Forget Lazer Tag, Let's go Bowling

Okay, so I wasn't very good at lazer tag. However last night's bowling turned out to be a great success (for me that is). Now I wouldn't go far as to say that I'm a great bowler, but I did in fact win and I was better at it than lazer tag. Also, I would like to say for the record, that although there was bumpers up, I did not in fact hit them or use them in any way, so my win (and score) was totally legit. Below is a picture of the score board for proof.

We didn't just randomly decide to go bowling. Our Starbucks store went to celebrate a good customer review score and have some team bonding time. Josh and I were on a alley with my manager, Rebecca. We had a fun time and it was nice to introduce Josh to all my new co-worker friends. What can I say, just another fun Sunday night with Heather and Josh (and I'll admit it...winning did have some factor in making it more fun than not - wink wink).

Heather's Score - 135

Fall Favorites

Rain drops on roses, and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, and warm woolen mittens...and these are a few of my fall favorite things...

• Leaves - This is officially my first fall living in a city where the leaves really turn. The bay area had a few trees and some color changes, but not quite like here. I'm seeing all the fall color spectrum - red, orange, yellow, etc. It's really beautiful!  I've taken a few pictures and posting on Flickr, not really capturing the true feeling, but perhaps a glimpse.


• Flavors - Or should I say the yummiest time of year! I love pumpkins, apples, pears, ginger, sweet potatoes, and squashes (to name only a few). In fact, I have dilemmas. I just don't know what recipes to cook next. I really enjoy pumpkin recipes but there is so much out there. It's driving me nuts. I can only cook/bake so much (not to mention, it does cost to buy ingredients). Do I go with the tried & true or attempt something new that could be potentially fabulous?? I have to choose my recipes wisely. If only more money and more time. Yesterday I made some pumpkin muffins (a new Ellie recipes). You saw the apples last week in Josh's b-day dessert (a tried & true recipe). I want to make cookies, pies, risottos, mashes, crisps/crumbles (whoops drooling there, j/k). All I have left to say is, YUM!


• Weather/Air - Nature again (see leaves above). The air is just so crisp and fresh and then you get a whiff of fireplaces or something cooking. Deep breathe, close your eyes = happiness. And it's not yet too chilly outside (nor rainy yet - but we are getting some rain).


• Candles - I feel like I can light up my candles in the cooler weather and so another thing I love about the fall (this applies to winter and early spring too though). I especially love candles with spice smell like pumpkin (big surprise there), cinnamon, and such. Right now I'm burning a Yankee Candle Spiced Pumpkin candle...ahh so nice.


• TV Show - This is bad, but yes the TV shows are so great in the fall. If I allowed myself I would be plopped down at the TV for hours on end. I'm enjoying all my fall favorite shows like House, Greys, Fringe (a new fav), Glee (a really new fav), SYTYCD and more.

[Remember to check out my photos by going directly to the Flickr site, clicking on the photos on the right sidebar, or clicking the one photo I chose below.]

The Road Home

Life's not just Beans

I thought I'd write a quick entry about how work is affecting my life. Let me tell you, it's major. Before coffee was just something nice to have with a scrumptious muffin in the mornings. Now it is taking over my life. It's a muffin with my coffee (exception: the delicious Honey's oat bran muffins from home-home). A recent exchange with Josh make me realize...life isn't all about beans!

Just the other day, I was lounging on the couch in the morning and I decided to ask Josh what I should pick up that afternoon for my weekly mark-out (yes, I get a free bag of beans every week). Josh said, "how about Sumatra?" My response, "well, you know that is going to be more bold and spicy and...." There is was: work at home!

Not only that, but Josh and I are becoming more coffee snobbish. I mean we are flipping through channels and we stop everything to watch Alton Brown episode on coffee. (By the way, if you're interested there is a snippet on YouTube for your viewing pleasure.)

In all seriousness though, I'm enjoying work. In fact, I coming up with my own drink creations (only for myself really, but hey it's fun for me). My newest is a Skinny Caramel Latte with a pump of Pumpkin Spice--sort of a twist on the classic Pumpkin Spice Latte. Also, I'm realizing a job like this makes it tough to keep track the weeks--work weekends, mid-week days off, work mornings but afternoons free (or vice versa), etc. It's a nice change though.

On an ending note, I am drinking tea for a switch-up and in a cup that says, "Coffee isn't just a drink, it's a magic potion that helps me think." I thought it was a fitting quote to end this entry (fyi: it's Josh's cup).



Where is my store located? Valley River Center.

Birthday Boy

That would be Josh...the birthday boy. As you read earlier, we celebrated it for the most part earlier on the mini coast trip. However, we must celebrate on the actual day a bit too. This means...back to the kitchen. You may not know, but I think I won Josh over with some banana bread senior year.

What was the birthday dinner? It's fall so I thought I'd create harvest meal. Yes, a theme, so clever. In order to prevent disaster dinner (oh geez, horrible memories of the first 2 Josh birthday dinners are flashing in my mind right now), I opted for things I've made previously. Here's the meal: Rachel Ray's Roast Pork Tenderloins with Escalloped Apples, Cooking Light's Caramelized Shallots and Brussels Sprouts with prosciutto, and mashed sweet potatoes and yams. And you can't have a birthday without cake, so I made a Spiced Apple Cake. Whoa-la, no disaster dinner. Full Josh = Happy Birthday Success.

Before

After

You're It!

Not quite tag on the elementary school yard, but not too far off. Last night we (law school friend group--Josh, Anne, Val, and Katherine) celebrated our friends Anna and Lacie's birthdays with some Lazer Tag. This was my first time playing and I felt like a kid all over again. We played one session which is four games (about 35 minutes total). My first game score was a joke--eh hem, let me remind you again that this was my first time playing. I couldn't understand why my score totally sucked. Well, apparently you have to hold a red button down and the trigger at the same time! Not to worry, I learned quick and was able to be in the middle of the pack the rest of games.

The place was pretty cool although I have nothing to compare against. It's a dark room that has that special lighting that makes anything white go ultra bright (and some random things go bright too - Josh's teeth?!?). And an extra benefit to going on Sunday night was that we had the place to ourselves.

Fun Fun! And a final side note to my CA friends: the mini golf course--it's a family fun center type place--was indoors!

P.S. That's not us in the photo, but I thought it pretty hilarious. And my code name: Froyo Queen

***Josh's Apple Spice Cake Induced Postscript***

The Froyo Queen is scary quick. A spin, a juke and a jig.... and all you're left with is a fading flash of ponytail. Pow....shields down...your dead. (Don't believe her first time talk...she's a pro).

Ice Box

No, our refrigeration is not broken...the blog title refers to our duplex. It's an ice box! Brrr, so cold and to think it's only October. Man, the winter is going to be CHILLY. The sad part is the temperature outside isn't really all that cold; it's just that our duplex is about 10 degrees colder than it is outside. Imagine, me going outside to warm up - seems backwards. The below picture is how I dealt with the freezing living room while watching a movie (buried under about 4 blankets with a little heating pad thing).

Considering our duplex is already this cold, Josh and I opted to purchase another heater. We headed off to Bed, Bath, and Beyond with our 20% coupon and got ourselves a nice little room heater. Woohoo, Saturday fun! Seriously, these little heaters are mighty I tell you. And I'm happily much cozier this evening as I type this post. I still have my robe on, but not 4 blankets like yesterday.

Unfortunately, these two little heaters are our planned heat source for the winter since according to Eugene EWEB (aka Water and Electric Board) we have the most expensive type of heating in our place - Booo! Like I wrote earlier, flannel lined jeans here I come! (not to mention, I'm really going to need to bundle up when I eat my froyo).

VIA Brownies

Not the road to brownies, but good brownies made with Via...
(note: Via is the Latin name for a Roman road)

I stepped away from muffin making for just a moment to try out a recipe I've had on file for a few years now and never tried. You might ask, why did it take me so long to make them. Well, I've never wanted to buy a whole jar of instant coffee and with Via I don't have to (plus I got some free samples). And no, I'm not trying to trick you with promo talk--it's totally cool stuff. So, I finally made Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies last night. It's a recipe is from my favorite magazine, Cooking Light. They were in the words of Rachael Ray...Yummo! Even my co-workers enjoyed them.

Oh, and I also made some biscuits for Josh. He was in heaven with biscuits, bacon, and eggs this morning. (Thanks Don & Nada!)

Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies

Biscuits

Music Buzz

or DJ Heather...
For those of you who don't know my music habits, I go through song obsessions. I find a song (and sometimes it extends to two songs) and listen to it over and over until I tire of it or find another new song. Right now my song (and it's recent so I'll be listening to it a lot) is Beggin' by Madcon. As I went to find a link for this post, I found some fun facts on Wikipedia. Madcon is a Norwegian hip-hop band, which I find totally hilarious slash awesome. In case you're curious, recent song obsessions include: Replay by Iyaz (a good workout song), Fireflies by Owl City (now a top 10 on iTunes - ha! I got it as a free iTunes download), I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas (ugh, now way over played on the Radio), and Forever by Chris Brown (from the now popular wedding ceremony video, which Josh found before the hype. Not sure what I'm talking about? Check it out on YouTube).

Fall's First Rain

Rain today--the first rain of the season.

The rain as seen from our front door...

Random

I'm just chugging along like usual, but I thought I'd post some random stuff--things on my mind or going on but nothing worthy of it's own post really.

• Mouse - No a mouse was not in the house nor was it seen in the front yard like the deer and turkey mentioned previously. Actually, I got a new mouse for my laptop--one that does not make a clicking noise when I scroll. Not only is it functional, but it's pretty too. A nice bright blue color, teal blue (blue being my signature color). It's Microsoft's Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000.


• Yummy Pumpkin - Fall has arrived and that means pumpkin time. The great news (nay, the fantastic news) is that pumpkin froyo arrived at the Sub Shop this week (see my yogurt post). I was so thrilled that I did a froyo dance when I got home (this sort of scared Josh). I got a quart of it with vanilla...delish!


• Coffee Art - Should I cheat at try this at work? It's stencils that you can put on coffee form. Hehe. I found this on Rachel Ray's magazine blog. Actually, we did see some awesome coffee art in Vancouver at Caffe Artigiano.


• Muffins - I'm on a quest for the best muffin recipe. I like oaty, bran type muffins. You know Honey's is my favorite. If only I had their recipe. Sigh. I tried one today from my Moosewood Restaurant Low-fat Cookbook. They weren't bad, but there are still plenty more experimenting to come.


• Fall TV Season Begins - What I'm watching: House, Glee, Grey's Anatomy, Fringe, So You Think You Can Dance, The Office, and Project Runway. Lots of TV time ahead (and the rain is coming soon so this is a good thing!). Even more exciting: we have the Comcast DVR option so I can just set the recording and watch whenever.


• Sonic - I got my first taste of Sonic over the weekend. I got a limeade thing. Josh drools about Sonic so we had to make the trip. Seems to me like it's a Dairy Queen alternative with a roller skater twist added. I think I'll stick to the yogurt treats, surprise surprise (but go to Sonic for Josh of course).


• iPhone - Yup, still enjoying it!

iJoy.us

Guess who got an iPhone today! I have been wanting one forever and since my Version service out here in the boonies (you've seen the posts with deer and turkeys) is practically nonexistent, I had to change providers. I mean it was a necessity really. Seriously, how could one live without cell phone service? What if there was an emergency and I had to make a call? See..totally necessary. Plus now we can save $$ and eliminate the land line (so heads-up to all that the 541 number might be going bye-bye in the near future - I'll be sure to update if/when that happens).

Anyway, now I'll be one of those people that pulls out the iPhone at every spare moment. Yes, I get to join the club of iPhoners. At a restaurant and no conversation..great, pull out the iPhone. In a line...great, pull out the iPhone. This weekend will definitely be iPhone education. After my shift tomorrow I plan on sitting myself on the couch with my new toy (after my shift which, by the way, I have to learn to open the store at 5:30am!)

Poll: What song should I use as a ring tone? Comment if you have any brilliant ideas!!

Note: Notice the clever Joy.us part of my website name with the Apple "i".

Polos & Pants

There is a dress code with my new job, and the days before my first day I was on a quest for a Starbucks warerobe: white or black polos, khaki or black pants, and closed-toed black or brown shoes. By the way, the first thought that came to mind when I heard this was "wow, this would fit Dad perfectly!" But going back to my quest story, besides the khaki, these items are surprisingly difficult to find. And for some reason all my nervous energy (aka Heather anxiety) about the job decided to manifest itself in finding these items. They had to be perfect--i.e. comfy, stylish, water-resistant, yet inexpensive shoes. Trying to find these items practically drove Josh nuts as we went from store to store. We really didn't find much on our excursion unfortunately. In fact, the real success was the evening after my first "orientation" / first impressions day. My boss recommended Target and that is were I had ended up having the most success. Still need more, but now I'm equipped with something!

All this fun took place last weekend. And with wardrobe set, I was able to head into this week & weekend fully prepared. And now I have a week on the job under my belt. It's really a TON to learn. There are so many different drinks and combinations-- it's craziness. I feel like it's only just starting to click after a week. It will definitely take me some time to get this all down (pumps of syrup, espresso shots, sizes). Plus, the job is more than just drink making, but register, calling out the drink, writing it on the cup, doing in-between time, clean-up, store maintenance, etc etc. Yaaouzzas!

I'll be sure to continue to write updates on my training. I learn something new each day. And fun stuff too. Not to mention, some nice coffee perks. Also, I got to taste some new Via (you should try it)!

Ninja Turkeys

News Flash: Marauding turkeys invade the front yard at N Shasta Loop.

This is not the first occurrence, but it is the first occurrence of this kind in mass. There were approx 14 turkeys marching along the yard. Last week, there were 3 turkeys. A bit too early for Thanksgiving. And it was decided the turkeys unfit for plumbing as they were caught eating junk off the road.

3 Turkey Sighting

14 Turkey Siting

Keeping Busy

With the former email job finished and the new job yet to come, I found myself with some free time. This lent the perfect opportunity to finally get to some some long awaited projects. Sadly, I start work again tomorrow, and so far I've only touched upon these projects--I've really just brushed the surface. And there is still so much I can do on them! If only I had all the time in the world and no worries. But hey, perhaps there is hope for these projects as I should only be working 20-25 hours a week (to start). We'll see.

What are these projects you ask? Well, here are a few:

Cooking/Baking: Considering I watch The Food Network practically 24/7, I thought I should actually go into the kitchen and try some of the recipes. Generally I make a bunch of Rachel Ray dinners because they are quick, easy, and usually turn out pretty good. I wanted to try some new food network folks. The past couple weeks I've tried some Melissa d'Arabian (the newest show as she just won The Next Food Network Star show) as well as Ellie Krieger who is the nutritionist on the network. All came out pretty dang good. To name a few recipes: Carrot Cupcakes, Curried Chicken Salad, Zucchini Roll-ups, Lemony Shrimp Scampi, Stuffed Zucchini and Red Bell Peppers, and Florentine Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken. Two picture below. And more recipes to try out to come!

Recipe Consolidation: Another cooking themed project. By the way, I really enjoy baking over cooking I think. But both are fun. Cooking is a bit more of an every-day necessity though. Anyway, I digress. I got this program for my Mac called Sous Chef. It's a way to add and organize my recipes. I've been trying to import my recipes (currently both online and offline--i.e. books or saved in "my recipes" folders of places like FoodNetwork.com or allrecipes.com). You also can add a picture to the recipe. It's a big project! Every time I made something lately, I try to also add it to Sous Chef.

iPhoto: I upgraded to Mac's Snow Leopard (Josh recommended - he's my in-house IT guy). With this upgrade, I opted for some program updates which included iPhoto. The new iPhoto has events and faces you can add to each picture. I'm trying to go through all my pictures to add the photo's location as well as add names to each person in the picture.

Contacts: And now another computer project. Computers and Cooking. HA! This is coordinating my GMail address book with my Mac address book. Ugh. If you've moved recently or changed your email...let me know!

Okay, that's only a few projects. I always have ways to keep myself busy. Not a problem. Guess what another big one is...this blog! Or taking all my Cooking Light magazines and picking out recipes to save, cut it out, put in a binder, and then perhaps into Sous Chef. There are also some I avoid too like reading the DMV book to get my Oregon license. Okay, I better stop; the list is never ending. Busy Busy me!

Carrot Cupcake

Curried Chicken Salad

The Critic

You'll see that I have categories in my blog. One such category is titled Review. These posts will be quality time with "Heather, the critic" and surprisingly I will review something (there's a bit of sarcasm right there). This could be anything, but I'll probably review such things as books, food (i.e. restaurants, recipes, grocery items), music (mostly just a song I like at the moment), movies, etc. I'm not really critical, and usually will chose to review something I enjoy, but hey it's a review.

Today is the Heather Book Club day, so I'll review some recent reads. Before we get into the books, I want to make a call-out to my personal librarian and book-recommender, my sister. Thanks Lindz!

• Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay: I finished this just last night! I really enjoyed this book. It isn't a happy-go-lucky type book. No, not at all. It is a World War II book about the Jewish round-up in France in July 1942. They were all round up by French police into a stadium called the Vlodrome d'Hiver. I won't go more into the history because you should read the book. Moving on, it is sad overall (again, the topic), but you go into it expecting sad so with the right expectations it's easier to "take." In general, it is very well written (a different style w/ 2 voices) and great character development. A few side notes: (1) As I looked for a hyperlink for my blog, I just saw they are making this into a movie. (2) I discovered this book by asking a lady next to me at the Sacramento airport...random I know.


• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander: This was lighter than the above, but was again historical in style. Although this is one was on the fictional side of historical fiction - like a history beach read type book. Basically the main character is about a lady that makes some striking discoveries about her husband's past. I enjoyed the wit of the character and it was a nice, quick read.


• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova: This was because I wanted a more "legitimate" vampire book that was not quite Dracula but not the teenie-bopper books. It was a very interesting take on vampires and the Dracula story. I got very wrapped up in the story. At parts it started to be somewhat repetitive, but it sort of had to be that way with the storyline. And best part, I didn't really have nightmares about vampires after reading this (although, I did dream about them).


• The Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer: Okay, I admit it, I read them all. And...I LOVED them. There I said it to the world; it's out & no taking it back. A guilty indulgence. I flew right through all the books, and ended up staying up late way too many nights. The books just engulf you and suck you in (or maybe that's just me). To be honest, I am upset with all the teenie-bopper hysteria around the books. They seem more into the movie and actors than the book story. Do they really know the true Bella and Edward? I get sad because there is so much more in the book than the movie and hype. I hate those islands in the bookstore dedicated to Edward. Really? It's more like a shrine to Robert Pattinson. Geez, there are other characters too. Enough bitterness now. I just had to get that out. Anyway, you obviously get the fact that I enjoyed, and got a bit obsessed with, the book (only as I read them though).

Another review, but different topic, food. What? Trader Joe's wheat pizza dough. I made this for dinner and it was fabulous! I caramelized onions and mushrooms with balsamic vinegar. Added my roast eggplant (leftover from the lasagna from earlier), prosciutto, and goat cheese (mozzarella too of course). Delish!

Tingly Fingers and Oven Doors

Woo-wee! Lots of cooking today...

Every Thursday (more or less), a bunch of Josh's law friends get together for dinner. I'm the recent addition to the gatherings. Tomorrow will be our first time hosting at our new Shasta home. I designated the evening as prep time.

With the meal theme as Mexican cuisine, Josh and I thought we'd contribute Goat Cheese-Stuffed Jalapenos with Ranchero Sauce and Spiced Shrimp - both from my Cooking Light magazines. However, first tonight's dinner needed to be cooked. On the menu tonight was a Eggplant Lasagna from Real Simple (yes, I like magazine recipes & thanks Nada for the magazine!). Unfortunately I had quite time getting things to work. Although its a new home to us, the oven is not quite so new. Today it decided to dislodge and not close without careful maneuvering and some rather interesting sparks. After tackling the oven, I discovered a leak under the sink. Sigh. These difficulties aside, dinner turned out yummy on the positive side.

Dinner eaten and cleaned up, now on to tomorrow's food. Josh was super and got the shrimp deveined and ready  earlier, so the shrimp was quick & easy. The jalapenos were a painful though! After crying with the onions, I got tingly fingers (and still feeling it as I type now) from jalapenos. In fact, I think the jalapenos have permeated the apartment. Poor fingers! Not sure if I'll be working with jalapenos again for awhile (or perhaps with gloves). FYI - a home remedy is lime (works okay) and bleach (didn't have it).

I'd say today was a Culinary Success!

Heather in the Kitchen