuters from Fort Benning, GA.

They all made a perfect landing.

Then Willie beat the snot out of a Nebraska guy.

Then we cheered really hard for a while.

Then we lost.

Bad.

Real bad.

So bad I couldn't even take a picture of the score board.

I was way, way too depressed.

Then we went to Vista and had chocolate chip milkshakes (Ryan also had 2 corndogs) and everything looked a little brighter.

 

For any of you k-staters who haven't been to Vista.  Be ashamed.  And next time you're in Manhattan go.  Order a chocolate chip milkshake and experience a whole new level of happy.

But going to Manhattan always make me so nostalgic.  I loved it so much.

Still do, but its different now - obviously.

Things change, but it sometimes makes me sad.  Like now they have a Starbucks.  Don't get me wrong, I love a nice pit stop at Starbucks now and again, but in Manhattan they have a few lovely little coffee shops that have character.  They are quaint.  They are local.  They are the perfect study spot (or the perfect place to be noticed studying.)  I miss them.

I miss all the time outside.  I forget how nice it was to be outside every couple hours becaue I walked pretty much everywhere but Walmart.

I miss being able to stay up really late and be able to fully function (and not be Littel Miss Grumpy Pants) the next whole week.

I miss late night roommate conversations about every possible topic.

Whoa...sorry got a little caught up in my reminissing.

But anyway, it was a bad game.  And to answer my own question - No you can't call it football when you lose by 30 points and barely look like a team at all.

Luckily, today things looked up.

Happy Friday!

 

 

My First Love

I have come to the realization recently, that while I love Ryan and I love being married to him, he plays second fiddle to my first love.

And, he seems to be ok with it.

Especially considering, he benefits from it too.

This is going to be deep - so prepare yourselves.

Like life changing.

Are you ready now?

Ok.

...

...

Chimichangas.

Yep.

And burritos and fajitas and chips and salsa.

Its a deep and lasting love.

 

Since I have been cooking for myself...like since i moved to an apartment junior year of college 5 years ago...I am pretty sure I have made tacos at least once a week.

Or enchiladas.

Or salsa.

Let's say its my birthday - where do I want to go?

On the Border, Abuelo's, Chipotle

I'm not really picky.

All I need is a something wrapped in a tortilla or dipped in salsa or cheese.

Lately, I have branched out to pulled pork tacos and enchiladas with tomatillo sauce.

Now we can have "Mexican" for breakfast with fruit salsa with cinnamon and sugar chips.

Check out this recipe.  It makes 2 and a half cups salsa and about 80 chips.

Fruit Salsa:
 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
 1 medium navel orange, peeled and finely chopped
 3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped
 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
 1 tablespoon lemon juice
 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

Cinnamon Chips:
 10 flour tortillas
 1/4 cup butter,melted
 1/3 cup sugar
 1 teaspoon ground cinnammon

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients.  Cover: refrigerate until serving.

For chips, brush tortillas with butter; cut into eight wedges.  Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas.

Place on ungreased baking sheets.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or just until crisp.  

Serve with fruit salsa.

Yield: 2 1/2 cups salsa (80 chips)

 

Dodge City ...

...again.

Now I like to travel and I love to go to new places. 

Well, I maybe I should use stronger language.  I absolutely adore traveling and going new places.

The airport, the plane ride, the people watching, the food, and the destination.  Its really the whole thing for me.  Not just the destination.  I live for it.

Seriously.

Well, that and carbs, but that's another story for another time and place.

However...

(I have now put on my politeness voice.)

Dodge City is not a place that I enjoy traveling to.

Dodge City is not a new place that I haven't been.  

So it most certainly does not meet the criteria for being absolutely adored.

But I did go there last Friday.

It was a decent trip, but I must say that driving 3 hours and 20 minutes for a 4 hour meeting and then driving back 3 hours and 20 minutes makes for a VERY long day.

I did, however, come back with some new ideas and a new friend. :)

We also passed this house.  Love it!

 

 

I also tried something new. 

I bet you will never guess.

Not in a million years.

We went to the casino for lunch.  I couldn't take pictures - they were against the law - so that's all you get.

 

"Picture it - Dodge City, 2010..."  That's a little throw-back to some classic 1980's television.  I love to watch re-runs. 

A nice pat on the back to the person who tells me what show that's from.  I'll even give you the real line.  It went something like this:

"Picture it - Sicily 1924...a poor peasant girl..."

aaannyyway (my 80's re-run reminiscing is now over.)

I also got carded.  Apparently I still don't look 21. 

I also got asked not to take pictures by the guard...so you really will have to picture it for yourself - it looked like a casino.

But I ate this (tricky to take pics in the dark restaurant without the flash, but I managed to get it before the waitress came back with refills).

 

Do you know what it is?

I will give you a hint:

Ryan loves them and was proud of me for trying it.

They are also not oysters - but some people call them that.

Yep that's right. 

Rocky Mountain oysters, calf fries, or deep fried...well you get the picture.

Verdict - chewy, but kind of good especially dipped in ketchup.

Welp, that's it folks.  That was the peak of excitement in my Friday.

Maybe next time we'll go for a swim in the "concrete pond."

...sorry couldn't help it.  Old tv calls to me!  Thanks Nick at Night.

I enjoyed

two of my favorite things this weekend.  I thought it would be fun to share about them.

Lately, I have been interested in trying new things in the kitchen.  My latest endeavor was inspired by Pioneer Woman.

Ryan thinks I am crazy and going to clog up his arteries, and I just might if I keep baking her desserts. :)

Lucky for both of us, this is going to change.  But that is a later post.

So back to the story about two things that I love - a good donut and the Olympics. 

I will start with the Olympics, since its a shorter story.   (Well, I guess it short to me, its all relative.)

I LOVE the Olympics! With all my heart.

And I have loved them since I was a very little girl. 

I remember watching them in the winter with my family while creating Valentine's Day cards for my classmates.  (Or was that watching Roots the TV mini-series...its hard to remember.) 

Either way, I love the stories of the athletes of their ridiculous and awesome commitments to be really great at something.  

I love the little side-reports they do on the host country or the athlete's inspiring tale.

I love when people win.  In all honesty (you can call me anti-patriotic if you want), I don't care if the winner is American - its an added bonus -  I just feel it when someone has worked hard, delivered a flawless (or nearly-lets face it no one's perfect) performance, and deserves to win.

Love it.

So back to the story - we watched the opening ceremonies with these folks...

 

(Actually, just the lady - her fellow was out of town.)

and

(I love this picture.)

We ate wantons and sushi and orange chicken in honor of the international event.

The opening ceremony was good - long but good.

So while the boys "watched" (read sports illustrated, played games on their phones, slept), the girls made donuts.

I used this recipe.

And this is how it went down.

Friday morning - I made the dough.  It had to rise for 8 hours in the fridge.  You might ask, why didn't I make it Thursday night?  That's because I am a ding-bat and decided not to go to the store because it "wasn't necessary" and promptly forgot all about making the dough ahead of time.

Anyway, this is what it took - every bowl and like 17 spoons.

And, yes, in case you were wondering, my kitchen looks like that every time I make something.

Here's one "in the process" picture."

 

I love my mixer.  So glad I have one.  The recipe requires mixing/kneeding the dough for over ten minutes.  That would be exhausting if I had to do it by hand.  Whew.

This is one of those things that requires a little more planning than I thought, but on top of the 8 refrigerator hours it needs another 1 hour (minimum) to rise after rolling and cutting. 

So finally around 10:30 we started frying.

 

Yum! Rings of dough in a vat of oil.  Nothing better!

 

Glaze is obviously an important element in a successful donut.  Stir Julie Stir.

 

Ryan supported our efforts and those of our amazing Olympians by wearing his hat with the ear flaps.  Honestly, I have no idea why he wore the hat all evening around the house, let alone why he even owns such a chapeau.

And because I know you are dying to see the final product...

 

 

Not quite as pretty as Krispie Kreme, but you know - looks aren't everything.

So around 11:00 we all enjoyed a fresh and warm donut on behalf of all the hard working and seriously in shape athletes who obviously do not partake of rings of butter and sugar in a vat of grease.

I just figure someone should be enjoying the goodness, why shouldn't it be me?

A pastor, a dentist, and a technical service specialist...

...all walked into a Mexican restaurant...Ok.  Just kidding.  I don't do jokes.

I can't tell them.

I can't make them up.

And most of the time, I can't remember the punch line.  But...

This guy can.

Jokes.com
Brian Regan - Dora the Explorer
comedians.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

Brian Regan.  He is hilarious.  Seriously.  And not in the way so many comedians think they are funny with lots of swear words and inappropriate innuendo.  I would take a teenager to see him and not be worried.

Anyway, Ryan was beside himself (which is the weirdest expression ever - how can someone be beside themselves?) when he found out that Brian would be in Hutchinson.  The Dora clip might possibly be his favorite one ever.  He says it all the time.  So we went with our friends Andy, Julie, Adam, and Jill.

 

Sorry for the bad picture...it was really dark and my little camera doesn't really get the job done.  Plus I can't hold it still enough to keep the shutter open longer.

We went to the Fox Theatre over in Hutch and to dinner at Playa Azul or Blue Beach as we later figured out.  Check out our extremely talented waiter.  He seemed more than willing ot have his photo taken. : )

I knew this happened when you leave your camera out with our youth group kids, but now I know "grown up" guys think its funny too.

   

  

I loved the theatre.  It was awesome Art Deco 1920's stuff! One of my favorite decades.  Check it out.

I would have taken more pictures, but then we saw a sign that said no photography.  So being the ridiculous rule follower that I am (it can get a little annoying), I stopped without being asked.

Except for this one.

 

Thanks Andy, Julie, Adam, Jill and Ryan for a super fun night!  I had a great time!  And Brian - thanks for the entertainment!

A New Favorite!

Granola.  I love granola.  For a snack, for breakfast cereal, for whatever - yum.  Ryan has been calling me a hippie lately, due to my ridiculous obsession with granola. 

So problem:
Granola at the store in the cereal isle...kind of expensive.  The one I was enjoying was 6 bucks a box.

Remedy:
Blog reading and recipe hunting - discovered a recipe for granola.  YUM!

I thought I would share it. 

3/4 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. veggie oil (I use a little less and a little more honey!)
5 c. oats (not the quick kind)
1/2 c. dry milk
and whatever mix-ins you like.

Here are the steps.

Add these ingredients to a pan, bring to light boil stirring frequently.  Heat until all sugar is dissolved.

In the meantime, mix the remaining ingredients in a 13x9 pan (I like to line it with foil and spray it with cooking spray).  I mix it up with craisins, raisins and almond slivers and if the mood strikes me cinnamon.

  

I made a double batch - hence two pans.  Yep love granola.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and combine.  This takes a little elbow grease, but get everything nice and sticky.

Then bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.  Stir it twice during that time so the top doesn't burn.  

Let it cool completely before transferring to another container. (trust me)

I enjoy mine most often like this.