A Couple Things...

So, let's chat.

I have been marinating on something for a few weeks and I feel like it is time to share it with all of you.

Since I began my blog oh-so long ago (you know, the end of January), several of you have mentioned that there are a few similarities between the Pioneer Woman and myself.

First of all, thanks! She's pretty cool and I myself am a follower of her hilarious posts, fabulous recipes and daily musings of life on a ranch. And like me, she is an Okie, a shoe lover and a devoted slave to the kitchen and all things delicious. On top of that, she has won over her cowboy and is raising a bucket of kiddos.

Yeah, she isn't a frustrated cowgirl...she really is a cowgirl!

However, even though I live in the city and not on a ranch, and I have yet to write a cookbook or ride off into the sunset with a man in a Stetson, I am 100% convinced that there are more than just a handful of pioneer women out there. I know this because I come from a fine stock of pioneer women, women who have taught me how to cook, ride a horse, sew on a button, strap on a diaper and eat homemade ice cream by the bowl-full.

And they are some of the funniest women you have ever met.

Let me tell you about them:

I had two amazing grandmothers. They survived the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression and raising nine children between the two of them.

My Grandma R. survived the death of her first husband and the imprisonment of her second husband within the same war. She also made the most amazing pound cake and gumbo in the world...IN THE WORLD, people!

My Grandma F. worked countless hours as a nurse and still had time to make Easter dresses for her daughters, and later her granddaughters, all the while feeding us Tang and chocolate-covered graham crackers. You can't beat that combo.

I have seven aunts.  SEVEN. They are wives, mothers, grandmothers, nurses, professionals, bakers, sewers, guitar-players, hair dressers and teachers. And they all hail from Oklahoma, each one of them. They are amazing.

I have a plethora of female cousins. They make me laugh until I cry, teach me about grace and humility, and they eat cookie dough out of the bowl with me. I am more tempted than you know to relocate just so I can be closer to them...I love them that much.

I have a sister who is smarter than anyone I know...except for maybe my dad (apparently I missed that gene). She is funny, sweet, kind, unconventional and is constantly giving all of herself to those she loves. I aspire to be more like her.

And I have a mom who has set the most phenomenal example of what a woman, mother, grandmother and friend should be. Her independent streak has given me courage to travel the world and her love for her family only encourages my desire to have one of my own someday. She even homeschooled my brother, sister and I for three years. She deserves a medal. I don't know where I would be without her.

So by default, you could say that I am a pioneer woman! A very thankful, humbled, stumbling pioneer woman, who often feels old for her years yet far too young to be 30.

And I have a feeling that the women who read this blog are pioneer women as well.

So no matter where you live or what you do for a living, here's to being fearless and brave! You never know who you will influence. There's a pretty good chance you will show up in a blog someday.

I'm just glad we don't have to wear bonnets anymore.

________________________________________________________

Okay, so here is the second thing I want to discuss:

It's time for Trivia Question #2!!

That's right, I am loading up the laptop, the new-fangled camera and throwing all I own into a carry-on and hitting the road (or air) tomorrow morning for California!  It's a girls trip with my mom and sis and we are off to visit one of those amazing aunts of mine.

So while I am away, I will continue to blog about the various what-nots and tid bits of my daily goings-on, but I will be posting a question for all of you to ponder. I will post it on Friday, so make sure you take a lap, do some stretches or whatever it is you need to do to get your game face on.

And for the winner, I will bring back a fabulous treat or trinket from sunny California!

So stay tuned folks...it could be your lucky day!

Gnome Homes and Fairy Chimneys

Cappadocia...

So, I figured it was high-time to post some pictures of Cappadocia.

Do you remember when I went there? It was back in February of 2010.

Anyway, I am sure you have been waiting for these pictures with bated breath so I am now allowing you to breathe deep my friends, and sit back and enjoy this crazy, weird and fascinating region of Turkey.

Very pointy, wicked cool rocks.

I call this the "Gnome Castle."

That's where the king and queen live, naturally.

These homes and caves have been around for thousands of years. During times of persecution, thousands of Christians would hide in them, living in fully functional communities.  Some of the caves go 14 stories down into the earth.

Someone lives there.  Little gnomes I suppose.  Little gnomes who grow grapes. Wino gnomes.

Wouldn't you love to go inside?

Weird, beautiful, expansive...

These are Fairy Chimneys. They make me smile. I mean seriously, how can you not?

I dare you not to smile.

God did a great job with the sunlight. Big kudos.

This is a doorway into a church.

An Irish gnome.

Spectacular.

The other day, while I was walking the heck out of the treadmill from Hades, I flipped through all three of my TV channels and caught Rick Steves touring this part of the world. It was a great little segment, chalked full of information, folk dancing and camel rides. I would recommend looking it up, you know, just in case you are BORED to DEATH and have NOTHING better to do in the ENTIRE world.

But seriously, it was pretty cool. And it reminded me to get my act together and post some pictures.  Thanks Rick, thanks.

As a side note, Rick Steves does have the coolest job in the world. I want to get paid to travel all the time. Where do I sign up for that?

 And I really like Cappadocia and all its funky glory.

Recipe Round-Up: Lemonade Ice Box Pie

I have an announcement!

Drumroll please.

I have decided that I am going to attempt to post a recipe every week!

I am incredibly excited about this new, little venture! I enjoy cooking and I adore baking so why not share my creativity with all four of you? We all could use a little slice of goodness every once in a while...or once a day, whichever.

Now some of these recipes have been passed down through generations of both sides of my family, some have been borrowed and shared from cherished friends, and others have been stolen outright from accomplished cooks, unsuspecting strangers and various culinary websites.

Either way, I am here to share them with you pending any copyright lawsuits.

This week's recipe can be found in a million places and probably each one of you has made a variation of this before. However, I recently stumbled upon the Lemonade Ice Box Pie and I am completely changed, transformed by the lemony goodness that perfectly compliments Mexican dinners, bowls of chili or just by itself for breakfast on a hot July (or March) morning.

My wonderful, amazing friends have invited me to dinner so this is what I am taking for dessert! It is so darn easy but it tastes like you squeezed the lemons by hand and churned the ice cream for hours.

Hmmm...maybe I can tell them that.

Regardless, all you need are FOUR ingredients, people.  Four.

I went with the "light" whipped topping to cut back a bit...you can't tell the difference. I also like the sugar free ice cream because I always have some left over and it is probably best to have that in my freezer instead of the premium good stuff. They didn't have the low-fat pie crust so I splurged a little.  And then the lemonade concentrate can be any old brand. 

Moral of story: get whatever you want for this recipe.

How can something so dairy-like be so non-dairy?

Throw the entire tub into the bowl. Make sure it is defrosted...cuts down on lumps.

I want to take a moment to admire the greatest invention next to the Kitchenaid Mixer: the spoonula. It was on my Christmas list this year and thanks to my fabulous kid sister, I am the proud owner of a red one. I love it. I love it a lot.

Next, pour 2/3 of the lemonade conentrate into the bowl of cool whip and mix together.

It's starting to get good, people.

Ah, deliciousness. Wait for it to melt...

And plop about half the container in the bowl.

Now, mix the tar out of it...

...until it looks like this. Next, get a spoon and taste it. Does it need more ice cream? More lemonade? You be the judge. But really, you can't go wrong.

Now, grab your shell. You could make this by hand but why would you?

And pour the lemony goodness into the shell. Heaven help me, that stuff is so good.

And there she is, in all her glory.

Stick that puppy into the freezer for 2-3 hours until firm. Then cut into it and eat with wild abandon.

Now, carefully and ever so gently, stick your head in the bowl.

 

So enjoy, my friends! Here is the official recipe for all you sticklers:

Lemonade Ice Box Pie:

1 can of lemonade concentrate

1 8 oz. tub of whipped topping

2 cups of vanilla ice cream (or more)

1 prepared graham cracker crust.

Mix 2/3 can of lemonade concentrate, the entire tub of cool whip and at least two cups of ice cream to a bowl and mix. Taste and adjust measurements accordingly. Pour into prepared graham cracker crust, cover and put in freezer for 2-3 hours.

Pucker up, buttercup. It's lemon time!

I Heart Chuck

Okay.

This is embarrassing.

Let me start with this disclaimer: I promise I am not a stalker. I promise.

But I kinda have a celebrity crush. And in my head I can see us totally working out. I can picture him finding this blog, falling in love with me and all my pithy postings and saying "Sarah, where have you been all my life?"

Doesn't that sound realistic?

Hey, it could happen, people. We are a technologically advanced society and I am sure he spends most of his free time surfing the web for random blogs about traveling wannabe cowgirls who love peanut butter.

I mean seriously, who doesn't?

And, this dude loves Jesus so I guess you could say that I am already planning the wedding.

And, AND, on top of everything else, I have always wanted to be famous! And since he IS famous, we are a perfect match.

So, if you have some free time, jump on Hulu and watch "Chuck."

I heart Chuck.

Or should I say...I heart the guy who plays Chuck.

Now I need to go find a life.

The End.

The Best Four Years

I am a pretty big fan of this kid...

In fact, I am in a dead heat for being his #1 cheerleader...

The day he was born, I was pretty sure the world stood still...

I thought that if I never have kids of my own, I would be okay...

Because he was enough, he fulfilled part of that need...

And after four years, I still feel the same way.

Yep, I am a pretty big fan.

Like she said, it IS my second birthday!

Thanks to an amazing friend who knows me oh-so well, I have the privilege of announcing some very exciting news:

Today is NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER LOVERS' DAY!!!

Oh. My. Gosh.

It is totally my second birthday.

But please, no gifts.

All I need is the Super Chunk. And the chunkier the better.

So peanut butter lovers, let's unite! Go out and spread some on a piece of toast, plop it on a banana, smear it on your waffles or do what I do: eat it out of the jar with a ginormous spoon.

And if you're really feeling crazy, put it on a graham cracker with chocolate chips on top.

That is what I call "A little bit of heaven in your mouth."

Today is definitely a good day.

So what kind of PB fan are you? 

Crunchy or creamy? Organic? Natural? Jiff? Skippy? Peter Pan?

Let's hear it!

Posted during my lunch break...I promise. :)

The Best Cookies in the Entire World. I Promise.

In honor of me feeling the need to energize, I have decided to dedicate this blog to my all-time favorite cookie. It seemed like the natural thing to do.

I first made this recipe at the tender age of eight and I have not looked back since. It has become a family favorite. Perhaps it was passed down from generation to generation. Perhaps the recipe was stolen from the back of a bag of chocolate chips. Or perhaps it was sent from heaven, especially designed to bring an untold amount of bliss to my palate. I have no idea where it came from...it just sort of magically appeared one day, like it was destined to be apart of my life. It was cookie fate.

Or something like that.

So, since I have been abundantly blessed with cookie goodness, I thought I would share this most magnificent recipe with the rest of the world...namely the four people who still read my blog even though I am back home in Littleton and no longer hanging with my peeps in the Middle East.

Are you ready? Do you think you can handle this recipe?

I think you're ready. You are a fairly mature audience.

Okay, here it is: the BEST Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. Ever.

So, let's get started.

Grab a bowl, strap on an apron and prepare to be amazed:

Mixing, pouring and baking performed by Claire.

Throw in some oil, sugar, brown sugar and a couple of eggs...

A couple teaspoons of the good stuff: vanilla.

Love, love, love that smell.

Now, mix the heck out of it.

Keep going...

Now that's what you're looking for: totally mixed up

and gloopy (that is a technical culinary term).

Next, add flour, baking soda and salt. Pay no attention to the fact that the flour is sitting on top of the oatmeal. That is what you call "a short cut to cookie dough."

A picture of the salt container. I have always loved salt containers. There is just something neat about the fact that they are round and made out of cardboard. And the little metal flip-top thing that pours out the salt is so cool. Weird, I know.

Next, stir that up.

Now add the oatmeal. You know, the stuff underneath the flour.

And stir that in.

Okay, so here is the most important part.  Don't skimp, people. Think of this as an investment. Buy the good stuff. And if your grocery store doesn't carry this, just buy the richest, darkest chocolate you can find.

Come to Mama.

Now, mix that up and throw in a handfull of pecans if you are feeling wild.

I call this "perfection." A little salmonella never hurt anyone. Oh it has? Well, just don't think about it.

(Kellie F., this is for you!)

Pop them in the oven for a bit and get on the treadmill. This way it will all balance out...like eating a Snickers and a Diet Coke.

They balance out.

Now comes the good part...

Oh baby.

Oh baby baby.

I cannot tell you how good these are. Eat them as soon as they come out of the oven. I promise, you'll thank me for it.

If you are a stickler for details and measurements, here is the official recipe:

1 cup canola oil

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

3 cups oatmeal

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup pecans, chopped

Mix oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla until combined (and gloopy). Add flour, salt and soda and mix. Add oatmeal, chocolate chips and pecans and mix again.

Drop onto cookie sheet (make them as big as you want!) and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Eat them.

And you're welcome.