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10.29.2009

Boiler Up!

Last weekend, we went up to Purdue for the Illinois game. Ryan's parents were also up for the game, so we were able to tailgate with his family. It was pretty cold, but we stayed warm by the fire and enjoyed the awesome ribs. The Sawrie's have mastered tailgating food.



brothers



We took a walk around campus, so many memories!

and it's beautiful in the fall.

Afterwards we stopped by the the Speichers house for dinner to see their little girls and the Kunkles. Danielle was actually due the following Tuesday and was experiencing some contractions. She ended up having their baby very early Tuesday morning. An adorable little girl!

10.28.2009

Sibling love

We got to see Drew and Molly on Tuesday!


10.27.2009

What I love about West Lafayette...

Ryan and I were up at Purdue this weekend for the football game and I was reminded of all of my favorite things about West Lafayette (note: they are mostly food). In case anyone was interested, here are the top ten:

1. McCords vanilla coke-McCords is a small soda fountain and candy shop located on Main St over in Lafayette. They will make you a vanilla coke from scratch (syrup, and soda water) that is delicious. Definitely one of my favorite things on warm days in the fall.

2. Vienna's vanilla latte-I don't think I am alone on this one. They are semi-famous around town for their vanilla lattes. Also for their vanilla chai's, but I do not like chai's. Way better than Starbucks if you ask me, and located on Chauncy Hill.

3. Oasis Bali wrap-the Oasis, in the union, has some very unique wraps and soups, and bakery items also. But, the Bali wrap is awesome...it has rice, and this delicious mayo. (The Turkey Club wrap is also delic. with it's guacamole and bacon...Mmmm...)

4. Chumleys-a bar over in Lafayette is my favorite. I am not a fan of most campus bars, but Chumley's has character. It was a great place to meet up with friends and just hang out. They also have schooner night on Tues/Thurs which is a great deal.

5. Cafe Royale-best study place on campus for me. Great coffee, and plenty of room to meet up with friends. I really liked their older location much more than the new one on Northwestern.

6. South Tower-a secret place in the union. I can't give too much away, but it is a cool old room in the union where you can see out over campus.

7. Bistro501 martinis-On Thursday nights, Bistro501 in Lafayette has 1/2 priced martinis. We used to have girls' nights on Thursdays, and dress up and sip fancy martinis. Very fun, but definitely not affordable full price for a college student.

8. Java Roaster-Another one of my favorite places to study. Also located over in Lafayette (right next to Chumleys), I think it helped to feel just a little further from campus. I enjoyed studying in coffee shops a lot, and Java Roaster wasn't always filled with college students. I used to love going there just to read and spend some time alone.

9. Dog n' Suds-hello, you should know by now that two of my favorite things are corn dogs and root beer floats. What could be better than a drive up restaurant with plenty of corn dogs and a lot of root beer and ice cream.

10. Love Shack calzones- a staple for me freshman year. Probably contributed to that freshman 15 thing, but still so good! The Parm was my drug of choice.


I promise I did more than eat and drink coffee while at Purdue. But thinking about all of this is making me really hungry.

10.26.2009

A few more fall recipes - delicious!

I have continued my fall cooking streak, and have a few new recipes I would definitely recommend.

Fresh Peach Pie
3/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt
5 c. sliced fresh peaches
2 tbsp. butter
1 unbaked pie shell 9" & top crust for pie

Peel and wedge the peaches and place in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Pour the dry mixture over your peaches and gently mix. Place the peaches into the pie crust and dot with butter. Put the crust on top, and bake for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.


Butternut Squash au Gratin
2 lbs. butternut squash
1 med. onion, finely chopped (about 1 c.)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. butter, melted
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
3/4 c. finely shredded Swiss cheese

Peel outside of squash, half it length wise, and cut into thin strips. Place in a bowl with onion, butter, salt and pepper, and mix. Spoon into a 9" baking dish and bake, covered, for 30 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, beat eggs, milk, and cheese and pour evenly over the squash mixture and bake an additional 20 minutes.

10.25.2009

Kara's new house!

Last weekend, Tiek and I headed up to Lafayette to see Kara and Ryan's new house!




10.19.2009

Pumpkins

It is about that time to start carving your pumpkins! Again we were off to Tuttles on the northeast side to get some pumpkins. After heading back to Angela's, we got started. Angela is so great, and offered me one of her extra carmel apples and it was DELICIOUS! As you can tell in the pic, I was not willing to put it down :)




My finished pumpkin!

10.14.2009

Apple picking time!

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to pick apples. Luckily, I had some wonderful ladies to come and share this adventure with me. We went to Tuttle's Orchard up on the northeast side of Indy. Just something about putting on a jacket and wandering through the aisles of trees, pulling your wagon, and then baking an apple pie when you get home. Honestly, I am not thrilled about the cold weather, but might as well make the most of it!



crates and crates of apples!




our baskets, filled


and the pumpkins!


10.11.2009

Great recipes

It is fall now, and that makes me want to cook! I have doing a decent amout of cooking lately, and wanted to share some great new fall recipes I have found that were delicious.

Blue cheese stuffed Potatoes
4 medium baking potatoes
½ Cup sour cream
1 oz (1/4 cup) crumbled blue cheese (or a little more :) )
¼ Cup milk or buttermilk
4 Tbs real butter, cut into chunks
¾ tsp salt
Dash pepper
½ t garlic powder
8 pieces bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
Grated cheddar cheese

1. Bake potatoes for 1 hour at 400 degrees
2. Once they are cooked, cut the potatoes in half, and scoop out the "meat" into a bowl (I had to use a potholder to hold the potatoes because they were still VERY hot)
3. Add the butter, sour cream, blue cheese, milk, salt, pepper and garlic to the "meat" and mash.
4. Place this mixture back into the shells and into a baking dish
5. Return to the oven and bake 12-15 minutes
6. Sprinkle cheese and bacon over the top and bake for 3-5 more minutes and you are finished!

For more detailed instructions and pictures check this out:
http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/03/stuffed-bleu-cheese-potatoes.html#
(this blog is awesome, I really like her ideas)

Avocado Ice Cream (must like avocados)
12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream

1. Peel and pit avocados
2. Put avocado, lemon juice, milk and sugar in a blender to puree
3. Place the mixture into a medium sized bowl, and add heavy cream and mix with a whisk.
4. You can chill the mixture for a couple hours before adding it to the ice cream maker or go straight to the ice cream maker (it might just take longer)
5. Place in ice cream maker until it reaches a thick consistency

Low fat apple crisp
7 cups of peeled, sliced apples
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
3 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup quick rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soft butter (or a little more...)

1. In a small bowl combine sugar, flour and 2 tsp. cinnamon.
2. Add to fruit in a baking pan and toss
3. In another bowl combine oats, brown sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and mix. Add butter and use a fork to mix until you have a crumbly topping.
4. Sprinkle on top of fruit
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes
6. Serve with low-fat ice cream


Spaghetti squash
1 spaghetti squash
butter
salt
pepper
Monterrey jack cheese

Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place two halves upside down in a baking dish, and cook for 1 hour at 375 degrees. Once it is finished cooking, scoop out the insides (should come out like spaghetti). Add butter, salt, pepper and cheese.


Enjoy!

10.05.2009

Colts game

Ryan's parents were able to give us their tickets to the Colts game for this past Sunday. We have started a tradition of getting a soft pretzel (with cheese) and nachos at different sporting events. Anyway, the Colts had another great victory!


We were in a new spot, but still great seats!

Chatterbox and the Old Pointe Tavern

On Friday, Ryan and I were able to visit some new spots on MassAve. We really like to try new places, and have been meaning to go to the Old Pointe Tavern...and it was the perfect night! It was cold and rainy, so we both went for a big bowl of chili. And, it was delicious! The chili had a kick to it, for me (the wimp) anyway, but they serve it with plenty of cheese, tortilla chips, and a dollop of sour cream to help. Very good on a cold rainy day.

Next we walked down to the Chatterbox to see one of Ryan's co-workers, Jared Thompson, play the saxophone with his jazz band. The Chatterbox is a local jazz bar, that has live music on the weekends. Ryan described it as the last real dive bar on MassAve. The place is a hole in the wall, doesn't offer much food, but has great music. The cover is pretty reasonable at $5, and you can stay all night...


10.02.2009

Five days in Guatemala and First Fridays

Back in August, our church, IndyMetro Church, made it's first trip to Guatemala to partner with 6:8 Ministries, where they worked with orphans, churches, and a local art school for children. When the group came home, they brought a lot of artwork back with them to sell to support the kids in the art school. Most of the paintings were sold for about $35, and would support a student for a whole year at the art school! What a great idea, and there was a strong turn out for the event. I should also share that Ryan and I have signed up to go on the trip in January. We are really excited to get to go together and to get to know more people at church, and of course serve the people of Guatemala.

A local photographer, Casey Jo Ailes, was part of the group that made this first trip, and she had several of her photographs available for the show as well.

The event was part of First Fridays, where local art galleries stay open late the first Friday of the month. from 6-9. Most of the galleries downtown are located on Mass Ave, and almost all participate. It's fun to walk around, sip on wine, enjoy some cheese and crackers, and share commentary with your husband on some of the different artists :)




Artwork, with pictures of the kids who painted them