John McCain Makes Some Good Ribs

Say what you will (silently to yourself, not in the comments please) about the man's politics but he has a decent rib recipe. I saw his rib recipe on Year of Crockpotting a couple of weeks ago and saved it. We love ribs so I decided to give it a try.The meat was tender and falling off the bone. The lemon flavor was a little spotty. The ribs that were on the bottom of the pot were more lemony than the ones at the top. So if I made it again I would add more lemon.
And look Crash Hot Potatoes! I made them again. I left in the water a little too long (oops) so they were a lot softer than last time. But still just as yummy as the last time.

Sharing Some Blog Love

You might have noticed that I've been changing up my blogrolls. I trimmed the wedding list and added food, just regular folks, and blogs that give me reasons to shop.
I wanted to highlight a couple of the blogs I think you should check out.

Eat Make Read-I stumbled across this blog a few weeks ago. I'm planning on making these pretzels soon.
Oven Love-Natalie took a little break but she's back. Great recipes with a you can make this tonight kind of mindset. I saved these Smoky-Spicy Tamale Pies for one day.
Soy and Pepper-I have no idea how I stumbled on this little gem. She makes a lot of yummy food. I must have saved a dozen other recipes. Look for me to be linking to her site frequently.
Erin Cooks-check out her recent visit to Seattle. She loves Top Pot donuts now and attempted her hand at making her own.

I'm always looking for more great blogs. If you have a recommendation let me know.

Lost Wedding Post

I was on the bus, listening to my iPod when I realized I never blogged about the music we used in our wedding. Our musical choices were important to us and a secret before the wedding. Which is why I never talked about them before the wedding. I don't know why I didn't blog about this sooner.
Tai's entrance with his mom

Tai had the hardest time choosing a song. Jeff sat with him the night before the wedding and helped him choose a song. I threatened to use either the Indiana Jones theme or Darth Vader's march if he didn't choose a song.
The groomsmen choose this song:

I had no idea they used this song. I had to ask Tai since I didn't hear it at all. I was off to the side with Dad, probably talking.
The bridesmaid and me and Dad walked down the aisle to this

I choose this song several months before the wedding and kept it a secret from most everyone. Yeah, no here comes the bride for me.
Our recessional song was

I really love the lyrics to this song. It's hopeful and true. Our future is unwritten.
Ok, so now you know :0

So Good I Forget To Take Pictures

I made Ree's Hot Crash Potatoes and Martha's Spicy Apricot Glazed Chicken the other night. I've had that chicken recipe for a while but I'm only allowed to make chicken once a week. Tai's not a fan of chicken so I limit how many times I make it.
With the chicken I substituted raspberry jam for apricot because that's what I had. I also put more red pepper flakes than the recipe called for making it a little on the spicy side.
And with the potatoes I added a little bit of goat cheddar to the tops of them once they were cooked. Yum! Both these recipes are keepers.
The chicken takes no time at all so I started the potatoes earlier and let them cool while the chicken finished up. But I think the whole meal took less than an hour to make which is awesome for a weeknight.
Look for pictures of those eventually. I know I'll be making both of them again.

Yummy Pumpkin Bread

Whole Foods was having a good sale on organic pumpkin puree, so I bought a couple of cans. It's too early to make pumpkin pie. I'll be sick of it if I make some now, so I decided to make pumpkin bread. Just cause I didn't want pie didn't mean I didn't want some yummy pumpkin. Using this recipe, I made this yummy bread.I left out the nuts since I didn't have any and I used pumpkin pie spice instead of all those different spices. It came out moist and just pumpkin-y enough.

Musical Events of My Life

So I went to Music Outfitters and typed in the year I was born, the year I graduated from high school and the year I graduated from college for this very silly post. I'll bold the ones I liked and italicize the ones I didn't like. The others I have no feelings towards.

Top 10 from the year I was born:
1. Silly Love Songs, Paul McCartney and Wings
2. Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Elton John and Kiki Dee
3. Disco Lady, Johnnie Taylor
4. December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night), Four Seasons
5. Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry
6. Kiss And Say Goodbye, Manhattans
7. Love Machine (Part 1), The Miracles
8. 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon
9. Love Is Alive, Gary Wright
10. A Fifth Of Beethoven, Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band

Top 10 from the year I graduated high school:
1. The Sign, Ace Of Base
2. I Swear, All-4-One
3. I'll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men
4. The Power Of Love, Celine Dion
5. Hero, Mariah Carey
6. Stay (I Missed You), Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
7. Breathe Again, Toni Braxton
8. All For Love, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart and Sting
9. All That She Wants, Ace Of Base
10. Don't Turn Around, Ace Of Base

Top 10 from the year I graduated college:
1. Too Close, Next
2. The Boy Is Mine, Brandy and Monica
3. You're Still The One, Shania Twain
4. Truly Madly Deeply, Savage Garden
5. How Do I Live, LeAnn Rimes
6. Together Again, Janet
7. All My Life, K-Ci and JoJo
8. Candle In The Wind 1997, Elton John
9. Nice and Slow, Usher
10. I Don't Want To Wait, Paula Cole

Was Ace of Base really that popular in 1994? I don't remember. I remember them but I didn't think 3 of their songs deserved the top 10.
I don't even think I know Too Close by Next. That song was not popular at my college so I never heard it.
It's fun to look at old songs and see what songs I'd forgotten about.

Nervous Nelly

Ever since I was a little kid I was a nervous person. I clearly remember freaking out in 1st grade and insisting on going home. That happened several times til I just stopped one day. In fact being nervous has kind of weaved its way throughout my life. I can remember times that being nervous has stopped me from being with friends, trying new things, going to Disneyland (just for one day, I was able to go the next). My nervousness comes and goes. Sometimes I can't seem to get out from under it and sometimes I'm just not nervous.
I handled the nervousness by ignoring it for years. My dad thought I should see someone for it when I was a kid but my mom thought I would grow out of it. When I got older it was just something that I couldn't help like blushing. I figured that I was just this way and there was no point in trying to change it.
After I met Tai, right before we got engaged, I started having horrible panic attacks, worse than before. I wasn't sure what to do. I had trouble going to work, seeing friends, leaving the house in general. I knew I didn't want to be a shut in, so I had to figure something out. I went to therapy, found a good counselor, and started taking meds. I still get nervous. I had two little panic attacks on our wedding day. I thought it was going to be worse so I prepared a list of things that might go wrong for Marta. Thankfully she never needed it.
So why am I telling you all this? Part of it is this is who I am. This blog is about me and my life so I don't want to hide behind partial anonymity. Also I'm hoping that this will help others. I know there are other people who feel similarly and don't seek help, thinking that this how they are supposed live their life.
I have an anxiety disorder and I'm on the road to making it better. I do not want to take the meds for my whole life but they made sense for me to take now. In a few months I'm going to work on getting off them. But until then I'm less afraid to try things. Fewer things make me nervous. And when I get nervous I just deal with it.
I'm a little nervous posting this. So please be nice. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Squash Obession Continues

Look I made this butternut squash soup! Super easy. I did add some butter to make it slightly creamier. Tai really liked it but I really made it for Dad since he had oral surgery. Hopefully he likes it too.

Aw, Shucks!

Rachel gave this award last week!It's my first award. I'm thrilled!
The Uber Amazing Blog Award is a blog award given to sites who:

• inspire you
  
• make you smile and laugh
  
• give you amazing information
  
• are a great read
  
• have an amazing design
  

The rules of this award are:

• Put the logo on your blog or post
  
• Nominate at least 5 blogs (can be more) that for you are Uber Amazing!
  
• Let them know that they have received this Uber Amazing award by commenting on their blog
  
• Share the love and link to this post and to the person you received your award from.

So I award this award to...

Linda at Little Miss Planner
Cindy of PooBou
Holly of Peace Is Upstream
Tiffany of AllThatBlooms
Daisy's Favorite Things

Thanks, Rachel. I'll treasure this award forever. Especially since you took time a week before your wedding to award it!!!

Currently....

needing

Muffin Tin by honeylin
My last muffin pan died last weekend. I thought silicone would be pretty durable. Sadly no. Perhaps I bought cheap silcone and might have more luck with another brand. Or is time to move back to metal?

eating
Tai loves mac & cheese despite his lactose intolerance. We gave this one a try and I really like it. It's whole wheat pasta so I feel a little better about it. But it's very creamy. My only complaint is that it doesn't seem to make a whole lot. It probably makes enough for 2 reasonable people!

wearing
I've been wanting to buy cute rain boots forever! I could never find a pair in my size until this week. I bought these adorable rain boots at Nordstrom Rack! $25! What a deal.

I <3 Forever 21

I really do love Forever 21. I can't fit into any of their clothes, but I love their accessories. It's the prefect place to go and find the latest thing without blowing a lot of money. Marta and I recently went to the Forever 21 near us and found a plethora of wonderful accessories:

Forver 21 jewlery by honeylin
None of these pieces is over $10. I love buying one or two cute things and using them for a season or two. The right necklace or bracelet can enliven last season's sweater. It really helps me change up my wardrobe for cheap!

Ree's Baked Acorn Squash

If you don't read The Pioneer Woman Cooks, head over there and check it out. I love Ree and she has some damn good looking food.
I bought acorn squash before I left for Vancouver so I had to make them when I got home. I followed Ree's instructions pretty closely.
Very yummy. I did have to cook mine a little longer than Ree did-about 20 minutes longer. A nice breakfast treat!

My Weakness

When it comes to food I love good food, but my weakness is bread. And not just any bread, french bread especially from Top Foods.All soft in the inside and all crunchy on the outside. I can't seem to leave the parking lot without tearing off a bite! How did I get a picture of a whole one? I bought two. So freaking yummy!
What's your food weakness?

Swapping

Get your minds out of the gutter, people!
I recently signed up for Swaptree. I liked that you could swap books, movies, CDs, and games. I'd seen other sites where you just swapped books which is a little limiting.
I recently completed my first trade. I swapped this:And got this:
It's free to list and swap. The only thing you pay for is shipping. I sent the book with 3 day shipping for about $2. You only have to trade for things you want. I'm looking movies that I want to add to our collection and games that I'm wanting to play. Check it out!

Vancouver

Marta, Ashley, and I headed to Vancouver to see Madonna. I had never seen Madonna before so this was definitely one of those things I always wanted to do!
We took the train to Vancouver Thursday morning. I would definitely recommend taking the train. It took about 3 hours to get there and the train was nice. Plus there lots of room on the train to stretch out. But 3 hours is my limit on a train though.
We stayed in the Yaletown district of Vancouver thanks to Marta's folks timeshare. We got there about lunch time and ate at Glowbal.
The food was really good here. I would definitely recommended it.
Then we went in search of a treat. We found Chocolatl and bought truffles.
Ashley ate her Dulce de leche before I could take a picture! My lavender truffle is on the left. On Ashley's plate the carmel truffle on the top and the cinnamon truffle underneth. Some yummy truffles.
Then we went back to the hotel to rest and get ready for the evening. First, me and Ashley.Me and Marta.
And since everyone and their mother in Vancouver recommended Milestones for dinner we went. We decided that the hotels must of gotten some kickback from Milestones since all the hotel employees recommended it. I wasn't impressed with the place.
And now the reason we were in Vancouver-Madonna! Here's the stage from our seats:
We were pretty far up but still had a great view. She sang a lot of her older stuff-You Loved Me, Like A Virgin, Hung Up, Ray of Light-but she did them slightly differently than the orginal. I would have preferred the orginal versions but hey, it's Madonna. She put on a very visually pleasing show. I was incredibly glad to see her finally after all these years.
Overall we had a great time. I loved our little getaway. I can't wait for Tai to get his passport so we can go to Vancouver!

Rebuilding New Orleans

I adore New Orleans. I've only been there a couple of times but it left a lasting impression on me. I haven't been since Katrina and since my experience with Ike, I can say I have new appreciation for NOLA.

I happened to be wandering around on the internet and found some pictures of the houses that are being built in New Orleans by the Make It Right Foundation run by Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. I guess they opened the first newly built homes earlier this month. And wow, these homes are awesome.
These 2 are my favorites (All stolen from Make It Right's Website):
I love how the "garage" is under the house. Also helps in case another flood occurs. If this house was on my block, it would take me forever to get used to it.
But it's not all tilted inside! How cool is that. I love this house. Again there is a "garage" underneath.
All the houses were built by international teams of designers designed to be suited to the community and regional needs. Definitely check out their website and see which one is your favorite!

In Love with A Slow Cooker

I received a slow cooker as a wedding gift. I really wanted one. Tai was less impressed. He isn't not a huge fan of stews and pot roast. So I decided to be creative and come up with other recipes.
In the October issue of Real Simple (who else loves this magazine?), I found a recipe for Asian Short Ribs. I dumped all the ingredients in the slow cooker before work one day, turn on the heat and left for the day. Tai usually leaves way later than I do so I checked with him before he left the house. Tai confirmed that the slow cooker was doing it's job and the food smelled yummy!
When I got home (11 hours later!), everything was prefectly cooked. I put the cooker on warm til Tai got home later that night.
Here's our first slow cooked meal:I wasn't a huge fan of the cabbage. I don't think 11 hours in a slow cooker improves the taste of cabbage so I might omit it next time or add it later. But the meat was falling off the bone, so tender! I didn't thicken the sauce enough but it was totally yummy anyway.
I made another dish with my beloved slow cooker since I'm addicted to using it. This is another recipe I made up on my own.

Pork Carnitas

4 lbs of pork shoulder (pork roast works too)
1 jar of your favorite salsa
3 cups of chicken stock

Toss all the ingredients in the slow cooker for 6 hours on low. Once the pork is cooked, take it out to cool. Once the meat is cool enough to handle shred the meat. Heat 1"-3" of oil (olive, peanut, or canola) in a pan. Once the oil is warm add shredded meat. Fry meat in oil, turning to get pieces crispy.
After the meat is cooked, drain meat from oil and serve with garnish (onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado are all good options) and tortillas.You could also skip the frying step and use the pork for burritos, tacos, etc.
Any good slow cooker recipes you like?

Get Out There And Vote

Honestly I don't care who you vote for. I just want you to vote. Every person in this country is affected by the outcomes of every election. It's your right (except if you are a felon in some states). Thousands of men and women died to give you the right and the privilege of being able to vote, so just take the time next week to vote. I signed up for permanent absentee voter status so I look up each issue while completing the form.
Educate yourself with the wealth of resources out there such as:

Project Vote Smart-A nonpartisan website dedicated to candidates, issues, and ballot measures. I used this website for the primary and found it very helpful. You can look at issues in your state only and regional candidates.

Can I Vote-Not sure if you are still registered to vote? This website will connect you to your local resource to find out.

Voter Information via Google-Find the closest place to vote to your home and basic voter information. As well as state specific contacts for more information.

Vote 411- Developed by the League of Women Voters, this resource has a Q&A with the presidential candidates. Plus general voter information.

As well as the individual presidential candidates websites:

John McCain

Barack Obama

Ralph Nader

Bob Barr

Chuck Baldwin

Cynthia McKinney

Vote with however you choose, but please do vote.

In Response to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

If you know me irl, you've probably heard me say this book changed my life. Eh, sort of true. This book reminded me of everything good about eating locally and seasonally. It inspired me to go back out there and start looking for fresh food, not boxed food or processed food. I have done this before. I think I did the 100-mile diet for a month before finding it too difficult to find locally grown olive oil.
And there lies my biggest challenge accepting that I cannot eat all locally grown food. The chicken I bought today was either from a Washington farm or an Oregon one. I have no clue where the mushrooms came from. The olive oil is imported and the pasta from a box. I have to accept I cannot be perfect in this mission but I can buy local, pasture raised meat. I can go to the farmer's market (in season) and buy food straight from the grower. Off season I can look for local produce and eat more seasonally. No more asparagus in November! And in finding local produce I will be inspired to cook more. To make meals that change with the seasons. I find that thrilling and inspiring.
One note of warning. Do not read this book in winter. It will make you sad. No farm fresh tomatoes for you (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). No fresh berries or melons. It made me crave those things despite them not being in season. Save this book til spring when the farms are getting ready to bring their produce to market. Then hopefully it will inspire you too.

Recap Get Hitched Give Hope

Thursday night Kris and I went to Get Hitched Give Hope. It was held at the beautiful Arctic Hotel in Downtown Seattle. Such a pretty place. I'd been there years before they remodeled it, so I was excited to see it now all restored.
Kris bought a swag bag:
I was most impressed by the Dry Soda which is so yummy. It came with such a wonderful glass too. She also got gift certificates for massages, facials, and fitness training. She was wonderful let me take pictures of all her stuff!
The event was really a fundraiser for Making Memories Foundation, but a delightful excuse to fawn over beautiful bridal goodies. I was bummed that I only got one Wink cupcake as they were delicious!