Sunday, November 22, 2009

Not Quite What I Was Hoping For

Today was a momentous day. I went to a BYU football game.

We bought these tickets way back in August for Ryan's birthday, and I have had it in my schedule book ever since. The big day finally arrived, and I was a frozen icicle.

It was my fault really. When Ryan left for work this morning, he sternly lectured me on wearing warm clothes. He said, "When you think you have dressed warm, put more on. Trust me. I don't want you to be cold."

Dress warm. Okay. I can do that. I put on leggings, jeans, a sweater, hoodie, gloves, and scarf. I even brought another hoodie for good luck.

When I met up with Ryan, he took one look at me and said, "You're from Georgia, aren't you?"

So we went to the game (a little late because of Ryan's work), climbed up a million stairs to the nose bleed section, and watched the game. Actually half the time I watched the other team's mascot. He was really bad. He laid like a dead bird on the grass most of the time. I could've done better then him. He actually was really jealous when he saw that Cosmo had his own show. Then Cosmo ran out and started doing flips and arials and the bird plopped back down on the grass dejected. What a party pooper.

Football games are actually pretty fun. Ryan got a foot-long donut (Correction: Ryan just corrected me and said it was 3 feet long). And the guy next to us ate a hotdog that dripped everywhere. Of couse it was perfectly acceptable to spill mustard on the floor. Only in football. :)

During one of the contests, Sierra West Jewelers hid 250 cubic zirconiums under 250 seats. Everyone was reaching under their bleacher seat hoping to be among the lucky 250. I reached my gloved hand under my seat, and I felt it, the cubic zirconium. I got really excited and pulled it out. Behold!....an old hardened piece of chewing gum? Gross. I was so disappointed and grossed out. Ryan thought it was hilarious. Wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but it was pretty funny. I must admit it was a good ploy to clean up the old gum under the bleachers. At least I was wearing gloves.

BYU ended up winning 38-21. Ryan told me I must be a good luck charm because everytime I go to a game, BYU wins. Even if BYU isn't playing. Just kidding.

The football game was actually pretty fun, and I'm glad I went. Cold, but fun.

Friday, November 13, 2009

It's Official.

I have decided that I am officially nocturnal.

The other night I tried to go to bed relatively early, 1 o'clock am, and I could not sleep. I tossed and turned for about two hours when I finally decided to give up. I went into the living room, got myself a nice big glass of apple juice, and read my book until Ryan woke up at 5 o'clock (when I usually come home from work) and found me reading. I finally fell asleep at 6.

Last night, I came home from work at 1, only to play Yahtzee with Ryan until 5 in the morning. Oh dear. (It was really fun though...)

When I told Ryan that he needed to get more sleep and that I was worried about him getting sick, he replied, "But I don't have a mom here to tell me to go to bed!"

That's when I threatened to tattle and tell his mom that she needs to call and remind Ryan to go to bed every night when I'm at the hospital. He then politely reminded me that his phone was dead, so that probably wasn't going to work.

So trust me when I say that working graveyards three times a week really messes up your sleep schedule!

Someday I need to get myself and my poor husband (who has 8 am classes three days a week!) back on normal human sleeping time again. However, if anyone wants to join us, we will be playing Yahtzee into the wee hours of the morning until that time comes.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Fall Cooking 101

Hello, and welcome to Julie's Fall Cooking 101 class!

First order of business--This:


is a spaghetti squash.

The Spaghetti squash wins today's award for the most interesting vegetable! Congratulations squash--Be sure to stick around after class to pick up your prize. It will be graaaape! I mean great!

So, what exactly is a spaghetti squash you ask?

Well,

A spaghetti squash is a vegetable that has multiple purposes: you could use it as a weapon! It makes a great weight for exercising! Hollow it out and make leg holes, and it's a perfect Halloween costume for your pet! However, since this is a cooking class, the purpose we are going to talk about today is that you can actually use the pulp on the inside of the squash for a healthier alternative for spaghetti, hence the name.

Normally, what you would do is bake, boil, or microwave the squash (kind of like a baked potato) until it is done.

Because of my expertise in fall cooking and my vast knowledge of spaghetti squash (having cooked the vegetable a total of 1 time), my preferred method of cooking is by baking it in the oven. Make sure to poke a couple holes through the little guy. Then place it on a cookie sheet in a preheated oven (350 degrees) for 40 minutes (times may vary due to size of squash). Wait until the squash is tender. Don't get too excited and eat your squash too early!

Next step: Forking out the guts...er, pulp.


Make sure to take the seeds out! The whole entire pulp up until the skin is usable. Use a fork to scrape the squash out. And voila! Spaghetti! Easy cheesy? I think so!

Season how you like or add butter and enjoy your yummy fall dish!!

Here is the recipe I tried:



Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies


Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/4 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool, and shred pulp with a fork.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a casserole dish.
4. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until evenly brown. Drain, and mix in the green pepper, red pepper, red onion, and garlic. Continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.
5. Mix the shredded squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through. Remove skillet from heat, and mix in 2 cups cheese until melted. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish.
6. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 399 Total Fat: 26.4g Cholesterol: 100mg



Variations
I am not a big fan of canned diced tomatoes, so in half of my dish I substituted marinara sauce for the italian icky diced tomatoes. One side of the casserole had italian tomatoes, the other half marinara sauce. Ryan liked the first half better, and I liked the second.

Pictures



With prego...can't even tell this is squash!



And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes our class for the day. Thank you, and come back next time for Julie's Fall Cooking 101. Have a great day! Seed...er, See you next time!

(Disclaimer: Teacher is not a certifed expert in spaghetti squash. At all. Not even close.)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

The Perfect Guy

Tonight I have been reminiscing my younger years by reading my old blog (anyone remember xanga?). I came across one entry and had to laugh.

In my opinion, Ryan, for the most part, meets my 16 year old definition of "The Perfect Guy".

For your entertainment, I have copied the post below. Keep in mind that this is coming from a 16 year old girl.


The Perfect Guy

1. hair color: Brown, maybe w/natural bl0nd highlights from all the basketball he plays outside in the sun....hahaha
2. eye color: really pretty blue/gray
3. height: at least 5'10 or taller
4. six pack : Of course!
5. long or short hair: short, i dont really like the shaggy hair
6. glasses: He wears contacts most of the time, but sometimes he wears his glasses which makes him look CUTE and SMART! HA!
7. piercings: None
8. scars: Everybody has scars, so yes. Just not any huge ones (like on your back, haha Fer...)
9. eyebrows: Perfect size and shape, not huge or bushy
10. straight or curly hair : not bone straight, it has a little bit of a curl in it
11. chest hair : No thanks!!!
12. buff or skinny : Dude, he is buff!
13. straight teeth, gap- Straight teeth, pretty smile
14. funny or serious : Both, he's funny but knows when to be serious
15. party or stay at home: Party, he likes to go out! (w/me of course!)
16. should he cook or bake : Is there a difference? Uhh cook!
17. should he have a best friend: ME! and he can have another best buddy guy friend i love you like a brother type of person
18. should he have a lotta friends: They're my friends too, and he wont flirt w/them
19. outgoing or shy : Outgoing, although being shy can be cute sometimes
20. sarcastic or sincere : Sincere, of course!
21. should he love his mother : ALOT!
22. should he watch chick flicks : He'll watch them w/me!
23. would he be a smoker : No way, unless he's so hot he's on FIRE! heh heh
24. would he drink : No alcoholic beverages
25. would he swear : No
26. would he play with your hair: Yes!
28. would he pay for dates :uh...OF COURSE!
30. where would you go to dinner : Somewhere we both like!
31. would he bring you flowers: Yeeeeeees! or candy or a teddy bear
32. would he lay under the stars with you : How cute, yes!
33. would he write poetry about you: He doesn't have to, but he'll write in his journal about how awesome I am and then when we're married he'll show me and it'll be so cute!
34. would he call you hunny, sweetie, or baby : Yeees
35. would he hang out with you and YOUR friends: Me and OUR friends
36. would you hang out with him and HIS friends :OUR friends? Yes!
37. will he walk you to the door at the end : Yes, like a gentleman!
38. holding hands :Yeah
39. soccer : He played when he was younger
40. baseball : Not necessarily
41. basketball : Church basketball! haha and for fun
42. football : uhh, doesnt have to be, but sure?
43. water polo: Nope
44. surf: he's not very good at surfing
45. skateboard : No
46. snowboard :He'll have gone 2 or 3 times, and be pretty good considering
47. sing : Yes, he'll have a nice baritone voice!
48. play guitar : Yeeeah!
49. play piano : Doesn't have to
50. play drums: No
51. clean his room : He won't ever let it get TOO messy
52. paint, draw, sculpt : Nope, he can draw some pretty gosh darn good stick figures though!
53. writes his own music : Naaaaw
54. use the word dude : Sometimes
55. use the word tight : Not too often, but yeah
56. would he watch the sun rise with you: of course!
57. what kind of car does he drive : Hmmm, havent decided yet
58. how old is he : right now he's between 16-19
59. what would his name be: Doesnt matter as long as it isnt something like Fred or Bob

Awww, but of course looks don't matter as long as the personality rocks. He could have dark hair and eyes and be good-looking....Yep, or have bl0nde hair and hazel eyes, don't really matter! Yep yep! That was fun. Comment if you do so please!

Xoxo,
Julie

I like how I leave myself a disclaimer on the bottom just in case. Haha.


And FYI: Ryan is better than any perfect guy I could have made up in my head. 

Even though he is rolling his eyes right now. :)