For Megan

My mom took these pictures at the Mount Vernon Tulip Fields. It's another one of the beautiful things about where I grew up. The tulip fields are unique here in the spring, the closest I've seen are the tulip fields in Holland. Hopefully these photos will inspire Megan on her live list! You could take the train from Portland to Mount Vernon, it's a 6 hour train ride that my best friend and I did in high school. Then you can canoe around Camano Island, part of my home town! That'll take care of another item on that list!

Live List

My lovely friend Megan has inspired so many through her blog. Especially me! She has this thing called a live list. Between Scott and I when we first met, we wrote "Scott and Lori's Excellent Adventures" I think this list could also be considered a live list.
These are the things still on our list to do:

1. Lay in the street at night
2. Go to the San Juan Islands
3. Race boats
4. Seattle Lights
5. Bike the entire Centennial trail
6. Skydiving (Scott never has)
7. Victorian Islands
8. Go to Tonga
9. Ice Caves
10. Stanley Idaho
11. Bridge Jumping in Idaho
12. Jackson Hole, WY
13. City of Rocks
14. Horse Riding
15. La Brea Tar Pits, Hollywood CA
16. Visit Italy, and Rome temple when built
17. Tour U.S. and Church History
    
18. See the Fremont Troll

Date

Scott and I don't like spending money...hahaha oh we do! But we try really hard not to and spend most of our money in our heads. But Saturday was different. We went and saw the new movie Avatar in 3D down in Idaho Falls. Scott and I really liked it. My eyes started to hurt towards the end though, but it was worth it! The theater was packed 30 minutes before it even started, and we thought we were early. Guess not! It was funny looking down my row and seeing everyone with their hip 3D glasses. After the movie Scott and I went to this AMAZING Asian restaurant. It is inside what used to be a McDonalds. But it's a mom & pop place that is at a dead spot of town where there's no night life happening. Don't let that fool you, it was awesome!We ate with our stylish 3D glasses!

So apparently...

...the entire Smith family believes I am pregnant. Well, I guess I better break it to everybody in the blogging world. I am not, repeat, not pregnant. We're not even trying right now, so don't get your hopes up! Okay, I feel better now that's off my chest.

As for other things, I'm finally over the stomach virus that Scott so lovingly gave to me from his co-workers. Several of them had been out for a few days because of pregnancy symptoms...ahaha (considering he works with all males). AKA stomach flu. I feel bad for the little family that was outside the gas station that I chose to throw up in the trash can outside. They probably thought I was a drunk. Oh well. That has been the life of me lately.

Scott has been busy with work. He carpools driving someone to a nearby place to where he works. He did get into the English 316 class, barely! But he does enjoy it so far, he gets to work on his resume and other writing skills.

Here are some pictures from our time at the Meldrums this past weekend!

Easiest Fudge Ever

Ingredients
3 C chocolate chips
4 Tbs butter
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Directions
Put butter and chocolate chips in a pot and melt. Mix in sweetened condensed milk. Once it bubles, turn heat down. Constantly be stirring it. Line a pan with wax paper and fill and smooth out with spatula. (I like to mix it up with different flavored chips. The best is the bags of half dark chocolate and mint chips, it tastes like Andes chocolates. You can also mix peanut butter chips, butterscotch...)

Chicken Artichoke Pizza

This is the best pizza recipe ever!

Easiest No-Rise Pizza Dough
1 ½ cups warm water
1 Tbs yeast
3-4 cups flour
1 Tbs honey
Combine 1 ½ cups of warm water with yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes or until bubbly. Pour water into bowl of flour and honey and mix. Mix more flour as needed to get desired texture. Roll out onto pizza pan and top with pizza toppings. (this recipe makes for 2 crusts unless you like your crust super thick)

White Sauce
Combine 1-cup milk and 1 T. cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in 2 T. butter, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper (start this first so that the sauce will thicken up, this is plenty for two pizza’s depending on how thick you let it get)
Ingredients
2-3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 (10 ounce) package prebaked pizza crust
4 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Wash hands. Cut chicken into 3/4-inch pieces. Wash hands and cutting board. Drain artichoke hearts, reserving liquid. chop artichoke hearts. Place artichoke liquid in large nonstick skillet and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook until most of liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add chicken and garlic to skillet. Cook chicken 3 to 5 minutes or until done (internal temp 170 degrees F). Stir in artichoke hearts. Remove from heat.
Place pizza crust on baking sheet; top evenly with tomato slices. Top with chicken mixture; sprinkle with basil. Top with cheese. Bake 12 to 17 minutes or until hot and cheese is melted. SERVING SUGGESTION: Cut pizza into wedges and serve with tossed salad. Refrigerate leftovers.

Cafe' Rio

We love eating at home especially when it's so much cheaper than eating out. Not to mention when it's restaurant quality!

Pork
1 cup Salsa (any kind you want)
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
12 oz Coke
Boneless pork roast

Place roast in crock-pot and fill half way up the roast with water. Cook 5 hours on low, drain water. Cut into smaller pieces or shred if tender enough. Mix salsa, coke, and brown sugar and pour over roast. Cook 3 hours longer. Shred roast and use on salads or in tacos.

Lime Cilantro Rice
4 tsp chicken bouillon
4 tsp minced garlic
½ bunch cilantro
1 small can green chilies
¾ tsp salt
1 Tbsp butter
½ chopped onion
3 cups rice with water (as called in directions)

Blend cilantro, chilies and onion in processor. Boil water, add all ingredients, simmer covered or until liquid is absorbed

Tomatillo Dressing
1 buttermilk ranch dry dressing package, prepared according to directions
2 tomatillos
½ bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno

Blend all together in food processor or blender, store in fridge

Make black beans, tortillas, chopped tomatoes, and shredded cheese, whatever you want to put on a yummy burrito! You pour the tomatillo dressing on top and if you want you could put sour cream on too.

Homemade Granola

We love granola, and have tried each of these recipes and love them all. Depending on your likes, you can make them crunchy or soft. Lori's favorite is Yummo granola.

Stove-Top Granola
(thanks Shirley!)

3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs milk
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 Tbs peanut butter
1/4 C raisins or chocolate chips (opt.)
1/2 tspn vanilla
2-3 C quick oats

Melt butter. Stir in milk and sugars. Bring to a boil and continue stirring for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Stir in oats to desired texture.
*For crispy granola, spread on a cookie sheet and broil 3-4 minutes in oven.

Yummo Granola
(thanks mom Smith!)

6 C oats
1 C nuts, chopped
1/4 C sesame seeds
1/4 C sunflower seeds
1/4 C flaxseeds
3/4 C coconut
2 tspn cinnamon
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 tspn salt
1 C honey
1 Tbs vanilla
3/4 C oil
1/2 C raisins
1/2 C craisins

Mix together: oats, nuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, coconut, cinnamon, salt and sugar in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix: honey, vanilla and oil. Stir together and spread on a large cookie sheet with sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring halfway. Stir in raisins and craisins. Store in an airtight container.

Tightwad Gazette's Homemade Granola

3/4 C brown sugar
1/3 C canola oil
1/3 C honey
5 C oatmeal
1/2 C raisins*
1/2 C dry milk
3/4 tspn cinnamon
pinch of salt

Mix brown sugar, oil and honey in a saucepan. Heat until the sugar is dissolved. Combine dry ingredients in a large cake pan. Pour sugar mixture over dry mixture and mix well. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Let cool in pan. Sotre in an airtight container.
*add raisins after cooking

Berry syrup

1 C water
1 C corn syrup
1 C sugar
1 C berry of your choice

Simmer and smash your berries so that you get lots of juice out of them. Smoosh them as much or as little as you want for you texture you desire.
*The longer you let it simmer, the thicker it gets. Delish.

Berry Oat Waffles

Serves 4
1 1/3 C Flour
1 C quick-cooking oats
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tspn baking powder
1 tspn salt
1 1/3 milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil or applesauce
1 tsp lemon juice
Opt. 1/2 C ground pecans
Opt. 1 C berry of your choice

Mix it all up and do your thing!

*To make it a little healthier we like to add wheat germ and ground up flax seed. This is a thick waffle and very fulfilling.

I need some ideas.

Okay. I'm home during the day. I don't have kids-my night classes don't occupy me very much-I don't have a car-and it is too cold and snowy to go outside. Plus I sleep too much. Scott is starting to complain that I am cooking too good of food, and that it's not helping him on his quest to losing weight.

I started a new blog, kept my kitchen clean, manage to do a decent job on my room, kept myself updated with the latest episodes of NCIS, checked everyone's blog that I know of, picked up my favorite yoga/pilates routine, done things that Scott asks me to do...

I would like some new ideas for what I can do around my place. I don't like sitting, staring at the computer for several hours. So too many hours of Hulu is not recommended for me. I do enjoy Pandora, so I keep that on in the background. But any ideas would be appreciated!

Here's to looking forward to spring and summer.

New blog

I know, another blog...

But my sister-in-law and brother-in-law gave me an idea. We were skyping the other night and they said that with all the things that Scott and I do to save money, we should write a book. And we said that the number one thing we'd put in that book would be "If you bought this book to save money, you made the first mistake! Return this book and check it out from the library for FREE!"

So I've started a blog on things that Scott and I do to save money, and other things. So check it out and spread the word!

http://smithsavings.blogspot.com/

SmithSale!

We have a continuous garage sale going on online. If you're interested or just curious, check it out! I just updated the look and soon some things will be added, like a coffee table and TV! Go to: smithsale.blogspot.com

Motivation!

In the midst of me trying to motivate myself to do things, I found myself doing this, and in this order:

1. putting a bra on
2. getting my favorite Australian drink...courtesy of Katrina Mills
3. going to this site for some inspiration
4. taking my laptop into the kitchen
5. put on broadway station on Pandora
6. and went to work...


In the end, I cleaned the kitchen like I should and then I deep cleaned the bathroom. I then found some remaining energy and did some yoga. Now I'm sitting here, still listening to my broadway, and eating frozen grapes. mmm. Thank you White family for the fantastic idea!

If you need some motivation, read this story I wrote over a year ago!

First blog of the new year!

Okay, now don't expect to see a blog full of new year resolutions...but!

As of right now, both Scott and I are off track. We're still in Rexburg with mucho snow. Scott is working in Idaho Falls. It's so weird when he comes home he doesn't have homework! I have him for the rest of the night, and I just don't know what to do with myself! He is taking English 316 which meets one night a week.

For me, I am doing the housewife thing. You know, blogging-cleaning-cooking. I am taking 2 classes. Brian (brother) and I are taking Family Foundations together and I am also taking a health administration class which meets once a week.

The hopeful forecast for 2010 includes:
Scott and I keep pushing through school
I graduate in December
Brian and Mariah celebrate their 1 year!
We go to New York for our 2 year anniversary (and our friend's wedding!)
My mom goes to Europe in the summer

Those are the big things for now. We'll see how it pans out!