Day 268

I love smoothies. Growing up, my mom would make smoothies for my sister and I sometimes before we would go to school. There was also the best smoothies shop in the world in Greensboro called The Juice Shop. Cash only and they had about ten smoothies on their menu that haven't changed since the first time I ever went there.

You don't need a recipe for smoothies, although sometimes it's nice to have one if your doing something special. You can just throw in a plethora of fresh and frozen fruit, ice, yogurt, and fruit juice and you've got yourself a healthy meal.

John and I had both been craving smoothies lately so today I took the bull by the horns and went to Bed Bath and Beyond with my 20% off coupon and bought a blender.

I considered buying a KitchenAid because it was on sale for about $70 and had probably ten different settings until I saw the Oster one that I ended up purchasing. My parents to this day have their Oster blender which they received as a wedding present nearly thirty years ago and John's parents also have an Oster blender that is twenty some odd years old. Plus, who really needs ten different settings for a blender?

Day 267

Well it's been raining here for the last two days and the temperature is a little on the cool side, making for a perfect day for some soup and a sandwich.  I asked around at work and everyone recommended Heidi's, a New York style deli.

Having never been there before, I ordered half of a Reuben sandwich, a cup of Cheddar Broccoli soup, and a small side of potato salad.

Holy smokes.  I couldn't eat all of this!  The "half" a Reuben was the size of my hand.  I don't know how anyone could eat all of this but man it was perfect for the rainy, dreary day we were having.

TGIF!

Day 266

I like coffee.  I actually more than like coffee but I wouldn't say that I love coffee.  I'm not one of those crazy people who are addicted to a certain big chain coffee shop that serves over-priced drinks.  I don't understand how people can justify spending more than $10 a week on two, maybe three, drinks.  If you're one of those people, I don't mean to offend.  I just can think of better things to spend my money on.

Don't get me wrong.  Every once in a blue moon I will swing by said coffee shop and order a little treat for myself.  But man was I happy when I started working where I'm at now and I have unlimited access to this:

There's coffee, cappuccino, french vanilla cappuccino, mocha, and cafe latte, as well as and evil Butterfinger drink that is just way too sweet for even me.  We've also got a Nespresso machine with about 8 different blends of espresso and regular coffee pots.

Now there's really no reason to spend money on coffee from that big chain coffee shop.

Day 265

It must be almost summer because, even in Colorado, the number of thunderstorms is on the rise. 

Day 264

I love chocolate.  I love cherries.  And I love hazelnut.  So when I saw this recipe in the Cooking Light cookbook that you have become so familiar with from all of my recipes of late, I was ecstatic. Unfortunately, I nearly caught the apartment on fire and wasn't able to snap a picture of the hilarity.

But a word to the wise: when something says to place an ingredient on parchment paper and bake in the over at whatever degrees for however long, you won't get the same result if you use wax paper!  Instead, when you open the oven door to check and see how the hazelnuts are toasting, you will get blasted in the face with a plume of smoke and see that your hazelnuts are burnt.

I will be making this again in the future and will definitely follow up with you guys on how to properly make this low cal chocolate snack!

Day 263

For the past few weeks John and I have been hunting for a new place to live.

And after hours of hunting online, phone calls, and apartment tours, we have finally found a place!
It's right across the creek from where we are now and it is amazing.  So here's some pictures of the place.

 Part of the porch.  There's three mature trees directly around the porch.  There's plenty of room for a "bistro" set (table and two chairs) and a grill.  I want to but a hammock chair out there for reading and listening to the rain and thunder storms.

 View from the dining room into the living room.  Notice the wonderful built in wine rack (with grates to hang glasses) and storage!

 View from the dining room down the hall leading to the laundry, bedroom, and bathroom.  Also, the kitchen is on the right.

 Our awesome kitchen!!  Granite counter tops...

 Amazing custom cabinetry....

 Under-mounted sink with built in soap dispenser....

 Cute mini-shelves (I'm thinking little flowers in these vases), under- and above-cabinet lighting, and a nice back-splash!

 The apartment comes with a nice full sized washer and dryer.

 There's a bay window in the bedroom

 and a pretty window with a big window sill and a hook in the ceiling.  I'm seeing some plants!

 There's a full length mirror on the inside of the closet door.

 Walk-in closet.  We could fit a twin bed in here!

 A nice ceiling fan!!  A ceiling fan is a must for me.

 Now for the bathroom.  Granite counters in here, too!

 Rounded shower-curtain rod and a double bar towel rack.

 Updated lighting, nice finishes, etc.

 The kitchen and John :)

No this isn't ours...this is the club house.

We're really excited to be moving to this place.  It feels less like an apartment and has more of a homey feel.  Plus there's a garage that goes directly into our apartment.

Hooray for no more parking on the street and walking to the apartment!

Day 262

Today was a beautiful, warm, almost summer-like day.  And what screams summer more than burgers?

 Burgers and crinkly fries!

What do you put on your burger?  I like mustard, ketchup, lettuce, onion, and dill pickles (we only had sweet relish but it's close enough for me!)

John is a very good burger cook and these were delicious, but I can only imagine how delicious these will be once we get a grill!

What other foods make you think of summer?

Corn?

Fresh tomatoes?

What does it for ya?  I want to know.