Pel'Meni

Juneau has a restaurant that all late night creatures flock to when their night is coming to a close. It's a late night meal that can heal anything the night has done to you. It is not something you can explain. It's something you must experience. This restaurant only has 2 things on the menu - meat or potato. But the final product, no matter the filling. Is the tastiest Russian dumpling ever!

I've been craving these like no other the past few days. So I did a lot of looking online to find recipes...but no matter how much I looked it just didn't sound right....it didn't sound like what I knew and loved. So I went to my "go-to-guy", Josh, and got the rest of the info I needed. (You must understand, Josh knows everyone and everything and he is one of the best chefs I know...this combined meant there was no way he would let me down.)

So I picked what I thought looked like the best base recipe for pelmeni. I found it on Natasha's Kitchen Blog. Then I went to town for 3 hours! I even got Mom to help with the assembly line and stuffing the little buggers. Once we had the first cookie sheet full I popped it in the freezer quickly. By the time the rest of the meat and dough was used up the first tray was frozen and ready to be boiled.

We used a really large stock pot and I boiled the whole tray at once (28 dumplings total) for about 10 minutes (3 minutes after they float to the top). They stuck a little and that many frozen guys at once cooled my boiling water, so I would probably do fewer at a time in the future. (Note that I only boiled 1 out of 4 trays which means I will have plenty in the freezer for a quick dinner later!)

Once they were ready I got 7 into each bowl (like I said, a LOT of dough so this was a bit much, but once I figure out the portion sizing when I create them again this might be a good serving size?) I dribbled some white vinegar, Sriracha (hot sauce),

 (this is one of my most favorite hot sauces! You can find it in the Asian section of most grocery stores), chopped cilantro, yellow curry  powder (doesn't seem that important, but makes a huge difference in flavor!), and dollop of sour cream. Pick your favorite soda out of the nearest vending machine or fridge, and you are set!

I still need to work on the amounts to use for the toppings....they were close, but not close enough to my Juneau favorite :) But at least I know all the ingredients. This is one dish worth mastering. It's so unique and flavorful. If I remember right, they are served with a slice of sourdough bread (true to Juneau style).

Weight Watchers Point Value = 10 (including sour cream) (though this can change drastically as I better master sizing and how many in a portion....I'll update this number as I master the final outcome :)


Once again - lesson learned -- take more pictures!!! I didn't take any during this whole experiment. So now I'm scrambling.....bad blogger! Bad! :D

PS...Here's a great blog post describing Juneau's Pel'Meni. It can give you an idea of the ambiance of the place and why so many around the world have a soft spot for the little, dirty, odd place of "fine dining" :) It also starts to illustrate why I have such a love/hate relationship with cruise lines.....evil necessity for now :(

Daily Hobby

A few years ago my sister was planning her wedding. She, like any normal bride, wanted everything to be perfect and beautiful....she had one challenge.....her Alaskan, hippy-esque, make-up free maid of honor - me. :) So she did what any brilliant, financially well to do sister would do...she and Mom treated me to a day of a makeover at the M.A.C. store. They hooked me up with everything I needed to get started. At first I was completely mortified. I was embarrassed that I would end up looking like a clown for the rest of our shopping day. I was embarrassed that I was 28 and didn't know how to wear makeup. I was embarrassed that I was getting spoiled and didn't even care about the end product.

This may sound so ridiculously shallow (bear with me because I really don't mean it to be), but that day changed my life :)....my sister has a tendency to do that to me....change my life ;) Since then I have found a love of makeup. Many late nights and early mornings you can find me tucked under my covers with my phone in hand watching youtube videos on makeup tutorials. For Christmas this year Ozker (bless his heart) got me an eyeshadow pallet of 88 colors. I've taken the mindset of "makeup = vanity, makeup = high maintenance" to "makeup = art". It is so much fun!!!!!

I remember as a youth I read in a magazine somewhere that you should never try to match your makeup to what you're wearing. You should just stick to what looks good on your specific skin tone and eye color. Well who the crap can judge that? So I've joined the ranks in breaking that stupid rule! Yay for silly rule breaking :)

Ok, right now you are about to see some really HORRIBLE photography. The lighting is crap, it's done by me with my phone, I'm rushing out the door to work....everything about these pictures are gross. They were basically taken to show my inspirational sister as something to giggle about, but it's getting the point across at how much fun I'm having. :)

Yellow eyes worn with a black sweater and ginormous yellow wooden earrings.

Pink eyes worn with a pink sweater....I later figured out how to tone this one down quite a bit more as  bright, clown pink, with orange hair isn't the best look haha. Fortunately this was a day off and not too many others had to witness it :D But the toned down look actually worked really well!

First attempt ever at false eyelashes....they didn't last long as I need quite a bit more practice with them, but they were super fun!!!

Anyway, like I said, i need to work on the pictures...like with hair and clothing finished....But I'm having a blast every single morning and that's all that matters :) I've finally learned, after 30 years of life that it's ok to try to make yourself beautiful. And it's even more ok to truly feel beautiful. That's not a feeling I'm used to, but I'm trying to do it gracefully and sincerely. But most importantly, don't take yourself too serious. Have fun. Giggle in the mirror if you've made a mess of yourself. Take a picture to prove that you're a goof. Then the next day start all over again, giggling the whole time and loving every minute of it :) That, my friend, is even better than coffee :)

Addiction of Pintrest

I have recently been invited to join the obsession of Pintrest. I must admit...I am delighted!!!! For any that may not know, Pintrest is basically your own virtual corkboard where you can attach anything fun you find on the net. You can categorize all your treasures - Things to make, Recipes, Dream House details, Holiday decor....the possibilities are endless! Needless to say, my collection is growing quite rapidly. The best part is the Pintrest homepage is a constant ticker of everything every other member has pinned....so you can watch thousands of everyone's inspirations roll by :)

It's very easy to get caught up and spend hours playing and looking and collecting things you love, but I'm trying my hardest to limit my time looking, and dedicate more of it to completing. I've already made my first project :D

This bracelet was made by sewing beads on a leather cord. I made it long enough to wrap around my wrist three times. I like the chunky, yet natural look of it. All it took was a couple episodes of Glee and I was all set up :)

I'm afraid I got cheap leather from Michaels and my bracelet smells like fish....it's weird......but the smell is fading and I'm still in love with it :)

You can find the tutorial to make your own bracelet here. I think I'll make a few more :)

January Thaw

So there's a thing around here they call "The January Thaw". Personally I'm not a big fan. A.) I like the cold...it's why I moved to Idaho. B.)  Wearing my brand new down coat has becoming sweatingly uncomfortable and I'm forced to go back to just a jacket. C.) I haven't even fallen down on the ice once this year! D.) I really want to try out the sleds on the back of the quads without having a backside looking like Kate's :D.....anyway, the list could go on and on, but I'm not one to complain.......heh.

On the plus side, I actually am enjoying the "warm" weather. It's got me so excited for camping this summer! I think I'll pull out the maps and get a plan together :) Yesterday while I was home for lunch Ozker kept scratching on the back door so I slid it open enough for him to come in and out. He likes to hang out with all the sparrows chilling on the bird feeder. I sat at the table eating my lunch, commenting on Facebook how strange it was to be able to keep the door open, and enjoying the smell of the fresh air coming inside. All of a sudden

Flitter Flutter Flap!

In comes a zooming sparrow! She fluttered around for a couple seconds until she found the big picture window. I almost got her a couple times, but no such luck. Finally I realized this might take longer than I had so I called in to work to let them know I might be a couple minutes late......I even took pictures just in case they didn't believe me hehehe

She finally found the top of the cupboards in the kitchen and hid behind a tin. I snuck a picture while she took a little breather. Just as I was getting ready to go in for another grab she flew straight for the back door and smashed into the glass. She dropped to the ground and not even Ozker was going to inspect her. I think we were all pretty nervous about the outcome. I gently lifted up her limp body with flopping head and got her outside on the rug. She laid there for awhile, but I could see she was breathing. I couldn't bear to go back to work without knowing if she was ok. After a couple minutes a few other birds came back to the feeder and down to the rug to start pecking at the seed. I saw her head come up a little.....she was curious I think :)......

After a few more seconds she was good as new :) She hopped around with her buddies...

Then she flew off into the closest tree. :) Happy ending and a few lessons learned A.) Close the screen door. B.) If bird enters again, open the backdoor all the way. C.) I am not as Dr. Doolittle-esque as I used to be....must work on that....

Yay for summer heat and camping in the nature! :)

Fresh Starts

So it's a new year. With a new year comes reflection on ones self, and goals to make improvements on life. After catching up on some of my favorite blogs I have vowed to update my blog more often. I think it's a perfect way to continue the concept of "New Year Resolutions" alive in you mind all year. As I think about blog posts and my life it can help to be a reminder of who I really am. It can help me take stock on things I need to focus on. Hopefully it can keep me away from that blasted Facebook and make me do something a little more productive :D

Just as I made a mental note in my head that this would be my new "thing" this year, wouldn't you know it, my phone crashed and I lost all the pictures I've taken all year long :(. I'm doing my best to keep a brave face about this loss, but the truth is, I'm crushed. Those pictures have been like a journal to me. They weren't only of neat things...like a certain look on Ozker's eye, a sunset sent to wish someone good night, or my giggling nephew. They were notes to myself - a recipe to try, a book I want to read, a project that one day I'll get to. Now they are all lost.

And so as a salute to my loss I am posting no pictures with this blog. I really hate a blog post with no pictures. It's quite annoying and lazy, in my opinion. And yet it seems appropriate today. It's sad and it's dull. And so.....*drum roll*.......I vow to start backing up my phone photos!!!!!! Hard lesson learned. Meh.

You know, it's just occured to me that I may eat my words only inches above this line.....for if I am truly committed to blogging more, who's to say I won't have a post or two with no pictures.......hmmm....I really should consider having no more opinions.....

This weekend I've also focused on setting up my home. I've been in my apartment (yes, mine, just mine all to myself :) ) for almost 1 1/2 months now. I still have a million boxes in my garage and Dad's shop to go through. So far I'm impressed with the amount of stuff in the garage sale pile, but there's still much to sift through. But this weekend I've really got it feeling like home :) I've got art on the walls, books on the shelves, and coats hanging on the rack :) It's very cozy. I keep candles burning, music or movies playing, birds eating out of the feeder on the deck.

I keep feeling like I'm just playing house, like I'm borrowing it or tending it for someone else, but I look around and it's all really mine :) I know it seems silly to feel so giddy about it all, but I'm 31 years old and I'm finally starting to feel like an adult. I can come and go as I please, eat what and when I want, walk around naked, sleep if I'm sleepy. I'm more broke than I've ever been in my life. That's getting a little scary, but I think I have a plan for that.....I hope :)

And so, with a clean slate on my phone disc, a clean slate in my living situation, I'm ready to start this year off with a bang :) I have a million possibilities ahead of me, many choices to dwell on and decisions to make. I think it could be a quite a productive year if I keep my act together :) So here's to new beginnings and good luck! :) Bring on 2012!