Going back to church...

I decided I wanted to briefly write about a specific topic for a couple of reasons. I've been, like, 99% inactive at church for a couple years. My heart has been active, but my body has not, if that makes sense. I've usually kept this private, for probably obvious reasons, but after a lot of thinking, I decided I want to talk about it. It will be good for me to vocalize some of the things I've been feeling, as well as, maybe, hopefully, help others who may be in the same boat as me not feel alone. I've tried hiding my feelings so I would always have an out if things got too hard. I don't want that out anymore.

I've always felt fairly responsible and independent when it comes to my spirituality. I developed a real testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints over a period of time from age 12-18, which I firmly maintained. I held strongly to my testimony through thick and thin. I learned what I still believe is truth. I believe I received confirmation to my questions and doubts through the Spirit, and I don't think I'll ever be able to doubt what I've felt, even if I want to. I was endowed and sealed to my husband in the temple, and I'll always be thankful for the knowledge I gained and spirit I felt there. I believe it is what has kept me from lazily turning my back completely on everything I know is true.

I gradually became less active at church after a couple of years of marriage when there were less people to be accountable to, and when my husband became less active. Trevor's journey is his; this is mine. So I won't go much into his.

If you've ever gone to church, any church, you know what it's like to be faced with the task of being patient and kind to those who annoy you. This bothersome task, coupled with always being alone at church, is what initially started to keep me away. I continued to have a testimony in the gospel and knew what was right and wrong but I chose to ignore it and believed I could go back any time me and my husband were ready to go together. I gave up my callings. To avoid the pain of sitting through countless lessons and talks about eternal families, spiritual homes, and going to the temple with a spouse, I started to compartmentalize my priorities. In my mind, church became more painful than helpful. I knew I was letting it, but it wasn't worth not letting it.

Life goes on, surprisingly, when you don't go to church. Family still hangs out with you, work still happens, you still have goals, priorities, and standards to live by. We lead a life fairly close to that of a lot of Mormons--we don't drink or smoke, we try to be compassionate and giving, and have even gone through periods of time reading scriptures diligently or praying daily. I think that's why it's been so easy to just let things go for so long. I've become complacent, ignoring occasional bouts of sadness that my life lacks true spirituality and a closeness to God I used to have, preferring to focus my attentions on problems I felt were truly solvable, like sharing chores, starting a photography business, surviving unemployment, putting a spouse through college, and a whole bundle of good old regular marital issues like give-and take and sexual compatibility. It's easy to let everything else be the only problems you have to deal with. Why add something you don't need? See, when you're married, your lives become fused. You rely on each other for practically everything, even when you think you're independent. Even when one partner has a goal, it's nearly un-accomplish-able without the support of the other. We weren't ready to go back to church together, so I wasn't ready.

It's high time I say out loud I know that's not really true; it's not the right way to think about the whole situation.

Over the last few months, it's been harder and harder for me to ignore the hole in my life. It's more than just a conditioning I've had my whole life that now I'm without. I'm not the person I could be or want to be. And really, even though it seems like such a huge mountain to climb, I'm not that far away from where I'd like to be. And I can't keep pretending that my husband and I will one day be able to turn around "when we're ready."

I think only some of you will know what it means to actually admit that. It means I can't keep saying, "When we have kids, I'll go back," or "I'm not REALLY all that different than I used to be."

I knew I was further away from my last spiritual encounter than I thought, but last Sunday really proved it to me. Two weeks ago I decided I'd go. And some of you will know what it means to make a promise to yourself for which you have a week to think about before you act. As Sunday got closer, my resolve weakened, just as it has almost every other time I've determined to go. Everything was a reason not to go. All the hurting and loneliness I felt all those times sitting alone during Sacrament Meeting, or during Sunday School (or worse, sitting with a family who has perfect attendance) came back to me and reminded me why I don't go. The night before church was New Year's Eve, and I was up really late. The services started at 9:00 AM. I literally had to dust my scriptures before picking them up. And I really hate my church clothes.

I've gotten to this point several times over the last few years. I've even gone and survived a week or two in a row. But this time... I feel something different. I really feel that it won't be so hard to give up 3 hours every Sunday. I know there's more to it than that--there's the praying and the scriptures, and the tithing, the callings (Oh, gosh, the callings), the visiting teaching, and the being known only as the lady who plays the piano and sits alone. And let's face it, I really don't want to think about the possibility of giving up things like Dexter and super gory zombie movies.

I'm not worrying about those things right now though. I went to church last Sunday. And being the first of the new year, there was a lot of talk about goals, and what we'll be learning this year. We had the standard talk about The Book of Mormon being the keystone of our testimonies, and we read the Intro to the Book of Mormon. There were super annoying people in my class who wouldn't shut up about their off-topic tangents and cliche answers, and there were smelly-old-person-breath people and crying babies. And I almost WISHED that I wouldn't feel the spirit so I wouldn't have to be there. But my heart was open, and in contrast to the "remembered" feeling of church (that it's elitist, and driven by guilt, and not as potent as we think), I actually FELT church. I was reminded that the gospel is offered as hope, not as an exclusive club. And the root of that hope is Christ and The Book of Mormon. It doesn't matter what else I've forgotten, what else I'm confused about, or about what else I need reminding. I felt that hope again last week, and I can't deny it.

I've never led a life TOO far from what it should be, but it's been far enough that I've lacked daily and weekly reminders from the spirit that what I'm doing is right. I might have felt the spirit strongly on a monthly basis for various reasons--family get-togethers, conference, random bouts of praying or reading the Ensign, or joining in other family's prayers. But it just isn't the same as feeling it every week, and being reminded of my testimony on a daily basis.

I'm determined to make attending my weekly meetings a priority. I know I can't handle tackling all my faults at once, so I'm not going to stress out about everything at once. I need to get my mind and body in the routine of being there again. And I'm determined to not let my guilt and faults, or my responsibility to be an example to my spouse, consume my hope. I'm not ashamed of who I am. It's not about what I lack, it's about what I'm capable of.

I completely realize that to some people who read this, it's going to sound the same as all the other testimonies out there. I know exactly what you're thinking. But maybe my sharing this can give someone the courage to try again too. Courage... That's the word that stuck out to me during the sacrament hymn, and I've been thinking about it all week. Courage is what I need to ignore the easy route.

And silently we pray for courage to accept thy will, to listen and obey.

I'm thankful that we sing at church. It is the easiest way for me to feel the spirit of written words.

That's all for now, until next week, I suppose. I'm pushing "publish" and I promise I won't unpublish.

Chuck Wendig's Autumn Pasta

I'm about to share with you a pretty amazing pasta. Trevor reads the blog Terrible Minds by Chuck Wendig, and on there he occasionally writes recipes in the most hilarious but completely inappropriate ways. We made his original recipe, which you can find here, a few months ago, and it really did Autumn our effing faces off (as Chuck promised it would). The thing is though, Mr. Wendig likes to swear and talk about male genitalia while cooking a little more than I do (or, really, doing anything at all). So, for your eating enjoyment, I'm translating!

Trevor and I have dubbed this "Autumn Pasta," but just you try not to recite Chuck's real title in your head every time you want to make it. We tried Chuck's buttery rendition the first time, and then added much more cream because we just like our pastas creamier instead of buttery.

Here's what you need:

1/2 white onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt
1 pound ground country sausage
salt and pepper
1-2 portabello caps, diced
1 finely grated carrot
2 jonathan apples, diced (or similarly tart apples)
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 pound spiral pasta, like rotini
1 stick unsalted butter
salt
2 cups half and half
1/8 teaspoon ground sage (or dried equivalent)
2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary
1-2 teaspoons thyme
crumbled walnuts (optional)

NOTE: Chuck's version uses 1/2 stick butter, and 2 tablespoons of cream. That's it. You can try it, but I think it's better this way :)

K. So.

Saute and soften the diced onion in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. The salt helps to draw out the moisture in the onion, so do it! These babies should cook for at least 5 minutes.

While the onions are saute-ing, start chopping all your other stuff like apples, and mushrooms, and grate your carrot. I chop into little bite size pieces, but you could pretty much do any size you want. Grate the carrot super fine. Chuck says it's supposed to look like orange dirt. Yum.

A word on the apples: Make sure to choose something that will stand up to cooking and not totally lose it's firmness. I used Jonathan apples the first time and they were the best.

Add your sausage to the onions and cook away. Add salt and pepper.

 Right about now is when you start boiling a huge pot of water for your pasta. Remember to salt the water so it tastes like sea water, so your noodlies get some flavor too.

Once all your sausage is brown, add all the chopped stuff and carrot to the sausage and combine. 

Add the cider vinegar and get it all cooking for a couple minutes. The apples and mushrooms should start to get a little soft.

Okay, now just take a minute and smell that wonderful goodness you've created... Right here, you have two options: 1. Taste the sausage mixture and be amazed at the wonderful flavors you'e never tasted combined, OR 2. Just wait and taste it all together and be even more surprised and amazed at what is in your mouth :) You decide. 

 Keep an eye on your pasta so it doesn't over cook. It's okay to make it al dente so it can soak up some of the mind-blowing sauce you're about to make.

Belt the butter in a pan. Let it cook for like 5 minutes on medium until it gets browned and nutty. Don't burn it though.

Add your cream and spices. This is where my version differs from Chuck Wendig's. He says to add 2 tablespoons of some sort of cream, like sour cream, creme fraiche, or whatever. I say, add 2 CUPS of half-and-half (or any kind of cream, just as Chuck suggests). Chuck's version is buttery and delicious but makes not so delicious leftovers, and leaves a film in your mouth. My version is creamy and warm, and, let's just say it, perfect. 

Drain noodles, combine with sauce once it's been thickening for a few minutes.

Mmm. If you're brave, add a crap ton of herbs. Go wild. It tastes best with strong rosemary and sage flavors. My recipe says 2 teaspoons of rosemary and 2 teaspoons of thyme, but you could go a full tablespoon if you want. Just use the amount you like. Also, you can pretty much use whatever spices you want. I think rosemary and sage taste like fall though.

Get some noodles in a bowl, top with the sausage mix, and possibly walnuts, and prepare yourself for the awesomest autumn pasta ever.

EAT while watching TV and drink milk. Well, really, you can eat it wherever you want and drink whatever beverage you prefer; you'll love it just the same :) 

Holidays and Family 2011

So, these two photos are pretty much the extent of my 2011 holiday photos, haha :) I've been ignoring photographs for a while. Not really on purpose; I've just been too busy.

For Thanksgiving, I made that brined roasted turkey, and it turned out pretty great. I used someone else's oven, and it ended up taking a lot longer than last year. But it was still tasty. It made a pretty awesome turkey pot pie too. We had a late dinner with Trevor's family that day.

My family all came over for a get-together last night. We weren't able to be together on Thanksgiving, and won't all be in town for Christmas, so this was basically just a Holiday thing :) Sometimes I seriously consider getting rid of my giant dining room table for something smaller for just the two of us. Then occasionally I have 15 people over for dinner and I fall in love with it again! I made spaghetti sauce and let it simmer in a crock pot for like, 10 hours. It was pretty delicious, and I have leftovers I'm about to go eat for lunch later. YUM. 

Planning family get-togethers is seriously so stressful, but once everyone is actually there, I don't regret it. My grandma, mom, uncle, and my little brother came to Utah for a doctor visit, and my brother, his wife, and my niece came up from Cedar for something else. It was practically a miracle. There were still a couple people missing, but for the most part, it was practically the biggest reunion we've had all year. 

After dinner, Trevor and I went downtown to check out the lights with my brother and sister-in-law, and of course, my niece. Every time I see her, she is so much bigger and smarter, and cuter. Her hair has grown out, and it's all curly :) AND she remembered by name! I thought for sure she would be too shy or not remember my name very well since we only see them like 2 or 3 times a year. After a couple hours though, she started talking to me about the fish in our tank. We had a late night snack at Village Inn after. I got a waffle. That's kind of amazing. I never get waffles. But there's nothing like breakfast food at 11:00 at night. 

Here's us, being awesome. 

Here's Bella, scoping out the floaty lights.

She's definitely on her parents' sleep schedule. She was still ready to go at midnight :) 

Everyone might still be in town for a few days, so hopefully we get to see them all. I'll try to be more diligent about getting pictures. The new iPhone update makes it so easy since now you can just click the home button twice and use the volume button for the shutter.

Olives

If you've never tried real olives, you totally should. Over the weekend I tried a bunch of different kinds at the Whole Foods olive bar, and they were fantastic! I've always been a fan of plain old regular black canned olives. Like, incredibly so. But every time I've tried jarred green olives with pimento or greek olives in salad, I've been unimpressed. So I thought I just didn't like "real olives" and never bothered to try anything else.

But on Friday I did, and my olive world exploded! I asked the olive and cheese expert at Whole Foods to help me find a few REGULAR olives from their buffet of like 20 different varieties. I didn't want to try any crazy weird things. She directed me to several mild kinds which have changed my life. I was encouraged to sample by using tongs and a cup; I sampled the crap out of them. They tasted like your regular olive, only times that by a thousand.

The first thing I'm going to do with my new-found knowledge is add some sort of fancy olive mix to my usual cheese and crackers in December. (Oh my! It's December NOW :) Guess I get to go get some.) Every year I love to have all sorts of cheeses, assorted meats, and crackers for Christmas, and olives are TOTALLY joining the party.

To my knowledge, Harmon's and Smith's Marketplace also have olive bars. I smell a new habit forming.

Moral of the story. If you've never tried REAL olives, please do. Oh my gosh! I want some right now!

Heartburn is the bane of my existence.

Alton Brown's Roast Turkey

I'm obsessed with food. We all know it. I love to cook it, and I love to eat it. That's pretty much why all my posts have nothing to do with my day-to-day life, or how Trevor and I are doing with school and work, and whatnot. And it's basically why I'd rather make meatloaf than go to the gym. It's because I really just care about what I'm having for dinner tonight. You should be glad though, because I share some of my favorite recipes with you! And your kitchens are happier for it, I hope :)

That being said, this is a two way street, you know. I like it when people share their recipes with me too! So, please do. Tell me what you like or hate about the recipes I post, or send me better ones, or post them on your blogs. I love me some new recipes.

In honor of Thanksgiving next week, I want to share my new favorite turkey recipe. We tried it last year, and it was seriously the best turkey I've ever had in my life. I'm not kidding. At all. My grandma makes a mean turkey, with basting, and slow cooking, and moist goodness, but Alton Brown's Roast Turkey kicks my grandma's turkey's trash (sorry Grandma). Everyone at our Thanksgiving dinner last year loved this turkey. PLUS, it is incredibly fun to make!

I'm in charge of turkey again this year, and as I'm heading out to the store tomorrow to begin preparations, I thought I'd give you a heads up so you could have time to make it too!

You can check out Alton's recipe on foodnetwork, and watch his videos for tips and stuff, but I'll explain everything here too, plus a bunch of stuff you might miss if you haven't watched the episode of Good Eats. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

This recipe starts 3 days before Thanksgiving, by thawing your bird in the fridge. So I'll be starting on Monday.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock (8 16oz cans)
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water
• 1 clean 5-gallon bucket

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Brine, you say? What the what? Don't worry, your turkey won't taste anything like the Great Salt Lake. A brine is actually a salt/sugar solution that you  use to soak your meat in like a marinade. Brining is basically like osmosis--after a few hours sitting in the salt water, your turkey will begin to absorb the water, taking in all the flavor of the brine with it. The flavors in the water begin to flow between the water and the turkey. Thus, your turkey meat actually begins to taste like your brine. So make it good!

Here's what you do:

1. MONDAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING: Start thawing your bird in the fridge. I'm doing a 14-16 pound bird, and 3 days should do it. Even if it's still a little frozen on the big day, it's okay. (When you're picking your bird, allow at least 1 pound of turkey per person. All your turkey will get eaten. Do 1.5 or 2 pounds per person for leftovers. Consider two birds instead of one giant bird if you're worried about size.)
2. WEDNESDAY DAY:  Make your brine. Combine all your brine ingredients into a big pot, except the ice. Alton's recipe calls for candied ginger, but I didn't use it last year because I couldn't find it. You can use whatever ingredients you have. It's important to use kosher salt, as the measurements are made with kosher salt in mind. If you don't have it, you can use table salt, but remember to use less. A teaspoon of table salt contains more salt than a teaspoon of kosher salt because the grain is finer on table salt. (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/kosher-vs-table-vs-sea-salts/index.html) Dissolve the solids and bring to a boil. Cool and refrigerate. 
3. WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Begin brining your turkey. Combine the brine and 1 gallon of heavily iced water in your CLEAN food-safe 5-gallon bucket. Add your turkey (innards removed) breast-side down to your brine. Alton says to brine for 8-16 hours. I'd definitely go on the longer side. I start brining right before going to bed Wednesday night, and leave it in until I start the oven. So, more than 16 hours, but what the hey. Leave your sealed bucket somewhere cool, where the water will stay icy throughout the entire brine. I put mine on the porch, and I've heard garages are even better.
4. THURSDAY MORNING: Turn your turkey over in the brine, and continue to brine until you're ready to cook. 
5. THURSDAY DAY: Consider how long your turkey needs to roast. My 14-16 pound bird will take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. For a 16-20 pound bird, add about 30 minutes, and so on. My family is eating at 6:00 PM, so I will preheat my oven at 3:00 PM to allow for resting time. PREHEAT your oven to 500 degrees. Yes, 500. REMOVE your turkey from the brine and rinse it off; pat dry with paper towels. Place your bird onto a cookie sheet topped with a wire rack. Tuck your birdy wings back or truss with string.
6. THURSDAY DAY: T-minus 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Start your aromatics. Microwave your cinnamon stick and cut up apple & onion in a cup or two of water for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, get yourself a square of aluminum foil and fold it into a triangle. Brush a little bit of oil onto one side of the foil, and fit it onto your turkey. You're making a sort of turkey breast shield that you will later use to protect the white breast meat from overcooking. Set your foil shield aside. Stuff your turkey with aromatics--apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and herbs. Coat your turkey with canola oil. 
7. THURSDAY: T-minus 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Roast your turkey at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Use the lowest oven rack level. 
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, cover your turkey with your foil shield, and put it back in. You can use a probe digital thermometer that stays in the turkey, alerting you when it reaches the right temperature-- or you can do what I do. LEAVE THE TURKEY ALONE FOR 2 HOURS or until it reaches 161 degrees. Check the turkey after two hours with your meat thermometer, and put it back in if it's not there yet. Be sure to check the thickest part of the turkey breast, and don't hit any bones with your thermometer. Don't trust the pop up thingy that comes in your turkey. It will over cook your white meat.
9. Your turkey is done when you hit 161 degrees.
10. Remove from the oven and rest, covered, while you do other stuff for 15 minutes or so.
11. CARVE :)

You're going to love this. The pepper/allspice brine adds a sweet/savory hint to the meat, and the aromatics lend their flavor throughout. The skin is crispy, the meat is juicy, and the white and dark meat are both properly cooked. 

You can buy me a Christmas present to say thank you ;)

spiced up spaghetti from a jar. it's so good, you'll die.

If you ever want to have the best friggin spaghetti of your life (maybe), you'll do what I say.

I LOVE spaghetti. I make it every week, and if my husband would let me, I'd make it twice a week (prob'ly).

I also love money. And expensive jars of yummy spaghetti sauce cost lots of money.

In addition, I love free time. So not waiting an hour for my sauce from scratch to simmer down to a thickness that won't leak water onto the bottom of my plate of noodles is important to me.

If you are plagued with these concerns, by all means, read on, dear student.

HERE'S HOW TO MAKE YOUR JAR OF SPAGHETTI SAUCE FRIGGIN TERRIFIC, as I said earlier:

First, make sure you have all these ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef ($3)
olive oil, some
kosher salt
pepper
1 teaspoon (or more) crushed garlic (spend 50 cents, get a freaking garlic bulb)
1/2 regular sized onion (you decide if you want white, yellow, sweet, whatever) (also, $1)
1 or 2 handfuls of bulk mushrooms ($1)
1 jar of generic spaghetti sauce--the cheapo kind ($1.50)
10 or so basil leaves (or dried if you don't have this)
oregano
parsley
red pepper flakes
whatever other spices you might like---try them out! :)
optional zucchini (50 cents)
1 regular sized bag spaghetti noodles (you know, the kind you think will never be enough but it really is) ($1)
1 regular sized can of petite diced tomatoes (75 cents)

So hopefully you already have all those spices, and if you do, you're looking at $8.25 for a giant pot of spaghetti that will feed a whole family, or 2 ravenous people for almost 3 meals.

Okay, you've gathered up all this stuff from your pantry and your fridge and from the store. Get to cookin':

1. Turn on the heat to medium with a big saute pan. Add like a tablespoon of oil after it's hot (add it before it's hot and your kitchen will fill with smoke, so if you like that...)
2. Start your noodle water. A ton of it. 
3. Chop your onion. Go fast so it doesn't burn out your eyeballs. Add it to the oil and get it cookin.
4. Add garlic. You can add more or less depending on how much garlic you like. Seriously though, just try out going all in, I bet you'll like it.
5. Also add in your sliced or chopped mushrooms. And your chopped zucchini if you're game for that.
6. Season with salt and cook for a couple minutes so the onions get soft and your mushrooms aren't dry.
7. Add beef. Yum! Season with salt and pepper (pretty liberally). And brown.
8. Cooky, cooky, waity waity.
9. Your water should be boiling so go ahead with your noodles, and make sure your boiling water tastes like sea water with salt.
10. You may drain your meat if you so desire, but I don't really. Whatever. Unless I go way cheap and buy like 60/40 beef.
11. Add your jar of sauce along with the can of tomatoes. Oh, be sure to watch your heat and stir slowly so it doesn't volcano up onto your hand and burn your fingers off.
12. Add spices and basil leaves! You can cut up the basil or throw them in whole, both are good. Try starting out with a layer of spices that covers the top of the sauce, and stir it up. TASTE IT to see if you want to add more spices of any kind. I go for about a little less than a tablespoon of oregano, a tablespoon of parsley, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and sometimes a sprig of rosemary if I have it fresh and I'm feeling pine-treeish. Lots of people swear by bay leaves, but I hate fishing them out. Besides, we aren't simmering that long anyways.
13. I can't stress this enough--make sure you taste it and adjust all your spices, including salt and pepper. If you want it a little sweeter, add a teaspoon of honey. 
14. Let it simmer while your noodles cook.
15. Drain your noodles, and combine. I love to combine. It's not required, but it reminds me of being a kid again where I never had to mix my own pasta on my plate :)
16. Top generously with parmesan.
17. Eat. And eat a second plate. 
18. Come back to my blog and leave me lots of compliments for resurrecting your spaghetti night.

P.S. Your kids ages 1-15 might hate you for making this with mushrooms. 

P.S.S. Your husbands will love you and kiss you all over for making this. The next day. They'll be too full to leave the table the night of.

P.S.S. You'll love you for making this because you'll have an amazing lunch to bring to work the next day, and all your co-workers will be jealous of the smells coming out of your microwave.

P.S.S.S. I don't pay attention to how many ounces are in cans and jars, and how many grams my noodles weigh. Use your brains. "Regular" means the most common size, the traditional size. Don't Biggie-Size your cans of tomato.

I'm selling my dear friend, Mr. 24" Imac

I'm selling my 2009 24" iMac! $1000.00. 


I recently upgraded to the newest model with some crazy awesome specs for my photography workload. 


It's in perfect condition. We purchased it brand new 2 years ago and have been very happy with it. It has a crystal clear, vibrantly colored screen for gaming and photo editing, as well as every day computer use. We used it most for World of Warcraft, and as the main photo editor for my photography business. It has served me so well! No scratches or blemishes.

Here's some specs:
2.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
4GB RAM, upgradeable to 16 GB
NVIDIA GeForce 9400, 256 MB
Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8

Significantly higher ram and video capability than the 2007 model.

Airport Wireless Internet Adaptor
Bluetooth
Firewire
USB 2.0
Wired Keyboard + Mouse that originally came in the box (barely used)
All the SnowLeopard default programs

Contact Becky at 801-558-7422 or beckygreenphotos@gmail.com; text, call or email.

5 year anniversary

Trevor and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary last weekend!

Here's some stuff we did:

• Trevor went to Cafe Rio with me. This is like, a once in a lifetime experience. He even went in and sat at a table :) PLUS, I'd gotten enough stamps so we got a meal free. For the win.
• We went grocery shopping and took our time; got Waffle Crisp and Chips Ahoy.
• Ate at Quiznos. Possibly got food poisoning though, because I had a hard time eating for the rest of the weekend. 
• Watched a lot of Cheers, and Thor. 
• Had adequate time to prepare for my photography assignment.
• Watched Conference here and there.
• Took 2 days off work.
• Trevor didn't go to school :) Missed some homework assignments :(
• Had a fancy dinner at The Copper Onion downtown--I reviewed it on Yelp.
• Picked up $20 worth of desserts at Gourmandise--also reviewed it on Yelp. 
• Played the "which actor stars in the most movies we own" game (turns out, it's Ian McKellan; who'd a thought)
• Read some Lord of the Rings trivia out loud for like an hour before going to bed.
• Watched Julie & Julia--WITH TREVOR. Holy moly. 
• Subsequently got a craving to make some French cuisine.
• Ate at California Pizza Kitchen. Also on Yelp.
• Did a lot of brainstorming with Trevor on his new book.
• Made a pumpkin cheesecake.
• Started an oven fire. But we didn't die. 
• Made a pumpkin pie with homemade whipped cream. 
• Read some books.

Pretty good weekend. We love going out to eat and trying new places, so we were happy to just hang out at home mostly. 

Can't believe it's been a whole 5 years, but at the same time, I can't believe 5 years has gone by so fast. I love Trevor, he loves me :)

Julia Child's Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream

http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2009/08/chicken-breasts-with-mushrooms-cream.html

Last night I tried making Julia Child's Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream. Mostly because we just watched Julie & Julia a couple days ago, and I've been hungry ever since ;)

some other girl's photo from sugar and spice

I've ALWAYS wanted her cookbook, but have never properly prioritized so I can afford the 10 pound bible of a book when I go to the book store. But I found a copy of this recipe online, see link above.

You can find the full recipe straight from her book below, but here's how I did it.

Take 2 pounds of chicken breasts (2 full size breasts) and cut them all up into really flat pieces. I like to do this so they don't take 45 minutes to bake. Sprinkle with lemon juice--I used the bottled kind and just put a little in my hand to sprinkle on each side of the breasts. Seasoned with salt and pepper. Go easy on the salt because the sauce reduces and is SUPER flavorful already.

Melted 5 tablespoons of butter in a large cast-iron frying pan until it was frothy, like Julia says. Use all 5 tablespoons, since this is making the base for your sauce. Just go for it; it'll be delicious. To this I added about half of a white onion chopped fine, and half a carton of white mushrooms sliced, and a bit of seasoning, and let that saute for a couple minutes. Julia says to saute but not brown. Good idea.

Place the chicken breasts in the pan and turn them over a bit so they're all covered in the butter. Then cover with a piece of buttered wax paper and put in your oven at 400 degrees. Julia's recipe says for 6 minutes--she must have had uber thin breasts, or a really hot oven, because my breasts took about 15 minutes even cut thinly. Just bake until your chicken's done. The one thing I think I would prefer to be different about this recipe is that the chicken isn't seared or browned at all. I think I may try it one time where my chicken gets seared in the mushroom butter pan before I bake it all the way. I'm not exactly sure what the wax paper does... but I did it. Maybe if I didn't use it at all and didn't cover the chicken they'd get a little brown in the oven?

While it's baking, you get your other fixin's ready. I had asparagus handy, and a box of stuffing :) Who can ask for a better meal?

When your chicken's done, remove it from the pan and keep it warm. Return your pan to the stove on high, where you add the stock and wine. I used regular old chicken broth (hence, lenient salting) and Pompeien white cooking wine. You let that simmer on high for like 5 minutes while the alcohol cooks out and it reduces . If you're a stickler about even cooking with alcohol, which, sometimes I am, I just replace the wine or whatever with more broth or something else. More broth in this case would probably be fine, or a water broth mixture.

Add your cream, and boil again, reducing and stirring until it's thickened. Add more lemon juice and salt/pepper to your taste, add the chicken back in, top with parsley (I used about a tablespoon of dried), and serve!

Chicken was tender and juicy, sauce was jam packed with flavor, mushrooms were delicious! And it really only took like 30 minutes. Served more like 2-3 since we loved it so much :)

Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons

(Chicken Breasts with Mushroom and Cream)

Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Knopf, 1961)

Ingredients:

4 supremes (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Big pinch white pepper

5 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced shallot or green onion

1/4 pound diced or sliced fresh mushrooms

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

1/4 cup white or brown stock or canned beef bouillon

1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth

1 cup whipping cream

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub the chicken breasts with drops of lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a heavy, oven-proof casserole, about 10 inches in diameter until it is foaming. Stir in the minced shallots or green onion and saute a moment without browning. Then stir in the mushrooms and saute lightly for a minute or two without browning. Sprinkle with salt.

Quickly roll the chicken in the butter mixture and lay a piece of buttered wax paper over them, cover casserole and place in hot oven. After 6 minutes, press top of chicken with your finger. If still soft, return to oven for a moment or two. When the meat is springy to the touch it is done. (Please Note: Although Julia suggests to check the chicken after only 6 minutes, I (as well as several of my readers!) feel that this amount of time is inadequate to thoroughly cook the chicken. I cooked it for closer to 30-40 minutes. Please use a meat thermometer to ensure the correct temperature before serving!)

Remove the chicken to a warm platter (leave mushrooms in the pot) and cover while making the sauce (2 to 3 minutes).

To make sauce, pour the stock and wine in the casserole with the cooking butter and mushrooms. Boil down quickly over high heat until liquid is syrupy. Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until cream has thickened slightly. Off heat, taste for seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Serves 4.