Miami

My name is Amy and I am a travel-aholic.


As you may or may not know I am an Army brat. For those of you who don’t know what this means, I will explain. My dad is a career military man so growing up I moved all over the country/world. We moved about every year to two years for at least 10 years of my life, sometimes more or less. By the time I was 17, I had moved more times then I had been alive; I had a rough start with kindergarden in three different states in one year (Minnesota, Massachusetts and Texas).

Anyway, when I was in Germany, graduating from high school my parents decided the best place for me to go to college was in Minnesota, and since they knew best, I went to college in Minnesota. During the four years of college I would fly “home” to Georgia on my long weekends and breaks from school. When I graduated from college in 2007, I had already grown accustomed to the long distance relationship with my family and weekend get-a-ways to another state via airplane.

I started my big girl job in July of 2007, after flying back to Georgia for a month after graduation. I also started to date a soon to be law student who was moving to Philadelphia; the distance didn’t scare me because I was already planning where I was going to travel next. At the same time my family moved back to Germany, leaving me with two long distance relationships to maintain for the next three years of my life; meaning I was either flying to Philly or Germany when ever I could.

Fast forward to 2010, my dad returns safely from Afghanistan and my family moved back to the great US of A. My law student boyfriend graduates and moves back to Minnesota, so we are now living in the same state…and I have less commitment to travel places and more freedom to visit people and places I had been neglecting for the last three years.

What does this mean, well I went to Arizona to visit my brother while he was stationed there for training. I have so much more vacation since I no longer have to fly to Europe, not that I am complaining about getting to go to Europe for the last three years but I have been able to see my parents much more since they are now in North Carolina. I went to Colorado to visit my bestie Jenna, FINALLY! Oh and I went to Miami!!! So in the last year I have kept up with my habit of leaving the state of Minnesota on an average about once a month consist with my average for the last 3 years, not bad. It’s definitely been nice to keep my travel itch scratched.

Of the places I have traveled in the last year, I have to say Miami was one of my favorites. Most likely because it was the most recent place I have been but also because I tried Cuban food for the first time, at least that I can remember and it was AMAZING!

I am kind of obsessed, not just with the food but also Miami itself. Everyone is beautifully tan, toned and put together; ok maybe that is a little bit of an exaggeration but it is so tropical, it was like being in a different country without the long flight. Below is a picture of myself and my bf at the Delano on South Beach.

Traveling is expensive though, and it's not always possible for people to get away. I have come up with some ways for you to bring Miami to Mn.


1. Watch Dexter and/or the Glades. I started watching Dexter (Showtime, I bought the seasons on amazon.com) and the Glades (A&E, you can watch for free on-line weekly and season two just started last Sunday) to feel closer to my new love.
2. Victors 1959 cafe. I checked with my favorite Cuban American, and he said Victors 1959 cafe looks like authentic Cuban (as close to it as we can get in Minneapolis) It's on my list to checkout: http://www.victors1959cafe.com/.
3. Make some Cuban food! I tried an authentic Cuban recipe from my friend Molly’s boyfriend’s Cuban mother (see below) last night for dinner. It was amazing; both my boyfriend and I felt like we were back in Miami.

4. Catch some rays! Of course while wearing the appropriate level of SPF, catch some sun. Everyone was outside while we were there- even though it was about 100 degrees. Get outside and love this beaufitul Minnesota summer weather.

 

Camarones Enchilados



2 lbs. shrimp (peeled): this number is based on the amount of shrimp you eat/the size of shrimp you like. I used tiger shrimp are bigger, so I only got 1 lb.
olive oil to sauté ( i used a small amount of olive oil mixed with spray pam)
1 large Vidalia onion (or yellow onion)
3 cloves garlic

1 large green pepper

1 large red pepper (or other color)

½ c fresh parsley

8oz. can tomato sauce

½ c ketchup

½ c dry, white wine (Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)

1 T white wine vinegar

1 large bay leaf

1 t salt

1 t ground black pepper

Ground cayenne pepper to taste

1. In a skillet, sauté onions, peppers in olive oil, then add garlic and parsley, until mostly cooked. Blend into a sauce in food processor, and transfer to a deep pot. (I used a hand held blender which was much easier  since I doubled the receipe)
2. Add tomato sauce, ketchup, wine, vinegar, bay leaf, and seasonings and bring to a boil, stirring well to blend.
3. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. In a skillet with a little oil, cook shrimp at medium-high to high heat briefly on each side (1-2 min) until pink or even a little browned (I added some garlic to flavor them while they cooked). 
5. Add to sauce, then bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer for a few minutes. 
6. Serve with steamed white rice- Uncle Ben's makes an instant rice, called "Heart Healthy" with added vitamens that I highly recommend using instead of brown rice. This "heart healthy" rice almost has the same stats as brown rice, while keeping the consistancy of white rice and the added benefits of brown.

Engagement Cupcakes

One of my friends got engaged in Hawaii this past week. In celebration, I made cupcakes.

I recently found out about an awesome cookbook called the Cake Doctor, Cupcakes after a coworker of mine made a couple recipes out of this book and brought them to work; I of course bought the book after tasting the deliciousness. The Cake Doctor adds a bit of flare to your standard cake mix. With this flare of course comes a couple hundred more calories at least, but who is counting calories when it's a celebration. Everything in moderation.

The following recipe is the Cake Doctor's Vanilla Cupcake Recipe:

• cake mix (I used vanilla)
• 3 tablespoons vanilla instant pudding mix (I used the whole 4 oz package)
• 11/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Cupcakes:

1. Put oven rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray PAM or grease around where the cupcakes will touch once they grow outside the container; this will make them easier to remove. Line 24 cupcake cups with cupcake liners and set the pans aside. I used shiny tin in light of the occasion and when I made them I only got 17 cupcakes out of the batter ( I messed up some causing a few caualties)
2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 11/2 to 2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look well blended.

1. Spoon or scoop a heaping 1/4 cup of cupcake batter into each lined cupcake cup, filling it two thirds of the way full. (You will get between 22 and 24 cupcakes; remove the empty liners, if any.)
2. Place the pans in the oven and bake the cupcakes until they are golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed with a finger, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of the cupcake cups, lift the cupcakes up from the bottom of the pans using the end of the knife, and pick them out of the pans carefully with your fingertips. Place the cupcakes on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes longer before frosting.
3. Meanwhile, make your frosting of choice.
4. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of frosting on top of each cupcake and spread it out with a short metal spatula or spoon, taking care to cover the top completely. The cupcakes are then ready to serve.

From: Bake you happy, Cupcake Wars, 2010: http://www.foodnetwork.com/
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 (8-ounce) bar cream cheese, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
4 cups powdered sugar (about 2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt


In a large bowl using an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, and vanilla bean paste until smooth and thoroughly blended. Slowly add the powdered sugar and salt. Mix until smooth.

American Pasta Salad

If you are like me, you don't like to showing up to a get together with store-bought items.

Unfortunately there are less hours in the day then most of us would like and thus we need short cuts. Since it's the season of picnics and outdoor get togethers, I suggest this super easy pasta salad.

You can edit your ingredients to cut back cost as pre-cut items are more expensive, these items are *'ed. I also like more veggies than pasta, edit to your preference.

Total prep/cook time 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

pint of cherry tomatoes (my favorite are Bushel Boys grown in MN)
bag of fresh broccoli florets*
bag of matchstick carrots*
bag of mini-turkey pepperonis
bottle of fat free (or light) Kraft zesty Italian dressing
1 green (or colored) pepper (chopped)
1 red onion (diced to preference)
1 box of pasta (choose a pasta plus for added dietary benefits, will have the same white color unlike wheat pasta)

Instructions:

Cook pasta per directions on box. Drain. In a large mixing bowl combine ingredients. Pour Italian dressing over mixture and stir.I like to let mine chill in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving; but pasta can be served at room temperature.

Shredded cheddar cheese can be added to the mixture after refrigeration, before serving.

All American

I have recently gotten more interested in the blogging scene. I have found there are blogs that I really enjoy and ones that I find absolutely terrible. I haven't started my own blog because I really didn't think I had anything anyone would want to read, but after following some really bad blogs I realized I definitely can create something more interesting than what others are putting out there. I am not promising anything spectacular, but I can reassure you that what I do post on here will be real, true and genuine; mostly things I am passionate about and care about.

That being said, I guess I should introduce myself to the blogging world. When asked to describe myself in a job interview, the only words I found appropriate are "red, white and blue." I am a 26 year old American girl; I grew up around the country and the world as the daughter of an American soldier.There is nothing more important to me than this country and those who serve(ed) it.

Right now, I imagine I will focus on travel, food, health and other random topics that come to mind; just try to share things I learn as I go along through this crazy thing we call life, an American girl perspective.