Half Pipe Skiing: Olympic Qualifier

We just got back from a wonderful week in my favorite little spot on earth, Park City, Utah.  We always head to Park City for the first half of the Sundance Film Festival, but were extra lucky that the mountain was hosting an Olympic qualifier this past weekend in half pipe and slope style skiing.  Perfect.

My camera gets a workout during this vacation as I gracefully (tongue so far in cheek, I nearly choked) walk the streets of Park City, taking pictures of celebrities who are in town to promote their films (or just in town to score free sh!t...ahem, Lindsay Lohan), so it was no surprise that I grabbed that bad boy (camera) as we headed out to watch the best of the best compete in the half pipe competition. Pretty sure I will be working as a sports photographer*, in no time.

Here's a looksy, from my perch, about half way down the pipe:

Aaron Blunck.  Off to Sochi, to compete 

in the first ever half pipe Olympic events. 

Do you also think he most likely just waved at me?

'oh, hi there'

Zac says he is the man to beat in Sochi. **

* Does a sports photographer need to know a lot about sports, or is it kosher to make guesses? 

** I will take his word for it.  See above. 

Mud Room

Of course I forgot to take a picture of what this room used to be (reoccurring theme, if you will), but it was a bit of a hot mess waiting to happen (wait, wait...that is much to kind of me.  It was actually a hot mess, on the constant!).  The tiny space was flanked by two doors: one out to the garage and one into the house.  In this tiny little space was the washer and dryer and a weird bit of open space that was just begging to be functional.  The main problem with this little space housing the washer or dryer is that the machines would bounce a bit, when in use, and would move enough to actually block the access of the doors.  On a couple occasions Zac would come home from work and literally be locked in the garage, because the washing machine blocked the door from swinging.  Crazy, right!

So, we decided we would do the unthinkable...MOVE THE LAUNDRY TO THE BASEMENT!!!!  OMG!  You would not believe how many people cautioned me against this, to which I always responded, 'if walking down an extra flight of stairs is a huge problem for me, I actually have a much bigger problem that needs addressing'...am I right, or am I right!?! So, we put up some walls in the basement, and later I will take you on a picture tour of our glorious new laundry room.  But for now, here is the very functional space that you step into, from the garage:

This was where the washer and dryer was tucked.  We removed the door 

that flowed into the rest of the house and patched and painted the door surround, 

so the mud room would feel like an extension of the house, not something we want

 to have shut off.  The bench cushion is my favorite thing.  I found an indoor/outdoor 

fabric I liked (well, I crossed my fingers that I liked it, as I only viewed a tiny 

swatch ONLINE) and had it shipped to my mother-in-law in Minnesota.  

She delivered this beautiful cushion when she visited this fall. 

 She is a machine, when it comes to stitching!

Hooks and shelves for everything!!!  

Another fingers crossed purchase was the set of vintage locker baskets.

I saw a listing on Ebay for a set of 4 baskets, but really needed 6, so 

I contacted the seller, in hopes they were selling more, and I was in luck.

I worked a deal and ended up paying $15 per basket, which is quite the

deal (if you ever price them out at a vintage thrift store). I purposefully

searched for locker baskets with closed fronts, so we could actually

conceal stuff such as hats, mittens, baseball mits and bike helmets.

The open shelving below the baskets is perfect for dropping mail, keys, 

school projects.  

   I use a vintage toast rack to hold coupons that are accepted all around our little town.  

They are right by the door out, easy to grab one when we head out.

No, it doesn't get any cuter!  

 

The space opposite the bench/shelving was an awkward

area that was completely underutilized.  We literally shoved

shoes in the corner, and leaned a broom against the wall. 

The walls are an odd shape, so we worked with a carpenter

to create a piece that would fill the space, and really give us 

maximum storage potential.  I love the results.  The upper

cabinets store a lot of back ups: hand soap, paper towels,

cleaning supplies, while the lower right section houses

the vacuum, step stool and broom.  The lower left is loads 

shelving that holds my reusable grocery bags, boots, picnic 

blankets.  

Built in storage.  Ahhh, a place to shove sh!t.

Voodoo Doughnut DENVER

The entrance of the Portland shop.  My friend is holding up the classic

voodoo doll donut (raspberry filled, with a pretzel stick through the heart)

Gaaaaaaaw, I squealed a happy squeal when I read the following text from Zac yesterday, 'did you know a Voodoo opened in Denver?'  Gaaaaaaw, I am squealing again!!!

The legendary doughnut shop in Portland has branched out with the first shop outside of Oregon (me thinks thee ol' marijuana laws have quickly ushered them in.  Pot heads loooove doughnuts**).  Is it Christmas morning?  Basically!

Here are some pics from my last visit to Voodoo (in Portland) in 2008 (yikes, we need to get back to Oregon, that is ridiculous).  I cannot wait for the people of Denver to check them out, and quickly become obsessed with the tasty quirkiness of this shop. 

Pretty certain they were the first to roll out the bacon maple bar.  

I don't want to talk about it...

 The size of your face!

Still don't want to talk about it...

Okay friends, get excited.  Get really excited!  

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION IS JANUARY 15TH, 

WHICH MEANS DOUGHNUTS FOR ALL!!!

Report back your favorites! 

** non pot heads love doughnuts too.  

Curried Turkey Salad

Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal of the year.  I have been menu planning that day, since about 3rd grade (my friends can confirm this), but if I had to load up one more plate of  leftovers I would  lose my mind (or cookies).  Yet, I don't want to waste that delicious bird I labored over.  So for lunch today, I put the turkey to new use and it is DELICIOUS (and wicked protein packed, for those of you who care about that).
 

 2 cups cooked turkey breast

1 cup full fat Greek yogurt

1 T curry powder

3 T agave nectar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)

3 T. finely chopped raw onion

Mix Greek yogurt  (it is already strained, but I set it in a few coffee filters to 

get a bit more moisture off.  For sure use the full fat and Greek yogurt, 

as the lighter versions will make this watery) with the curry powder, agave 

nectar and sea salt.  

Then stir in the turkey (or chicken breast...whatever you have on hand), 

dried cranberries and chopped onion. 

Garnish with sea salt roasted (or raw) cashews and serve on a 

bed of greens or pop it in a sandwich!

YUM!!!  Put those leftovers to work!!!

Cranberry Oatmeal Pan-o-bars

 

These are so quick and easy and certain to please a crowd.  

Start by making (or buying, I will not judge) cranberry sauce.

In a medium sauce pan over medium/high heat 

1 bag of fresh cranberries (washed)
1 cup water

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp orange zest

1 medium sweet apple peeled and chunked

Heat until all the berries have popped open and the apples are 

tender.  I make this a day or so in advance.  Cool then store

in the refrigerator until you are prepping the pan-o-bars.

For the ridiculous bars you need:

1 box yellow cake mix (brand doesn't matter, just a box that yields a 9x13 pan)

2 1/2 cups quick oats

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 tsp pure almond extract (optional)

1 1/2 cups cranberry sauce 

Preheat oven to 375 and grease and parchment line (leaving parchment "handles" along the long side of the pan, for easy removal after baking) a 9x13 pan

Combine the dry cake mix with the quick oats (I use clean hands to mix).  Add melted butter to the dry ingredients and mix until crumbly.  Measure half of crumble into bottom of pan and press firmly, covering the entire bottom of pan. 

Top the base crust with the cranberry sauce (add a T of water, if the sauce is too thick), spreading evenly.  Leave 1/2 inch space around the edges free of cranberry sauce.

sprinkle the rest of crumble on top of the cranberry sauce and with a flat spatula press firmly (this is why I leave the bit of space around the edges, as the cranberries will push to the edges, when pressing).

Bake 18-25 minutes at 375.  The top will be light brown.





When you remove the pan from the oven set it on cooling rack to cool for an hour.  I then run a knife along the edges of the pan and use the 'parchment handles to life the dessert out of the pan and onto a large cutting board.  I cut to size with a pizza wheel.

 yum yum and yum!!!

**many apologies for the cellphone pics, our camera is in for it's annual cleaning**

Kitchen Remodel: AFTER

 

Ahhhhh, this is my new kitchen.  I am obsessed.  I can't quit baking. OMG.

Here's a sneaky of the way it used to look, just for a refresher.

Little stainless shelf above range was cut to size.

I inherited the idea from my friends, Adam & Jade.

It's an under $50 find from Ikea.  Love.

Why yes, I did plan the cabinet hardware to mimic

the appliances.  Again, obsessed.

The counter (peninsula) that separates the kitchen

from the dining room used to be a full wall, with

an arched doorway, that led into the dining room.

I am so thankful that we took that wall down.  

I am even more excited that the walk through

was roomy enough to support my metro rack 

of random things.  There is a chunk of 

kitschy, old lady that lives in my soul and she just

loooooves kitchen sh!t...

Let's be real, my favorite things are favorites for

great reason!!!  My grandma's juicer, random bowls

I found at garage sales or acquired from my mom, milk

bottles that held flowers at our wedding, a hand blender I scored a flea market

in Seattle, when I took the train up to see a friend when we were newlyweds 

in Oregon...and on and on.  I loooove this stuff. 

One of my favorite things about having this wall gone 

(yes, this was the wall), is the amazing sight lines. I can

see the kids playing in their tent (which was lovingly crafted by my in-laws).

 I used to have to peek around the corner every few seconds, just

to make sure they were playing okay.  Now, they play in peace, while I 

prep dinner.  Very much a win/win on that front. 

I am equally excited about the great work surfaces, which the old set up lacked greatly.  

The microwave/convection combo was a must have, as I didn't want to lose 

our limited upper wall space to a microwave, and I love the idea that I have 

an additional oven, when I am on a roll and can't shove everything into the

main oven.  Priorities, my friends...priorities.

 

Can you now even stand that a wall used to stand

here?  UH-mazing, right

So...come visit.  We'll get our bake on!!!

Kitchen Remodel: BEFORE

 

 Celebrating the one year anniversary that we moved into our house,

it is fun to report that the kitchen remodel is complete.  

This is a few snaps of the old space.  Yes, yes...it was a clean little space.

It just wasn't a functional space.

I never got used to electric heat cooking.  Pulling a gas line in for the 

kitchen remodel was at the top of my list.

It is a bit hard to see in this photo, but just beyond the sink island

was a gas fireplace that jetted out and created an awkward corridor.

It also blocked the views of South Table Mountain (and Coors Brewery...oh what)

from the living room. 

A little desk in the kitchen is a nice idea.  Although steps

off of the kitchen is a proper office, so this felt like a 

waste of space, where instead there should be storage.

the footprint of the kitchen is small enough, that every corner

needed to be utilized for functionality.

Here is the fireplace.  I do already miss it, on cold nights...

although I don't mind snuggling up in blankets.  I also enjoy the view

so much more.  There is a large niche in the wall, just to the left of 

where the fireplace used to sit.  Someday, that will house a gas fireplace,

as we had them turn the gas line, to accommodate that down the road.

Mountain view BLOCKER.  Bad design choice!

Okay friends, I can't wait to show you the new space...this week.