One year ago today...

David told me that he was taking me to Leavenworth, WA for a few days for my Christmas gift. We had been there once before with David's family and loved it! After dating for 5 1/2 years, my mind starting getting excited thinking this would be the perfect time to propose. But being the very poor college students we were, I knew there was no way David could afford a ring so I tried to not think about it. We left on Monday and drove through the snowy passes for 5 hours to get there. We stayed at Granite Hills Inn, an adorable Bed & Breakfast. When we arrived there was very little snow, but at dinner that night the white flakes started coming down. By the time we woke up the next morning, over 8 inches covered the ground. Later, I found out this was very lucky for David since his plan would not have worked out otherwise.

Our little B & B

On Tuesday, while shopping in town, David told me that he wanted to take us somewhere special for lunch. Having had just eaten breakfast a few hours before, I hesitated but went with it. David drove out of town to a little cabin that does sleigh rides. We walked into the little cabin and the lady said, "you must be here for the private sleigh ride for two". Meanless to say- the surprise was ruined. David told me this was my Christmas present, as his parents present to us was paying for some of the trip- I was very excited. We loaded up the TINY sleigh and bundled up under the blankets. We made our way through the snow covered valley being pulled by two horses, Henry and Mister. About halfway through the trip, David handed me my camera and started taking off the blankets. I was thinking he was crazy because it was so cold. Somehow he managed to get on one knee, and this is where I started crying... and didn't stop. David told me "These past five years have been the best and I can't believe how crazy I still am about you. Every time we are together, I keep falling more and more in love with you. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you and I can't wait until I can call you my wife" (this all had to be retold to me multiple times after the proposal because I was in shock and yes still crying). He then reached into his pocket, pulled out the MOST beautiful ring and said "Jenny Rebekah Barnes, Will you marry me?" I nodded because I was still crying and he slipped the ring on my finger. He explained to me after some kissing and hugging that the center stone was my grandfathers (Ponka) ,that passed away a few years ago, and my mom had given it to him. He designed the ring in Ashland and had it made... so perfect! And yes, more tears came. We went back to the town to get some stuff for lunch as we called our family and friends. After a nice lunch of wine and cheese, we dressed up and went out later for a nice dinner. The sleigh ride was perfect, as was the rest of the trip.

The most perfect ring!

After 6 1/2 years together, one year of engagement, and countless memories and milestones I am still so in love with David. I can't wait to be his wife in 7 short months!

Engagement Pictures

Last month, David and I got our engagement pictures taken with our photographer Kirsten Hammerickson. We took them at a local winery- RoxyAnn and an old barn. Here are a few of our favorites...

Pizza and Beer

There is nothing like homemade bbq chicken pizza and beer after a long day...

We bought the dough and topped it bbq sauce, cheese, cooked chicken, red peppers, red onion, green onions, and a little cilantro. Serve with your favorite beer, mine is Blue Moon.

Favorite Salad

I am obsessed with eating this salad. I made a similar version when we had dinner with our friends, but I like this one better.

Mixed baby greens topped with: slices of ripe red pear, thin slices of red onion, crumbled Gorgonzola, craisins, and these tasty candied pecans from Trader Joe's. I top mine with raspberry vinaigrette, also from Trader Joe's (I am dying for them to put one down here!). I have had this salad three times so far this week and I think I will have it for dinner tonight too.

French Onion Soup- take two

ugh I just wrote this whole blog, published, and then BAM it disappeared. I'm sure I was much more clever and innovative the first time around but here we go again.

It is fall- the cold, rain, and darkness by 5:00 is here. I have brought my crock-pot out, dusted it off, and put it to work. We had a fun pumpkin carving party and it got a few rounds of spiced apple cider- my fall time favorite. (Super easy- a gallon or so of apple juice, 1/2 cup-ish of brown sugar, one orange sliced, some whole cloves, allspice, and cinnamon sticks and give it a few hours). I have been making/experimenting with new soups and stews, so far I have made beef stew with rosemary, white chicken chili with roasted poblano peppers, and this french onion soup- which OK was not actually made in the crock-pot but easy could have been.

French Onion Soup

This should serve about 6 but when you live with an always-hungry 23 year old man, well it lasted us one dinner and two lunches for me :)

Ingredients: 3 large yellow onions (I used two huge yellow onions and one medium sweet), 2 TBSP butter and 2 TBSP olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 1 TBSP or so of sugar, 2 TBSP of flour, 1 cup of dry sherry cooking wine, 2 quarts good quality beef broth, thyme, 2 bay leaves, a fresh baguette- I used sour dough, and good Gruyere cheese

Put the butter and olive oil in a large pot over Medium-ish heat. Cut the onions in half, peel, and thinly slice. Add the onions to the melted butter and oil with the salt, pepper, and sugar and let those babies caramelize. Stir every few minutes (takes about 20-30 minutes) until the onions become a thick, sticky, brown, sweet, oniony mess. Add the flour and stir for a minute or so. De-glaze with the sherry wine then add the beef broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook for 15-20 more minutes until the onions are tender. In the meanwhile, slice the baguette and toast on a baking sheet in the oven. Once lightly brown, top with slices of Gruyere cheese and broil until melted. I pour the soup into a large mug and top with one piece of cheesy toast at a time, that way it is kinda crunchy-kinda soggy, and once it is gone, I add another. YUM

Home Sweet Home

A lot of work has been done on our home here in Medford, but I haven't put up any pictures. I took a few after cleaning last weekend. My uncle got married down here- so my Dad stayed with us and we even got to overnight babysit my sweet little kinda-cousin who is 5 months old. There is still work to be done on the house (like closet doors, an entryway floor...) but we are loving it :)

The kitchen and breakfast nook, through the door is the laundry room. So nice to not have to pay to do laundry anymore!

Dining Room and Living room

Living Room with a nice, big fireplace!

The master bedroom, looking into our addition: office/sitting area

Our master bathroom, shower and toilet behind the door

Tiramisu- success!

So last time I made tiramisu for my mom's birthday bash, it was runny- boo. But I made it again for my stepdad's birthday, and YEAH! it was perfect. And so I must document exactly what I did, not so much for all of you... all 3 of you, but for me, so I actually know what to do next time. This recipe is a combination of ones I have seen- so it is kinda my own creation...

World's Best Tiramisu (or at least I think so):

ingredients- 2 packages of authentic ladyfingers (these should be very crispy, not soft and cakey like the ones they sometimes sell), 2 8-oz cartons of mascapone cheese, 1 1/2 pints of heavy whipping cream (this recipe is def. not good for you), 6 egg yolks, 2 cups of sugar plus an additional 4 TBSP, vanilla, 1-2 cups espresso or very strong brewed coffee, 2 TBSP Kahlua and 2 TBSP brandy, cocoa powder

Mix the hot coffee with 2 TBSP sugar and the alcohol, set aside- you will be dipping the lady fingers in this.

In a glass bowl, mix 6 egg yolks with 2 cups of sugar, whisking in 1/4 cup at a time. Put over a pan of lightly bowling water (a double boiler, the water should not touch the glass bowl) and whisk for 7-8 minutes until thick, light, and it makes a nice ribbon when you lift up the whisk. Your arm will be tired- so you can pass this job off to your significant other like I did.

In a large bowl, whisk the 2 cartons of mascapone cheese until smooth. Now in a separate bowl (you will be dirtying many bowls) whip the heavy cream until semi-stiff peaks form with a tsp or so of vanilla and the remaining 2 TBSP of sugar, it doesn't need much because the egg mixture is so sweet. Once the egg yolk mixture has been whisked for 7-8 minutes over the double boiler and lightly cooled to room temperature of so (I don't recommend putting it in the fridge, it gets really hard) add it to the mascapone cheese. The fold in the whipped cream. Your filling is ready!

I use a 13x9 pan because I like having a lot of tiramisu. To make the first layer, dip the ladyfinger in the coffee mixture- the perfect amount of time is like 2-3 seconds, I always slowly say "dip, flip, up and flick (lightly shake off the excess coffee) this is up to you, but I think it helps. Do this until you have a solid layer of ladyfingers in the bottom, top with 1/2 of the filling and repeat. Dust cocoa powder on top and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours, then enjoy! And don't forget to spend you significant other away while you clean up, this way you can lick the filling and whipped cream bowls in private :D

Mexican: Part Three/Four

So I have no pictures.. but we also made fish tacos and enchiladas during our Mexican feasting. They were both really good, but I am done with Mexican for awhile :D Enchiladas making is pretty basic and nothing special- make some burritos, top with enchilada sauce, cheese, and olives and bake. We made our fish tacos with mahi-mahi, I rubbed the fish with olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, and some taco seasoning and baked until flaky. We bought fresh corn tortillas at the farmer's market (my most favorite place ever) and stuffed the tacos with the fish, fresh guacamole, tomatoes, sour cream, cilantro, and a cabbage slaw I made. These recipes don't count for the endless leftovers and quesadillas I have been making with the extra ingredients, Good- but bring on the Italian.... or Thai!

Mexican Inspirations Part Two

My experience with making chili rellenos was both good and bad. The good- they were very tasty! The bad- well, the anahiem peppers were MUCH spicier than the last time I used them. Just from cutting the tops off and taking the seeds out then touching my mouth- my lips and tongue were on fire and red, my fingers burned for 2 days after, and worst of all I found out that the oils stick around for a long, long time no matter how many times you wash your hands- therefore putting my contacts in the following morning was the most intense pain ever!

On to the recipe...

I used half anaheim peppers and half poblanos- I would recommend using only poblanos because as I found out the hard way, sometimes anaheim peppers are very, very hot (if you do use these, make sure you wear gloves, honestly these were way hotter than any jalapeno I've worked with, or at least this patch was). I put the peppers on a cookie sheet and roast at 400* until black and blistered on the outside. Remove the peppers and cover tightly with foil to steam for 15 minutes. The pepper skins will remove easily after this, also remove the stem and seeds to prepare for stuffing. For the stuffing: I shred 2-3 chicken breasts, 1/4 or so of chopped cilantro, 3-4 sliced green onions, 3 ears of lightly grilled corn- cut off the cob, 1 cup of shredded Mexican cheese, 1/2 cup of queso fresco cheese, 1/2 cup of sour cream to help bind, salt and pepper and mix it all together. I then stuff them into the peppers, lay into a baking dish (I do not bread and fry my peppers), and top with a little more queso fresco. I bake until they are brown and bubbling on top. We topped ours with sour cream and served it with refried black beans... and lava-flow pina coladas (regular on the bottom, add strawberries- mix, and pour on top).

Update/Recipes Part One

Again, I have been neglecting my blog. Since being in our new home for almost two months now, we have had many new adventures. We had David's family over for a visit which was great! Then our friends Wade and Elizabeth came down and we went rafting! While it was very fun, the sun apparently did not get the invite because it was so cold.

Being in my own kitchen once again, I have been cooking... especially a lot Mexican food. I'm not sure why, I just find it fun to create new Mexican inspired meals. I will have to post in sections as I am very behind- and missing pictures for many meals and fun activities...

We had my parents and sister over for dinner a few weeks ago and I made my chicken tortilla soup that I made up awhile ago. We ate, went in the hot tub, and drank pina coladas!

Recipe #1: Chicken Tortilla Soup

In a large stockpot, saute one medium diced yellow onion, one finely chopped jalapeno, 3 diced carrots, 3 stalks of celery chopped, and two cloves of garlic-minced. Add salt and pepper to taste and one packet of taco seasoning. Once onions are soft, add 1/2 chicken stock, 1/2 water to fill the pot 3/4 of the way. Add 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 3-4 (can be frozen) chicken breasts and mildly boil for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked. Once chicken is cooked, take out and shred. Then add 1/2 bag of frozen corn, 1-2 cans of drained and rinsed black beans, and the shredded chicken. Cook for about 15-20 more minutes. We top our soup with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, fresh lime juice, hot sauce (if you want) and serve it with warm corn tortilla strips. I cut corn tortillas, lightly spray with cooking spray, sprinkle with salt, and bake until lightly brown. YUM

6 Years

Sunday was mine and David's 6 year anniversary. Every year we go on a picnic and we plan to keep it going forever. This anniversary was extra special because it was our last one before becoming husband and wife. Next year we will be getting married the day before our 7 year anniversary! I am so lucky to have him in my life and to marrying my best friend!

Our picnic didn't last too long due to the yellow jacket attack!

SURPRISE!

We have been planning a surprise dinner party for my mom's big birthday for while now and finally pulled it off Friday night. We managed to keep it a surprise even though she almost ruined it by stopping by my house on the way home from work. We spent the day cleaning our house in Medford so everyone could come over after for dessert, coffee, and wine. Maggie and Caleb even drove down and surprised her along with her friends at La Fiesta in Jacksonville. Her face was priceless, especially when she saw my sister! We are so lucky to have such a wonderful mom and were glad to give her first ever surprise party. Matt even bought her a black diamond necklace she has been dreaming of...

Maggie and Caleb brought 48 mini cupcakes from Saint Cupcakes in Portland. There were yummy and looked very cute on my new cake plate!

I made tiramisu and chose not to take a picture, it was soupier than other times I've made it (I didn't have a recipe this time so I guessed from making it other times), but was still yummy. We had a fun weekend full of eating, talking, drinking, and play. We went to the lake and Mugsy swam for the first time, he loved it! Him and Boomer even went for a ride on the boat. What a fun weekend!

Meet Mugsy

Yesterday my mom and I drove to La Pine (3 hours) to check out this dog. I was not sure about going as I was still upset about another dog in a shelter I loved. Regardless I went and fell in love. Joe (his original name) was in a shelter for over 2 weeks and was going to be put to sleep until allfordogs rescue came and put him in a foster home. He was there for 5 days before we brought him home with us. He was scared and didn't leave my side for the whole day and evening. He is as sweet as can be, slowly learning the rules around here, and starting to finally show his playful side and is finally eating too. He is an 11 month old black lab, flat-coated retriever mix who is surprisingly very calm. He has his first doctors appointment today and has been very spoiled already with new toys and treats. David and I changed his name to Mugsy and can't wait to bring him to our new house with us in less than a week!