Spicy Pretzels

One of my friends made these for everyone at Christmastime and I just tried making them myself the other day. I took them to a snow day party at my sister's house and they were a big hit! Enjoy!

1.5 lb pretzels (I just used 1 lb because that's how they came)
3/4 cup oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix

Put pretzels in a large ziploc or trash sack. Pour all ingredients on top and then shake to coat. Let sit until oil, etc. is absorbed.

Resolution Update

You're probably expecting me to say that Levi and I have already given up on our resolutions. Well, you would be wrong. They've just simply been altered a bit. Let's first revisit what they were supposed to be:

Mine
No cokes
Gym 4x/week

Levi's
No fast food
Gym 3x/week

I must say that Levi has done a great job adhering to his resolutions. I, on the other hand, have had to make a few amendments. I was really having a hard time without cokes. Getting off of the caffeine wasn't the problem; I just craved the taste of them so much. So, after two weeks without cokes Levi and I decided that I could have them if other people bought them for me (e.g. a gift card or on a plane, etc.). This has been working great! That is until today when Carolyn, our receptionist at work, said she was going to run errands and would bring back Sonic drinks for us. Now, I was obviously excited until she came back with a ROUTE 44! That's like a bajillion calories, which brings me to the gym amendment.

Since the new year started, a few zumba classes have been cancelled and Levi and I have done some traveling so it has been hard for me to go to the gym 4x/week. Since zumba is twice a week and I love it, it makes going easier. When there's no zumba, it's VERY hard. Nevertheless I've made it 3x/week since the new year started. I feel pretty good about that considering only one of the 12 times has been a zumba class. So, in order to make myself feel like I hadn't totally bailed on my resolution, I amended it to be going to the gym three OR four times/week. I'll be going four times this week now that Carolyn sabotaged me with the Route 44 today. Thanks, Carolyn.

The Tar Heel State

Levi and I just got home from a whirlwind trip to North Carolina where we saw my oldest sister, Amy, and her family. We had a great, relaxing long weekend full of things like shopping, movie watching and cuddling with my 8-month-old nephew for me and shooting guns, studying firefighter exam books and having pretzel eating contests with my brother-in-law for Levi. 

Although we almost didn't make it there or home since we were taking the risk of flying standby on a holiday weekend, it was totally worth it. Below are some pictures of my nephew Holt and my niece Kayla. I forgot to take pictures until the last day so, unfortunately, I have very few. I meant to take one of Amy and I at the airport but we were in such a rush that I forgot! 

Addendum

Levi just called me to say he got an interview with EMSA for Feb. 1. He should hear within a week of the interview whether or not he gets the job. We'll keep you posted.

Levi's job update

Yesterday Levi submitted his application to the Norman Fire Department. They're hiring 17 new people that will start June 1. We're really hoping that this will be the job Levi gets, but now we have even more waiting to do. Plus Levi has to go through all the testing he did with OKC all over again. The written test is at the beginning of February, the physical test and interview are in March and then they will extend conditional job offers (pending a medical exam) on April 2.

When these job openings were posted and publicized, I can't count the number of people who told us about them. We're so thankful to have wonderful friends and family who care so much about us. Thank you all for your continued prayers and support for Levi, this job and our family.

Onion Fiasco

Last night marks the first cooking mess-up I've made in quite some time. And let me tell you, it was a big one. I guess I was overdue. Anyway, I had decided to make beef stew and since several recipes I had seen called for an envelope of dry onion soup, I thought I'd add it to mine even though the recipe I chose didn't call for it.

Well, I'd never used dry onion soup before and for some reason I thought it was just onion powder. Boy, was I wrong. Did you know there are actually DRY ONIONS in there that turn into real onions when they get wet?? I sure didn't. You don't have to be around me long to know that I HATE onions. I will not eat them in any way, shape or form. I would rather scrap the whole dinner and eat a PB&J sandwich.

Having poured in the dry soup mix before realizing the above, I became mortified. After considering throwing away the stew meat that was now covered in onions, I realized I could salvage this meal. I carefully scooped the meat out of the pot and put it in a bowl and then poured the broth through a strainer into a bowl so the onions would separate from the liquid. Then, I painstakingly washed the onions off each individual piece of meat and returned the meat and liquid to the pot.

Luckily, after adding the potatoes and carrots, this became just the stew I had been hoping for - sans onions. Needless to say, I will NEVER be using dry onion soup again unless I'm not planning to eat the dish.

Homemade is Better: Granola Bars

I've made a couple batches of these now, and they have been a big hit with Levi and his work partner (who allegedly doesn't like granola).

Find the great recipe from Ina Garten here. You can use whatever kind of dried fruit you like, or just make the granola part (which is what Levi likes best). I wish I liked granola bars, because these smell really good when you make them!

Get ready to RUMBLE!

Last night, Levi and I went to the Thunder game. They were playing the Hornets, and honestly I was surprised it wasn't a packed house. Levi and I were also a little disappointed by the lack of skill displayed last night for it being two NBA teams. The Thunder only made one 3-pointer the whole game and ended up losing by 5! Even though we're not big sports fans, it was fun to go be in the excitement of the game and get to do something out of the ordinary. The best part is that the cheapest tickets are only $10! You should go this Saturday when they play the Pacers.

Braised Beef

The other night I tried a recipe from the German cookbook that my friend Lilly got me for Christmas and it was delicious! I made a few alterations to the recipe but it turned out great. I must warn you that it takes some time, but it is definitely worth it. Levi was excited because he said it really does smell like German food and it brought back memories from when he lived in Vienna. Here is the recipe for your enjoyment:

2 lb chunk of beef (I used rump roast)
1 can stewed tomatoes
1/2 bag baby carrots (or approx. 3 whole carrots)
1/2 small onion
2.5 cups vegetable stock
2 T oil or butter
salt
pepper
thyme

Directions:

Drain stewed tomatoes, cut carrots into small chunks (even baby carrots), peel and cut onion. Combine vegetables and set aside. Rinse beef and pat dry. Rub salt and pepper into the beef on all sides. Heat oil or butter in a skillet and brown the beef well on all sides. Then, leave the beef in the middle of the skillet while pouring in the vegetables and stock around it. Srinkle thyme over the meat. Let the stock/vegetable mixture come to a boil and then turn the heat to low, cover and let simmer for 2.5 hours. Yes, HOURS! Periodically turn the meat over (every 30 min or so) and sprinkle thyme on the opposite side after the first turn.

After the beef has cooked 2.5 hours, turn off the heat and let it rest covered for 10 minutes. Then, remove the meat and pour the liquid/vegetable mixture into a blender. Puree the mixture for a delicious sauce! After it's been pureed, heat in a saucepan and add tomato sauce and/or sugar to taste (we didn't add a thing!). Slice the meat and serve it with the sauce.

We had garlic mashed potatoes and crescent rolls with this meal which made it extra delicious! AND it made great leftovers. Let me know if any of you are brave enough to try making this. If you're not, you may just have to come try it at our house to convince you it's worth it.

Happy 2010

Last night we rang in the new year with great friends at the Hollrah's. We went around and each told what our resolutions would be for this year. Here are ours:

Mine
Go to the gym 4 times/week
Stop drinking cokes

Levi's
Stop eating fast food
Stop drinking cokes

It looks like we have some tough resolutions on our hands. I'll keep you posted about our progress. It's day one and I already want a Dr. Pepper. At the party last night, we all decided we could have one last hoorah before starting our resolutions, so I may have to make a trip to Sonic in a bit to get my last fix.

What are some of your resolutions for the new year?