Fight or Flight

The Great Honeymoon Debate

Because I am listening the The replacements and thoroughly enjoying it.

And facebook just doesn't suffice when I want to sort things out on the world wide web.

I have returned to my blog for today.

Hello Blog.

The wedding (and general life thereafter) planning is coming along quite swimmingly. We both are beyond excited to have a fun, meaningful day (and life) with our friends and family, and really don’t have many conflicting opinions.

The Honeymoon. That is a different story.

Danny and I are seriously having the most difficult time deciding where to spend the weeks after our nuptials! Here are some of the locales that I can’t stop pondering.

Numero Uno: Our pipe dream- what does that saying mean anyhow?
BALI







The Good: Gorgeous beaches, rainforest (monkeys), and enough culture to shake a stick at.
The Bad: It cost a bundle to get there, and is famous for “Bali Belly” which is a clever way of describing food poisoning.
What is holding us back: Hands down the cost. The $2,000 per person flights is a complete budget buster.

Numero dos: The need for an authentic (and unusual) experience fulfilled
VIETNAM







The Good: This would literally be the adventure of a lifetime, cheap, beach, bays, forest, and we love that it is super unusual but has tons to offer!
The Bad: Flights are almost as heart breaking as Bali. Being off the beaten path also means we may have to compromise on some things, such as holes in the ground for toilets.
What is holding us back: Price. Additionally, while I am all in for a Vietnam HM. Danny is a little bit hesitant to spend it in such an “exotic” place.

Numero tres: Central America on the Cheap
NICARAGUA







The Good: Volcanoes, Caribbean Islands, surfing & sloths. It is also pretty reasonable, and we would be able to live large on a small budget.
The Bad: It would be rainy season, accommodations are “rustic” aka no AC and many have compost toilets (this doesn’t bother me, but the AC may)
What is holding us back: The weather. The whole point of going to Nicaragua would be to play outdoors, it would be a bummer if it rained the whole time.

Numero quarto: Screw it! Lets hit the road…
PACIFIC COAST ROAD TRIP








The Good: Familiar territory with unfamiliar experiences, we wouldn’t need to deal with the headaches of international travel, and HELLO the pacific coast is epic.
The Bad: This would probably end up costing as much as a honeymoon abroad without actually going out of the US.
What is holding us back: It may not be the “once in a lifetime” experience we were looking for.

There have seriously been so many places that have come, gone, and come back around again. These are just four options that are in my mind right at this second… God only knows what port of call we will end up in next Fall. Ultimately, we are looking for beach and outdoor adventure… so many places fit that bill!

For now, I am just ecstatic that I have a rad fiancé who is willing to listen to, and at times get excited about, all of my crazy adventure travel dreams. I am excited to have a lifetime of them! We are also so fortunate that we have the means, and health to go on an awesome honeymoon adventure.

Even if things get heavy, we'll all float on

Part Deuce: because Nat emailed me pictures of us getting worked by the river.

Nat, Matt, and I. We were nearly goners


However, Nat pulled out a nice recovery and we pulled through (although just barely, as is evident by my hanging bum)



Oh and here is a really pretty picture of me in the morning. I know, Danny is a lucky dude! haha



I made omelets in a bag. Have you tried these? If not you should on your next camping trip. Your life will never be the same.

We'll All Float On

I didn't cook last Tuesday. Instead I picked up take out from here:



Alfredo the Dark and Anti pasta Salad... It truly doesn't get much better than that.

I am not going to cook tomorrow either- School is once again sucking the life out of me.

Despite the above tangent this post is not about cooking, take out, school, or Bill Cosby. It is about my amazing river trip this past weekend and red spandex (wetsuit).



Just had to put that out there...because I realize not acknowledging that would likely cause an uproar and the world would undoubtedly turn to complete chaos.

Now that that is done- this weekend I was invited to join the Opinksky's and Spalinsky's on a three day river trip down the upper salt river. Let me tell you the UPPER salt is not to be confused with the lower "tubing" salt. It is incredible and so very gorgeous.

Natalie was oaring and did a splendid job, three people ending up getting thrown out of boats on rapids, but not on Nats boat! She kept us safe and sound (although there was one scare, and a popped outer tube).



If you ever have an opportunity to do a trip like this, DO IT! :)

On the River:





The Group:




More Red Spandex for Good Measure :)



Hope you had a great weekend too!

Creamy Pesto Ravioli

This past Tuesday I was not feeling fancy. In fact I was feeling like In N Out burger. However I fought my urge for fried goodness a dropped by Trader Joe's in hopes of finding something pre-made-ish that I could spruce up for my Tuesday dinner date with the boy.

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This is what I ended up with, like all things with pesto, it turned out scrumptious.

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Easy Peasy Creamy Pesto Ravioli:

Ingredients:

1 tb butter

3 cooked chicken breast (I bought pre-cooked ones from TJ's. Gross, yet actually yummy!)

Enough garlic to swing a stick at: appox 1/2 tbs.

1 container of premade pesto

1 cup of whipping cream (because it is lent!)

2 packs of Trader Joe's four cheese ravioli

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese

Method

1. In a large pot boil water, salt and EVOO to cook ravioli in

2. Cut cooked chicken into bite size chunks

3. Heat butter and garlic, once melted add chicken

4. Place ravioli in boiling water

5. Add pesto and cream to skillet. Let simmer while ravioli is cooking

6. Toss cooked ravioli and sauce together

7. Garnish with salt pepper and parm cheese as needed

WaLa! This seriously took a whole 20 minutes start to finish and was pretty dang good.

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P.S. I have a seriously love for Trader Joe's. *Sigh*

A Testament of Fate

On December 27th, 2009 I was in a Pizza Hut in Pierre, South Dakota.

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We were waiting for our 37 meat pizza's (and one stuffed crust) to be baked n boxed when I noticed this: "Funky Face Disguises!" "Look Cool!"

and "Fool Your Friends!"

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Count me in!

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Okay, it wasn't exactly that easy, I was worried about jeopardizing 50 cents only to get the "two sideburns" or possibly the "hairy mole". Lets be honest, those disguises wouldn't fool a soul.

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Another obstacle, all of the disguises appeared to be comprised of dark hair... and we all know blond hair + black mustache screams- fake mustachio!

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However, with some convincing from Danny's sister in law I decided to embark on the disguise journey. Good Freaking Thing- It was clearly Fate!

Fatefully, I got a blond mustache in the sea of Brown.

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There in lies is my testament of fate. Becca & the blond Mustache!

Stuffed Panko Chicken

Stuffed- I forgot the mention the most important thing in the title.

The chicken breast are stuffed.

Review(s):

Danny's Review: "This is good, you should add it to the repeat list...".

I have a hard time repeating, but we have a list just in case one day I get wild and crazy and decide to stick with tried and true.

My Review: I liked this a lot. I would recommend serving it with some creamy risotto on the side, as apposed to the potatoes I used this time. Is it just me or does everyone need something saucy in every meal!?

Heavily adapted from:

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/baked-stuffed-chicken-breasts-with-arugula-and-fontina.html

Ingredients:
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 Cup Feta Cheese

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, each about 7 oz.
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 large garlic clove, minced
16 spinach leaves, tough stems removed
2 eggs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil, crumbled

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper

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1. Preheat over to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2. Using a flat meat pounder, pound each chicken breast half until flattened to an even thickness of about 1/4 inch. Season the chicken breasts with the salt and pepper.

3. Top chicken breast with one-fourth of the garlic and spinach, torn as needed to fit the breast half, leaving a 1-inch border uncovered on all sides. Top with a piece of cheese. Starting at a short end, roll up the breast, tucking in the filling as needed; set seam side down. Repeat with the remaining chicken, garlic, spinach and cheese.

4. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 Tbs. of the olive oil.

5. In a shallow dish, stir together the bread crumbs, oregano and rosemary.

6. One at a time, coat a rolled chicken breast with the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs, coating evenly. Place the breaded breasts, seam side down, on a parchment-lined surface.

7. Place the oiled baking dish in the oven and heat until very hot, about 3 minutes.

8. Carefully arrange the breaded breasts, seam side down, in the hot dish. Drizzle evenly with the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Bake until the bread crumbs are golden brown about 35 minutes.

9. Remove. Serve. Eat.

Meatball Fame

So... my meatballs are becoming famous.

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/02/sweet-and-sour-meatballs-easy.html

Why do I feel jealous?

On another appetizer note: bacon wrapped anything wins!

Tasty Tuesday Recap

As you all know I love cooking, since cooking leads to food, and food leads to bliss. At least it leads to bliss in my word. As you also know, I have not spent much time in the kitchen since I lost my mind and went back to school. In order to help fill the gaping hole in my heart, where cooking used to dwell, Danny and I started a new tradition. I cook something new every Tuesday!

I know, big stinkin deal you cook ONCE a week. Most of you probably run ultra marathons once a week. But hey, it is a big deal to me, someone who doesn't have her own kitchen, and spends most nights away from home.

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Anyhow, sometimes my Tuesday concoctions turn out amazing (see below). Other times, well other times we have to get take out. Regardless of how these turn out, I have decided to document my culinary victories and defeats right here.

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Victory Numero Uno:

Fettuccine with Creamy Tomato Italian Turkey Sausage Sauce

Adapted from Simply Recipes. Original Recipe: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fettuccine_with_creamy_tomato_italian_sausage_sauce/

INGREDIENTS:

· 2 Tbsp olive oil
· 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
· 3/4 pound spicy or hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
· 1 cup whipping cream
· 1 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
· 1 Can of tomato paste
· 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
· Chopped Fresh Basil
· 1 box fettuccine
· 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

METHOD
1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for about 3 minutes. Add sausages and saute until no longer pink, breaking up the sausages a bit, about 7 minutes. Add cream; simmer 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices, and tomatoes paste. Add spices. Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water (I add EVOO to stop sticking) until just tender but still firm to bite.
3. Serve sauce over pasta, season with salt and pepper and Parmesan.

I served this with a awesome Caesar salad, and my staple garlic bread on the side.

This recipe serves about 6 (or 3 if Danny’s ravenous roommate is one of the dinner guest)

A White Out Christmas

I finally have some pictures from our holiday adventures in South Dakota, but prior to divulging the entire Christmas story, equipped with several Christmas Miracles, I want to reflect on this:

The roads that we drove on for much of our Christmas Adventure.

Soup Spoons

I was going to talk about how soup spoons are seemingly becoming obsolete, which makes me sad. But, I just don't have the energy.

Instead I want to show you a neat picture connected to an album that I sort of forgot about within the last two years, and luckily rediscovered today.

Rediscovered, and listened to it in its entirety, Twice, with some songs played on repeat a few times.

Modest Mouse+Bluegrass+pancakes=a Lovely Friday. I actually didn't have pancakes.

New Years Resolution: 2010

To tell you the truth I absolutely hate New Years Resolutions, and gave them up years ago. This is quite possibly the only resolution I have kept in all of my 26 New Years. However this blog post has nothing to do with me and A. weight loss, B. giving up vices (it's not happening, I love coffee and wine much to much) or C. being an overall better person. On a side note, I actually do strive for "C" daily, but refuse to label it a resolution. That would just be damning my good efforts.

This year, rather than making a personal new years resolution I have coerced Burton into one. Yes, Burton my dog, the loving and kind border collie who brings happiness and joy to everyone he meets. THAT BURTON!

He will be battling the bulge in 2010 in attempts to get back to an appropriate weight.

Exhibit "A"- Burton in his prime, January of 2008.

Exhibit "B": Burton today, a tad bit... erm... uh....plus sized.



In order to help Burton accomplish this lofty task we will be strictly rationing his caloric intake, including cookies (regardless how many times he sits-shakes-high fives-lays down and rolls over). Additionally, my lil bro and I have agreed to each take the dogs for a long walk twice a week, at a minimum. I wish I could just put him on the tread mill. Unfortunately, I tried that with disastrous results... not only did my dog get physically accosted by an inanimate object, but he also will not come within 100 yards of the treadmill when it is operational. I know, how strange. What dog doesn't like the treadmill!? Well-Fat Border Collies for one.

Happy 2010 To You are Yours <3