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No one likes to be hug-deprived. Right daddy?

New Years Dinner

So, I got a bunch of new and exciting spices, and several flavor books, for Christmas! I'm addicted to the Flavor Bible and the Cook's encyclopedia. I've been studying and imagining up all sorts of creative foods to make ever since then. If you thought I had adventurous tastes before....beware!

I started out the new year with a fun dinner, inviting my parents and Rachel n' Jeff to be my guests for the "food experience" (a term that has come to mean almost anything Emily makes because I will always challenge you to get out of your food comfort zone). I made up each dish on my very own (down to the dressing) and was very proud of the result.

Here was the menu:

Drink: Lemon and cucumber water

Appetizer: Bruschetta with brie and blueberries/cardamom-spiced pears

Salad: Spring greens w/red onion, feta, cayenne-caramelized pecans and cherry dressing

Main Course: Rosemary, mushroom and apricot stuffed pork loin

Saffron risotto with Spanish paprika

Dessert: lemon-coconut creme brulee

Although all very tasty, the surprise hit of the night: cayenne-caramelized pecans. I can't wait to make those again.

Recap of 2009

Highlights of 2009

• meeting and dating Ben
• performing in an opera
• hot air balloon ride
• wake surfing
• first paid professional speaking gig (ADEU conference)
• getting a real piano in my house
• new Mac laptop
• buying an iphone
• rock climbing course
• seeing Wicked in Denver
• cherry blossom festival in D.C.
• 3 new nieces
• new creme brulee torch
• St. George trip and hikes
• rafting in Moab
• flying with my dad in his plane
• seeing my brother get sealed to his adopted baby girl
• Carmina Burana live (performed by my parent's choir)

pretty cool year when you look back on it all. Hope to make 2010 even better!!

Neglect

I know I have seriously neglected you, my poor little blog. I now repent and promise to not procrastinate posting because I am waiting for the "perfect picture" that someone else has and will not send me. I will find more things to share with you. After all, it's a new year...

Furnace Fun

One of the intimidating things about being a home owner are appliances... those large, complicated machines that could potentially break at very inopportune times and leave you feeling helpless. In the last year, I've only had one issue and had to call in the GE man to fix my dishwasher. I was thinking the other day about my furnace-or maybe it was the faint burnt smell I got a whiff of while passing the laundry room. I seemed to remember somewhere that you have to change the filter on furnaces...hmm.

I discussed this with Ben. Although I am sure he knew perfectly well how to do it, he was not the typical guy who was anxious to show off his manly fix-it-all skills and offer to do it. (I've never been able to pull off the helpless girl act well, and come to think of it... some guys I've asked for help on stuff have ended up being, well, less-than-helpful). But knowing my independent spirit, he kindly said, "that will be an interesting project for you to learn about tonight, won't it".

Ok. I'm up for the challenge! what first? pull out the manual? oh wait...find the manual...do I even have a manual? stratch that...that's why there is Google! Read some pointers from howstuffworks.com and it turns out furnaces can all be quite different. I just decided to inspect it myself and figure it out. 30 seconds later, I was done. Really. That was it?

Is it sad that I feel so empowered by the fact that I can change my own furnace filter?

Sub 4 Santa 5k

My ward does a fundraising 5k race each year for our Sub4Santa fund. It's a low-key,

fun event for anyone that wants to run or even walk. Dressing in holiday festive outerwear is encouraged for the run around sugarhouse park. I wasn't first nor was I last. Not my best time, nor my worst. Good run. The weather even cooperated for the couple hours we were there-and dumped snow the minute I got home!

So, why do you think that event t-shirts never come in smaller sizes. Has vanity sizing gotten so bad that they think small people don't exist anymore...I mean, especially among people that run races...? Diabetes events are even worse...they pretty much just order large or extra large shirts.

Wicked on Halloween

I took a fun weekend trip to Denver with Ben, to meet up with my parents, Rachel/Jeff/TJ, and Kimi... all for to see Wicked the Musical on Halloween night. We spent the rest of the weekend seeing some of the city. We got to see the botanical gardens as well... which were supposed to have Halloween festivities... but we later learned that those were at the "other botanical gardens". So we had fun roaming about in the beautiful and unseasonably warm weather that day, throwing snowballs and enjoying the company. The workers there recommended the rose garden...I thought of it more as an abstract art combining snow/mud/dead plants, then it really was quite interesting.

"Wicked" was awesome... even the third time you

see it. Each cast gives it a little different flavor but it always is a fantastic experience. This cast had the best Wizard I've seen. Ben thought they all sang a little too much. Lol. Walking the city street on Halloween night was gives one a different exposure to the people of Denver...

Overall, had some good food, wonderful company, great times, and fond memories.