adventures in powerwashing.

awkward moments in powerwashing:

• trying to figure out the mechanics of the brand-new powerwasher while sitting on my front porch... with an audience of retired neighbors, bikers, and pet-walkers all in attendance to watch me humiliate myself.
• forgetting my shoes inside.
• having to reach the spicket by traversing 5 feet of ornamental rock (barefoot) because i'm too stupid to go and get shoes on.
• the dance i do when i get the powerwasher hooked up. finally.
• getting honked at by an old guy driving by.
• hitting my big toe with a stream of water forceful enough to take off skin. don't ask how i know that.
• slinking inside to hide my shame after walking back over the stupid ornamental pokey-as-heck-rock to turn the faucet off in order to nurse my poor toe. 
• forgetting my shoes. again.
• trying to drag the powerwasher over to my car. figuring out that the cord doesn't quite reach... but continuing to try and aim the stream of water just right. then giving up, stomping back over to the plug and back into the garage, getting the cord stuck under the tire. tugging. wiggling. pullllling the stupid cord that refuses to budge. finally giving up and walking over to the tire. moving the cord an inch to the left. replugging. back out to the driveway. pulling the powerwasher over to the car. hose isn't long enough now. kink. undo the kink. back to powerwashing. random runner asks if i will wash his car next. big toe still throbbing. it'll snow in july in boise before i ever touch this thing again. 
• undoing the hose from the back of the powerwasher. apparently turning off the water does not mean there is no more pressure. walk back inside looking like i've had an accident. 
• finding out i only have 20 minutes before i meet with my new boss. (which went well. i get to do my favorite thing in the whole wide world and deal with baked goods all. day. long. best job ever? i think so.)

camping. on steriods.

i'm never one to back down from a party. especially when i can be the hostess.
or so i thought!

after getting out of the bakery today with 15 loaves of bread, 65 hamburger buns, and spending my arm and part of a leg getting hamburgers and enough oranges to feed an army... i started to wonder at my sanity of agreeing to get food for (at least) 50 people to go camping this weekend. 
hmmmm....
i'll give you my answer when i get back. 
good news: i got 4 free loaves of bread today!

my shopping list for the night:
think bulk and you've pretty much hit the nail on the head. 
that and enough food to feed 50 people for 3 days. i don't know about you, but it sounds like a costco run is in order! and winco. oh winco, i love you! you make shopping for parties so much easier. 

other news:
i was feeling bipolar the other day... and this happened.

this.

to this.

i figured it was far too long since i had been a blonde... and that it was time to bring it back. (not to mention i was ready for a new adventure in hair! yes, i did it all by myself. well... with the aid of my younger sister.) 

hopefully i'll stick with this one for a while. i've decided hairstyling is an expensive hobby. and i'd rather keep my hair...

only very rarely does this happen.

i am up before 7.
with no alarm.
(i just won't admit to the fact that my "fitted sheet" stopped fitting around my bed last night... and i can't sleep when my feet start playing with the bunched-up stuff at the foot of my bed...)
so here i am. 6:30 am. on pinterest. surfing the web. all nice and bundled up in my blankie because going back to sleep wasn't an option.
i need some tea or something...


but i think that breakfast will have to do!
on a whim i packed some pumpkin puree... (i can't ever really explain why i do things like that sometimes). i mean, we're camping. well... ish. in my mind there is nothing "camping" about what we do every year for a week at payette lake. we stay at a condo. and then we bike down to the campground... i tend to think of this as a little sinful. ;)
nevertheless... it does have its benefits.
like a full-on kitchen. and no bugs in my food! (there are definitely times that i relish the taste of ants... but not now. actually... probably never.)


when i was packing all the food to come up here, i found a mysterious bag from winco. with numbers 1747 written on the twisty-tie. looks promising! so i packed it. and found out that it was indeed pancake mix! 
this morning... i was craving pumpkin pancakes. these were... adequate. definitely not up to snuff... as far as pumpkin pancakes go. if you want a REAL recipe. check this one out.
i know i've probably raved about it before. but my raving does not do it justice! 
you. must. try. it!

 and it even looks divine! 

(pic courtesy of two peas and their pod blog)

friends forever :)

so i got an amish friendship bread starter a couple of weeks ago. 
it tried to take over my kitchen... 
but we solved the problem. and we ate it. 
all gone. 
we also gave 3 different starters away. 
but somehow, last week, i ended up getting a new one. (don't you guys have any other friends???)
so it's been sitting on my counter, just begging to be cooked up.
finally, tonight i got to it!
(we'll just pretend that it wasn't midnight when i decided to whip this stuff up...)


(i have no idea where this recipe originated. but i got it from here.)

amish cinnamon friendship bread

important tips:

• do not use a metal bowl or spoon for mixing (see my note about this below)
• do not refrigerate.
• it is normal for batter to thicken, bubble, or ferment

day 1: you receive the fermented batter in a 1 gallon ziploc bag. do nothing. just place the bag on the kitchen counter.

day 2: squeeze the bag several times.

day 3: squeeze the bag several times.

day 4: add 1 c. of flour, 1 c. of sugar, 1 c. of milk. squeeze bag.

day 5: squeeze the bag several times.

day 6: add 1 c. each flour, sugar, and milk. squeeze bag.

day 7: squeeze bag several times.

day 8: squeeze bag several times.

day 9: squeeze bag several times.

day 10: in a large, non-metal bowl, combine batter with 1 c. each flour, sugar, and milk. mix with a wooden spoon. pour four 1-cup starters into individual gallon ziploc bags. give away starters to friends with this set of directions. it is important to follow this sequence exactly.

to the remaining batter add:

• 1 c. canola oil
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 t. salt
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1 large box of instant vanilla pudding
• 2 t. cinnamon

in separate bowl, mix 1 t. cinnamon and 3 T. sugar. sprinkle into well-greased loaf pans and coat the sides with sugar mixture. do not use pam or other non-stick spray. bake at 350° for 1 hour or until done.

variations:

banana bread:

• 1 box instant banana pudding
• 1 mashed banana
• 2 handfuls of nuts

chocolate bread:

• 1 box of instant choc. pudding
• 1 T. cocoa
• 2 handfuls of chocolate chips

now for barb’s unapologetically non-conforming notes:

first, the bit about not using a metal bowl or spoon? horsefeathers. i think this falls into the “mystique” division. i always mix this up in my kitchenaid METAL mixing bowl. the only metal things that I really avoid are old aluminum utensils. aluminum is reactive metal. i haven’t personally seen this recipe react with aluminum, but i avoid it nonetheless. i suspect that the worst that might happen is the batter would take on a grayish cast.

second, it is NOT necessary to follow these steps precisely. if you forget to do anything with your starter for a week, don’t toss it out. if you WANT to delay making the bread up, stick the starter in the fridge. it will last MONTHS in a good, cold fridge. if it turns pink, it’s spoiled and THEN you should throw it out.

third, pam spray works just fine for greasing the loaf pans. maybe forbidding pam spray is supposed to make this sound more amish, but I MUCH prefer the texture that the pam and the sugar makes on the crust.

although my paper doesn’t say this explicitly, i have read many different places that only the amish know how to make the starter and it’s a deep dark secret. but that is also myth. i have no idea if this recipe started in the amish community, but there is nothing magical about the starter.

in fact, if you DO end up throwing out your pink spoiled starter, but have developed a taste for this friendship bread, you can start your own batch. simply put 1 c. flour, 1 c. sugar, 1 c. milk, and 1 T. yeast in a ziploc bag and let it sit on the counter. call that Day 1, and you’re good to go.

interesting note: there is a similar recipe in germany called hermann cake. this cake uses a starter as well. i’ve had hermann cake several times over the years in this country, so clearly that is also not a geographically proprietary recipe.

one thing that is NOT a myth is this. you MUST use boxes of instant pudding. cooked pudding mixes gives an entirely different and entirely unacceptable texture to this bread.

one last note: i’ve reduced the oil in the recipe to 2/3 c. with no bad effects.

bon apetit!

no mere mortal can resist.

i bet you all had the same reaction i did when you saw this movie.

i MUST learn this dance!

i learned it tonight. (and hopefully i will get to ahold of a video here shortly...)

.

.

.

what else have i been up to lately???

i realize that i fail miserably at updating this blog.

i'm repenting though.

even though that means i will have to limit my pinterest time...

*wipe a tear*

one of my favorite classes this semester is sports nutrition.

at times it makes me want to re-think my life and just go into dietetics.

i mean, what a better major than someone who loves food as much as i do?

it just makes sense.

but i guess i'll just have to own a bakery on the side.

hmmmm...

but i digress.

back to the subject.

sports nutrition. yes.

we had to develop a menu for an overnight hiking trip, and make sure that all of the calorie/carb/protein/and fat requirements fit.

the extra credit?

we had to make it.

and guess who made pizza tonight?!

it was... (considering it was supposed to be eaten while hiking, and NOT gourmet?)

actually pretty good.

i mean... flatbread pizza? not my first choice.

but it's hard to pass up pizza while camping.

i mean... come onnnnn!

(granted, we cheated a little. i mean, how am i supposed to dehydrate the spaghetti sauce to make a leather when i don't even own a dehydrator??? i mean, i want one. but i have nowhere to put it. and i have too much junk already.)

we just threw regular sauce and veggies on the flatbread, but you would normally use reconstituted sauce and re-hydrated dehydrated veggies (if you like veggies on your pizza.) top that with some cheese and you are set to go!

i can just imagine this cooking over a fire right now...

(and my mouth is watering.)

taken using my new phone!

i'm impressed.

alas... i haven't gotten cool enough to get a smart phone yet.

maybe someday...

well that's enough to bore you for now! 

(if you really want to see more of what i've been stalking for the past few hours... check 'em out!) 

here and here and here...

can you tell i'm excited for this summer?

i am SO going hiking.

pssst. i've got a secret.

I have a secret dream of becoming vegetarian.

You might think this is a little strange... considering most people tend to choose that lifestyle because they feel some sort of moral obligation to furry creatures, etc etc... I don't. I think it just sounds cool. 

Guess what? I'm a vegetarian. 

Kind of rolls of the tongue eh?

Vegan Lentil Chili with Roasted Red Peppers, Olives, and Green Onion

from Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped in small pieces
2 tsp. finely minced garlic
2 T Chili Powder (I used Penzeys Regular Chili Powder, which is quite mild.)
1 T ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano (preferably Mexican oregano)
1/8 tsp. dried Chipotle chile pepper (or cayenne; use more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
1 cup brown lentils
1/4 cup red lentils (or use more brown lentils if you don't have red ones)
3 cans vegetable broth + 1 can water
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 can (6 oz) black olives, drained and sliced
1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
lime slices for serving (optional) 

Instructions:

Use a large dutch oven type pan so you have a big surface area for cooking the vegetables.  Heat olive oil over medium heat, then saute the chopped onion until it's starting to brown.  Add garlic and saute about 1 minute more.  Add the chili powder, ground cumin, dried oregano, and Chipotle or Cayenne powder and saute about 90 seconds more, or until the spices are fragrant.

Add the brown lentils, red lentils, vegetable broth, water, and tomato sauce and heat until the mixture comes to a low boil.  Reduce heat to a low simmer and let the mixture cook until red lentils are mostly dissolved and brown lentils are well-softened.   Cooking time will depend on how fresh the lentils are, but I simmered this for slightly more than an hour, adding more water a couple of times.  (Tomatoes make the lentils cook a bit more slowly, so if you're in a hurry don't add the tomato sauce until lentils are starting to get tender.)

While the mixture cooks, slice the green onions, drain olives and cut into slices, and drain the roasted red pepper and chop into small pieces.  When lentils are cooked, add green onion, olives, and roasted red pepper and let the mixture simmer 15-20 minutes more.  Serve hot, with slices of lime to squeeze into each serving if desired.

This freezes well.  For best results, thaw in refrigerator overnight and then heat in microwave or in a small pan on the stove.

Did I mention that this winter has been one of the driest that I have ever seen in Eastern Idaho? It's crazy. 
Kinda feels like Mexico I think. 
Balmy.
(If I see anyone come into town with their Hawaiian-print shirt, I'll know that someone is reading this...)

But it snowed yesterday!
FINALLY!
Jess = :)

***

a little bit of every scattered thought.

how is everyone this (lazy) holiday morning?!


i'm fantastic... just in case you were wondering. :)
today is one of those mornings when life is just good. 
happy music-baking-motivated-i'm gonna go on a long run-type of morning!








so i have to work on my motivation to try this... because you know me, i am a very lazy person when it comes to my hair. anything that takes over an hour to do just isn't worth it in my book. 
this one looks like it could take a while...





and you remember that granola that we made like, two days ago?
it's gone!
crisis! i need to make some more!!!
this time, i think i'm going to try this recipe. and then maybe this one. this one??? (i have a surplus of recipes, most of which i haven't had the chance to try yet!) 


pumpkin granola
originally from baking bites


ingredients:
5 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
¾ tsp. salt
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup pepitas


directions:
1. preheat the oven to 325° F. line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. in a large bowl, combine oats, spices, and salt. mix well.
3. in a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, pumpkin puree, applesauce, maple syrup and vanilla extract. whisk until smooth. pour wet ingredients into oat mixture and stir until the oats are evenly coated. they will be moist. evenly spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.
4. bake for 20 minutes. remove pan from the oven and stir. bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the granola is golden and crisp. remove from the oven and stir in dried cranberries and pepitas. let cool completely. store in an airtight container.




i was reminiscing this morning... and decided to plan my next big adventure.

i'm gonna get over you.

this is my happy thought for the day. :)

i want her clothes. and her hair. 

so we tried an experiment today, and made super yummy pumpkin crunch granola. 

(this is like pavlov's dog... i say a food, and you start salivating. muahaha!) 

looks pretty delish don't you think?

(we did make a little subsitution and just used honey instead of all the agave-necter-health-nut stuff... i mean, we are poor college students after all!)

so i told you about my dream yes?

of running a half marathon.

tomorrow is the 5-mile run.

and guess who is a little scared.

NOT ME!

i'm gonna dominate this thing.

:D

my favorite pic

[21]

my favorite picture (of me) of all time.

why is that?

i think to me, this picture represents a lot of the changes that i've made in my life over the past four years of being in college. (no... not becoming more of a nerd...)

this picture represents how comfortable i am with myself. if you would have asked me to pose for a picture dressed as a nerd, and then told me you were going to post in on facebook... a few years i would never have done it. wouldn't have even given it a chance.

this picture also reminds me of the semesters that i have been able to live with my sister. (you see that empty spot on the couch next to me? she goes there.) i don't know anybody that can read my mind or function on the same exact wavelength as me all the time. we know what each other is thinking so often that it is actually freaky. if we weren't two years apart we probably could be twins.

in this picture, i felt good. i look at this, and i think of being healthy, happy, and even though i was stressed out of my mind with school - i loved life. looking at this picture gives me something to strive for. a goal to reach. 

my new goal for this year:

run a half marathon. 

anyone care to run with me? 

i want to make these sooooo bad!

gingerbread "clif" bars

:)

yum.

sammy's

my favorite place on this planet.

(to eat, that is.)

i'm not much of a burger-eating girl, but i do love their pie shakes. 

mmmmmm. 

i just can't say no!

(anyone that loves mustaches as much as i do is pretty legit in my book.)

next time you are in rexburg (or provo) make sure that you stop by!

(and get a delicious pumpkin pie cheesecake shake in honor of me)

toodles!

TWELVE

a smile.

i don't leave the house without it. 

:)

--------------------------------------

and while i'm up, i might as well tell you what i've been doing...

finals are done!

huzzah!!!

and i took a glorious 3-hour nap today.

so while i couldn't go to bed, i decided to make something.

apparently one of my hobbies is to cook late at night.

like at 3 am.

we didn't have any dill, but we substituted a whole lotta spices and goodness instead (mainly basil, rosemary and oregano).

and boyyyyy was it gooooood!

farmgirl susan's beyond easy dill & cheddar beer bread recipe 

basic beer bread mix:
3 cups organic all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)
1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
12 ounces beer

optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

heat the oven to 375°. combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. slowly stir in the beer and mix just until combined. the batter will be thick.

spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with the egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. remove from the pan and cool 10 more minutes. serve warm or at room temperature.

flavor Variations (also see the comments section at the end of this post for lots more beer bread flavor inspiration):

garlic & Herb: add 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and 2 minced garlic cloves (or 1 teaspoon garlic flakes) to the basic mix. for fresh herbs, use 1 chopped tablespoon of each.

dill & chive: add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried dill) and 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives to the basic mix.

rosemary & feta: add 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary and 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces) to the basic mix.

italian: add 1 teaspoon each dried basil and oregano (or 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh basil and oregano), 2 minced cloves of garlic, and 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan or romano cheese to the basic mix.

other additions: any dried or fresh herbs; 1/2 cup freshly grated asiago (or other hard cheese); 1/2 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup chopped scallions; 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour or 1/2 cup oats in place of 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour. or practically anything else you can think of—just use your imagination. 

mis padres

{day 4}

i just want to spend today talking about two of the best people that i know.

aka mom and dad.

i know that most kids think that their parents are losers, are still living in their glory days from way-back-when, won't mind their own business, yada yada yada... (there are occasions when i do wonder what planet they hail from, and if i really wasn't dropped off on the doorstep by a stork...) but i happen to think that my parents are the coolest cats since the invention of sliced bread. 

i'd like you to meet my folks.

aren't they cute?

i think i'll keep them.

when i think of my parents, i think of:

my dad teaching me how to box out after a free throw at 10 o'clock at night in jr. high.

making me read ender's game.

first introducing me to pride and prejudice. (yes mom, it was actually dad that first showed me that movie...)

my mom making me do chores every. single. saturday growing up.

the slave labor before christmas when we made tons of food. (and i'm not kidding about the tons part.) and then we gave it all away. what's with that?

teaching me how to cook. so that i didn't starve to death when i got to college. because top ramen wasn't gonna happen.

of hour-long talks when driving to school, california, or anywhere else (when it was my job to keep her awake)

and all my friends thinking that my mom was the coolest person ever...

i miss this.

but next summer = graduation!

(and more adventures with mom!!!)

i don't know why this picture ended up on here...

i just thought it was funny.

:)

i love my family.

and now for a little thanksgiving food-for-thought:

i so have to make this now.

pumpkin...

brick walls

well. it has been one hay of a crazy week!
6 tests this week? seriously? my teachers really are trying to kill me.
i have so many muscles floating around in my brain right now, i can't even do anything without thinking about that muscle... it's origin and insertion... other movements it performs... nerve innervation... thanks again teacher. 
it almost makes me want to go back to high school. 
i said almost. 


you know those days (or weeks, or months... or states of mind) when even things that you used to enjoy become drudgery and just another thing that you have to check off your "to-do" list? i felt like i was getting that way over the last few weeks. and i didn't like it. not at all. (i mean, i was taking choir as a fun class... not another class to cause me stress!) 
this last week has been one of a fair amount of self-discovery. 
with registration coming up, i have had to decide if i am going to graduate in just one semester, or if i am going to wait and finish up some prereq classes for when i start applying to grad schools next summer. (eeeeeeeeeeek!) 
part of me wants to curl up in a really tiny ball under my covers and never come out. but the other part knows better than to give up. the other part (which for whatever reason doesn't like to speak up as often as it should) never gives up. and it always gives it 100%. it doesn't sit around complaining about how hard it's life is. sure, we all have problems. 
{deal with it.}

now if this doesn't make your day, i don't know what will.

grilled cheese croutons

when i was younger, i remember thinking that we lived in crouton.

why, you ask?

i remember specifically asking my mom what the name of the city that we lived in was called... looking back, she was probably a little distracted, but at the time, as a 4-year-old, the entire world lived only to serve me. hence my mom's response of "crouton" might have been in reference to something other than my inquiry. i can't really be sure about that. but it's a hunch. (not much has changed since then... hehe.)

tonight we made such a nommy dinner!

nom nom nom...

gimme a few seconds, i gotta swallow. 

so grandpa gives us 3 pumpkins and I have no idea how many buttercup squash. and we have to use them all before they start to go bad.. ugh. good thing we loooooove squash! 

this is pretty much the recipe that we used. 

looks pretty tasty too!

i wish mine looked that good...

(here is a variation that uses cous cous instead of rice... it is also a little sweeter than the one that we ate for dinner tonight.) 

happy cooking!
peace out!
  :) 

it's rubbing off on me...

i have to try this.

amid all of the "other productive stuff" i was doing today... i found this blog. 

me likey.

pretty much everything about the blog. her clothes, style, diy projects. they're going to keep me fairly entertained and busy for the next little while. 

(unfortunately we don't get a newspaper... so i have to go and find me a garfield comic. stat.)

is anyone else excited for halloween?

i know i am.

(i have this problem of getting really excited about the next holiday... and especially about forgetting poor thanksgiving.)

not this year!!!

i saw a christmas commercial yesterday. and my resolve just about wavered.

but i stayed strong!

but my sister and i made a new resolve that it's going to be party central at our apartment.

:)