Lucky

This week's new recipe ~ Lucky Chinese Soup




And it really is lucky, because I don't have to type out the recipe! Find it here.

I really liked this soup, and I also liked that it was different than anything I've ever cooked. It was also the first time I've ever purchased or used tofu. I still have half a brick (I guess that's what you'd call it) of tofu left, so I'm hoping to find a use for it.

It wasn't hard to make, but it was so much like something you'd get for take-out or off a chinese buffet, that after a few bites, I was thinking, "Wait...I made this? I started with ingredients and made this??"

Seems a little amazing to me.

New (Old) Pictures

Hi everyone...well, I finally got over my Flickr hang-up of wanting every photo on there to be my best, most perfect, most wonderful and I figured it was time to not be quite so picky...

So there are a bunch of new (old) pictures on my Flickr page...makes it a jumbled mess of Spring, Fall, Winter, Wyoming, Kentucky, South Dakota, Milwaukee, Seattle...but I'm really happy with it...I'm also hoping to get some more local, Kentucky pics up in the near future (have to take them first...)

Baby goats!

If one baby goat is this cute, imagine how cute 44 baby goats are!!

Livestock Club went to C2H2 Farms to visit this evening, and they have all sorts of animals, tons of goats, chickens, cute dogs, rabbits, cows...such a beautiful farm and a perfect evening! I hope I can go back and take some more pictures!

Mmm...

My new recipe for this week was...

Orange Cookies!

I have to say, I am VERY partial to chocolate in all desserts, but I decided to try something new. These are good...and since they taste like fruit (kind of), you can eat several without feeling guilty (if you don't think too hard about the sugar, shortening, and icing). I also halved the recipe (didn't need 12 dozen) but I'll put the whole recipe in here, in case they look so good that you must have 12 dozen ;)




Orange Cookies
From: Taste of Home's "Best Loved Cookies and Bars"

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
2/3 cup orange juice
4 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

Icing
4 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon orange extract
1/3 to 1/2 cup orange juice

• In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugar. Add the buttermilk, eggs, orange juice, and orange zest (it looks really funky after you add that stuff--don't worry, it'll turn out okay once you add the dry ingredients!). Combine the dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture
• Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
• For icing, combine the confectioners' sugar, orange extract, and enough orange juice to acheive desired consistency. Spread over cooled cookies. Yield: 12 dozen
  

And, in case you're not in a baking mood...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ0jRuASVEQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39qdhbkTko4

I do love embroidery and kittens...

;)

Glories of the Garden

Pictures of my pictures in the UK Arboretum "Glories of the Garden" Art Show. The artist reception was last Sunday, and even though I've seen these pictures about a million times, I can't get over how nice they look all framed and hung up (especially the picture that's up at the Singletary Center--the one with the white wall and the fancy name tag).

Spring Foward is "ruff"

I love it being lighter in the evenings BUT the mornings are terrible (well, more terrible than usual) for at least a week.

Anyway, despite my not wonderful feelings about the time change, I got a TON of stuff done today. I caught spring cleaning fever and have been cleaning, and cleaning, and cleaning all day long. Everything in my apartment is cleaner than it's EVER been...except for my second bedroom, which is a wreck. I'm hoping I can tackle it sometime next week...after I got finished with my bedroom I was done for the day.

I did have energy to make dinner and it turned out lovely (!!) and incredibly easy to clean up, which was good because I didn't have the heart to mess up my perfect kitchen ;) This wonderful, incredible meal was...

Pork Chops with Apple Cranberry Sauce (and a baked sweet potato)




Seriously, the best porkchop I've ever had (the picture doesn't really do it justice, but when it comes down to it, I really wanted to EAT the porkchop, not take a picture of it or style the food or do whatever people do to make food look really appetizing and not just like mush on a plate) . I guess part of being inspired by food blogs means I should actually be including the recipe...which I'm planning on doing, but right now I think I need some ice cream. ;)

ETA: Recipe Time!

Pork Chops with Apple-Cranberry Sauce
From: Betty Crocker's Quick and Easy Cookbook

4 boneless pork chops (3/4 to 1 lb)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
3/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup cranberry juice
1/2 tsp. dried majoram
1/4 cup Craisins
4 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup..I think I used more than this)
2 tsps. cornstarch

1. Spray 10-inch non-stick skillet with cooking spray; heat over meduim high heat, sprinkly pork chops with salt and pepper. Cook in skillet, turning once, until brown.

2.Stir in 1/2 cup apple juice, cranberry juice and majoram. Cook over medium low for 5 minutes. Stir in cranberries and onions. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning pork once, until pork is slightly pink in center.

3. Mix cornstarch amd remaining 1/4 cup apple juice until smooth. Remove pork from skillet and cover to keep warm. Stir cornstarch misture into skillet; cook and stir until thickened. Serve sauce over pork.

Yum!

hmm...

I'm getting inspired by all the food blogs I've been reading (and I'm getting very, very hungry) so I'm thinking I might start adding pictures of the new recipes I try to my blog...then I'll have more reasons to post AND more incentives to actually try new recipes

=)

A few clicks and...

...when it's not in black and white, the water in this picture is murky green with floating, fuzzy-looking, dark green accents (algae?)...the boys I was with thought it was filled with goose poop (which, it turns out, is a very similar color green)...

Oh, the things you learn during a field trip to Salato Wildlife Center...

Yay for cute cupboards!

Awhile ago, Christina suggested that I post a picture of my new dishes...but I've never had enough of them clean to actually take a picture...until now...



Ta da! =)

The multicolored plates/bowls are Fiestaware...I currently have sets in peacock, cobalt, shamrock, scarlet, and turquoise...trying to decide if I should branch out to even more colors or get more sets of the colors I already have (thoughts?)

The big blue bowl is actually a set of mixing bowls from William Sonoma that I love love love.

The red bowl by itself is a "Big Bowl of Self Esteem" from Our Name is Mud...you can see a bowl that's almost like it here. They also have lots of other really cute dishes (I've had my eye on a set of mugs that say "innocent bystander" and "troublemaker")

I also have adorable chocolate dishes that Erin got me for Christmas (the white plates and bowls)

It seriously makes me happy every time I open this cupboard--I don't think I've ever been this in love with dishes in my whole life! ;)

XOXO

Happy <3 Day!

This has never been one of my favorite holidays...BUT it is an excuse to eat lots of chocolate and that's never a bad thing (even if you're buying it for yourself...which I highly recommend and plan on doing this afternoon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that by the time I get to Rite Aid it will be 50% off--double the chocolate!)

Edit: Unfortunately, the candy wasn't 50% off (I bought it anyway)...but there was a box of chocolate delivered to me at the office. John for the win ;)

Uhoh...

http://www.brunching.com/images/geekchartbig.gif

After avoiding anime for a really long time ("no, I don't like anime," "it's too weird for me" etc. etc.) I watched a bunch of Cowboy Bebop episodes this weekend and LOVED LOVED LOVED it.

So, according to the chart, I USED to be at the square second from the top(fans of scifi/fantasy literature) and now I'm in the next box down (people who watch anime but don't care about subtitles)...

Hmm...and I really love the Firefly television series...so I guess I was already on that row...

Unless...well...

...unless you count reading a big chunk of Piers Anthony's Zanth books...

So I'm actually another box below that...


Shoot.

;)

SNOW!!! FINALLY!!!

I had an awesome time going on a day hike today with EKU's Adventure Program. It was snowing and just BEAUTIFUL!! See...

Saturday Silliness...

Directions:
If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that's playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.
7. Don't skip songs.

My Movie:

1. Opening credits: Girls not Grey--AFI

2. Waking up: Sweet Melissa--Pat McGee Band

3. First day of school: Helena--My Chemical Romance

4. Fight song: Sugar We're Going Down--Fallout Boys

5. Breaking up: Fum, Fum, Fum--Mannheim Steamroller (for that Christmas break-up I guess)

6. Happiness: Easy as the Rain--The Little Willies

7. Life's okay: Pink Triangle--Weezer

8. Mental breakdown: Storm Coming--Gnarls Barkley

9. Driving: Guess Things Happen That Way--Johnny Cash

10. Flashback:More Than I Can Take--Fallout Boy

11. Getting back together: Breathing Meditation--Deepak Chopra

12. Wedding song:Make Them Hear You--Black Eyed Peas

13. Birth of first child: Crickets at night (nature sounds)

14. Final battle scene:Hypnotise--the White Stripes

15. Death scene:Now and Always--David Grey

16. Funeral song:Girl from Athens--Pat McGee Band

17. End credits:December--George Winston

Try it out and let me know what you get...it's kinda fun! ;)

Geography anyone?

http://www.rethinkingschools.org/just_fun/games/mapgame.html

So, I tried out my geography skills when it came to Africa and the Middle East...it was bad, embarrassingly bad...

I figured I'd post it so you can either join the "Wow, I really don't have a freakin' clue where anything is" club or, if you do well, be my geography tutor ;)

Nothing like the smell of...

So I started drinking green tea, enough caffiene to get me going in the morning (without the crash that coffee gives me), antioxidants, whatever else...

But then this morning, I smelled it and thought, "Gosh, that really reminds me of something. What is it?"

Another sniff and it pops into my head, "Poultry barn..."

I'm not sure how often I'll be drinking green tea in the future.

;)

Wonderful...

So, of course, being the obsessive person that I am, I did drive 35 miles (roundtrip) to buy the second book, New Moon (but I am going to buy the first book from Amazon to save myself some money) and I just finished it. It was wonderful, but I'm always a little sad when I finish a book. I get so sucked in that when I get to the last page, it's almost a shock to realize that it's not real, not actually happening, that the characters don't actually exist...and that I can never read that book for the first time again. It's like the day after Christmas...

Obsession...

So I'm usually a fairly normal person (ok...don't laugh ;) ) but recently I've become more than a little obsessed over a few things...

Like yesterday, I started reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (and, of course, finished it) and I honestly cannot stop thinking about it. I guess teenage vampire love stories really do it for me, who knew?!? I've even been to the authors website, which has only made it worse...because she has "soundtracks" to go along with her books...so now, on top of really, really needing the next book, I also need to steal all those songs off the internet (I mean, go to itunes and purchase them all in the legal fashion). Our library here has two copies of the next book but they're both checked out...so my very next thought is that I need to drive to Lexington where I could buy both books, and if necessary, I could read my borrowed Twilight over again to tide me over....it's straight up craziness, seriously...

The author is also an Orson Scott Card fan (so much in common, maybe I'm destined to write bestselling young adult novels...). If I haven't sold you on vampire stories, at least go out and read Enders Game and Enders Shadow. After reading those, I spent some time wondering whether I could call my far-off-future child Ender, without him getting beat up on the playground (unlikely). So when I end up with a dog/fish/houseplant named "Ender," you'll know why.

My other obsession, which isn't as new and not quite as scary, is Grey's Anatomy. I really never thought I'd be "that person" but I have honestly said things like "I really hope George and Callie get back together. They're cute together." I know they're characters. I know they aren't real. But for that hour, it's like they are, like there really is a hospital where all the surgeons are gorgeous and involved in crazy love triangles--I also love that Meredith snores (because all wonderful, intelligent, beautiful girls snore, right? ;) ) so, yeah...obsessed...

Two other obsessions:

Knee High Smartwool Socks with dots They're Smartwools, they're warm, they wick away sweat, they're knee high AND they have polka dots on them...it does not get better than this. I am currently planning to move somewhere cold enough to wear them everyday.

Fiestaware (my current favorite color is Peacock) but since I already have a set in Peacock, as soon as pay day gets here, I'm buying a turquoise set (so much for saving all my money ;) ) They seriously make me happy every time I use them. I had no idea it was possible to be this excited about dishes...

So there you go, a peek into my head...apparently it's filled with vampires, surgeons, socks and dishes...

abbie = investment expert?

That's right...I spent all day today learning about investing, saving for retirement, stocks, bonds, etc. etc...all interesting stuff (seriously, I am actually interested in financial planning)...I'm excited that now I can look at the stock ticker and understand what the numbers mean...I don't think I'll be buying any stock, but I do know what the numbers mean

However, now I'm stuck with the overwhelming feeling that I should save all my money and NOT BUY ANYTHING ELSE...

Luckily, I think with some sleep, that feeling will pass ;)

Hardcore walking...

I decided that I'd use netflix to try out some new fitness DVDs. Partially to help inspire me to keep my exercising resolution and partially because, even on the 2 at a time plan, I run out of movies I want to see...

So...today, I got Leslie Sasone's Walk Away the Pounds 30 minute walk. Oh my goodness...that's some serious walking! Luckily, even though it's hardcore, it's not too complicated for the totally uncoordinated (um, like me). It's also nice to do a workout where you can actually do everything they show you (I can do most of the things on my yoga dvds, but pilates..not so much). I may have to keep this dvd for awhile...

Flickr!!!

Oh my goodness...so I finally decided to put all my favorite photos in one place...and now I am TOTALLY addicted to flickr! I want to take a zillion more pictures right now so I have more to put up. I want to stay up all night looking at other people's pictures. I want to watch my page like a hawk to see when people look at mine and which ones they look at the most and who comments on what...

I'm also in love with the flickr badge I have here on my blog...isn't it cute? =)

It's bad...really bad... ;)

Luckily, spending less time online wasn't one of my resolutions--and I'm actually doing pretty well with those...still need to read a book this week (which is what the weekend's for) and try a new recipe (also weekend...and I need to go to the grocery store first) and I only have to exercise ONE more time to get to three =)