More fun in the snow!

I've been meaning to post pictures of the amount of snow we have. I just feel like no one will believe me. So here goes...


The front of the house kind of gives you an idea...


The mailbox is now completely engulfed in snow. Notice it has a gangster lean to the left. Yeah, it got hit in the FIRST snowfall of the year. It has since been hit again, and we are hoping to keep enough snow around it for the remaining of the winter to keep it upright.


This is me and the lovely pooch, George standing next to the pile at the end of the driveway. Notice it is tall than me! Holy Moses!!! What snow we have!!!

Now, you might be tempted to think that we just made huge narrow piles around the driveway, but the snow covers the entire yard up to our living room window, a good 2 to 2-1/2 feet. I checked with Dan to make sure I wasn't exaggerating on those figures. Oh, he says it's closer to 2. STILL...that's a LOT of snow!

Luke and Lace - care to one up us? Do you have more snow?

Oh! Here is a super cool video of George. We thought it would be great if we could take a picture of him on top of the snow pile. Here is our attempt to get him up there.

Let it snow!

We have been working with George to play fetch in the snow. First we tried with his ball that we had been using all fall, but let's be honest, George is not a hunting dog. He couldn't find the ball in the snow. The frisbee seems to work great!




We have gotten an obscene amount of snow this weekend. It's about 24 inches so far, and it's still snowing...yay!

Dan and I decided to make Lepkugens (sp) for Dan's dad for Christmas. This is a traditional German cookie. It has molasses and candied fruit it in. We made a half batch which made about 15 dozen cookies. Yikes! Here are some photos from the event.

Dan stiring...

Me stirring...(not as successfully as Dan!)

Adding more flour (12 cups when we finished!)...

Yep, that looks just about right!

Ready to roll out and cut the cookies!

So we forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but just imagine that lump of dough rolled out in a round cookie shape. The cooked cookie doesn't look much different from the dough!

We have now celebrated Christmas with the elder Stauch's. We will see Dan's mom on Christmas and my parents on New Years.

Merry Christmas!

Ahhh...Michigan...

Grand Rapids has no snow. It's just fall there. Grand Haven on the other hand...looks like this:


I attempted to capture the beautiful snowfall out of my front door. My camera is not that fancy though, or I just don't know how to do it. We are having the most beautiful, fluffy, huge snowflakes falling ever. We have about 1-2 inches already and expect 3-6 more tonight.

Michigan - first large snowfall in November, November 17 to be exact. What a great state!

Total sarcasm...HOWEVER, I am trying to be grateful of the snow this year. I am determined not to be fearful while I drive. Did not succeed on the way home tonight, but this is the first time of MANY that I will be able to test my new resolution! In my defense, it was very icy tonight because the sun had melted all the snow from the day and it froze after the sun went down.

New Furniture and New Dog!

Here are a few pictures of our new furniture for our living room. Unfortunately we only seem to take pictures of our house at night. So the lighting isn't so great in the following pictures...sorry!


We got a brown leather couch and loveseat (below).

The lovely little seat below is a green accent chair. We got it from overstock.com. It was such a great deal, and the description and picture were right on. We were a little nervous to order furniture from a website without seeing and sitting in it first, but this turned out to be a great buy!

The latest addition to the family is a 2 year old dog named George! We adopted him from the Human Society about 2 weeks ago. He is a lab mix. He was not house broken when we got him, so that has been a challenge. He is crate trained now and mostly house broken. He periodically has an accident but it may be as much our fault as his. We can't figure out his signal for when he has to go. I've heard of people training their dogs to ring a bell when they have to go, but that wouldn't have helped the time when he had an accident in the basement! We really like him though. He is a very good dog. He is affectionate and very mild mannered...perfect dog for us!


Signing off for now...

Cleaning and Painting!

The last two weekends have been spent cleaning and painting our new house. Thanks sooo much to all who helped in the process! You all made it a lot easier and faster.

Cleaning the windows...

Dan fixing the leaky faucet...

Those who have painted before, please sympathize with us...this is what we had to paint over. There is a sun and two monkeys painted on other walls of this room. The other bedroom is purple, and by that I mean PURPLE. It has a "famous autographs" wall where all the girl's lovely friends signed the wall in all sorts of permanent marker, RED marker (the hardest to cover), and puffy paint. We seriously did not know what we were getting into.

After coat 1...can you still see the rainbow? I can. The rooms now have 2 full coats of primer and the awful areas have 3. So after we put all this work into the primer, what do we notice??? We did not sand the walls enough and the OUTLINE of the shapes is still there, daRn. I think we'll just put a dresser or picture on the wall. What do you think?

The happy homeowners painting the living room...

Ta-Da! It's done. The living room actually turned out quite nice. The family had primed this room in the hopes of making the more bland white sell the house better. So we just had to slap 2 coats of paint on and it was finished. Maybe I should clarify, "turned out quite nice" is according to Dan and I. If you should come over and notice the various roller marks and lines where we painted the trim too thick. Just say "looks great!" and don't mention what you see...
So that's the update on the house. We are heading back to the house after a wedding this weekend, and we hope to put some real paint on the bedrooms upstairs. This is Dan's first painting project, and he has discovered that he hates to paint. So if anyone is good at painting and is for hire, we would gladly hire you to finish the remainder of the rooms. :)

Oooo, Lacey, Mom, and Erin, this is for you. Try these recipes. There are yummy. Both scored a 4.75 out of 5 from Dan and I.

Apricot Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
6 T butter, melted, divided
1 C biscuit/baking mix (or less)
1 T parsley
1 T oil
1/4 C apricot preserves
2 T orange juice

Flatten chicken to 1/4 in. thickness (I've skipped this part and it turns out fine). Pour 5 T butter in shallow bowl. In another mix biscuit mix and parsley. Dip chicken in butter then coat with dry mixture.
In large skillet, cook chicken in oil and remaining butter over medium heat for 9-10 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.
Meanwhile, in small microwave-safe bowl, combine preserves and OJ. Cover and microwave until melted, stir until combined. Drizzle over chicken and cook for 1-2 more minutes or until heated through.

This is super simple and soooo yummy. I bought a little bottle of the apricot preserves because I didn't know if we would like it, and that jar has made at least 4 recipes and it's not gone yet.

Peanut Chicken Stir-fry (like Kung-Pao Chicken)

2 t cornstarch
3/4 C chicken broth
1/4 C creamy peanut butter (I'd do a tad less the next time I make it)
3 T soy sauce
1 t ground ginger (Lace - If you don't have it, I'd be happy to share the pound or so that I have!)
1/4 t pepper
1-1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
3 t olive oil, divided
1 C chopped onion
1 C thinly sliced green pepper
1 C thinly sliced sweet red pepper (just use whatever you have, I never have red and it's not a big deal if you leave it out)
1-1/2 C sliced fresh mushrooms (it would be really good with these, but I didn't have any the first time I made it)
1 t minced garlic

Hot cooked rice

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients until smooth, set aside.
In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in 1-1/2 t oil for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove with slotted spoon and keep warm.
Stir-fry onion and peppers in remaining oil for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic, stir-fry for 3-4 minutes longer or until veggies are a crisp tender.
Stir liquid mixture from step 1 into pan. bring to boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and heat through. Serve with rice.

This one was really great. I'm not a huge fan of peanut butter, but I liked it. The first bite is a kicker though, you have to get used to the flavor. Dan really loved Kung-Pao chicken, but that is made with whole peanuts and the peanut flavor doesn't really get through the whole dish. He loves this one because that nutty flavor is spread evenly through every bite. Try it!

I'm so making up for lost time with this huge post! See you all in a few weeks! Anyone else interested we are moving on August 9! ;)

More Recipes...

I would have had these posted a long time ago, but Comcast decided to disconnect us. They accidentally pulled the plug on us instead of apartment 7...nice.

Chicken Divan

1 C. or more cooked chicken, cut up
Frozen broccoli, to taste
3/4 C. uncooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 C. mayo
1-1/2 t. lemon juice
1/4 t. curry powder
shredded cheese

Cook rice. Blend soup, mayo, lemon juice, and curry.

Grease casserole dish (9x11 glass pan) and cover with rice. Top with broccoli and half of soup mixture. Add chicken and cover with remaining soup mixture. Top with shredded cheese. Bake 45 min in 325 oven.

Chicken Marinade

1/2 C. oil
1/4 C. soy sauce
3 T honey
2 T vinegar
1 t. ginger
3/4 t garlic powder

Mix and marinade chicken overnight.

I served this with white rice. Oma makes a marinade very similar to this for her ribs. So it tastes very Korean like to me, but you could serve it with any side you like.

Easiest Pork BBQ Roast

3-5 lb. pork loin (boneless)
1 20 oz. can apple pie filling
1 16 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce

Use deep baking dish (or cook in crockpot). Place roast in dish, fat side up. Cover with apple pie filling and BBQ sauce. Bake uncovered on low heat in oven at 275 for about 4-5 house. Let rest about 45 minutes before removing fat and slicing to serve.

If you help us paint the weekend of the 26th you will be treated to these yummy BBQ pork sandwiches! Very tempting huh?

That's all for now folks!

Recipes - Dinner #1

Honey Salmon

1-1/4 lb. salmon fillet with skin on
2/3 C honey
2 T lemon juice
2 T hot water
1-1/2 t. grated fresh ginger or 1 t. dried ginger
1 garlic clove crushed (or equivilent)

Mix all above (except salmon) together and pour into bottom of baking dish. Place fillet in it to marinade for 20 minutes with flesh side down, skin side up.

Turn fish over after 20 minutes, sprinkle with 1/4 t. salt. Leave fish in same marinade with skin side down. Bake 7 minutes in 350 oven. Take out of oven and preheat boiler. Broil 7 minutes. Let rest a couple of minutes before serving.

Potato Cassarole

4 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cartons spreadable chive and onion cream cheese
1 C sour cream
1/4 C colby-monterey jack cheese
1/3 C milk
1/4 C parmesan cheese (shredded)
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Topping:
1 C shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 C chopped green onions
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook russet potatoes and sweet potatoes (in separate pots) by boiling on stove until tender. Drain sweet potatoes and mash with half of cream cheese and sour cream and all of the Colby cheese. Drain russet potatoes and mash with the remaining cream cheese and sour cream. Add the milk, Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Spread 2-2/3 cups russet potato mixture into each of 2 greased 11x7x2 pans. Layer with 4 cups of sweet potato mixture. Repeat layers. Spread with remaining russet potato mixture.

Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 minutes or until heated through. Combine topping ingredients. bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Yield: 2 casseroles (10 servings each)

Asparagus

1 bunch washed of asparagus with ends trimmed

Combine:
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. kosher salt

Drizzle over asparagus laid out flat or baking sheet with sides. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, roll to coat other side 1/2 way through baking time.

Strawberry Whipped Sensation

4 C fresh strawberries, divided
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 C lemon juice
1 tub whipped topping, thawed, divided
8 oreo cookies, finely chopped
1 T butter

Line 8x4 inch loaf pan with foil or plastic wrap. Mash 2 cups of strawberries in large bowl. Stir in condensed milk, juice, and 2 cups of whipped topping. Pour into pan.

Top with combined chopped cookies and butter. Press into mixure. Cover

Freeze at least 6 hours. To serve, invert onto plate. Remove foil. frost with remaining whipped topping and strawberries.

Servings: 12

More to come...

We are (almost) homeowners!

A much anticipated update has arrived! Dan and I will be homeowners on July 16. After 1 month of negotiating with the bank (more waiting then negotiating!) our offer was accepted! Yay! The move in day is August 9. We would move sooner but with my actuary exam and weddings, the weekends just won't allow it. Here's a pic of our lovely new abode...


As all homeowners must do, we bought our first tool for the new house:


On May 10 Erin and I ran in the River Bank Run, the 10K which is 6.2 miles. We did very well for our first race. My goal was to finish in under an hour, and I finished in 56:51. Woohoo! Here's proof. I am on the left side in the front waving my hand (wearing a maroon long sleeve shirt).


Proof of my excellent running abilities:


(That's me halfway behind the guy).

Lacey - I'm working on a post with a whole bunch of yummy recipes that I've tried lately. You asked for some on your blog, and I will get those up someday! :)

Butterfly Gardens

Today Dan, Elyse, Zachary, and I went to the Fredrick Meijer Butterfly Gardens. Here is Elyse and I trying to be butterflies...aren't we beautiful?!?



Zachary being a butterfly...


This is the only picture that proves Dan was there. So here we are about to enter the Butterfly Gardens.



This was Elyse's favorite butterfly, the Morpho Butterfly. The underside of the wings are brown with eye spots, but the other side is a brilliant blue and black. Unfortunately it was very difficult for Zach to capture a picture when it briefly flapped it's wings, so no picture of the pretty colors! :(



These are Elyse's favorite flowers. She likes the brilliant red color.



This is the biggest moth I have ever seen in the whole wide world!!! It was sunning it's wings after emerging from the cocoon. However, since it is a moth, it wasn't flying around. I think I would have been very much afraid of this huge moth flying around...can you imagine????



This poor little butterfly was hurt and flopping around on the ground. This lady was trying to help it out. I think it lost an antenna though because it couldn't figure out how to move. It just flopping from laying on its "back" to its "stomach." Poor lil fella...

Thanks to Elyse for helping me with this blog!

My Birthday!!!

So my birthday hasn't even arrived yet, but I've already celebrated it three times! Yay! What a great year! My friends got together for a girls night out - dinner, coffee, and manicures. Megan got a torch for Christmas, so she made us creme brulee (sp) for dessert. This is Megan and me about to dig in...

Oma and Dave came over on Sunday to celebrate Oma and my birthdays. We went out for dinner (Oma's birthday present), and I got an ipod. Woohoo! I'm running in a race on May 10, so I've been wanting an ipod to help my running...hehe, we'll see if it helps!

Dan gave me my birthday present from him a week ago. It was a set of golf clubs!!! I've been wanting to learn how to play, and since Dan loves to play, he got me a set so we could play together this summer. The best part about the golf clubs - they're pink!!!

So I busy trying to set my ipod up before my work-out today...not sure if it's gonna happen or not. My computer is not as fast as it once was...

Tobin and Erin's Wedding

Here are some of the girls at the rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal dinner was really fun. It was held at a local brewery with authentic, rustic decor. Caleb was a little scared to head up the dark stairs to the banquet room, but the older folk thought it was really cool!

The beautiful Bride!!! This is after her hair and make-up are done the day of the wedding. Isn't she gorgeous!?!

A close-up of her hair...looks pretty amazing if you ask me! I'm not patting myself on the back either. That's not my work that makes her hair beautiful and curly!!!

The lovely couple cutting the cake. It did get a little messy a few seconds after this photo was taken, but I didn't catch that mess on camera.

It was a busy, fun, fantastic weekend. We are definitely exhausted but it was worth it.

Congrats, Tobin and Erin!

St. Louis continued....

This is the first good picture we took of the arch. This is the state house (I think that's what it's called) on the right. We are on foot at this point going to our first visit to the arch.

Isn't this the coolest picture??? Dan took it. He does really nice "artsy" pictures.

The dedication plaque for the arch. We learned all kinds of cool things about the architecture and design of the arch on our tour and in the museum.


Whoa...does that make you dizzy?!? It sure did make me dizzy! This is from the ground looking up at the arch.

The way up to the top of the arch was by way of elevator "pods." I am standing by the door to one of the pods which holds 5 people sitting down. Notice the size proportion. It was a tiny door.

The inside of the pod was even worse. It was a sphericalish shape with five chairs. I could sit straight up, but none of the men in the pods could. We were knee to knee in this tiny structure, and THEN...they close the door. Clautrophopia, hysteria, etc. set in at this point. (I thought I wasn't going to make it to the top...I didn't really cause a scene, but I've never been so scared in all my life.)

Awww...what a nice welcome! This is what you see as you climb the last few stairs into the viewing room.


Another one of Dan's pictures from the viewing room. He's pretty talented isn't he???

So this blog post is getting really long, but we also went to an authentic BBQ joint while we were there. We ate WAY too much food, but it was the best pulled pork I have ever eaten. J and Dan really like the ribs and brisket they had too. We also toured the Anhueser-Busch factory which was really neat. I like factories. It is amazing I think to see how something is made. It's such a shame that they spend all that time and money to make a nasty drink though. :)

The two hockey games were the reason for the trip, but we got a lot of sight-seeing in too which made the trip really busy but very fun. We also went to Grand Central Station which is now a mall, but in my humble opinion, it is a sorry excuse for a mall. It's more of a tourist trap with a food court and a couple good stores thrown in here and there.

I think Dan would appreciate it if I described the games a bit. The first was incredible. It was a no score game and the Blues won in a shoot-out. Wow, it was really crazy! I enjoyed it too. The second game was very high scoring, and the Blues were very close to winning. They were down by one point with 1 minute to go. So they pulled their goalie to have 6 men on the ice, but a member of the other team had a "fast break" (basketball term, I don't know the hockey term) and of course scored on an open net.

Dan, J, and I had a great time in St. Louis. We would highly recommend it if anyone is looking to take a trip!

St. Louis!!!

This past weekend (or two weekends ago maybe) Dan and I made a trip to St. Louis. The main purpose was to see the Blues...

Here you can see Dan's favorite player, Keith Tkachuk #7, warming up. Does it appear we are close to the ice??? Well we were! The second game on Saturday we were in the 3rd row off the ice! It was incredible to watch a game from that close. The first game we were about 20 rows off the ice, and that view was still amazing!

More pictures to come...must get my beauty sleep now!