Quarter of a Century

I know I'm not "old"...but 25 feels kind of old.

It was a great birthday, all things considered.

I am relieved to put 24 behind me.

No birthday is complete without one...
Went with the half chocolate, half vanilla variety this year.

Glause "baby" cakes....best baking invention ever.

The four of us polished this baby off in one sitting. Beautiful.

Writer's Block

Yeah, it feels kinda like this....

Especially when you have a second draft of your thesis proposal due tomorrow.

Hike

Last year on this Saturday of general conference, it was 40 degrees colder in Utah. Today, a lovely, sunny 90. To take advantage, I hiked to the top of Mt. Aire from the Milcreek side with my friend Kim. The fall leaves were spectacular. What a great way to take advantage of the weather!

Truffle Night

Since I saw these on Bakerella, I have been completely fascinated and really wanted to try them out. Oreo truffles. They seemed kind of yuck, but who doesn't love Oreos? So I had a few of my fellow dietitian/foodie friends come over and help me out. Becuase what's better than a bunch of dietitians eating quality food like Oreos?

Good Old, regular Oreos. Yum.

I went with the Fat Free, which, for the record, I usually don't do just on principle. However, by using the FF cream cheese, I cut the calories down by 460. Not bad.

I really wanted to spice these up a bit by putting a center in them. I didn't know how to do it using actual ingredients, and since I was already using Oreo cookies for the truffle part for crying out loud, why not just use another pre-made product. So, I used both Junior Mints and Junior Caramels. Just tucked one or the other inside each truffle.

Mixed, and mixed, and mixed the Oreos and cream cheese...It really looked kind of gross in this form. I almost threw it all away at this point. That was an entire package of cookies!

I wanted plenty of minty goodness inside, so I put two Jr. Mints in each one. That ended up being a good move.

I had read that it was important to use good coating chocolate instead of chocolate chips. I obeyed.

I did a few with white chocolate, just to mix it up a bit.

My partners in crime.

This terrible picture was meant to show the inside of a truffle with caramel. It was delicious.
In fact, they were all delicious. I am so surprised. Definitely rich, so it is important to make them small. But all very good. By far, the mint-filled truffles were the winners.

Also, Kim brought the ingredients for Ghirardelli truffles, with almonds and coconut. They were outstanding, but if you can believe it, the Oreo truffles filled with Jr. Mints were the favorite. Almost doesn't seem right.

All in all, it was a successful cooking adventure.

Hello Fall!

Today, I went on a bike ride up Emigration Canyon in an effort to prepare for my triathlon this weekend, and at the top, the leaves were changing. Already I could see familiar shades of oranges and reds as the maple trees have started to turn. (Emigration is a such great place to observe the seasons.) It was a little cool out, and smelled earthy.

I always welcome

the change to Fall as it is my very favorite season, but it seems like this year, it just couldn't come fast enough! Summer felt interminable. I am excited to say sayonara to the heat and sunshine, put a little more distance between the spring and me, and greet the fall with all the enthusiasm possible. Hooray!

The Emerald City

It was a last minute trip. I decided to go not 12 hours before departure. The conditions were right. I only missed one class.

And aside from an outrageously expensive speeding ticket in the great state of Oregon,

It was perfect weekend.

What a city.

For the small amount of time I was there, I feel like I got a good feel of the place...

and I LOVE it!!

I didn't feel a drop of rain the entire time.

I don't know what everyone complains about...

"It rains nine months out of the year in Seattle."

Pike Place Market. Ate mini donuts, hot fresh out of the oil and sprinkled with cinnamon & sugar. Had non-seafood chowder at Market Chowder. It was delicious. Had a grilled cheese from Beechers. Even managed to score some of the gorgeous dahlias that were for sale!

Bainbridge Island.

Sigh.

What an incredible place.

Hydrangea were growing wild everywhere. It was sunny and quiet. Dinner on the water at Doc's. And, I had the best ice cream of my life at a little place called Mora's. Bainbridge probably was the highlight for me.

The cool grey of the northwest.

Mariner's game. $0.50 tickets...14th row. Booyah.

Of course, made it to the Chi Omega House on UW campus. (Pictured in back. It was huge.)

I'm flashing my X-O ring just to prove I'm legit.

I Triathlon-ed

I did it. I didn't drown, or collapse. It was great! So great that I'm going to do another one next month. I'm hoping to beat my time, have a better swim, and a faster bike. We'll see how it goes. It was so great to have my parents and Dave at the finish!