Saturday, August 27, 2011

♥ 33 Years ♥

Today dear hubs & I celebrate our
33rd wedding anniversary!!!!

To the love of my life, my best friend,
my confidant and my hero I dedicate this song...


because really... There's No Way ~








Sunday, August 21, 2011

50 something...

Today I am no longer 50, but 50 "something"!!
My 50th year has been an amazing one -

My son married and I gained a daughter-in-law!!


My daughter & son-in-law announced they were pregnant
with our first grandchild, a girl!



and I completed 5 half marathons!!!

Each one of these milestones has taught me
a little more about myself. You would think that
after 50 years you would know yourself rather well.
Notsomuch!!! That is one of the things I enjoy
about life; you never stop learning!!!


I'm sure I will continue to learn more about me!

I'm sure my family will continue to be blessed
with good health and good times ~
My 'Ohana' means more to me than
words can express and I continue to
be thankful for all of them and the
joys they bring me!!!



Sunday, August 7, 2011

♥ Baby Girl Vestal ♥

I had the privilege to do a small photo shoot for
dear Daughter, Son-in-Law and
our little baby belly!
We are now 24 weeks...


Saturday, July 23, 2011

Crack Pie

Since my post here,
I've had a couple of requests to explain
Crack Pie...

The name comes from a craving for more!!
Seriously, this pie is insanely addictive.
An oatmeal cookie crust and a sweet, gooey,
butterscotch-y filling combine to create a
delicious bubbling mess of salty-sweet goodness.
When it cools, you’ll have to fight for your share.
Or you can grab the pie plate, turn your back
and crouch in the corner, stuffing your face like a feral cat.
A feral cat that uses a fork, of course!!



Now, for the recipe:
Cookie for crust

Ingredients

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (3 ounces) flour
Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Scant 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar
3 tablespoons (1 1/4 ounces) sugar
1 egg
Scant 1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) rolled oats

Method

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder,
baking soda and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Whisk the egg into the butter mixture until fully incorporated.
5. With the mixer running, beat in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until fully combined. Stir in the oats until incorporated.
6. Spread the mixture onto a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking sheet and bake until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and cool to the touch on a rack.
8. Crumble the cooled cookie to use in the crust.


Crust

Ingredients

Crumbled cookie for crust
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Combine the crumbled cookie, butter, brown sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly combined and blended (a little of the mixture clumped between your fingers should hold together).
2. Divide the crust between 2 (10-inch) pie tins.
3. Press the crust into each shell to form a thin, even layer along the bottom and sides of the tins.
4. Set the prepared crusts aside while you prepare the filling.


Filling

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
3/4 cup plus a scant 3 tablespoons (7 ounces) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon (3/4 ounce) milk powder
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
3/4 cup plus a scant 2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 egg yolks
2 prepared crusts
Powdered sugar, garnish

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt and milk powder. Whisk in the melted butter, then whisk in the heavy cream and vanilla.
3. Gently whisk in the egg yolks, being careful not to add too much air.
4. Divide the filling evenly between the 2 prepared pie shells
5. Bake the pies, one at a time, for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and bake until the filling is slightly jiggly and golden brown (similar to a pecan pie), about 10 minutes.
6. Remove the pies and cool on a rack.
7. Refrigerate the cooled pies until well chilled. The pies are meant to be served cold, and the filling will be gooey. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.


I hope you enjoy it!!!



Wednesday, July 13, 2011

An Island Life Giveaway

I would like ask that you check out
a wonderful blog that I read daily!

An Island Life
Kailani manages An Island Life ~

Kailani has interesting posts about life
living on Hawaii, her life as a Mother
to three young girls, product reviews
a weekly meme (
Aloha Fridays) and awesome giveaways!!!

Please head on over to
An Island Life and
enter this great
giveaway!!!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Chicken Saltimbocca & Crack Pie

I really enjoy the weekends...
It gives me a chance to cook and
enjoy myself in my kitchen.

Dear hubs is a whitewater raft guide
and I love preparing a wonderful meal
for him to return to after a long day
on the river!
Today I followed a recipe found in
Giada DiLaurentis' "Every Day Italian"
The recipe was very easy to follow and the meal
came together very quickly!

Here are my chicken cutlets prepped
for rolling... procuitto, spinach & parmesean cheese too!


Cutlets rolled and reading for browning!

Cutlets browned and simmered in chicken broth and lemon juice...

CRACK PIE for dessert!!! Sooooo yummy!



Sunday, June 26, 2011

#5 Half Marathon Recap

Seattle Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon

Who would have thought that I would be
running my 5th half marathon in a year?!?!?
Def not me!!! But YEAH!!! I did it...

Our morning started with an early 4:30AM wakeup
and after rechecking our gear we headed for the start line.
The picture above shows the 25,000-30,000 people participating!!
It was a perfect 47 degrees at race time with no rain in sight...

This is my new daughter-in-law and me before the race start
(don't judge, it was 6:30 in the morning w/o my face on!!)



The race course takes you along Lake Washington
for about 3 miles which is absolutely gorgeous.

There was a humbling display by WEAR BLUE: RUN TO REMEMBERwhich is a running community that serves as a
living memorial to the service & sacrifice
of the American Military.
This really made you proud to be an American
and thankful for those that gave the
ultimate sacrifice for our freedom...

I didn't break any personal records with this run
but I have come so very far from last year;
my first half marathon was run here and as I ran past
areas I remember struggling at last year I began
realizing what all my training has done for me.
The internet searching, the reading blogs and
magazine articles and monitoring training times
has all been well worth the effort!

It's all about the METAL!!!
(Yes, I meant to spell it that way!!)




Friday, June 17, 2011

♥ Tommy & Lindsey's wedding pictures ♥



THEY'RE HERE!!!

We have been patiently waiting while the
photographers worked their magic on
over 1000+ pictures!!!

Please visit Photo Elan's blog
HERE and see how lovely
Tommy & Lindsey's special day was ~

PLEASE leave a comment on their website

to let us know what you think!!!

If the kids receive enough comments

they'll earn additional photos

for their package...