Untitled.

I wanted to show a picture of Sally to a friend of mine at work. I was going through the blog, looking at all the fun pictures and memories. Then I felt sad that I hadn't blogged for so long and all of the things that I am sure I have already forgotten because I decided not to blog about them. I decided (and maybe it wont last, like many other things that I've tried) to post more often. I always thought it was strange when people would say that their blogs were like journals, but now I understand.

There is a lot going on these days. We are busy with work and school. It seems like we haven't had any time to relax, and I think it is starting to get to us. I don't really have any new pictures to share, but here are some that I found looking through my old pictures:

This is a picture of my grandpa's family.

Grandpa is in the bottom left. He had a stroke when I was a baby (2 or 3, I think), and died

when I was 17. I never knew him, and I regret that to this day. I think about my grandpa

everyday and frequently think that he would have been my best friend in the world if we could

have known one another.

Here are some good ones:

Ben and Sally.

They loved each other. One time Ben took off running while I had about ten bags of groceries

on my arms. I tried to catch him, but he just kept running. Sally trotted along his side as happy

as could be. It was one of the cutest things I have ever seen.

This is from a time that I took Ben to the zoo with me. He looks like a baby in this picture...he is so big now! I miss spending so much time with my nephews.

I can't sign off without posting a picture of adorable dogs, so here you go!

Rambling (Wo)man

I don't have any pictures to post, however, there is a whole lot to update.

John is finishing up his first year of law school at the U; in fact he is working on the outline for his first final (this Wednesday) as we speak. It has truly been an adventure for both of us and we have learned a whole lot about ourselves as a couple. It never ceases to amaze me how much work he puts into what he does, or how hard he is on himself. I am SO glad that the first year is over and I am sure he is too. Only two more to go!

I am also finishing up with this semester. I have spent the last year of school in the paralegal program at Salt Lake Community College and have recently decided to go back to my original plan of getting my bachelors in history teaching at the U. I feel like I have wasted a whole year of my education, not to mention the money that we spent on tuition. Even though it is pretty discouraging to think about that year, the thought of getting my degree makes it worth it. I am looking forward to taking the summer off to re-boot.

Not only are we finishing up with school, we are getting ready to move...again. For those of you who are counting (not that anyone but me is counting) this will be our eighth move in the three years that we have been married. Overwhelming? Yes, but we are both looking forward to moving from apartment living to a house to ourselves and a backyard for Sally. We are both crossing our fingers that this will be the last move until John is done with school.

I am looking forward to the next few months. John has a summer job and I will be teaching swimming lessons in the hot summer sun(Christine and Steph: no more jokes about how pale my skin is). I am also training for a half marathon in July, which is exciting.

So that about sums up what is going on in our lives right now.

Until next time,

Danielle

Dognip

It's like catnip, only for dogs. It isn't a plant at all, but a pair of socks. Weird? Yes. Funny? Hilarious. I understand that not everyone out there is a dog lover or even a pet lover for that matter, but my Sally Wag is like my baby, and it is for that reason that I give you this:

Those are my socks. I had them lying on a towel to dry on the office/spare room floor and she found her way to them. Honestly, I am not quite sure what is going on...this is not normal behavior.

Creme Brulee

CREME BRULEE

This recipe is one of my favorite desserts and makes for one serious guilty pleasure. Not only is it delicious, it is easy!

You will need:

4 Egg Yolks
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 Pint Heavy Cream
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Dash of Salt
4-6 Ramekins or Custard cups
Roasting Pan ( I use a 9x9 or 9x13 pyrex)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Mix sugar and heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl.

Put the sugar cream mixture in the microwave for 2 minutes to help dissolve the sugar.

Beat the egg yolks until they are smooth.

When the sugar cream mixture is done add the egg yolks, salt and vanilla and whisk everything together.

Pour the mixture evenly into your ramekins(I got mine from Ross for $9.00 and love them)
Set your ramekins into your oven safe dish and pour enough hot water into the bottom of the pan to come up halfway on the ramekins.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Cool on counter top until they are cool enough to handle and then put them in the fridge.
Let them sit in the refrigerator overnight. (if you were to make them in the morning you could have them ready for dessert that night) It is important that they spend a good amount of time in the fridge. They really do not taste the same unless you let them set up in the fridge for quite a while.

Sprinkle the creme brulee with brown sugar and get out the little kitchen torch. Melt the sugar on the top to create a hard shell. (I dont have a torch and skipped this step)

Devour.

*someday I will have a kitchen torch...someday*

I am going on an adventure...

John and I have been watching a t.v. show called "The 'F' Word." It is a cooking show starring Chef Gordon Ramsay. "The 'F' stands for food" he says at the beginning of every episode. It is kind of an odd show and I don't really know how to describe it, but it has awakened something in me and inspired us to try some different foods. So with a little bit of Christmas money I went to Ross and got some totally sweet and totally inexpensive cook books and some cooking implements that I have needed for quite some time - I still don't have a rolling pin! One of the cook books I bought is Martha Stewart's Cooking School, it retails for $45.00 and I bought it for $10.00. Thank you, Ross. It is probably one of the most handy things a person who wants to cook can have. Martha literally teaches you just about everything you need to know including, but not limited to de-boning a leg of lamb, filleting different fish, dividing a whole chicken, and how to make stocks of every kind (thank you, Martha). The other book cost me about $7.00 but is not really worth mentioning.

With some rules in line (like sticking to the monthly food budget), my adventure started about a week and a half ago. In our quest we are trying to eat better (in my opinion, just about anything homemade is better than eating out) eat fewer snack-y things, and we are also trying to eat fresh. The eating fresh part has been a challenge, but has also been fun (for example: instead of buying breads, I make them)

So far we have had the following things for dinner:

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad - have you ever heard of Sunflower Farmers Market? They have the most delicious cuts of meat and fish and you cant beat the price on the fish.

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan - The eggplant didn't turn out so great, it was pretty mushy.

Greek Chicken with grilled zucchini served over Bulgur with Homemade pita bread - our most favorite yet...and probably the most healthy. I will have to make it again so I can take pictures and share the recipe. Side note: If you have not tried bulgur, TRY IT. It can be used as a substitute for rice and it is so yummy.

Tri Tip roast with garlic tossed asparagus and roasted baby potatoes - We all know how amazing tri tip is.

I will share some of the delicious recipes that I have as I make them so you can come along on my food adventure with me!

The Chocolate Factory

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted. I wanted to share a funny story and tell you a little bit about one of my favorite things: Italian sodas. Prepare yourself...it is kind of a long story.

In fall/winter of 2007 I was a nanny for a family that lived in the Avenues in Salt Lake City. Their last name was Peiffer. They had 3 boys Peter (Peter Peiffer, sad) and Liam, who were twins (7) and Eric (4). They also had two dogs: Buddy and Grommet. Grommet used to eat worms out of the ground and then roll in the worm guts and get them stuck in his fur but this information is useless and has nothing to do with the story. Every day from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm I would take care of the boys; get them to school, set up play dates, make them dinner, and take them out for treats. The best part was taking them out for treats. Especially when I happened upon Hatch Family Chocolates with the help of my sister Stephanie. Hatch Family Chocolates is owned and operated by two little people, John and Katie. I had never had an Italian soda before, and was curious when I saw it written up on the blackboard behind the delightful little chocolate counter. I tried one. It was cranberry flavored. I fell in love.

Needless to say, they started to have a soda made for me when they saw my car pull up. It was amazing.

For those poor unfortunate souls who have never had an Italian soda, it consists of the following:
Syrup (cranberry is my favorite)
Club Soda
Ice
Half and Half
(I have theories that they also contain love)
But you cant just put it together like that...there are rules for making an Italian sodas. RULES!

You have to fill the glass with ice first. Then you pour the syrup in the bottom of the glass. Then you fill the glass with club soda. DO NOT STIR or you are basically breaking all the rules of the Italian soda. You then pour enough half and half in the glass to make you happy. Now you can stir it...but only a little! - I dont really stir mine, I just kind of mash the ice with my straw and that seems to churn it up just right. You have to drink your Italian soda through a straw, all the while commenting on how amazingly delicious it is. That is the only way to have an Italian soda...like I said....there are rules.

I have yet to taste an Italian soda that measures up to the ones they make me at the chocolate factory (that is what we lovingly call it) and I have always taken all of my boyfriends there to share a delicious soda with me. One boyfriend that I had took me there quite often. Later, long after we had broken up and John and I got married we were opening wedding gifts and found a huge box full of like 18 Italian soda glasses. It was awkward.

Back to the story. I still try to visit the chocolate factory every once in a while but hadn't been in over 4 or 5 months. I had been craving it for the last few weeks. It was on my mind almost every day. Then this happened: I came home from work one day and John was watching t.v. "Did you know that they are doing a show about little people that run a chocolate shop?" he asked me. "Is it our chocolate factory?" I asked. "No" was his response. Later we were watching t.v. when a commercial came on for 'Little Chocolatiers' on TLC and sure enough, it was John and Katie making their chocolates.

I was panicked. I had been planning on making a trip to the chocolate factory after my last final was completed, you know, to reward myself for all of my hard work...but knowing they were on t.v. made me feel like I couldn't go back. And I needed to go back. So, last week after my last final, I drove over to the chocolate factory and went inside only to find a giant camera crew hovering around (I guess I assumed that they would be done filming since their series had already started). It was horrible. ALL I WANTED WAS MY SODA! Inside, the owner John greeted me. "We haven't seen you in a while." It was true, it had been too long. I ordered my Italian soda and hurried out. It was so worth it. It was divine.

I dont think that I can live without my Italian soda, and I really hope that they dont get too popular for me to keep going back. I need them. I need my chocolate factory.

The end

Netflix anyone?

John and I canceled our Netflix when John started school. In the mail yesterday we got a letter from Netflix that gave us four cards to give to friends that would give a full free month of Netflix rather than the usual two week free trial. SO, if you happen to come across this and you would like to try netflix for free for a month, let me know and I will email you the codes.