Day 234 – August 22 2010 Pride Parade #project365 #photography
Posted by Allison on 3rd September 2010
9Sep
Day 229 – August 17 2010 Estatic Puppy #project365 #photography
Posted by admin on 23rd August 2010
8Aug
Day 227 – August 15 2010 2010 Madison Mallards #project365 #photography
Posted by admin on 23rd August 2010
8Aug
Day 155 – June 4 2010 My Family
Posted by admin on 10th June 2010
This weekend we went to my aunt’s Bat Mitzvah. It was a wonderful event and quite a few of our Chicago relatives came, it was great to see everyone! Plus my Grandparents made it up from Florida!
6Jun
Day 149 – May 29 2010 Canoeing down the Black river
Posted by admin on 4th June 2010
While camping in Black River Falls I begged my boyfriend to go canoeing. I didn’t care much that he didn’t REALLY want to go, because I was dead set on going canoeing! Check the prices at different outfitters and decided on the one who had the nicest person answering the phone! Lost Falls Campground and Canoeing. It was great! We made it down the river a lot faster than anyone else, but didn’t fight once (which for canoeing is apparently unusual!) I can’t wait to go canoeing with him again! A great success and the Lost Falls Campground (although not where we stayed) has some awesomeness, like $.50 marshmallows and ice cream! 
Definitely recommend checking it out if your looking for a canoeing trip in the Black River Falls Area!
6Jun
Day 100 – April 10 2010 dilapidated house in Iowa’s Countryside
Posted by admin on 19th April 2010
Driving down highway 151 on my way to Cedar Rapids I was on the look out for some old rusty antique cars in fields. I had a hard time finding any but I spotted this awesome old house in a horse pasture. It was full of stuff, windows broken, but with a serious personality. After taking some pictures of this house, and getting sprayed with rocks and dirt from pickup trucks zipping by me on the side of the road, I turned around and LOW AND BEHOLD! I found 2 old rusty’s next to a barn!! The rusty car and truck were really close together, but I tried to take good pictures of them. I am not sure if I succeeded but they were not anywhere near as cool as the ones I found a few years ago in Southern Iowa.
4Apr
Day 53 – February 22 2010 – food day 144 Homemade Grilled Cheeseburger
Posted by admin on 1st March 2010
Finally after months of waiting it had warmed up enough (about 32 degrees) and we could fire up the grill for a taste of summer! Perfect dinner of grilled cheeseburgers and Cantaloupe!
3Mar
Day 50 – February 19 2010 – food day 141 Crab Legs for Joe’s 26th Birthday!
Posted by admin on 23rd February 2010
Story of this whole trip to follow
2Feb
Day 46 – February 15 2010 – food day 137 Pop POP!
Posted by admin on 17th February 2010
As kids my sister and I whenever we had popcorn we had orange pop, we’d dip our popcorn into the pop and it’d get soggy and taste filled.
YUM!
2Feb
Day 43 – February 12 2010 – food day 134 One of my favorite Foods!
Posted by admin on 14th February 2010
I eat peanut butter almost everyday for lunch. I LOVE my peanut butter and Jelly Sandwiches. We ran out of peanut butter yesterday. I was VERY sad. I didn’t know what to have for lunch!Whether it’s by the spoonful, melted with chocolate, or in a Sandwich it’s mmmm mmmm GOOD!
2Feb
Day 42 – February 11 2010 – food day 133 It’s that time of year!! NOT!
Posted by admin on 14th February 2010
2Feb
Day 37 – February 6 2010 – food day 128 Wings and Sweet Potato Fries
Posted by admin on 9th February 2010
2Feb
Day 36 – February 5 2010 – food day 127 calzone
Posted by admin on 8th February 2010
My sister and I stopped by this place called Pockets, after she picked me up from the train. We had planned on making chicken wings but it was too late to marinate and get them all ready so we decided to make them for lunch the next day. This place was really good, and apparently very popular with the Chicago PD. There were 3 tables of them when we walked in and 2 more undercover cops came in after us!
2Feb
Day 32 – February 1 2010 – Food day 123 Sloppy Joe’s and Carrots
Posted by admin on 4th February 2010
2Feb
Day 31 – January 31 2010 – Food day 122 Leftover Pizza from El Viento
Posted by admin on 4th February 2010
2Feb
Day 30 – January 30 2010 – Food day 121 Chocolate Malt at a Mickey’s Dinner (Very Famous Diner)
Posted by admin on 1st February 2010
Mickey’s Diner (Picture to come) was in many movies, most recognizably Mighty Ducks I, II, III. Last time I was in the twin Cities to see my boyfriend he mentioned it to me and I was like ooooooo. So this time we were planning on venturing into St. Paul for the Winter Carnival, so I said Lets go to Mickeys Diner. It was great!! The food and atmosphere were so much fun! The whole experience was a blast and I’d love to go back again!! Check it out if your around, stop in for a malt, or one of their special sandwiches!
2Feb
Day 29 – January 29 2010 – Food day 120 Quick appetizersbefore seeing Avatar
Posted by admin on 1st February 2010
2Feb
Day 28 – January 28 2010 – Food day 119 More Reeses Peanutbutter Cups #project365 #Photography
Posted by admin on 1st February 2010
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Recipe Origin: Life in a peanut shell
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Ingredients:
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12 mini cupcake liners
3/4 cup Milk Chocolate chips (or semi sweet if you prefer)
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter + 2 generous Tbsp to add to the melted chocolate
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1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
a pinch fine sea salt [if your PB is already salted, it's optional to add more]
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Directions:
| 1. | Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals until smooth. Add 2 generous tablespoons of peanut butter and stir to incorporate. Let cool for 5 minutes. |
| 2. | Line a mini cupcake pan with mini liners. Place a heaping teaspoon of melted chocolate in each mini cupcake liner and spread it all over the place with the back of a spoon. repeat with all 12 liners. |
| 3. | Place the cupcake tin into your freezer and allow it to harden. |
| 4. | Meanwhile, stir together peanut butter, vanilla, salt, and sugar to form a paste. Make sure you knead in all the ingredients. |
| 5. | Divide peanut butter paste into all 12 liners, pressing down gently to make sure the paste goes everywhere. [I took a a heaping teaspoon and rolled it into a ball, then flattened it and placed it into the liners] |
| 6. | Top with heaping teaspoon of chocolate [melt it again if needed], spreading carefully so that none of the PB paste can be seen. |
| 7. | Chill in fridge/freezer for at least one hour. |
I made them again! This time they looked more like the Reese’s you buy in the store but they were greasier than the first time, but on the upside I used bakers chocolate instead of milk chocolate chips and they didn’t melt as easily! These reese’s remained hidden in my Grandma’s freezer until my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin arrived so they could have some!
2Feb
Day 24 – January 24 2010 – Food day 115 Lemon tart-let
Posted by admin on 27th January 2010
whole lemon tart
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Recipe Origin: Smitten Kitchen
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Ingredients:
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1 partially baked 9-inch (24-cm) Great Unshrinkable Tart Shell, or your favorite sweet tart shell
1 average-sized lemon (about 4 ½ ounces; 130 grams), rinsed and dried (a regular lemon will make a sharper, more bitter tart; a Meyer lemon, however, will really make this tart sing)
1 ½ cups (300 grams) sugar
1 large egg
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1 large egg yolk
1 ½ tablespoons (12 grams) cornstarch
1 stick (4 ounces; 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
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Directions:
| 1. |
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven 325°F (165°C). Line a trimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet. |
| 2. |
Slice the lemon into thin wedges, remove the seeds, and toss the lemon and sugar into the container of a blender or food processor. Blend or process, scraping down the sides of the container as needed, until the lemon is thoroughly pureed and blended with the sugar, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn the mixture into a bowl and, using a whisk, gently stir in the whole egg and the yolk, followed by the cornstarch and melted butter. [I actually just use the food processor for this whole mixing part, beating the other ingredients in until smooth.] Pour the filling into the crust but be sure to leave 1/4 inch between the top of your filling and the top edge of your crust. |
| 3. |
Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake the tart for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling, lightly browned and set. Don’t take the tart out until it is clearly set, however — you’re looking for a slight jiggliness with no suggestion of liquid underneath. Transfer the tart, still on the baking sheet, to a cooling rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing it from the pan. The tart is ready to be served when it reaches room temperature. |
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(Greenspan says the tart is best served the day it is made, but, if necessary, it can be kept in the refrigerator overnight; bring to cool room temperature before serving. I, however, love it cold, and have kept it in the fridge for up to a four days, after which, it was no more but certainly hadn’t gone bad yet.) |
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1Jan
Day 23 – January 23 2010 – Food day 114 Lemon Tart
Posted by admin on 27th January 2010
Crust recipe below, tart will follow in my next post
the great unshrinkable sweet tart shell
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Recipe Origin: Smitten Kitchen
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Ingredients:
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1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup confectioner’s sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
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1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (9 tablespoons; 4 ½ ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg*
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Directions:
| 1. | Pulse the flour, sugar and salt together in the bowl of a food processor. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in. (You’re looking for some pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.) Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses–about 10 seconds each–until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change–heads up. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and, very lightly and sparingly, knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing. Chill the dough, wrapped in plastic, for about 2 hours before rolling. |
| 2. | To roll the dough: Butter a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Roll out chilled dough on floured sheet of parchment paper to 12-inch round, lifting and turning dough occasionally to free from paper. (Alternately, you can roll this out between two pieces of plastic, though flour the dough a bit anyway.) Using paper as aid, turn dough into 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom; peel off paper. Seal any cracks in dough. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold overhang in, making double-thick sides. Pierce crust all over with fork. |
| Alternately, you can press the dough in as soon as it is processed: Press it evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tart shell. You want to press hard enough that the pieces cling to one another, but not so hard that it loses its crumbly texture. | |
| 3. | Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. |
| 4. | To fully or partially bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil (or use nonstick foil) and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. And here is the very best part: Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights. Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 20 to 25 minutes. |
| 5. | Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon. Bake the crust about 10 minutes longer to fully bake it, or until it is firm and golden brown, brown being the important word: a pale crust doesn’t have a lot of flavor. (To partially bake it, only an additional 5 minutes is needed.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature, and proceed with the rest of your recipe. |
| Do ahead: The dough can be wrapped and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 2 months. While the fully baked crust can be packed airtight and frozen for up to 2 months, the flavor will be fresher bake it directly from the freezer, already rolled out. | |
1Jan
Day 20 – January 20 2010 – Food day 111 Great Bedtime Snack!!
Posted by admin on 21st January 2010
Until today I’d never dipped an oreo in milk!
1Jan
