New Beginnings in 2015

I said my goal for 2015 was to lay low and not have any change, or big changes at least. I had an insane 2012, 2013 and 2014. They were tough years, but I learned and grew a lot. So, for 2015 I wanted zero personal growth, no ah-ha moment, no development -- stagnation! I wanted to finish graduate school and stay in the basement.

But, you know ... It is the end of February! I made it through two whole months sticking to my non-resolution resolution, not bad.

I decided to move out of the basement and into the sunlight! After one whole year of enjoying each other's company, Boy and I have acquired a lovely apartment together. The three of us: Boy, myself and Kitty are looking forward to this new adventure.

There isn't a recipe right now. Just an update and the hope that in my new kitchen, I will be cooking much more frequently and blogging about it.

For the next couple of weeks I will be unpacking boxes and hanging walls of shelves. But after that, I intend to get back into blogging about things that I like and that you should like too.... :)

Citrus Rum Peach Cobbler

This weekend I bought peaches at the Farmer's Market. And, since my last attempt at pie failed, I decided to give up and make a cobbler instead.

What You'll Need:

1/2 cup vegan margarine
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 cup almond milk
4 cups fresh, peeled peach slices
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup Citrus Rum
Ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)

What To Do:

Melt margarine in your baking dish.
Add  flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; add rum and boil for another 5 minutes.
Pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

I've been a terrible blogger. I've slacked off in my postings. I constantly forget to take pictures of the delicious foods I prepare.

In my defense, a lot has been going on and changing. Does that count? Can I use it as an excuse?

I spend, what seems like, most of August out of town. I went to Yellowstone on a family trip and also went to DC for a work trip. After the work trip (which was fantastic), I made a big decision.

I'm taking another leap of faith and changing jobs.

The last year, has had so much upheaval. Instead of settling, here I go again. Insisting on changing things, when maybe I could have been comfortable, though not entirely happy.

The other half of me thinks, "So what?" I've already gone through so much in the last 12 months, what's another flip right now? It'll be better in the long run to keep pushing through hard times, making difficult decisions, if it will lead to long-term happiness.

I've been at Weber State for what seems like a long time. I started as a student here when I was 18, and after I graduated, Weber provided me some amazing professional opportunities. It's time to go though.

I'm going to leave the Weber bubble and my position as a Grant Officer, to become a technical writer at a private company. I'll still have some connection with Weber while I pursue my Masters of Professional Communication over the next two years, but the university won't be such a large part of my life anymore.

I'm a little nervous, but overall feel that I'm making the right decision. A former boss and mentor, counseled me to trust my gut, and I believe I am.

I also remind myself that, trusting my instincts and moving back to Utah was one of the best things I'd ever done and I'm so much happier now.

Crackers

As most of you know, I recently moved back to my parent's basement.

It was going to be a temporary/transitional thing, since I have a well-paying job and no real reason to live at home. But, turns out, living here, is awesome.

And, my parents are psyched that I've decided to stay forever. Promise. Ask them.

I'm officially starting grad school in the fall, so at the very least, I can justify another two years...right? Right.

One thing, they don't love is when they go out of town I get bored and bake. They don't mind the baking so much, because I always clean up after myself*, what they mind is that I rarely bake or cook when they're actually around to partake.

This time around, I made crackers. Yum.

What You'll Need:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tbsp. vegan butter (I use Blue Bonnet Light, because it's cheap, like me)
1/2 cup water



What to do:
1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. Mix dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl

3. Piece in butter and add water.

4. Knead until dough is smooth, I started out using a spoon to avoid stickiness. 

5. Roll out dough, until it reaches desired thinness. 

6. cut into squares and season. I seasoned mine with salt, because ...duh. 

7. Bake at 450 for ten minutes

*LIES

Emily's Birthday at Kaffe Mercantile

I haven't posted about a good place to eat in awhile, today's post attempts to remedy that a little bit.

Emily and Jess

I have this "friend" Emily. It's her birthday. We had lunch at Kaffe Mercantile, one of my favorite places in the world.
She's a little crazy; the best things she ever did were to make a cute baby and get me as a friend.
Happy birthday dummy-face.

Sara: we like her.

They have a very cute patio, but it was too hot to sit out there today.

They sell things from great, local artists

Vegan cookies! Vegan drinks! Yummy, vegan sandwiches!

Sad face, because all the coke is gone.

She broke her mom's phone ... :O

Skirt in the Dirt and Soup

I ran a race this weekend, with my mom and her friend Lesli.

It went pretty well, out of 500 runners, I got 6th overall and 4th in my age group (19-40).  I was also stung, by a wasp, on my butt, so even though the race was really short (5k) I'm adding an additional nine miles for mental anguish.

I wanted to milk this for all it was worth, but my boyfriend got sick and one-upped me.

So, instead of going to a concert and having fun, we stayed home and I made soup.

Noodle Soup for the Sick

1 bunch chopped of kale
2 sliced or chopped carrots
1 sliced red pepper
Chopped mushrooms
1 sliced jalepeño
6-7 green onions
1 ginger root
4-5 cloves of garlic
Cilantro
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles
9 cups of vegetable broth


Directions:
1. Sauté garlic and roughly chopped ginger for 2-3 minutes. Add green onions, jalepeño, and broth. Simmer for 20-25 minutes
2. Cook noodles in a separate pot then strain.
3. Strain broth into a large bowl and pour broth back into pot.  Simmer until veggies are cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Add noodles and heat for 1 more minute, until both noodles and broth are hot.
4. Serve with sliced green onions and chopped cilantro.

Pineview Reservoir and Mustard Potato Salad

Yesterday, after work, I went up to Pineview with my family and some friends. We rented kayaks and paddleboards from Weber State's Outdoor Rec program and hung out for a few hours.

My mom made a great salad, adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's Mustard Chicken Salad. It turned out fabulously and was perfect to have on rolls at the beach.

Ingredients:
3 - 4 Roasted Potatoes
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cups Vegenaise 
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, add the broccoli florets to a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 1 minute, until crisp tender, drain, and place into a bowl of ice water until cool. This will stop the cooking and set the bright green color.

Whisk together the Vegenaise, wine, mustards, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add the tarragon, broccoli, and tomatoes and mix gently to combine. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

Jess: cutest baby girl ever.