This Thing is Actually Happening

Some blogs do favorites list.  If only I was coordinated and clever enough to pull that off.  Instead, today I am offering you a things I have cooked, but not taken pictures of, but loved anyways list.  The name is a little long, and I am working on it, but some of these are just too fantastic to not share immediately and insist that you make.  Also, I need an excuse to do a little bragging.  Because, you see, these wonderfully beautiful things are going out in the mail this week.  And I am thrilled, excited, anxious and overall exuberant that they are done, complete, beautiful and well, they exist.  Which must mean that this wedding thing is actually happening.  

Ekk.

Anyways, about those Save the Dates.  I can't thank Ben's family enough.  We went through several, multiple, way too many, ideas of what the save the dates would look like.  There were many emails, phone calls and Skypes.  I worried too much, which could be the sub-title for this wedding (and probably my life in general).  I sketched things, and let me tell you, there's a reason I'm an engineer, and not someone who gets paid for being creative.

Luckily for us, Ben's sister is one of those beautiful creative people.  She had a gorgeous vision from the start and I really should know better by now to just listen to her.  She water colored our names and the date, as well as the Arizona.  The rest was put in digitally on the computer by her and Ben's mom.  Fonts were argued (nicely) over.  A legitimate website was bought and created.  Then they were shipped off to the printer and back to them for cutting and pasting on magnets.  Ben's mom stamped a return address and hand addressed all the envelopes.  I continue to thank her daily for it.

And I can't get over how fantastic they look.  There's one on my fridge at home and one on my wall at work (pictured above!)  And now, whenever I need a good shock, I just need to look over to my right and "Ekk!"  There it is.

Liz & Ben

March 8, 2014

And then I get to say things like, "holy crap.  This thing is actually happening".

Anyways, that list we were talking about...

David Lebovitz's Gianduja Gelato:
http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/chocolate-hazelnut-gelato-recipe/
Please make this immediately, before you decide it is too cold to eat ice cream (yet another reason to move to Arizona... it's never too cold there!)  It is incredibly time consuming and oh-so-very worth it.  As any Nutella lover will let you know, hazelnut and chocolate were meant to be.  Don't get in there way, just do it.

Kim Boyce's Oatmeal Pancakes:
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2010/05/oatmeal-pancakes/

Slow Chicken Curry from Everyday Paleo:
http://thornton.macaronikid.com/article/368041/macaroni-recipes-slow-chicken-curry
So ridiculously simple.  No browning of meat before hand, really no prep besides some chopping.  And you'll come home to the smell of comfort (can curry be comforting?) and a large pot of filling dinner.  I haven't really bought into the whole idea of a Paleo diet, but I sure as hell will support an easy dinner thats beyond delicious!

Smitten Kitchen's Tomato Glazed Meatloaves with Brown Butter Mashed Potatoes:
http://www.katecooksthebooks.com/books-ive-reviewed/the-smitten-kitchen-cookbook/the-smitten-kitchen-cookbook-tomato-glazed-meatloaves-with-brown-butter-mashed-potatoes

Many salad dressings from this cute, little book:
http://www.amazon.com/Very-Salad-Dressing-Teresa-Burns/dp/1587612097/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1368480882&sr=1-4&keywords=salad+dressing
I got the book for free, but really for $6 (aka, 2 coffees) it's probably a worthy addition to your life.

Apple Turnovers from Cook's Illustrated:
http://www.annies-eats.com/2009/11/13/flaky-apple-turnovers/

Leek and Bacon Tart from Irish Food and Cooking:
http://www.fearlesskitchen.com/2009/03/recipe-bacon-and-leek-tart.html
I picked this book up on a whim in a second hand bookstore in North Carolina.  Ben and I were meeting there (it was the halfway point between us at one short point in our long distance journey) and he was still driving.  While I was waiting on him, I found this great bookstore and picked up some used cookbooks.  Thus began a somewhat tradition.

Kung Pao Chicken from Quick and Easy Chinese (and at least 12 other recipes from the same book):
http://beforeitsnews.com/cooking-and-recipes/2012/05/kung-pao-chicken-2146835.html
Also, if you have the means, by a cast iron wok.  It is in every sense of the idea, totally and completely worth it.  And this book.  Just don't tell your fiance that oyster sauce is made from fermented oysters.  He'll get in his head and make his tummy hurt.  Just tell him it's all mental, cause it is...

Iced Coffee Concentrate from Bon Appetit:
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/07/cold-brew-iced-coffee-concentrate
I would not have made it through this summer without this.  I just wish it didn't take a whole day to make!  If anyone has good shortcuts, please let me know.