Macaroni Heaven

Survival Tip #2: Make and Eat Good Food

I really enjoy cooking, but since I have started working full time AND going to Master's classes two nights a week, it have become more difficult to do so. I keep telling myself I just need to (fill in the blank in just about anything) in order to make time for cooking, and then life happens. So unfortunately for my kitchen appliances, Vander has a lot of cereal and frozen foods for dinner during the week. Thankfully V is so understanding, supportive and encouraging that he never makes me feel guilty.

Lately Vander has been encouraging me to use Saturdays as an opportunity to make the meals I want to make, even if it means we have dinner at 8pm... like tonight. I wasn't planning on having a late dinner, but I got home from shopping with Emily and ended up taking a 3 hour nap! I finally woke up because I was starving, otherwise I don't think I would have woken up until tomorrow! So, I got up at 5:45 (pray that I can fall asleep tonight!), and went to the store to buy ingredients for Fancy Macaroni, by Ree, the Pioneer Woman. Let me tell you, she had me at sauteed onions and bacon.

Yum. Goodness right there. The recipe is so super incredibly full of deliciousness, it was well worth the wait! It is super rich so I think next time I will leave out the 1/2 cup of half & half, and instead of sauteing the onions in a stick of butter I will just use some chicken stock. Vander and I ate about 1/4 of the baking dish, and then decided we would throw up if we ate another bite.

Here it is cooking. I'm drooling thinking about it (and my stomach is pleading not to fill it anymore). So super yummy, it smells like fondue when it is all done... gruyere and fontina cheeses...

Okay, I'm back from reminiscing about how good it was. What are your favorite recipes? You know, those ones that are worth the time and energy to create? This one can be found at: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/12/fancy-macaroni/ Try it when you have a chance, and can stand to gain a few pounds. :)

Fall Girls Vacation!

Survival Tip #1: When The Weather is Getting You Down, Take a Vacation

This weekend the Corley women celebrated Louisa's upcoming 18th birthday by escaping to our favorite ocean getaway: Pacific City, OR. It is a long, five hour drive out to the coast, but when we get there we always settle in right away. We stay at a rental home owned by one of June's coworkers that is the perfect size for all of us.

We first started going the weekend after my sister Chelsea's wedding, (August, 2009), and haven't been able to stop finding reasons to go back. After the initial August trip with the whole family we returned in November for Emily's graduation trip, and then the whole family went again in April for Emily's birthday. Pacific City is a slow place to take a vacation; just a few shops and restaurants, one espresso place and a HUGE dune. We did not climb it this trip because it rained the whole time, but it is a staple of each visit.

I was so sad when I realized that I had left my camera at home, but we basically just relaxed the whole time so there wasn't too much to photograph. We got coffee, watched movies, and made fleece blankets... and I struggled to write a paper. The trip was much too short but it was worth it to spend time with the women I love so much!

Here are a few pics from previous trips to give you a feel for it:

On top of the dune at sunset

From our trip last November

Ocean view

What did you do this weekend?

Here goes nothing!

Okay, I've done it. I'm blogging now. I hope to use this blog as a way of keeping friends and family up-to-date on what is going on in my life. I'm nervous there won't be much to mention, but I'll try! At the very least I will try to post some pictures regularly!