Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

It's been more than a month since my last post, and I apologize for that my friends. I'm sure life has been keeping you bus as well. I am settled into my apartment, having my first party next Friday, starting to get the hang of my job, and starting to develop somewhat of a social life here in the Northwest (yay!).

One of my favorite things about living on my own is having my own kitchen. I don't have to worry about gluten contamination, I can be creative, & I can make a mess (I always do!)

I had a craving for something sweet, and Trader Joe's has the best gluten free brownie mix. And why not mix in some peanut butter cups instead of chocolate chips? So I did. They were delicious!


Peanut Butter Cup Brownies
Gluten free Brownie Mix (Trader Joe's, or your favorite)
1 egg
1/2 cup applesauce (or vegetable oil)
1/4 cup water
1 cup mini peanut butter cups

Preheat oven to 350 & grease 8x8 pan. Mix all ingredients together and pour into pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy with some 2004 Steven Kent Eutaxia (35% Barbera & 65% Cabernet). If you prefer milk, that works too :)

on my own

"The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time." - Abraham Lincoln


Abe Lincoln was a wise man. (I think I already told you that, but it's worth sharing again). 


I graduated from college 3 years ago, it seems like a lifetime ago. When I graduated, I distinctly remember like I felt I had to figure out the rest of my life. Just a little overwhelming! Feeling like I had to find the career which I would have for the rest of my life, deciding where to live, what kind of person I wanted to be was a little much to handle. Add to that this huge transition of being in college (being grown up without any rules or responsibility) and moving home to live with my parents and pretend to be a grown up. 


Isn't that how it happens? As soon as you graduate from college you turn into a grown up and become a part of the "real world." 


It wasn't easy. I felt lost for a good long while until I felt I was making any progress. I found a full time job at a winery that I loved and met a wonderful group of people. I stopped hating the town I grew up in, I got to coach softball and drink wine all day at work. 


And after all of that, out of nowhere it seems, I decided to move to Seattle. Nothing was holding me back, it was a good a time as any. I didn't want to look back one day and wonder "what if?" 

It was almost exactly a year ago that I decided it was time to move to the Northwest. I moved my entire life to another city 850 miles away. I wanted a change and I wanted to do it on my own. Looking back, I often wonder what I was thinking. What kind of crazy person leaves her family and her friends and sunshine to go to a place where it's grey 300 days a year? Maybe I thought it was time to move on, maybe I had to know I could survive without my parent's help. 


Looking back seems to be easier than looking forward. The future holds so many unknowns, so many questions. The past is easier to understand, easier to make the pieces fit together. Oh, that's why I moved here (independence and confidence), that's why I flew home in October (to meet this really great guy), that's why life is so hard sometimes (it all pays off in the end). 


Three years ago if someone had told me that the future comes one day at a time, I wouldn't have been able to grasp it. Sure, it's a nice thought. It's difficult to completely comprehend until you're able to say it and know for sure that it's true, because you've experienced it for yourself. 

Tulips

I went to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival this past weekend. The sun came out and it was even a little warm, it turned out to be a great day.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival was officially inaugurated in 1984 by the Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce. When the festival began, it only lasted a few days and then a week. Because the weather is unpredictable, the festival is now a month long, giving folks time to enjoy the full bloom of the tulips.

A few facts about tulips:
Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can grow as short as 4 inches or as high as 28 inches.

Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue (several tulips with "blue" in the name have a faint violet hue).

Tulips are indigenous to mountainous areas with temperate climates and need exposure to the prolonged cold of winter. They thrive in climates with long, cool springs and dry summers. Although perennials, tulip bulbs are often imported to warm-winter areas of the world from cold-winter areas, and are planted in the fall to be treated as annuals (flowers that only bloom once).

Although tulips are associated with Holland, both the flower and its name originated in the Persian Empire. The tulip actually is not a Dutch flower as many people tend to believe. Tulip, or "Laleh" as it's called in Persian, is a flower indigenous to Iran, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia. In the sixteenth century, tulips were introduced to Europe, and from there on it became known to the whole world.

There was also a large field of yellow daffodils. Bright yellow flowers, blue skies and snow capped mountains sure bring a smile to my face.

I bought two bunches of tulips, they're sitting on my desk. They're such happy flowers, and they last a few weeks! So next time you're in the Seattle area in April you should go to the Tulip Festival, just one of those things that is worth experiencing.

Charlie Brown, the philosopher

"I've developed a new philosophy . . . I only dread one day at a time."


Charlie Brown's first appearance was in 1950, and one of my grandma's all time favorites. He fails in almost everything he does, bullied by his dog and friends but he never gives up hope.  

Even though this quote is a glass half empty perspective, it's also very profound. Instead of saying seize the day, Charlie Brown says that instead of dreading the next 50 years, he is only going to focus on tomorrow. He won't worry about what he wants to be when he grows up or who he might marry. Charlie Brown will focus on his baseball team winning (unlikely), if Lucy will hold the football for him, or whether he receives a Valentine (even less likely).

It's easy to get lost in the shuffle of day-to-day life. We start going through the motions: wake up, shower, breakfast, work, drive home, dinner, sleep, etc. Is it possible to enjoy the moment when each day is dull and predictable? Can you really appreciate a fresh cup of coffee in the morning when you've had it every other morning? What gets you through the day? How is it possible to enjoy the moment if you have to worry about paying rent, getting to work on time, buying groceries, planning a summer vacation?

I think it all comes down to life is what you make it. Are you the type of person to growl about gas prices and the cloudy weather? Or can you be grateful that you are finacially stable to afford a car and gas? Usually I'm not that optimistic but I don't let it ruin my day. Hey, at least it's a start.

My aunt Sue says "Don't sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff."

In the end, I won't care how much money I make or whether I was five minutes late for a meeting. I will care whether or not I spent time with the people I love, if I laughed and gave hugs and had the confidence to be myself. Charlie Brown is right. Don't worry about the rest of your life. If you're going to worry about anything at all, focus on tomorrow. Believe that everything will all work out in the end.

Grape Nehi Cocktail

In honor of my trip to Las Vegas this weekend, I'd like to share the recipe for a delicious cocktail with you:

1-1/2 oz. Absolute Citron
1-1/4 oz. Chambord
1 oz. Sweet & Sour
Splash of simple syrup
Squeeze of lemon

Combine the above ingredients in an iced shaker (and shake). Pour into a martini glass and top off with Sprite (about 1/2 oz.). Garnish with a lemon peel if you're feeling festive.

This is the perfect combination of citrus and sweet (and vodka of course). Enjoy!

random useless facts

What is your current obsession?
-Sleeping. I can never seem to get enough these days.


What is your weirdest obsession?
-I still sleep with a stuffed penguin. Her name is Greta.


What are you wearing today?
-Khaki pants, white blouse, black belt and black cardigan.


What's for dinner?
-I don't know yet. Chipotle sounds pretty good.


What woiuld you eat for your last meal?
-Watermelon. It has to be crisp and cool. And a tanqueray and tonic.

What’s the last thing you bought?
-A dress from Macy's for my trip to Vegas next week.

What are you listening to right now?
-My new favorite song is by Florence and the Machine, "The Dog Days are Over."

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
-Coffee. No question. Vanilla is pretty darn good too (without chocolate sauce).

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would it be?
-In the Bay Area. All of the people I love are there. I'd love an ocean view, a big porch and lots of windows too.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour where would you go?
-Cabo San Lucas. Give me a beach chair, the water, the sun, a book, a margarita and I'll be happy.

What language do you want to learn?
-Spanish (again). I was pretty good at it a few years ago, but it's been awhile.

What’s your favorite fruit?
-Watermelon. Chilled. Cut up into cubes. Yes, I'm picky. But if I cut watermelon into triangles with the rind it's too juicy and I'll get it all over my shirt (I know from experience).

What is one of your favorite daily/weekly rituals?
-Making coffee every morning. Going to yoga and breakfast on Sundays with Safiya is pretty great too.

If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?

-I'd put it towards a plane ticket. Or maybe some furniture. Or a haircut, I need one of those.

Who inspires you?

-My mom.

growing up

"Life's not about waiting for the storms to pass...It's about learning to dance in the rain."

Everyone has their own idea of what growing up means. Some think you become a grown up when you turn 18, you're a legal adult according to the United States after all. Others believe it happens when you move away from home, or when you find a real job ("real" being interpreted by the worker of course). 

I have always believed that being an adult means having the responsiblity and success to support yourself. Even though I'm 24, I don't really feel like an adult. I've been living with family since I graduated from college. But then, maybe I'll never feel like an adult. And maybe that isn't a bad thing.

The older I get the more I realize that everyone follows their own path in life. And yes, I knew this before but maybe now I am really starting to understand it. Life  comes down to what makes you happy, what you really want. For me, figuring out what I really want is part of the obstacle.

As a child I followed one path, it consisted of school and softball. Yes, it was difficult sometimes but I never doubted that it was exactly where I belonged. And that's what I did for 15 years. Now, the possibilities are endless and that is part of the problem. There are so many directions that I can take, where do I even think to begin?

I keep joking with friends and family that I'll look back on this time in my life and think fondly of it. I'll be successful and happy (happiness is the real key in my book anyway). I can say, "Yes, I stumbled and fell but I figured out how to land on my feet. No, it wasn't easy." But maybe life isn't supposed to be easy.

My brother once told me that "It's easy to be happy when everything is going your way. Success feels a whole lot better when you were actually challenged and had to overcome obstacles you didn't expect." This is coming from a kid who doesn't share his opinion on my life a whole lot, but I really appreciated it.

So, yes life may be difficult but it's how you handle those obstacles that make you who you are.