Oh, vacations. I love you so good.

Our Mexican getaway was marvelous, long road trip and all. It really couldn't have been any better. The weather was a wonderful mid-high 70's with the exception of our last day at sea which has a few drizzles (which, to be honest, was quite welcomed by me. I really started to miss the grey cloud cover I've become so accustomed too). We were constantly snacking on delicious treats over card games and conversations, we read by the pool, people watched, took naps on a whim, and laughed until our cheeks hurt. It was fun to have an excuse to dress sharp and we spoke with some really interesting people. My favorite being the Ukrainian linguist who spoke with Ben while I was able to listen in transfixed by such a beautiful language.


Exploring Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada was great fun, especially the tiny hole in the wall recommended by a local who had ceviche that dreams are made of.  We decided 8 days on a cruise ship wasn't enough fun, so we prolonged our vacation a couple days and let our inner children run wild at Disneyland. We had entirely too much fun and definitely burned off most of our  gluttonous cruise calories hitting as many rides as possible.

I've been playing a lot with animated gifs from sequence shots, and ended up with almost 12 gigs of photos. Needless to say I have quite a few files to sift through. More will most likely be on their way, but until then, here are a few to help me be less of a procrastinator.

Turkeyween

I have so many things to say about this exciting thing called life. Being on a computer for a living has definitely changed my willingness to spend time at a keyboard during my personal time.

Lately work has been crazy bananas, as all of my clients for the last six weeks have been the most irrational and rude group of people I may have ever encountered (as it turns out, most people in the motorcycle world in Wisconsin are not very kind). My fellow project managers and I hit record numbers for the month of November, (which as a business lady I now know is a term that can be thrown around as a generalization to mean "great success") and for the first time in a couple months I feel caught up. I've had almost an entire week completely void of waking up in the middle of the night in a panic trying to remember if I'd requested a domain, or submitted this or that form.

But you have to work hard to play hard, and I feel like I've put in my time to almost be deserving of my lavish birthday gift from my wonderful, handsome, gentleman friend. Ben and I have a joint google calendar to keep track of our busy schedules. On my birthday I discovered an event Ben and entered spanning ten days within December reading Happy Birthday! Depart LA, Port in Cabo. The sneaky son of a gun had spoiled me big time with a cruise! It was quite the surprise, and to say I feel lucky would be a huge understatement. We've been counting down the days and with less than a week remaining until we leave, we're both getting antsy. I can't wait to have my best friend all to myself as we lounge about as a gent and lady of leisure. 

In preparation of our adventure I've put myself on the strict budget and my very first weight loss fitness plan. I have never attempted any sort of diet, or even tried to lose weight, only to actively try to be healthier. To be completely honest, I'm concerned very little with how I look in a swimsuit; I work hard for my tummy! Consuming lavish pastries and delicious biscuits and gravy takes work, my friends. My intent to get in better shape is only to allow myself the ability to be completely gluttonous and avoid the guilt of the many pounds I have every intention of putting on. I am the first to admit self-control is not one of my stronger points (which is precisely why I'm taking preventative measures prior to the trip), but I must admit the sense of accomplishment that comes with reaching a weight loss goal is a great feeling.  Plus, I had to have a reason to rationalize splurging on this adorable swimsuit:

 We've been looking high and low for a suit similar to this for Ben but alas, we've had no luck. (One day... one day....)

 Holidays!

Halloween was great fun, and Thanksgiving was spent with good food and even better friends.

Halloween is always a riot, because my hoodlum pals are serious about their costuming. Everyone always looks amazing, but the best Halloween costume of the year has to go to my friend Kurtis, who was (perfectly) dressed as the berries and cream boy from this starburst commercial:

Ben and Ryan as Arrested Development's  Teamocil and Post-Hair Graft, Tobias Funke.

Ryan had even diligently searched and eventully tracked down a wheelchair for full authenticity.

 

And I went as (a slightly schizophrenic looking) Bob Ross.

 This year for Thanksgiving we joined forces with our friends Eli and Jen who hosted the great event. Eli is a graduate of culinary school and a sous pastry chef at Le Pigeon, a prestigious French restaurant in town. Needless to say, his skills resulted in phenomenal turkey day spread. Nothing beats Mom's Thanksgiving, but this definitely made it to a very close second.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the holiday season, but am eagerly anticipating the chance to welcome a new baby nephew into the world. Lindsey and Jake's second is shortly on his way, and I'm so excited for them both. (Love you guys!)

Nyan Cat Cake

I have a coworker who is bananas about this silly viral video of Nyan Cat:



A few months ago we somehow got to talking about turning internet memes into food (you know, normal water-cooler chit chat), and how awesome a rainbow nyan cat cake would be. I said I was up for the challenge. However, not being able to bare the heat of my house in the summer months I was baking very little, so I've put it off until now.  With the return of the wonderfully cold grey days have returned, so have my baking mitts.

I gave working with fondant (well, homemade fondant, which is really marshmallows and powdered sugar) a try. I had planned to cover the entire cake in the blue fondant and have a white cat... but as it turns out working with something made out of sugar and more sugar is, well, sticky. And difficult. Very difficult. I settled for a blue cat, and for my first attempt, I'm pleased with my colorful little cat cake. And if I may so myself, it was pretty delicious to boot.

 I

Friends! Family! // Friends?... Family?...

Remember me? I'm the girl that was eaten by her small, gray, cubicle months ago, never to be seen or heard from again. Well I'm back to blogger land, and if I may say so myself, it feels pretty good.

It has been quite the eventful past few months! Ben and I finished our summer with three weeks of visitors, including a great time with my parents, and his mother. There have been camping trips, projects completed (and a few awaiting their completion), books have been read, school has begun, job promotions, culinary adventures, and work. Lots and lots of work.

family snuggle party

There's loads I could write about that's happened in the last few months, but I'll skip straight away to the most important of events, which of course has to do with food. In this case, Bacon Jam.

That's right, you heard me read correctly. Bacon Jam.

A friend send me a link to a recipe which I tweaked and now wonder how I've lived so long without experiencing the joy that is minced bacon spread. Think of it as Bacon Pâté, and it suddenly seems like a delicacy. And I assure you, a delicacy it is!

It's actually a really simple process. 

Cook up some bacon (I used 1.5 lbs).

Crumble, and set aside.

Saute a chopped onion and a few cloves of garlic in a tablespoon or so of bacon grease.

Add in 1/3 c of cider vinegar, brown sugar, and coffee (you can buy single serve instant coffee which works great in instances such as this).

A few Tablespoons of maple syrup (I used a praline maple syrup)

A few twists of fresh ground black pepper

a few drops of liquid smoke (this is a new addition to my spice rack, and I love it. Everyone should have liquid smoke in their kitchen.)

Simmer until it comes to a boil. Boil two minutes, reduce heat, and add bacon.

 Simmer 5-10 minutes until liquid evaporates down to a syrup consistency.

Cool five minutes.

Blend in a food processor.

Ta-da!

 

So far it's been tasted on:
toast with a poached egg, bagel with cream cheese, triscuits, and a piece of dark chocolate. The possibilities are endless! Ben has requested it appear on a chocolate cheesecake, so that will most likely be appearing in the near future. Give it a try! You will not regret it.  

hide and seek posts

I found this sneaky little fellah as a draft! It's a late post, but just think of it as time travel, and then you can thank me for the adventure instead of me feeling disappointed in my inability to complete most things.

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It's Wednesday, and here I sit in my faithful, albeit slightly dreary, cubicle, staring at my computer screens, overwhelmed with a to-do list I am completely incapable of finishing in a two day period. I'm still really liking my job and am putting up live sites like an internet thug, although with all the dns, ttl, ip, ns, url, and seo talk swirling about in my head, I'm beginning to think I was taught the wrong ABC's . It's difficult to be inside at a desk all day when my numbered sunny days are passing me by outside.  Despite my obscene workload, I'm taking this last hour of my day to escape reality and think about all the fun I've been having the last few months whilst not updating this here blog.

Last weekend was wonderful-- hitting the mid 80s it was the hottest day we've had yet (you can keep your crazy heat, midwest, I don't want it).  Yuki is my coworker that I've become pals with, her and her partner Danny live on a farm about twenty minutes outside of the city.  They have goats and chickens and bunnies and bees and a gorgeous view. Along with some of our other Portland family, we grilled delicious food and lounged about on their luxurious porch in the shade while visiting and listening to the singing and guitar stylings of our more musically inclined friends.

The most exciting of news is that of my baby sister, who recently left for a year adventure to live as an exchange student in Brazil. Emily is the caboose of our family and has always impressed me with her thoughtfulness and creativity. Before she could read and write on her own, she would pull out her crayons and have someone help her write out notes, letter by letter, for members of our family, usually left as a surprise on our pillows. I moved away from home when she was still quite young, and treasured the pictures and notes I would get in the mail from her. I know her kindness, originality, and intelligence, will assist her in a successful trip! I can't wait to hear more about her adventures.

I was lucky enough to take a trip to Utah to see Em before she left, surprise my pops for his fiftieth birthday, and celebrate the 4th of July with (almost) my entire extended Utah family. It was a short, but lovely trip. Spending time with my family and seeing Utah pals is always a treat, and this visit was no exception. Lindsey and Jake shared their big news of the soon to be arrival of baby number two, Grandma and Grandpa Flinders rode a zip line (!!!!), I went shopping with my sisters (and enjoyed it! I'm a regular ol shopper!), ate amazing meal after amazing meal, watched Emily dance (even if it was in dvd form, I'll take what I can get), played with my sweet niece Molly, listened to Poot play music, played video games with Camber at her first apartment, hung out with my mom in her brand new studio, and even had our own mini-supermarket sweep (Tahini! Tahini!).

The impressive man I get to call my father went on a fifty mile bike ride with Jake, my brother in-law, on his fiftieth birthday. I don't think I am currently capable of doing fifty miles of anything; Just thinking about it makes me tired, but I'm super impressed with their ability and will live vicariously through their accomplishments. It was great to celebrate the awesomeness that is my dad, but I missed Brady and his family, especially since he shares a birthday with our pops. He requested no gifts for his birthday, so we all made a dish for a birthday potluck. Everything was delicious, but Emily's chocolate malt ice cream cake stole the show. Saying goodbye was made easier knowing I get a visit from my parents next month. I'm looking forward to playing in Portland with them and already have a list of food I want to share with them that will require them to eat at least six meals a day. I hope they've begun their fast to prepare.

Bambi Eats a Bird

I've been waiting for life to slow down for a hot minute before I updated this here blog again, but it has recently occurred to me this will never happen.  Like this deer gobbling up a little 'ol bird, life has one surprise after another for me the last few months. Luckily, they've yet to involve the devouring of a (live) creature.

Working a desk job has been going surprisingly well. I no longer have nightmares about waiting on tables that have shrubs growing out of their baked potatoes or people demanding a blanket. I received a raise, and a promotion is on the horizon.  I only feel the need to turn the cubicles into hurdles occasionally, and by putting into practice some leg exercises I can do at my desk I have eliminated my self-diagnosed restless leg syndrome. It's as if I'm actually growing into a real live adult!

Summer could not be more welcome by me. Three months of no class sounds amazing. Next week I am kicking off The Summer of Janell with a camping trip on the coast in a yurt with my pals. It's been in the making for months and I could not be more excited. While looking  into ideas for food, I came across the most impressive muffin baking process ever, by using nature's muffin cups: orange peels!

These little buggars were super easy and turned out incredibly moist with the perfect orange flavor. for camping, you fill the peels 2/3 full and cover with tin foil, place on coals and bake 10-15 min. I decided to give these a go before the camping trip and baked up a batch in the oven. I was worried the peels would dry out a bit without the tin foil, but it worked out great. I had oranges that fit perfectly in my muffin tin. One tip: don't cut the oranges in half like a grapefruit, they hold their shape better if you cut them the other way. Scrape them out with a spoon, careful to not to poke holes. You want to keep the peel as in tact as possible. Not only are they delicious, but these muffins come with fresh squeezed orange juice! I can't wait to try bran and cranberry muffins, too.

If anyone has any other fun camping food ideas, feel free to send them my way!

workin hard for the money

I was speaking with a coworker the other day (that's right, folks. I've got myself some fellow workers, with whom I complete tasks along side for a wage that we receive from a boss man. A regular ol' em-ploy-ee., this one here!) about how we had obtained our prior jobs. She had a similar situation to mine, in that the majority of jobs (over twenty!) I've held in my twenty-six short years (and yet to be "fired" from any of 'em!) I have landed from being offered the job, never by applying.

It would make sense then, that three days after I decided to take a break from sending out at least five resumes a day, (which I did for thirty days-- I'd do the math for you, but I've got a job,) I had a friend contact me meeting with his boss for a position. It really does pay to have good friends (pun intended).

Acclimating from restaurant industry to an office setting has been a strange transition for me. Besides feeling as if my eyeballs are on the verge of drying out from the florescent lights and computer screens, I'm really enjoying the change of pace. I'm learning a lot, and most importantly, I no longer (by requirement) have to wear shoulder pads or a bow-tie.

Life, is good.  

Thinking about the strange ways and odd coincidences that have brought both jobs and friends into my life makes me realize just how important life's crap storms can be in the long run.  It's like John Hartford wisely said, I would not be here if I had not been there. Sometimes it's easier to appreciate the here when I take the time to remember the there.

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In case you're curious (which you ought to be), my many positions in order of appearance are: 
babysitter, 
dishwasher, 
old people feeder, 
fountain girl, 
hostess, 
janitor/housekeeping, 
hostess, 
plasma peddler, 
telemarketer, 
server, 
concessionaire, 
door-girl, 
box officer,
server,
office supply peddler, 
server, 
server, 
massage therapist, 
server,
infomercial extra,
box officer, 
server, 
sweater folder, 
and currently-- cubical dweller extraordinaire.