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Monday, December 31, 2012

2012

2012 was a big year for me. I graduated from college, moved in with my Tommy (and we celebrated our 5 years!), got a cat, and started working full time. It's been a year full of transitioning into an adult, which is both really great, and also a little scary. But I've already got some ideas in mind for 2013, and can't wait for some new scary/awesome changes.

Here are some highlights form this year, from the earliest to most recent.

My counter reached our million dollar goal for the year! Such a great group of ladies. 

The lovely Hannah created my blog design! She was such a dream to work with. 

Tommy and I moved into our own little place. While the house itself has had some issues, it has been really awesome having a place together. 

 Graduation! Wooo! 

For my birthday, Tommy and I visited the Chihuly exhibit in Seattle. It was so beautiful, definitely one of the coolest art galleries I have seen! 

Seeing Fiona Apple in concert again was amazing! It was so awesome to watch her perform her new material. I'm listening to her new album as I create this post actually :). 

I surprised Tommy with Atticus. Definitely one of the best things about this year.

I upgraded my phone and got an Iphone! Silly to think of this as a favorite thing about 2012? Maybe. But com'on...instagram! 

Two of my good friends (Brittney and Megan) got married within a few weeks of each other! 

Chopped off my hair! Yes, this was a big deal. haha. 

Saw Sigur Ros in concert, so amazing.

Celebrated Tommy's 23rd birthday at one of his favorite restaurants.

Continued the tradition of making roughly a million Christmas cookies for friends and family!

Overall, it has been a great year. Let's go 2013, I'm ready for you! 



Thursday, December 20, 2012

Sour Cream (German) Twist Cookies


While some Christmas cookies come and go, there are a few my family makes year after year. It's just not Christmas without pepparkakor cookies, melting moments and german twists.


With their buttery flavor, slightly crispy outside and flaky texture, german twists are extremely delicious. They are not overly sweet, so they make perfect "lay in bed with coffee," kind of cookies. They are also great for when you think "screw it, I need a treat after my sandwich," and "It's late. I need something carby and sweet." They are mighty multi-taskers.

Sour Cream Twists (German)
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening - part butter for flour
1 cake compressed yeast
1 cup thick sour cream (no light, or fat free)
1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Measure and sift flour, and sift with salt. Cut in shortening leaving in lumps.
3. Add crumbled yeast, sour cream, well beaten eggs and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
4. Cover bowl with damp cloth and set in refrigerator for 2 hours.
5. Take out half of dough, sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar on board and roll out to rectangle 8 x 16"
6. Fold in half, sprinkle with sugar, roll out again and repeat a third time. Then roll out a little less than 1/4" thick.
7. Cut in strips 1" x 4". Twist ends in opposite directions. Place twists on greased baking sheet, bake to delicate brown.


Took some pictures of a master (my grandma) at work.




Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Holiday Cookie Extravaganza!

Every year my mom, sister and I head to my grandma's house for a day of baking cookies. It's my favorite holiday tradition by far! We make about ten different cookies and put them on big ol' platters for family and friends. Each year our list of cookie recipients seems to grow, so this year it took two days of baking to finish.


Saturday, December 15, 2012

life is good.


Yes, the past month or so have had their ups and downs. But looking through my Instagram photos helps me realize how sweet the ups have been. Lots of kitty snuggles, good food, warm fires, antiquing, and being with my boy. Life is good, even when it's hard.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Stocking Stuffers: Cosmetic Junkie


Stockings are one of my favorite things about opening presents on Christmas morning. Stockings aren't a huge deal at my moms house, one year they were even forgotten about for a couple hours. Usually filled with M&M's and shaving cream, stockings are a silly way to end the morning.

But, my dad would go all out when it came to stockings. He would buy a bunch of little things  and wrap everything individually so it was like opening another five presents! Some things were from the dollar store, and others were things we had asked for.

Because of my love for stockings in all their different purposes, I wanted to present a few collections of stocking inspired gifts! First up, the gal who loves all things cosmetics! Some of these items I have used and loved, and a few are on my wish list.

1. M·A·C 'Perfectly Plush -Mineralize' Brush Kit
2. Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm
3. Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask To Clear Pores
4. Lancôme Hypnôse Star Mascara
5. Urban Decay Naked2 Palette 
6. NaiLuv 'Merry Mermaid' Gel Nail Polish
7. sara happ 'The Lip Scrub - Red Velvet' Lip Exfoliator

Friday, December 7, 2012

Red Curry Coconut Milk Soup


If I could eat thai food everyday, I would be a happy gal. It's spicy, sweet, citrusy and fresh. What more could you want? While of course pad thai is my go-to, red curry is a close second. It's a dish I often make for dinner because it's so easy. Curry paste, coconut milk, chicken broth, other stuff...and bam! Deliciousness.

Last night I was craving thai and wanted to make something new, but not too complex. So I did a little recipe hunting and decided to make a coconut milk, red curry soup! It was the right choice.

When making a new dish, I usually look at several recipes and then change about 80% of it. Haha. This especially goes for soup, because I keep adding spices and stuff as I go along. This leads to some delicious soup, but it's hard to share the recipe because I usually don't keep track of what I throw in the pot. But this time I kept track of what I used thanks to my handy-dandy iPhone.


Red Curry Coconut Milk Soup
2 tbs red curry paste
1 onion, diced.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk (light or regular, I used regular)
1 large can (49 oz) chicken broth
Approx. 1 cup chicken, shredded or cubed
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups fresh green beans, halved
1 green or red pepper, sliced
4 stalks lemon grass, bruised
Udon noodles
1 tbs fish sauce
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
*Red pepper flakes & Sriracha (optional)
*Bean sprouts and cilantro (garnish, optional)

1. In a large pot, saute onion. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic.
2. Add red curry paste and cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally. Don't let burn!
3. Add brown sugar, let cook for about 30 seconds.
4. Add chicken broth, coconut milk and red pepper flakes and Sriracha (if desired). Bring to a slow boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Add green beans, carrots, green/red pepper and chicken. Let cook for about 5 minutes.
6. Add fish sauce, and bruised lemon grass. Cover and let cook for 5 mins.
7. Taste, add salt if needed. Add lemon juice.
8. Cook udon noodles according to package. I used round noodles, cooked for 8 minutes then rinsed with cold water and set aside.*
9. If veggies are fully cooked, turn heat off and eat! Place noodles in bowl, add soup and top with chopped cilantro and bean sprouts.

*When storing leftovers, I put noodles in a plastic bag then into the fridge. I didn't combine with soup because I didn't want them to get too soft.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

keep on keeping on.


Dress: Consigned
Scarf: Target
Boots: Nordstrom
Tights: Forever 21
Jacket: Delia*s

Thanks for hanging in there with me. On top of me feeling blue, this month has been really stressful. The heat isn't working in our house, and for the past month our property management company has been "trying" to fix it to no avail. Then we found out water is leaking down our chimney. Awesome.

Basically our cute little house is falling apart, which means we may have to move. Trying to find a place in Bellingham that allows pets is really difficult, so tears have been shed about the idea of having to get rid of Atticus.  So on top of feeling like I need a new job, I also need a new place to live. It's a lot, especially right before Christmas. But of course I'm thankful to have a job and a roof over my head (even though it's probably full of mold...blech).

I wore this casual outfit during an outing with my sister. The combination of a comfy dress, jacket, scarf, boots and scarf is my go-to for days when I want to be comfortable, but also put together. Which is pretty much everyday.

I think I'll conclude this post with a photo of Atticus, who is definitely in the running for cutest cat ever. That is, when he isn't crawling around in my cupboards, eating my white chocolate chips and tearing open bags of rice and pasta.

"who me? never! meow"