ant drama. so rude.

My thoughts today have been - "I need to post something about our move and our new house!"

Can't find the camera, so no pictures yet. My mind immediately recalled the email I sent earlier today to my friend Jessi about why I did not call her back last night. I thought it would sum up my initial thoughts about my state of mind.

"Did you go to bed early? I didn't call you back because last night I came home after class to tons of ants in my kitchen, which you know me. I told Andy that I take ants very personally - they are so rude, and they don't get the hint! I couldn't take my first night in this strange place with ants having free reign and basically a party at my expense. Rude!!!!! So I got back into the car and went to Fred Meyer and bought Terro liquid and Terro traps and put 15 little squares of the stuff lining the window sill, it's solid death. Then I noticed that the screen isn't even attached to the window that they are getting in through, and so basically it's an open door directly from the grass since we are in the basement apartment! Sucks big time! So I got home at 11 and thought that might be too late. Good story, huh!? ;)"

I'm optimistic. It can only get better from here, as long as this Terro does the trick. Is it weird that I actually pray for the ants to please, please leave?

Margaritas, Moving, and Much Much More!

We're back from Mexico. It was such a great trip - relaxing, sunny, fun, etc. etc.! The resort and beach were gorgeous and the weather was as perfect as could possibly be! We were all so impressed with the rooms and views and the upkeep of the resort. You know when you see pictures online of a place then you get there and it's kind of disappointing? This was not like that at all. It was exactly like the online pictures. It was also a huge bonus to be spending a whole week with my parents and little sis. Really great quality time that we don't get much of nowadays! We are so thankful they invited us to go with them.

What did we come back to? Cold weather; rain. Moving. Finals. The sad little piggy bank. The usual, I suppose. BUT, dangit, I've got a wicked tan, and a new ceramic mexican butter dish, so that means there is hope! Lots of it! That reminds me...to post a picture of the adorable little thing (the butter dish, I mean. Not me, ha!)

We move next Wednesday, so I'll be resituating myself and renesting in a new place, which I am actually very excited about. The kitchen is a smaller area, but get this, with granite countertops. And a full size stove! I'll make sure to post pictures as soon as I can.

The area we are moving to is in North Portland. I'm a little nervous about it, just like I was nervous living downtown at first. I hardly go across the river as it is, and to be living over there will be a new experience. I do really love the few neighborhoods I have visited - Mississippi (coffee at Fresh Pot & Albina Press down the street), Alberta Arts (Tin Shed breakfast), driving around admiring the houses in Alameda and near Mt. Tabor, E. Portland fry and milkshake cart I don't know where that was! Division?) etc. So I'll be getting to know the area much better soon. If anyone has any recommendations for places that we absolutely must visit, please tell me!

My heart belongs to...

Look at this sweet heart-shaped egg toast that Andy made. Toasted in the pan with butter, topped with ketchup, it's so good. About a month ago I learned that he had NEVER had egg-in-a-hole or egg-toast or toad-in-the-hole; whatever people are calling it now a days. What ARE people calling it nowadays? Anyways, I made him a few and used my "A" cookie cutter to make it special for him, and he thought it was delicious! Now he likes to make them, and between you and me, he makes them way better than I do. So I let him :)

He's very creative and he always gets what I'm doing craft-wise. Once I explain what I'm trying to accomplish I hardly ever get the "don't get it" look. I like that.

We are both working this Valentine's Day, but we've made up for it by going to the wonderful Fiction Family concert at The Aladdin last week and then reverse Happy Hour (10pm - midnight) at Portland City Grill, which is one of our most favorite things to do.

In conclusion, someone please tell me what you call the above egg-bread creation.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day!

Read it...and Weep!

Family trip to Mexico (ow ow ow!) for 6 days next week! I hope to come back more relaxed, a smidge heavier, and a little tanner. Maybe even with some good pictures or an interesting story...

That's a happy "ow ow ow", you say it in a high pitched voice, the last "ow" being higher then the other two...oh nevermind!

I will think of you all in Portland while I'm lying in the hot Mexican sun.

When we get back, we're moving out of our apartment into a smaller place out of downtown, so it will be hit or miss here on the site. Once I'm settled I'll get back into the swing of things...

choccy-oatey cookies.

First, I need to brag a little bit about the cute apron above, made by my mom for me for Christmas. I've wanted a cute apron forever, and lo, I got 2 for Christmas! One full apron from Andy and one half/bistro apron from Mom. I love wearing them! My mom is a great seamstress and I usually run to her whining when I can't get my project to look the way I want it to. I hope I sew 1/2 as good as she does, someday! Aprons rock.

Tonight Andy had a craving for cookies and I had a hankering to do some baking. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen's website, which ALWAYS delivers. How does she do it? These cookies are de-licious. I also found out that she bakes in a kitchen about the same size as mine, which is encouraging but means I can't complain anymore :(.

You can link to her recipe here:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/oatmeal-chocolate-chip-and-pecan-cookies/

Using only what I had in the kitchen meant that I omitted the pecans and orange zest. I also used steel-cut oats instead of rolled oats, which made weird little air holes when the cookies were baked. It didn't affect the flavor. I also didn't have flour so I used the Buttermilk Pancake & Baking Mix from Trader Joe's, which works just fine. I'd recommend using flour though. All this said, her cookies look prettier than mine so if you're feeling iffy about the recipe, go to her site and look at how beautiful they can be.

Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip and Pecan Cookies

By Katy Sparks with Andrea Strong, from deb @ SmittenKitchen.com

Makes about 3 dozen cookies
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1 cup quick-cooking oats

2 cups chopped pecans

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest

12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment or a Silpat (rubber nonstick baking mat). Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Add both sugars, salt, and vanilla, and beat until well mixed, about 3 minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove in a separate bowl. Add half of the flour mixture to the butter with the mixer on low speed. Once the flour has been incorporated, add the second half. Stir in the oats, pecans, orange zest, and chocolate chips. Drop the dough, by the tablespoon, onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and cool the cookies on a rack. Store at room temperature in a cookie jar or other airtight container.

UPDATE!

I made these cookies again - and they turned out much better! Highly recommended! They look MUCH different than the ones above. I trust that people will trust Smitten Kitchen's pictures over mine, lest I give her yummy cookies a bad name. I can't remember what I did differently - I think I chilled the dough and I cooked them less so they were more gooey.

when the student surpasses the master.

My husband's hidden talent. How is it that his "Happy Birthday" cutout was so much neater and in better cursive than mine? Our mom's birthdays are within a week of each other an we decided to send them handmade cards. There he sat, for about an hour, carefully and precisely planning and cutting and snipping his card. I think I'll recruit him.

beachin' around at the coast...

Last Sunday around noon, we decided to skip our icky-weather plagued city and head to Cannon Beach for a few hours of fun. To our surprise, it was a gorgeous day! Sunshine and light wind, perfect winter beach weather. We had never been to Cannon Beach before and thoroughly enjoyed the little town. We packed a picnic of tuna on sourdough, chips, and granola bars and ate at Ecola Park, then drove down into town and checked out the shops and beach area. After we watched the beautiful sunset (the green flash still eludes me!) we ate some clam chowder and fries before heading home. Oh, and a stop at Dairy Queen in the middle of nowhere for some ice cream. Our sad little picnic almost blew away.

This is a taffy machine in case you were curious. Don't be fooled - it was still cold.
Mmm, chowder & fries.

Why Dairy Queen, you ask? I have this notion that everytime you go to the beach you have to have ice cream. Even if it's freezing. To carry on this untraceable tradition that's in my head, we went searching after clam chowder for some, but being a Sunday night, all the shops had closed! There were at least two places on the main drag that we could have had a delectable scoop of Umpqua heaven, but we waited too long. Hence the stop at DQ. It's tradition people!

now you see it...

Now you don't...

It snowed around 1opm and by morning there was not a trace.

But not before we could enjoy it!

Andy's snow angel...
Shattuck Hall, down the street from our house on PSU campus...Park Blocks at PSU below our house...

Just in case you were missing snow!

Je m'efforce...

Jean Jacques Sempe - courtesy The New Yorker

I'm that little girl right about now - sitting under the shadow of the beautiful ballerina statue with graceful lines and a perfect arabesque. Yes, I've taken up ballet again, one of my late-in-life discoveries that I've dabbled in for the past few years. Luckily, I once again have an absolutely phenomenal teacher. She makes all the difference. Joan is the teacher I always wished to have and, from stories that other dancers have told me, her kind are few and far between. So now I bask in Joan's light twice a week for two hours and can already feel the muscle memory kicking in and my positions improving. It's glorious.

There's the well-perpetrated idea that you always remember a great teacher. That's one of the little mottos that Andy and I always encourage each other with as he continues on the path towards teacher-dom. Having Joan reminds me that this is true. Having Joan even might make me brave enough to pick up another class in between to move towards the goal that has yet to be realized, the dream that has continued to elude me and that I now refuse to slack on - my own pointe shoes.

pho-natic!

I finally tried something that I've been wanting to eat ever since I moved to this city.

Pho.

Phở (fuh) n. Traditional beef noodle soup, Phở Bò, or chicken noodle soup, Phở Gà.

I did my research like any good food fanatic (how 'bout pho-natic for this post's purposes) and decided that the closest place to get a really good first Pho would be at Silk, a sister restaurant to the well-know Pho Van in SE Portland. Since Silk is down in the Pearl it was only a quick walk/streetcar ride from our house. AND, Silk has "Silky Hour" (I don't get it, is it supposed to be as funny as I think it is?) to make it even more alluring.

It was delicious. Warm, a little spicy. Notes of spice we couldn't put our finger on (clove? 5 spice? Must be 5 spice. We think) and extra little dishes of bean sprouts, basil, lime, chilis, and hot pepper pastes. The beef was very thinly sliced and I assume it finished cooking in the broth because it was still a tad pink when it came out of the kitchen.

Now that I'm an official pho-natic, I think I'll make it a New Years resolution to sample all the good offerings of Pho that Portland has to offer. God, Thank You for Pho!

"Silky Hour" at Silk. Seriously, that's funny, isn't it? I just laughed every time I said it. For a semi-serious restaurant I was surprised by this bold risk of humor.

Although the meat looks a tad rare for my tastes, it was fully cooked by the time I got to it because I pushed it to the bottom of the bowl and it finished up in the broth...yum!

Don't worry, I finished every last drop.