Missing a Little Piece of Utah

As the weather has begun to change and the temperatures have finally dropped I have found myself missing a little piece of Utah. One of my favorite things to do during this time of year is to snuggle up with Dave while watching a movie and sipping on a wonderful mug of Stephen's Gourmet Hot Cocoa.

I missed out on this wonderful experience last year, because we spent the fall/winter in Phoenix, and snuggling up while drinking hot chocolate just seemed wrong in such beautiful sunny weather. So this year my anticipation and excitement for Stephen's Hot Cocoa seemed to be even stronger. The unfortunate part is that they don't sell Stephen's over here in this part of the country. I guess since it originated and is made in Utah they only sell it in the West. Luckily, I have a VERY small stock pile of a few flavors that we moved with us to Arkansas. I am just hoping that it will be able to sustain us through the season here.

My favorite flavors are the French Vanilla (because most of you know I am not really a lover of chocolate... I know, it is just so un-lady like), Chocolate Raspberry, Mint Chocolate and the Wassail. So for all my friends and family in the West, please enjoy a nice big cup of Stephen's Hot Cocoa for me as it has become a much missed part for me of living in Utah! And for those of you who have never experienced Stephen's Hot Cocoa, I highly recommend that you find some and take part in all the goodness.

P.S. You can buy it by clicking on the following link; Stephen's Hot Cocoa.

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Sharing my story...

I am not very good at sharing my emotions with others, not to mention the fact that I am not really an emotional personal in general. I have this amazing capability of not being able to cry when I am in front of someone or to truly express what I would like to. But every once in a great while, in those personal and quite moments, when I am by myself, those flood gates seem to open. This week has been one of the more challenging weeks in my life and emotionally I needed some sort of outlet that I could express the way I felt. I started a new blog enititled "My Road to Motherhood", in hopes that it could be a place where I could do just that…“let it all out”.
Although my situation is very personal and detailed, if you have ever asked me about it you probably have found that I have no problem sharing my story. I have set this blog up (at least for the time being) as private and by invitation only. I have done this simply because I know not everyone is comfortable with this type of subject, but not because I mind sharing it with any and all that are interested.
My road to becoming a mother has become challenging and that road seems to have narrowed even more this week. The good news is that I am very “special”, the bad news is that it is not the way I would like to be “special”! If you are interested in learning of my road to motherhood and the personal struggles that I have faced, am facing, and will face, then please send me an email or comment on this post and I will certainly send you an invite. I have included the link below and I have also added it to my other blogs list at the bottom right corner.

My Road to Motherhood

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Sushi with Cynthia

This weekend my cousin Cynthia came to visit me from Kansas City. We haven't seen each other in about a year so we were pretty excited! Growing up, she was like the sister I never had (we are only 3 months apart). And yes, on her summer visits to New Mexico, we frequently fought like sisters as well! But as we have both become older, we have grown very close.

One of our favorite traditions or activities that we like to do together is make sushi, it is also one of Dave's favorite things because he get to partake in all the goodness! Cynthia is an expert sushi maker! She has tried to teach me on many occasions and I just don't seem to get it! So usually she does the rolling and I do the cutting (when I roll them they look quit pitiful!).


We made two different kinds this time, California rolls and Philadelphia rolls! We thought you might enjoy the recipe, so here it is:

Norimaki (Seaweed Rolls) Ingredients

White Short-grain Sticky Rice (Botan is the best brand)
Onion Salt
Rice Wine Vinegar (very important, since "sushi" means vinegared rice)
Nori Sheets (Seaweed)
-for California Rolls
Crab (or imitation) Meat
Avocado Slices
Cucumber Slivers
-for Philadelphia Rolls
Salmon
Cream Cheese
Cucumber Slivers
I also like to add carrot slivers for color and crunch, and you can pretty much put in whatever you want!

To prepare, start by washing your rice. Fill the pan with water, swish it around with your hand, and then drain away all of the excess starch (this makes it sticky rice!) The ratio of water to add is just a little less than twice as much water to rice (ex. if I were cooking two cups of dry rice, I would add 3 and 3/4 cup water). Put the lid on and cook on high until the just before the water boils over, turn the heat down to medium for about 10 more minutes, and then turn the heat off, but don't remove the lid until it is finished cooking. Season the rice with vinegar and onion salt to taste (I sometimes add some toasted sesame oil as well). Place a sheet of seaweed shiny-side down on the bamboo roller and spread a two-grain layer of rice. Leave about a half-centimeter of just seaweed at the top. About an inch from the bottom, put a thin horizontal layer of whatever fillings you want (crab, cucumber, etc...) Roll it with the bamboo mat from the side closest to the fillings, and farthest from the end with no rice. Slice with a sharp knife, and wipe the knife frequently with a wet paper towel (wet with water and vegetable oil). Be prepared to wash your hands a LOT! Serve with soy sauce (Kikkoman is the best brand, but La Choy is gluten-free). For the adventurous, try adding small amounts of Japanese pickled ginger and Wasabi (very VERY hot, green horseradish).

To top off our Asian themed evening we ended the night by watching Kung Fu Panda! It was a very fun evening and it has been wonderful to have her in our home! She is our first over night guest in our new home. Thanks Cynth, for the excellent recipe and for the enjoyable visit.

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At last...

{MUSE}

It has finally arrived! The official launching of Kara's design blog. I know many of you have been asking for this for months now, and well, I finally got the courage to start it. It will have many features (all of which I describe in the first post) that I hope will help inspire you. So here is your chance to ask me all the design questions in the world, free of charge :). Please check it out...

http://musebykara.blogspot.com/

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