Houston Temple

We went to the temple tonight with our friends, Jeff and Catrina. And I forgot to take my temple recommend! That's the first time I've done that. I keep it in my wallet and at the last minute I decided not to take my purse. They called my bishop to confirm I had a current recommend and even though he was released a week ago, they let him vouch for me :) I took this photo on all manual settings!

Around the Farm

I worked on an assignment for my photography class tonight. I had to take multiple photos at different settings using all manual settings and manual focus. I usually use partially manual settings but not all, so this was a process for me. Here are some of the scenes around the farm.

The animal barn and my goat, Buttercup

We got our first blossoms on our peas!!

The moon was out early tonight

This kitty doesn't like to be held, it usually runs away from us. So Steve named it Dr. Evil!

Steve built me chicken coop number 2. Now I just to get more chickens :)

Little Boys

I watched my friend, Catrina's, boys again today. They are so cute. The 2 1/2 year old is being potty trained at the moment so being the good friend that I am, I taught him to go pee outside :) She lives on a farm too, so she didn't mind.

Cooking Cooking

Today for our weekly cooking day we made a frittata. It is somewhere between an omelet and a quiche and it was delicious!

You can add anything to a frittata just like you can to an omelet. Today we added diced potatoes, spicy sausage, kale, onions, and white cheddar cheese. Then we topped it with a sprinkle of chives and goat cheese. After cooking it on the stove until the eggs are partially cooked, the pan is placed in the oven to finish cooking. Yum! Plus it gives me another way to use all my eggs from my chickens :)

Blowing Bubbles

I watched my friend, Catrina's, boys today. They wanted "pink milk" for a snack last time they were here, so when I ran to the store this morning with them, they made sure I remembered to buy some strawberry mix for their milk :) I was one of those bad friends that let them blow bubbles in their strawberry milk. They had a great time! I sure love these boys!

Herb and Cheese Omelets

This morning, in my online cooking class, I learned how to make a creamy, delicious omelet. I've made omelets before many times, but apparently I have always overcooked them. The perfect omelet should not have any browning and should be tender and creamy. And mine was! Yummy! It's a good thing we have lots of fresh eggs because we will definitely be eating more omelets around here :)

The Dreaded Budget

Today after school I compiled our expenses for the last six months so we could set up the dreaded budget for this year. I spent the better part of the afternoon and evening getting it done. We always have the best intentions, but don't always follow through on them so well when it comes to budgeting. So we're back at the beginning of a new year committed to try again :) And this year we WILL do better!

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Puppies

This evening we went over to our friend's, Lesley and Gordon, to see their new American Bulldog puppies. They have 3 new puppies that are only two days old. They are so cute! They are keeping the girl, which is the puppy in the first photo - the other two are boys and they are already sold. They use their adult dogs in a therapy program at school.

Texas Roadhouse with Friends

Tonight Victor called Steve and asked us if we wanted to meet him and Lanna for dinner. Since we haven't seen them for awhile, and Steve knows I'm always up for going out to dinner, we gladly met them in Conroe. We went to Texas Roadhouse and really enjoyed our evening!

Cooking Class

This morning I worked on some of my assignments for my online cooking class. I'm taking a course from Rouxbe.com called Professional Cook Certification. I've learned quite a bit from Rouxbe in the last couple of years. Today I did a knife skills assignment showing how to cut carrots in multiple ways.

Then I learned how to poach eggs. I wish I would have been more prepared so I could use them for eggs benedict :) Maybe next time!

Vroom Vroom

Braxton has been looking for a new motorcycle since he sold his last one and yes, he found one! I don't know why anyone in Rexburg, Idaho would want a motorcycle - it's the frozen abyss. I'm personally not a fan of motorcycles but I know the boys are :) Alisa is a sweetheart for being so supportive of Braxton and his toys!

Homemade Vegetable Bouillon

Thursdays are my "Cooking with Friends" day. So today both Vanessa and Season came over and we made another batch of our vegetable bouillon from Rouxbe.com along with a batch of vegetable bouillon using a new recipe from Cook's Illustrated magazine (America's Test Kitchen.) Surprisingly, both recipes were both based on the same recipe so we wanted to see if there was a big difference between the two. I made the new recipe and Vanessa made the one we've made before. The new recipe was much simpler and faster. It had fewer ingredients, was less expensive to make, and they were quite similar in taste. So we've decided it will be our new bouillon recipe of choice :) It may not look like much, but it adds quite a bit of flavor to rice, potatoes, and soups.

Vegetable Broth Base

2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped and washed thoroughly (2 1/2 cups or 5 oz)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (2/3 cup or 3 oz)
1/2 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (3/4 cup or 3 oz)
1/2 cup (1/2 oz) parsley leaves and thin stems
3 Tablespoons dried minced onions
2 Tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
3 Tablespoons soy sauce

For the best balance of flavors, measure the prepped vegetables by weight. Kosher salt aids in grinding the vegetables.

Process leeks, carrots, celery root, parsley, minced onions, and salt in food processor, scraping down sides of bowl frequently, until paste is as fine as possible, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and process for 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl every 20 seconds. Add soy sauce and continue to process 1 minute longer. Transfer mixture to airtight container and tap firmly on counter to remove air bubbles. Press small piece of parchment paper flush against surface of mixture and cover. Freeze for up to 6 months.

The broth base contains enough salt to keep it from freezing solid, making it easy to remove 1 tablespoon at a time. To make 1 cup of broth, stir 1 tablespoon of fresh or frozen broth base into 1 cup of boiling water. If particle-free broth is desired, let the broth steep for 5 minutes and then strain it through a fine-mesh strainer.

Makes 1 3/4 cups base; enough for 7 quarts broth

** I always double it since it isn't any more work :)

Texas Star

When I got home from school today I noticed that when I looked out through the front door from a certain angle it had a red and blue tint to the star pattern in the glass. It was a true Texas star! Apparently at that angle I could see the color of the red chicken coop with the black roof through the star. Kind of cool :)

Spray Finish

Tonight Steve finished his last coat of clear spray finish on the inside of the cabinet boxes and shelves that he is working on. This set of cabinets are the ones that will go next to the refrigerator and hold the oven and microwave. It sure will be nice having the oven off the floor soon :) Plus he designed it to have a bank of cabinets next to this one that will have more large drawers and some shelves for my many cookbooks :)

Dallin and His Snowboards

Dallin has been snowboarding quite A LOT lately while he is up in Idaho for school. I'm not sure if he's really there to go to school or if it's for the snowboarding :) He even has a snowboarding class this semester!

Dallin is on the far left

He is also getting quite the collection of boards! 

Longboards on the left - Snowboards on the right

Dallin's newest acquisition

Hinged

This morning I had a Relief Society Presidency meeting (I'm the 2nd counselor) and this afternoon I'm reading the assignment for my photography class. Neither of these gave me much inspiration for a photo today.

I have a list of picture of the day prompts to use when I can't think of anything else to take a photo of. Today's prompt was "Trio." I took a walk around the farm looking for groups of three. I saw that the hinges on the tractor barn were held on with 3 bolts.

And each door was held on with 3 hinges.

I also got my walk in for the day, so that's good!

Balancing Act

I took my camera out with me tonight to the barn when we went to feed the animals. The cats have finally made the barn their home, especially since Steve filled the empty stall with hay. They climb all over the rafters and the stalls and so far they seem to be doing their job well since I haven't seen any mice in the barn!

My Garden

My kale and lettuce are growing quite well in my garden. It's so much fun when I need lettuce to go out and pick some fresh!

Walk in the Neighborhood

Steve and I went on a walk this afternoon - which we can do now that church is so early! The neighbors across the street are clearing their lot so they can build. This huge machine was parked in their driveway. I've never seen one of these before.

Bees in the Broccoli

My broccoli has gone to seed and the bees are really enjoying the flowers. And since the weather is beautiful today, I spent some time this morning out in the garden with my camera and my macro lens.

Ladybug Ladybug

While I was out feeding the animals this morning I found this ladybug perched on a post. And since I was blessed to have received a macro lens for Christmas, I was so excited to take my first photo of an insect! So I ran inside and grabbed my camera and tripod and headed back to the barn. Luckily it was still right where I left it, and I was able to take some great photos :)

Oreo Cheesecake Bites

Tonight I had a Relief Society planning meeting at my house. We had a nice dinner and dessert - attendance is always better when food is involved :) My friend Amber brought the yummiest Oreo Cheesecake Bites! Delicious!

Oreo Cheesecake Bites

20 Oreos, divided
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 lb (2 packages) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 oz semisweet chocolate
2 oz white chocolate

Preaheat oven to 325 F. Line an 8X8 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Roughly chop 8 Oreo cookies. Set aside.

Finely crush 12 Oreo cookies and combine with melted butter. Press evenly into bottom of the prepared pan using a drinking glass. Place in oven for 5 minutes.

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Add sour cream and vanilla, mix to combine. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Gently fold in the chopped cookie pieces, and pour batter into the prepared crust.

Return pan to oven and bake for about 30-35 minutes, until the center is almost completely set. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 2 hours.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cooled, at least 2 hours. When chilled, remove and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place the pieces on a wax or parchment lined baking sheet. Melt the chocolate in seperate bowls (using 1 tsp of vegetable shortening helps to get a drizzling consistency) and use a spoon to drizzle the chocolate over the cheesecake bites.

Chill the bars until ready to serve.

Recipe Courtesy of Tide & Thyme

Bed & Breakfast

Last week, our friend Emily's sister, Katherine, was in town visiting. They are living temporarily in quarters in a barn while they build in our neighborhood. So they had no room for Katherine and asked us if she could sleep at our house in our spare bedroom. She was a joy to have and I hope she visits again sometime :)

So this week, our friend, Beth, had surgery on Monday and has been staying with us to recuperate. Sabre is happy to have a new friend to spoil her rotten - she is loving snuggling with Beth all day on the couch! And Beth has been enjoying catching up on her favorite TV show "Vampire Diaries." :)

Cooking

My friend Vanessa came over today and we spent the afternoon cooking. We try to do it once a week, but we've been so busy with the holidays, this is the first time we've cooked together in at least a month. We made a Crunchy Mediterranean Salad and a Romesco Sauce served over whole wheat pasta.

I was able to use fresh broccoli, kale, parsley, and thyme from my garden for part of the salad! The salad also had kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, chick peas, and red onion. This is a close-up photo of a red onion since I forgot to take a photo while we were cooking :(

I really liked the Romesco Sauce which was made primarily of red bell peppers that we roasted. Steve wasn't quite as enamored with it though, so I guess it won't become a family favorite.

Back to School

I started school today :) I'm taking a photography class at the community college. I actually took this class about 4 years ago when it was a film based class. Back then in addition to focusing on photography elements, we spent quite a bit of time developing black and white film. They have since updated the class to digital and we will be learning digital processing using Adobe Lightroom. I'm excited! I bought Lightroom this summer and want to learn to use it better :) Plus it will push me to focus more on my photography skills.

Gas Prices

Today we went to Doug Bowen's mission homecoming. He served in Vancouver, Canada - Cantonese speaking. On the way to The Woodlands, we noticed how low gas prices are dropping. Not good for the Texas economy, and especially not for the oil industry. Even though I love the low cost of filling my car, I sure hope that the price of oil goes up soon!

*Update: The following morning on my way home from school I saw gas for $1.59!

Routering Kitchen Cabinets

Steve is so good to spend time almost every day working on some aspect of the house. Ok, so maybe not during Christmas break, but he's back at it! He's building more kitchen cabinets - these are the ones that will hold the oven and microwave. He does such a professional job at it too!

Macro Ring

Playing my with new macro lens :)

It's Time to Go

So it's time to send the Christmas tree on its way. It's bone dry and I'm sure it's a fire hazard, but I've really enjoyed our tree this year and wasn't quite ready to take it down. I think we need to get it right after Thanksgiving next year so we can enjoy it longer :)

Sabre

This is how a typical evening goes for us. First, Sabre wants to play for awhile. Then she perches on the ottoman while Steve is watching TV. And finally she curls up in a very small circle and goes to sleep :)