Some Beach, Somewhere

Living in small town, Rocky Mountain, Big-Sky Country has many a perk.

White winters. Scenery. Recreation. Wildlife. Zero concern for a bikini body...ever.

However, when your craving fish tacos, a margarita, and sandy toes...

well you're S.O.L.

Guess what I'm making for dinner?

Stay tuned for a beach worthy meal, even if your next few months look like this...

 

*sigh*

Kitchen Resolutions 2012

Every year I try my darnedest to sit down and seriously think about my past year and make my resolutions for the year ahead.

As we all know, it is easy to tell yourself you want to do everything.

Clean my closet.

Learn to knit. 

Walk my dog everyday. 

Never leave piles of laundry in every room of the house out of sheer laziness. 

That said, it never works. 

This year I am determined to make a few resolutions in my favorite room of the house, the kitchen.

Here's to keeping promises to myself and learning LOTS in the new year! (and maybe staying a tad more organized...)

ONE

Cook at least one recipe from every cookbook I have on my shelves and all my favorite foodie blogs.

I realize this sounds simple, but you must know, I tend to rely on my comfort level in the kitchen. I am all about experimentation with what I know and NEED to broaden my palette

AND it gives me something to share with all of my favorite lovelies here in Blogland. (Awwwwe)

TWO 

Try NEW ingredients from across the globe. Embrace other culture's customs in my cooking, drinking and party hosting. 

There are so many bold flavors, beautiful vegetables, and festive dishes that I love to eat and never think to bring into my own kitchen. Some of that may be because I live in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the Rockies, HOWEVER 2012 is not a year for excuses, DANG-IT!

THREE

Get organized. 

This means. 

Spices. 

Baking tools, tips, pans, cutters. 

Pantry.

Drawers. (Oh dreaded drawers, which somehow always end up like this....)

AND this...

FOUR

WASTE LESS and MENU PLANNING!

(fairly self-explanitory)

This scares me the most. 

I am a planner. I have a schedule, I follow it. I love checklists, post-its, white boards, and general nerd-worthy organization of my life.

However...I decide what to make for dinner about .37654 seconds before I make it. 

Please. Help. Me. 

All tips and tricks are greatly appreciated!

Wishing you the very best in your 2012 resolutions!

Old and New - Simply 2012!

With the new year upon us, I have lists of plans to eat less, drink less, create more, organize my life and continue my search for domestic perfection. Despite my hopes, I imagine some things are never quite that easy to grasp.

Looking back on 2011 I have so many memories, pictures, posts, and days remembered full of laughter, joy, and the many blessings I have around me. Similarly, I have days of sadness and sorrow, and memories I'd rather not remember.

Through it all my kitchen has been my safe-place. It's where I go to explore, to let out my frustrations, to feel confident and creative. I look back on my journey, starting with my Easy Bake Oven and my PlaySkool Kitchen in my play room, that I so dearly loved. Taking me all the way through my schooling, cooking kept me whole during the hardest days. Sitting down at a table with a fantastic meal somehow eased a broken heart for the time being.

Now here I am, a culinary graduate, starting my own business, and sharing my triumphs, failures, and memories with the blogging world. Who'd have ever guessed?!

Though very small, my blog has been one of the best additions to my life. The community is made up of some of the most brilliantly talented women (and men) with the greatest gift of all, the gift of story telling.

Simplicity Eats has been predominately focused on food and recipes, which I will always love, but in the New Year, I plan to merge with my personal blog, and create a story of my own. My story is not only in the kitchen, as much as I wish it were, and I can't wait to share my new journey in home-owning, marriage, business, and of course my love for all things delicious.

I am so looking forward to the future in 2012 and all the adventures ahead of me!

Taking a look back, I can't believe the end of a year is here, and it's time to say goodbye to the memories of 2011!

January 2011 marked the beginning of my time in Charleston, with my little family. We rang in the new year by ourselves, with a bottle of champagne, our pj's, and some snacks. Little did I know that 2011 was about to get CRAZY!

We made plans to leave Charleston and head back to my homestate, WYOMING! Jon left early, leaving me with a half empty apartment, and the goal of finishing my degree before I packed up and headed west!

Before I knew it my birthday was upon me, and I found myself burried in homework, work, and the chaos of preparing to move. Little did I know I had a big gift on it's way.

FedEx brought me a box full of envelopes with day by day instructions leading up to my birthday. These secret envelopes instructed me to buy a new dress, doll myself up, take a ride in a vintage car, and sit down at my dream dinner and wait for my mystery date. The server brought me an envelope and my favorite drink. (Vodka, of course.) It read "I promise this will be the best birthday you've ever had. Now, turn around." Flushed and full of butterflies, I turned around, and to my surprise. There was Jon. Standing at the doorway! He flew from Wyoming to surprise me on my birthday at the restaurant we promised each other we'd go to one day, but never made happen.

 

As we left dinner, I was on Cloud 9; in complete disbelief that Jon was with me and we had the weekend together after a long 2 months apart. As we reach the street, Jon pulled me to a pedi-cab, which was apparently waiting for us. They took us to the doors of The Wentworth Mansion, a beautiful historic mansion in downtown Charleston. Jon walked me up to the base of the spiral stairs leading to the roof. I carefully climbed them (in my fabulous four-inch candy-red heels) and questioned what he was doing. 

Looking out over all of Charleston and the bay, Jon proposed with the most beautiful custom ring, leaving me completely and utterly speechless.

Soon after I graduated from school, packed my apartment and moved into our brand new home in Wyoming.

Now here we are: planning a wedding, making our house our own, and working our tails off in work, school, and all our day to day adventure!

Oh the changes one year brings!

Though the new year will bring more memories, adventures, and beautiful stories, it will bring real-life, the real-life that's not always so pretty, but is always worth fighting for. Because eventually, when we least expect it, it's time to say goodbye to a year, and hello to a clean slate.

And that clean slate is the most beautiful gift life can give!

Simple Secrets - Caramel Sauce

Sometimes it is the most simple touch to a dessert that wows a crowd. A favorite show stopper of mine is homemade carmel sauce. With careful attention and a short amount of time you can create a sweet topping for any cake, cookie, sundae or whatever you chose! 

First and foremost, I must confess. In an attempt to be Martha Stewart by folding clothes, running multiple loads of dishes, and making caramel sauce all at once, I managed to fill my entire house with smoke, taking my poor sugar just a tad bit over the desired temperature. 

Even a culinary degree doesn't assure mishaps. 

Anywho. Let's pretend I did this flawlessly the first time, because I am just that skilled, and willing to teach you to be wonderfully talented as well! 

Add 1 1/2 Cups of Granulated Sugar, 1/3 Cup of Water, and if you desire add a dollop of Corn Syrup. The syrup helps prevent the sugar from re-crystalizing during this process and keeps the sauce a little more loose. 

Mix these ingredients together, and brush down the sides of your pan with water, getting the sugar off the sides of the pan. If they are on the sides, they will mix with the boiling sugar and also cause crystalizing, which ruins the batch. 

Now, let it boil. 

It will slowly start to turn more of an amber color. 

Let it continue to boil. 

The water is boiling out of the sugar and the granules are...you guessed it...CARAMELIZING! 

Once it gets to a deep amber color, and has a deep, rich aroma. (You will know it when you smell it. It is like a carmel slap in the face!)

This whole process will take about 10 minutes, depending on where you live. I am over 7,000 feet above sea level, sooooo it takes a bit longer. 

Now, once it reaches this point, take it off the heat and add 1 1/4 Cups of Heavy Cream and a dash of Vanilla Extract.  Stir this until your sauce is smooth. 

Allow it to cool a bit or it may be too runny for using. 

Now you have a beautiful sauce to use to your hearts content!

Holiday Treats

Every year I do a little baking and send it on its merry way to all of our friends and family, with my fingers crossed that everything survives. This year I kept it simple, with hopes of a safe landing for all my recipients. 

Here are a few of the recipes I tried out. 

I made mini Clementine Yogurt Bread loaves from a muffin recipe I found. I have made this a few times with my own recipe but somehow in my move I lost it! So, in my hunt to find it, I stumbled across this one which is fairly similar. Because they were loaves, they took a bit longer then the suggested time in the recipe. Once they cooled I drizzled them in a glaze of powdered sugar, clementine juice, and vanilla infused rum.

 

I also made candied orange peels using Use Butter's recipe. I really enjoyed making these. They were incredibly time consuming, yet very simple. All you need is oranges, sugar, and a candy thermometer and you are sure to wow your friends and families with these beautiful candies.

Lastly, I made Smitten Kitchen's Brownie Roll Out Cookies, which was very easy to make and work with, however I think they needed frosting or a glaze of some sort. They held their shape beautifully, which I was not expecting. I cut them into fun woodland animals, mainly because I just love that I made brownie squirrels! I most definitely plan on experimenting with these after the holiday chaos passes.

Now, if we coulf all say a little prayer that these made it to their destinations safely. I am crossing my fingers!

 

What are your favorite holiday treats to give to your friends and family? 

A Cup of Good (Dairy-Free) Cheer

While browsing at our local Co-op grocery market in town I stumbled across this So Delicious Egg Nog, which is apart of their Holiday Flavors Collection of dairy free milks. 

As someone who is lactose intolerant, I have not been able to enjoy a nice glass of nog in YEARS! 

I picked this up, assuming it would be watery and not near as tasty as the real stuff, as that has been my general experience with soy. I was oh-so-very mistaken. 

It is rich and creamy with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. 

I am in love. I wish I could find MORE from their holiday line because it made my holiday-ing a million times better!

I have been religiously drinking it in my coffee!

I highly, HIGHLY suggest this to anyone who isn't able to drink milk or looking for an alternative to dairy products!

Wine Flavored Upcycle

For anyone who doesn't know, I drink a lot of wine. 

Red wine.

Merlot. Love.

Malbec. Beautiful.

Cabernet. Fantastic.

Shiraz. Yessir.

You get the picture.

That said, I have a lot of corks on hand. So, this year I embraced my inner Martha S. and made some gifts!

Wine Cork Coasters

 

Wine Cork Board with Cork Push Pins