because I'm OBSESSED with 914

One thing everyone should know about me right off the bat is that I'm pretty much obsessed with my birthday. Honestly, I don't even know what it is. It could be that "September fourteenth" just rolls so nicely off my tongue. It could be that September is the beginning of fall, which is my favorite season. It could be that my birthday means Halloween is just around the corner, followed closely by Thanksgiving and Christmas. Or it could be a plethora of other random things.
I seem to always look at the clock right at 9:14, sometimes both times each day. I always notice license plates with 914 in sequential order. I notice expiration dates (sadly I'll probably be seeing less and less of those with 2014 creeping up). I can see a random sequence of numbers and low and behold 914 is there. From nail polish numbers to grocery bills, 914 is always popping up. I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, "You're around other numbers just as frequently, but you're so obsessed with 914 that you automatically and subconsciously pick it out of a crowd." Sure, that sounds totally reasonable. But you must not realize how often I come across this number. It's seriously uncanny, and I seriously couldn't love it more. Friends and family have even texted me things like "Happy birthday o'clock" at 9:14 or pictures of random numbers that include 914.
I mean, seriously.

 I'm so obsessed that even when I see a random sequence that doesn't sequentially contain 9-1-4, I rearrange the numbers in my head to make them say 914. Or if I see 9:41 I just think to myself, "Oh, if I switched the 1 and the 4 it would say 914." Maybe I need some intervention.
I can always tell after Brad gets my birthday present. Even if my birthday is a week away he'll always start asking if I want to celebrate that day. He gets so excited for the craziness that will surely ensue on September 14th that he seems to hardly be able to wait. I always sternly say no, because I want to celebrate ON MY BIRTHDAY and not one minute before.
As soon as the alarm clock went off last Friday, Brad was up and at em singing "Happy Birthday" and throwing Killer on top of me so she'd give me lots of birthday kisses. I had school off that day (lucky!), but unfortunately Brad had to go to class. Before he left I got to open my present.

A new backpack! I had been saying I wanted a new one for a while. My previous backpack was a hand-me-down from a friend in high school. Needless to say, it was getting a little warn out. It treated me well throughout college and always kept everything inside nice and dry while I walked home during snow storms, but, alas, it was time to retire old faithful. I didn't realized how badly I needed a new one until I started school again. At one point my old pack had nice padded shoulder straps that could withstand the weight of anything I put inside, but over the years the straps had wilted away to mere sheaths of fabric. Look at the padding on this baby, ya'll! Serious business.

My old pack also didn't have enough space. It was old school with only one compartment and no mesh side pockets for drinks. Not only can I fit my normal water bottle in the side, but on days that I'm especially thirsty I can now take my 32 oz honker of a Nalgene.

 Can you tell that I LOVE this thing!
After Brad got home from school, we went to my all-time favorite place - Mellow Mushroom - for dinner. Coincidentally all their appetizers were half off that night (they must have known I was coming), so we got 2! We ate ourselves silly and still had some leftover (yum...cold pizza...my favorite!!!). We then came home and picked up the pup. Brad took us to a park near our house, where we laid blankets and pillows in the back of our truck and watched the first four episodes of the first season of Modern Family, which Sara and Steve gifted me with. When we got back home, we finally had room for some yummy ice cream cake. This thing was deliciously delectable and ginormous. We just finally finished it off yesterday. It was an awesome end to a perfect day!

  And just because no blog post is complete without a picture of my favorite pup, for your viewing pleasure, Killer:

Courtney

Ice Cream Date

Last month Brad and I wanted to celebrate making it through our first week of school that we treated ourselves to Cold Stone. Plus I had a buy one get one half off coupon. We thought Killer would like to come too, so we grabbed the dog, a blanket, and our coupon and ate our ice cream in the bed of the truck. It was such a simple 45 minutes start to finish, but we all three thoroughly enjoyed it.

Killer really wanted some ice cream, but she was so good and didn't whine or cry at all. So to treat her for being so good she got a couple spoonfuls. It took us a good three days to finish all that ice cream. It was so fun, simple, cheap, and enjoyable.

Brad and Courtney

Teeth

Recently, well, not so recently anymore...On July 1st I reached a big milestone.
Since July 1, 2011 I have flossed my teeth EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
Some people who are dedicated oral health nuts will simply scoff, but this was seriously a big deal for me.
One year ago I didn't set out, making a goal, to floss every day. It just kind of happened. I had dentist appointment a week later, and I wanted my gums to be prepared for the torture that they would undoubtedly be put through (I think we all know what that's like. I've told Brad that before he can ever hire a dental hygienist they will first have to floss my teeth and pass my test.). Then as the weeks went by, and I realized I had created a habit I decided I should heed every dentist's advice and really floss every day, and not just the week before a cleaning every 6 months.
There were some days I was almost asleep in bed, there were some days I was sick and the thought of threading a minty-flavored string between my teeth made me gag, there were some days I was just plain lazy, but I always got my butt to the bathroom, strung some floss between my fingers and got to work.
Just the other night Brad and I were laying in bed watching a movie (this is not something we usually do. It was more of a treat. We don't have a TV in our bedroom, and I don't like the idea of ever having one, but that's a different topic for a different day.) He fell asleep, and just as I was nodding off I realized I hadn't flossed my teeth yet. I wanted so badly to stay in my nice warm bed and fall asleep, but I knew if I didn't get up I'd be so disappointed with myself in the morning. I would have felt like I had let a whole 13 1/2 months go to waste, which obviously wouldn't have been the case, but still. I'm proud to say that I got up and continued my streak of good habits.
I know that there will inevitably be a day when for some reason or another my teeth don't get flossed. But for now, I'm making every dentist out there proud.

And speaking of teeth, Brad (and I) started school on Monday. Three days down, four years to go. So far nothing exciting has happened. The first days are always filled with business and logistics and syllabi. And although it seems like forever away right now, I'm sure that in no time at all I'll be laying in a chair making some girl (or guy) floss my teeth as part of their interview for my dentist husband. :)

Obligatory first day of school backpack picture.

Brad and Courtney

Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na,na, na, na, na, Batman!

Last Thursday night was, in one word, EPIC. A few months before I got a text from a friend asking us if we wanted to go to the midnight premiere of Batman with her and her husband. Um...Yes! So we bought super advanced tickets to the 12:01am IMAX showing of The Dark Knight Rises. The weeks went by, and we forgot completely about it. Then we flipped the calendar to July and there it was, written in BIG letters - BATMAN. It felt like finding a $20 bill crumbled up in a ball in the bottom of your purse that you didn't even know was missing. We were so excited and could hardly wait 19 more days until we could finally cash in those movie tickets. Brad even asked off work for the next day so he could sleep in after our big night (that turned out to be a huge blessing for him since we didn't get home until about 3:30am...but our poor friend Amanda had to be a work super early the next morning.)

The day finally arrived. Amanda and Adam come over around 6:30, and we were off! They were so incredibly sweet and took us to Buffalo Wild Wings. I'm a little (ok, a lot) embarrassed to say that we ordered 50 wings and between the 4 of us there were probably about 5 left over. And to make it worse they had calorie counts on their menu. Who does that?! Oh well, it was delicious! We then made our way to the theater, because A and A still had to print out their tickets. We then decided what the heck, we're here we'll just go ahead and wait in line! We were the second or third group in line, which meant we got great seats once we finally got in the theater. Amanda and I decided we needed to swing by the Target and get some candy, so we left the boys with camp chairs to save our place in line. Once we got to Target we got distracted not only by the swim suits but also by the rows and rows of clearance items. What the boys assumed would be a quick trip across the street turned into a 30 minute shopping experience.

When we got back we just hung out, laughed, joked, and took lots of pictures. As the night went on more and more people showed up, and I really enjoyed people watching. The news was even there! But they were interviewing more colorful characters than we.

There are so many things I love about this picture. First of all, and probably my most favorite aspect, Spiderman is in the background. After we realized this we could not stop laughing! Brad and I were part of a small group of Batman goers who weren't dressed up. We were asked by a few people why we were dressed in normal clothes, and Brad wittily replied that we were ordinary victims of Gotham.

Around 9:30 or 10 we were allowed to go into the theater, pick our seats, and wait for another 2 hours until the movie started. It was so nice to get out of the heat and humidity. In order to entertain us while we waited we were graced by every super hero ever thought up. Amanda lovingly referred to it as "the nerds unite".

We had a great time, and we're so glad A and A invited us to go with them. We loved the movie, and if you haven't seen it yet GO! I would suggest watching the other movies marathon style before seeing this one though. That was one thing we wished we had done. It's hard to remember all the details of the other movies when you haven't seen them in so long. And for those of you who know me, you know I am by means a movie critic, and I usually like everything I see. But it seems like everyone in the whole world likes this movie, so at least just this once you can trust my opinion on movies.

Brad and Courtney

Recipe of the Week: Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

I love pinterest. (Follow me HERE.) I especially love perusing the recipes. I've found some really good recipes, and I've found some really bad ones. Like so bad that after-one-bite-we've-had-to-toss-the-rest-of-the-meal-out-bad. And others that after a little tweaking have turned out much better than the first time I made them. But all-in-all I've benefited greatly from pinterest recipes. And I've definitely added to my stash of awesome meals. Last night I made one of our more regular tweaked pinterest recipes.

Crispy Chicken with Creamy Italian Sauce and Bowtie Pasta

Hello There Opossum.

Have you seen that Geico commercial about the opossum? No? Well you're in luck here it is.
 


I love this commercial. I seriously can't stop laughing after every time I see it. "He's probably just playing dead...Yup. There he is."

Last night around 11pm I forced Killer outside once more before bedtime. We've been having some trouble with her peeing inside - a completely different issue. But in order to get a better grip on it I take her out right before I get in bed, and most of the time that means me waking her up, which she's never happy about.
We have some pine straw out by our back fence that she likes to go in. As she's sniffing around looking for a good place to pee, she all of a sudden gets a shark fin. I have yet to capture this response on film. She does it whenever she gets scared. She raises all the fur along her spine, and it looks just like a shark fin (or a mohawk), hence the name.
She then commences to bark with a low growl (her usual scared bark). She's not exactly sure what she sees so she tries to check it out but is still quite scared so she keeps a good distance. At first I thought she saw a snake, because our home inspector saw a snake in that area back in May. I was so proud of her because we've been trying desperately to teach her to be afraid of snakes. So I ran over to get her (I didn't want the snake to strike at her). I bend down to pick her up and happen to be looking right in the eyes of an opossum hiding behind our tree.
I scoop up the K-pup and rush inside. I tell Brad, "Oh hey. There's an opossum in our yard." He says, "What?!" Having spent half my life on a farm in North Carolina I've seen everything from skunks to coyotes on the front porch, but Brad was pretty excited to see a LIVE opossum up close and not just driving by a smashed one on the road.
Knowing how unfriendly they can be, I suggested we take Killer out to the front yard to pee (since the opossum distracted her from her duties) and leave the little critter alone. But Brad didn't "want it to have babies in our backyard", so he set out to expel it.
He walked up to the tree as I'm coaching him not to get too close all the while reminding him of how large a rabies shot needle would be. He saw it and said, "Ohhh...It's kinda cute." "Don't let it deceive you," I say, "it's mean."

The poor thing was pretty scared itself. I don't know how it got in our backyard. I suppose it climbed that tree and up over of 7 foot fence.
Brad grabbed a rake that was out on our back porch and opened the gate. The closer he gets to it the more it hisses. He proceeds to prod it with the rake. Mr. (or Mrs.) Opossum does not want to move, and in retaliation digs it's claws into the ground and refuses to move. It was quite the sight. The opossum holding on tight, and Brad almost turning it over on its side from pushing it so hard. "Come on you stupid thing, just leave." Go back to your home! (Anyone??)

This is pretty blurry, but here's a close-up from the above picture of the opossum. Its mouth is open, and it's hissing.

Well, the opossum finally gives up and nonchalantly walks along the fence and out the gate. Brad then chases it out onto the street, rake in hand. He claims he didn't want it to be close enough just to climb back into our yard, but I'm pretty sure he just needed a victory lap. The opossum ran down the street and into a neighbor's yard (sorry neighbor).

We close the gate and bring Killer back out so that she can finally pee before bed. She had to sniff all over the backyard, making sure the opossum was gone. At the time she seemed to be on the hunt, perhaps wanting to catch it after building up her confidence waiting inside. But all day today she has been so apprehensive to go out into the yard. She just stands on the edge of the deck sniffing the air. I'm pretty sure she's nervous she'll find another intruder.
Honestly I'm glad she got so scared of the opossum. If she had decided to try and expel it herself, she would have been picking a losing fight.

And just because our little scaredy-cat is so cute right now, here's a picture for you. Half asleep but making sure no one's going to take her new duck.

Brad and Courtney

Recipe of the Week: Fettuccine Alfredo

I love pasta. Like a lot. I could eat it all the time. Five of my go-to dishes that I can make right off the top of the head with no recipe (because I make them so much and have memorized the recipe due to sheer routine) have something to do with pasta. It's just so easy and usually pretty fast. Last night I made one of these staple pasta dinners.

Fettuccine Alfredo

what you need:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated

6 egg yolks 

black pepper to taste

what you do:

1. Start your noodles boiling. (You obviously don't have to only use fettuccine. There have been several nights that I've made this and haven't had any fettuccine. Use whatever you have.)

2. Heat milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer. (Heavy cream is a staple in my house. I use it for everything - not the healthiest but so delicious.)

3. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture.

I don't have an egg separator. Not for lack of wanting one though. I've been half-heartedly looking for one for a while but haven't found one as of yet. So in the mean time, I separate my egg using the old school method of utilizing the egg shell.

4. Ok, back to the milk/cream mixture...Slowly whip in cheese, then remove from heat.

I use fresh Parmesan cheese. I tried it once with the already grated kind you can just buy in the pasta aisle at the grocery store. I thought it was good until the next time I used fresh Parmesan. So.Much.Better. The Parmesan is on the left. I use Pecorino Romano as the other cheese. I usually already have it in the house, because I use it for the baked ziti that I frequently make. You can get it at a really good price at Costco, but you get a lot (imagine that, getting a lot of something at Costco). So if you can use it before it expires then I'd suggest buying it at Costco. It lasts a lot longer than cheddar or mozzarella or other "sandwich" cheeses. But you can always get it at a normal grocery store in the deli section.

Melting all the cheese and stirring it all into the milk/cream mixture is the hardest part. Just be patient with it and stir frequently.
5. Slowly add egg yolk mixture into milk/cream/cheese mixture.

6. Place back on low heat and continually stir until simmering.
7. Take sauce off heat so it thickens and so that the eggs temper.
8. Season with pepper.

Honestly, this sauce is better the next day after it's had so time to sit in the refrigerator for a while. What I try to do is make it the night before and chill it until dinner the next night. Just throw it in the microwave or back in a saucepan and heat until warm. This doesn't always happen though. It'll still taste delicious right after you make it.

You can also grill up some chicken, slice it, and add it to your sauce. 

Here's what our dinner looked like last night:

The bread is also a staple at dinner here in the Andersen household. Just butter a slice of bread, sprinkle it with garlic powder, and throw it in the oven on broil for about 30 seconds (just until it starts browning). Also if you want to be super fancy you could add some shredded cheese on top.

Happy eating,

Courtney

Alfredo Sauce

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated

6 egg yolks

black pepper to taste

1. Heat milk and cream in a heavy bottom saucepan until it begins to simmer.

2. Place egg yolks in a separate bowl and slowly whip in a portion of the hot milk and cream mixture.

3. Slowly whip in cheese to the milk/cream mixture, then remove from heat.

4. Slowly add egg yolk mixture into milk/cream mixture.

5. Place back on low heat and continually stir until simmering.

6. Take sauce off heat so it thickens. (This will increase the temperature of the egg yolks, known as tempering.)

7. Season with black pepper. Serve over your favorite pasta.

 

Recipe of the Week: Crockpot Ravioli

I've totally been MIA for the past month on the recipe of the week. So I'll be trying to catch up this week by posting almost everything I cook. Tonight I'm making the easiest thing in my cookbook. It has 3 ingredients. Yes, you read that right - THREE ingredients.

 Crockpot Ravioli 

what you need:

one 20 -25 oz package of refrigerated or frozen ravioli

one jar spaghetti sauce

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

what you do:
1. If you bought refrigerated ravioli you'll need to throw it in the freezer overnight. This is what I do because I haven't found frozen ravioli anywhere. You can get any kind you want, but we tend to be pretty boring and stick with just cheese filled ones.
2. Dump your raviolis into your crockpot.

3. Pour on the sauce. I usually make my own spaghetti sauce, but today I was especially lazy and just used store-bought from a jar.

4. Be careful! This is the hardest step. :) Stir the ravioli so they are all evenly coated with the sauce.

5. Set your pot to low and cook for 2 1/2 hours. My crockpot tends to cook pretty hot, so if after 2 1/2 hours you don't fill like they're completely done just throw them in for another half hour and turn up to high. Be sure to stir occasionally so that the ravioli doesn't stick to the side and burn.

6. After the 2 1/2 hours is up either turn down the crockpot to warm or turn it off completely. Sprinkle on your shredded cheese and replace the top.

7. After about 5 or 10 minutes the cheese will be melted, and you'll be ready to eat. Serve with some French bread and toss a salad, and you'll be good to go.

Happy eating,

Courtney