Bret does Curry in a Hurry

Sunday evening Bret and I decided to do something exciting. We decided to make Indian food! I have attempted it in the past with some mediocre results but I knew that with Bret as my kitchen compadre we could not fail. We delved into some Indian cookbooks until our stomachs guided us to the perfect recipe.

We know that in the Indian culture cows are very sacred. And Bret and I agree that cows are sacred too... Sacredly Delicious! Therefore we replaced the lamb in this recipe for some good American Angus beef. The food turned out almost too good and we both ate entirely too much. We fell onto the couch slipping into a complete Indian food coma and contemplated our next Indian culinary masterpiece. We will make Tandoori Chicken Masala! How you ask? You don't have a Tandoori oven? These negative questions have no place in the Indian kitchen of Bret and Julie. We will find a way! But that will be another blog post. For now, take a gander at our recent creation... and let the salivation commence!

We toasted the spices and peppers first and then ground them up into a fine powder. Bret is stirring the spices.

Chopping onions can sure make you crazy!

The sacred beef has been added and things are smelling mighty fine.

The final product!

Yummmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!

Maple Ice Climbing

Maple Canyon is one of the coolest places to visit in the winter. On Saturday Morning we left bright and early to meet up with our friends in the Utah climbing club for some winter ice climbing. Maple Canyon gets some pretty amazing ice formations this time of year and if you strap on some Crampons and know how to swing an axe you can climb them. Climbing ice is really different compared to climbing rock but definitely a good way to get out some aggression as you swing the ice axe and pound it into the glistening frozen waterfalls.

Christian was a pro at climbing ice... that boy can sure swing an axe!

This was probably my favorite waterfall because it was just so pretty.

Swinging the axe... not quite as proficiently as Christian but I can hold my own!

Climbing all day sure takes it out of you so it's fun to relax and take a break with friends. Here we are all bundled up trying to look hard core.

This route just about killed me after I climbed it because it was just so long! I ran out of steam about three quarters of the way up which unfortunately is where the business section begins. The smile on my face is of course before I climbed it... after the climb I was laying prostrate on the ground making snow angels for awhile.

I even snuggled a really pretty dog!

Some animals don't feel the need to run away from me in terror:)

Christian is a goof ball!

Something about his face just creeps me out but it was cold so I drank from his cup... I survived and it was quite delicious.

Such a beautiful day!!

Holidaze

Wow! It's been a long time since I've posted. I've gathered several pictures from the past few weeks and over the holidays for your viewing enjoyment. We had a wonderful time with our family and friends and can't wait to begin a whole new year of excitement!

One of my Christmas presents was being allowed to torture the kitty for a couple of hours!! Yay for me!!

Lucifur was less then thrilled.

But he did enjoy this box!

We played at the George's place and gave the Bubbers lots o love.

My ever silly sweetie pie and I spending some quality time together.

Christian and I will be spending even more quality time together this year as he has been able to change his schedule to match my work schedule. We both work 3 days and then have a 4 day weekend. Huzzah! This new year promises to be an exciting one...

January we will brave the cold temps and ice climb in Maple Canyon,

February we will be traveling to Joshua Tree to climb some classic stellar routes,

March will hopefully be warm enough to conquer some desert towers,

April I will fulfill a life long dream of sending the behemoth Castleton,

May we will be traveling back to my hometown of St. Louis,

July we will be climbing Mt. Rainier,

After that... who knows... we're keeping our options open:)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

For Christmas I received Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I decided that the first recipe I should master was the Lobster Thermador. I love lobster and Christian, who is allergic to shellfish, is out of town until Sunday evening. Perfect timing! First I needed support and help in the kitchen so naturally I called my sister Katie who was very excited about the endeavor. Second... I needed some live Lobsters...

I live in Utah which is very far from the Ocean and none of the stores in Utah County stock live Lobsters. I called every store I could think of and before you say it... yes I tried Red Lobster but no they won't let you buy a live lobster unless you plan on eating it at the restaurant. I'd heard that this great city up North called Salt Lake had a fresh fish market that might possibly carry live lobsters. I called... they only carry them in the summer... but the girl told me to call the manager and he might possibly be able order some in special for me. I called and spoke to a man named Fred who informed me that yes he could order a lobster for me but it would be expensive... or he could give me the name and number of the guy he uses and I could get it for less. Here is how the phone call went...

(names have been changed to protect their identity)

Me: Hello. I was told that you might be able to sell me some live lobsters.

Him (with a sudden and alarmed sound to his speech): Who told you that?

Me: Fred from Cottonwood Market Street

Him: Who'd he say to talk to?

Me: umm... Tim O'Conner

Him: (pause) Ok I can sell you a lobster.

Me: ahh.. excellent, can I get two?

Him: Yes. Come by tomorrow at 3pm (address has been removed) and meet me behind the building.

Me: hmmm...Ok... sounds good... thank you.

After the call I was left wondering. What kind of Lobsters are these!? Were these lobsters black market lobsters... did I need to pay in cash only... should I bring protection... Needless to say the lobster deal went down without a hitch and I met Tim who happened to be a very nice guy and told me all about how to properly cook a lobster. Turns out that this warehouse that I went to is a restaurant distributor and I don't think they are encouraged to sell to the normal public. Later that same day I found out that the Days Market right next to where I work carries live lobsters for 15.95 a pound. My lobster guy can get them for me for 10.95 a pound! Ha! I win:)

Saturday was the day for the feast and the lobsters kept surprisingly well in the fridge overnight. When it came time for boiling they were in good form and very lively. Picking them up was a bit scary especially when it came time to cut off the bands securing their pinchers. I almost lost my nerve but into the pot they went and rosy red they did turn. The recipe was very complex but Katie and I mastered it quite well and it was extremely delicious. We were almost too full when we finished eating. I would highly recommend this recipe but be warned that your kitchen will be extremely messy and you will use every dish in your cupboards so hire someone to do the dishes that day.

Here he is...

Enjoying his last few moments?

I think Lucas was nervous...

Now he's cookin!

Delicious dinner for two! We also made fettuccine and pomegranate Bellinis:)

Bon Appetit!

Christmas Tree

I love Christmas and I especially love Christmas trees! I really enjoy having a fresh cut tree and the crisp clean evergreen scent that inevitably permeates the house. However, because of an unfortunate event two years ago involving me forgetting to water a fresh cut tree and Lucifur knocking down the already dead and dying tree three weeks before Christmas... they have subsequently been banned from the house. There were pine needles everywhere and a constant need for vacuuming took all the joy out of the Christmas Tree splendor. This year Christian vowed to have no live trees in the house and brought home a mangled and pathetic fake tree that he scrounged from the depths of Scrooges basement. Only about a quarter of the lights on this pre-lit tree worked and to further the ghetto-ness... in it's past Christmas lives someone thought it would be brilliant to spray fake snow all over it's stupid fake plastic boughs. I sat in the kitchen cursing this wretched piece of crap while untangling the broken lights and watching as it's fake snow dandruff flaked it's nastiness all over my clean kitchen floor.

Eventually... everything seemed to take shape and it actually looked like a surprisingly good representation of a fake Christmas tree. I added my homemade pasta angel ornaments and hung every Puppy Love ornament my mother helped me collect from 1987 onward. At the end I topped it with a Santa hat and did a little jig with my mug of hot cocoa in hand.

Behold... my Christmas Miracle...

Yes even my pasta angels were singing Hallelujah!

St. George Climbing

While I love the snow and am very excited to begin my Snowboarding season, Christian and I don't really love cold all that much...

Therefore this past weekend we escaped to the milder temps of St. George to do some bouldering at a place called Moes and climb routes at the Chuckawalla wall. The weather was great and we even got to see some of Aunty Stephy while we were there:)

Bouldering Pics...

Route Pics...

We will return to climb again!!

Mastering the Art of French Pastries... and Tacos

This past fall season Christian and I stayed in Heber near the Zermott Lodge over the weekend. While there we feasted on a Julie favorite... the Sunday brunch buffet! Mixed within the three types of delicious eggs Benedict and across the way from the juicy bacon strips was a beautiful shiny tray of French pastries. Naturally I was drawn to the pretty shiny object and proceeded to taste the most delicious, light and airy, yet unmistakably crunchy croissant. Since that initial meeting with a true French Croissant I haven't been able to take my mind off of the delectable creatures and I've vowed to recreate them in my own ghetto American kitchen. I've had several attempts and I feel I'm getting closer... but the search must and will continue until its perfect. I've decided this is an ongoing learning experience and I will continue to perfect my croissant technique until I have mastered the art of French pastries!

Here is my finished croissant as well as a raspberry turnover that uses the same dough...

Once you master the French pastry dough the whole kitchen opens into an endless world of possibilities...

Here is the close up to make you hungry...

After a full morning in the kitchen Christian and I preceded to made fish tacos. This is a recreation of a dish we had after visiting Oscars' in Zion National Park in the summer.

We grilled Tilapia in some butter with S&P and then added some Havarti cheese over the warmed fish to let it melt a touch. Then we topped with some shredded cabbage and mango salsa. I want to try a variation adding avocado and jicama but we'll save that for next time.

Enjoying the fruits of the kitchen...

Bon Appetit!