January Cooking

One of my 2010 resolutions was to cook 1-2 new recipes a month. Well, this month I've actually tried 5 new recipes!

1. First up was Pina Colada Chicken with Calypso Confetti Cauliflower. I got the recipe from The Clothes Make the Girl blog. She is a crossfitter in Texas and eats a paleo (Caveman) diet. This dish was so delicious, healthy and easy to make.

2. I also made a Faux Peanut sauce from the same website above. The sauce was faux because it uses sunbutter instead of peanut butter. Yum.

3. I made Beef Roulade one night for my mom and Ed using a recipe from The Food Network Magazine. It turned out good but I learned a few things for next time. Mostly I learned that I really did need to roast the peppers first (makes for easier rolling) and that I need to pound out the meat thinner. This recipe was the first time I had cooked with or ate leeks though. They were good, I never realized they were in the onion family.


4. Earlier this week I made Poblano Chicken with Verde Sauce. It was so good! The recipe was from Mark's Daily Apple and was real easy to make. I did make one variation though. Instead of making a verde sauce I just used bottled verde salsa. This summer when we have tomatoes I may try making the full version.

5. The last new recipe I tried this month was for Smore Cupcakes from Bakerella. They were delicious but didn't turn out well. They basically had to be eaten with a spoon. After some asking around I think the problem (the centers of the cupcakes completely dropped) was that I took them out of the over to early and the marshmallows themselves. I might experiment and try them again soon.

Winter fun

This winter I have been cross country skiing several times. I love skiing and being out in the mountains and snow. A few weeks ago I took my friend Marie with me up to Ponderosa State Park. She had never been cross country skiing before so it was a learning experience for her. I think, and hope, she had a lot of fun. I think it was just the few downhill slopes that she didn't like. I loved it! It was a gorgeous day in McCall and they have great trails.

Well, this weekend I went snowshoeing with Marie. This is the winter activity that she usually participates in. So, since she tried cross country skiing I figured I could try snowshoeing. We headed up to Bogus Basin about noon-ish and had a great time. The trail starts at the Nordic Center and then heads off into the woods and the fresh powdery snow. I enjoyed it, of course it's basically hiking in the winter so what's not to love.

Goodbye 2009 - A year in review

Wow, did this year go by fast. It has been a year of good and bad for me, but I am very ready to move on into 2010 and see what it has in store. As of now I have two goals for 2010. First is to run my first half marathon. The plan is to do it at the Seattle Rock n Roll Half Marathon in June with my sister, brother and sister-in-law. Second is to cook 1 to 2 new recipes a month. Should be fun, and add to my normally same old routine. Now, for a look back at 2010:

We started 2009 off with a family hockey game. The ice wasn't great, but we still had fun.


This summer I went a little crazy and participated in 10 races and I loved every single one! The list includes the Malad Gorge State Park 3.5 mile St Patricks Day run (I even met the Idaho girls from the Biggest Loser), the Beat Pete 5k, Bloomsday 12k, the Famous Idaho Potato 10k, Camelsback Duathlon, y Not Triathlon, Main Street Mile, Idaho Womens Fitness Celebration 5k, Barber to Boise 10k, and the Christmas Run 5k.






Adam gets married! On June 13th Adam and Jessica got married here in Boise. We love Jessica and are so glad to have her here in the family.




In July I took a little vacation after I was laid off from Supervalu. The Butlers were having a reunion over the 4th near Pendelton, OR. After the reunion I headed west with my cousin Jennifer. We visited my aunt near Portland, toured the Tillamook Cheese Factory, stayed in Seaside, OR, went to Mount Saint Helens and ended up in Seattle. I had so much fun and loved seeing the ocean again.


Bechler Backpacking Trip! In August I headed to Yellowstone where I went on a backpacking trip in the SW corner of the park with my good friends Mark and Scott. We had a lot of fun and the trip was full of adventures to say the least.



WAC Champions again! I went to every home game but one this year and had a blast. Can't wait to see how we do in the Fiesta Bowl!




My dad and Linda got a dog this summer, shortly after Heather moved to Seattle. His name is Rocket and he is the cutest Yorkie I have ever seen. I am usually not a dog person, but this little guy has stole my heart.



A ranch Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving at the ranch this year, there was a ton of food and lots of family.


Christmas is not complete until we've had the family hockey game. This year the best ice was on a "puddle" in the corn field. It was some of the best ice we've had in a long time.