I've got some lovely ladies in my (internet) life - Blog Awards

I feel lame and ungrateful that I've not acknowledged the blog awards I've received over the last month or so. Though my following is small, I have wonderful followers who I equally enjoy reading. I feel like I've met some of the nicest, sincere people through the channels of the interwebs.

So today I'm going to acknowledge, thank and promote those I've received in hopes that I can send them new readership. They're great! Promise!

The Stiletto Award

This was given to me by the lovely Care over at The Exposed Mom. She's beautiful, sweet and entertaining. She's a wonderful read. I've missed her in her seeming absence over the last week.

1. Display your Stiletto Badge of Honor, wear it with pride!

2. BRAG ABOUT IT! - Write a post about your award. Include the link to this page so everyone will understand what it’s all about! The Stiletto Award

3. SAY THANKS! - Include a link to the friend who nominated you for the award.

4. SHARE THE LOVE! - Nominate 5-10 blogs that you feel deserve the award. Include links to them in your post -and- leave them a comment to let them know they are nominated.

5. DO WHAT YOU DO! - Keep at it. Keep inspiring and encouraging and sharing your life! We love it and we thank you!

My nominations include:

Momma Confessions

How Sweet It Is

Fetching Fashions

Superficial Obsession

High Heels & Aprons

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The Beautiful Blogger Award

This is my second Beautiful Blogger Award. Thank you so much to Ashley over at The Thing About Daisies. I can't tell you how fabulous this girl is. First of all, she has incredible style and a vintage collection that will make you drool. Second, she's absolutely to die for sweet. And third, totally talented in more ways than one. I think if we lived close, we might be best friends (stalkerish Ashley? maybe).

The rules for this one is:

1. List 7 random things about yourself.

2. Give this award to 7 people.

3. Let them know!

I ran 4.75 miles today and I'm dog tired. I've got a new "trainer" and she worked me hard today.

I hardly ever crave fast food. Ever. I'm more likely to crave cupcakes.

Right now I'm craving oatmeal. With a little brown sugar & almond milk. Yum.

I have a tiny chihuahua sleeping on my chest & a yorkie sleeping on my legs. These two tiny dogs put off an immense amount of heat. That's why they make awesome heaters under the covers!

I learned how to play backgammon this week. I love it. It makes me feel like I'm living in the 1940's.

I picked up my supplies to get the chalk board for my dining room all done up. Now to actually do it.

I still haven't finished my spa bench. Awesome, right? It's still waiting for a coat or two of poly.

My nominations include:

the Fick Family Blog

Dear Baby

Posh Pieces

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The Gorgeous Blogger Award

I received this award from Francis over at the Fick Family Blog. She's a beautiful mother to two beautiful children. Her son is one handsome little thing, while her daughter steals my heart. She's sweet and you can tell how much she loves her family. She's always positive and always has happy, encouraging things to say when she visits me.

Here are the rules:

Accept and thank the person who gave it to you!

List 10 things about yourself

List 5 additional things you DON'T like

Then pick ten people to give this lovely award to!

This might be easier if I was actually being asked questions. I have a hard time thinking of so many interesting things about myself.

1. I'm the oldest child in my family.

2. I have one sister & one brother.

3. I believe I'm still the tallest of my siblings at a whole 5'3".

4. I think my natural hair color is dark blonde.

5. I've colored my hair since the age of 11 (Sun-In the summer after 5th grade).

6. I was a cat person until I suddenly became allergic at the age of 17.

7. My last remaining cat still lives with my mom. She turns 9 years old next month.

8. My mom is only 16 years older than me. I could never imagine being a mother so young, not even right now at 26. But she was the most down to earth, level headed mother you could ever meet.

9. I absolutely love Top Ramen, even though the sodium content is through the roof!

10. I'm the worst softball player you'll ever meet, but I love playing.

1. I don't like people who don't use their blinkers.

2. I don't like people who can't seem to pull over for emergency vehicles. It's just as important to move over for a police officer as it is an ambulance or fire truck. Thanks.

3. I don't like Humane Society or ASPCA commercials, I choke up regardless of what's happening or where I am. It also hurts my heart when I have to take calls at work about deer hit by cars.

4. I hate animal cruelty period. Animals are innocent & in most cases helpless. It's our job to help protect them.

5. I don't like trimming the chihuahua's nails. I always think I'm going to hurt her.

My nominations include:

The Exposed Mom

The Thing About Daisies

Blonde Ambition

The Hutton House

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If you stuck it out through this long wordy post, thank you! For those of you who have nominated me for awards, thank you! I love the blogging community no matter how big or small it may be for some of us. I enjoy daily smiles and inspiration from you all.

15. & 16. Pulled Pork Tacos with Handmade Tortillas

The marriage between my life as I've known it & tacos has changed. Forever.

The most recent issue of Food & Wine Magazine featured tacos.

Mexican food happens to be my absolute favorite cuisine. I grew up in a small town known for it's farm land. As I got older the migrant population grew and they began opening restaurants serving their authentic Mexican food. Some of my absolute favorite Mexican restaurants are right in my hometown.

As my love for cooking has grown, so has my interst in making meals that are more authentic. We had chosen to make a Mexican feast for company this weekend that included pulled pork and handmade tortillas.

Simple toppings included tomato, cilantro, avocado & lime. I think these would have been just as good topped with diced onion, cilantro & lime.

The pork shoulder was smoked on the barbecue for about 12 hours. It was bathed in a delicious spicy rub and basted throughout the smoke period. A small pan of apple juice was placed inside the barbecue to keep the it moist. When it was finished, it was pulled off and wrapped in foil to rest.

What's Mexican food without good beer? Two peas in a pod here.

The tortillas were so simple to make. The taste couldn't compare to a store bought package. They weren't perfectly round, but I don't have a tortilla press. I didn't know those existed, but my rolling pin worked and I like the rustic look.

Handmade Tortillas

1 cup Maseca corn flour

1/8 tsp. salt

2/3 cup water

Combine 1 cup of Maseca, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2/3 cup water. Mix thoroughly for about 2 minutes to form a soft dough. If dough feels dry, add more water (1 tbsp. at a time).

Divide dough into 8 equal balls. Cover with a damp cloth to keep dough moist. Line a tortilla press with two sheets of thick plastic wrap (I rolled out my dough with a rolling pin between two pieces of plastic wrap on the counter), and press until each tortilla measures 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Carefully peel off the plastic wrap.

Preheat an ungreased griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Cook tortillas one at a time for 50 seconds on each side. Cover tortillas with towel to keep soft and warm.

Makes 8 tortillas

Pulled Pork

(via The Pioneer Woman)

4-7lb pork shoulder

4 pound (up To 7 Pounds) Pork Shoulder

1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Salt

Pepper To Taste

3 cloves (to 4 Cloves) Garlic

1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) White Wine Vinegar

¼ cups Brown Sugar

1 whole Onion

Preparation Instructions

Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder.

To begin, just throw the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and brown sugar into a food processor or blender. (I happen to love brown sugar in my cooking, but you can decrease or omit it if you like.) Cut one onion into quarters and put it in the food processor with the spices. Blend mixture until totally combined and then pour it over the pork shoulder.

Now rub it into every nook and cranny of the meat, tucking it under folds an in crevices. Let no stone go unturned.

Cooking Instructions

(via Barbecue Web - 'cause that's more manly, you know)

The cooking instructions are a video so I'll try to sum it up the best I can based on what my husband explained to me.

After prepping the pork shoulder with the rub, it was placed on the barbecue to smoke. A small pan of apple juice was placed inside to keep the smoke moist. He didn't use the entire amount of the rub the first time around, and basted the shoulder every 4 hours throughout the 12 hour cook time.

After 12 hours the shoulder was removed and wrapped in tin foil to rest for 45 minutes. The foil was removed and the shoulder was easily shredded.

There's the oven version by PW, the smoked version by Barbecue Web & I'll add the link for a crockpot version by Kitchenbelle in case you're interested. You've got a variety of options here for this pork! Try it, you'll love it!

The other love of my life.

This post contains the following three things; my mom, sister & the other love of my life. Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman. I'm still excited today, after the fact.

Yesterday was the Pioneer Woman cookbook signing in Seattle and there wasn't a chance I was going to miss it. I've loved Ree for over two years, from the moment I laid eyes on her blog. At that point, I didn't even know what a blog was. I was introduced to her enchilada recipe, and then realized she posted recipes on this thing on a regular basis. Slowly I ventured out to other areas of her site and fell more in love with her. She's funny, happy and personable online, and boy did she shine through in person!

It was also my mom's birthday. You know your mom loves you when she does what you want to do on her birthday. I drove thirty minutes to pick up my sister, then the last 30 minutes to grab my mom then we made the hour trip south to Seattle.

The book signing was held at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. What an awesome book store! It was huge, with a really great selection. It also had a commons area with a small food court of 5 different restaurants, a stage and plenty of seating.

We dined on Mexican food from El Oso.

We shared cake from the Honey Bear Bakery.

Happy Birthday Mom! I had so much fun spending the day with you!

We arrived at the book store around 4:30 to pick up our line tickets for the 5:00 signing. They had signing groups lettered A-Z that contained 50 people per letter group. We were H. They said they normally got through about 4 letters an hour with typical authors, but with the chatting and pictures Ree likes to take it would take just a tad longer than that. I didn't mind at all!

Around 7:00 a swing band set up on the stage in the commons. They started playing some great swing & jazz music and there were people dancing everywhere. From sweet older couples, to a swing club of younger kids, to obviously trained dancers. It was so fun to watch. The best part was when my mom was asked to dance. She blushed bright red and admitted she doesn't dance at all. He just wanted to make sure she didn't go the whole night without being asked. It was so sweet!

By 7:00 I had been up for over 24 hours with just a small nap, so I grabbed a heavenly soy cappuccino from the Honey Bear Bakery. It was so delightfully foamy. It was my first chance to be exicted and star struck when out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Ree's oldest daughter walking by to pick up something at the cafe. She was so cute! Really tall but oh so cute.

I'm so glad my sister decided to come with us. It was a great girls day and just wouldn't have been as fun without her.

By about 9:00 our letter was called to line up!

After about a 45 minute wait in line it was almost our turn. I became very excited and then very nervous. I was shaky and I thought I might sweat to death. We moved one more person up in line and there she was. I could see her head over the book case. She was all smiles. I couldn't believe I was seeing her in person!

My mom sent me up on my own to get in a minute to chat with her. I was so nervous! I sound like a total goober don't I? I didn't even know what to say! My mom decided I wasn't doing a good enough job so she came up to help me out. Ree was just so sweet. She's kind, gracious and just has the sweetest spirit. She seemed as though she truly loved talking with every single person that came through her line.

She called us the Breck Girls. My mom knew exactly what she was talking about. My sister and I on the other had did not. But the two of them got a good laugh out of it. Aparently the Breck Girls were models for shampoo they remember back from the 70's & 80's. My mom told me their ads always featured a blonde, brunette and red head. I guess the three of us cover that!

Checking the book store's twitter feed today, they had over 800 in attendace at the book signing last night! I never imagined it was that many people, but they really housed everyone well. I'd never been to a book signing before and I've never met anyone of the celebrity genre. It was definitely a fun experience!

The Pioneer Woman is great and I'll continue to love her for as long as she blogs. If you haven't checked out her cookbook, please do! I gifted one to my mom and sister just for the signing and they were so excited. Lots of fun recipes and step by step pictures. Perfect for the first time cook or anyone who just loves classic homemade recipes.

And last but not least, another thing to mark off the bucket list. Meet someone from the internet. Check!

Hungry, even when I'm not.

Since I began blogging in December, I haven't kept up on the majority of my favorite blogs like I used to. I have them all neatly organized in my favorites folder and had been visiting each one daily for updates. I consider this both good and bad. You see, the majority of my favorite blogs are all food. Cooking & food, cooking & food. Oh my.

I enjoy reading recipes and decided I'd get myself caught up on what I've been missing. I even went through my recipe folder to take a look at individual recipes I've saved for a later time, but might not have made yet.

Here are my picks for a few totally crave worthy recipes. They have me hungry, even when I'm not.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

by Love & Olive Oil

{image credit: Love & Olive Oil}

Whole Wheat Chocolate Peanut Butter Pancakes

by How Sweet It Is

{image credit: How Sweet It Is}

Tortilla Soup with Pinto Beans

by FatFree Vegan Kitchen

{image credit: FatFree Vegan Kitchen}

Turkey Chili

by Elana's Pantry

{image credit: Elana's Pantry}

Bacon Stuff Avocado

by How Sweet It Is

{image credit: How Sweet It Is}

Banana-Maple Oatmeal Cookies

by FatFree Vegan Kitchen

{image credit: FatFree Vegan Kitchen}

These are on my list and I plan to make them very soon. Especially those cookies! I'm always in the mood for a cookies. And most fall in line with eating healthy, that's always a winning combo. If you try any of these, please let me know how they've turned out! In the mean time, check out these lovely food blogs.

It's about balance.

I was craving chicken and veggies. That's it. We went grocery shopping yesterday for the first time in a few weeks. We never go this long, but we had gotten to the point where we were just making do with what we had in the house. I made a soup out of beef broth, pancetta and black beans. Tell me that doesn't sound weird (tasty, but weird).

For work lunches I was hitting the store on my break for a few Amy's Organic meals and fruit. I'm not a huge veggie lover, but I was really craving them today. It's just been too long and I was starting to feel the physical effects of not eating balanced meals. I know it seems odd with all of my crazy, absolutely unhealthy recipes I post on here, but I don't eat like that on a daily basis. They're just fun recipes to learn. We have a major cheat day once a week. In all honesty, my husband and I eat very differently on a daily basis.

While he made himself hot wings on the bbq, I made myself chicken, pasta and asparagus. It was exactly what I'd been craving and it was so easy. I had my dinner finished in 15 minutes.

I started with half a diced onion and a couple cloves of diced garlic. I let those brown in olive oil while I trimmed my chicken breasts. Seasoned them with fresh ground salt, pepper and an italian seasoning blend. I pushed the onions aside and added the chicken.

In a separate pot I had water boiling and added a single serving of dry whole wheat rotini pasta. After 8 minutes I flipped the chicken and scooped the onions over the top. I added my rinsed and trimmed asparagus to the pan and covered. After an additional 8 minutes my pasta was finished and drained.

I moved the chicken and asparagus to the pot of noodles and added a 1/4 cup combination of olive oil and water to the onions to deglaze the pan. It cooked down to a nice sauce and I added the chicken and pasta back and tossed to coat. And dinner was finished!

Enough to serve two. Or in my case, leftovers for a work lunch. I didn't feel a tad guilty totally enjoying this meal. I think we forget sometimes how easy it is to eat well. I know I forget a lot. I even enjoyed it with a tasty oak aged ale. Where would I be without beer?

Whidbey Island 5k Run

On Saturday I ran my first 5k race. And I'll tell you something, I loved it!

I didn't make the time I was hoping for, but I wasn't far off. I really think this is my race. I'm looking forward to more in the future and I really want to improve my pace and time. I've gotten back to that place again where I'm running because it's fun! Everything else, like health & fitness are a great added bonus.

I'm lucky enough to have a friend who is really supportive of my running. She is a fellow runner herself and the course went right by her house on Saturday. She was running the half marathon the next day, so she came down with her family to cheer me on. She took a few pictures of my run as I was heading to the finish line.

Heading down the last hill, less than a mile away from the finish.

All smiles. Check me out messing with my iPhone. I hit the half way mark on the course and my Pandora radio went out. Aparently I hit a dead spot for reception. Lucky me since I only have two whole songs loaded on to my phone at this point. One just happened to be 'Eye of the Tiger'. Don't ask why I love it, I just do. I was trying to get the song started up for my final stretch.

And away I went. Straight above my head and across the bay was the finish line. This was the most exciting part of the whole race. I could see farther than I had to run.

She was even sweet enough to take a picture of my time for me at the expo after the race. I went home and went to bed for work. As a disclaimer, I blurred out names to protect the innocent.

I finished with a time of 34:22. I placed 3rd for age, 30th for gender and 49th/150 overall. I felt really good about where I placed. I'm a week and a half away from the race with my mom and we're so excited! Today I firmed up the plans for a 5k race with my dad on Fathers Day. We're going to be a running family here soon!

Let me introduce you...

... to this girl:

This is my sister, Erica. She's cute, sweet, charasmatic and of course, a little pistol just like me. Good days and bad days, I love her. She's my sister of course. But right now, I'm sending all the love I have and more her way. She's lost her job and it's just not a good time for that, you know? I feel for her. It breaks my heart that my baby sister, who supports herself is now unsure of where life is going to take her.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I hope something wonderful comes her way soon. I hate to see such a happy person struggle with being down on her luck right now. I'd appreciate it more than you know.