The blizzard and Zoo Lights!

My parents flew up to spend Christmas with us, since we didn't know early on if I would have vacation days or not. They arrived just in time for the huge blizzard that hit Denver the week before Christmas. I had those 2 days off of work, and Mom and Dad ended up staying overnight at our apartment. (All the restaurants were closed due to the blizzard and their hotel started selling Healthy Choice frozen meals for $6, so they joined us to partake of our stocked fridge/freezer thanks to the Grocery Game!) Jon created a yummy quiche and also made chicken quesadillas, we ate lots of Driscoll's raspberries and yummy clementines, watched the weather reports on tv, worked on a puzzle, and played outside in the snow with our neighbors. A fun blizzard experience!

Christmas day was full of the usual fun things - orange rolls (from the can) and opening presents. We enjoyed opening all the fun and thoughtful gifts. We had a great day and appreciate all the wonderful gifts we received! We made the traditional Christmas (late) lunch - baked chicken, Stovetop stuffing, Grandma's gravy, sweet potatoes, Taylor's salad, brocolli, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Yummers!

Christmas evening we drove to the Denver Zoo for ZooLights. The month of December the Denver Zoo decorates for Christmas with tons of lights - many in the shape of animals! They also have a soundtrack of Christmas songs with animal sounds (especially monkeys) added in. It was a ton of fun! Most of it is outside, but you also get to wander through the indoor hippo area (stinky!) and the giraffe area (cute baby giraffes!). Jon and I bought a monkey cookie cutter and Daddy bought the soundtrack to the animal-enhanced Christmas songs.

My first time skiing

Simon (a friend I used to work with that TXU) came up to Denver for the weekend and stayed with another friend. We went out to eat lunch and dinner, and at dinner I asked them "what are y'all doing tomorrow?" They said "We're going skiing. What to come?" I've never been skiing, but have always wanted to give it a try, so I agreed.

Unfortunately, Simon's friend couldn't make it (he was closing on his house), but Simon picked me up at 730am, and we headed out to Loveland. Since I hadn't been before, I had asked Simon a million questions about what to wear, etc. I didn't have ski pants, and it turned out I was probably the only person up there wearing jeans!

We got our tickets and skis and poles by 10am. Simon gave me a few pointers on how to stop, turn, etc. I mastered going 1mph and stopping, so Simon figured it was time to master the bunny slopes. :) He gave me instruction on how to get on the lift, but said he would give me instruction on how to get off the lift on our way up. I made it on the lift, no problem. When I got to the top, things got interesting. There was probably a 5ft drop once you got off (a nice little hill). If course, since I had never tried stopping going that fast, I fell almost immediately and my skis came off.

We made it down the hill in about 30 minutes, me falling 4 times in all. I was determined to make it down without falling, so we went 4 more times... and I never fell again. I think by the last time down that side of the hill, we made it down in about 2 minutes. Simon was a great teacher and very patient. He has skied about 40 times, so this was basic for him, but he stuck with me and helped me out.

We then decided to go down the other side of the bunny hill, which was a bit steeper. I made it hallfway down, and realized I had gained too much speed, so I turned to stop, but ended up in soft powdery snow about 3ft deep, and my skis dug in too deep... and SPLAT! No biggie. I got up and made it back down the hill.

We ate lunch ($10 for a luke-warm sausage), and decided to head all the way up the mountain for a green. It was an amazing trip up hill... its a little scary being 50ft off the ground, and the lift was swaying back and forth. I made it to the top, and got a little confused when I got off, and started to head the wrong direction (a blue slope). Simon yelled at me, and I turned myself around! The first half wasn't much of a problem, but the 2nd half was a bit too steep for me! It was absolutely miserable getting down that mountain. I fell probably 10 times, once tasting some blood! When I fell, I fell hard. There's no easy way to go slow on some of those slopes! I think at times it took me about 10 minutes just to catch my breath and figure out how to get back on my skis. I even saw some guy (that resembled singer Kenny Rogers) pass me up 3 times on my way down. In all, I think it took 2 hours to get down, and I was exhausted. I stopped for a minute to catch my breath and watch some pre-teens try to qualify for the pre-olympics. Unfortunately, while we were there, a little girl broke her knee on her way down and had to be taken away.

The last slope was the biggest, and I was tired of falling, so I walked down the big hill, and skied the rest of the way back. I was totally wiped out, dehydrated, and needed a rest, so I went into the lodge and got a $3 bottle of water (they really rip you off there!).

Simon skied it a few more times, and we called it a day.

As we left, it was like rush hour (everyone leaving at the same time). When I got home, I took a quick shower, then Jen and I met up with Simon and his friends for dinner at Claim Jumpers (a half-order is more food than any normal person could eat).

I got home at 9:30pm, and was asleep within 15 minutes. The next day, I could barely move!

All in all, it was a fun experience. I think I need to spend a good solid day on the bunny slopes before I tackle any mountain, but I would love to go again. Actually, I have some friends heading up here in Jan and Feb that want me to go with them.

Hiking in the snow!

Sunday morning Jon and I drove up to the Rocky Mountain National Park. It was "good weather" - but when we got out of the car, I was freezing! While we were driving through the park, we came across several cars pulled off to the side of the road. We quickly realized the reason - there were about 300-400 elk grazing right by the road! We stopped to take pictures with everyone else. Suddenly, something startled the elk and they decided to run across the road. The whole herd slowly made it across the road - in groups and singly, walking and sprinting, and one elk even turned backwards and recrossed the road! We took lots of pictures, and even a few short videos. We pressed on and ended up at the Bear Lake trailhead. We ate a quick lunch of turkey and cranberry sauce sandwiches in the car. The trails were covered with snow and ice, and the lake was completely iced over. Lots of people were out - many with snoeshoes. We hiked about 2-3 miles, until the ice became too much for me and my running shoes. Next time I'm renting snowshoes! We drove into Estes Park, looked around at the shops, and bought yummy treats from one of the chocolate shops. It was a great trip!

Our own Saturday Thanksgiving dinner

Since we had to leave Dallas right after Thanksgiving dinner, we didn't get to keep any yummy leftovers. So while I was at work Saturday afternoon, Jon baked a turkey (about 12#). When I got home, we made stuffing (Stove Top of course!), Grandma's gravy, brussels sprouts, roasted potatoes and onions, cranberry sauce, and salad. It was super-yummy, and we got our leftovers!

A Texas Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving - we certainly did! I was able to take a couple of days off of work, so we flew down to Dallas Sunday morning. Jon's parents picked us up and we went to his grandparents' house for an early dinner. It ended up being a big family gathering - Jon's uncle Mark was there from Ohio, and his aunt Lynn came over for dinner. Uncle Mark made "Cinncinatti chili" - chili on top of spaghetti with raw onions on top. I had mine sans onion, but it was still quite yummy. We spent Monday morning with Jon's parents, and they took us to eat lunch at La Hacienda Ranch. It was great to have real Tex-Mex food again (Denver doesn't do Mexican well).

We headed up to my parents' house Monday evening. We ate dinner at 3 Forks for a late birthday dinner for Dad - super-yummy steaks! Tuesday and Wednesday were spent getting ready for Thanksgiving. Jon and I made 7 desserts (lemon chess pie, regular pumpkin pie, Splenda pumpkin pie, pecan pie, cranapple pie, chocolate cheesecake, and chocolate-peanut butter Buckeyes). I love the prep work for the dinner!


Thursday morning Jon, Daddy, and I left the house at 7am and drove to downtown Dallas to meet up with family friends for the Turkey Trot. We did the 3 mile walk/run. It's always a fun time - especially seeing all the dogs in the walk! Thanksgiving dinner was great - we got together with the family friends who we usually spend the holiday with - great food and great friends can't be beat! Unfortunately, Jon and I had to leave early to catch our flight back to Denver. We did have time for a game of Mexican Train dominoes before we left though! =)

Short!

So I finally got my hair cut - it's been over a year! Since moving to Colorado, I haven't known where to go, so I just kept putting it off. Today at lunch I finally made an appointment for after work at a salon right by our apartment. I had a few inches cut off, and I love it! Don't you just love the feeling of your hair feeling so much lighter right after a haircut? And I love the whole salon process - having your hair washed and massaged while you lean back in the chair, the yummy smelling products, and having it blow-dried and styled while you relax. Fun! I really think guys miss out on the whole experience!
We're spending the rest of the evening packing and setting the cats up with extra food, water, and an extra litter box. Because we're heading back to Dallas tomorrow! I'm taking Tuesday and Wednesday off from work, so we'll be in Dallas from Sunday to Thursday afternoon for Thanksgiving. We're both excited to see friends and family!

Holiday Craft Fair & The Halloween Tree

This week has been pretty routine for us. Friday I spent my morning/early afternoon at the Denver Dumb Friends League (animal shelter) doing spays. On my way home I met Jon at our storage unit and we spent about an hour or so pulling out boxes of stuff we wanted (extra kitchen tools and the Christmas tree and decorations). It was nice weather, so we figured we should get the Christmas stuff out before it snowed again!

Saturday Jon watched the A&M game until I got home from work, then we ordered pizza and watched more college football. I worked an extra day on Monday (my usual schedule is Tuesday-Saturday), so by Saturday night I was definitely ready for a break!
Sunday I met a couple of girls from work and we went to a big holiday craft fair in the Denver Convention Center. About 1/3 of the booths were selling food, and they had lots of free samples - we tried chili, dips, Mexican rice, jellies, a cherry energy drink, and even champagne-flavored chocolate! In the center of the hall there was a huge Christmas tree with an enormous train set running around it - it reminded me of going to a big holiday train display in Dallas when I was a kid. We had a great time - we even saw Santa there! And it was snowing when we left - very Christmas-y feeling. =) When I got back, Jon and I did our weekly grocery shopping (Grocery Game - woohoo!), then came home to eat chicken tortilla soup and watch The Halloween Tree. Yes, I realize it's about a week and a half late, but it was checked out at the library until now. If you've never seen it, it's a cute Halloween cartoon movie about 4 friends who travel through Halloweens past to learn about the history of witches, monsters, mummies, and skeletons. In the process they also end up saving their friend - very cute. We ate pumpkin pie that Jon baked while watching the movie - yum!

PS: Ernie loves fresh, clean towels. We did laundry this morning and placed some towels on the table while exchanging loads of laundry. Ernie found this nice soft warm spot to take a nap.

T-bone, bacon-wrapped asparagus, and salad

Tonight was probably my favorite meal in a long time. I decided to grill a t-bone steak (that I got from our friendly Albertson's butcher on sale). Also, I wanted to do something with the large bundle of asparagus. I know my pictures are nowhere near as professional as those cooking websites, but hey, I'm having fun with it. So, here's what I made:

T-Bone
Select a nice, thick t-bone. Get grill nice and hot. Put steak on grill (high heat) for 3 minutes with lid closed. Turn steak over, and cook another 3 minutes. Turn down the heat on one burner to medium, and the other burner to low (almost off). Arrange the steak so that the filet portion is over the lower heat (it is more tender meat and I dont like it over cooked). Cook for 7-8 minutes, or until steak temperature is 130. Remove, and let sit for a few minutes.



Asparagus
Ingredients: Asparagus, bacon, salt, pepper, oive oil
Remove the bottoms of the asparagus (its too tough, anyways). Drizzle asparagus in olive oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper. Then take a small bundle of asparagus (see picture) and wrap a strip of bacon around it. Grill on Medium heat for 10 minutes, turning every now and then. Its done when the bacon is crispy and the asparagus is tender.

an uninteresting monday

Today, Jen worked near downtown Denver (she went up there to visit another clinic). She had a good time. It was a lot busier there than her usual clinic, but she really liked it.

When she got home, I had prepared the laziest, but healthiest of all meals: boiled shrimp, onion and asparagus, and a salad. I threw it all together within 15 minutes. We had bought some large shrimp at Albertsons (along with 3 HUGE t-bones and a chuck roast, since they had a great meat sale), and some asparagus at King Soopers (grocery game... get with it). Jen called me and said she would be home in a few minutes. I ran into the kitchen, and this is what I cooked:

Shrimp
Ingredients: Water, Shrimp
Boil water. Put shrimp in. Cook for 6 minutes (for large shrimp)

Asparagus and Onions
Ingredients: Asparagus, Onions, Fake Butter, Any Spices that sound good (I used salt, pepper, basil, garlic powder, paprika, and a couple others that sounded good at the time)
Put onions in pan for 4 minutes with butter and spices. Cook until they look tasty. Then toss in asparagus. Cook until asparagus is tender (if you toss it with the spatula, it bends easily).

Salad
Fresh Express salad. Bagged spinach.
Grab handful of salad. Grab handful of spinach. Put in bowl. Add Taylors special salad dressing (maybe someday Jen will post the recipe for Taylors dressing)

Serve

Cat's perspective: The shrimp smelled tasty, so we jumped up on the table and were batted away. However, we held strong, and "daddy" offered us some boiled shrimp. We sniffed it and decided we'd be better off licking our backsides.

PS: Our cats enjoy hanging out on top of our cabinets (which really aren't that high since we live in a handicapped apartment).

Boo!

Jen and I carved some pumkins for Halloween. I bet you can guess which one is the vet's! :)

Jen had to work until 7pm that night, and both of our trick-or-treaters showed up before then. We had a tiny batman (actually, I met the parents while I was throwing some trash out and told them to come by) and a tiny indian princess.

All in all, we had a good night. The cats enjoyed watching out the windows and looking at the people walking by.

New recipes?

So now that Jen and I are doing the grocery game (and trying to cut costs by eating out less), we are cooking more often. Since Jen works late, that usually means that I have to cook things, or she cooks on the weekend and we freeze it, then eat it later.

Sooo... since we are cooking more, we are trying out new recipes. I figured I would post some recipes, notes, and pictures... maybe its a recipe that you'd like to try.

Here goes #1: we had a package of chicken legs. Initially we were going to grill them, but because it was cold (and I didnt feel like taking the cover off of the grill), I searched for a baking recipe. There were many recipes that said to bake them at 350 for over an hour, but seeing as it was already 730pm, we wanted something faster. So I found this recipe:

BAKED CHICKEN LEGS
Serves 6
6 whole chicken legs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon
1/2 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter and oil in a baking dish. Place chicken legs in dish and turn over to coat with butter and oil. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Combine bread crumbs, garlic, shallots and herbs. Turn chicken legs. Sprinkle with bread mixture. Bake 20 more minutes. Pour wine around chicken. Bake 5 more minutes before serving.


Being me, I added a LOT more garlic and didnt measure anything else... just threw it in as I saw fit. I didnt use white wine, either. Instead I used Jen's boxed blush wine.

Overall, it turned out great! The spices were good. I was concerned with adding a bunch of bread crumbs in there, then adding in the wine in the end, but it turns out that it created a stuffing that had a slight taste of wine. It wasnt bad. Might try it again!

Sorry, no picture this time. It wasnt pretty enough.

Navigating the Corn Maze

Today I went back to the animal shelter to do spays and neuters, which meant that I was home by early afternoon. Jon and I decided to make the most of the extra time and the good weather (cool, sunny, and very windy!) by visiting a corn maze. The Denver Botanical Gardens puts one on every year - this one has a bug theme to advertise a 2007 exhibit. The center of the maze is a huge spider, with its eight legs heading off in different directions through the corn. Jon and I got there about 30 minutes before it opened, so we walked around and saw the pumpkin patch. We were in the first group of people to enter the maze, equipped with 3x5 inch maps (our tickets). The maze was awesome with the wind gusting through the dried-out corn. There were two bridges raised above the corn so you could see the entire maze and get your bearings - it was fun to stand on a bridge and look down on everyone else navigating their way through the maze. Thanks to Jon's superb skills with our tiny map, we made it out of the maze in less than 40 minutes - we think we may have been the first group out! To celebrate, we split a huge roasted ear of corn from one of the vendors there. Yum! =)

Owls, raspberries, and a Camry

Hiya! We just finished up a fun weekend - (because of my work schedule, our weekends are now Sundays and Mondays.) Saturday evening we visited Chatfield Lake State park. It has a big reservoir, plus camp sites, paths, and even horse-back riding. We walked along the beach of the reservoir, watched the ducks and sailboats, and took pictures of the fall foliage (everything's so pretty and golden!). On our way back to the car, we looked up in a tree and saw an owl less than 20 feet from us! He just watched us, let us take our pictures, and then flew off to start his evening hunt.


Sunday we spent doing around-the-house stuff. We made our weekly pilgrimage to the grocery stores (yes that's plural -3 to be exact). We've been playing the Grocery Game for 9 weeks now. It's an online site that matches weekly grocery store sales to coupons to come up with "rock-bottom" prices. So we have been stockpiling stuff when it's rock-bottom. Which makes for some interesting combinations in the cart - like 4 boxes of crackers and 12 cans of veggies this week. I was especially excited to see raspberries on our list this week - my fave fruit! We found another couple playing the game at one of the stores - you can definitely tell - one person is comparing the printed out list to individual items, and the other is flipping through a stack of coupons. It's fun though, and we definitely won't run out of canned corn anytime soon. =)

Which brings us to Monday - our new car's birthday! Well, maybe not it's actual birthday, but the day it came home with us. We looked at cars a month ago, but we've been so busy with travel and work that we weren't able to get back over to the dealerships until yesterday. Toyota was my preference, so we went back there to re-test drive the Camry. I loved it! It's dark grey with light grey interior, a V6 (peppy!), and it's my first new car ever! =)

Woohoo!

We finally got around to creating a blog! Not that there will be anything too exciting written in here, you might find topics ranging from animals, home brewing, technology, sports, scrapbooking, and yes... even the grocery game (Jen will explain that later).

Sooo, check back from time to time to see what we're up to!

- Jon and Jen