12 Superbowl Snack Recipes

This year, I have no vested interest in the Superbowl, but I do really like the idea of relaxing for a few hours on a Sunday, watching commercials and eating snacks.  Really, how can you be opposed to any of that?

Since we haven't had TV for the past year (we still watch TV, don't worry), we haven't gotten to watch any football all season.  I almost forgot about the game entirely.  But then I saw the new Budweiser #BestBuds commercial and that got me excited!...And teary.

If you're not sure what to make this Sunday, I've got some suggestions for you!  These are the kind of suggestions that will make you happy even if your team is losing.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

In the winter, cream of (some type of) vegetable soup is my go-to.  It's just so easy, it warms you up and all the fresh vegetables keep me from getting sick (or at least I think they do).  It's everything I need from a meal.

The best part about it is that you can do it without a recipe.  You can just simmer some vegetables in broth until they're tender and then blend them up.  Throw in some spices and you're golden.

I don't think I've made a batch yet that hasn't turned out well.  The only problem is that you can't duplicate it.  If it turns out really, really well one time, there's pretty much no way you're going to get that same flavor the next time.

So, from time to time, I like to follow recipes or write down exact amounts when I'm making up a recipe for soup.

This was one of those times.  This extra creamy, cheesy, cauliflower soup is one that I'm going to want to make again and again so I'm really glad I kept track of what went into it.

Presently

Moose!

Happy Hour: The Bronx

You're probably familiar with the Manhattan, right?  But did you know that there is actually a drink named after each of the boroughs in New York?  Yeah, me neither.

I've been to New York a couple of times, but haven't ventured outside of the very touristy areas of Manhattan.  So basically, I have no idea what the city is really like.

I also have no idea why this drink is associated with the Bronx.  It doesn't exactly fit the image of the Bronx that I have built up in my head, but then again, that's just based on...well, nothing.

It's based on nothing.

So maybe this drink actually is what people in the northern borough sit around drinking all day.  I don't know!  All I know is that this is basically a gin martini with a splash of orange juice that adds only the subtlest of flavors and really I have to assume it was added to the recipe for color.

Feather Boutonnieres Tutorial

Photo by Tiffany Anderson

It's been over 3 months since we got married on (luckily) the most perfect day in Moab, Utah.  We're nowhere close to finishing all the leftover food (it's frozen, don't worry) or alcohol, but we have all of the pictures from our amazing photographer and we have settled back into normal, boring life.

So, it's about time that I shared some of the details from the big day with you!

Because we got married at Dead Horse Point State Park, we had some limitations on the plants and flowers we could use in our decorations, bouquets and boutonnieres.

Basically, we had to use native plants only.  Problem is, Moab is a desert.  Not a lot of variety in the vegetation down there, especially in October.

But when life hands you a super dry, desolate (beautiful) venue, you make your boutonnieres out of feathers and they are just as pretty.  Plus, they last forever.

Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

Some bloggers are really lucky.  Some bloggers get to just blog.  They stay at home developing and testing recipes.  They don't have to fight the clock to take pictures with good lighting.  They probably get to watch tv while they're doing all of their cooking and editing and photographing.

Then there are the rest of us.  Those of us who are not 'professional bloggers.'  Those of us who work 40+ hours a week at a different job.

For us, we have to rush home, make the food, take pictures with the fading light, stay up late staring at a computer screen editing and writing.

And then, every once in a while this magical thing happens: your 9-5 overlaps with your food blog.

I understand that I'm in a unique position since technically I write and edit blog posts at work too, but sometimes the overlap is even more apparent.  Like, when I made this warm brussels sprout salad and when I wrote this blog post for work.

Presently

Celebrating 10 years together!

Happy Hour: New York Sour

For Christmas, I got 3 or 4 new cocktail books which was really exciting.  It made me think that I should do a cocktail a day and document it here.  It would still take me years to get through all of the drinks in these books.

It could definitely be fun...but I decided against it anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it would be educational and enjoyable and all of that, but at the same time, some nights I like to just have a beer or something else.  Something like water.

Sometimes I like to go to the gym at night and I don't think I should be lifting weights while intoxicated.

It basically came down to a logistics issue.

Right now, I try to experiment with mixology at least 1x a week.  This week's experiment was very successful.  Easy to drink, but strong and very pretty with the red wine float.

Creamy Chicken Apple Chili

Yesterday, I turned 27.  It's not exactly a momentous birthday, but at the same time, I didn't really like it.

At 27, there's no getting around it, you're in your late twenties.  You'll soon be 30.  People have some serious expectations for you at this point.  No more 'figuring it all out.'

Of course, there are some people that will tell you that you have your whole life to figure it out and you should just have fun and never worry and be happy, and well...wouldn't that be great.  At least for me, it's not quite that easy.  It's not easy to not have it figured out.  It's not easy answering the hard questions like, "What do you want to be?" or "Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15 years?"

No one likes to be asked those questions.  Even if you're feeling good about your decisions or your plan, it makes you feel like you should reassess.  Most often, the person has no clue so they just make something up on the spot that sounds good.  (I know, because that's what I do.)

On any given day, the only thing I usually know about the future is what I'm going to eat that night.  And that's only because I'm a neurotic lister/meal-planner.  But that does give me at least some semblance of having a handle on things.

Making my own soups and stews makes me feel more like a grown up.  And since I like chili, maybe becoming an adult isn't so bad?  I don't know...I'm still figuring it all out.

Austin's Rice Pudding

I recently read Amy Poehler’s book, “Yes, Please,” and I hated it. I don’t usually hate books either.

I honestly can’t pick out one single thing that I liked about the book.  I can pick out something I didn’t like though.  I didn’t like that she complained for a large portion of the book about how she didn’t want to write the book.  Personally, I think she would have done us all a favor, if she listened to her gut and stopped there.

That’s why I’m determined not to write here about how hard it can be to write.  Just know that it can be hard.  But also know that I love to do it and I am grateful to be able to do it. 

Also, I like to read books that are worthwhile and so far in 2015 I’m 0 for 2.  I rarely give books 1 star reviews (in Goodreads), but that’s 2 in a row!

The only other thing that gets to me quite as much as a bad book is when I have a kitchen fail.  That’s when I have to let Austin take over.  That’s when he makes delicious rice pudding for dessert with the leftover rice from his ‘biking snacks.’  I do the dishes…maybe ;) and all is right in the world again.

Presently

In my last project 365 blog post, I said I was discontinuing the series. After much deliberation, I've come up with the series that will fill its place. These are a series of photos (and maybe sometimes videos) that are happening Presently.

Dingo's feet got cold on our New Year's Day snowshoe.

Vegan Raspberry Spinach Smoothie

In the mornings, I have no time.  I swear, every morning I am more rushed than the morning before.  While skipping breakfast is nothing new for me, I've even had to skip my coffee before!  It only took once for me to make sure that never happened again though.

I'd love to get up each day and start it off the 'right way.'  The healthy way.  But then I remember I really love to sleep.  And I really love that snooze button.

That's part of why I love the weekends so much.  Also because: the weekends.

On the weekends I can take my time.  I can drink my coffee out of a real cup instead of a travel mug.  I can make waffles and pancakes and smoothies.  I can feel good all day long because I actually feed my body (what a concept, I know!).

Yeah, I should really set my alarm earlier, but since we all know that's not going to happen, I'll just settle for 2 good days a week.

Frosted Banana Cookies

I love bananas.  I really do.  I love them so much that I usually get over-ambitious and buy way too many at a time.  By 'too many,' I mean more than 3.

Apparently, I can eat 3 bananas before they go bad, but more than that and the brown dots begin to grow and multiply.  No big deal, right?  That's what banana bread is for.  And you're right.  But sometimes you already have banana bread because you really went crazy and bought Costco bananas!

You could make more bread and freeze it.  You could even freeze the peeled bananas and use them next time you want bread.

Or you could make cookies.

When I have a choice between bread or cookies, I always choose both.  Always.

Roasted Red Pepper Flavored Pasta

Usually, I am totally content traveling around the American Southwest camping, climbing and hiking.  Usually, that satisfies my intense feelings of wanderlust.

Not now though.

Now, I just want go somewhere totally different from here.  I want to be around people who speak a different language than me.  I want to eat foods that I can't get at home (or in my camp stove).

South America would fulfill my needs.  Europe would do the trick.  Anywhere really.  I just want to go.

I'd love to be sitting in an Italian restaurant (in Italy), eating plate after plate of fresh pasta.  I want the mystery of not totally knowing what I ordered and not understanding the conversations around me except for the random word or two.

You can try to recreate the feeling at home, but it will never be the same.  That's not to say that homemade pasta isn't good.  Just not the same.  But until we can make it back to Europe, this will have to do.

365: The End

This is it.  My last 365 post of 2014. Some of the pictures have definitely been less than perfect, some were blurry, some weren't even remotely appealing.  But still, I did it.

Some days it was hard to find the beauty in anything at all and other days I took dozens of pictures and had a hard time choosing my favorite.

This year, a lot of stuff happened and I captured it all.  Austin and I got engaged and married.  I became an aunt.  Started a new job.  Moved.  Ran a half marathon, biked, climbed, hiked and snowboarded.  I spent a lot of time with Dingo, Austin, family and friends.  I dipped my toes in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.  I got to go to NASA.  I rode in a hot air balloon and learned to fly fish.  We brewed a lot of beer, drank a lot of cocktails and made a lot of food.  I noticed amazing sunsets.  We paid off my car and cut down our first Christmas tree.  It was a really good year.

December 29 | Day 1 of salt free bread making.

December 30 | Day 2 of salt free bread making.

December 31 | Me, my sisters and little Hank.

This is the second year that I've done a photo a day challenge and it's become a habit, but a habit that I'm going to break now.

That doesn't mean I'll stop taking photos and that doesn't mean I'll stop sharing pictures (and videos!) of my everyday life here, it just means I'm going to give myself some slack.  I'm going to make it more effortless.  When I see something that I want to photograph, I will, and if it's 11:55 p.m. one night and I haven't pulled my camera out yet, I'm not going to panic.  I'll just go to bed.

For those of you who have said that you like these posts the best, thank you!  You've kept me motivated throughout the past 2 years, and you will keep me motivated to post more than just recipes in 2015!

Happy New Year!