Hello, Maryland.

We've already been in Maryland just over a week.  Hello!  In some ways I'm still in shock.

A week ago Thursday, we hopped on a plane, and hoped for the best that our cars and belongings would someday make it to MD.  A few days go we got word that our belongings had successfully made it, and just this morning, these two showed up, luckily in one piece.

Whew.

For the first few days we were here we shopped around like mad men for a place to live, and luckily we found something great!  Move-in day is Oct. 8th.  So our stuff will patiently be waiting (somewhere?) for some annoyed mover dudes to haul them up 4 flights of stairs (sorry guys...)

We've been loving the weather and the GREEN here!  It's been so nice to be able to enjoy being outside, with the exception of the humidity today because of the night rainstorm. This is a cute little shopping area just a block or two away:

I spent the afternoon here the other day, and it was lovely. Not to mention it has one of Wolfgang's most favorite places to eat, Nando's, of which is originally from England, and about died when he first found out that they had locations in the states (but only on the east coast).

Another food establishment that we have become friends with, looks something like this:

Mmmmm.

And did I mention how much we love the green?  But we do know that places only become green one way...rain and snow.  But we don't want to talk about that right now, we're just enjoying the fall for now.  Here is a picture I took in the town that we will be living in.  Isn't it gorgeous?! I instantly fell in love with the place, and we were just lucky enough to find our future (rental) home there.

And tomorrow's plan?  Returning our rental car and going somewhere great.  Any guesses? Hint: It's not Nando's.

A few recipes

A couple of posts ago I mentioned I was going to make the Lemon Brownies and I actually did! {AND shared them at work!}  be proud.  They turned out good, although they get very moist fast, a little too moist for my liking, but still good.

I also tried three other recipes in the las few days. Two of which ended up being recipes that were kinda a pain in the butt, but they turned out good as well.  They were Creamy Avocado Pasta {a pain to do with a blender and not a food processor} and Nutella & Sea Salt Stuffed Sugar Cookie which we are still eating.  The thing about the cookies, is that it took FOR.E.VER to prepare! Or at least more than I ever prepare to make/bake something.  Because nutella melts fast, I had to keep putting them in the freezer.  I also didn't use sea salt, cause I don't have it.

The third recipe was Weight Watchers Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken.  Super easy and delicious.  I just love crock pots.

Happy Sunday everyone.

Does "too sweet" exist?

...I didn't think it did, but making these Cookie Dough Truffles yesterday proved me wrong. They are good, but extremely sugary and rich. I'm going to have to get rid of most of them at work or something.

I guess I'll just go back to eating a few spoon fulls of raw cookie dough while making cookies.

On a healthy side note, today I've eaten healthy and enjoyed it. A part of that included tonight, I had some cut up baked yams with olive oil and some cinnamon. Mmmm.

They say, "the way to a man's heart, is through his stomach."

Well, in this respect, I guess you can say I'm a man then, because my co-workers definitely won me over today.

I'm easy to please.

Cupcake.

Alright people, today is a monumental day.

Today marks the first day I've ever had a "specialty cupcake" {aka a ridiculously priced fancy pants cupcake}


...and it was amazing.

I was one of those people who would judge other people who fell into the trap of paying a pretty penny for a stupid cupcake. I thought, "it can't possibly be that good." Oh, but was I so wrong.

Today at work I had the pleasure of eating a glorious cupcake from 'Nothing Bundt Cakes.' One of the departments had them, and had extras...so some co-workers and I scurried on over and had one.


The icing was amazing; don't ask me what kind of icing. Not to mention I'm kinda an icing snob. Moving on, the cake itself was lemon (big score right there) and as I bit into its deliciousness, I was surprised by the raspberry filling! {our exact wedding cake: lemon and raspberry}


It couldn't have gotten any better.

The quality was definitely there. Think I'm being ridiculous? Well, I guess you'll just have to try one and see for yourself.

I plan on taking Wolfgang and my prego friend there, I hope they fall in love like I did. Although I'm scared to see how much one of those suckers actually costs...

Our DIY 'Cafe Rio' dinner

I mentioned a few posts ago that I was going to recreate our favorite food from Cafe Rio with the help of this recipe. I first used this sweet pork recipe over a year ago, and liked it, but I couldn't remember being blown away.

Well, I did it again, and this time, we were pretty dang close to being blown away; it turned out really really good. This time though, I chose to use Dr. Pepper instead of Coke. I don't know if that was the "secret" to the success or what, but it just turned out better this time. I didn't use the exact same type/cut (?) of pork that this person suggested, just because they didn't have it at my grocery store. I can't really remember what I used, sorry...but it was close enough.

Here are some low quality pictures of our high quality grub that night. I also made some homemade pico and guac. Just thinking about it makes me almost salivate.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great. This year we had a 'real' turkey {don't ask} and were able to enjoy it with family.

My parents and sister came down to Phoenix, and it was perfect weather while they were here. We were incredibly blessed to have most of the days off from work while they were here. Sadly, I did come down with a nasty head cold, but that didn't stop me from enjoying my family.

Unfortunately we didn't take very many pictures, but here is just one from the feast. My mom insisted that Wolfgang be the first to cut into the turkey. So he did.

What is that, a beach towel as a table cloth/large pot holder on the table, you say? Why yes, yes it is. Gotta make do with whatcha got, right?

My mom and I did all the cooking, while my dad watched sports games at their hotel room (we don't have a tv), and Wolfgang and Jessie hiked Camelback. I'm glad I had cooking as an excuse, because climbing that beast was definitely a one time thing for me.

The holiday festivities consisted of eating {obviously}, weighing ourselves periodically on Thanksgiving day {it has become my tradition}, napping, movie-watching {The Descendents was really good. Complete with great acting and beautiful scenery- Hawaii of course}, a lot of board game playing, sister date of hair cut and dyeing, meeting sister's boyfriend for the first time, and more.

It was a great time had by all.

Costco

Yesterday I was getting my Thanksgiving shopping on. I don't want to be doing the last minute shopping thing and have to deal with a bunch of crazies, so I've bought what I can, early. One of those items included:



In case you can't tell what that is, it's a 20 lb turkey in our small freezer! This is the first time I've ever bought a real turkey; I'm pretty proud of myself. Although I can't say I'll be preparing it on my own, my mom will be here to help me! {Sorry for all the "!!" 's, can you tell I'm really excited for next week?}

Something else I got at Costco yesterday that I'm excited about, are these:



3 Big ol' tubs of HUMMUS! You know I love hummus. When I got to the register with just one, the cashier told me, "you know, you can get 3 of those for that price." So he made the little grocery packer guy go get me 2 more {sorry guy!}. I was pretty excited. All three for only $12. Two are the, "roasted sweet bell pepper" and the other is "avocado and cilantro." I just tried the bell pepper one a little while ago and it's delightful. I ended up giving one to my friend last night, because I knew we didn't need/wouldn't be able to eat all of them.

Right now, I've got a copycat recipe of Cafe Rio's (our favorite Mexican place) sweet pork simmering in the crock pot. This is our 2nd time making it, I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm sorry that a lot of my posts have just been about FOOD lately, but I don't promise that they'll get any better. But let's be real, would you rather me writing about work, or food?

That's what I thought.

tried and approved.

I've been meaning to share some recipes I've tried for the first time in the last couple of weeks, and now I'm just getting around to it.

I think I've mentioned before, that I love all things pumpkin (except pie!) and so I have been trying new recipes with pumpkin in it. I still have a few more to try that I'm pretty excited about.

(Please note that as usual, all of these photos come from the recipe website.Click on the word "recipe" to be taken to the website)

With that said, let's start things off with one of my all time FAVORITE cookies:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip!

Recipe

In this cookie recipe, I accidentally put in a whole can of pumpkin, when I was suppose to only use a cup. I then adjusted the dry ingredients accordingly, and they turned out perfect. I've already used this recipe twice. Husband and co-workers approve :)

Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Recipe

I had been wanting to try a pumpkin soup but didn't know what recipe to choose, so I ended up using a recipe a friend had tried and approved.

I didn't used parsley and bacon bits, and it was still good. This makes a BIG thing of soup!

Parmesan Garlic Chicken

Recipe

This turned out really good, and it's SO easy. Next time I think I'll use a little less seasoning on each chicken, just because it was a little too strong in some places.

Golden Graham S'mores Bars

Recipe

I love s'mores. These were dang yummy!

Baked Jalapeno Poppers

Recipe

Fun and easy. I think it would be great for snacks for a party, etc. Next time I think I'll buy some kind of dipping sauce for it; I'm thinkin' some of that glorious Raspberry Chipolte sauce from Costco. I'm about to salivate just thinking about it.

I didn't use bacon, and they were just fine.

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Recipe

Enjoyable and different than what I'd usually make! I didn't use the "100% pure maple syrup." It was so dang expensive for a little bottle! And I knew I wouldn't use it again. I just used regular syrup instead, and it worked out just fine.


Ok, so I have more recipes for snacks and treats than actual food. Wellll...you're right. But in my defense, I'll have you know that Wolfgang and I rarely are able to have dinner with each other lately b/c of our works schedules, so why would I make delicious dinner if I can't share it with him? And re-heating is not the same. Aaaaannnnd I like sweets.

I really hope you try one or two or all of these.

Happy Friday!

Gotta have it. now.

For those of you who know me, {or follow my blog, or most likely both} you know that I can become easily obsessed with things, to the point that it is kind of ridiculous. For the most part, it's just for a short length of time, then I am over it for either forever, a few months, etc.

Remember how I've blogged about the No bake energy bites? I'm obsessed with them every time I make them: I am not to be trusted with them alone in our apartment- maybe that's why I always now just double the batch when I make them?

Other past obsessions have included Italian sodas, smoothies (currently), berries, Sierra Mist, Pizza, Scotty McCreery...etc.

So tonight my friends, I have a new obsession. Skype! Once upon a time I had Skype when I first went to college, to keep in touch with a guy friend who I secretly "loved." Now, 6 years later, I'm all over that technology. And let me tell you, it's pretty cool.

Today we sorta video chatted (he could see us, but he didn't have his webcam on) with Wolfgang's best friend from back home. It was flawless. Technology is truly amazing! So now I'm trying to convince my family and friends to get Skype, so I can chat and keep in touch.

Are you convinced to get a Skype account yet and chat with me? Let me know if you want my username :)

Addiction.

So this Sierra Mist trend I talked about a couple of posts ago? It's starting to become an addiction. Today, instead of just having a small cafeteria cup of it during lunch, I had to get my $0.10 21oz (?) later in the shift, and then after work, I got another one.

What is wrong with me?!

Sierra Mist {or any others like it} has always seemed so lame to me, until now. I don't get it. But Dr. Pepper will always be dear to my heart too.

My other new addiction? Use to be: Pizza, for a few months. {Preferably Mamma Mia's Pizza.It's sooo good.}

Now: Soup n' Salad. I dunno why, but I guess I just decided the other day that I like some of the "soup of the day" 's at work. The salad bar is a pretty good pick too, especially when the lunch special of the day looks sketchy {as it usually does}.

There you have it. What are your current obsessions? Don't feel bad if they are, and always are, food...like mine. No shame.

Om Nom.

Remember when I was all domestic for about a week? Yeah, that was fun. I'm still trying to learn how to gain motivation to do anything after being outside and on my feet at work full time. This dang heat is exhausting! I'd rather be working in it than bitter cold, though.

Well, from that week, tonight I decided to make again those 'No Bake Energy Bites.'

They are sooo good.

Better and Worse.

There are two food items that I haven't had in probably at least 10 years or so. In the last couple of days, I've decided to bring them back into my life, but one taste better and the other tastes worse than I remember.

Here's the verdict:

Oatmeal: Better.

I've never liked Oatmeal by itself; I thought it was disgusting and if eaten, it must be put in chocolate chip cookies {my fav} or something. I would take Cream of wheat over this stuff any day.

Well, I decided to give it another chance, and it actually isn't nearly as bad as I remember it being! Of course though, to make it more bearable, you have to add a little bit o' honey {not to be confused with the actual candy} or something to it.

Pistachio Pudding: Worse.

My memory of eating this is many moons ago when my sister was going to college, and I stayed with her for a few days. One of her roommates shared some of her pistachio pudding with me, and I thought it was amazing.

When I was at the grocery store the other day, I passed it and thought I would give it a try again. To my dismay, it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered it being. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fantastic. Pretty disappointing, really.


Oh, and I just thought of one thing that I use to absolutely hate as a kid: Tomatoes! This was quite annoying because my dad would always plant many of them in the garden growing up. When my mom would allow, I would pick a couple, cut a slit in them so it looks like a mouth, make it "talk" then make it "throw up" by pushing its guts out {I think I saw it on a kid's tv show or something}

But, I would like to announce, that I actually DO like tomatoes now; although every once in a while I don't like them.

One thing I still don't like? Olives. While working at Subway, I would periodically try them, to see if I've changed my mind- nope. Still disgusting. But I like the smell of them, weird huh? This is mostly for black olives, I tried some green ones last year, and they were ok, but incredibly salty (maybe from the red thing in the middle?)

Ok, enough about food, for today at least.

My {other} new obsession

DA BERRIES!

Straw and rasp to be exact. I tried blackberries the other day, didn't like them.

Luckily this obsession is quite a bit healthier than the Italian Sodas. (I don't want to talk about it, it'll make me want one)

I'm thinking that the reason why I'm loving berries so much right now is not only because they are delicious, but because A. they are being advertised all over my grocer ads (I guess I'm more of a sucker for advertisement than I thought) B. they are so cheap right now! and C. it's getting freakin hot here in the land of desert. Thanks for being in season, guys.

Anyway, lately I've also decided to add them to salads, thanks to our somewhat recent visit to the celestial Zupas on our last Utah trip. I can only think of one other time that I had fruit on salad (Jess and I; Jackson Hole, WY; summer of...?)

lettuce+berries=duh but tasty! You should really try it. Mine was simple and just looked like this:

Complete with 'Briannas homestyle Blush Wine Vinaigrette Dressing' (as pictured).

I suggest a fruity vinaigrette of some sort, because having that with Ranch would be just weird and disgusting (not to mention putting Ranch on your salad was so elementary school).

Give it a try and I hope you like it as much as I do.

My new obsession...

Italian Sodas! About a week ago Wolfgang and I ate out at Olive Garden {love this place! Even if it's a highly commercialized chain, still delicious in my opinion} and decided to go fancy with our drinks and ordered some Italian sodas; I had forgotten how much I like them! So i decided that I wanted them more in my life...and wanted to make my own.

We searched high and low for some syrup, and nowhere had them! I was quite surprised how hard it was to find. In our pursuit of finding them, we passed one of those "Total Wine" stores and I thought maybe that was a good place to try, and sure enough, they had it! I was so happy.

We took our supplies and headed over to some friends house for some games, and sure enough the sodas were a big hit.

Needless to say, I was at church today and was craving one, so I'm just now enjoying another :)

Although I'm not sure what's so "Italian" about them? Maybe it's just one of "those" things.

Yum.

I'm clearly so domestic.



My mom gave me a recipe that turned out delicious. I made one with, and one without chocolate chips, of course. {banana bread in case you couldn't tell}

I'd like to call this my, "Hummus Pizza." So simple yet so delicious. My sister introduced me to this a few years ago when we went kayaking on Jenny Lake in The Tetons. Such a beautiful place, can't wait to go back some day.

DIY burgers

Wolfgang and I love food. Yes, it's true, in case you couldn't tell yet.

One thing we really like is to go to places where you can create your own burger. They typically are a little expensive so we don't do it very often, but when we do...MmmMMM!!

So last night we decided to do a "DIY" burger feast. Although we didn't have as many options as you would find at the burger joint, we did still have "gourmet" beef, mixed greens, fancy cheese {swiss of course}, and banana peppers; we love them b. peps! We also LOVE sweet potato fries, which is something else that is usually on the burger menu, so we made our own s.p. fries as well, which sometimes comes with a delicious aioli dip. It's kinda a sin in my book now to have sweet potato fries without the aioli stuff, so I decided to look up a recipe.

So I did, made it up and....it was good, but nothing like in the restaurants. Comes to find out, there are numerous different types of aioli sauces. Who knew? Wolfgang did. I didn't. So I finally found what I was looking for, and it was divine- the icing on the cake.

The recipe is super simple and found here. There are so many variations, but I tried that one and really liked it. I also added a big blob of dijon to it.

By the end of the night we were content with our meal and our garlicy breath.

{Sorry, lots of words and no photos}

Paradise on a tray

Wolfgang and I are in love with this place:

We ate there today and it was divine, as usual. Subway doesn't stand a chance against this place. They have delicious sandwiches, mouth-watering salads, and the BEST sun dried tomato soup.

I've thought in the back on my head a couple of times that I should work there so I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want it, but seeing my relationship with Subway now, I think it's a really bad idea.

Then again, finding a job is so terrible "these days," that maybe I should consider it.

Nope, nope, can't do it. I don't want to ruin our amazing relationship.