Crock Pot 101

HONEY APPLE PORK LOIN... IN THE BEGINNING

Today I began my first crockpot experience: Honey Apple Pork Loin. Yummmmmm.

I found the recipe on Pinterest, where if I plan it right, I might not need a cook book for a long time. I geared up and purchased a pork tenderloin, apple crisp apples (instead of red apples), honey, and cinnamon. This crock pot I have had to be pulled out of the box, cardboard and foam pieces to be used! Talk about a large expectation for the first try..

I happened to find myself without work on the day I wanted to cook and eat this, how convenient! It became a snowy and blustery day, the perfect opportunity to stay indoors and cook up delicious eatings!

As far as following a recipe, I am sorry to say, I do not recall how large my pork tenderloin was, I never measured a bit of cinnamon, or honey. I also used Honey Crisp apples rather than red. Have to admit it though, now that I get to tell you about the encounters I had regarding my crock pot...

BEFORE SERVING.. I CAN STILL SMELL THE CINNAMON

There is some construction going on in my house, and the door/window man was going in and out all day. By the time he left for the day, he insisted that he would need to make himself an apple crisp when he got home to make up for the smells I was taunting him with. Good to know! :) I was checking the crock pot ever couple hours and enjoying the smells rolling out from under the top. The entire house smelled like sweet honey, apples and cinnamon.

When I was able to finally enjoy the food, I found it lacking something. I can't put my finger on it, but it was just missing something. Perhaps a good idea of measurements.. but with honey, apples and cinnamon, can you really go wrong? I'm not quite sure. But I will be happy to make this again and enjoy it with a few more people.

Change of Address

Last weekend I moved to a T. P. Healy house. This may not mean much to you, or even to me, but it does mean there is a great amount of history within these walls. Last summer, my Aunt and Uncle purchased this house because my Uncle's great-grandfather built it. The Historical Preservation Society had already been included with the house and is working towards the similar goal of restoring the house to it's initial beauty and elegance.

A co-worker of  mine connected me with a co-intern of hers. She said he had a few months between his internship and his next move in life and was looking to get out of his mom's house. Naturally we set up an opportunity for him to check out the Healy house. I've never lived in an apartment setting before, as I have always worked within Residential Living (and let me tell you, paying my first rent check last week? Surreal.).

Last weekend was when Daniel and I moved into the house. It's a little strange because we each have all these things, but are only keeping them in our specific rooms. We have hardly any furniture and the kitchen keeps filling up with various food and dining utensil type things. Overall, it's totally fun and I am exponentially enjoying this every day. :) If you want to visit, please feel welcome (you just might need to bring a chair)!! It is so much fun.

The house is my favorite at night. It is quiet and yet feels as though it is alive. Not ghostlike, merely warm and homely. Let me know if you're looking for my new address.

Pasta!

There are always a few things you should check when you are cooking. Be sure your measurements are accurate, that you do stir occassionally, etc. You should remember to also check on the things you're ad-libbing. Such as spices!

When I have a successful cooking experience, I consider it a pretty big deal. Though, I am very, very not surprised when something goes wrong either.

Leading into this one evening of cooking, I was planning on using almost all of the vegetables (carrots, broccoli, green pepper, and an unknown root vegetable {purchased as a sweet potato, but entirely NOT a sweet potato or any form of starchy root vegetable I've ever seen/cooked/eaten}), the remainder of my Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce, a can of beans, and an entire box of bow-tie pasta. After I pulled my vegetables out and started planning how I wanted to do this, my aunt who was baking pumpkin bread at the same time, suggested I use cinnamon and leave out both the broccoli and green pepper. She mentioned that she was using the cinnamon with her bread and that she would leave it out for me once she was finished.

When I finished with the pasta and then went to cook up some of the vegetables, I began adding the spice she indicated that she would be leaving out on the counter. I also did a quick once-over of the spice cabinet to see if I should add anything else. I did think a little something about seeing another cinnamon spice container in the cabinet, but did not think enough about it. When I drained the vegetables and added the pasta back in, I began stirring in the pasta sauce. Excited to be using a spice, I grab the cinnamon again and do a few shakes, mix it in, a few more shakes, mix it in, a few more shakes, etc. etc. etc.

It wasn't until I was dividing the pasta into multiple containers that I actually tasted some of this creation. Moving the serving utensil between the pot and the container, I dropped some on the counter. I picked up the accidental spill with my hands and tossed it in my mouth, expecting the most delicious pasta combination I have ever (personally) cooked. Only much to my dispair, I begin felling heat. Heat filled my mouth. Immediately I feel perspiration warming to my face. Although I swallowed, I knew I needed an entire bottle of water to cool the flavors in my mouth.

I double checked the spice container, still out on the counter: Cayenne.

Needless to say, I did end up eating the pasta as it was. It took me close to a week, with the assistance of many bottles of water, Wheat Thins & Hummus, and a few slices of french bread. Towards the end, it was alright; I'm just slowly building up my tolerance for spice food. Next to try? Srirachas Hot Chili Sauce. I'm totally kidding.

I think I should have my kitchen privileges revoked and my cooking skills put on probation.

Parties and Traditions

In March, I made another trip back into the wild landscapes of Wisconsin. Leaving Minneapolis Wednesday evening gave me two nights in Stevens Point before making the next leg of the trip down to Fond du Lac. My interest in stopping through Stevens Point was to see a few friends from school who are still in the area, still attending school, and/or my past supervisors and coworkers. I made a few other plans along the way, too.

Brighter and earlier Thursday morning than I was even ready to begin, I went for a brisk 2.5 mile run at 4º F with my friend Heidi (you can find her blog there, including our CRAZY photo at our final destination, Starbucks). She ran to me, we ran just over 2 miles, and then after our quick Starbucks date, we ran back to our respective places. Talk about feeling like a champion! Her Garmon watch froze, my iPod Touch shut down. We should not have been this ambitious, but boy did it feel sensational!

I followed my run with a quick breakfast at the Basement Brewhaus, and then coffee with a (past supervisor) great friend at Zest. Lunch was a group date at Polito's Pizza, mixed with a little shenanigans... Of course I had to make my rounds back to my alma mater residence halls, Knutzen and Burroughs. Dinner was at Tokyo Steakhouse with my London flatmates. Precious stories, laughter, vegetarian meals and life updates happened all around. Evening plans were wonderful. We pulled together a large group of kids to meet at the Basement Brewhause for Thursday $1 bottles, before heading for Partners' $5 (liter) Long Islands. Woof.

 

Special thanks to Val, for letting me stay, and Marsha, for driving all the way from Waukesha to join in on the fun. Tooooo much fun... never.

Friday morning, I headed out to Fond du lac for a Mom and me day. We had a little pampering, a great Culver's lunch, and a few errands while I did (a little) laundry. Saturday was the hugely eventful day: bridal shower in the morning with the bachelorette party in the evening. Talk about a whirlwind! No photos were documented for public use in the evening, but all was completely successful. The shower was wonderful with just the perfect balance of great food, happiness, social times and a few games! I'll have you know during the party, Emily completed all challenges flawlessly and even did a few not asked! We are still impressed.. :)

In case you were concerned, I did make it back to Minneapolis safely. Good travels make for wonderful stories!
s

Madison Excursion

For the last weekend in February, Jenni and I ventured to Madison, WI. When we initially planned this trip, we were going to attend a Passion Pit concert at the Orpheum Theatre.  By the time we had it figured out for the weekend, time off from work, and a place to stay... the concert was sold out. Though because neither of us had taken significant time off and been out of town since Christmas, we decided to keep our plans any way! Despite the onslaught of Winter Storm Q, who's anticipation was more overrated than what actually happened in Minnesota and Wisconsin, we left the cities Friday just after noon. The roads were close to dry, and the light snow we did experience was gone by the time we drove past signs for Tomah. We rocked out to all my Now cd's: 1, 2, 4, 5, and 7, mixed in some Grammy Nominee albums from the late 2000's and Totally Hits 2001. Wow. Talk about a set of throwback jams.

Upon arrival, Jenni and I went to Erin's apartment. Erin and I went to school together at UW-Stevens Point, and she landed a job in Madison. We settled in a little bit and started planning what to make up for dinner. Having a few ideas, we settled on salmon (it was Friday, which means no meat for Erin!) with sweet potato fries! Yummmmmmy. We took the evening to relax and enjoy each other's company and only really set up plans with other friends late in the night. Jenni and I left to meet up with other friends from high school who were around, Sarah, Erin and Lizzi. Erin also lives in Madison, Sarah is in Chicago and Lizzi was home on vacation from France! We met them out for drinks and made plans for brunch the following morning.

Brunch was at the Marigold Kitchen. If you are ever in Madison, go. Please. Do yourself the favor! It was great to combine groups of friends, this is something I do often and I love it when everyone meshes well! Erin, Sarah and Lizzi had other plans to get to after brunch, and Jenni, Erin and I made coffee plans with a friend of Jenni's and another friend of Erin and mine from school. We helped fill the coffee house with stories and laughter. After our afternoon date, we headed back to Erin's to lounge some more. We finally decided on dinner at the Great Dane. Best. Ever. Do it, also. Please.

Sunday morning we pulled out early and headed to Fond du Lac for some brief family time for both Jenni and I. Her family was celebrating a birthday and mine was going to help me with taxes and I wanted to get an oil change. Real fun stuff for Jenni! :) After our short stint in Fondy, we headed back to Minneapolis for an Oscar party! On the way back to Minneapolis, we got a phone call from our friend Kate, who was looking for some extra drinks for the Oscar party she was hosting! *For those of you who do not know, alcohol is not served in Minnesota on Sundays. Before Jenni and I left Wisconsin, we picked up some additional beverages.

The Oscar party was intended to have everyone dressed to the nines, and because I set Jenni and I back by close to a hour leaving Fond du Lac, we were not in 'to-the-nines' wear. Next time..

Short and sweet!

Recently I've been going through pictures and posts and memories of what I did in London last summer. I had so many exciting updates and trips to share! Unfortunately the weather in Minneapolis hasn't provided the greatest of opportunities to really and truly experience the Twin Cities as a proper tourist. As soon as the snow quits, I'll be sure to share every bit! 

For the meantime, I must apologize for not keeping regular tabs! I have a few trips to share, stories to tell, and the general hilarity that follows my random acts of stupidity. I'm making plans and setting goals with running and beginning to really get excited for races! I'll bring you up to date sooooon! I do have a few posts drafted, however, I haven't found any award-winning finishing touches. I'll be sure get them out in the next week or two. 

As of today, I've got a new address! Super exciting. The house is fantastic and it's going to be a wonderful opportunity to share the life of this house.

More fun and love to provide, given a little more time! 

Best. 

Networking.

If you know me, you know how much I enjoy networking and getting to know other people. This may or may not be why I am so interested in social media... to say I am connected is a bit of an understatement. Besides having this blog account, I also have Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Klout, Pinterest, YouTube, and Facebook. I interact with a number of people on each outlet, and find the social media concepts to be learning opportunities. Here, I'll share a few small world moments that these connections have brought on.

This summer, I thoroughly enjoyed utilizing Foursquare to check in at famous locations, museums, tourist points of interest and airports. Early on in my European adventure, I had the opportunity to attend the Churchill War Rooms / Imperial War Museum with my Aussie friend, Fred. Towards the end of our trip with our class, we were able to visit the Churchill War Rooms / Imperial War Museum again. This was one of my favorite class trips, I had already been there before and all of the information was so great. This has got to be one of the most well done museums I have ever gone through. For Foursquare purposes, and because I was able to visit the Museum twice in three months (unless you work there, who does) I checked in on both occasions. This granted me Mayorship of the museum. It was not until the middle of September that social media informed me, the torch had passed. A man from Mexico had checked in more often than I had, and held the mayorship for quite some time, following my reign.

When I first moved to Minneapolis, I picked up a number of Minnesota-friendly followers on Twitter. One such person, @buddhastew who is described as "your local neighborhood woman boner", complete with a trombone in her picture. Considering my hobby and past of playing trombone, I reciprocated the follow, and tweeted at her asking where she plays and where about she is actually located in the Twin Cities. Wouldn't you know, she was performing on a cruise ship in the Caribbean (at the time). She then inquired about my job, asked if I was indeed working for the Minnesota Orchestra? I responded telling her I was, and that if possible we should get together when she returns to play duets. Just when I thought that would be as far as the connection went, people at worked mentioned a girl who used to work in our department, a trombone player who was currently performing on a cruise ship. When in fact, they knew exactly who she was. Lauren and I have since met, and on a number of occasions talked about getting together, though no plans have been made. We are just too busy!

Besides making friends and connections through social media interactions, I have been invited on a more professional level, by a friend from high school, Kate, to assist her at University of Minnesota Wrestling matches. I know I have touched on this briefly in the past, but there was one extra exciting event towards the end of January that left Kate and I on television. The Big Ten Network to be precise. The University of Minnesota was wrestling against Iowa, if you're familiar with sports conferences or the Big 10, you know this was a huge event. The dual was held in a larger venue than normal, and we were surrounded by Big Ten Network broadcasting staff (if you know who you're looking for, you'll enjoy some of the video around the one minute mark). Before the event began, I sent a quick text to my family and a few friends who I thought might get the channel and/or be interested. My brother, Morgan, went so far as to watch the event on TV (from South Carolina) and interact with me on the Minnesota Live Blog. Talk about cool. I love technology and how it brings people together.

More recently, my friend Marsha came to visit and we met at a coffee shop in Uptown (quite possibly my favorite), Spyhouse. While we were there, we had some small, casual conversation with a guy (Michael) who said he was visiting home for a couple weeks from China. A few harmless conversations, interjections and eavesdroppings later, we realized that Michael and I had a few mutual acquaintances. Not to mention similar plans for dinner. Michael was going to meet a friend for dinner at Pat's Tap. Marsha and I were going to grab food there as well. And later in the evening, I was going to stop by to see a friend who was going to dj. Towards the end of the late afternoon, when he went to take the bus to the place we were all going, Marsha and I extended him the offer of a ride. We quickly became connected through Twitter and have since kept up with one another.

Did you feel that? The world just got a little smaller. We must give thanks to social media, what else would we do with our free time?!
Sarah Marsh