Kyle and Madeline's Year in Review 2014

Showered with Love

I cannot believe how quickly our wedding is arriving.  It feels like just yesterday Kyle and I got engaged.  Those close family and friends who plan to make it in for the wedding can now book hotel rooms at a discounted price.   Thanks to Kyle’s parents we now officially have blocked hotel rooms at two hotels.  Please check out our wedding site for the details:  http://madeline-kyle.nearlyweds.com/

We are getting so excited for the big event.  Things got real for us this summer when our family hosted a wedding shower for us.  It’s a weird feeling getting that much attention from family and friends but I wouldn’t change it for the world.  Kyle and I were literally showered…no, wait….doused with love!!  Thank you to everyone who helped blanket us with love and good thoughts.  Spending a week at home also made it possible for Kyle and I to spend a little time with our immediate families and closest friends.  It is always refreshing to come back to reality after a week like the one we experienced!   

Kyle and I were lucky enough to come home after our mini vacation to our new apartment home!  We moved the week before we headed home.  It is such an amazing feeling to be living in the home as Kyle, let alone the same town!!!  This is the first time in our relationship that we live less than 50 miles from one another.  Our apartment is in the perfect location too.  It takes me about 45 minutes to get to work and Kyle drives about 25/30 minutes to get to work.  I know 45 minutes sounds like a really long time, which it is a good distance, but it is a beautiful drive and beats have to drive over an hour to work or having to deal with traffic. 

Purrsephone

We also got a new kitten along with our new home.  Her name is Purrsephone (or Purr).  We got her from my co-worker and friend, Kim.  Purrsephone is tiny cute and LOVES Socrates.  Socrates tolerates her at this point; he lets her snuggle with him and groom him.  I think his favorite thing about her is that she’s more or less a brand new toy for him to rough house with.  Their playing is something I could watch for hours on end; it is so funny. 

Kitty Love

Otherwise, not much else has been going on with Kyle and I.  Kyle is switching sports these days, he’s done with skeeball and has now moved onto bocce ball.  My future husband is quite the athlete!!!  I’m looking into joining an austin running group and find an organization I would like to volunteer for.  Until then I’m going to carry on with my cat watching! 

Happy Birthday goes out to all our loved ones with summer bdays!  Also congrats going out to our friends who have just had babies or are about to!  Ahhh so many things to celebrate in life!  

xx

P.S.  Recipe of the Months...it's a Pat Burnside Original!  If you are interested in looking into other kinds of  mocktails (or even into other fun food, beverage, decor and party ideas) check out Beth Peluse's Blog: Sensiblyinspired.com!!  

Burnside Nojito

Found a delicious way to use the mint growing in our planter!

* I try and chill the glass a few minutes before making this beverage.

Ingredients:

• crushed ice
• 12 mint leaves (1 stem if possible)
• 2 oz. lime juice (or to taste)
• 4 oz. club soda

Instructions:

1. Fill a pint glass ⅓ full of crushed ice
2. Add 12 mint leaves all on one stem if possible
3. Muddle the leaves together but try not to crush them too much that the leaves break apart

Add:

4. 2 oz. lime juice

5. 3 oz. sugar syrup* (store bought)   If making the recipe below for the syrup, try 2 oz. first!

6. Put in a little bit more crushed ice

Add:

7. 4 oz. club soda

8. Garnish with mint and serve with a straw!

Homemade Simple Syrup (Much sweeter than store bought...adjust recipe accordingly)

It is really simple! All you need is 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water!

1. Place 1 cup sugar in a pan and stir in 1 cup water.  
2. Bring to boil, stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Cool, place in glass container in refrigerator.  

Bird Watcher Alert!

If you are looking for a recipe to feed the hummingbirds, all you have to do is cut down the sugar to ¼ cup and stir in 1 cup water.  Bring to boil, stir until sugar is dissolved and place in the feeder when cool!!!

Christmas Presents that Mean the World

Ahhhhhhh, the end of January is such a peaceful time for me.  The hustle and bustle of the holidays has come to an end and I can finally breathe again.  Don’t get me wrong, Christmas and New Years were fantastic.  I love spending quality time with Kyle, family and friends. 

This past Christmas was very meaningful for me because a lot of the gifts Kyle and I received were heartfelt and still impacting us to this day.  Kyle got me a relaxation themed Christmas gift.  This may sound simple, which it is, a lot of tea, chocolate and candles; however it meant the world to me.   This year holds a lot of potential for stress.  We need to plan a wedding and we need to figure out a way to be together (physically in the same town as one another would be nice!).  Conveniently the gifts Theresa, Mark and Beth got me went along with Kyle’s theme as well.  How nice! 

Another meaningful gift was the visit from Kyle’s parents.  They came in a couple days after Christmas and stayed until a couple days after the New Year.  I will also claim any visitor as a huge gift.  Living so far from home can be hard on the emotions and feeling like you are missing out on a lot of things…Can I get an Amen from my sisters??  So having family and friends come down and spend time with you no matter how long (shoot Cakora came down for 36 hours!) it means the world to us!  To know that loved ones are willing to put the resources (time, money and energy) in to check out the sights and enjoy spending time with us makes me so grateful for my life. 

I gave Kyle the Christmas gift of “Time”….thank you Pinterest and Lindsay Gallmore for the grand idea!!!  I planned out a date for each month of this upcoming year for Kyle and me.  With our hectic crazy lives this year I decided that we could really use that one on one time.  I also know how important communication is between couples and realized that this is something I really want Kyle and I to spend time working on before our big day.  Kyle does not know what the dates are until the first of each month and then he gets the big reveal (or really tiny reveal).  This month (January) we will be taking a cooking class together at the Whole Foods Market Headquarters.  And the cooking class is meant for couples so I’m hoping it will have a little romantic edge to it….cuz we all know how romantic and lovey dovey I can be :) 

As happy as I am that the Christmas madness has died down, it also warms my heart that so much thought and love comes from that holiday (thanks Jesus!). 

Before this month is through a quick shout out to our family members who had January birthdays:

Grandpa Kissane (THE BIG 90!!!), Theresa Kissane (in her prime), Mark Peluse (still young and beautiful), Owen Nachman (The BIG 4!!!!), and to our many other extended family and friends who experienced January birthdays!

xx

P.S. Recipe of the months (Happy Super Bowling!!!)

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Ingredients:

4 ounces soft Cream Cheese
Pinch of Cracked Pepper
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Plain Greek Yogurt
2 cups Shredded Cheddar-Jack Cheese
1/4 cup Chopped Bacon (about 4 slices)
1/4 cup Jalapeno, cleaned & chopped** (1-2 Jalapenos)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Set aside 1/2 cup of the cheddar-jack cheese.  Mix all ingredients together and spread into oven safe dish.  Top with the 1/2 cup of remaining cheese.  Place dish into the oven and cook for thirty minutes.

 Then broil for two minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

For the jalapeno garnish – Slice jalapeno in half (lengthwise) and remove all seeds.  Wrap with bacon and cook on a baking sheet or piece of foil next to the dip.  Remove after fifteen minutes.  Once the dip has finished cooking, place on top.

**Thoroughly remove all seeds and the white veins inside the peppers unless you want an extra spicy dip.

Thanksgiving Happenings & Happy Holidays!

    Another season has come and gone.  Winter appears to have claimed residency in central Texas now.  It’s bitter sweet to welcome this cold season.  The outdoors look bleak, but I love the sight of the Christmas tree in the house and the warm comfort food that is always associated with winter.  Kyle and I experienced some of this good home cookin’ food this past week. 

Kyle, Owen & the Polar Express!

    We decided to surprise our immediate families and “stop by” for Thanksgiving.  My family was obviously surprised well in advance since I can never keep secrets from my sisters.  Kyle did a phenomenal job of keeping his mouth shut and actually surprising his sister and mom.  Both had amazing reactions to our presence which made it totally worth it!  The hospitality amongst our families was overwhelming.  Without question Beth and Mark welcomed us into their home for the majority of the trip.  We were greeted with delicious food, spirits and fantastic conversation the entire time we stayed with them.    We were lucky to be able to spend a good amount of time with our families despite what few days we spent in Illinois.  The Burnsides had us over after the Bonfield Express 5K for the traditional brunch.  This is probably one of my favorite traditions just because it’s family and friends coming together in its simplest form.  No one dresses up for this gathering and puts on heirs.  Kyle’s family does not expect you to bring anything, but to just come as you are….which typically means tired and happy from being high on endorphin's after racing J  Of course our Thanksgiving fun did not end there.  Kyle and I also spent the evening at the Nachman’s.  This was such a wonderful low key get together.  Becky and John made an amazing meal for us and Molly, Owen & Anna kept us very entertained.  We ended our night at the movie theater.  We saw the movie Frozen with the Nachman’s.  If you have not seen this movie then you need to go see it now!  It is extremely funny and beautifully put together. 

     Kyle and I also had the chance to catch up with some other friends and family.  We definitely did not get in touch with nearly as many love ones as we would have liked to.  I’m so sorry to those of you who we couldn't contact and see.  I wish we had more time at home but I’m so grateful we had at least 3 days! 

I’m sure some of you are asking yourselves, “Hmm I wonder what Kyle and Mads will be busy doing over the holidays??”  That appears to be the only logical thing to ask this time of year J….Let me tell you! 

·         Lindsay and I are giving each the same Christmas gift….a trip to Pinot’s Pallet….who wouldn't want to drink wine and paint while humming Christmas tunes???? 

·         My dad, ol’ Kevi, will be visiting me this Saturday in Austin.  He, Joan and Jane are in town for the girls’ nephew’s wedding…thanks nephew for bringing my faja to Austin!!!  And congratulations! 

·         Kyle’s parents will be here for quite a few days right after Christmas.  I believe that means we will be officially celebrating Christmas not on Christmas day….so please remember to keep your Christmas lights up until then. 

·         Kyle and I are hopefully going to be seeing a sneak peak of the new Hobbit movie.  I think it’s something about smaug and demolition, alas I cannot remember…shocker.  

·         2 of mine and Kyle’s closest Austin friends will be moving soon L  Well technically ½ of the couple is moving this winter and the other ½ is dilly dallying.  Regardless I will be sad and missing my friend.  Like A LOT. 

·         Last but not least CHRISTMAS LIGHTS!!!  If you need me and cannot find me this Holiday I will be cruising the neighborhoods looking at pretty lights while saying “ooooohhhhh!  Ahhhh! “ 

Happy Holidays from Socrates!

Please let us know how you are doing!  There are so many moments in time when Kyle and I catch each other asking one another “I wonder what that person is up to these days?”  WE would love to hear what’s going on with everyone so please drop us a line or an email!  

XX

Madeline

P.S.   Recipe of the months?  Beth introduced Kyle and I to this extremely yummy chili!!!  Enjoy!

Jalapeño Popper Chicken Chili Soup with Bacon

by Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Deconstructed jalapeño poppers in a hearty, rich chili-flavored soup.

Ingredients (4-5 servings)

• olive oil, for sauteing
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 4 jalapeno peppers, diced, seeds removed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• coarse salt and fresh ground black pepper
• 1 + 1/4 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, crushed between fingertips
• 1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 + 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups cannellini beans (cooked or canned)
• 1 cup corn
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 pound bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, for serving
• Monterrey jack cheese, shredded, for serving
• sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, for serving

Instructions

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and saute onion, both types of peppers and garlic until soft and tender.
2. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan with the chicken and lightly brown chicken on all sides. Season with chile powder, cumin and oregano.
3. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, beans and corn. Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes. Taste and season as needed.
4. Add cream cheese and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.
5. Serve with crumbled bacon and both types of cheese sprinkled over top.

Notes:

-For a thick chili omit chicken broth.

-For a bigger pop of heat leave seeds in jalapeno peppers.

A Chill is in the Air. Yippee!!

Fall is finally here.  The best season ever!  One of my favorite parts about autumn is the leaves changing colors, unfortunately, in central Texas this is not really a major characteristic of fall.  I know this initially sounds like the worse thing ever; however I believe this just opens an opportunity for me to focus more on the other reasons why autumn is the best season!  I love the sweaters, the pumpkins, the cider, the stews, the chilly weather, the football and the beautiful autumn décor.  I’m not sure if anyone was able to read between the lines but I am definitely grateful to be out of the 100 and something degree weather!  Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50’s for us and I cannot wait!! 

Don’t get me wrong, there were some great times during those 100-something degree days.   

Here's one of those summer memories...Once Kyle and I got back from visiting Illinois we were quickly welcoming Kyle’s mom and aunt to Texas.  They took a long road trip in August.   First to New Mexico to visit with Kyle’s cousin, Meg, and then they swung by Austin to spend some time with Kyle and I.  It would be an understatement to say this visit was wonderful. We experienced lots of laughs, yummy foods and a lot of Austin!

Summer Time Fun

Kyle and I also had the chance to see the musical, Little Shop of Horrors, at the city’s outdoor community theater.  I’m game any day for a picnic, spectacular entertainment and some great company!  We actually have many great moments this summer of going out and just simply enjoying our friends’ and the company they have to offer. 

One of our last big summer hoorah’s was celebrating Museum Day in Austin.  Kyle and I hit up two museums in Austin: an art museum and a history museum.  I would recommend the art museum to everyone!  The history museum….hmmm I would say if history is your thing….you should check it out.  I personally had to put a little effort in to stay engaged.  Kyle seemed to really enjoy it though!   

 Enough about looking into the past…let’s look more into the future! 

Patrick and I: Independence Brewery Fun!

Kyle and I are going to see Les Miserables  this upcoming weekend.  I am sooo excited!  One of my favorite musicals ever!  We are also checking out a tapas restaurant we’ve never been too before.  Yummmmm! I can't wait for all the many adventures and fun fall has to offer for us!!!!

Here are a couple more bullet points to the goings-on of these transplant Austinites :)  - 

• Kyle's roomies (& our good friends) just got a puppy!!! He was found outside of Shawn's work and after a couple of days of waiting for someone to claim him...he quickly became a part of the family.  His name is Phoenix and he is super duper cute!!!
• We just had a fantastic time last weekend at one of our favorite Austin breweries.  Independence was celebrating their 9th anniversary.  
• Kyle and I are cat sitting for our friends who got married in Hawaii this past week!  It is so amusing getting to know another cat other than socrates...they are like night and day.  
• Theresa, my sister, safely moved to Canada and seems to be getting acclimated quickly to a whole new life in a whole new country.  I actually talk to her more now than I did when she was in Illinois....thanks Skype!!!  
• Molly is going to be Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween and Owen I believe will be a ninja?  I couldn't really understand him through all his little happy squeals the other night...hmmmm.    

Happy Birthday to all the fall babies out there! 

And happy wedding fun for our good friends  We are soo happy for Crystal and Matt!!!

XX

Mads

P.S. Recipe of the months??  :)  

Baked Ziti

Weight Watchers Recipe

7 PointsPlus Value

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 40 min

Other time: 0 min

Serves: 12

Here’s a tasty, healthy version of the Italian classic. For more robust flavor, add crushed fennel seeds. For a meaty version, add lean ground beef to the sauce.*

Ingredients 3 spray(s) cooking spray    1 pound(s) uncooked pasta, rigatoni or penne    3/4 pound(s) part-skim ricotta cheese    1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste    1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, divided    4 cup(s) store bought marinara sauce, divided**    1/2 pound(s) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese    1/4 cup(s) basil, cut into ribbons, for garnish***    Instructions Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat bottom and sides of a lasagna pan with cooking spray. Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse with cool water and drain. While pasta is cooking, in a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1/3 cup marinara sauce. To assemble ziti, spoon 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of prepared pan; top with half of pasta in an even layer. Evenly spread pasta with ricotta mixture; cover with half of remaining sauce. Top with remaining pasta and spoon remaining sauce over top; sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining tablespoon Parmesan. Bake until cheese melts and is browned, about 20 to 30 minutes. Allow ziti to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into 12 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving. Notes *Could affect PointsPlus value. **If you don’t have a store-bought sauce on hand, you can use fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead (could affect PointsPlus value). *** To watch a video of this technique, click here.

Home Sweet Home with a Side of Ale

There has not been too much excitement happening for Kyle and I since we arrived home from Illinois.  The few weeks ago Kyle and I went to see the movie Crafting. A Nation at Jester King Brewery.  The land the brewery is located on is absolutely beautiful with its rustic look.  Hmmm maybe a nice spot for a wedding??? J  The movie we watched was right up Kyle’s alley.  I enjoyed it as well but I believe Kyle found more inspiration from it than I did.  It was awesome seeing how much people put their heart and life into running a brewery.  I never associated pure happiness with running a company until I watched this documentary.  There were two true downsides to the night for me though…boooo. 

1.       Most of the beer is made in aged oak barrels.  YUCK!  Kyle doesn’t mind this but it makes it a little too sour for me.  So unfortunately I could not enjoy the beer as much as I would have liked to. 

2.       GIANT.  SPIDER.  Did I make myself clear???   Giant meaning bigger than a silver dollar and its body was thicker than your two thumbs put on top of each other. This spider was so quick on the dark ground that it looked like it was just floating.  This movie was outside in the grass so let’s just say I was paranoid during the whole movie wondering when this huge spider was going to attack.  I probably distracted every single audience member with my constant kicking and shuffling of my feet.  Ugh. 

Last weekend Kyle and his housemates hosted a housewarming party.  It was a ton of fun and surprisingly not awkward.  The reason there was thought that it might become awkward was because it was 4 housemates invited their own separate group of friends, coworkers and family.  This was bound to be a crazy group of randoms, but it turned out being this beautiful mix.  Everyone got to know each and stayed for such a long time.  Beautiful celebration. 

 

A few other highlights of the last few weeks:

1.       I learned how to Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) at my good friend Crystal’s bachelorette party.  Such a fun party! 

2.       Linds and I spent three weeks carrying for an abandoned baby mocking bird.  It seemed to be doing great, then it broke either a foot or a wing and wouldn’t stand up and then the grand finale consisted of a road runner eating our baby bird.  LINDSAY AND I HATE ROAD RUNNERS.  They are vicious….they eat other small birds for pete’s sake!!!!  Jerks. 

3.       Kyle learned how to make some pretty darn delicious lemon bars. 

Other than all that fun stuff, things have been fairly quiet in these parts of the Hill Country.  The summer has not been as hot as most in the past so thank God for that!!!!  We’re just livin and lovin life over here!!! 

 

Xx

 

P.S. Recipe of the week! 

Lemon Squares

Recipe adapted from Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood (c) Clarkson Potter 2010

Total Time:  1 hr 0 min

Prep 15 min

Cook  45 min

Yield:   15 squares

Level:  Easy

 

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for sprinkling
•  

Filling:

• 4 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about 2 large lemons)
• 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Mix the flour and confectioners' sugar in a bowl and add the melted butter, mixing until a dough forms. Press the mixture firmly into a 9- by 13- by 2-inch pan. Bake the crust for 25 minutes.

For the filling: While the crust is baking, with an electric mixer, combine the eggs, lemon juice and zest until smooth. Add the granulated sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture over the baked crust. Bake for 20 minutes more.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely. Sprinkle the top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares and serve.