Pocketful of Money

What a beautiful, dreary, warm and misty day we are having.  

Days like today just increase my desire to live on the northwest coast.  Nestled in between the redwoods and the ocean, watching the whales make their yearly trek all while being a short distance from a few delightful wineries really is where my heart is at.

I officially have my house purged and scrubbed.  I also have ALL of my laundry washed, folded AND put away.  

It's like a modern day miracle.  

I think I'm finally getting the hang of this whole "adult" business.  It's a good thing, too, (since I am now 31) and because last week proved that I shouldn't try and act like a 20 yr old ever again.

I just.....can't.
No.  No.  No. No. No. 

Lets re-cap.

This is Rick.  
He had a pretty amazing set up for his tailgate, including a bears ambulance and ample amounts of fireball whiskey.
His friends really liked my little sisters.

Actually the three of us made lots of friends that day.  
Let's just leave it at that.

Thankfully those are the only pictures I have of the weekend.
Tailgating/Bears game was a fun experience, but I don't think I ever want to do it again.
Youch!

We hosted another friends thanksgiving at our house.  It's something we like to do every year, and for a few reasons.  We originally started this tradition of ours because we both worked crazy shifts, him with what he does and I as a bartender.  

When I used to live in  my small town (frame of mind) I would always think it was sad when people didn't have a place to go on thanksgiving and therefore ate their dinner at a bar.  Then I quickly became that person and my view was drastically altered.

Working Thanksgiving at the bar let me experience the holiday in a different (and better) light.  Everyone who came to those thanksgiving meals were truly joyous to be there.  We were our own little community and thankful to be a part of that community.  We were happy to have other outcasts to share a meal and conversation with.  Nobody was judging us on our lifestyle choices, working habits, vices, etc.  

We would all share our meal together and tell the most inappropriate stories and jokes.

  There was (almost) never any fighting or hurt feelings.  

And, as an added bonus, I would make a hefty amount in tips.

After I quit the bar scene (hallelujah!) The Mister and I had our first family thanksgiving.  We realized that was not how we wanted to spend our holiday every year.  

Our prior years of spending it with friends in the bar had left us jaded, (or maybe just opened up our eyes,) to what our expectations of the holiday are and how it should be spent.

   Most of our friends live all over the world, but call somewhere around Chicago as their home-base.  They come back every year to visit their families.  

We all want to see each other anyway, what's more perfect of an idea than to host a giant dinner with our chosen family?

We can't think of anything and every year it just gets better.

The Mister smokes and grills the turkey every year.  I have never tasted a turkey as good as our thanksgiving birds.

At one point of the night, our entire basement was filled with adults and children, toys were thrown everywhere, children were chasing each other, screeching and laughing, adults were singing, joking, dancing and laughing.  

I could feel just how full my heart was and I could not have been more thankful then at that moment. 

Chocolate covered fruit, marshmallows and pretzel sticks.  Easiest desert I ever made.  (Tastiest, too!)

 (I didn't get to take a lot of pictures since I was in the kitchen most of the day so most of these pictures are stolen from our friends.)

My Chicago Gals. 

I'm so thankful for their acceptance into the group when I was a newbie.
These are a few of the best gal's I have ever known!
And, of course, there's Buehrle, who is desperately asking for something. 


 I bought a bunch of puzzles and games for the kids.  They liked the games, but I think the rock painting was the biggest hit.
(Figures!)

And finally, the boys after their football game.
I don't know about the rest of them but The Mister sure did complain about being sore for days after.

I hope your holidays were also spent with the people you hold dear!

Happy Humpday!

Daylight

Rhiannon had her first cooking lesson.  

She informed me that she wanted to learn how to cook southern style food.

This really is NOT the job for me to teach, 

(this is a job for Mrs. Ritter).

However, I have a few recipes from Mrs. Ritter and that is just going to have to do.

So she made jambalaya.  

It was incredibly tasty and I am proud of how her first stab at it went. 

I learned that she needs some serious help with her knife cutting skills.  I thought for sure we were going to find a finger in our food the way she was hacking at the celery, so we worked on that a bit.

She also learned what "natural casings" mean.

She was not impressed, to say the least.

We then learned that it is NOT OKAY to have your sister "help stir" a scalding hot pot on top of a high flamed gas stove.

Like never-ever-ever.

(Especially when you have to stand on a stool to see over the pot!)

The end result was fantastic, and I am one proud Mama!

Good work, Rhiannon!

**Sorry if you are following me on instagram.  I'm a part of a 

One Day challenge where you are supposed to document the mundane everyday parts of your day.  So far I forgot the first 3 hours of the day.**  

(Lucky for you!)

ALIFE SESSIONS: NINJASONIK "DAYLIGHT" from ALIFE on Vimeo.

Happy Humpday!

I Thought You Were My Boyfriend

On Sunday afternoon Rhiannon and I were bored out of our minds.  We found ourselves gravitating towards the kitchen, chatting.  She told me that she wanted to learn how to become a good cook, like me.  

(Bless her little heart!  I'm going to be honest I melted a little when she said that.)

I explained to her that this didn't come overnight.  That when she was a baby, and I was a vegetarian, we ate lots of meals that were less then sub-par, and in this department, practice really does make perfect.  She asked me to teach her how to cook and my heart melted again.

I said absolutely.
We decided once a week, and to call it "Cooking with Crystal".

With a little help from my old friend Betty, we will start next week.  

I am super excited!

Do you know what else is super exciting? 

 My home state became a little less bigoted, 
a little more equal 
and has taken a big step to take 
a lot more hate out of it.

Congratulations to all my friends who this directly affects.

Love love love love you all!

 

Happy Humpday!

Chinese Pepper Steak/Wednesday Music Break, Up the Junction

I have been in my kitchen for the past two weeks (since the anti-gluten dairy-free diagnosis.) 

I think I have finally found a recipe that everyone in the family loved.    

Chinese Pepper Steak

• 2 tsp oil (I used grapeseed)
• 1 tsp sesame seed oil
• 2 onions diced
• 3 green bell peppers diced
• 6 garlic cloves minced
• 2 T chopped fresh ginger or 3 tsp ground ginger (I used ground)
• 2 lbs sirloin steak cut in strips
• 2-3 T gluten free soy sauce (I swear it tastes the same)
• 1 T cornstarch mixed in 1 T cold water

1. Heat oil in our wok or pan (M heat)
2. When oil is hot add in your onion, green pepper, ginger and garlic.
3. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
4. Take vegetables out of wok and set aside.
5. Add meat to wok.  Stir fry til the meat is cooked well enough for your liking.
6. Add vegetables back.  Add soy sauce.  Cook together another 2-3 minutes.
7. Shut off heat and add cornstarch mix.  Mix well.  Bring mixture back to a boil and simmer for another 1-2 minutes, until the liquid starts to thicken up.

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!  

Thinking of you today, Ms. Julie Lyn.

This one is for you.

  Loves you.

Squeeze – Up The Junction by VEVO