Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Struesel: A Preview

Last night, I made Blueberry Muffins with Cinnamon Struesel, courtesy of Dishing Up Delight's blog. But, when I finished making four batches of muffins, I was too tired to load the photos onto my computer and then onto my blog.

So, you're going to have to wait until tomorrow for the recipe and step-by-step photos.

Until then, I leave with you a teaser photo (courtesy of Dishing Up Delight):

Lemon Garlic Salmon with Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

Let me start out by saying that I have never been a fan of salmon. Never.

But, I'm also an adult and I'm pretty sure that obligates me to try new things.

So, last week, I made Lemon Garlic Salmon with some helpful tips from my co-worker's husband.

And. it. was. amazing.

Seriously, I couldn't get enough of it.

So I made it again, and had to share. My recipe is based on a one-pound piece of fish, big enough for two adults.

Ingredients

Salmon (1/2 pound per person)

A generous sprinkle of Lemon Pepper seasoning

A generous sprinkle of Garlic Salt

3 to 4 cloves fresh garlic

1 large lemon

1 lime

2 tablespoons butter

Directions

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Slice half of the lemon and lime and place on the bottom of your baking dish, so the salmon won't stick. Squeeze the other half of the lemon and lime onto the fish.

Next, generously sprinkle Lemon Pepper seasoning and Garlic Salt on the salmon.

Finally, finely mince the garlic cloves. It helps if you have one of these:

It a Pampered Chef food chopper, and I cannot live without it.

Mince the garlic and sprinkle it onto the fish.

Place the seasoned fish onto the lemon and lime slices.

Add a few pats of butter on top of the fish.

And bake for 15 minutes.

During the last few minutes, set the oven to "Broil" to crisp up the garlic.

The salmon should be an opaque pink all the way through and should flake when you cut into it with a fork.

With the salmon, I like to serve from Rosemary-Herb Bread or another kind of starch.

This time, I made some of my famous (at least to my family) Rosemary Garlic Potatoes.

Ingredients

1 pound of baby potatoes

1 or 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary

A generous sprinkle of garlic salt

A generous pour of olive oil

Directions

The great thing about these potatoes is you can bake them at the same temperature as whatever other dish you're making. Since the salmon is cooking at 350 degrees, so will my potatoes.

Slice the potatoes so they are the same thickness and will cook evenly. You can use a knife if you're skilled, or you can cheat like I do and use this amazing mandolin. Sprinkle a little olive oil on a baking sheet and spread the potatoes on top so they are not overlapping at all. Chop up your rosemary and sprinkle over the potatoes.

Then give the whole dish a generous sprinkling of garlic salt. Bake for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and golden brown. Serve with salmon.

I'd show you a picture of the finished project, but the Lumberjack and I were starving (it was nearly 8 p.m. by the time we ate dinner) and we wolfed it down before I could take one photo. But, I promise, it looks as pretty as it tastes!

My Goal: To Be a Stay-at-Home Mom

I have a confession to make.

And it might not make everyone happy.

In fact, it may upset people who believe it's a waste of time and a step backwards in the feminist movement.

But here it goes:

As much as I enjoy working and being a career woman, my goal in the long run is to be a stay-at-home mom (SAHM).

There, I said it.

I know, I know: I have a Bachelor's degree and a career. Don't get me wrong, I love both. But when it comes down to it, putting my baby in daycare everyday so I can continue with my career is simply not an option. Like my own mother, I want to be there when my baby says his/her first word or takes his/her first step.

And for that reason, the Lumberjack and I have discussed not starting our family until we can financially afford for me to comfortably stay at home and raise our kids. That point of financial stability may not come for 10 or even 15 years, but it's worth waiting for so that I can accomplish my goal of always being there. (With what I know about my Lumberjack's work ethic, I'd be shocked if it was longer than five years.)

But right now, I feel kind of lost. Being a stay-at-home mom isn't reality now, and until it becomes now, I'm at a standstill. Unlike other goals, there isn't anything I can do to make this goal become a reality any sooner.

Reading Whitney's blog, My Journey Toward the Glamorous Life of a Housewife, inspires me.

I know it will all be worth it one day when I can look into that little face and have the confidence that I will not miss a moment. But until then, all I have is the hope and dream that it will all be worth it.

A Reflection: The Engagement

It was May 21, 2006. The Lumberjack and I had talked about getting married, we had shopped for a ring, we had even read one of those "101 questions before you get engaged" books. We were spending a wonderful weekend at my parents' home since he was living in San Diego, and I just knew he was going to propose to me that weekend.

But he didn't.

Oh, he asked a question, all right. He asked, "Wanna go out on a date next weekend?"

Well, sure.

He wouldn't tell me where we were going and, after my disappointment from the previous weekend, I didn't want to get my hopes up. (I mean, who I am kidding? I made sure my nails were freshly manicured for two months before he popped the question, just so I'd be ready to show of my new ring the second it was on my perfectly-polished finger.)

I didn't want to get my hopes up but, being the silly girl I am, I pulled a silky white dress out of my closet and borrowed some pearl earrings from my mom. I even bought some cute heels to go with the dress, you know, just in case.

He drove me downtown and took me to Blue Ginger, a swanky Chinese restaurant I had been dying to go to. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was incredibly romantic. The meal ended, and I suggested we go to the beach and watch the sunset. He suggested Shelter Island, a place we'd go to watch the boats on the harbor and be alone.

I agreed. When we arrived, he took me over to the Bali Hai and I had a good feeling it was finally coming. I knew his dad had asked his mom to marry him in the gardens behind the Bali Hai. But he kept walking. Again, I was disappointed but tried not to get my hopes up.

We walked over to a gazebo shaped like a shell that had been built in the grass near the water. We stood in the middle and looked up at the middle of the shell.

And when I looked back at him, he was down on one knee.

I started freaking out. (He later admitted to me he was so excited, he was shaking.)

He told me how he brought me to this spot because we had shared to much time there. He then asked me if I would do him the honor of becoming his wife. "YES, YES, YES!"

We hugged; we kissed; we laughed.

And then he said, "Oh, by the way, my friends Tori and Dave have been over there taking pictures of the whole thing."

WOW.

He knows me well. Not only did he pick out the ring of my dreams, he knew I'd want photos to commemorate the best day of my life, up until that point at least. It was the most romantic day of my life, and everything was absolutely perfect. I didn't even cry until the photographers left.

Looking back at the photos from that day makes me smiles. We were so young, so in love. The great thing about it is, we're still young, and even more in love.

So many people had told me that marriage would change our relationship, and not necessarily in a good way.

I loved the Lumberjack when he proposed to me, but it was a fraction compared to my love for him now.

Everything about that moment was perfect, but it was just one of many more perfect moments together.

Marriage was the best thing that has ever happened to me--to us--but I'll blog about that later.

*My favorite* chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER

I have a confession to make.

I make some of the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever eaten.

But secretly, it's just the Ghirardelli recipe.

I've tried dozens of others, and this is my favorite. I've thought of modifying it to make it my own, but why mess with a perfect thing?

The ironic thing is, I never use Ghirardelli chocolate chips. I prefer Toll House semi-sweet.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

11 1/2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

I've made this recipe so many times, I have it memorized.

Here's what you do:

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

The Ghirardelli recipe says to mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl, but we all know no one does that.

Use softened butter or melt it down until it's soft and then cream with sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time and cream. When it's mixed, dump in 1 cup of flour before adding the baking soda and salt. Mix again, add the rest of the flour and continue until combined. Then, dump in the chocolate chips (I never measure) and mix on "low" if you're a rebel. If you like rules, mix by hand at this point.

Nuts are optional, but no one really thinks chocolate chip cookies are better with nuts. No one.

Roll into balls and bake for 9 to 11 minutes.

And, voila! Enjoy these little babies, because they are so good!

Photo courtesy of ghirardelli.com

High School Reunion

My five-year high school reunion was last Saturday.

And I didn't go.

Part of the reason is that the people I have wanted to keep in touch with after high school, I have.

The second reason is that I feel like I'm in such a different place and would have absolutely nothing to talk about.

The third reason is that I'm very OK with leaving high school in the past.

The funny thing about high school is, when you're there, you think, "This is it." I remember thinking that high school was the most important time of my life. But it wasn't. Not even close. 

A girl I went to high school with commented via Facebook that the reunion would be a lot of "So what are you up to?" "Not much. Just finished college, looking for a job, living with my parents." "Oh sweet, me too." And that's probably true for the most part.

But that's all foreign to me because I graduated, have had a full-time job and my own place for over a year now. I've also been married for over a year and haven't lived in Orange County with my parents since I left five years ago.

It's not that I think I've done better or worse than anyone from my high school, it's that we don't have much in common. And really, what's the point? I don't live there; I'd never go out with any of them; and I have no desire to "brag" about what I've done in the last five years; and I highly doubt many of them even care.

Instead, I'd rather spend time with people from high school that I am still friends with, by choice. I'd rather spend time with Cody, who's been one of my best friends for eight years despite dating, distance and more drama than I care to remember. 

Or Kaitlin, who is pretty much my soul mate and best friend for nine-plus years despite drama, deaths, thousands of miles and boys between us. Or a small handful of others who I know will be there for me five, 10, or even 15 years from now.

After looking through the pictures, I am so relieved I didn't go. The truth of it is, parts of high school were great and I will always cherish those memories. But I didn't peak in high school. And, who I am now isn't who I was in high school. And many of the people I was "friends" with in high school aren't my friends now.

Mostly, I love things how they are now and have no need to go try to relive the past.

To me, high school is just the beginning of finding out who you are. And finding out who your true friends are, even if you look silly while doing it. 

Senior Cruise with Kaitlin, dressed as saloon girls. Nov. 2003.

Weddings, Fourth of July, etc.

I know, it's been almost a month since my last post. But, I can explain.

See, first I had about a trillion (that's not an exaggeration) wedding-related events. Being in weddings take up a lot of time, even when they're not your own.

On June 26, the Lumberjack was the best man when our dear friends Drew and Christine got married.

Photo by Jeff and Erin Youngren.

And then, one week later on July 3, I was the matron of honor when our dear friends Lisa and Josh got married.

Then, the day after Lisa and Josh's wedding, the Lumberjack and I spent the weekend in Orange County with our parents for the Fourth of July.

The most exciting part of that was: Dutch learned how to swim!

It's an awful lot of excitement for a corgi puppy, though you can't tell from the picture above. In fact, he looks like he's hating it, but he actually had a pretty good time. See, there he is swimming along. He kind of looks terrified there, too, but he figured out the whole swimming thing pretty quickly.

And, as long as one of us was holding him, he seemed to relax and enjoy the cool water on such a hot day.

He did occasionally look to my mom, who was taking pictures, for help. But, each time he'd swim to the steps and get out of the pool, he walk around and try to get back in. The thing is, he's a baby, so he wasn't brave enough so jump in. Plus, when he does jump/fall in, he sinks. Silly dog.

But he definitely had a fun time swimming. In the photo above, he's swimming to me. Such a good boy!

And his daddy was so proud not to have a wussy dog!

Tomorrow, he will be nine months old, and I can say, despite the mishaps, he has been a perfect addition to our little family. We love that little corgi!