Trading Lakes for Monuments

Instead of working on my thesis or packing to live out of a suitcase right now, my procrastination-loving self decided to update my neglected blog space.

I have been told by many of my Midwest peeps that they wish to live vicariously through me and my adventures via this blog…not sure if I can live up to such high demands of constant updates but I will do my best. Soon everyone will be moving with me right?

So how did I decide to trade my beloved lakes for the monuments of DC— is she losing it do you ask? Well, maybe. I made the decision to apply for a handful of positions in Washington after I tripped on the way to work. At least this is the moment I attribute to my decision. Those of you who know me really well know that I NEVER trip, especially not after a couple glasses of wine. And tripping wasn’t what broke my ankle in high school soccer either- the grass attacked me.

But trip for the millionth time I did. I don’t know if it was my bleeding knee or being upset about scuffing up my new coach sandals, but in my fit of rage and pain, I made the conscious decision that I was ready for a little change of pace. I had actually been "thinking" about it for a while but it was this moment that is responsible for the events on my horizon.

Seriously though, after living all over the country/part of the world, I wasn’t ready to commit to one location. My track record of housing within the Twin Cities area screams commitment issues; although I have stayed mostly loyal to the Minneapolis area I have managed to move 5 times since graduated 4 years ago and I was about to move for the 6th. I would just get sick of the same thing so packing up all my stuff and moving to a new location was a good change. Obviously, this tactic--along with changing my hair color every couple months--worked for a while. Like a drug addict, I needed something more this time.

And so I applied, interviewed, and got a job.

I guess when I initially started applying/interviewing I didn’t think it was actually a possibility that someone would want me and I would continue on with my lovely life in Minnesota. But it happened.
People keep asking me how I feel about it—and I think the appropriate response or one that is socially acceptable in this situation is, excited?

How do I really feel? Scared, anxious, nervous, and a little confused actually. I have never voluntarily chosen to uproot myself and move across the country. It’s always been a mandated thing. So the fact that I am making an "adult" decision to do this is feels foreign to me. My whole life it’s been "we’re moving to North Carolina in a couple months" or "sorry you were really starting to like it here BUT we are moving to Europe now." This time, though, there is no one to be mad at, or stomp up the stairs and slam my door at for "ruining my life"; I am the one responsible. It’s sobering to arrive at the realization that I am completely responsible for making myself happy.

So here I am, less than a week away before all my belongings are packed into boxes and placed in storage…still not completely believing this is a reality. Luckily I have almost two months to live out of my suitcase and say good-bye for now to my beloved Heartland. Hopefully no one feels too betrayed to my leaving and that I will be welcomed with open arms when I return from my trip to Mecca- prodigal son style.



Brought to You Courtsey of the Red, White and Blue

After a two month break, I am officially back! So much to catch up on.
I bet ya'll couldn't guess my favorite holiday of the year? In case it's not that obvious, I am in LOVE with the 4th of July and so is my all-American family. Here is a snap shot of our breakfast made by my mom, a real Army wife.

Looks like I am not the only one who loves the red, white and blue.

Not only are those muffins made from scratch, but my mom used my Cake Mix Doctor, Cupcakes cookbook to make them. They were delicious! She used blueberries for half and raspberries for the other half.  The recipe is listed below.

After a hearty breakfast we visited the soldiers and staff stuck in my dads hospital over this great holiday. I made four different treats for the staff to sample on their breaks from taking care of our wounded warriors. There was definitely a favorite of those four which I will feature in a future post (I know I have so much to catch up on, where did these last two months go).

I also made some awesome chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting for my brother William. He is is a HUGE chocolate lover and told me they were the best chocolate cupcakes he had in his whole entire 18 years of living ;) LOVE IT: here is a picture preview of what will come in my next post:

Blueberry Yogurt Streusel Muffins

Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan (if you aren’t using cupcake liners)

Muffins:

1 package (18.9 ounces) blueberry muffin mix

1 container (6 ounces; ¾ cup) yogurt of your choice (yogurt keeps the muffin moist. I used vanilla)

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1 cup fresh blueberries, rinse and patted dry

Streusel Topping

¼ cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon butter, at room temp

1.      Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F.

2.      Prepare the muffin batter: Remove the package of blueberries and set it aside. Place the muffin mix in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Place the yogurt, eggs and vanilla in a small mixing bowl and stir with a fork to combine and break up the egg yolks. Pour the yogurt mixture into the well of the muffin mix. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon just until combined, 20 strokes. Pour the reserves blueberries into a strainer, rinse them under the cold running water, and drain well. Fold these blueberries into the batter along with the fresh berries. Stir another 10 strokes just to combine. The batter will still be a little lumpy. Spoon or scoop ½ cup batter into each prepared muffin cup, filling it three quarters of the way full. Set the pan aside.

3.      Prepare the streusel topping: Place the brown sugar and flour in a small bowl and stir together. Add the butter, mashing it with a fork until the mixture is crumbly. With your hands, sprinkle a heaping teaspoon of this topping on the top of each muffin. Place the pan in the oven.

4.      Bake the muffins until they are lightly golden and just spring back when lightly pressed with your finger. 20 to 30 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the muffins, lift them up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife and pick them out of the pan carefully. Place on wire rack to cool.



Farm Fresh Eggs and Monster Cookies

Last week my co-worker brought me a dozen fresh eggs from his mom's chickens. Knowing that the next couple weeks I will be out of town, I needed a recipe that used a lot of eggs. Aren't they beautiful!

A few weeks ago my other co-worker brought in a couple of her infamous monster cookies to share- they were amazing. I got her recipe, which back in the day was used to feed a family of 15 children and the full recipe calls for a dozen eggs, making 20 dozen cookies.

I have included the "half batch" recipe which makes about 10 dozen cookies. I suggest that if you are not interested in baking for a couple hours freeze half the batch for later. This recipe was a huge hit by the 10 people who I had sample them and I have a nice gallon bag of dough frozen for later in July when I am to bring some cookies to a family function. Did I mention it is super easy? Enjoy!

 Ingredients full recipe (half)

wet ingredients
4 cups sugar (2 cups)
2 lbs brown sugar (2 1/3 cups)
2 cups shortening (1 cup)
1 dozen eggs, large (6 eggs)
1 tbsp vanilla (1 1/2 tsp vanilla)
40 oz peanut butter (18 oz)

dry ingredients
1 lb M&M's (8 oz)
1 lb chocolate chips (8 oz)
8 tsp baking soda (4 tsp)
1 large box of oatmeal (18 oz)
1 cup flour  (1/2 cup flour)

Instructions:
1. Cream together wet ingredients in one bowl and mix dry ingredients with another.
2. Slowly add dry ingredients into wet ingredients with a spoon. *If mixture looks too moist add more flour. You can also bake one cookie to test, add more flour if you want a more "fluffy" cookie.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

All American Grillin Vegetarian Style: Grilled Caesar Salad Tartines

After my last couple post on just sweets it looks like that is all I eat but I actually love eating and making food that actually does good for your body, instead of just increasing your pants size. Here is a great new recipe you have to try along with how I came upon it :).

*For the longest time I would go to the grocery store and come home with at least one kind of meat, whether it be chicken breasts, ground turkey or ground beef. I would have every intention of making something with the protein of the week but a couple days would go by and the meat would go untouched and end up in the freezer. Soon I had a pile of meat in the freeze. I finally put two and two together; I don't really like meat. It's not that I hate it by any means, I still try to incorporate it in my diet when I feel like it but I no longer make myself leave the grocery store with it. This was a rather liberating discovery as I no longer have extra poultry hanging around my freezer angrily staring me down every time I open the door for not cooking it in time.

Where is this going? Well,  I ordered a subscription to Vegetarian Times to open my eyes to vegetarian cuisine. And ever since then I have been making dishes that focus more around fruits and veggies and getting the nutrients one gets from meat in vegetables and other forms of protein like soy.

I came across this recipe in the most recent issue of Vegetarian Times and was rather intrigued. Grilled lettuce sounded kind of gross because I hate soggy lettuce and any time you heat something up with lettuce on it, the lettuce turns to this nasty mushy stuff. Grilled lettuce is different though, it actually works out really well and taste delicious. It's also "good for you." :) You could easily add grilled chicken or beef to this recipe or serve along side other grilled veggies. I ate it all on it's own for dinner, and was completely satisfied.

Grilled Romaine Lettuce

Vegetable oil, for brushing grill
3 1/2 tbsp nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
2 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
3 tsp Dijon mustard, divided
1 tsp (vegetarian) Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 romaine hearts, each halved
4 large slices italian bread
1 clove garlic, halved

1. Brush grill grates with oil, and preheat grill to medium.
2. Whisk together yogurt, I tbsp lemon juice, mayonnaise, 1 tsp mustard and Worcestershire sauce in bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp parmesan; add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Whisk together olive olive, remaining 1 tbsp lemon juice and remaining 2 tsp mustard in separate bowl. Brush oil mixture over romaine halves. Grill 6 minutes, turning once, or until brown around the edges. Transfer to platter.
4. Grill bread for 1 minute on each side. Rub garlic halves over toast slices, and top with grilled romaine halves.

Per 1/2 romaine heart and bread: 208 cal; 9 gram protein 10 grams of fat (reduce fat by using non fat greek yogurt and eliminating mayonnaise)

Red, White and Berry: Rasberry Lemon Bars

When I started this blog, I was requested to do a post on these amazing bars. So here it is- right in time for berry season.

I came across this recipe in a Country Home magazine a couple years ago after they ran a special on what to do with fresh berries. This is definitely not your average lemon bar. In fact, people who don't normally like lemon bars love these bars. They are the perfect combination of tangy, sweet and tart. They are also very easy but just a warning before you start whipping these little suckers up, they require refrigeration. Also, if you look at my last post about chocolate chip cupcakes, you can skip the foil lining by using the baking spray I suggested.

Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes total
Oven: 350 degrees

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powered sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 cup butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel (I occasionally leave this out)
3/4 cup lemon juice (you can use the kind in the produce section by the lemons to save you time)
1/4 cup half-and-half, light cream OR milk
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries or blueberries

Line a 13x9x2 inch backing pan with foil, extending foil over ends of the pan. Grease the foil; set aside.

In a large bowl combine 2 cups flower, powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt.

Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (it's like making a pie crust, use a fork to press the butter into the flower mixture, if you need more instructions I suggest utubing this technique). Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven 18 to 20 minutes or until edges are golden.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl stir together eggs, sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, lemon peel, lemon juice and milk. Pour filling over hot crust. Sprinkle raspberries evenly over filling. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes more or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Grasping foil overhang, lift from pan. Cut into bars. Cover and store in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Makes about 38 bars.

Per serving: 116 calories 5 grams of fat (3 grams of sat fat) 17 gram of carbs, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 2 grams of protein.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes! By the Cake Mix Doctor

What is more American then chocolate chip cookie dough and cupcakes? A cookie dough cupcake!

My co-worker introduced me to the cookbook "Cupcakes! From the Cake Mix Doctor." The recipes in the book are amazing and very simple actually!

*A little tip for when you make something as delicious and rich as these cupcakes: make them for an occasion or plan on bringing them to work with you to give to co-workers. I pre-give away anything I bake  because I hate things going to waste but I love to make treats! I ask co-workers, classmates and friends before I bake something if they would be interested in trying a treat or two once they were done!

Ingredients
24 paper liners for cupcakes pans
1 package (18.2 ounces) plain yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 ounces) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package (1 lb) frozen cookie dough
extra package of cookie dough for garnish

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with paper liners. Set the pans aside. (I like to use the spray below on my pans to make sure the cupcakes don't stick to the pan after baking)

2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well blended.
3. Cut the frozen dough into 24 equal pieces and freeze them before using them in this recipe. It's important to use frozen dough because you don't want it to bake completely and become a cookie. You want the center to be gooey when you bite into it.
4. Scoop a heaping 1/4 cup batter and pour half of it into the cupcake liner.
5. Place one frozen cookie on top of the dough.
6. Pour the remainder of the batter over the frozen cookie. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.) Place the pan in the oven.

7. Bake the cupcakes until they are golden and spring bake when lightly pressed with your finger, 23 to 27 minutes (my oven cooks fast and mine were done in 20 minutes). Remove the pan from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cupcake liners, left the cupcakes up from the bottoms of the cups using the end of the knife and pick them out of the cups carefully with your fingers. Place them on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes before frosting. They may sink a bit in the center.

I used the Cake Mix Dr. Buttercream to frost and added semi-sweet chocolate chips to the recipe before frosting. She suggests using her Chocolate Buttercream recipe. I also baked a smaller batch of frozen cookies about the size of a silver dollar to use for garnishes.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups congectioners' sugar, sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl.
2. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds.
3. Stop the machine, and add confectioners' sugar, 3 tablespoons of milk, and the vanilla.
4. Blend with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 minute more.
*Add up to 1 tablespoon more milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

All men are created equal…

But all spin instructors aren’t, at least in a sense that they are all very different in the ways they teach, what moves they do, and most importantly what music they listen to!! One of my biggest pet peeves is going to a class that doesn’t have a good instructor!

Since I injured my hip running a half-marathon three years ago now, I had to get creative with my workouts. I got into spin while I was in college but it wasn’t until after this injury that I started looking at the classes more seriously.

I have been a member at Lifetime Fitness since December 2008- before I was a member at the YMCA. I really enjoy Lifetime because of the multiple locations around the cities and the amount of classes they have each day made to fit everyone’s schedule. If you are looking to try something new and fun I definitely recommend looking into a spin class at your nearest Lifetime. Above is a picture of a outdoor spin class from when Lifetime broke it's world record of the largest spin class once again.

Here are my top favorite instructors and why:

1. EJ T. SLP (Saint Louis Park) Lifetime 6:00am Mondays and 6:00pm Thursdays- very motivating, super cute, GREAT music
2. Katie and Mary, SLP Lifetime 6:00pm Mondays- motivating, very enthusiastic, GREAT music
3. Justin R, Target Center Lifetime 5:30pm Wednesday (90minute ride) and 5:30pm Thursdays- has a disco light, motivating, good/great music (Thursday is TRL, total request live!!)
4. Ann H, SLP Lifetime 9:30 am Saturday morning-motivating, music is pretty good- there were only a few songs I hated but she is very open to taking requests or suggestions for future classes! 

 If you are planning on checking one of these out let me know and we can go together! Lifetime offers two week free passes on their website- and from my experience you can usually use two weeks at one location and then two weeks at another etc. until finally you will have to commit to a membership. And if you are under 27 ask about the discount!