Happy Easter!

What a wonderful Easter we had in the rainy South! While it was sunny and hot in Oregon, we suffered through the cold and rain. On the up side the drains Scott and I dug out seem to be working well!

The festivities started off with decorating eggs. I wanted to try using beet juice to dye the eggs since I had some in the fridge from Pa-Paw's delicious homemade pickled beets! I guess I should have read up on it a little because they didn't work out quite as I was hoping. Scott had never drawn on his eggs with crayon, can you believe that!? Me either. We didn't make many eggs as Scott doesn't like them and I knew his Aunt Kuawana was bringing deviled eggs for Easter lunch. After we did our best to draw out any artistic abilities, we popped those bad boys in the beet juice and moved on.

The 3 stages of egg decorating.

Next up? Cupcakes of course! It wouldn't be Easter, or any holiday for that matter, without a little sweet treat! A few years ago I perfected my carrot cake recipe (you can find it here) and knew that this was just want I wanted to contribute to lunch. I shredded carrots until my fingers and cutting board were stained orange, whipped up the batter and filled my most Easter like cupcake liners. I don't know if I was just really in the mood for cream cheese frosting or if it really was just that good, but for some reason I feel that this batch was the best I've ever made. Scott not only cleaned the beaters for me, he also sucked out the rest of the frosting from my piping bags!

Yummy!

After the cupcakes were frosted Scott helped me set up the make shift buffet table with plates cloth and napkins so it was one less thing to go in the morning. Man I love a good reason to pull out my party planning skills! Poor Scott doesn't know what he is getting himself into...

Table set up.

After a very long day it was finally time for bed. I made Scott go into the bedroom and close the door so I could hide his Easter Basket - another thing he has never done, but was a trooper about it and hid mine too.

My Easter basket full of my favorite things!

My sisters will be the first to tell you, I am always the first one awake. If a holiday is involved I wake up even earlier. It is like my body just knows that there is something special waiting for me as soon as the clock strikes midnight... I let Scott sleep as long as I could an finally made him get up so we could start our day. I searched for my basket first and missed it initially, Scott's was a little more out in the open (behind the pillows on the couch). I was thrilled with the Easter Bunny. New shoes, seeds for the garden, candy and hair ties (the only kind my hair likes!)! Scott made out with candy, a new CD and Farkle - a ridiculously fun dice game I've played with Krystal's grandparents.

Scott's basket.

After church Scott's family and Rachel joined us for Easter lunch. As I said, Scott's Aunt made lunch and brought it over, his mom Vanessa made Coca Cola Cake. Everything was delicious and I am so grateful that Scott's family has been so good to me.

These are a few of my favorite things from today! 

It was a pretty perfect day in my opinion topped off with a late afternoon nap, Dirty Dancing, and Disney movies!  

How our Garden Grows

Spring has sprung! And with it the garden is getting ready to be planted! Pa-Paw (Scott's grandpa) brought the tractor over and got the land ready for our garden. It had a huge tiller on the bask that left the ground deeply churned but smooth on top as well. I must admit the area is H.U.G.E. Like 12x30 feet and that is a conservative guess! We won't fill it up this year as we are going to start small, but I am excited to see how it grows!

Falling in love with farm equipment!

I guess the rule of thumb here is to plant on Good Friday and as that is just around the corner, I'll be quite the busy girl this weekend! We have been battling overnight freezing temperatures, and when we tilled the garden it was only 32 degrees outside. We'll have to double check with Pa-Paw if he still thinks Friday is the day to plant. 

On Thursday Scott and I are going to the local swap meet where apparently you can find the best starter plants. I can't wait! I've already talked to friends and family of Scott's and based on what they are planting have convinced each other to have our own produce swaps. 

Our huge garden space.

So far the plan is tomatoes, green cucumbers, white cucumbers (supposedly the best & sweetest), yellow squash, zucchini and my herbs. I am also anxious to get some flowers in the ground and add a little color to the yard.

To say that I am a happy girl is an understatement :) I'll keep you posted on how things are growing!

Claremont Park

We decided to take advantage of a sunny day and check out the local park in Scott's town. I love parks and Rachel and I often go for a picnic, people watch or just enjoy the sun.

Welcome to the park!

The park was lovely, and although we were the only ones there, I can picture it full of families when the weather is warmer. It offered 4 different play areas (which we tried out of course), a stage/amphitheater, fire pit, picnic areas and so much more! The fire pit really won me over! It also featured a mural of the town's history and markers noting which kind of tree's were growing.

Boys will be boys... 

I can't wait for a warm spring day to have our own picnic in the park and people watch. Scott suggested we get some tennis racquets and take advantage of the courts! Man, do I love this guy :)

Herbs - Round 2

I finally got my first round of herbs planted in pots! I probably kept them in their egg carton for a little to long so I am hoping they will bounce back and really flourish. They green onions were a total bust, but I have a feeling I might try that again.

Basil starts!

I also started some rosemary and dill for my second attempt at growing herbs from seed. By the time the garden is ready for planting these herbs should be mature enough to stand on their own!

Round 2

Growing garden! 

My goal is to be able to walk out the back door and have everything I need at my finger tips an from the looks of it, I am on my way!

In a pinch Chicken Tacos

I was rummaging through my fridge the other day trying to find something to make for Rachel and I to eat and decided that there wasn't much to choose from. I had the usual - eggs, tortillas, milk, cheese and lettuce (but not enough for us both to have salad). There was also 1 chicken breast, 1/2 an onion, 2 green onions and some left over cilantro from a few days ago.

Chicken tacos was the way to go.

I seasoned the chicken breast with a little salt & pepper I threw it in the oven at 350 and prepared the rest of the fixings while it cooked.

I was lucky to have the left over cilantro and onions (my favorite combination to accompany a Latin feast) and chopped them both finely, shredded the remainder of the iceberg lettuce, and chopped up the green onion.  I also took out the tortillas and hot sauce. Right on queue the chicken was done. Now I am not a huge fan of those seasoning packets so after I chopped up the chicken and tossed it in a bowl I added a splash of various spices.

I think Rachel was impressed :) I know I was! My mom has always had the ability to make something from nothing and I am happy to know she has taught me well. A well stocked spice cabinet can take even the most simple ingredients and make them extraordinary.

Homemade Taco Seasoning 

1/4 t cumin

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion powder

1/4 t red pepper flakes

1/4 t paprika

1/4 t salt

1/4 t chili powder

Mix well.

Do you have any spice combinations that are your go-to in a pinch? I'd love to hear about them!

Beer Bread

When my mom and sister April helped me move from Portland to Charlotte - 9 months ago - they bought a 12 pack of bud light. The days were long and hot, like 107 degrees hot, so I don't blame them. When they caught their flight home I was left with 11 beers in my fridge where the sat for 9 months. I was craving a taste of home and remembered that my Cousin Melanie makes the best beer bread so I searched out a simple recipe.

There are tons of variations of beer bread, which I hadn't realized! You can add herbs, cheese, honey, even garlic! Why had I not thought of this before?! I decided a sweeter bread was want I was in the mood for so after comparing a few recipes this is what I came up with.



Sweet Beer Bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 12 ounce can or bottle of beer
• 1 stick butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F

In a medium bowl sift together all dry ingredients.

Add beer and stir with a wooden spoon until just incorporated. You don't want to over mix.

Pour 1/2 of your melted butter into your loaf pan.

Pour beer bread batter into pan, add remaining melted butter over the top of the beer bread batter.

Bake for 1 hour.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

The bread comes out so crusty and sweet, but not overly sweet. This also makes great toast! The once the direct heat hits those sugars, magic happens. I can't wait to try some of the other variations I've read about and maybe even a few of my own! 

Moo-Moo Mini Golf

Always looking for something new to do, Scott suggested a round of mini golf and ice cream. Of course I wasn't going to object! So we headed to a new part of town to get out putting on. 

It was a cute indoor course with cow/movie star theme attached to an ice cream parlor. The course was actually pretty challenging, well as challenging as a course could be I guess, with lots of little twists and turns. Maybe we were just a little out of practice :)

After Scott beat me, just barley, we treated ourselves to a sweet treat. They had ton's of flavors to chose from and they are all made just down the road at their creamery and although I wanted to try them all, we stuck with some fun sundaes Some of us had trouble keeping the ice cream in our mouths...

We had a blast. Sometimes it is nice to break from the normal grown up chores and try something new.

I can't wait for our next date!

Peach Trees

I have these grand notions of turning Scott's yard into a farm with lots of fresh fruits, veggies and maybe a few chickens... and a goat... and a cow... and a big red barn. A girl can dream can't she?

During one of our many talks I was telling Scott how much I wanted to plant berries and peach trees in the future. He came to me a few days later and said that he forgot there were peach trees right on the property line! What?! A dream come true! The trees (3 of them on our side!) needed some TLC so I researched how to prune them and prepare for a great harvest.

The sun finally came out so we spent the afternoon clipping, trimming and even some major limb cutting. Scott also cleared out all of the debris from the ground as the former owner of the property used this area as a burn/junk pile.This was only round 1. There is a lot of work still to do but we got a pretty good start. I can not begin to tell you how excited I am to watch the trees bloom and eat the first peaches of the season!

Apple, peaches, pumpkin pie! Who's not ready just say I...

Herbs

The herbs are sprouting! The basil and chives are thriving while I seem to have killed off the green onion. Oh well. At least I tried! I've been careful to give my little seedlings lots of light to help them grow.

Enjoying some morning light.

I can''t wait to get these little babies in the ground!

Hunting House

I love new adventures, and this was maybe one of my favorites in the last year. Scott asked if I wanted to go with him, John & Mary to the infamous Hunting House. Of course I said yes! We packed up the truck & trailer with the four wheelers, tools and warm clothes and headed off to Warren County (everything is known by the county here- weird) for a weekend full of adventure, new friends (for me at least!) and firsts.

Loaded up!

The ride down was fun. I always love meeting new people, and knowing how special this couple is to Scott just made it even more fun! They spent 4 hour drive telling tall tales about everything from the big one that got away to the discovery of the cat/prairie dog animal they still can't identify. There were lots of laughs for sure.

The house was wonderful. Not someplace I would want to live, but fun for a weekend away. It is over 100 years old and the lath and plaster walls and drafty windows won't let you forget it either. To say it's a boys club is an understatement :) Not a woman's touch in sight, just the way they like it.

My favorite part of the house! I long for a front porch like this...

The Hunting House

Saturday was spent riding the trails, exploring abandoned buildings and trying to figure out what exactly was growing in the mud puddles... At one point we dug through a trash pile and found some long lost treasures.

Salamander Egg Pods

Thirsty anyone?

Our Treasures

Not that long ago people stayed here!

By far my favorite part of the trip was just experiencing something that means so much to Scott. I feel so privileged that I was able to see of this part of his life, who knows, maybe one day I'll even try my hand at hunting!

I think I'll keep this guy around for awhile :)

Sweet Treats

There are a few places I have fallen in love with since moving to Charlotte. Amelie's French bakery definitely takes the cake! See what I did there? Tee hee.

I have been almost as many times I've been to Prices Chicken Coop and will gladly go again! My mission is to try everything in the cooling cases, and after this last trip I would say I am getting pretty close. Rachel, Luba and I went for a little birthday treat and bought out the store, well almost. We did however spend a fortune (thanks ladies!) and decided to split everything into thirds when we got home.

Our treasures! 

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My favorites included the twice baked almond croissants and chocolate raspberry torte. And the elcairs. Macaroons. Key lime tart. Cream Puff. I loved them all... Whatever you fancy they have it and you won't be disappointed!

JJ's Red Hots

Rachel was over when she suddenly said "Do you want to try that hot dog place you've been talking about?" Umm yeah! I've driven by JJ's so many times, and I always tell myself to stop by sometime. Well tonight was the night. We pulled up and got a parking spot right away (bonus!) but that should have been a sign of what was to come. We were there at what should have been prime dinner hour, and there was only one other couple in the place - Hmm. 

After looking over the menu and asking about popular dogs with the woman behind the counter (you order at the counter and find your own seats), I settled for The Char Heel - Chili, Slaw, Diced Onions, Mustard with onion rings and Rachel got the Chili "Cheese Cony" with a chocolate shake. They also had a pickle bar which I hit up on the way to our booth. 

Pickled red onion, jalapenos, ginger carrots & cauliflower and carrot

Char Heel with onion rings & Chili "Cheese Cony"

Char Heel with onion rings

First Bite.

The pickles bar was by far the best part of the meal - and that makes me a little sad to say. I had such high hopes for this place! The dogs were good, just not great. Rachel's was burnt to a crisp (you can see in the picture above with our two dogs). I couldn't even tell mine had chili on it, and the slaw was flavorless. I think that was the most disappointing thing, the lack of flavor. The onion rings were good. A bit greasy, but at least they were seasoned and Rachel liked her shake. So not a total loss for the evening, but not a total success either. 

Honestly I was a little underwhelmed. I am not saying I wouldn't ever go back, however I wouldn't make it a first choice option either. Next time I have a craving for a dog, I'll go to Costco.

Digging

The rain, rain, rain came down, down, down, and piglet started swimming... In the basement.

That is how it felt for several days this past week. Lots and lots of rain - not that I am complaining! It reminds me of home, and I love it! Scott's basement on the other hand does not. After many weeks of talking about it we finally took care of business once the sun decided to grace us with his presence. 

As the rain water drains off the house it doesn't have anywhere to go and just sits on the ground, seeping into the basement. We had to put extensions on the end of the down spouts and bury each one so the tractor wouldn't ruin them as we mowed.  

Digging in the thick NC clay is so much different than digging in the fertile grounds of Oregon. Add in the few inches of rain and we had some heavy, soggy clay to work with. The mud stuck to our boots and it felt like I was walking around with weights on my ankles. The picture below doesn't do it justice.

Caked on clay making it hard to walk. 

All in all we had 5 drains to dig out, add an extension and bury. I walked away with sun kissed cheeks, worked muscles and even a blister or two. Scott made out with a sun kissed head, splinters and a blister.  

Spring is right around the corner and I can't wait to start all sorts of projects! I already have my sights on pruning the peach trees next week in preparation for a bountiful summer harvest. Just call me Old McDonald - This farm is growing each week :)

Breakfast of Champions!

I love breakfast. 

I could eat breakfast foods for every meal. 

I would pick a bowl of cereal over a bowl of ice cream almost any day of the week (as long as I had whole milk!)

It isn't just cereal I love. I love everything - Pancakes, Eggs Benedict, Donuts (real), Hash, Virgin Bloody Mary's, Aebleskiver's... Great now I am hungry. Real hungry. Mmmm. Breakfast. 

Sometimes a girl just needs to splurge on herself. This is what I've been into lately. 

I know right?! Delish. Let me break it down for you. 

Nogales Eggs

1 egg

1 tortilla - corn or flour 

1/2 an avocado

2 t salsa

Hot sauce - I used Texas Pete

Salt & pepper to taste. 

Fry and egg until the whites are just cooked. Make sure the yolk is nice and runny. 

Place atop a flour tortilla you have warmed in a skillet until soft and steamy. 

Layer on avocado, salsa, hot sauce and salt & pepper. 

Enjoy!

Now really you can add anything to enhance this beautiful egg dish, this just happens to be what I have on hand right now. Other items in my rotation:

Chopped white onion & cilantro

Pico de gallo

Black Beans

Re-fried Beans

Mexican Rice

Usually I just use whatever I have left over from my Latin feast the night before!