Adventure Time Friday: Date Day!

Husband and I are working on balancing our weekends. Since I spend all my time at home, I want to go out on the weekends. He spends all his time at work, so he wants to stay home on the weekends. Solution: SPLIT THE WEEKENDS!

Here's what we did on Saturday (Date Day!)

We went to rainy day games, which is a pretty cool game store near us. 

We didn't buy anything, but we like to look at games then husband looks the games up online for reviews and such before we pull the trigger on a game we have never heard of 

Then we went berry picking. We got some raspberries and tomatoes. 

The tomatoes were the best tomatoes ever. They are carmello tomatoes, which I had never heard of. 

I made them into soup later, but I had to contain myself so that I didn't eat all of them. Sprinkle some salt on them,  eat. TO DIE FOR. 

After berry picking/tomato buying, we went to lunch at Roxy's Island Grill. 

This place is super close to our house and super good. It's a total dive. 

I got sho-yu chicken, which is chicken in a delicious sauce. 

It comes with macaroni salad and rice. So good. I had never had Hawaiian food before, and I'm now a fan. 

That's all folks! We had a great date day. 

Booze Thursday: Dead Guy Ale

This beer is a very popular local brew. I bought a 24 pack at Cost Co. I'm committed. It's a German Maibock style, which is traditionally served in the Spring. Screw the rules. 

It has a very nice balance between hops and sweetness. 

I like the malt taste in this beer. I like malt. The color is a darker color, darker then other Maibocks that I have had. 

I like this beer a lot-- it's a top Oregon favorite so far. 

And I'm using the large spooky box to store Halloween decorations. So it's a win win. 

Good Eats Wednesday: ANDIE THIS IS YOUR FAULT.

My friend posted two pictures of when she was making Jalapeno Strawberry jam. Only two pictures and I had the bug. I needed to make some for myself, STAT. 

Here's the story. 

I knew that I wanted to make freezer jam, as I like the fresh fruit taste. But I wasn't really big on having the fresh jalapeno taste in my jam. Here's how I got the best of both worlds. 

 I bought two packages of Shur-Jell fruit pectin and busted them open. The recipe for the freezer jam  is in there. It's easy. I doubled the recipe, that's why I used two packages .

I used about 5 large jalapenos, which when finely chopped in the food processor, yielded just under one cup.  

 To get the raw jalapeno taste out, I stuck them in my NEW AWESOME AMAZING cast iron pan for a couple of minutes. 

Then I prepared my fruit, using the food processor as well. Just follow the measurements closely and you'll be good to go. 

I mixed the fruit in a big bowl, then added the sugar. I stirred it up. 

Then I prepared the pectin, boiling it for one minute according to the package. 

BLURRY ACTION SHOT! NO TIME TO FOCUS CAMERA!

The pectin was mixed into the fruit/sugar, and I stirred it for three minutes. 

I ladled it into the plastic containers for the freezer and the glass one that I am going to keep in the fridge--won't last long around here!

Verdict: Great sweet strawberry taste with a nice subtle bite. It's great. Here's how I like to eat it:

Yep, that's a saltine and cream cheese. 

Make some, it's super easy!

DIY Tuesday: Mum!

It doesn't feel like fall until I have a mum plant greeting me when I get home. Here's how I got a big planter for cheap and filled it with flowers! 

I spotted this GIANT brass bucket container thing at goodwill. It was mine. 

I (really my husband) punched holes in the bottom of the container to allow for drainage. 

I filled it full of dirt and then plopped two mum plants in there. 

Voila! 

I think that the container will tarnish a bit when it's exposed to weather, and I like that. 

The point of this post is to remind you to think outside of the box! Try and see the potential for things while you are shopping. 

Have a great day! 

Random Monday: Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

Alllllright. Out of frustration,  I am officially changing Inspiration Monday to---drum roll please---RANDOM MONDAY!! 

I have a lot of trouble with Inspiration Monday, plus I already have other tiny things that I want to share, so that's what Monday is for. Starting now.  

My mommy said that it's not too early to decorate for Halloween. 

Here's a song to get you in the mood!

I got my booty over to the dollar tree. People, you must hit up the dollar store more often. It's a treasure chest full of awesome stuff. Not all of it, so just use your adult judgement. Here's how I decorated two areas of my home for THREE DOLLARS!

I got a big, sparkly spider web, a pack of two big ol' spiders, and a package of CREEPY CLOTH!!! OOOOOOOooOOOooOOOOooo 

Door before: 

Door after: 

I just want to take this moment to say that I am super proud of my spider handling skills during this project. My fears have subsided tremendously lately. Win. 

I stuck the web on there with two twisty ties. Then I tied the spider on with black string. It's not super obvious, until you get to the door. It's awesome. 

Mantel Before: 

Mantel After: 

CREEPY CLOTH  is a great product. 

It's feeling pretty scary around here! 

Have a wonderful fall day! 

Adventure Time Friday: Great American Bear Festival

Here's the deets on the backpacking. We started Saturday morning and made it to 7 1/2 mile camp with plenty plenty of time. There were a ton of sights along the way. After making camp, we saw a BEAR! So exciting. He was running away from camp as fast as he could. 

He was cuuuuuuuuuuuuuute. 

Here's the map. We went up to 7.5 mile camp and got to see all of the crazy sights on the way. Super great trip. 



I got all fancy this time and made a slideshow! Although I can't get it to center...baby steps people. 

First, here are some videos that we took. 

There's a third one that was too long over at the youtube. Here's the link! 

Booze Thursday: Oktoberfest Time!

I haven't been consistent about exploring Oregon beers on the blog! 

Here's a Portland beer for ya! 

Widmer Brothers is a pretty big brewery in Portland. You can expect to find them brewing a good example of most mainstream styles. Since it's fall, I got the Oktoberfest. It's yummy. 

I learned that Oktoberfest beers are traditionally brewed in the spring, stored in cellars throughout the summer, and drank in the fall. Very interesting!

It's a great example of an Oktoberfest, with all of the sweet toasty malt flavors that you expect. Slightly hoppy at the finish, with a crisp feeling. Super good.

 A solid offering from an Oregon brewery. 

Good Eats Wednesday: Tears of Onions

French onion soup is yummy! With fall in the air, I decided to make some. Here's the scoop. 

Get a big pot. 

Ingredients: 

4 large sweet onions

1 stick of butter

1 tbsp salt

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 

2 tsp ground black pepper

2 tbsp beef base (if you are using beef stock instead of water, omit this)

5 cups water

4 tbsp cornstarch 

Slice all of the onions. Cry. 

Melt the stick of butter in the pot over medium heat, then add the onions, separating the rings as you go. 

Add the salt. 

Stir once, then cover and cook for thirty minutes on medium low. Don't peek. 

Take the lid off and cook uncovered until the liquid has evaporated, about thirty minutes. 

This is when the onions will start to begin caramelizing. It takes a while, so be patient. The key is to let them cook for about 3-5 minutes, then stir them, scraping the bottom well each time to make sure that the caramelized goodness gets stirred into the onions and doesn't burn on the bottom. Cook and cook and cook and stir and stir and stir and stir. Stop when they are a dark brown golden color. It takes as long as it takes. 

Here's the progression. 

Then add the garlic (press it or dice it). Stir for a minute and add the beef base and Worcestershire sauce.

Add the water and bring to a boil.  

Grab a small bowl or container of some sort and ladle some of the soup into the bowl. Add the cornstarch and stir until no lumps remain. 

Add the slurry mixture back into the soup, making sure it comes to a boil to see just  how thick it will get. Adjust with another small slurry if it's too thin, or add some more stock or water if it's too thick. 

Ladle it into a bowl and lay put some bread substance on top. 

I used some diced pieces of bread that I made, and I like it like that. It is easier to eat with diced bread chunks than a whole piece of bread floating there. Throw some interesting cheese on there. I used half parm and half kerrygold, since that's what I have. Then broil it until it's cheesy perfection! Inhale.  

DIY Tuesday: Crazy Skirt!

I did a little sewing yesterday, and I have a cute, crazy skirt to show for it! I followed a tutorial that I found on Pinterest. I seem to sew only skirts these days. They are super easy, so it is gratifying! 

Here's the link. 

 It's super cheap to make because it uses muslin. Normally it's pretty see through, but when it's this many layers you can't see through it at all. I think the fabric was under two bucks a yard. I used about 2 1/2 yards. I already had the elastic for the waist, so it was a very cheap skirt.

It was super fast to make, and I even put some pockets in it. My mantra is NO SKIRTS WITHOUT POCKETS! Caps are needed. 

Pockets are very easy to do as well, look up a tutorial on the interwebz if you want to learn. This is the tutorial that I use. 

Here's how mine turned out: 

I like it a lot! It's going to be great when the weather gets colder. 

Make something today! Have a great day. 

Inspiration Monday: Scarves, Boots, Sweaters, MMMMMM.

Since I spend my days at home, I have had to dig down deep to find motivation to dress nicely. Coming up on fall makes me want to break out all of the fall clothes that I love so much. 

don't want to waste my favorite time of the year in yoga pants...but I still want to be comfy! SO, I dug up some motivation pictures to get me motivated to be a fashionista! I hope they get you motivated too! 

This one really makes me want to go to Goodwill RIGHT NOW and get that perfect Chambray shirt that I know they have. 

YESSSSS........kidding. 

Have a great day! 

PS: We DID go backpacking this weekend! I'm super sore and just resting, but expect the whole story on FRIDAY! 

Adventure Time Friday: I got nuthin.

So since we have been back from Colorado, the adventure time has been lacking. We are hopefully going to go on a saweeeet backpacking trip this weekend--that is if the husband beats his cold he's been fighting in time. CROSS YOUR FINGERS. 

So this week, since Friday is usually just a picture fest, I thought that I would share some pictures that I have found while organizing/backing up my old pictures. Enjoi. 

Let's go back back back back in time......The year is 2006. We went to the Denver Art Museum. 

We also turned 18. And Shane got his dl. Saweet. 

That was back when the husband (boyfriend then...) didn't do the sushi thing. That. has. changed. 

High school graduation! 2007

These boys look like babies. Babies I tell ya! 



Here's a real baby! Lil bro time! He's FAR too old now....I'm just gonna go forget that. 

Mother's day 2007. 

I've got a ton more that I think I'll save for another week where there are no adventures to be had. Have an excellent weekend!