V-Day and more Snowboarding

Here's a lovely dessert we did for some VIP clients the day before Valentine's. It's a Napoleon with Lemon and Raspberry Mousses, sweet cream anglaise (sauce), and raspberries. Sprinkled with pink toasted coconut.

And at some point on Monday, I got inspired to make some sugar cookies. Here are some pics for ya. I kinda went nuts. haha! Pink and white icing, a piping bag and some little blank "canvases", nothing to it!! Didn't taste too bad either. ; )

Now, I'm still not really sure why I felt impressed to make those cookies, other than I was bored, cause I'm not really big on the "holiday". Quite frankly, I kind of hate it. And yes, you could put me in the category of "bitter singles". For years, I've referred to it as "Singles Awareness Day", because for those of us who are single on that day, we are VERY VERY AWARE OF IT!! Also, it's just a made-up holiday to sell cards, candy, flowers, etc. Blah blah blah.

This year, I guess I wanted to feel better about being single. Cookies always seem to help, right? And just to keep my mind and hands occupied, perhaps. I don't think it worked. This year seems to be harder, for some reason. Now, I don't mean to be all self-pitying or whatever, but I just thought I'd actually SAY how I feel on the subject. Also, I've decided that it shall now be known as "VD". Yup. My greeting? "Happy VD!". Gets the point across, but slightly insulting. Haha! So there. Enough on that subject. On to happier things!!

More Snowboarding Adventures

Here's a pic of Snowbird from the top
of Chickadee (the bunny slope). It was snowing
a bit. Beautiful, chilly day!!

So, I went snowboarding again last Wednesday. I was a bit apprehensive because I hadn't gone in 3 weeks, since the HUGE HIP BRUISE INCIDENT, but I felt like I was ready to get back out there!! And guess what I discovered.....SNOWBOARDING IS FUN!!! Crazy, right?!? Haha. Yes. I have reached the point where everything is starting to click and I'm actually enjoying myself! It's a great feeling. First of all, the guy at the rental place didn't charge me (yay! I swear, it all depends on which guy I deal with. Never the same guy...weird.) so that was a nice surprise. I felt bad I couldn't at least leave a tip, but seriously, I NEVER have cash these days.

Here are my feet strapped to the board.
I really liked this board, so I took a pic, to maybe
get the same one next time.

I was determined to work mostly on toe edge this time. It still scared me, but it was time!! The first thing I had to get in my mind was that my LEFT foot is my lead foot. For some reason, probably cause I'm right handed, I just kept thinking I had to lead with my right. Just one of those stupid things stuck in my brain. I had to let go of that. Once I did, it became MUCH easier! So, I was still attempting to ride to one side of the hill on heel edge and ride to the other on toe edge. I was still afraid of that transition, so I did it VERY slowly. To begin with, anyway. It got easier each time I tried it. For some reason, I still have a hard time going from toe edge back to heel edge, probably because I've fallen on my butt so many times and I'm trying to avoid that. : ) I did fall twice on my bum, but nothing serious. Somehow, I did hyper-extend my left elbow. That didn't feel very good. And my right wrist, my bum wrist, I wrenched it somehow during the course of the day. Other than that, I felt pretty good afterward. Arms were a bit sore, but that's all.

So, I'm thinking one more day of practice on Chickadee and I MIGHT be ready to venture out on another slightly more difficult run. Oh, and guess what?!? I have totally mastered the chair lift!! I didn't fall ONCE getting on or off!! YAY YAY YAY!!!! Whew. That means I won't fall on my hip like the time before!! That was part of why I was so nervous to go out again. What a load off my mind!!

Also, I'm really sorry if I scared anyone away from trying snowboarding with my last post. I really didn't mean to!! You should ABSOLUTELY try it!! I just wanted you to be prepared. Know what you're getting yourself into. And, hey, you could totally be a quicker learner than I am and pick it up right away!! But you never know until you try. Good luck!!

And Happy VD!! ; )

Adventures in Snowboarding

This is a diagram of a snowboard. Most of it means nothing to me,

but hopefully it will give you an idea of what I'm
talking about, like heel and toe edge. Oh,
and by the way I'm Regular footed. Not Goofy. : )

Well, hello, blogging world!! It's been a while. So, I figured since something DID happen that was news-worthy, I should blog about it: I attempted snowboarding!! Such an accomplishment for me because 1. it was scary to even think about and 2. I've worked at a ski resort for a 1 1/2 years and had never tried it!! Disgraceful, right? Yeah, well. Not anymore!! I'm sure anyone who has read my previous posts knows that I am never short for words. And this post is no exception. : ) I'm gonna give you ALL the gory details. Ready? Here we go!!

So, my first obstacle in my pursuit of snowboarding was finding the appropriate clothing and equipment. I had my green and blue ski coat that would do, but I really did need a new one. Had to wait though. During the Summer, Snowbird has a Lost and Found sale every year and through some miracle, I found some snowboarding boots for $7!! Ridiculous, right?!? Sure, they were used and a little big, but still!! Jackpot!! I also got some goggles and a pair of gloves, so including the boots, it only cost me $11!! Yay for Lost and Found, right? : ) So, when it got closer to Winter, I started looking for pants. Now, I'm not a small person. Yes, I have lost a good amount of weight, but I'm still 5' 10" and I have hips. This presents a problem. I checked online and quite a few stores including Sports Authority, Ross, TJ Maxx and several others and...no good.

First of all, the sizing is whack and most have a super high waist, which sucks. I'm ALL about the low-rise pants. Yes, I know that higher pants meant less snow DOWN my pants, but did I really need them right under my armpits? Really? I think not. Well, one day in December, I was dropping off 2 co-workers at the Trax station at 7200 S. and....something East (directions are not my strong point. Clearly.) and there happened to be a Sportman's Warehouse across the street. I decided to check it out. After a good amount of searching I FINALLY found a pair that fit me!! Huzzah!! Bad news: they were brown. Not ideal. So, I decided to put them on hold and mull it over a bit. Blah, blah, blah. I finally decided it didn't matter THAT much to match. Bought them the next day. Yay! Pants!! So, it turns out my mom was planning on helping me get pants for Christmas...so, it was either she could pay me back for the pants I had already bought (with no surprise on Christmas) or she was willing to help buy me a new coat. Yay!! My green/blue coat was a great coat and it had serve me well over the past 6 or so years, but...it was time for an upgrade. We checked the same stores I had looked at for pants, and again, no success. We randomly decided to check a place called Recreation Outlet (I think?) and I found one that was this ice blue color with brown on it (maybe to match my pants?) and it totally fit!! And only a little over $100 (my mom's cut-off point as far as her contribution). Very generous of her and I LOVE IT!!! We also found some base layer clothing (I paid her back for that) and at that point, I felt like I was finally ready!! I planned on renting a board and bought a cheap hat I could wear, so I was set!! All I needed was someone who was willing to teach me... : )

First Attempt

These are the bruises from my first "lesson"

My friend and co-worker, Matt, was kind enough to "volunteer" to teach me to snowboard. I say that because I sort of coerced/guilted him into it. Haha! But being the good guy he is, he was willing to giving me some beginning lessons. My lesson occurred on a Thursday. The 17th of December, I believe. First of all, getting all those layers on and boots laced up took a while that first time. You want to be warm, but not TOO warm, not bulky. The boots, tight but not TOO tight. I got mine at such a good price, that I didn't mind that they were a bit big. Matt says that they should fit tight, but not uncomfortably so. Better fit, better control on the board. Hm. Well, I did what I could. So, he waited for me to get all suited up and then we took the elevator up to Cliff Sports, the rental place in the Cliff Lodge. I already had boots, so all I needed was a board and bindings. Had to fill out some paperwork first, which included my height and weight (awkward), necessary to get me the right size board. They also determined whether I'm regular or goofy. Meaning, is my left foot in front (regular) or my right foot (goofy). They did that by having me stand with my back to them and the guy pushed me to see which foot I would step forward with. In my case, left. Which make me regular-footed! Also, we told them we worked down in the bakery and Matt casual asked if there was any scenario where rentals could be exchanged for baked goods of any sort. That had worked in the past, but they're a little more strict these days about that sort of thing. Meh. It's fine. So I got up to the register and the guy was nice enough to say that I "seemed like a nice person" and since it was my first time, I was just "good to go", unless I wanted to contribute to the tip jar. I threw in a $5 and off we went. Yay!

So, we walked outside of the rental place and then down the hill a bit to where the bakery is. Matt has his own board, which he keeps in the bakery office, so he went to go get it. And now, I was....ready. : ) He taught me how to put on my bindings, although I did almost lose my board down the hill first. Haha. He caught it, though. Luckily. Anyway, I got strapped in and he then explained the edges: toe edge and heel edge. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, the first step in snowboarding is mastering the heel edge. It's all about finding that medium where you are just sliding down the hill on your heel edge, controlling your speed and basically trying not to fall. Well, that was the plan, but I had a hard time getting in the standing position from my butt. Like I said, sounds easy, but you have a slick piece of wood strapped to your feet and, honestly, I'm a bit top-heavy. Haha!! So, that first time, Matt got in front of me to brace my board with his so I could get up. Yay! I was up!! Then...I'm pretty sure I fell. What? It's hard!! Anyway, after some difficulty, I discovered I could get up on my own from my knees instead of my butt. Progress!! Sort of. The only thing is, if I don't get flipped around facing down the hill the right way, I ended up catching my heel edge and falling flat on my butt. Which HURTS LIKE A MOTHER!!! Seriously. You can't stop yourself from falling at that point. Down you go. Yup. Best thing is to catch yourself with straight wrists and your fist instead of with an open palm. That hurts your wrists after a while and you're more likely to break a finger that way.

Anyway, so I finally made it all the way down the hill after a few more falls. Matt was waiting at the bottom by the chairlift for me. I took a while. haha. Now, when getting on the chairlift, you have to take one of your feet off the board, but keep the other strapped on. From there, you have to navigate your way through the chairlift line with an awkward piece of slippery wood stuck to your foot. Not. Easy. Really. I fell a couple times just doing that!! I felt like such a retard. WORSE than Bambi on ice, I swear. I contorted my body somehow so I was sitting on the board with one foot still strapped on it at some point. *sigh* Whatever. Probably took me 15 min to get on the chairlift that first time. Matt shared a chair with me that first time. Not the best idea. I almost broke my ankle after sitting on the chair cause my toe edge got caught under the chair. Yeah. Fun, eh? After getting on, the ride is pretty calm. Then....the anxiety of getting OFF the chair builds. There's a certain finesse to getting off the lift with a board stuck to your foot. I did not master it that first day. Fell every. Single. Time. Mostly onto my knees, hence the bruises.

Well, it was a long 2 1/2 hours with many, many spectacular falls involved. I think I even ran into the pole of the chairlift at one point. Don't worry. They pad those things for a reason. : ) My last fall of the day was a doozy. I started at the top of the hill, sliding on my heel edge when somehow, I adjusted my weight and caught my entire toe edge and totally face-planted. It happened so quickly and it kind of knocked the wind out of me, so I sort of laid there in the snow for a minute. I could here Matt calling my name and he was scampering up the hill with one foot off his board at a pretty quick pace. I think I worried him, cause he was all serious and all "Anika, are you okay?!?", which was weird. I finally lifted my head and told him I was okay. I don't think I actually hit my face, but I tried so hard not to, that I sort of gave myself whiplash. My neck and shoulders were VERY sore the next couple days. In the course of that fall, I somehow bounced my goggles to the top of my head and I think I lost my hat. It was almost, what Matt called, a "yard sale". Goggles, hat, gloves, everything lying everywhere. Quite the sight, I can bet. So, I sat there for a minute, gathering my senses, and I decided that was enough for one day. Matt was headed in anyway, so I thanked him and he headed back to the bakery. I slowly got up and rode my heel edge over to where the rental place was. I turned in my board and walked through the lodge to the bakery. I could already tell how incredibly sore I was going to be. Neck and shoulders from whiplash, arms from picking myself up, knees and butt and hips from falling, legs from using unusual muscles from dealing with that board....yeah. Pretty much everything. It hurt SO bad to move for the next WEEK!! My knees were really the only physical evidence of the soreness, but they were pretty good bruises. I had to show them to everyone. : ) So...that was my FIRST attempt. Ready for the second? Mmkay.

Second Attempt

On the chairlift. This pic is actually from my third attempt,
but I didn't have a pic from my second. : )

Before I even started this adventure, I had to promise myself that I would go a second time. Everyone told me it would be better. I had my doubts, but I was determined!! I gave myself about 2 weeks to heal up before trying again. Well, actually, I waited until all the vacationers and crazies left until I went, so it was closer to 3 weeks, which was good. I think it was the 8th of January, a Friday. I had gone into work early that day, like 5:30am, so I wouldn't miss out on hours and also could get my work done. Matt had opened that day and planned on snowboarding as well, so he said he would do a couple runs, the harder runs obviously, and then come over the Chickadee (the bunny slope) and give me a few more "progress reports". Very nice of him. I'm sure it was painful to watch the first time around. And boring. Haha!! Anyway, he headed out before me and then I got all suited up. Didn't take me as long as last time, but it's still a process. Went upstairs to get my board. I dealt with a different guy, so it cost me $12.15 with half day and employee discount. Eh. Still, not bad. Walked out onto the hill, strapped in, and off I went!!

That day, I was still working on my heel edge and not falling. Oh, and the chairlift. That dang chairlift!! Getting on was a bit easier and the one boot off the board movement, too. Getting off, though? Man!! Bain of my existence, I swear. Fell every. Single. Time. DANG IT!! I did 6 or 7 runs, the actual boarding down the hill getting better every time. I even tried going around trees and changing direction and stuff. Much improved. Yay! I was sort watching out for Matt, but he was wearing black pants and a black/blue coat, which is surprisingly popular on the slopes. Including Snowbird Mountain School. So, I just kinda did my thing, listening to tunes on my ipod. Without music, boarding alone kinda sucks. : ) Anyway, so on my 7th lift ride up to the top, I fell of course, getting off. Boo! I got up, dusted myself off, and headed over to the side to strap my other foot in. I saw someone out of the corner of my eye, glanced over, and hey! It was Matt. Just watching me look retarded. He was literally 3 feet from me and didn't call attention to himself. Odd. So I just said hey and took a seat right by him, very gracefully of course. It's not like my board slipped out from under me and I sorta plopped down in the snow in a heap. I swear. Riiiiiight. We chatted for a bit. He told me where he had gone boarding, he said he saw me on my last run when I went around a tree. Impressive. Sorta. haha! I said I wanted to work on my toe edge, but it freaked me out a bit to go down the hill backwards. He gave me some pointers. He was about to head in, I thought I had 1 or 2 more runs in me, so he headed back to the bakery and I carefully and slowly attempted sliding down the hill on my toe edge. Scary! I like to see where I'm going! I'm weird like that. He watched me for a sec from further down the hill and gave more advice. At that point, I accidentally caught my heel edge and, of course, fell flat on my butt. OUCH!! He's all "That's the worst way to fall. Most painful" I assured him I knew that by now. Ha!! He headed in. I tried toe edge a little more, then gave up and slid down the rest of the way on my heels. One more run after that, or more like just rode down to where the rental place is, and I was done. A few falls inbetween, but very much improved from last time! Still a bit sore, but not nearly as bad as last time!

Oh, I almost forgot!! KNEE PADS!!!! Best invention EVER!! I highly recommend them for beginners. Or anyone, really. I bought mine at Sports Authority in the snowboarding section for $19. They actually DO have what you could consider a "butt pad", which is actually like bike shorts with padding. They were about $50 and I just couldn't do it right then, unfortunately. Anyway, the knee pads TOTALLY saved me. Seriously. Worth the money. I wear them under my ski pants. Can't even tell. : )

Ready for try number three? I know you are!!!

Third Attempt

Yes, that is a bruise. On my hip. About 8 inches in diameter.
Yeeaaahhhh. Ouch.

Try number 3 occurred the Wednesday after attempt number 2, which was, like...January 13th? Yeah. I definitely should have waited a few more days, I've decided. My body needs more healin'. But before I get into THAT, I guess I should tell you how it went. Pretty well, actually. Totally solo this time. Rockin' the iPod. Got dressed, got my board ($18 this time, what the...?), and I was good to go. I mostly worked on toe edge. Sorta. It still kinda freaks me out, quite frankly. Sliding backwards down a hill with a board strapped to your feet? Sounds safe, right? Plus with my whole history with catching my heel edge and falling flat on my butt, it's still possible to happen again. Ick. Anyway, I still tried it. Just sliding perpendicular to the hill and after a bit of that, I tried something Matt suggested. He said to ride on heel edge to one side of the hill and then ride on toe edge to the other side of the hill. Definitely helpful, but I'm still kind of chicken as far as speed, so I end up almost completely stopping before I turn to toe edge. haha! Yeahh...heart of a Lion, this one. : )

But guess what?!? I totally mastered getting on the chairlift!! No trouble whatsoever!! Yay!!! Now, the first couple times getting off were shaky (aka falling) and two of those involved my board sliding out from under me and falling straight on my right hip in the exact same spot, resulting in the above-pictured fabulous bruise!! It's been 3 weeks and it is still discolored. Seriously. Definitely getting better, though!! ALMOST healed. I'm hoping to go out again on maybe Friday, February 6th, but I'll just have to see. The bad thing is that I got it getting off the chair, so there's a high probability that it might happen again. See the problem? Yeah. Here's hoping though!! ANYWAY, the first couple times off the chair, I did fall, but then, one time I just stood up on my board and just rode down from the lift! I was completely shocked!! I just laughed and looked around for someone to tell, but of course I was by myself, so I just proclaimed it in the biggest caps EVER on facebook and Twitter!! Next best thing, right? ; ) So, ahem, I may have fallen the next time, but the next TWO times I stood up!! Fell one more time, but the last time? Totally nailed it!!! Yay!!

So, after 3 attempts, I have mastered getting ON the chairlift, heel edge riding, and improved on toe edge and chairlift unload!! There is a definite learning curve to snowboarding and it's fun to see yourself improve. It's still HARD though. To begin with, anyway. Not to discourage anyone from trying!! Just know that you WILL fall, be SORE, and be discouraged. But make sure you go again!! It really is worth it. But seriously, KNEE PADS!!! I kid you not. Life savers. After the third time, I would have to say I was less sore than the first time in general, but in more pain than the second time because of that dang hip! I could seriously FEEL it swelling and bruising as I drove home. And even putting on jeans hurt for a while. And sitting. And brushing against anything. Really. I couldn't sleep on my right side for about 2 weeks. Really sucked. BUT all is almost well now. Hardly sore at all! : )

Mmkay. Well....I guess that's about it. This post only took me a week and a half to write!! And yes, it was long, but you enjoyed it, right? RIGHT?!? Alrighty then. Peace out!! : )

My Five Faves

Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen. "What?", you say. "A blog so soon? Shocking!!". Yes, I know. But this one's a quickie. I was looking at my friend, Hilary's blog and she and her husband were discussing their favorite actors and actresses, so it made me think about MY faves. So here you go!

First, the ladies:

Reese Witherspoon
I just love her. Sweet Home Alabama, Legally Blonde, Walk the Line,
Penelope, Just Like Heaven...I love them all!!!

Rachel McAdams
I like her best with brown hair. But she was deliciously evil as
a blonde Queen Bee in Mean Girls. I love The Notebook,
Red Eye, The Time Traveler's Wife,
State of Play, and more!!

Claire Danes
My So-Called Life, Little Women, Romeo + Juliet,
The Family Stone,
and especially Stardust!!

Amy Adams
Enchanted (of course), but also Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,
Julie & Julia,
Catch Me If You Can, and Night At the Museum 2!!

Meg Ryan
So many!! Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally,
You've Got Mail, I.Q.,
City of Angels, Kate & Leopold, etc.

And now for the men:

Johnny Depp
Wow, he is so versatile!! What's Eating Gilbert Grape?,
Benny and Joon,
Edward Scissorhands, Pirates, Cry Baby (teehee),
Chocolat, Finding Neverland
and sooo much more!!!

Ryan Gosling
The Notebook (woohoo!), Lars and the Real Girl,
Young Hercules (teehee),
Remember the Titans...oh, yeah!!

Tom Hanks
He's the MAN!!! Big, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail,
Forrest Gump,
Castaway, That Thing You Do!, Splash,
...the dude is amazing!

Nathan Fillion
Now, he's on really widely know (sadly), but
this guy is AWESOME!!
Notably, Firefly and Serenity are incredible!
Loved him in Waitress, Dr. Horrible's
Sing-Along Blog (haha!), and the new series Castle!!
Sweetness!! : )
Ryan Reynolds
As talented as he is, the man is just BEAUTIFUL!! Haha! Wow.
But, yes. Talented.
The Proposal, X-Men Origins:Wolverine,
Definitely Maybe, and
there's more to come, I'm sure. ; )

So, there's my list. Can't wait to see all of yours!!

6 Months Vegetarian?!? Yup!!

I promised this post a while back, and yes, I am just getting to it. I've been told I'm a good writer, in fact my mom was sure I should have gone into Journalism, but my problem is that I don't write well under pressure. I like to take my time and choose my words wisely. That would be why I took A.P. English, but never took the test. It served me well, though, in college. English 1010 was pretty much the same class, therefore I looked like I was super smart or something. Haha! But anyway, blogging isn't something I can do spontaneously or in a short period of time. It usually takes me at least a few hours (not writing continuously, but by doing it is spurts. Taking breaks.) And I'm usually doing something else at the same time like watching tv or listening to music, which helps and hurts. But I can't just sit down and blurt words onto the computer screen. I have to feel inspired, or at the very least, I have to MAKE myself do it. Along with the "encouragement" of others. ; ) So there's my explanation for why I don't blog more. I really will try to post more often. But as I said, no promises. : )

So, here I go! Yes, I have indeed been a vegetarian for 6 whole months! Which is really hard to believe, considering how it started. It wasn't at all planned. I was always one of those who said, "What are you INSANE? You don't like MEAT? I could NEVER do that!!". Seriously. And yet here I am. It all started with a book. I'm not going to type the name of the book in the text just...because. But I put a picture of it at the bottom of this post, if you're curious. : ) So I'll just refer to it as "SB". Ahem. So it started on a Monday. May 3rd, 2009, in fact. I had work off, as I usually do, so I went to a movie and lunch with my friend Ally. I don't remember the movie, but I know we ate at Fazoli's. I had never been there, so I didn't really know what to expect. It was more...fast-food-y than I thought, but I love Italian, so I ordered some pasta dish with sausage. It was pretty good, but the sausage was WAY spicy and it reminded me that I really don't like sausage. Seriously. This goes way back to those meat and cheese Hickory Farms boxes you get at Christmas. I think I had waaay too much of the sausage stuff, and I got really sick. After that, even the smell made me want to hurl. Also, for dramatic effect, I'll tell you that in school I MADE sausage several times and I KNOW what goes into it. I won't divulge that information, but trust me...ew.

Anyway, little did I know, that was the last piece of meat I would eat for the next 6 months. Or however long I decide to remain a vegetarian. My mom still asks when I'll start eating meat again, and I really don't know. It started out as just an experiment. "One month", I told myself. And then it became 2, then 3, and so on. At this point, I kind of know what I'm doing. And I kinda like it. But back to the point, after I dropped off Ally (or she dropped me off at my car at her house, I can't remember) I headed to Barnes and Noble just to browse. I cannot be trusted in bookstores, just so you know. As much as I would love working at one, I can't. I would come home with no paycheck. : ) I REALLY LOVE BOOKS!!! Ahem. So, I was browsing and a certain book caught my eye. If you've looked at the name, you know it is definitely eye-catching, right? Yeah. So I picked it up, looked at the back and I found it intriguing. It says something like "A no nonsense guide to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous" (I don't have the book with me, I loaned it to a friend). Sounds good, right? I read a few pages and I automatically knew this is what I needed: a swift kick in the pants to point me in the right direction. I was sick of feeling bad about myself and trying to lose weight without really changing the way I live. I was at the breaking point. It was all or nothing. Something had to give. And here was my answer. SB. : )

The book wasn't lying about the no nonsense part. They (2 female authors) sort of used the "break you down so we can build you up" philosophy. More swearing than I would care for, but that was their version of "hard love", I guess. Anyway, needless to say, I bought the book. I actually ended up reading the book within the space of a few hours. It was interesting and new and "in your face". And NOT at all what I was expecting. Well, it was...but it wasn't. It started talking about how you need to get rid of the horrible vices and habits you have like coffee(not a problem) and alchohol(also, no problem), but also fast food, junk food, carbonated and caffeinated sodas, and all the other crap the TV commercials tell us to buy. I was indignant at first, but when they started listing all the stuff they put in it and how literally, chemically, really REALLY bad for you it was....I started to believe. Like diet soft drinks. Yes, there are less calories, but the artificial sweeteners they use like aspartame? I don't remember the info verbatim, but basically, it will kill you. And also, it just makes me feel bad, you know? I have never eaten at a fast food place and thought afterward, "Wow!! I feel awesome!!". It's all very dramatic in the book, but they definitely prove their point. So after the junk food kick in the pants, they went into meat. Like I said, I didn't think I was signing up for vegetarianism when I started to read this book, but it is very convincing. There is indeed a chapter in there about animal cruelty, which was a factor in my "transformation" that I won't go into, but once again, VERY CONVINCING!!

Not only was it the animal cruelty, but the hormones they put in meats and therefore get into cow's milk and chicken eggs and everything...anyway, it's involved. And yes, the "recommendation" is to go vegan. (I use that word loosely because they basically call you an moron if you don't) I did try veganism for a few days to begin with, but I knew I couldn't do it properly and safely on the budget I live. And I love cheese. Haha! Also, my boss and my parents were concerned about my protein intake, so I do eat eggs. I don't really drink cow's milk anymore, though. I loved it SO MUCH, but I drank a lot of it, and...anyway, that's easy to explain but, now I put soy or rice milk on my cereal. Neither are good by themselves, but I do like chocolate soy milk! : ) So a vegetarian I became! Everyone has had a different response when I tell them. I don't actually blurt it out to everyone, but if it comes up, I let them know. Many are curious and supportive. Some like to tell me how "unhealthy" and "crazy" it is. A lot don't even know. Or didn't until they just read this. ; ) It's still hard sometimes, but for the most part, I don't miss meat at all. But I will say that I still enjoy the smell of bacon frying. I miss it a little. Besides, there is a meat-like substitute for almost anything. I've tried a lot of them and they are not all good. Like this soy faux turkey deli "meat" stuff. One bite, and I tossed it. Truly disgusting. I have an issue with certain textures, and that one was too much for me. I keep trying stuff to see what I like, but I haven't actually technically tried tofu. I really need to cause it's an excellent source of protein. Next on my list, I swear!!

But this vegetarian choice wasn't all I had to do. It is very possible to stop eating meat and still gain weight. So, basically I had to completely change the way I looked at food. It doesn't even need to be said that I LOVE FOOD!!! If I didn't I would not have chosen the culinary profession, you know? But for so long, I had been living to eat. I now eat to live. My portion sizes are a lot smaller and no between-meals snacking. Or if I do, it's something healthy. It's not like I've gone TOTAL health nut. I still have sweets occasionally and I do eat out. I just don't go crazy. I have to ask myself, "Is it worth it?". Also, I do my best to exercise. Evening walks, yoga, resistance bands, that kind of thing. So, basically I've lost....40 lbs, give or take? I try not to be super concerned about the amount cause it'll drive me nuts. And I'm still working on it. But, yay for progress!! I'm getting better at altering recipes and I have vegetarian cookbooks that help. Yup.

Anyway, this has gone on long enough, as predicted. So there it is. There's more to it, but that's pretty much the gist. And then some. ; ) Hope you enjoyed it!!

Grandma's 80th Birthday Cake

Well, here is the blog post I promised you all in my last post. So it's been, like, a month, but whatever. Haha! Anyhoo, this whole thing started with me volunteering to do my grandmother's birthday cake. In the long run, I want to eventually do wedding cakes. Well, at least on the side. But I don't have any experience, per se. We did some decorating in school and I've seen my boss do dozens of wedding cakes at work, but I decided I should do an actual, for real, full-scale cake for practice. What I did is a little elaborate for a birthday cake, but it was "fun" and definitely an experience. The quotations will make sense later, I promise. : )


So, for the actual cake, I decided to use a family recipe for "Best Chocolate Cake". That is the actual title for the recipe. I wasn't really sure how the cake would work in layers, since we usually just bake it in a 9"x13" pan and throw some frosting on it. Some cakes are better for layers and some are....not. It has to do with how moist it is, how crumbly, etc. So that was a challenge. The bottom layer was to be German Chocolate Cake and the top, cream cheese-filled. Family favorites. Three layers of cake, two layers of filling. Buttercream-covered, ribbon on the top of each layer, piped "pearls" over the ribbon, blah blah blah. Well, from the beginning my biggest obstacle was...the fridge. Sounds strange, but I could only make a cake as big as the fridge would allow. My parents have a side-by-side fridge, which is fine for everything else EXCEPT a large cake. So, I figured out how big it it could be and went from there. I had already bought round cake pans from a lady in my mom's ward, but I only had one pan of the larger size. Oh, and I didn't know what to multiply the cake recipe by. I think I did a double batch to begin with and that made 2 small cake's worth and the one large cake, which is fine, but it meant making another for that last large layer. Whatever. Anyway, I made those cakes Sunday night (the party was Monday night). I had work off Monday, so that is what I was doing. THE CAKE!

So! Monday morning, I had every intention of waking up at 8am to finish that last cake. But...it didn't happen. I got up about 10am and did the cake, stuck it in the fridge. Then I made the cream cheese filling. My mom was kind enough to get the stuff ready for the german icing, so I did that next and stuck it in the fridge to cool. We normally pour it right onto the cake, but as a filling, it had to be cooler and more...solid. Yup. So I filled the smaller layer and put it in the fridge. Oh, and I forgot I had the made the buttercream the night before. Now, that was and experience. I had taken a recipe from work and cut it down by, I think, a fourth, but as I whipped the egg whites while adding the cooked sugar, I began to realize that...it just wouldn't fit. Whoops. So I poured some of it into my mom's mixer (the rest remained in my mixer) and continued to whip the meringue until cool. Blah blah blah. I then had to figure out how to divide the butter so I could add it to the meringue, since it wasn't exactly even in each mixer, but once that was done and added in, I think I put it all back into my mixer to whip until smooth. I stuck that in the fridge over night and then pulled it out before I made the last cake so it would be warm enough the use.
Anyhoo, I filled the smaller cake, put it in the fridge, eventually cut the last cake, filled THAT layer and did a crumb layer for both, which is a thin layer of frosting that hopefully will prevent crumbs from getting in the final layer of frosting. More blah. Well, that was done and I finally looked at the clock...and freaked. My timeline was WAY off!! I needed more time!! Well, I just pressed on and frosted the cake. The plan was to do the frosting layer, cool it, and then "square it off", meaning make the top and sides smooth and straight with a sharp corner. Much easier to do when the frosting is more solid. But I didn't have time, so I squared it the best that I could and put it back in the fridge. We were leaving at 6 or so, and it was very nearing 5:30, so I got dressed and faced the music. This cake wasn't going to turn out like I hoped. But, once again, I did what I could and dove back in. I assembled the cake, with some difficulty, and using straws pushed through the bottom layer for stability, and put the ribbon on. I started to do the pearls, but time was up. So, we folded the middle seat down, placed the cake on it, and attempted to finish the cake en route to the restaurant, Biaggi's. It was located downtown at the Gateway, which gave me time, but speed bumps, pot holes, stop lights, and everything in between made it difficult to keep my hand steady enough to use a piping bag. Well, somehow I got it done, mostly in a hurried manner once we had parked in front of the restaurant. I carried it in and quickly typed "Happy 80th" on the top. I was DONE!! Definitely not how I wanted it to turn out, but not bad for a first big cake.


So, there you have it. Everyone enjoyed eating the cake and the party as a whole was a success!! I learned a lot, mostly "what NOT to do" things, But it was "fun". (You got the quotations now? I thought so.) I'm not sure anyone will read this, or if they did, if they enjoyed it or even thought it worth reading, but at least it's out there. For posterity...or something. Whew! And THAT is why I rarely blog. That took FOREVER. Well, ta ta for now!

Summer time, and the livin's easy...

Whew! It's been, like, months since I've blogged!! I would have every intention of doing so when I was away from home, but when home became reality, napping seemed more important. Haha! So this one will probably be a short one, but just thought I would actually post something new. Hmm. So...what's new? Not a whole lot, honestly. Been working a lot. After a long day at work, I kinda just lounge and chill, mostly because I can. ; ) Summer has been pretty good so far, and it's almost 2/3 over!! Crazy!! The beginning of June, I went up to Bear Lake for a week with the family. So wonderful!! I really needed the time off. I didn't even mind that it rained almost every day. I love the rain! Two weekends ago was the Annual Allred Family Campout. We always camp up at the Spruces in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It's nice to be away from everything and just play cards and read. It's fun to run around with the little kids too! I love my neices and nephews!! The next week, we celebrated my Grandma Morrells' 80th birthday. It was fun! We had a great dinner at Biaggi's and somehow I volunteered to do a huge fancy birthday cake for it! Now THAT was a learning experience. That's have to wait until another blog, though.

August is looking like it will be a time of transition. Alex leaves for college (Eeek!). I'll miss her so much! Work will be getting busier for a whole different reason than before. Oktoberfest is just around the corner! (Double EEEK!!) It starts the end of August and there is much to be prepared, like 100 german chocolate cakes and soooo many cookies and brownies. I do not look forward to it. But I am sooo ready for Fall!! I love the changing leaves and the crispness in the air!

Hmm, well, what else is there? Oh, well, a bit of news that I neglected to mention. I will be in 3 days declared 3 months Vegetarian. What?!? I know, right? That's a blog in and of itself, but that's gonna have to wait. I about to head out the door to a Relief Society retreat. Whoop. So, ta ta for now!

Huh. That's odd. I can't see!

So, I work in a bakery, right? Well, among other things, that means opening and closing oven doors all day. We have a HUGE walk-in oven at work. No joke. Huge. Well, I was getting something out of the oven the other day and it was set at 400F. About average. But this time, for some reason, I got a big blast of hot air, which hurt my eyes, so I closed them. When I turned away from the oven, I went to open my eyes, my eyelashes were STUCK TOGETHER! My mascara had MELTED!!! Now, that's just not normal, right? I've worked in the industry for years, worked at Snowbird 1 year, and that's the FIRST time that's happened. What the heck? And who else would that happen to but me? No one. Exactly. Weird.

The Car Gods Must Be Angry.

So, as you've probably seen in one of my past posts, I recently purchased a Chevy Blazer to enable me to drive to and from work safely. Good plan. I love it. Except...the whole idea of me buying a vehicle with 4WD was to be able to use 4WD when the roads up the canyon were bad. WELL IT'S NOT WORKING!!! Last week, I kicked into 4WD at the top of the canyon cause there was a few inches of snow on the road. The past few times, I did it, it was like the car jarred a bit when it kicked in, but then it was fine. This time, it was like I was going over a bump every few seconds, when I wasn't. Bad sign. I told my dad and we took it in to have it looked at. Bad news. Apparently, there is supposed to be oil in the transfer case and it was bone dry. It's not like if leaked out...it was just never there. At least, not as long as I've owned it. Awesome.

So, my dad, being the Knight in Shining Armor he is, he went to the dealership where I bought my Blazer and made them aware of the situation. As far as the warranty, well, there isn't one. It was a trade-in and it had 135,000 miles on it, so, yeah. BUT it seems I had found the one honest dealership in the world. Well, not really. I suppose they're not ALL as sleazy as they seem. Heh heh. Anyhoo, Smith Family Motors is a very honest, very moral, family-0wned place to buy a car. Because when they heard what happened, they offered to help. They aren't required to do so, but morally, it's totally justified. They didn't know there was a problem, but neither did we. So, it looks like I'll be paying $300 instead of the original estimate of $737. An improvement in price, but still...ugh. *sigh* Stupid car.

This is what I do.

Hi, everyone. I don't really have any thoughts to share, advice to impart, or anecdotes, but I do have a fair amount of pictures of stuff I've made at work. Wanna see? Good!

The above picture is of a Pumpkin Roulade. Pumpkin sponge cake spread with a mascarpone filling. It had a lot of rum in it. haha.

This here is a Lemon Meringue Tart with blackberries, raspberry sauce, and candied lemon zest. We did this for a very VIP group. VIP= pain in the butt, in my world. Haha.Key Lime Pie

Honey Lavender Creme Brulee

Graham cracker crust topped with a cream cheese mousse and fresh strawberries. Pretty much Cheesecake-in-a-glass.

A close-up of a petit four tray we did. We used Chocolate-covered strawberries, meringue cookies, Espresso truffles, Milk chocolate raspberry truffles, and one other truffle I can't remember.

This is the full shot of the petit four tray

A pomegranate and mandarin orange tart with fresh mint. Very VIP.

Chocolate hazelnut torte with a mandarin orange compote, chocolate sauce, and a pantella stick.

Chocolate Cream Pie. Super rich.

Key Lime Pie.

New York Cheesecake.

If this didn't make you salivate, then I haven't done my job. ; ) Hope you enjoyed it. Or hate me a little for not having any to share. Haha.

The Perfect Fit!! And a bag to match...

This past Monday in the late morning, I ventured out in search of 2 things: jeans and a new purse. Simple, right? Hm. In concept, yes. In execution, no so much. First of all, I am not one of those girls who owns many, many pairs of jeans in different styles, colors, fittings, etc. I usually own one, maybe two, pairs of jeans at a time. I’m very loyal to my jeans. Once one pair starts to show signs of wear, I buy another pair from the same store in the same style, same color, same size, everything. Why fix what’s not broken, right? Well, that formula stops being effective when the store CHANGES the style, sizing, or whatever. Stupid Old Navy. So, what’s a girl to do but search out for a new loyalty? Ugh. I dread it. Really. You know how it is. They’re too short, too wide, too high in the waist, too already “worn”, they make my butt look big, my knees too knobby, my hips too wide. There are a thousand different reasons with one result: the wrong fit. At this point, I’m looking forward to those shiny silver jumpsuits everyone supposedly wears in the future.

So, it seems this time around, I waited a little too long to order a new pair of jeans (Old Navy does carry a long inseam in the stores in my size, therefore I usually order them online, which is fine by me). When I finally did, I ordered what I thought was the same pair I already owned. Haha! Ahem, apparently not. They arrived and I tried them on. La dee da. Soooo not the same. Wrong color (too dark), wrong size (that was my bad), and the wrong style. Since when did the “flare” style remain fitted until mid-calf? Um… never. Back to the store you go, stupid pants. They refund me everything except the $7 for shipping. Whatever. And yet, I still remain pants-less.

Days go by, my pants being held together with iron-on patches and my desperate prayers that I won’t bend over one day and expose my underpants in public. Or in private because THEY’RE MY ONLY PAIR!!!! So after much whining and avoiding, it was finally time to do it. Find new jeans. Again, ugh. Where to go? There are only so many stores that carry jeans for women with *ahem* curves. My last and, pretty much, only prayer was a store called Torrid in Fashion Place Mall. It’s like Lane Bryant except for people who have a sense of style. I kid, I kid. It’s not that bad. Torrid is more my age, though. Now, I’ve always been a little wary of that particular store because they sell a lot of items with skulls on them. No lie. Why is that fashionable, I don’t know. They also sell lingerie. Awkward. I had to give them a chance, though. I literally HAD to.

The worst thing about finding jeans at an unfamiliar store is the sizing. You never know how they relate to sizes at other stores. A 6 at one store could be an 8 at another (yeah, like I’m a 6. HAHAHA!). Anyway, that has to be established before the try-on stage, because it’s super embarrassing to yell over the door to the lady and say, “Um, this 10 isn’t working. Can I get a, um….16?” Yeah. That’s not awkward. So when the sales lady asked me what size I normally wear I told her, adding the “long” or “tall” or “freakishly tall” or whatever they call it there. She’s like, “Oh, cool. I wear the same size. I’ll just show you some of the pants I love and we’ll go from there.” Huh. Pretty good plan, actually. Once I got in the dressing room a.k.a. “the moment of truth”, I pulled on the first pair and…TA DA!!! They fit!!! It’s a freakin’ miracle!! Not only do they fit, they look pretty flattering. Pretty fantastic. Pretty perfect, actually. Second pair was a huge letdown, and so on. So…I bought the FIRST PAIR I TRIED ON! That NEVER happens!! It was weird. But good weird, you know?

On to item number 2. La purse. There’s a story there too, and I just know you’re dying to hear it! As it so happens, I am just as loyal to my purses as I am to my jeans…but they seem to last longer. And it’s harder to replace it with the same since I somehow keep getting bigger ones to suit my needs! My first gotta-have-at-all-times purse was green camo from Old Navy (shocker, I know!). It was just the right size and really cute, but didn’t really “match” with, well, any of my clothing. Ha, oh, well. I had that purse for 5 years until it seemed too small and was falling apart. I replaced it with a slightly bigger black one with white polka dots that was, no joke, $1. Seriously! One of the best purchases I’d ever made. Buuut, at some point, the zipper broke and once again, seemed too small. That one lasted about 2 years.

Onward and upward! I found one at Payless Shoesource, of all places, and it seemed perfect! The right size, cute, plain black (seemed more professional or whatever), and had a divider in the middle to contain my assorted crap. I can’t do the huge one-huge-pocket purses where everything’s mixed together. Too much chaos for me. Anyhow, this new pursed worked well for a few weeks…until the strap started to split where it was sewn together. I now know to look for purses with straps that don’t have that. You live and learn. Once the other strap started to split, I took it back with the receipt for a refund. Of course, the sales lady tried to get me to exchange it for the same purse (yeah, right) or another questionable purse of the same value. I just asked for the refund and she seemed pissed off. What? I don’t want your freakin’ purse!! Thanks anyway! Jeez.

On that same trip, I was on the search for the perfect purse! Not an easy task, since at that point I was very anal about what I wanted. Ready for my description? Mmkay. Black. Not too big, not too small. Divider in the middle. Stands up on it’s own (don’t want it to slump over). Small pockets inside and pockets outside, if possible. Fits over my shoulder. Reasonably priced. In depth, huh? Yeah. I warned you I was particular. Well, I looked in every possible store that could carry purses in Fashion Place Mall…and nothing. What?!? I was getting desperate. I had borrowed a purse from my sister and it was the basic sack kind. No pockets. Cute, but not gonna cut it. Crap! As last resort, I stopped by Shopko on Redwood Road. Jackpot! They had semi-designer purses on sale 40% off!! Score! But being me, it took me a good 45 minutes to decide. But I found one!! As close to perfect as possible. *sigh*. I hate shopping. But I love getting results! So, it was a pretty good day.

I know that was waaaayyy too long. Sorry. Hope it was at least entertaining. ; )

8 Things About Me

Here are the Rules:
1) Post rules on your blog
2) Answer the six '8' items
3) Let each person know by leaving them a comment


8 Favorite TV Shows

1. Gilmore Girls!
2. CSI:NY
3. The Big Bang Theory
4. Monk
5. Psych
6. Supernatural
7. Angel
8. The Black Donnellys

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1. Woke up at 6am (A feat in and of itself. ick.)
2. Drove to and from work (45 min each way. again, ick.)
3. Sliced tiramisu.
4. Made Green Tea Mousse for a banquet
5. Made Flan for the same banquet
6. Showered. (Glorious!)
7. Watched "Privileged"
8. Tried Thai-ish food.

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Draper Temple open house this Saturday
2. Finally, a Saturday off!!
3. GNO with my sisters!
4. Payday (always!)
5. Going Bovine (a book) by Libba Bray
6. My new digital camera coming in the mail! (Hurray, hurray!)
7. Twilight Movie on DVD
8. New jeans without holes. Yippee!

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Cafe Rio
2. Wingers
3. Olive Garden
4. Cheesecake Factory
5. Carrino's
6. Del Taco
7. Panda Express
8. Thaifoon

8 Things on My Wish List

1. EUROPE, EUROPE, EUROPE!!
2. To have all my debt paid off
3. A boy. ; )
4. For my new camera to come!!
5. Actually have a savings account again.
6. Get better at the guitar
7. Learn to ski/snowboard. (All in good time...)
8. Have my own place eventually.

8 People I Tag

1. Lindsey Christensen
2. Hilary
3. Shantel
4. Anna
5. Lindsey Lambert
6. Kathryn
7. Sharane
8. I'm all out!!

R.I.P. Oliver

1999-2009

NEW CAR!!!! YIPPEEEE!!

Well, if you've read any of my previous posts, you've probably noticed how often I gripe about how bad my car is in the snow. It was pretty much a suicide mission every time I tried to drive up to Snowbird in the snow. So, the original plan was to get snow tires and possibly snow chains as well. But the more I thought about it, it didn't make sense. Even if I had both of those, my car is so low, I would be able to get out of more than 3 inches of snow. Maybe not even that. Pathetic.

So I talked to my parents and they agreed with me. I started looking at used cars online and trying to figure out how much I could afford. (Not much, by the way.) I set the maximum at $4,000, which is hard, but not impossible, I found. After much research, I started calling around and looking more into the 4WD vehicles I was interested in. I looked at Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, Chevy Blazer, Dodge Durango, Jeep Cherokee, and many others which were in my price range. I also had to inquire at the bank to see if they would even give the money for a car. I was pre-approved. Yay!

Then came the hard, horrible part. Going to dozens of used car dealerships. Luckily my dad was willing to go with me, otherwise, I'm pretty sure I would have been screwed. We went to one dealership when I had seen an ad online for a 98 Blazer and we took it for a drive, but it was just...no good. We drove a white Durango at another place that didn't have a console in between the seats because it was a cop car and they removed it to make room for the computer and all that business. It was okay. Those were the only ones we drove out of all the crappy, scary, shady car lots all along State Street. And, by the way, for the most part, everything you hear about used car salesman is true. Seriously. *shudder* So, after about 2 1/2 hours of misery, we headed home for dinner and to warm up a bit. I had a whole list of other cars to look at, but hardly the energy nor the resolve. My dad and I decided we would look at one more that night because it looked pretty good.

The last place we went to was Smith Family Motors in Draper. I had seen an ad for a 2002 white Chevy Blazer for $3,695. Not bad, eh? I called ahead to make sure it was still there and off we went. Let me tell you, this dealership was a whole other species of dealers. It was clean, the car was clean, the salesman (named Rustyn, by the way) was super nice and helpful. He was nice even though we showed up 15 minutes before they were supposed to close. He let us take it for a drive and told us there was no need to hurry and he explained the repairs that they had done on the Blazer and why they were done. Very upfront about everything. Nothing shady, thank goodness. They specialize in Lexus and Toyota, so the Blazer was a trade-in. No biggie. Rustyn and his brother Corbin had both worked for Larry H. Miller dealerships and then they each opened their own dealerships. Years later they decided to combine the two and make it a family business. They're last name really is Smith (of Smith Family Motors). He told us the whole story while he drew up the paperwork, so obviously I decided to buy the car. It was everything I was looking for and more. I had a really good feeling about it. It's a 2002 Chevy Blazer. White with beige interior. I love it so far. I've had it all of 24 hours, though.

So, besides the blasted sales tax and dealers rip-off fee (required, I find, at even the best of dealers), I'm happy with the result.

And now to pay for it....Grr.

That Dang Meringue

This is a picture of the lovely meringue cookies that I made. But not without some difficulty. You want the whole story? Okay. So at work, we have a prestigious party in the middle of November which includes many trays of petit fours (which translates to "small cakes"). Although, we're not doing actually cakes. Mostly just cookies and chocolates and whatnot. Anyhoo, these meringue cookies are for that party. So I planned on using the Italian Buttercream recipe we use, but it makes quite a lot, even if you're not adding the butter. I then decided to just quarter the recipe because I had done it before. Not hard, right? Ha! Well, I gathered all my ingredients and off I went. I whipped the egg whites and cooked the sugar to 245F. Next step, pouring the sugar into the egg whites while the mixer is running. A little precarious, but done with little difficulty. It looked okay, but sort of like there was more than usual in the bowl. Eh, oh well, I thought. I then started piping the meringue with a pastry bag, to create the cute little cookies in the piture (at that point it looked a little airy to me, but whatever). Well, when I tried to pipe them, it looked...wrong. Very wrong. And for the life of me, I could not figure out why. I tried whipping it longer, but that didn't help. So I figured I would just add 1/4 of the butter in the recipe and make some buttercream. As I added the butter, it started to liquify. Um, what? Exactly. So, at that point, it was clearly trash. Soupy meringue. Yum. Not. As I was throwing the ickiness away, I started going through the ingredients in my head. Sugar, water, sugar, egg whites...wait. Egg whites. How many did I do? Um, so apparently, I add 1/2 of the about from the recipe instead of 1/4. HUGE difference. Well, at least I know I made the stuff correctly, I just had my brain on pause when it came to amounts. So, to make a long story short (which isn't possible at this point,but...) I screwed up the first time, but got it right the second. The picture is proof of the second batch. The cookies in the the background were sprinkled with cinnamon, the front ones left plain. Looks pretty good, eh? Well, I just thought I would share one of my failures, for some reason. The end, I suppose.