Spring!

Its finally spring here! At least all signs seem to point to it. Lovely sunny days we have been having the past few days. Another module at school is coming to end and boy am I glad. OK I am not great at math- really not great. Its never been one of my strong subjects. I just dont "get" it.
But to ad insult to injury we have had a rather unhelpful teacher. Its all online, so I cant really get help - if there has been any I haven't known where to get it. I will be happy if I get a C- good news is next time I dont have to take any math. No more math for me. Yeay! I am getting an A in Marketing though which I am very happy about. The flowers are coming up so nicely in the yard, they are so pretty to see.

Here is a simple recipe for a drink I have come to love. Raspberry Lemonade

Combine 10 lemons
2 cups raspberries
1/1/2 cups of sugar in a large pot
Pound mixture firmly with the end of a rolling pin,extracting as much juice as possible for 10 mins,
stir in 6 cups of water. Pour through a sieve into a large bowl. Press lemons and raspberries till all juice is extracted. Discard all solid material. Serve over ice. Makes 9 cups.

Sweet Pear and Apple Salad wirh Endive

From Martha Stewart Living- Jamie Oliver's Recipe

4 heads of endive a mixture of red and white washed and dried
2 apples cored and julienned
2 pears cored each cut into 8 wedges
A handful of soft herbs like chervil. tarragon, parsely- roughly chopped plus more for serving
2 ounces of blue cheese
1/4 cup od creme fraiche
5 tablespoons of extra virgin oil plus more for drizzling
4 tablespoons of cider vinegar
6 tablespoons of water

Method:

Place endive in a large bowl. Add apples, pears, herbs and set aside.
In a blender or jar combine blue cheese, creme fraiche, olive oil, vinegar, and water blend until smooth- about 16 seconds
Pour about 3 quarters of the blue cheese mixture over the salad, toss to coat. Divide evenly amoug 4 plates and drizzle a little more deessing and olive oil over the salads. Sprinkle with herbs and serve.
Enjoy.

Updates.. Changes

My how time flies! Already nearly out of March. Well since I last posted Simon and I have just about finished our first course at college and we both are getting A's. Yep doing really well considering I knew nothing about Management but I do now! I have enjoyed my teacher Papaloa who is Samoan but he grew up mainly in New Zealand. We are really enjoying college. We get to have the same classes together next term, I guess the next term after that we will finally branch off and have classes separately in our degrees. In other news, Simon got a new job. His old job was not treating him right and so he quit before they had a chance to fire him which is what they were trying to find ways to do anyways. So far he likes his new job. Simon also got his GED, being from the UK they do not give you a diploma until University level so he didn't have proof he had high school level education, but now he does and he did quite well considering he had no preparation.
I am quite proud of him and all the faculty at our college is too. I have heard from Chad, sometimes it takes awhile but so far he is doing well and is fine. I cant wait till he is able to be home again. My brother Joe is having a birthday in the next few days. Happy Birthday Joe!

College Bound

Well the month is just about over but Simon and I decided to do something which will benefit us in the end a great deal. We are going back to college. For me, its back to school but for Simon it is the first time he has attended college and especially here in the U.S. Next week is the start of school. We are both excited. I will be doing a Graphic Arts degree and Simon Business Admin. Our first class will be together but of course not all will be. We even get a free laptop to first use during our study and then keep when we graduate- pretty good incentive right? Books are free too which will be nice. I have paid for college books before and it isnt fun but you have no choice. The staff have been amazing, they have really done all the paperwork fast and worked hard to get us all set up. It is a little more pricer, the student loans we will pay off but at the end we will have all we need to get a job wither for ourselves at home or working for someone else. This will be good for Simon, just what he needs- he doesnt want to work at a call center all his life, he wants a proper job- his current job is alright- better than being a cleaner or fast food but still, he doesnt love it. I have worked before but not since my last time at college in 2001. I have been wondering what to do with my life, and this is it. I have wanted to finish the education I started to get. Its different than I choose before but it is something I like and would like to do as a living.
So wish us luck! We are excited!

February Happenings

Well this month Valentines came and went, we didnt have much cash so our Valentines day was very simple. We got each other something we wanted and called it our treat. I also made Simon a handmade card. It wasnt much but its the thought that counts right? My nephew got baptized, first of the boys to be. It was a nice occasion. My cousin will be coming home from S Africa this week. I am sure he will be glad to be home. He gets to be whisked off to Hawaii to spend time with his brother who is already there with his wife. We have gotten alot of snow, it keeps coming down and then dissappearing only to be back again the next week or so. Simon got a new work schedule Horray! He finally gets Sunday's off. This is very nice for us.

February's Recipe

Growing up I wasnt a keen fan of Split pea soup, but over the years I have grown to like it. This recipe I found in Martha Stewart Living.

Split pea soup- Serves 6

8 black peppercorns cracked
3 sprigs of thyme, chopped - with extra for garnish
2 sprigs of flat- leafed parsley " "
1 dried bay leaf
2 tablespoons of safflower oil
2 medium carrots cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 celery stalks cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
1 ham steak cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 pound of split peas
8 cups of water

1. Wrap peppercorns,thyme, parsley and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth and tie with twine.
2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat add carrots, onion, celery and cook until onion is translucent (see-through) for about 9 mins, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, ham and salt and cook for 3 mins. Add spices in cheesecloth ( dont untie) , split peas and water.
3, Bring soup to a boil, Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until peas are tender- 50-55 mins. Take out spices in cheesecloth. Season with a pinch of salt and garish with the fresh herbs.

Serve- this soup will keep in the fridge for 3 days.

Enjoy!

January Recipe

Once again my favortite magazine, at least at the moment has come through with some yummy recipes. Here is one which is heart healthy.

Chicken with roasted sweet potato salad.

Prep time: 15 mins Total time 30 mins.

2 sweet potatoes- peeled, cut in thin wedges
1 red onion- thinly sliced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper - think reg salt will do as well.
4 6 ounce boneless, skinned chicken breasts
1 bunch of spinach- stems removed
2 tablespoons of lime juice

Heat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet toss potatoes, onion, olive 2 of the tablespoons of olive oil, 1/22 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Roast till tender for 20-25 mins.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet, over med-high heat. Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. anc cook till browned- 5-6 mins per side.

In a large bown toss warm potato mixture with spinach,lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.

Serve with the chicken- Serves 4- to serve more simply double the recipe.

Some sad news...

Some sad news, on Jan 4th, 2009 My grandpa Blake Harley Everett passed away. He was 92. For the past year my parents, Simon and I have been looking after him at his house. My brother Joe and also his wife also got the opportunity to help him, for many years. He and my Grandma married in 1938, they met when my Grandma was in the 9th grade. It was a real sudden passing, there was no indication that he would be leaving us that day or even that week. We had gone to Denny's ward to see Jonah, Denny and Catherine's 3rd son be blessed. My Grandpa loved to fish and hunt in his younger years, was an avid football and basketball fan up until his last day. He was a hard worker in his job at the pipe plant for 37 yrs and also was a very good farmer. He always had a project, if not for himself, he had one for us to do when we would visit. He is now with my Grandma who he has missed dearly for almost 20 yrs. I can't imagine how happy he feels now. To any of my relatives who may read this, we are thankful for all the kind words and deeds you have done for us at this time. I shall miss my Grandpa, but I know he is thrilled to be with his wife and family again.