Warm from the Inside Out

Here in Texas we have been dealing with unusually cold weather this week. Yes, the Northerners are probably laughing at us right now but oh well! We really only get to bundle up with scarves, mittens and triple layers once or twice a year so this is really a big deal.
In fact, in the next couple of hours we are expecting 70% chance of snow and possibly 1-3 inches. That's A LOT for Houston, Texas.

Of course this chilly weather makes me want to eat comfort food. Comfort food tends to never be healthy but that's ok in my book. By the recommendation of my sister-in-law, Erin and my mom, I decided to try out PW's Sherried Tomato Soup. It's in her cookbook and I have always been intrigued by it so I figured this is the perfect time of year to try it.

This is actually a picture of how mine turned out:

Ingredients
■6 Tablespoons Melted Butter
■1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
■1 bottle (46 Oz.) Tomato Juice
■2 cans (14 Oz. Cans) Diced Tomatoes
■1 Tablespoon (up To 3 Tablespoons) Chicken Base
■3 Tablespoons (up To 6 Tablespoons) Sugar
■1 pinch Salt
■Black Pepper To Taste
■1 cup Cooking Sherry
■1-½ cup Heavy Cream
■Chopped Fresh Parsley
■Chopped Fresh Basil
Preparation Instructions
Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add canned tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pinch of salt, black pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn off heat. Add in sherry and cream and stir. Add in parsley and basil to taste.

I LOVED IT! I am a big fan of La Madeline's tomato soup and this reminded me of it. Soooooo good. I highly recommend it. The only thing I might change is to add crushed tomatoes next time instead.

Definitely a 9/10 for deliciousness and comfort factor.

Oh and this is what looks up at me as I cook every night. Ever so hopeful they are....

Recipe Reviews

Over the last couple of months I have been trying to cook more and more. I love to try new recipes and I really took advantage of trying some new sweet ones over the holiday season.

One of my favorites was this:

Cleta Bailey's Toffee Squares

photo credit: The Pioneer Woman

As most of you know, I have a LOVE for all things Pioneer Woman. I check her blog daily and scour her blog and website, Tasty Kitchen, for new recipes. This one was a hit!
It was super easy and it was a recipe that I decided to do last minute because I happened to have all the ingredients in the house one night.

I give it 8/10 for deliciousness and simplicity.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 24

Ingredients:
■2 sticks Butter
■1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
■1 whole Egg
■2 teaspoons Vanilla
■2 cups All-purpose Flour
■2 cups Chocolate Chips (milk Or Semi-sweet)
■¾ cups Finely Chopped Pecans
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and flour and mix until combined. Spread on cookie sheet with an offset spatula until thin. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle on chocolate chips. Return to oven for 1 minute. Remove from oven and spread chocolate thinly over the cookie layer.

Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cut into squares. YUM!

Another sweet treat I tried out was this:

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

photo credit: The Pioneer Woman

I knew that both my sister and husband LOVE peanut butter so I decided this would be a nice treat for them over the holidays. They thought they were AWESOME! My mom and I ended up just loving the cookies plain without the filling. They were almost a little too sweet for me but I think they were just right for Caitlin and Trey. I recommend refrigerating them though so that they last longer.

I give this one a 5/10. Pretty simple to make, but a little too rich for my liking.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 12 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 36

•FOR THE COOKIE:
•2 whole Large Eggs
•½ cups Vegetable Oil
•¼ cups All-purpose Flour
•1 box Devil's Food Cake Mix, 18.25 Oz
•_____
•FOR THE FROSTING:
•4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese, softened
•¾ cups Smooth Peanut Butter
•1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
•2-½ cups Powdered Sugar
•3 Tablespoons Milk

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly whisk eggs and oil in a medium bowl. Mix in flour and cake mix until well blended. Roll into 1 inch balls and bake for 8-10 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For the frosting:
In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla. Add in powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Add in milk a little at a time until you get the desired consistency.

Spread about 2 Tablespoons of frosting onto the bottom of one cookie and then place another cookie on top, bottom sides facing in. Repeat with remaining cookies and frosting.

YUM! I also tried a beef stew the other day that I plan to review, as well as some stuffed mushrooms I made over the holidays. Get excited!

Christmas Craft

I am thinking of being crafty this weekend. For some reason, the holidays make me feel like being domestic and I want to bake, craft, etc. I am in need of a centerpiece for either the kitchen table or coffee table and I think this would be perfect.

I found this idea http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2009/12/ho-ho-ho-santa-craft.html and cannot wait to try it! She has a great blog, if you have never checked her out you definitely should.

What do ya'll think? Cute right?

I will post pictures once I hopefully conquer this.

*In other news, I just accepted my first subbing job for next week. On Wednesday I will be a middle school math teacher, so wish me luck because I am pretty nervous/excited!*

Warrior Dash Fall 2010

A couple of weeks ago, Trey and I, my dad, Mike and my two best friends, Jessica and Courtney participated in the Central Texas Warrior Dash. Trey and I had a "kind-of" been preparing by running a few times a week, but I had definitely not run 3.1 miles yet so I was very nervous going into it.

The day before the race, I got hit with a major cold. After taking every drug I could, nothing would get rid of it and I was dreading running the next day. I absolutely did not want to miss out on the race and knew I would regret it if I did. So I mustered up the strength and decided to conquer it running with tissues in my hands the whole time.

The race itself was Cuh-Razy! I just wish I had a camera during the race to capture all the obstacles. I will post pictures throughout this although most are pre and post race.
Here is a link to a map of the course:
http://www.warriordash.com/register2010_central_texas.php

I knew that everyone was in better shape/health to be running than I was so I decided not to push it from the very beginning. After the first two obstacles of jumping through a junkyard of cars, and hurdling over some wooden walls, I was left in the dust by everyone I knew. No one was in sight, and soon I heard screams yelling "Medic." I freaked out, and started praying, please don't let it be anyone I know. Luckily it was not, but unfortunately for this lady she fell going down a rocky hill, and definitely broke her wrist. I am not a doctor but when you see a bone sticking out I am sure that means it was broken. Eek.

All throughout the course there were hills, which after running in Houston, I was definitely not prepared for. Note to self, practice on hills for next race. The next obstacle was tires, and then following that was running through a creek. Going into this I though pssh, no big deal, a creek, that should be easy. HAH. This creek was COLD, and extremely muddy. Running through it up to your knees, your feet just sunk in the cold mud.
Thank goodness, I had caught up to Courtney and was running/hopping in her tracks behind her. Seriously, Court, thanks for waiting for me. That was a lifesaver. It is such a bummer running by yourself and I know you are one of the reasons I got through the rest of the race.

Anyways, after the creek we came up to a steep ravine that we would use a rope and some boards to get up. It is hard to describe. We waited in line at least 10 minutes to get up it because there was only two ways up and the people around us were getting extrememely frustrated. They finally let people go around if they really were that irritated but Court and I stuck it out and made it to the top.

Once you got to the top though, there was only one way down. A slick, muddy mess. The easiest way was to just slide on your butt in the mud. It may have been the messiest but it was definitely the easiest.

Next was, in my opinion, the hardest obstacle. Ugh. It makes me hurt just thinking about it. It was basically horizontal cargo nets that you had to crawl across that were probably 5 feet about the ground. It was a lot harder than it sounds I promise.

Then we made our way through the tangled spider web ropes and I knew we were almost there. FINALLY!

We had a tower of hay bales and the finish line was in sight!

From this point on, our family and friends (Mom, Caitlin and Cindy) could see us coming. We mauevered our way up a cargo net and Courtney jetted off to finish the race.

I had now come to point that I was dreading, the fire jumps. This was a point where I can say I did not slow down, I wanted over that fire as fast as possible. It surprised me how much heat it put out but it was over in the blink of an eye.

Finally, we had the mud crawl. Before the race, some other women that ran in tutus warned us to take them off before we got in the mud because they said it weighs you down. Of course, we blew them off and said nahhhh, we can do it. Boy, were we wrong.

Not only does it feel like you are lugging and extra ten pounds but my tutu got caught on the barbed wire. Not cool.

But, I made it through. Whew. And I am so so so glad that I participated. It proved to me what I am capable of and I am so proud of myself. Mike kicked butt and ran it in 23 min, and my dad was close behind. I am also so proud of my husband and friends. Trey finished right behind Jessica, and his time was about 37 min. For not training really, that's pretty impressive!

After the race, we had the fun task of getting clean. This took longer than the race did I think!
Once we were clean, we got to enjoy our free beers and were able to people watch for a bit. Hunger got the best of us, and we decided to head to Austin to eat at Shady Grove. Overall it was a GREAT day!

I am looking forward to the next Warrior Dash and I challenge anyone to do it with me!There were all levels and I won't lie, I walked A LOT. It was so much fun and it is a great way to prove to yourself that anything is possible!

Dog Days Are Over

This one is sure to get you moving:

Florence and the Machine- The Dog Days Are Over

I love this video, and it pretty much illustrates what I do in the car when this song comes on too.



And of course my favorite show, Glee, had to cover the song too! Can't wait for the episode to air tomorrow.




Happy Monday!

Tasty Tuesday except it's Thursday

Well I meant to post on Tuesday when I had planned to make my mom's broccoli cheese soup, but I never got around to making it so it didn't happen.
Next week though, next week.
Instead I am sharing something that I made the last time my parents were in town.

I decided to conquer one of the Pioneer Woman's recipes-
Layered Salad:

That's an actual picture of my salad, isn't she pretty?!

Overall, I was pretty impressed. I think I would maybe add some ranch seasoning to the dressing next time because I LOVE ranch. But overall, I thought it was a BEAUTIFUL salad and fairly easy to make. Also, definitely use the amount of lettuce she says because I thought she was crazy and that it seemed like it was a TON so I cut it in half. I WAS WRONG. The lettuce shrinks down overnight so definitely go by the recipe. Here is a link to her step by step instructions.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/08/layered-salad/



Recipe: Layered Salad
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 12

Ingredients
SALAD:
-2 heads Iceberg Lettuce, Chopped
-8 ounces, fluid Baby Spinach, Washed And Dried
-Salt And Pepper, to taste
-8 whole Hard Boiled Eggs, Chopped
-16 ounces, weight Bacon, Cooked And Chopped
-4 whole Tomatoes, Chopped
-1 bunch Green Onions, Thinly Sliced
-8 ounces, weight Cheddar Cheese, Grated
-1 bag (10 Ounce) Frozen Peas, Partially Thawed
-FOR THE DRESSING:
-½ cups (Real) Mayonnaise
-½ cups Sour Cream
-1 Tablespoon Sugar (more To Taste)

Preparation Instructions
In a clear glass bowl, layer salad ingredients in the order they appear above, concentrating ingredients around the perimeter of the bowl and filling in the center with lettuce, if needed. End with the layer of peas.

Combine dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and mix well. Pour over the top of the peas and spread to cover, bringing dressing all the way out to the edges of the bowl.

Cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Toss just before serving.

I am off to finish some tutu's for the Warrior Dash this weekend- pictures to be posted soon, hopefully tomorrow!

Oh Hello Blog World

Hello Blog World..it's nice to see you again..
I am sure everyone was checking my blog daily the past three months to see if I posted...
Well today, November 14, 2010, I am making my return to blogging.

I just returned from Dallas where I spent the weekend with my girlfriends because Saturday was Jenn's bridal shower. I cannot believe her big day is only 4 months away!!

Lots has happened since my last blog, life changes and such. I will get into those another day but today I want to start something that I plan to do every Sunday.

It will be called Song Sunday and I plan to share the current song that I am obsessed with. I figure if I can plan a couple of themed days during the week, it will encourage me to blog more.

Look out for:
Tasty Tuesday
Favorite Things Friday
And of course future Song Sundays

Now without further ado, Stuck like Glue by Sugarland:




Hope it makes you tap your toes and puts a smile on your face!

Have a MARVELOUS MONDAY!

Happy Father's Day!

What Is A Dad?

A dad is someone who
wants to catch you before you fall
but instead picks you up,
brushes you off,
and lets you try again.

A dad is someone who
wants to keep you from making mistakes
but instead lets you find your own way,
even though his heart breaks in silence
when you get hurt.

A dad is someone who
holds you when you cry,
scolds you when you break the rules,
shines with pride when you succeed,
and has faith in you even when you fail...
-Unknown

Thanks Dad for being the man I admire. Your caring spirit, your work ethic and love for your family inspire me to be like you every day. Your love for Mom showed me how a man can love a woman and what a marriage should be like. I may be all "grown up" now but I will always be your little girl. I love you! Wish I was there to celebrate with you today.

And maybe one day I will be lucky enough to be able to dance like you...

A Year Ago

A year ago this week I was graduating college....today I am back in school to become a middle school teacher.
I never would have thought this is where I would have been a year from graduation, but boy I would not change it for a second.
I think I have found my calling and cannot wait to see what this next year holds in store for Trey and I.
I am just so happy!

More details to come once I finish this class. Only three more days! WH09P!

Life is Crazy

My blog has been neglected and I apologize.
I feel like my life has been a blur since I got a job and have been going 90 miles an hour. I will not bore everyone with details about the job but instead I want to just ramble on about random some things that are on my mind...
One,

MARCH MADNESS IS HERE!!
I love college basketball and March is the best month of the year. I look forward to filling out my bracket and competing with my friends. The underdog upsets are probably the best thing about it...except when they mess with my bracket.
Like this one today:

I am still in SHOCK! But I am so happy for Murray State, I cannot even imagine what it is like on their campus right now.

Gotta love the Madness!

As I sit here right now, yelling at the computer watching the scores, Trey is sitting on the couch watching 20/20 The Bachelor Revealed. Anyone else see something wrong with this?

ANYWAYS,

Here is something else that is on my mind,

I am so sad for Sandra Bullock. I know she is a celebrity, and no I do not know her but she just had the best year of her career EVER..and this week she finds out her husband was having an affair.So so sad.
I really thought they were one of the celebrity couples that was real and might actually survive the crazy celebrity lifestyle. Oh well, I guess it just proves that appearances really mean nothing.

Also,

I am obsessed with The Pioneer Woman ever since my sister-in-law got me her cookbook for Christmas. Seriously Ree Drummond is just AWESOME.
I read her blog almost daily and check her sister site Tasty Kitchen for great recipe ideas.
Well today, as I am perusing the web I find out that Columbia Pictures is actually making a movie based on her life, and they are saying Reese Witherspoon will be playing Ree.
It is amazing how by simply having a blog this woman's entire life has changed.
You can check out the link to her blog on the left if you have never read it. I HIGHLY recommend her recipes because she posts amazing pictures of each and every step!
I am hoping to make these soon..Molten Chocolate Lava Cake
Heavenly

And these don't look too bad either...
Apple Fritters...aka fried deliciousness


I guess that is enough random thoughts for today.
I am hoping to get a post up this weekend that actually pertains to the Evans' household so be on the lookout for that. It is possible it will include pictures from our rodeo visits, maybe a picture or two of our sweet puppies, and you might even get a good story out of it so stay tuned...

Helloooo Real World!

Well everyone it has FINALLY happened!
I have a real honest to goodness J-O-B!

I got hired officially on Tuesday, and will be the Assistant Member Activities Department Head at Lifetime Fitness-Champions. This basically means I will be planning events and activities for both the adults and kids at the gym. Events like summer camps, sport clinics, classes for kids, birthday parties, special events like the Daddy Daughter Dance (which is next weekend), etc. I also get a free gym membership outta the deal which is even better cause it was draining our bank account every month. If you want to learn a little bit more about the company here is the web site:

http://lifetimefitness.mylt.com/index.jspa

I will be going to Allen Mon-Thurs to train with the woman that is in charge of all the Member Activities programs in the state. I am anxious to learn and get this show on the road!

I am very excited to see what this next step in my life will hold and I think this is going to be a job that I will really love. I want to sincerely thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers over the last few months. Your support truly got me through it all!

Job

WAHOOOOO I have a job interview tomorrow!
So Pumped!
Trying to think HAPPY HAPPY thoughts!
I will let everyone know how it goes tomorrow evening!
That's all.


PS Sorry for the depressing post last week. I am much better now, I just needed to get it off my chest. Thanks to everyone though for their words of encouragement and support. I have the greatest friends and family!

The Struggle

I am struggling..
Struggling with trying to find my place in this big city, struggling to find a job, struggling to remember that everything will work and that this is all in God's plan. The struggles I am facing I know I will overcome but everyday when I wake up and realize that I have nothing to do, it is a constant struggle to get out of bed. I do get up and I thank God for all the blessings in my life every day but as every day passes it is getting harder to do so.

As many of you know I have been unemployed since I moved to Houston in October. Since then I have applied for quite a few jobs. In fact in the last two weeks alone I have applied at:

1. The Container Store
2. Bath and Body Works
3. World Market
4. Francesca's
5. Front desk job at my gym
6. A Youth Services Director job at my gym, and at another gym nearby
7. Substitute in Klein ISD
8. Substitute in Cy-Fair ISD..which turns out won't take on any new subs until March
9. Temp jobs at Rice
10. Admissions coordinator at Rice
    
11. Temp jobs at University of Houston
    

I avidly check job websites everyday. I honestly feel like that is all I do. And how many of the above jobs require a college degree? About 2 of them...how sad is that? When you look at it like that it is hard not to get discouraged and feel like why on earth did I get a college degree? Why am I in debt up to my ears for something I am not even using? I know I am just being pessimistic, but until something proves me wrong I think my attitude about college educations will stay the same.

Ok sorry for the Debbie Downer post...I just needed to get it off my chest. I will continue to keep my faith and try to remember that it will all work out. I just want to be successful and contribute to our family. I will try to update this from time to time with my job search results if there are any.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
Psalm 3:5,6

New Years

Trey and I knew we wanted to do something fun for New Years this year but the days leading up to it we still had not made any definite plans. We had pretty much just accepted that we were going to just sit at home and watch the ball drop by ourselves (which don't get me wrong, would have been fine) but we still held out hope that we would be able to do something a little more exciting.

Luckily, the day before we got two phones calls that completely changed our plans and for the better! Both of my sweet best friends, Courtney and Jessica, and Trey's best friend, Mason had all decided to come to Houston to celebrate with us. We were so excited and surprised.

I like a crazy mad woman cleaned like crazy as soon as I found out, and I had the apartment looking pretty good. Just as I was relaxing, taking some time to enjoy sitting down for awhile there was a pounding on our door and it scared the poo outta me! Little did we know, but Courtney and Jessica were standing there, surprising us a day early. It was such a great surprise and I was so happy to see them! Mason came down later that night and we had a great time playing Disney Scene It, and sitting around catching up.

Trey unfortunately had to work half the day New Year's Eve, so we all just laid around and enjoyed each others company. I was just so grateful to have such amazing friends that would be willing to spend the holiday with us in our one bedroom apartment.

We got ready for the night and went to eat at one of our favorite restaurants Ruby Tequila's. YUMMMMM! We even tried their pineapple tequila bites, which I do not recommend.

They are very STRONG!

Later on that night we met up with some friends at a bar near downtown, and then ended the night at our friend Vince's house. We rang in the New Year with our best friends and I could not have asked for a better way to celebrate. Thanks Mason, Court, & Jessica for coming to see us!

Here are some pictures capturing our night:

OK I Give...Time for Some Serious Updating

Where do I even begin?!? I have put off the Christmas/New Years blog update mainly because there was so much to tell and I had no idea where to begin. I have decided that I am going to give everyone the short and sweet version along with some pictures. Buckle your seat belts folks this could take awhile...

Christmas 2009
Our first as a married couple!

Went to a wedding in Round Rock the weekend before Christmas. It was beautiful and so great to see many of Trey's old friends.

{Insert picture we should have taken of us all dressed up}



Spent 4 days with my family in Marble Falls before Christmas Day. Ate WAAYYY too much!

Trey went to Austin one of the days to visit with his buds, while I stayed back and had a baking day with one of my best friends Courtney. I am so incredibly happy she is back in Texas!



We celebrated Christmas early with my parents and Trey was definitely spoiled since it's the first time they have ever had a boy to shop for. Jk Jk Mom and Dad!
And Caitlin I don't know why I don't have a picture of you..weird! Sorry!


But no really, it is our dogs that are spoiled. They had stockings from my parents and they were so excited for all the treats that were inside!


After all of the excitement, the dogs were exhausted. Look at these sweet puppies(minus Bella).


Next stop Kerrville...We spent Christmas Eve and a few days after with Trey's family in Kerrville.


We were lucky enough to meet up with Trey's friends Ana & Jimmy and went to a new place called Grape Juice. Ana & Jimmy are really our only married friends that do not have kids so it is awesome to hang out with them when we get the chance!


We loved spending time with everyone especially our niece and nephew who always keep us entertained. Christmas Eve we played some Skip-Bo, enjoyed some delicious tamales and went to a Christmas Eve service that brought me to tears. There is just something about the song Silent Night that always does it to me.


Christmas Day was filled with lots of excitement and pretty sure the dress up clothes we got Livi were a hit! I am so grateful to have such an amazing family on both sides. I love that my family has doubled this year!

Ok folks, that's all for now, maybe if you're lucky I will finish my New Years post later today and you will get to see it...maybe ;)


And did anyone else notice that there was not a single picture of Trey and I together...hmm I am going to have to make more of a point to take those.

Book Review

For Christmas this year I received Push by Sapphire from my new mother in law. I had asked for this book because it has been critically acclaimed and was recently made into a movie that is receiving lots of Oscar buzz. I knew going into it that this book would be one that would open your eyes to the world of abuse but also one that shows how you can triumph above such horrible things.

I finished the book last night and WOW. It was way more intense than I had predicted. The story is profane and eye-opening, but it makes it "thoroughly real" as the Washington Post says. Precious, the main character, shows the true definition of resilience. She overcomes having two children by her own father, and the horrible mental and physical abuse of her mother. I cannot fathom what it must be like to go through what she did, but this story shows that even when true evil is shown, there is reason to stay faithful. You can overcome any amount of horror if you stay hopeful, which is exactly what Precious did.

If you don't mind extreme profanity and bluntness, and want to read a book about overcoming immense obstacles then I recommend this book. It is a fast read (obviously, it only took me 5 days), but it leaves you thinking about all the little things you take for granted. Precious will forever be in my mind because she has taught me what it really means to be resilient and hopeful. Thank you Sapphire.

It's been awhile

It's been awhile since I have posted mainly because of my laziness and this virus I have been trying to kick. Here is an update on the Evans' lives..

• Conquered two family recipes last week. One, totally from scratch pot roast in my beautiful LeCreuset. Seriously this thing is amazing. It was probably one of the top three roasts I have ever had. Trey even rated it a 9.5 which I was super excited about. I also made a super yummy sour cream chicken enchilada casserole which we ate on for dayyyyyyys. I was extremely proud of myself for making two meals that could feed us for more than one night.
  
• We attended Trey's work Christmas party last Friday and it was a lot of fun. We met at his bosses house for drinks and then everyone went downtown to a five star restaurant for dinner. It was a beautiful restaurant in a renovated church. Trey ordered the Japanese kobe steak, and he was extremely impressed!
• Although we did a lot of our Christmas shopping online, today I had to venture out into the madness of Houston to find some last minute items. Luckily I finished up the majority of it because I do NOT want to go to the mall again for a very long time after fighting the crowds and traffic that I fought today.
• Trey and I will be off to see our families on Friday for a week, which we are both very excited about. There will be lots of pictures and posts to come after our visits!
  

Favorite Things Friday

One Word...

SNOW




that is all.

In Other News

I made some delicious banana bread...And we bought our first Christmas tree...poor thing only has lights and one ornament though.