Lifings

Cleveland Rocks

>> Sunday, May 27, 2007

Joe and I left last Tuesday for Cleveland via Corolla. A bowl of Malt-O-Meal Scooters at 4:30am kicked us off, followed by a packed lunch, handfuls of Goldfish, a couple of apples and a Subway sandwich for dinner. We pulled into Cleveland around 11:00pm, eager to lie flat.

Joe had his fourth and final interview with the company Quicken Loans Thursday morning. Although, Quicken's business office is located in a downtown high rise right off the river, the final interview was conducted in a posh club box of Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena, known to the locals as "The Q". Dan Gilbert, Chairman and Founder of Quicken Loans is also the majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and operator of The Q. Which means...free tickets to Cavs games and other events at The Q for those hard working mortage bankers at Quicken. :-)

So yes, the interview with Quicken went quite well. While romping around town Friday afternoon, Joe received THE phone call from Quicken, offering him a position. Joe gladly accepted. We were stoked.

From there, we realized we needed to find a place to live, asap. We had looked at a couple apartments on Wednesday and Thursday, and still had a couple more scheduled for Friday afternoon. We narrowed it down to a very cozy 2 bedroom rental in the Cedar/Fairmount disctrict of Cleveland. Just 100 yds away from our apartment is an array of shops and eateries. There's a european bakery, a gelateria (serving 36 different flavors of gelato, made fresh daily), a tea house, a jazz club, a couple of book stores, a quaint grocery store, a coffee house, the list goes on...

Joe and I are very excited about what's to come. Which is....very soon. Quicken is sending Joe to Michigan on the 24th of June for a couple of days for his initial training. So, thinin three weeks, Joe and I will be settling down, 1,074 miles from Norman.

We're going to have an extra room with a bed in it. Anyone who is in the Cleveland area, is required to come visit and stay with us. :-)

Mr. Mortgage Banker himself pictured in front of The Q.

A super-mall resides in the basement of Joe's office building. No joke.

A massive Nike ad.

Summer Break

>> Thursday, May 17, 2007

Good times were had this past Wednesday at a local family farm. No more class, no more tests, no more papers. So I along with five others from studio went out back and had fun the ol' Oklahoman way. Kevin wanted to give his, or rather his brother's (sorry Eric), Nike hat a nice, rugged touch by spraying it with a couple of lead holes....but after two go's at it with the shotgun....the result was a completely useless article of clothing.

Three hours of rather pointless fun.

The Canadian giving it his first.

The remains.

Thank You

>> Monday, May 14, 2007

Got 'er dun

Delicioso

>> Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Um, yes. Homemade Nutella is probably one of the most luscious spreads around. I'm still in the midst of tweaking the recipe a little.... But as soon as I figure out the right amounts, I will definitely post the recipe.

"Let's go make the ducks fat..."

>> Sunday, April 22, 2007

Indeed we did. With a loaf of stale bread in hand, we fed them fowls like there was no tomorrow. The pond's narrow island was host to a massive flock of geese protecting their future gosling. Pictured above is Momma Goose herself with her handful of incubating little ones.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it

>> Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I finished the last spoonful of Nutella I brought back from my summer excursion in Europe. *sigh* This chocolate hazelnut concoction is heaven in a jar. You can put it on apples, bread, pineapple, crepes, ice cream....ohhhh...ice cream....pancakes, bananas, the list is endless.

I went to the local grocer yesterday to pick me up a new jar of Nutella when horror struck.

Ingredients:
Sugar, Peanut oil, Hazelnuts, Cocoa, Skim Milk, Reduced Minerals, Whey, Partially Hydrogenated Peanut Oil, Soy Lecithin: an Emulsifier, Vanillin, an Artificial Flavor

Oye veh. I put the jar back on the shelf and walked out empty handed.

I came home determined to find a version of Nutella that has not been infected by Americas love of partially hydrogenated oils. The Nutella you buy in Europe contains sugar, vegetable oil, hazelnuts, lean cocoa, lactose, milk powder, and lecithin. Why, when made in the US, is solidified fat added to this drool worthy product?

Not a store in Norman sells an off-brand version or the European version of Nutella. So, I have decided to make some from scratch. This weekend's project....homemade Nutella.

Luna de Miel, Dia Tres

>> Friday, April 6, 2007

Luna de Miel, Dia Dos

>> Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Joe and I took a nice 15 minute walk from our hotel one evening and ventured into Cozumel's merchant/mega touristy area. Cruise ships dock at the city centre every morning, dropping off hundreds and hundreds of trinket hungry Americans. Thus, trying to avoid the daytime craze, we hit the bargain bin at night.

Luna de Miel, Dia Uno

>> Monday, April 2, 2007

Our room! That's right, that's a jacuzzi you see just a couple of steps away from the bed and balcony. Sit in that thing and watch the sun set out your window.....ummmm, it was pretty much as paradisey as you could get.

Tiramisu....all dressed up.

El trumpetisto Jorge called.....he wants his vibrato back.

Mega-Mayan-ant

"Mayan Chicken"

The El Castillo temple of the Tulum ruins, located in the state of Quintana Roo. At the very top of this temple is where they performed human sacrifices to the many many Gods they believed in. It was a great honor to be chosen by the king to be one of these sacrificial gifts. It meant a guaranteed one-way ticket to the land of milk and honey.

Mr. and Mrs. Skinner

Jam

>> Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Here's Joe's dad taking center stage at Othello's the eve of Joe's Birthday. Joe even got to sit in for a few tunes and strut his paradiddles. Good friends, good music, good fun.

ooooooooooooU!

>> Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Oklahoma proud.

*click, click, click, and drop*.........................dang........

Cleveland

>> Wednesday, February 14, 2007

On the RTA en route to the Cleveland airport.

Gourmet On a Budget

>> Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Joe loves to cook, I love to eat. Perfect!!!!

We've been culturing a habit of cooking a great dinner and dessert during one of our weekend evenings. This past weekend Joe cooked up a ziti dish that fostered Italian sausage, fennel, tomato and a sprinkling of parmesan. Coupled with a loaf of organic bread courtesy of Wal-Mart, the dinner was very tasty.

Dessert. Carrot-cake cookies sandwiched with a layer of honey cream cheese. To die for. Definitely a winner. Amy and I found out last year that making an entire carrot cake is on the verge of being waaaay too time consuming. These little cookies though are a cinch, and taste just like their cakey counterparts, just sans the effort.

Please....do try these.

1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 scant cup walnuts, slightly broken
1/3 cup raisins

FILLING
1 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp hopney

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 180°C. Butter 2 baking sheets.
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in another bowl until pale and fluffy. Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins; then add flour mixture to this and beat until just combined.
Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total.
Cool cookies on sheets for 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between.

Enjoy!!!!

Weekend full of wedding bidniz

>> Saturday, January 27, 2007

Joe and I are slowly getting to the last leg of wedding "to-do" items on our list....which I must say, is very comforting. Fortunate enough to have a good friend with a thuper thweet camera, Joe and I enlisted John to take our engagement pics. Good times were had around campus late yesterday afternoon. For a couple of highlight shots, visit ol' John's blog aqui------> :-)

This morning, amidst the sudden, 30 minute Oklahoman snow blizzard, Joe and I ventured to our tuxedo appointment. Dear Joseph tried on a tux we had picked out, and boy-howdy he looked good! Pictured above is the smooth criminal himself.

Kiddos

>> Thursday, January 25, 2007

Some snaps of some little ones from the past OU/Texas game.

Food Porn

>> Tuesday, January 23, 2007

This, my friends, is hot chocolate for the strong of heart. It ain't no Swiss Miss. A combination of cocoa powder, good thick milk, and a spoonful of sugar, this hot chocolate satisfies your deepest of cocoa cravings. A new favorite evening drink of Joe and I's, it is a must share.

Take about a tblsp and a half of cocoa powder and just enough milk and combine it in a small cooking pan. With the burner on about medium flame stir your cocoa and milk until you begin forming a paste-like consistency. Slowly begin adding milk, little bits at a time, giving the paste a chance to dilute itself. Keep adding milk in small increments until you have about two teacups worth of hot chocolate. Add as much sugar as you'd like for your own personal tasting. Joe and I like about a tblsp in our concoction. Pour into small teacups, and enjoy! For added delight.....whip up some of your favorite heavy cream into a fluffy treat and add a dollop of it to your steamy treat. :-)

Cozy

>> Saturday, January 13, 2007

As temperatures dipped into the twenties, motion was made to create fire. Joe and I labored over our logs trying to get the Oklahoma timber to stay lit. Joe chopped up some kindling, and all was well after we got those babies to light under our girthier logs. S'mores had been rosted and devoured, and the homemade chili was next in line....'Twas a picturesque winter evening.

Fancy that

>> Thursday, January 4, 2007

Royal Northern College of Music = Accepted. :-)

Estrogen domination

After a riveting couple of hours of playing charades on New Year Eve, let's just face it, girls rule and boys do indeed drool. Pictured here are Joe, John and Jerod, J cubed if you will, sporting the traditional loser "L" upon their foreheads after facing the wrath of their female counterparts.

Pastry from afar

Lacey brought back some delectable treats from the land of the boot. Pictured here is a chocolate hazelnut piece of heaven. Joe and I took care of this one in less than a minute. For a couple of days, we housed some real deal salami. You ain't had no salami until you've had the Italian kind. Sheesh....it was good. Dry cured with spices of all kinds, it was definitely hard to stop eating slice after slice after slice after slice......

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