Oct 31, 2011

CrazyJoy = Light (revealed)

Happy Halloween! I hope you all have a safe and fun evening. I have a couple of photos to share with you today.

Up first, since it is Halloween today, here's our kitty. Complete with the licking tongue!

kittycostume

And now for mine and Anna's photos for the crazyjoy challenge word: LIGHT.

crazyjoy = light

That was from a wedding we went to this weekend at Woolaroc and it was absolutely beautiful! The weather was perfect and the sights were gorgeous. The sun was setting as we were leaving and we got to see elk, bison and tons of little Japanese deer walking around! If you haven't been out to Woolaroc in a while, or ever, you should check it out. I'll post more pictures tomorrow.

And Anna's:

anna-light

The was out and about at Quilt Market and I'm kind of jealous of all her facebook posts about the event.

If you joined in, link up with Anna today and come back Friday to see our favorite.

And here's another picture of my kitty just because I think she's so cute!

kittycostume4

Oct 28, 2011

crazyjoy =

Well hello friends. I've been busy finishing up projects and starting new ones so I've been absent from here the last couple of days. Also, I have found a little addiction while I'm working - mini Tootsie pops. I can crush through 6 without even thinking about it. I really regret buying the Halloween candy we're going to pass out 3 weeks early.

Anyway, I'll share a couple of the projects I've been working on next week. But for now, a peek.



And it's also time for the new crazyjoy challenge word!

Anna will be out today getting ready for Quilt Market but will be back sometime this weekend. Here's the new word for the weekend:

crazyjoy = light

Check back with her over the weekend to see our favorite "us" entry from this week.

Happy Friday, enjoy your weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

Oct 25, 2011

Oktoberfest Feasting

As I've mentioned, Oktoberfest was this past weekend here in T-town. The plan was to save money by going during the free-admission time and not eating anything while we were there because we had a German feast to come home to. Such was the plan anyway. We made it inside the gates with seconds, and I mean seconds, to spare. We didn't plan on the traffic and had to run for the gates. Sweet P and I made it through, then Eric and then the ticket-takers started moving out saying time was up and everyone needed a ticket. My mom held her phone up with the time showing there was still one minute to go as she pushed on through. They ended up letting her through - along with a drove of others!

It was a fun start to the event. We walked from tent to tent, hearing various sounds of music and cheering and smelling all kinds of tempting treats.

Tulsa Oktoberfest 2011

We hadn't been there 20 minutes before the beer (the husband's beverage), potato pancake and Ludgar's Bavarian cream cheese cake had been purchased.

Tulsa Oktoberfest 2011

With full bellies it was time to work a little of those calories off with a little chicken dancing. Sweet P once again wooed the crowds and had everyone around her clapping and smiling.

Tulsa Oktoberfest 2011

It was a good time. I think I need one of those German hats for me and Sweet P next year.

The rest of the weekend was filled with family, a lot of football watching and more German feasting. Last week I mentioned a few recipes I wanted to try and I made all but one. I also added one I didn't mention so here's the reviews...

First up, the Wiener Schnitzel and German potato salad.

Homemade German Feast

I tried this chicken schnitzel recipe but used tenderized-boneless pork chops for the meat. The husband said it was the best schnitzel he's ever eaten and that it reminded him of the one he would order as a kid at Ursula's (Tulsa restaurant no longer in business). I thought it turned out pretty good.

Then there's the German potato salad recipe that I mentioned last week. Again, the husband loved it and said it was the best potato salad I've ever made. Personally, I prefer a cold, smashed potato salad but it went well with the dinner.

Next up is the recipe for apple strudel I also mentioned last week.

Homemade Apple-Cream Cheese Strudel

After I converted everything in her recipe, I decided to use puff pastry instead of phyllo dough. I like puff pastry, it's easy and I'll use the leftovers. Plus, I didn't feel like taking the time to do the whole buttering the 4-5 layers or phyllo. I'm lazy.

Homemade Apple-Cream Cheese Strudel

The puff pastry ended up working out really well and the strudel was amazing. Really folks, delicious. I used honeycrisp apples inside and topped the strudel with some icing to really take it over the edge in the healthy department.

And, last up, I tried this recipe for homemade pretzels.

Homemade Pretzels

They were a huge hit. I read a lot of the comments on the recipe and ended up going with 4 cups of flour and using my kitchenaid with the hook attachment to knead the dough. That thing made this recipe SO easy. The pretzels smelled amazing and were perfect right out of the oven.

The recipe calls for sugar but the husband didn't care for the sweetness of the dough. I didn't mind but will probably use less next time I make them. They were also really good covered sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and coated with melted butter. Such a great treat.

After all the German food cooking and eating I have determined that the German folk aren't too concerned with calories and I'm happy Oktoberfest only rolls around once a year.

Oct 24, 2011

CrazyJoy = Us (revealed)

Happy Monday! I hope you had a great weekend. We sure did. We celebrated Oktoberfest all weekend, my Cowboys won their game Saturday and we got to have a lot of family time. I'll post more on that stuff this week, but for now, photos for the crazyjoy challenge.

Here's my photo:

crazyjoy = us

I know, I slacked. With all the cooking, game watching, eating and having fun, I forgot to get a picture of us. This one is me and the husband on our wedding day. I love the picture and it always makes me smile. I'm so happy to be a part of an "us".

Check out Anna's photo.
Us

How cute are they!?

Did you join the challenge this week? If so, link up to your blog post with your photo below and we'll pick our favorite and announce it on Anna's blog Friday.





Have a great week!!

Oct 21, 2011

crazyjoy =

Friday, Friday, so good to me. Isn't that how that song goes? No? Well it should.

Anyway, if you're here for the new crazyjoy challenge word, wait no longer, it's...

cjpagenewword

You have until next Thursday to go out and capture US the best way you can. Here's some more info if you want to join the challenge.
  1. Think on the word, photograph it, draw it, make it, whatever you want to do to represent it
  2. Come back Monday and I will post my and Anna's photo and you can link up through Thursday with your interpretation
  3. Then check out Anna's blog on Friday where she will post our favorite entry and the new challenge word
And here's our favorite from last week: SWEET.

sweet (1)

Thanks, Andy. Hope it was as good as it looked!

That's it for today. Have a great weekend!

Oct 20, 2011

Oktoberfest

Did you know Oktoberfest is this weekend in Tulsa!? We'll probably make it out to the festival sometime Friday - when it's FREE to get in!

Why Oktoberfest? Well, other than the fact that it's another fun outdoor festival with food, music and entertainment, one side of the husband's family just happens to be of German ancestry so we always feel the need to celebrate his roots with brats, pretzels, a little chicken dancing, strudels and all things Oktoberfest.

Instead of spending a lot of money at the festival, we're going to be having a little German feast of our own at home over the weekend. I have done some research and found several recipes to try out and I'll let you know how they tasted next week. But, if you're looking to get in the spirit of Oktoberfest, here are some recipes from my pinterest boards:

















Prost!
(that's German for Cheers!)

Here's the website for more info on Tulsa's Oktoberfest: TulsaOktoberfest.org

Oct 18, 2011

More Park Pictures and Polenta

Here are a few more pictures from our visit to the Conservation park in Claremore.

The deer were really that close. It was awesome.

claremoredeer

Sweet P giving her daddy pebbles along the walk.

claremorep

Not sure what she's pointing to here, but we looked.

claremorepoint

And daddy teaching his girl the art of hunting and stalking deer.

claremorepark

Now on to a totally different subject, I made polenta (basically cornmeal) for the very first time. I had it at one of the Biga wine dinners a while back and decided to try to make my own. Now that I know how easy it is, I will trying many more recipes.

I found this recipe and altered it a little. I didn't have fresh parsley or parmesan cheese so I used some dried parsley and topped ours with a little feta and fresh green onion.

Bacon Polenta

It turned out pretty good but you have to eat it right away or the polenta gets a little hard.

Oct 17, 2011

CrazyJoy = Sweet (revealed)

Happy Monday! In case you missed it, OSU beat UT this weekend! That's means we're still undefeated!!

In other news, today is the day Anna and I share our photos for the crazyjoy challenge word. Anna announced on Friday that our new word is SWEET.

There were so many opportunities for this one over the weekend - I mean, pregnant lady and sweets, come on. But, in the end, I decided on this one:

crazyjoy = sweet

The special, sweet moment of daddy holding his daughter's hand.

Saturday morning we headed over to Claremore to check out the wildlife conservation and enjoy the beautiful weather. We saw a ton of deer and walked all over the trails. Before Sweet P, the husband and I would go on these little outdoor adventures and talk, walk, enjoy a picnic lunch and just hang out together. We really enjoy each others company and being outside but it is crazy how much better these adventures are with a little one.

Watching her take everything in and be in awe of deer walking by us just makes me stop and really appreciate my life. When Sweet P is older, I'll probably still think back to these sweet moments we got to have with her and remember her daddy bending down to hold her little hand as they walk along sharing life.

Check out Anna's blog today to see her photo and to join in the challenge.

Oct 14, 2011

CrazyJoy =

It's Friday!!! I'm SO ready for this weekend. OSU (my alma mater, for those new to this blog) is playing UT (blah). We will be cheering on our Cowboys!

Also up today is my sister's birthday!!!

Happy Birthday!

When I start thinking I'm getting old, I remind myself that she's the OLDER sister and then I feel young again. This is where I insert a fabulous picture of her in her total-famousness-awesomeness.



And, last up, this weekend we have a new word for the crazyjoy challenge. Check out Anna's blog to get the secret word. Not really secret, I just don't know it yet and will be out all morning so I don't know when I'll update it here. Oh, and thank you to each one of you guys that participated last week! We had fun looking at all those WISH photos.

Have a great weekend and see you Monday!

Oct 12, 2011

Seared Ahi Tuna Wraps

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything food related - and the fair food yesterday doesn't count. And not that I haven't been cooking, it's just been the same ol' same ol'. So this week I went out on a limb and tried making some ahi tuna wraps.

My husband bought some tuna steaks at the store a bit ago when they were having a huge seafood sale - and, no, he doesn't usually do the shopping. It was late, we needed milk for the morning and he came back 45 minutes later with 3 bags of groceries. That's why he doesn't do the shopping.

Anyway, I finally decided to use them and came up with this recipe that we both liked, Ginger-Soy Glazed Ahi Tuna Wraps. I steamed some brown rice and sugar snap peas to go with it, but here's what you'll need for the wraps:

4 ahi tuna steaks
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons minced ginger (I used my microplaner)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons coconut milk (optional, I had some left over from my rice)
1 cup of finely shredded cabbage
1 knob green onion (or 3-4 green onions)
1 avocado - sliced very thin
1/4 cup mayo
1 teaspoon prepared wasabi
4 large tortillas or wraps

First, in a small saucepan, whisk broth, soy sauce, sugar, wine, ginger, garlic and coconut milk together and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and refrigerate until cool.

Once the sauce is cool, place the tuna steaks in a gallon ziploc bag or dish and pour all but a few tablespoons of the sauce over to marinate. Marinate the steaks for at least 30 minutes.

While the tuna is marinating, make the wasabi mayo. It's really easy. Just mix the mayo and wasabi together. That's it. Use more or less wasabi to your liking. I also went ahead and sliced the avocados so they'd be ready.

Here's a little tip you probably know of, but it not, here you go. Cut the avocado in half and remove the seed. Then make cuts, without going through the skin, lengthwise to make your slices. Do that to the other half and squirt lemon juice on each and then put them back together. This will keep it from browning. Plus, when you're ready for the avocado slices, just run a large spoon between the avocado and skin and voila! Sliced avocado ready to go.

Then just sear your tuna. I used my panini press and it worked great. I probably broke some kind of tuna rule here on how I cooked mine, but hey, I'm pregnant so I had to cook these things a little longer than you should. After you remove it from the grill, cut it into thin slices. Now assemble your wraps.

How To Make Seared Tuna Wraps

I warmed my wraps on the press before cooking the tuna but it's not too important.  Put a handful of cabbage down the center of your wrap, top it with a little sliced onion, then the tuna, add the avocado slices, season with a little salt and pepper and top it all off with wasabi mayo. Fold each side over and cut it in half and enjoy!

Seared Tuna Wraps

Happy Wednesday!

Oct 11, 2011

Birthday Weekend Celebration

My birthday was last week and we celebrated all weekend. It was awesome, especially since the fair is always in town on my birthday weekend!

I took Sweet P to the fair on Thursday with my mom and grandma. We went early and since there weren't any crowds yet, she got to run wild.

fairthurs

Then I went back on Friday with the husband. When we got there MC Hammer was practicing with his dancers for the concert that evening. He was too legit to quit.

M C Hammer

Then it was off to eat the fair food.

Corndog.

corndog

Followed by cheese curds and fried green tomatoes.

Cheese Curds and Fried Green Tomatoes

And then we shared a pineapple whip to wash it down but didn't get a pic of that.

Then we walked down the midway and headed for the petting zoo. It was a success.

goats

Sweet P kept saying, "goa" (goat) and really wanted to get in the pin and play with them. She made pig faces at the pigs, mooed at the cows and pointed to everything. It was so fun to watch.

Then we had to get the annual fair pics and monster cookie before we left.

fairfri

Last year's pic:
Tulsa State Fair

fairfri2

Last year's pic:



There was a surprise party that evening for me, but, since I didn't know it was coming, I didn't have my camera. :( It was tons of fun though.

Saturday we finished up the birthday fun by taking P to Philbrook's Fall Family Festival. It was free to get in so we had to take advantage of that!

We had to finish our coffees before going in and that's when we saw the squirrel.

Squirrel at Philbrook

Sweet P finally saw it and tried talking it down.

phils2

But, sadly, it ran away.

phils3

After walking through the museum, we headed out back to the gardens. I snapped a couple of pictures of P.

philp

Then she found the band. They were playing up on the rocks but came down and surrounded her and started up again.

philfri

I was so surprised she didn't run away! Instead, she just stared up at them and then started walking around dancing and clapping her hands. Show-stopper, folks. SHOW. STOPPER.

philfri2

And that takes care of our weekend. Too many pictures? Sorry. That's not even close to the amount I took!!

Oct 10, 2011

CrazyJoy = Wish (revealed)

Hello Monday!

The fair was in town this past weekend and we got to introduce Sweet P to a Tulsa tradition. She went last year, but she was so tiny and I don't think she really remembered much.

Anyway, my photo submission for the crazyjoy challenge word for WISH is this:

crazyjoy = wish

She was really wishing she could climb in the fence and hug the goats.

And here's Anna's photo photo, poor G.

annawish

If you joined in the challenge, link up below.





Hope you had a great weekend!

Oct 7, 2011

CrazyJoy =

Happy Friday!!

I'm going to make this short and sweet. The new crazyjoy challenge word is:

cjpagenewword

Here's what you need to know to join in with me and Anna:


  1. Think on the word, photograph it, draw it, make it, whatever you want to do to represent it
  2. Come back Monday and I will post my and Anna's photo and you can link up through Thursday with your interpretation
  3. Then check out Anna's blog on Friday where she will post our favorite entry and the new challenge word
And here's our favorite from last week: ASSEMBLY.

entry

I love the angle on this one and check out all those potatoes!! Thanks, Jamie!

That's it for today. Have an awesome weekend!

Oct 6, 2011

Overwhelmed

Seriously guys. I'm so overwhelmed by your comments and birthday wishes on yesterday's post.

Thank you doesn't seem big enough to express how much it means to me that you guys watched that video. I know it was hard to see, trust me, I know. But thank you for taking time to not only read that post but mainly, to watch the video.

To be able to create awareness on such a horrifying subject is the best gift I could ask for on my birthday. So thank you again.

I haven't linked up with Emily's blog for Embrace the Camera in a while, so here's a quick iphone pic of me and my girl at the park yesterday. If you follow me on twitter, you get a double dose, sorry.

The Park



And, since I mentioned my iphone, I must also say how sad I am for the loss of Steve Jobs. What an incredible man. Here's a quote that I stole from a friend's facebook page, thanks Loren. Anyway, I thought it was very fitting.
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything –all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure –these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. there is no reason not to follow your heart.” -Steve Jobs

Happy Thursday and really, thank you so much.