Fruit crisp and general updates

This is one of my staple desserts because it is easy to make and relatively healthy (as far as desserts go).

The recipe itself is designed for a 2 quart square baking dish. I like to make it in my ramekins, so I adjust the amount of fruit slightly. If you use the baking dish, it calls for 5 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples, peaches, pears, or apricots. Now here is how I make it:

Fill 4 ramekins (mine are from Ikea) about 3/4 full with fruit.

From feb 08

For the ones in these pictures, I used 2 granny smith apples, about 1/3c frozen blueberries that I picked in the summer, and 1/2 of the big package of raspberries at the store (or an entire small one). I usually use a mix of peaches (again, frozen from the summer, but thawed first) and blueberries, but we've eaten up all of the peaches from the summer :( The only fruit I have used that was a failure was pear. It made it way too runny. Because I use fresh fruit (or fruit I picked), I don't ever add sugar to the fruit.

Once you have the fruit in the ramekins, you make the topping by mixing these together:

1/2c oats
1/2c packed brown sugar
1/4c flour
1/4tspn nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon (I've only used cinnamon because we like it the best)
1/4c nuts - optional (I've only used nuts once, since I'm not a big nut fan)

To this mixture, cut in 1/4c of butter until mix is crumbly. Divide mix over ramekins (about 1/2c per ramekin).

From feb 08

From feb 08

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until nice and bubbly. They are best warm, and you can serve with ice cream if you like (Bryan likes his with whipped cream).

From feb 08

Our review of the raspberry, apple, blueberry combo is that is isn't the winner that the combo with the peaches are. We really like the sweetness and juiciness that peaches add.

If you like this and want to save time, I make a double batch of the topping (without the butter) and put it in a ziploc so it's all ready to go for the next time.

When I wasn't baking this week, I was taking care of Bryan, who was stricken with the evil flu. Of course, with his pre-existing issues, having the flu for him is really scary. Here is how he felt a few days ago:

From feb 08

Here's how he feels today:

From feb 08

He's still not at 100%, but he's much better and the gut-wrenching coughing is almost gone. We're both so happy that he's feeling better! I knew he was starting to feel a bit more like himself on Sunday when I heard him singing again. It is the cute way to judge his mood...he's always singing when he's happy. I was happy to finally get a kiss after a week of no contact in an attempt to keep me from getting sick (which worked!).

My sweet mom sent him cookies while he was incapacitated. Yum!

From feb 08

Markisa says thanks for the cookies too, as she loved the box.

From feb 08

And finally, if any of you are blog readers that haven't responded to your wedding invites yet, know you're in the dog pile! We are having a small affair with our nearest and dearest, and 6 of the 11 invitations have yet to be returned! Almost all of our non-RSVP-dependent planning is completed, and now we're really looking forward to the wedding and the cruise, especially since we're getting 8 inches of snow as I type this!

The terrible twos? No way!

Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary. Two years since I met that adorable man in Powell's, and the first thing he said to me was "Darn, you caught me in the comic book section. I hoped you would see me reading some science book and think I was smart." I was already hooked! From there we went to vegetarian chinese food, played old video games at a funky arcade, and had cupcakes at Saint Cupcake. It was so much fun and was definitely the longest first date I had ever had. I never would have predicted that 2 years later I'd be living in the frigid east, preparing for my wedding!

Yesterday, like the romantic couple we are, we worked (Tia did) took a nursing school test (Bryan did), had spaghetti for dinner (it was too icy and snowy to go to the store) and watched 3 episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo. Tres romantique!

Yesterday, in other words, it was a pretty normal day. However, we did have a fun early celebration together on Sunday. After taking an early morning test (a 94, good job baby!), we went to breakfast at Simply Crepes, came home and relaxed for a bit, then headed off to the spa thanks to Sherri and my mom. It was so nice and peaceful. Then home to shower, off to dinner (oops, our favorite place is closed on Sunday, which we discovered as we drove by it). Dinner take 2 was a Vietnamese place. It was okay, but we were the only people in there and it was really cold! With it being a whopping 6 degrees outside, we were looking for warmth. After dinner we went to see Cabaret, with Portlander (and Rockstar Supernova finalist) Storm Large. She was great, but that musical is SO bizarre! We enjoyed it, even though Bryan asked me several times if I had slipped drugs in his dinner...that's how bizarre Cabaret is! The night was capped off with dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum!

Yesterday I was reminded of my future. My future with a man who said, spur of the moment when we were being silly, "We are going to have the best marriage." And I knew he meant it. Baby, if you ever read this, I wholeheartedly agree and can't wait for May. Here's to saying goodbye to celebrating February 12th and hello to May 9th.

Oatmeal chocolate chip banana muffins

It's no secret that I love to bake. Lucky for me, I live in a house where people love to eat baked goods. It's a win-win for all involved. My lastest find is from Allrecipes.com, my favorite cooking website.

These are just too good not to share the recipe. I've made them twice now, and both times they were fantastic. I used my new silicone muffin liners that my mom gave me. I'm not sure if they are the key to this, since I haven't made them any other way. I really like that you make this in just one bowl. No combining wet and dry required.

Directions:

Mash 3 very ripe bananas in a large bowl.
Add 1/2c sugar to the bananas and stir
Add 1 beaten egg and 1/3c apple sauce (I used cinnamon because it is what I had, and it was great) and stir
Add 1tspn baking soda, 1.5tspns baking powder, 1c flour, 1/2c quick cooking oats, 1/2tspn salt and stir
Fold in 3/4c chocolate chips

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

The end result:


You can see that just minutes out of the oven and many were already gone!

Updates for my mama

Mom, this whole post is just for you. Don't you feel special?

Here is the re-sized wedding band. I'm sorry the pictures is so blurry, but my camera just doesn't do close-ups very well. It looks fantastic in person and I love it. Thanks for coming to pick it out with me.



Bryan's ring. Note that he put it on his right hand. The left hand was "too scary." He's funny. There was no way my camera would take a picture of the engraving, but it came out very nicely.

From feb 08

Check out the cool ring "box" his ring came in. My ring came in a vintage heart box with a neat little clasp on it, but I forgot to take a picture of it.



The veil, which is 150 times better than the crummy one from Target.

From feb 08

The beautiful flowers you sent that definitely made my day. Unfortunately, as is the issue with tulips, they don't last forever, so we had to finally throw them away today. We all really enjoyed them though, and the red vase they came in is beautiful.


A few pictures of our apartment.





The view from our window today. Although 3 days ago it rained and the grass was bare, 2 days ago we had freezing rain and today it snowed on top of the ice. I haven't even been brave enough to go unearth my car for 3 days now.


Hope this catches us up on all of the things I've promised. More apartment pictures at some point. I love you and miss you. Can't wait to see you in May!

Some days are just crap

Some days I really miss having my girl friends spread out all over the country. Even many of the local ones have moved away. I guess it doesn't matter much anyway, as the only privacy I get on the phone is when I go sit in my car! And it's cold outside, and I've been forbidden from complaining via the phone, so blogging it is.

The day started off with a braces adjustment, which always makes for a crappy day since my teeth start to hurt a couple of hours after. They were running 25 minutes late, and then made me sit in the chair with those horrible mouth expanders in for 10 minutes while the dentist was running behind as well. They ripped off (literally) 8 brackets, filed down the glue that smelled so awful I started to gag, then replaced them and gave me ouchie new wires. Crappy thing #1

Today I found out a friend of mine recently got engaged. Is is terrible that all I could think to say to her (besides congrats), is "Be prepared for the hell of wedding planning"? Just don't do it. Get engaged, go elope, and be done with it. I can't even fathom being one of those women who spends 2 years planning a wedding. I would have become suicidal long before I reached the 24 month mark. Weddings really seem to bring out the worst in everyone, and it is a shame since it really is such a happy event. Crappy thing #2

I went to a meeting today for work. After the meeting I sat in my car and cried (my compatriot...we'll call her L...at the meeting did so as well, so it wasn't just me having a bad day). L and I have worked very hard getting a project going, and this nasty hag screamed at us for over an hour for absolutely no reason. I am NOT one to ruin a business prospect, but at one point I heard myself saying "there is no reason for you to be rude, that is inexcusable behavior." After the meeting L said she wanted to jump across the table and hug me for saying that. We have pretty much discovered that this group of people we were really excited to work with is using us (currently for free) with no intention of actually giving us business. They are clearly using us for our expertise and plan to screw us over right at the end. Thankfully we caught on now, but it makes it no less hurtful. The atrocities that have gone on are too numerous to list, but let's just say I hope a number of these witches lose their jobs soon (which actually is a real possibility). This town just breeds spiteful, angry, burned-out people. It's a shame, since the real losers here are innocent children, but it makes me even more happy to be going back to Portland. Crappy thing #3 (the meeting, not the going-back-to-Portland part)

I hold hope that tomorrow will be a better day!

P.S. Mom, I haven't forgotten about the pictures for you. I can't find my camera, but as soon as I do I'll take them for you.

P.P.S. The one bright spot in the day was I did my taxes and I'm getting a huge refund back! It helps make the loss from the house much more bearable.

A time, a place, a date

Yes ladies and gentlemen, after much debate and Mitt Romneying (i.e. flip-flopping), we have settled on wedding plans! A huge thanks to my mom who recognized the mounting frustration, took the reigns, and just started planning things. Another huge thanks to random person at Audrey's (my future MIL) work who came up with the final winning idea which Brad and Audrey so nicely went to check and give the thumbs up for. More to be announced once the very few invites go out this week. The rest of you will be invited to the "reception" sometime this summer in Portland.

In the meantime, here are some of my favorites of the engagement photos we had taken back in November. I had to wait to post them since many were Christmas gifts to family. It was a very chilly, rainy day, but the park by our old house was a great location and the photographer and her hubby were great to work with.

From Engagement ph...

From Engagement ph...

From Engagement ph...

From Engagement ph...

From Engagement ph...

From Engagement ph...

From Engagement ph...

And our favorite, which will probably be used as the reception invitation:

From Engagement ph...

Stella (Tia) got her grove (Bryan) back

Thursday, December 20th the school gods decided to give Bryan a break and make that his last day for the term. The pukeys made him miss 2 days of clinicals, but due to the laziness of his instructors, they didn't want to have to make up the days with him. It's SO nice to have him "back." By Friday he was his normal, silly, picking on me self which I had so greatly missed.

We've been doing our best to have tons of play time in amongst selling the house and working (me). To celebrate him being done, we had a really fun date night going out to see Sweeney Todd (bizarre yet good) and having dinner at this very "Portland" upscale pizza place with the most fantastic tiramisu I've had in a long time. In addition to Sweeney Todd we went to see Juno last night (great flick) and we've rented Waitress (not that good, but I was still entertained) and Eastern Promises (which I have no idea what happened because I couldn't understand their thick Russian accents). Bryan has also watched I Am Legend and part of The Bucket List online. Yes, we've been movie junkies!

The movies were interspersed between a few episodes of Six Feet Under (which we love) and lots of cable...namely marathons of Flip that House (we were sucked into this until 1am one night!), Say Yes to the Dress (okay, that was me that watched a pathetic FOUR hours of it, but I did at least unpack while I was watching), Stand Up on Comedy Central, and some marathon on TLC about people at this fat center in New York. We clearly missed having cable :) I'm not ashamed at all to admit how much TV we've been watching, since come mid-January Bryan will be back to school and the TV will stay dark just like it did last term.

Christmas was a low-key affair, since we had adopted a family for Christmas. However, our parents still managed to spoil us royally. I guess the "no gifts" thing is impossible for moms! Christmas Eve we went to Sherri and Kevin's where we had a fantastic meal! Appetizers of cheese and crackers, strawberries, cold shrimp, and a fig/feta/hazelnut thing that was so good. Dinner was lobster, risotto, homemade mac and cheese, a fancy salad with raspberries in it, and bread. Dessert was homemade lava cakes. Of course the champagne was flowing as well, which was delicious with a splash of the marionberry wine added in that we had brought. It was a scrumptious meal and it was really fun to be around young kids on Christmas Eve and remember the excitement.

Last night (New Year's) we had a fantastic meal that Bryan made which consisted of cheese and artichoke quiche as an appetizer, fruit he picked out just for me (fresh pineapple and raspberries), steak that he did an amazing job of cooking, butternut squash, and rolls. Dessert was eclairs with chocolate frosting on the top. After the late dinner, we went to see Juno, then came back to watch the ball drop and toast with some Eye of the Bee, our favorite wine from a local winery (expect it to make an appearance at our reception).

When we weren't eating or watching TV, we were unpacking. Supposedly, after a last minute panic by the buyer that cost me $100 because I was too tired to fight anymore), my house finally closed. That was the 27th, and I haven't heard from my attorney or my real estate agent that it actually did close, but I know if someone had gone wrong the bitch..err...realtor would have called. I still need to write to her boss and tell him what a horrible person she was. I'm just thankful it's all done.

The sea of boxes has been downgraded to a creek of boxes, which is at least moving in the right direction. I hope to have everything unpacked before the trip to Portland next week for my dad's 80th birthday! Can't wait to be back home where the high is higher than 18 (which is the forecast here for the next 2 days!).

The wedding is, well, frustrating to say the least. Still no date, no plan, and no location even remotely decided upon. Every idea is shot down by at least one person. We're hoping to make progress when we are back home.