Pretty Things

A lil' Taste of Texas

I spent the weekend with Marshall, my 88-year old grandpa, my 84-year old grandma, my sister and my brother-in-law. We hung out at my grandparent's house in Kingwood, TX (right outside of Houston). It was a great mini vacation. What a treat to hang out with some of my favorite people.

My grandparents are such great hosts; driving us to the store just for rice cakes and bringing us to fun (and delicious) eateries. They also always make me laugh. My grandma affectionally refers to Marshall as "the old one" and then she asked Brandon if he was over 18 (he is 24). She is incredibly accommodating, always reminding me "not to worry." My grandpa is cool. Like really cool. He showed me pictures of him riding a camel, in India, during WWII. He also got himself an iMac computer and an Apple TV (his technology knowledge has far surpassed mine).

Here are a couple pics from Taste of Texas restaurant (AWESOME place, go at 3:30 if you want a seat...my grandpa wasn't kidding) and Sunday lunch/brunch/dinner (everyone happy?).



My grandpa and his passport

The Most Beautiful Baby in the World!

Sunday (1/30) was a wonderful day. My sister and brother-in-law welcomed Brielle Joy Bryant into the world. She is a 7 pound & 3 oz. bundle of beauty. Since the birth was in CO, I was unable to be there. Priscilla gave me the play-by-play throughout the day. Christina is a champ and she made birth look easy. She took such good care of the sweet baby all throughout her pregnancy which sure helped with her labor.


Brielle Joy Bryant, you are so loved! What a joy to welcome you to the world. Christina and Iain, you two are absolutely incredible. Brielle is so blessed to be raised under your love, nurture and encouragement.


I won't get to meet Brielle until March when I am in Colorado for Spring Break. I am counting down the days until I meet my NIECE! :-) I am so in love already.

Oreo Truffles

There are some foods that are so uniquely Texan. Yes, that includes queso. I do realize queso is all throughout the nation, but, in Texas it is not made with velvetta AND you can order it at even a fancy Italian restaurant. However, there is a Texas food that beats queso (although hard to image) and it is the oreo truffle. It requires 4 things. That. is. it.

What You Need
1 (1lb 2oz.) pkg Oreos
8oz. cream cheese, softened
Chocolate-Flavored Almond Bark
*1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional- may add other extracts to enhance flavor)
*Crisco if needed (to thin almond bark once melted)

What to do
- Crush Oreos using a food proccessor, or even by putting them in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin.
- Add softened cream cheese and vanilla (if desired) and mix until smooth.
- Make small balls out of the mixture
- Chill mixture in fridge or freezer until firm.
- In microwave-safe bowl, melt the almond bark. If you want a slightly thinner coat of chocolate on each ball, add about a teaspoon of shortening (non-flavored).
- Drop Oreo balls into melted almond bark. Make sure to coat the entire surface then use a spoon to place on wax paper or aluminum. Let almond bark harden (you can use the fridge to speed this process up). ENJOY!

Houses for Generation Y

Interesting article about what generation Y wants in a house. Proximity to work is key.

Here is the article

YES!!

Engaged! Marshall proposed on Friday evening to top off a perfect day. So thrilled and excited to marry my very best friend!

Here is a rundown on the best. day. ever.

Marshall came up to Longmont with me on Wednesday. On Thursday he and my dad went out to coffee...alone. I had a sneaky suspicion I was the topic of conversation :-) But, I didn't think the proposal would come for several more weeks.

On Friday afternoon we headed up to Boulder. We walked around Pearl Street and drove around town looking at the places I spent my time in college. Next was a fabulous dinner at Dushanbe Tearoom, a Tajikistan restaurant/tearoom (Hanlons, we loved it!) I was still completely oblivious to an impending proposal. We drove back to Longmont for a Christmas Concert at my church. My dad ran up to me at the concert and grabbed my hand thinking that Marshall had already popped the question during the day. Marshall stood in the background worried that my dad was going to accidently blow his cover. Good news, I was completely oblivious to this until I was informed of it later. I didn't think the proposal was coming that day so my dad didn't throw me off at all.

Next, we drove around town looking at Christmas lights. We made our way to the neighborhood I grew up in and to the lake that I love. Marshall asked to get out of the car and walk around. Not far into our walk he said all kinds of sweet things and asked if I would marry him. I said YES!

I am so blessed and thankful for such an incredible man that I get the privilege of spending the rest of my life with. It has been a blast celebrating this engagement with my family and friends. God is so good.

Child Hunger, Seen At Midnight

Grocery shopping in Lubbock comes down to two options: Walmart and Market Street. I would always choose Market Street over Walmart (for a miriad of reasons far beyond just their free samples), but the prices at Market Street are really through the roof. Although, I would prefer never to shop at Walmart, it is kind of my only option here.

So on Sept. 15th I made my usual bi-monthly grocery shop hull. I walked into what felt like a zoo. Cash registers ringing; hustling people with carts full of diapers and white bread. Although I am used to busy Walmart's, that day it was truly mania. I accidently rammed my cart into fruit displays and clothing racks. After waiting in a lengthy line I made small talk with the cashier. I was curious if there was some kind of 'Walmart Blue Light Special' I was unaware of. She told me; "Don't shop here on the 1st or the 15th of any month, people just got their paychecks and their hustling for groceries."

That statement got me thinking. I have never lived paycheck to paycheck. I have never gone hungry. Yet, so often I forget how many Americans live in a state of daily rationing and day counting. I ran across the article below that I found especially intriguing. It discusses how busy Walmart's are at midnight every month when food stamp cards are activated with cash. Pretty sobering article. I have entirely too much to be thankful for, including daily bread.

Check out the Article Here

America's Foodiest Town

I loved eating at resturants in Boulder. There was a delicious and unique resturant for every culture in the world. Lately I keep telling people that Boulder is the best food place in the nation. I used Top Chef to back up my claim (two of the last Top Chef winners were from Boulder. coincidence? I think not), now I can back up my claim with Bon Appetit. Check out this article that declares Boulder as the Foodiest place in America:

America's Foodiest Town

Some of my personal favorites in Boulder are; Pasta Jays, Salt (a new place: totally fantastic with all locally grown flavors), Shepra's (a Himalayan restaurant), BJ's, and The Original Pancake House.

Cheesecake Experiment

I have never made cheesecake before. Although I have thought about making cheesecake before, I quickly learned that just doesn't cut it. I know Marshall likes cheesecake; so I thought it was only fitting to cook him up a gooey cheesebirthdaycake. I combined two recipes and made a somewhat substantial, yet completly fixable, mistake along the way (I will point it out so your don't end up with a tasty yet totally 'cement' crust).

Crust
12 ounces, weight Storebought Gingersnaps
½ cups Chopped Pecans
6 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 dash Salt

Filling
4 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each; room temperature
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs; room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

You also need a springfoam pan. It is a fancy pan that makes the cheesecake pretty in the end; totally worth it.

To Make Crust
-You gotta crush those gingersnaps into tiny pieces. This step always produces my imminent 'KitchenAid envy'. Yep, whenever I have to mix, chop or blend I covet those people with brightly colored KitchenAids complete with random attachments (ie., a sauerkraut slicer. If only I were lying). But instead of wallowing in my elbow grease and pity; I got out a giant zipperlock bag and had an instant arm workout. I broke up all the little gingersnaps into itty bitty pieces.
-Chop up pecans in little pieces too.
-Dump brown sugar into the mix.
-Melt that butter and pour it in too; mix it all around.
-Line your springfoam pan with this sweet mixture; placing it up the sides too.

My Critical Error
Whatever you do, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT put caramel all over the crust. While it sounds delicious in thought; it may or may not almost break the teeth of your guests. One of my classic 'good intentions & bad delivery' moments. But DO put caramel on top of the finished product. Superb.

To Make Filling
In a bowl, combine the sugar and cream cheese and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix until smooth. Take a taste and dump it into the crust. Smooth out the top.

Put it into a 350 degree oven for no less than 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Let it cool for 30 minutes; then do something creative for the topping. I poured on half a jar of Smucker's caramel sauce. You could chop up candy bars or sprinkle on some more pecans. Totally up to you. Enjoy!

One of My Favorite Questions:

Last year my Sunday school teacher asked me a question I found extremely intriguing. It was:

"Would you be mad if someone spit in your face?"

I didn't even need to process such an inquiry; I immediately stated, "of course I would be."

His reply; "No, you would be wet. You decide if you will be mad."

Ahhh....onset immediate conviction. Such a true statement about the power of my reactions to whatever is going on around me. I have a choice to be mad, irritated, or simply wet. I ponder this question frequently when I consider my man-made and seemingly silly entitlements that I create all around me.


Philippians 4:8
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.