Happy Halloween!

It's Halloween. I was planning on eating an entire diet of candy today. This including my main showing of a candy dinner followed by a candy dessert. Tim was ready to take on this challenge with me...but we lost gusto around breakfast time when candy just didn't sound like the best way to kick off our day.

This presented slight problems as we have very little food in our house. We desperately need to go to the grocery. However, as I was perusing through the cabinets around dinner time, I discovered the necessary ingredients to make Pumpkin Ravioli! It seemed like a Halloweeny meal, so we went for it!

The following pictures are of marginal quality....I'm hankering for a nice new camera. We shall see.

Pumpkin being shtuffed in the ravioli shell!

The plated, finished product.

An over-exposed picture of the inside pumpkin situation.

Now, to sit and wait for trick-or-treaters! I'm bemoaning the fact that we live in an apartment complex with a gate out front. I'm guessing we get a total of ZERO Halloween cuties dressed up in cool costumes and demanding sugary goods. :(

Nomming!

My parents came home today. Being the wonderful, incredibly thoughtful daughter that I am, I decided to have a dinner prepared for the weary travelers.

The menu: Turkey Chili for the main course with an Apple and Cranberry Crisp for dessert. Of course I'll be pairing this with a nice fresh salad, and a California Red Table Wine that my Dad picked up. It's pretty much the best wine ever...pictures below.

Cranberries for the crisp. Tis the season!

The crisp getting ready for the oven!

So my dad came home with a bottle of wine to have for dinner. He picked it out especially for me. It's most definitely the best bottle I've seen in a long time.... :)

For anyone who doesn't know, I happen to be the middle child in my family. Of course, this is something I bring up everytime I have an argument with either my parents or siblings just in case I get pity points for being the token middle child. I never do.

I love the label on this bottle, however for our family it needed to be changed just a smidge.

Abbey, Sarah, and Spencer.

I tried to make the woman on stage right into a man so as to represent my brother Spencer, but my drawing skillz were not quite up to snuff.

I would recommend Middle Sister Rebel Red!! :)

Bananas!!

My parents are in Florida. They want to be just like me and Tim; so they've decided to go to Orlando. To smear it in our faces, they made sure to stay in a better hotel; a hotel where ducks walk inside the lobby.

The ducks at the Peabody Hotel

They're actually in Florida for a conference. This little vacation on theirs has awarded me the opportunity to stay at my parent's house and hang out with my brother Spencer.

Halloween is only four days away. Obviously Spencer has already prepared his costume and Tim and I were enlisted in working on the finishing touches last night. Basically we draped bubble wrap around his body to make him more chubby and full-figured; because no-one wants to look at a droopy banana. (Ironically I made a loaf of banana bread to go with dinner, which merely served to strengthen the goodness of this costume.)

The suit is both flexible and comfortable. Allowing for the clicking of heels mid-air.

The banana allows for both full disclosure OR anonymity, with preference going to the banana clad.

The banana also allows for super human strength in candy gathering tomfoolery.

Spence is debating wearing the banana to school on Friday. He claims NO-WHERE in the dress-code does it state that banana costumes may not be worn........

Thoughtsickles from my Mind Grapes

Sometimes I forget that I'm an adult. A real-life adult. Spending the last few months living at home somewhat reverted me back to the days of high-school. It was pretty dang nice that my Mom had a meal cooked and ready on the table every night, and that I didn't have to go grocery shopping, pay the electric bill, and worry about getting a rent-check in to the landlord on time. Then...BOOM...I got married--which is a very adult thing to do, by the way--and I'm suddenly thrown back into the realm of adulthood, albeit on somewhat unfamiliar ground.

Being married is fantastic. It's a new season of life that I'm tackling, and I'm not tackling it on my own. I have a constant companion now; which is both thrilling and somewhat scary. This first month of our marriage has pretty much been a whirlwind of activity, with almost all of our free-time claimed by travel, sports, scotch-tasting (yes, really), setting up our home, job searching, and season one of LOST. It's been a non-stop ride of fun; but I can't help but feel a sort of loss for some of the habits I've grown to rely on. Habits like spending quality time with friends who know me inside and out. I'm anxious to delve deeply into the city of Denver; to connect with a church, develop friendships, and to do a better job of maintaining those friendships I do have here.

I'd also love to start volunteering some of my time with a local organization here. Any suggestions? I'm guessing my time here in the mile-high city is limited, and I want to make the most out of living here, because there's so much more to life than non-stop whirlwind's of awesomeness.

Nuggets Season...

Growing up, I always felt bad for people who didn't live in bigger cities. Not because I didn't like the quaintness of mini-villages, but more because I was saddened that they couldn't go to professional sporting events with the ease of those living in capital cities (or other large metropolis'). I was lucky enough to get to go to TONS of games when I was growing up, and am consequently a Colorado proud Nuggets, Avalanche, Bronco's, and sometimes the Rockies fan! Ergo, when Gary Erickson (Tim's dad) won two tickets to the pre-season nuggets game and promptly gave them to Tim and I, I WAS STOKED!!

The Nuggies were playing the Oklahoma Thunder, which holds double significance to Tim because his best bud (and best man) Geoff Sanders works for the Thunder. Sorry Geoff, the Nuggies owned the Thunder. Boomed them away. THE NUGGETS were the LIGHTENING (in terms of a "lightening to thunder" relationship).

The Pepsi Center.

And un-identifiable man in full length green spandex.

Thanks for the tickets Gary!!

Florida

Florida. What can I say? We pretty much dominated you last week. At least, we dominated Tampa, Orlando, and Sarasota. Domination may be a bit strong of an adjective, but I'm confident that we covered a lot of miles in our rented Ford Focus. (Or the Fast and Furious Focus as I like to call it).

The reason for our Florida escapades was because my good friend Jessica Murphy was getting married to one Sarasota local, Jason Puckett. Jessica and I have been going through this whole wedding planning process together, and it was so fun to be able to see all her hard work come to fruition in the most excellent of ways. AND she's such a good friend that even though she was working full time and planning her own wedding, she and Jason still made the time to come out and celebrate with Tim and I last month.

I met Jessica through a school program I was privileged to go on in college called the International Business Institute (IBI). There were a few of us going from Westmont, and basically the rest of the trip was composed of students from Messiah C0llege in PA, and Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois. Jess and I became good friends quickly (along with our other sidekick Jill Carlson -- who I also got to see at the wedding!) There is nothing quite like traveling Europe with strangers to form lifelong bonds. I could go on and on about IBI, the fabulous people I met and friendships I get to maintain; IBI was such a blessing in my life. I digress.

Jess and I in Russia in the Red Square circa 2007.

At the top of Mount Chamonix in France.

Jess, Jill, and myself in Antwerp, Belgium.

This was my first time in Florida and I didn't quite know what to expect. I've heard stories. I've heard tell of gigantic bugs, weather so hot and sticky it's better to never venture outdoors, and alligators showing up in your backyard or swimming pool. My ideal outfit of choice based on these factoids consisted of a bodysuit made of breathable, yet insanely strong netting covered in bug repellent. (So as avoiding the bugs, weather, AND alligators). To my great pleasure, I found Florida to be none of these things, and was quite comfortable wearing the normal clothes that I had packed.

Tim and I spent our first night in Florida exploring downtown Orlando. To be honest, there's not too much to see. I could be comparing too closely to the GIGANTIC city of Chicago where we were earlier in the week, but Orlando felt small and slightly boring. However, we did eat a delicious meal of flatbread pizza downtown. That was the highlight.

Day two brings us to the Magical Kingdom. With thanks to Anna Storvick, Amanda Crowley, and Todd Pulliam, I have a slight obsession with all things Disney. It was an obvious choice to make Disneyworld a necessary stop while we were in Florida.

Tim and I had epic timing, arriving at the opening gates for the ten second countdown to open the park. We raced around like pro's to get fast-passes to all the best rides. We covered the park so well that we even had time to watch the 3D movie, go to the Hall of Presidents (which was awesome!), AND the Tiki Room, which in my opinion is a last resort at D-world. We witnessed three parades, AND the fireworks, AND rode Big Thunder Mountain six times. Not too shabby.

The famous Disneyworld Castle.

Watching movies in 3D!

Sunday brought us to Sarasota to get ready for Jess' wedding! Tim and I got to spend some time with Jill catching up on her jet-setting lifestyle before the ceremony. (I hadn't seen her in three years!) The wedding was at a beautiful venue called the Powell-Crosley Estate. It was right on the ocean and couldn't have been a more picturesque place to tie the knot, so to speak. Jess had everything planned perfectly, and the whole shebang came off as a huge, roaring, god-honoring, Jess and Jason celebrating SUCCESS!! We're so glad to have been there, congratulations to the both of you!

Mr. and Mrs. Puckett being introduced.

Jilly Bean and I circa 2010.

We've already done that "getting married" thing.

The sunset. Nice work by God.

It was hard to follow the success of the previous evening, but we tried our best on Monday by exploring downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa before our flight back to Denver. I did get to see a few dolphins, but most unfortunately, no dugongs, stellar sea cows, or manatees.

Overall it was an awesome trip, with the most important part as getting to celebrate with Jessica and Jason Puckett. I can say, however, that I'm glad to be home with a future of COOKING, rather than eating every meal out. Huzzah!

The many journeys of the traveling Ericksons...

My good friend Maddie Jacks is pretty much living the most awesome of lives in Italy right now. She's taking a cooking class, a wine class, and traveling the heck out of the country; basking in that beautiful Mediterranean glow. You can read about it on her blog, Spidatter. Obviously, all her travels and wonderful experiences are making me upset. The little/huge green monster is roaring. ROARING. To try and combat this jealousy, Tim and I decided to take on a whirlwind of adventure this past week with travels ranging through navigating downtown Chicago, soaking up the simplicity of Wichita, to relaxing on the coast of Sarasota, Florida. Jealous Maddie?!

(disclaimer: I am actually THRILLED for Maddie and I'm so excited and proud of her!)

This past Monday we headed out to Chicago for Tim's interview at the University of Chicago. We got to stay with Tim's Uncle Scott and Aunt Alice. They live close to O'Hare, so it was the perfect place to stay! And when I say close, I mean that if you look at the window, the planes going by look like UFO's that are going to land right in the living room. It's awesome. Not only was the house great, but Scott and Alice might be the world's greatest hosts! Scott had all the Chicago train schedules printed out, maps of the city for us, neighborhoods he had scouted out that had good housing for people our age, AND he let us use his car to drive around!! Plus, we had some great meals with them including a greek restaurant where we were served FLAMING CHEESE!! Also, I was able to hone in on my Wii tennis skillz, and Tim and I finally pulled a victory against Scott and Alice the last night we were there. (They we're pro's. I'm serious.)

We also got to see Tim's cousin Becky, her husband Jeff, their SUPER CUTE son Jonah, AND Viki's sister Linda. (I'm just going to pat myself on the back here for remember all these names.)

Tim's family is so great. It makes the idea of moving to Chicago more fun because I know we have lots of family there. And Jeff (Becky's husband) used to be a Chicago Police Officer, so we got the SKINNY on where to be in the city! I like having the inside scoop...

View of the new Trump Tower from Gleacher Center, where Tim had his interview.

Tim and I celebrating a great interview at his favorite Chicago Pizza Place Lou Malnati's. So, so good.

We also had the pleasure to have a layover in lovely Wichita, Kansas. I'm not talking about some 20 minute break between flights, I'm talking a good four hours in that airport. I can definitely say that Kansas has perhaps some of the nicest people I've EVER met...and that was just in the airport! I can't even imagine how nice they might be in the actual city! Kudo's to the airport for supplying us with free WiFi! :)

Speaking of airports, I'd like to also give a couple more shoutouts, one to O'Hare, and one to Tampa International Airport. I get pretty excited about new "inventions" (or at least ones I haven't seen before). Look at this cool drinking fountain in O'Hare that also lets you fill your water bottle with the slightest of ease!!

Note the water dispensary on the back of the fountain.

Not only was this nifty but the water was PURIFIED and COLD!! A double whammy!

However, my favorite new "invention," BY FAR, would have to be the disposable slippers I got to wear through the Tampa Bay Airport. They were so slippery I basically skied through the line, I even did a couple of spins that reminded me of Olympic style Ice Dancing! I hope all airports get on board with this train ASAP! They make security FUN!!

Close up of the goodness.

More Florida adventures to come soon!!

Chicago!

Hooray! Tim and I are currently in Chicago, traipsing around like young, unemployed married couples tend to do....hah. JUST KIDDING! (And anyway, Tim is totally employed!!) Actually we're here for Tim to interview for his MBA degree at University of Chicago, which is uuber exciting. It's fun to be here and to know that this is my potential future home! Either way though, I'm just proud of Tim for being who he is and having such an incredibly gifted mind to even obtain an interview at the NUMBER ONE MBA SCHOOL IN THE WORLD (as ranked by The Economist Magazine)!

I was in Chicago almost exactly three years ago with some good friends Ryan Moroney and Jessica Murphy! (SHOUTOUT to Jess, who's getting married this weekend!! Can't wait to be there!!) These photo's are from that trip, since I have yet to break my camera in while here this time...

no, abbey isn't here. but yes...this is still an awesome picture.

Harvest Fest

I'm writing this as a new member of the Denver Botanic Gardens. I'm pretty excited. Mainly because I'm looking forward to the Christmasy Trail of Lights, and the Blossom of Lights. I've never been to either, which is basically inexcusable having grown up in Colorado. In the end, no matter. I've made a commitment to go this year with Tim; and being a member, I'm fully signed, sealed and committed!

As an additional bonus to being a member, I'm pretty much in the know when it comes to other Fests. As in Festivals. As in the Harvest Festival Tim and I went to yesterday. It was pretty awesome. There were lots of little kids in outrageously cute costumes. I couldn't get a good picture without looking like a total creeper, so you'll have to do without. Let it be known, however, that it made me yearn for motherhood (in a temporary sort of way).

There was a pumpkin patch, concert venue, concession stands (kettle corn!), mini-horses, and a ridiculously difficult corn maze.

Pumpkin #1

Pumpkin #2

Husband

Wife

Corn

Husband in Corn Maze

Corn in Corn Maze

Hot Dogs and Beans...But Different!

Yes. Last night Jane called for Hot Dogs and Beans...But Different.

How is it different? Who could say? I didn't grow up with hot dogs and beans, thankfully. In fact, I could probably go the rest of my life without eating them again and be a completely happy camper. Unless I'm camping, in which case hot dogs and beans might be just the ticket.

This meal was really a gold star for Josh, however, as the man has a mild obsession with hot dogs.

The finished product = not aesthetic. Seriously though, how can you make hot dogs and beans look good? Trying hard to not stray too far from the integrity of Jane's recipe, I managed to make this meal a bit healthier by using Hebrew National All Beef Hot Doggies, and Vegetarian Baked Beans. I also cooked a side-dish of red potato's and brussel sprouts, to additionally health things up a smidge.

It tasted pretty good. Not sure if it beats the Hamburger Bean Ring, but you be the judge.

If you click on the picture, it gets huge. You may note the additional recipe of the Meat Shortcake. This one we decided to nix on account of concerns for our arteries.

There you have it. Hot Dogs and Beans - But Different.

Real Housewife of Denver, CO

Doesn't pot roast just sound like the most domestic meal to make...ever? Well, being the wife that I am, I decided to make a Roast for dinner last night. Of course, it was also a perfect opportunity to try out my new cast iron slow cooker, complements of jailbird Martha Stewart, and her ingenious team of ever creative folks.

The Roast was smooth sailing. I decided to cook it in the oven rather than on the stove, thus shortening the six hours of cooking to a mere three. I did some chopping, slicing, dicing, (throwing in some potato's for good measure), stuck that Roast in the oven for a few hours and went on with my life.

Martha Stewart Cast Iron Slow Cooker

The Roast, pre-cooked

When I got back from running the mile high loop in City Park (it's so awesome that we live two blocks away from this!!), the Roast was beginning to smell delish. Tim treated me to a delightful appetizer of bruschetta, green grapes and vino; which brought us right up to exiting time for the Roasty Roast.

The Roast, directly after oven removal

After removing the Pot Roast from the oven, I was quite pleased that I had pulled this recipe off without a hitch! My typical M.O. usually necessitates one or two mistakes, potentially disastrous. Enter next image.

The Roast after meat removal.

Woops. Looks like I forgot to remove that wierd thingy that goes under raw meat before cooking. So whatever the deuce that is got slow cooked right along with everything else. Ergo I could only assume that any potential bacteria was nixed in the slow cook process taking place in 350 degree temperatures. No big deal. Tim and I simply disposed of the unknown, and carried on.

The Roast, sans meat.

The plated Roast.

Regardless of the slight mishap, the meal was great! I think next time I'll use beef broth, rather than water to give the gravy a bit more umph. Other than that, a winner!!