Ten (more) things you may not know about me

Maybe I'll make this a monthly feature on the blog - is it fun? Interesting? Self-indulgent? Whatever, it's connected me to people who I may not have ever known I had things in common with. Bonding over a shared hatred of sweet potatoes? That's serious stuff, people.

1. I've done a "secret Santa" gift exchange with the same girls for 10+ years. It's morphed into " secret seashell" because we now do it at be beach. We also have an email list serve that was started when we left for college. I couldn't begin to guess how many messages have been sent but I'd guess its in the tens of thousands.
2. My number one choice for pasta sauce is Alfredo. It's one of the only things Ben will not eat. I don't understand how anyone could hate something that's pretty much just cheese and heavy cream?!
3. I have (almost) matching scars on my elbows from surgeries that were four years apart. Ulnar nerve transpositions. I have no funny bone.
4. When I die, I want to be cremated, after medical science has taken anything they have any use for. I'm not yet sure where I want my ashes scattered.
5. My first plane ride was to Disney world with my whole family. Best fifth birthday ever!
6. I started walking at nine months. So, when London turned ten months without even a step, I felt a little bit guilty, like I had let her down as her mother. Don't worry, I realize that is 100% ridiculous and I'm just happy she's taken her first steps before she's two.
7. I had a fake ID in college that Ben referred to as a baseball card because it was SO fake. But I never got caught, even when I bought beer standing in line in front of a cop.
8. My favorite song will always and forever be "imagine" by John Lennon. My least favorite song is "amazing grace". "Celebrate" and "I like big butts" are also up there... Err, down there. As in,  hate them too.
9. I can cook but I cannot bake. I can probably count the number of things I've baked completely from scratch on two hands. I think it's the same reason I was good at biology but horrible at chemistry. I'm not good at exact sciences.
10. I have horrible bunions on both my feet. I know I need surgery, but I'm not, nor have I ever been, in a position to be off my feet for 4-6 weeks. I mean, who has time for that?!

Recipe: crunch wrap supreme

By now you know that I "bare it all" on this blog, so I'm not ashamed to tell you one of my deepest darkest secrets: I love Taco Bell. I mean, not as much now because I think their quality has diminished (how is that even possible?!) but I still crave it now and again. In college, it was my hangover go-to. So when I saw this recipe on Pinterest, I couldn't resist.

Ingredients

You have a lot of room for interpretation, so pick whichever toppings / ingredients you like

-Ground turkey, cooked and seasoned with a package of taco seasoning and some diced onions if you like

-Large flour tortillas (the burrito size)

-Crunchy tostadas (the flat ones)

-Queso dip

-Sour cream

-Lettuce

-Tomato

-Salsa

-Shredded cheese

-Refried beans

Other possible toppings:

-Black olives

-Jalapeños

-Diced bell peppers

-Avocado

-Cooked rice

-Black beans

-Chopped cooked chicken

Directions

1. Once the taco meat is cooked and all your toppings are diced up, it's really about assembling. 

2. Warm the flour tortillas (I use the microwave for about 15 seconds depending on how many). 

3. In the center of a flour tortilla, spread a heaping spoonful of queso, leaving a 1-2 inch border empty around the outside. Then refried beans, then meat, then tostada, then sour cream, then veggies, then any additional toppings you choose (lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, shredded cheese, etc).

4. Fold tortilla around the tostada in five pieces (forming a pentagon); you may have to use an extra piece of tortilla for the center. Nothing should be exposed!

5. Heat a large frying pan to medium, place tortilla pocket seam-side down in the pan and use a spatula to press firmly into pan. 

6. After 30-60 seconds (tortilla should just start to brown), flip the pocket using a large spatula and ninja quickness. 

7. Heat opposite side until just starting to brown.

Serve with sour cream, salsa, queso, hot sauce ... Whatever you like. These things are awesome because you can customize them for each person. 

Also they're just awesome. 

Recipe inspired by:

 http://busymamabird.blogspot.com/2012/04/yummy-crunchwrap-supremes.html?m=1 

It's raining, it's pouring

Each morning I check the weather on my phone before I get London dressed, as an attempt to be a responsible mother who dresses her child appropriately for the temperature. Today went a little something like this:

Me: London, why does the weather channel think it's thunderstorming here right now?
Ben: Because it is.

It's been pouring down rain for most of the day, which makes today a terrible day for taking pictures of our house. But, it makes it a great day to lounge on the couch for a minute, eating chocolates and pretending I'm living the SAHM life of leisure everyone assumes I am. And it's also a great day to soak in this sweet little home, and the beautiful life Ben & I have built here together.

Aside from the obvious nostalgia that comes with selling your first home, and the home you brought your baby to when she was born, we've had a lot of fond memories at 111 Ferris Wheel. There have been many delicious meals cooked in our beautiful red kitchen, that Ben painted for my 24th birthday. Games of Stanley Cup flip cup when the Penguins won it all on the little country table that we bought at the flea market. Heated games of apples to apples with dear friends in our cozy living room. Countless drunken houseguests passed out on bunk beds in a Steelers Gold bedroom. Lazy Sunday afternoons spent lounging on a couch that was way too big for our living room but way too cozy for a pregnant woman to not buy.

This house has been so good to the four of us and I know it will be good to whomever gets it next. I'm excited for our next chapter but I'm more than a little sad to see this one come to an end. A big thanks to everyone who has helped make our first house a home.