Pumpkin Chocolate-Chip Cookies

from www.allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

**as some of the allrecipes reviewers will say, these are a bit cake-like, but with the walnuts and chocolate chips, are very good!

Tender

A rush of hormones this morning had me digging through my cds. First, I listened to our wedding music and cried about the fact that it's so wonderful that I met a man like Mike. Then I dragged out this cd that my dad made for me, and by some act of God, it actually played (scratched) and had a hysterical crying breakdown driving to work listening to this slow version of "The Way You Look Tonight" by Tony Bennett and how I would have liked to have danced with my dad to that song at our wedding. I miss my dad so much. I pulled myself together to walk in the building, but then just to torture myself a little more, I dragged out this letter that I have from my dad that he wrote me in 1997. I am a mess, but so happy that I have these precious mementos from my dad's life that were made especially for me. It means a lot that these "love notes" are in his handwriting.

AC: transformation

Line dancin

When I was driving back to work after lunch I was listening to a local country station that happened to be playing the song Boot Scootin' Boogie, which started me thinking about my high school days in Iowa, about the time that song came out when for fun we would actually go to country dance halls and try to line dance. The purpose of this was two-fold. One was that it seemed like a harmless activity to the parents. Secondly, it got us into establishments where drinking was going on. I only actually remember going twice to Swisher, Iowa to do this. We didn't wear country clothes or anything, nor really know any dances per se, other than the "Boot Scoot" (that's insider lingo for BSB), which we learned from Ms. Kadlec in gym class. I only learned to two-step when I got to Texas. My main goal was intoxication on these excursions. We definitely met some "older guys" who bought us beers/Zimas one time and I think we imbibed them in the parking lot.

This started me thinking also about Joslyn Morse. We haven't heard anything about her since the whole StrayRod scandal in June. I hope she is okay whereever she is. How did she go from line-dancing to pole-dancing, I wonder?

Anyway, some other things we did for fun in Iowa were:

-teepeeing people's houses

-hanging out at Dennys and smoking cigarettes

-trying to get served at local Mexican restaurants including ChiChis and Papa Juans, and at other places like Kurts.

-go to parties no matter which high school was hosting. i remember going to some keg parties in fields and six packs consumed on "the bridge" in Marion. the best were the infamous Jamaica parties at the Seilers house, when we partied in honor of their dad on vacation in Jamaica.

-go to football and basketball games (for me this was extra exciting as a Royal cheerleader)

-go to Iowa City, much cooler than CR with 19 bars.

Good times, good times! What effort you needed to put into having fun as a high schooler in Iowa!

AC: Strength

Cabo and Birthday

well, i am now 31 or "in my 30s." not sure how i feel about 31. i used to do this whole obnoxious thing where I counted down shopping days until my day. no mas. anyway, i am pretty optimistic about this year of my life. twill be a good one, methinks.

we spent tues-fri of last week in cabo. it was a great trip. we stayed 2 nights at monika's time share and then mike surprised me with a stay the third night at casa natalia, which really couldn't have been a better gift for me.

Casa Natalia is where we went right after we got engaged so holds a warm spot in my heart, and with only 12 rooms it is so peaceful and not in the midst of the Cabo tequila shots and people trying to sell you stuff, but rather exists peacefully snug in the middle of San Jose. You fall asleep to the sound of running water, and rushing wind through the palm trees. You forget you are in the middle of a city. They also include a full breakfast on the veranda with your room rate and include access to a wonderfully serene beach club next door to Las Ventanas, so you can seek out your favorite celeb (no sightings this time, but I did see a man who appeared to be sunbathing in the nude outside his suite) and read by the ocean. It is low season in Cabo so there weren't very many people there at all. Ah, bliss.

We got home late Friday night and had the weekend to do laundry and quietly reenter civilization. Ran the Cornerstone 5k at church on Saturday morning (bad timing) and then drove down to Mom and Arts for Art's homemade nachos and chocolate cake birthday dinner.

Now the week is upon us. We start our new Bible study book tomorrow night. I am nervous and excited. Hopefully, it will be a good book!

AC: Enthusiasm

ACL Wrap

Whew! What a great ACL Fest. We made it through 3 days, without too much heartache or headache. For the first time in the 4 years since I've been attending, I really felt relaxed and happy and with the exception of some mean Asian girl tripping me as I was trying to pass her chair, I was into the peaceful vibe of the event. It was hot as always, but I've finally learned where to park, how to dress (flowy, cotton/linen, bare, hat) and how to stay somewhat cool (camelback is the way to go).

Mike's family was in town and they were fun and we also got to see Meags and her new man from West Palm. Good times.

Favorites for me were two bands that I was somewhat unfamiliar with before the show: Muse (rocked! this was such a fun show... great video stage-show and kind of a an early 80s/rock/Freddie Mercury thing goin on... and I knew like 4 of their songs from 101X)
LCD Soundsystem had a great sound. Another fun show
Bloc Party rocked. I think festival shows need to be upbeat in some way. I hate when it's all acoustic and you're hot and you feel sleepy and irritable.

Lowlights: Regina Specktor... huh? Chelsea Clinton and Tori Amos combine to create a mousy quiet performance. I felt like I was attending some acid-tripped high school girl's recital. It was super crowded and I guess I just didn't get it.
Bob Dylan. I am sorry. I know he's a living legend, but I couldn't understand a damn word. Worse than that, the camera crew for the jumbotrons need to be fired. For the majority of the show, all you could see was a wide shot of the band. From 1/4 mile back I could have been listening to a Bob Dylan cd (albeit a bad one) and he could have been a Weekend at Bernies dead guy propped up with a guitar up there. Huh, again. Not intimate at all. Twasn't til the end of "Everybody Must Get Stoned" that I realized which song he was singing. Bad. And an act I was very much looking forward to, Paolo Nutini... sorry, maybe it was just because it was really hot, but I wasn't feeling it.

Memorable moments: seeing a brazen Amazon woman wearing a small bikini, a man in a full-on fur werewolf costume, a girl dressed up as a club kid/space person with pink hair and space boots, seeing people smoke pot out of an apple, doing some interpretive dancing (and a herky) at muse (I play one helluva air piano, baby) and eating my first Hudsons on the Bend chicken cone

About 30 people showed up for our Bloody Mary party. Good times! I'll post pics soon.

Cabo dreamin

this is pretty much how my day has been so far... on the way to work, this crazy lady was tailing me in her range rover honking at me for not merging fast enough onto the feeder for Mopac, so I went nuts and sped up, letting her pass and flipping her off... missing my turn and feeling upset. since then, it's been quiet... went to try to get everyone's wristbands for ACL at lunch and they weren't open yet. there were at least 10 other likeminded people there thinking that they could get their wristbands at noon the day before the festival starts. now, i am sleepy and just ate some peanut m&ms... i refuse to take candy from other peoples desks at work unless they aren't there. does anyone else do this? i feel like a secret candy lifter.... so, i guess i'm going to pick up the wristbands after work and my guess that it'll be a big mess because they weren't open til 3. then i get to sit on mopac for 45 minutes and go home and clean. boo!

well, next week at this time, i'll be here(left) so i guess it doesn't matter... call me sally irritable.

ac: education

Almost time for ACL again

Mike just sent out some pictures from Austin City Limits music fest from last year and it really seems like yesterday. I think this is a sign of aging... Anyway, after the heat of the last three years I said I would only go for maybe one day this year, but last week, my friend Meagen from MU said she and her man are coming and the whole house full of people staying at our house are going (sans mimi and grandpa and the kids), so I caved and bought a 3 day pass. Maybe I'm not too old for the festival. Maybe God will smile down on us with some cool weather like today. It was 70 degrees this morning when I left the house. Can you say fall-like?

Anyway, everyone here in Austin is all upset because Amy Winehouse, Rodrigo y Gabriela and now, the White Stripes have cancelled. They've shifted the schedule a bit, but I am still optimistic. Looking forward to seeing Muse, Artic Monkeys, the Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Paolo Nutini, Indigo Girls and Arcade Fire. Kaiser Chiefs rocked it out two years ago and I've been loving listening to their cd lately. It was so blasted hot and their little British gingerhaired pink skin was aflame, but they were so fun.

We're having bloody marys and breakfast tacos in the driveway if you want to come over.

AC: blank angel... hello dad!

Cuban Marinade for Pork Tenderloin

Cuban Marinade (for 1 tenderloin, about 1 lb.)
1/4 cup grapefruit juice (orig. recipe says to use OJ, but we only had grapefruit... made both ways and i liked the grapefruit better)
2 Tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4 cup oil
2 bay leaves
2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper
Combine all ingredients and pour into a resealable bag with the pork tenderloin. Marinate several hours.
Grill tenderloin, basting with the marinade as you grill, until internal temperature reaches 140.
Set aside to rest for 7-10 minutes, underneath an aluminum foil tent. Slice.

From Elly We had this last night with sauteed zucchini and my favorite spicy mango salsa couscous.

Grilled Lamb Chops

E gave me this great recipe for Mike's birthday meal. It was phenomenal... and easy!

1 rack lamb
4 sprigs rosemary
4 cloves garlic
1tsp stone ground mustard (my personal addition)
salt and pepper
drizzle of olive oil

Take about 4 sprigs of Rosemary and chop it up. Take about 4 gloves of garlic and press through garlic press (or open the jar, says I). Salt, Pepper both sides of rack and then rub the rosemary, mustard and garlic on the meat. Drizzle with a little olive oil and place in Ziploc bag in the fridge for a few hours. Take the meat out of the fridge after an hour or a glass and a half of wine...and bring the meat to room temp...(about 20-30 minutes) Heat the grill to HIGH---sear the meat for about a minute on each side. Lower heat and grill for about 8 minutes. Take off grill and let rest for another 5 minutes before cutting for Medium Rare.

I bought a jar of herbed mint jelly for the side and it was lick-the-plate worthy. I served with caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, sauteed portabellas and blue cheese mashed potatoes.

Happy birthday Michael!

Happy birthday to Michael! Today is my dearest's 41st birthday. After work I am cooking up a hopefully delicious meal in his honor.
To officially celebrate our Sept. birthdays we are going to Cabo in 12 days. Yes, it is an indulgent year for us on paper, but Monika offered us a free place to stay in her timeshare and we're using miles so basically all we're paying for is food. Can't wait. Work is KILLING me at the moment. Katherine is gone and we've had some major customer notification mail merge headaches and I want to bash my head into my desk today. The phone is ringing off the hook with the mailroom telling me about things that didn't merge right and wrong phone numbers on the letterhead, and to top it off I'm knee deep in helping out on the Cornerstone 5K Committee for our church and my mailbox is filling up with tasks to do for that, too. It really feels good to use my talents to serve the church a la PDL but it is a lot.

We had a great Labor Day. Mike's Aunt Maxine and Uncle Pauly and Uncle Billy and Aunt Mooncha came in Billy's luxurious RV. It was great to have some new people taking part in our celebration. I am more in love with my nieces and nephews than ever. This is a cool picture I took of Mike in the lake with Bella a few weeks ago. Ah the relaxation of the lake....

Today is also the anniversary of my dad's death. I miss you Dad!

AC: Abundance....