Hello to my few and faithful readers (all two of you!)
Just wanted to post here that I have registered a domain name for my blog and will now be posted over at:
www.bluecakesblog.com
Hope to see you there!
~Lisa
Friday, February 12, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Rose Bowl 2010
Happy New Year!
We started off the year with a true Pasadena adventure- the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game! (As Pasadena Residents we entered and won the lottery for face priced tickets this year).
We got up on New Year's Day and walked to the Rose Bowl Parade (we only live a couple of blocks away from the route). The best float by far this year was the float sponsered by Natural Balence dog food which featured two snow boarding dogs! The float was complete with a chair lift for the dogs and their boards after then boarded down the ramp- very impressive!
After the parade we walked home to drop off our dog Maxwell (who doesn't snowboard...yet) and grab a quick lunch before we headed out for the Rose Bowl Game. We decided to walk the 4 miles to the stadium as parking on game day is a zoo and plus the walk is good exercise.
The Rose Bowl was packed! 100,000 crazy fans all crammed into a stadium makes for fun times. We rooted for Ohio State and were happy they won, but as we are truly Badger (UW-Madison) fans at heart, our main excitement was just being at the game and experiencing all the fan fare and hoop-la associated with it. Here are some photos / videos from the event:
In front of the Stadium pre-game...
At our seats, after we made it through the long lines into the stadium...
Buckeye Fans Behind us...
We started off the year with a true Pasadena adventure- the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game! (As Pasadena Residents we entered and won the lottery for face priced tickets this year).
We got up on New Year's Day and walked to the Rose Bowl Parade (we only live a couple of blocks away from the route). The best float by far this year was the float sponsered by Natural Balence dog food which featured two snow boarding dogs! The float was complete with a chair lift for the dogs and their boards after then boarded down the ramp- very impressive!
After the parade we walked home to drop off our dog Maxwell (who doesn't snowboard...yet) and grab a quick lunch before we headed out for the Rose Bowl Game. We decided to walk the 4 miles to the stadium as parking on game day is a zoo and plus the walk is good exercise.
The Rose Bowl was packed! 100,000 crazy fans all crammed into a stadium makes for fun times. We rooted for Ohio State and were happy they won, but as we are truly Badger (UW-Madison) fans at heart, our main excitement was just being at the game and experiencing all the fan fare and hoop-la associated with it. Here are some photos / videos from the event:
In front of the Stadium pre-game...
At our seats, after we made it through the long lines into the stadium...
Buckeye Fans Behind us...
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Pumpkin Run / 1st 5K
Happy Halloween!
This morning we got up extra early so we could run our first 5k! We ran more of a "family fun" type run rather than a really competitive one- the Pumpkin 5k Run in Van Nuys, CA. It was a goal for us to run a 5k (not worried about the time but to just run it without walking) for 2009. We did it! Our time was just under 35:30 but we kept a steady pace the entire race and finished with a good 20 yard sprint. Next goal will be to work on getting our pace to a 10 minute mile (or getting our 5k time to under 30 minutes).
We were so blessed to have our church small group come support us! Stephen and Ross ran with us (well, pretty far ahead of us- Stephen finished in 19:59, Ross in 25:30), and Michelle, Dave, Charles, and Diana came to be cheerleaders (with homemade signs and tee-shirts cheering us on!). After the race we all came back to our apartment for a post run brunch and some air baron game playing.
Here are some pictures from the morning....
The runners (L-R: Stephen, Ross, Lisa, Drew), pre-run:
Finishing strong!
The entire group, Post Run - all runners took home pumpkins!
(Top L-R: Stephen, Charles, Michelle, Ross, Dave, Drew; Bottom L-R: Diana, Lisa):
Brunch (Blueberry French Toast Casserole, Sausage, Egg, Green Chili Bake, Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Bread, Fruit, Yogurt):
Air Baron!:
This morning we got up extra early so we could run our first 5k! We ran more of a "family fun" type run rather than a really competitive one- the Pumpkin 5k Run in Van Nuys, CA. It was a goal for us to run a 5k (not worried about the time but to just run it without walking) for 2009. We did it! Our time was just under 35:30 but we kept a steady pace the entire race and finished with a good 20 yard sprint. Next goal will be to work on getting our pace to a 10 minute mile (or getting our 5k time to under 30 minutes).
We were so blessed to have our church small group come support us! Stephen and Ross ran with us (well, pretty far ahead of us- Stephen finished in 19:59, Ross in 25:30), and Michelle, Dave, Charles, and Diana came to be cheerleaders (with homemade signs and tee-shirts cheering us on!). After the race we all came back to our apartment for a post run brunch and some air baron game playing.
Here are some pictures from the morning....
The runners (L-R: Stephen, Ross, Lisa, Drew), pre-run:
Finishing strong!
The entire group, Post Run - all runners took home pumpkins!(Top L-R: Stephen, Charles, Michelle, Ross, Dave, Drew; Bottom L-R: Diana, Lisa):
Brunch (Blueberry French Toast Casserole, Sausage, Egg, Green Chili Bake, Whole Wheat Banana Oatmeal Bread, Fruit, Yogurt):
Air Baron!:
Monday, September 7, 2009
New Camera / LA County Fair
This weekend we bought a new D-SLR camera!!! We had been thinking about it for a while and have been researching our options for the last several months. We (finally) decided on a Nikon d90 with a AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.4G lens. We've had the camera for less than 2 days now and I'm already in love with it. It's truly a sexy camera and when you add the lens to it-arrrrr. :)
We decided to take it with us to the LA County Fair today to test it out. As I am fairly new to the whole photography thing and this is my first time working with a prime lens (prime lens = fixed focus length = non-zoomable = you must move your feet to frame the picture) I decided to just use the non-flash, and sports modes on the camera instead of messing with the A or S priority manual mode too much. My goal for today was to get comfortable with the camera in my hands and setting up the picture (aka- moving my feet) with the prime lens. My long term goal is to be comfortable using the camera on manual mode in any situation (and never use the automatic modes), but I've got a ways to go until I get there. I signed up for some online lessons in dslr photography and am planning to take it one step at a time.
Anywho... here is the story of our trip to the LA County Fair:
We found the LA County Fair to be very similar to the WI State Fair- there was even a green and yellow Giant Slide!
(Random kids on slide- we were trying out the camera taking pictures of things in motion)...
We went to the "Bark Park" area of the Fair and saw the "Extreme Dog Stunt Show" and the "Splash Dogs"...
We watched a demonstration on how to make simple floral arrangements in the "Home and Garden" area at the Fair:
No Trip to the Fair can be complete without food! At the LA County Fair they even have a special "Food Map"...
I had a falafel sandwich and diet coke...
Drew sunk his teeth into a smoked turkey leg...
I had a messy (but yummy) "Big Drum" ice cream for dessert...
Drew was traditional with funnel cake...
Some things that were available but we did not try...
(This is for you, Mom) The piece de resistance in new Fair foods apparently in both WI and CA this year (although somehow we managed to resist)... Chocolate covered bacon, on a stick of course...
We decided to take it with us to the LA County Fair today to test it out. As I am fairly new to the whole photography thing and this is my first time working with a prime lens (prime lens = fixed focus length = non-zoomable = you must move your feet to frame the picture) I decided to just use the non-flash, and sports modes on the camera instead of messing with the A or S priority manual mode too much. My goal for today was to get comfortable with the camera in my hands and setting up the picture (aka- moving my feet) with the prime lens. My long term goal is to be comfortable using the camera on manual mode in any situation (and never use the automatic modes), but I've got a ways to go until I get there. I signed up for some online lessons in dslr photography and am planning to take it one step at a time.
Anywho... here is the story of our trip to the LA County Fair:
We found the LA County Fair to be very similar to the WI State Fair- there was even a green and yellow Giant Slide!
(Random kids on slide- we were trying out the camera taking pictures of things in motion)...
We went to the "Bark Park" area of the Fair and saw the "Extreme Dog Stunt Show" and the "Splash Dogs"...
We watched a demonstration on how to make simple floral arrangements in the "Home and Garden" area at the Fair:
No Trip to the Fair can be complete without food! At the LA County Fair they even have a special "Food Map"...
I had a falafel sandwich and diet coke...
Drew sunk his teeth into a smoked turkey leg...
I had a messy (but yummy) "Big Drum" ice cream for dessert...
Drew was traditional with funnel cake...
Some things that were available but we did not try...
(This is for you, Mom) The piece de resistance in new Fair foods apparently in both WI and CA this year (although somehow we managed to resist)... Chocolate covered bacon, on a stick of course...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Blue Grotto Sauce
When we recently found ourselves the owners of a huge bag of sweet potatoes that needed to be used up we tried this recipe from the Blue Grotto Restaurant (printed in the Providence Journal). As anyone who knows me knows- I just LOVE good gnocchi. yumm. This recipe was delicious, the end result being different than I expected (due to the bit of sweetness in the sauce), but still worth blogging about. A couple tips if you were to try this at home:
1- double the sauce recipe (at least)- the amount of sauce in the recipe is very little
2- As making gnocchi can be a long process- think about making a double batch of the gnocchi and then freezing some for latter. Gnocchi freezes extremely well- after rolling / cutting and shaping the gnocchi, put them on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Then you can just store them in the Ziploc bag or other container and keep them frozen to use latter. To use just pop the gnocchi in boiling water (note- they take an extra minute or two to cook when frozen).
Now a question- why oh why are the gnocchi I make always firmer than I like? (I know, mix less, use less flour, but I seem to try this and they seem to always end up firm) I'm now on a quest to make the perfect gnocchi.... Feel free to pass along any tips you may have!
Enjoy!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Exciting News!
Can't believe I almost forgot to mention some super exciting news in my update posts today....
Drew's brother Alex and his fiancee, Jess, set a wedding date! They are getting married July 16th, 2010 in Madison, WI- we are soooo excited and happy for them.
And the REALLY exciting part is that Drew and I are both in the wedding!!! Drew will be his brother's best man and I will be a bridesmaid! Woo hoooooo!!!!! I'm sooo pumped, I've been dancing around the house and singing my made-up "I'm going to be a bridesmaid in a yellow dress" song every since I found out. = )
I really feel so honored and blessed to be asked to be in the wedding. Thanks for asking me Alex and Jess!
Drew's brother Alex and his fiancee, Jess, set a wedding date! They are getting married July 16th, 2010 in Madison, WI- we are soooo excited and happy for them.
And the REALLY exciting part is that Drew and I are both in the wedding!!! Drew will be his brother's best man and I will be a bridesmaid! Woo hoooooo!!!!! I'm sooo pumped, I've been dancing around the house and singing my made-up "I'm going to be a bridesmaid in a yellow dress" song every since I found out. = )
I really feel so honored and blessed to be asked to be in the wedding. Thanks for asking me Alex and Jess!
2 Desserts: Icebox cake and Mississippi Mud Cake
This past weekend we went to a cabin in Lake Arrowhead, CA with some friends to celebrate the 30th birthday of our friend Marianne. I got to bake the birthday cake! When her husband requested that I make something chocolate I decided on this Mississippi Mud Cake from "Hostess with the Mostess". Not sure if one cake would be enough for everyone, I decided to make a second and thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to bake the icebox cake that I had been eying on Smitten Kitchen for some time now.
Both cakes we delicious, easy to make and went over very well.
*Notes of the recipes:
Mississippi Mud: this "cake" is less of a cake and more of a fudge dessert bar. Didn't seem to bother anyone. :) FYI, be warned. If you want more of a true cake I would suggest substituting a basic chocolate cake or brownie recipe in for the cake layer. I also decided on putting the pecans on top the cake (and added mini chocolate chips as well) instead of in the cake.
Icebox Cake: Simple and easy to make. I decided to add mint extract in place of the vanilla extract for a chocolate mint icebox cake. Surprisingly easy to cut (after the first piece which was a little more difficult). Tasted like a cross between an oreo and a thin mint.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
