pickin' pumpkins

The Megans and I wanted to go to Remlinger Farms to get out of the city and check out the pumpkins. We thought it might look silly for three 20-somethings to go alone, so we took Megan's nephew, Jack. He LOVED it!! It was so cute to see him run around the field picking up all the pumpkins he could carry -- and some that were too big for him! He fell down about a million times and was so dirty by the time we loaded him back into the car, but he was laughing the entire time. They had a tractor ride, and the weather was perfect! It was such a fun thing to do in the fall. I am sure we will go back next year, and the next, and maybe someday with our own children!!

huskies

Even though the Huskies haven't been doing very well this season(they haven't won a single game!!), I have still been having a lot of fun going to the games. The weather has been great football-weather -- sunny and crisp and absolutely beautiful!

I went to the Oregon State game with Papa. Going to Husky games with Papa is so much fun!! Gram and Papa have had season tickets for 60+ years and have gone to almost all the games! Papa did not miss a single football game for 30 years, including the day my mom was born!! I love that story :)

And the Notre Dame game with Megan, Libby, Kate and Megan's friends from ND. It was fun to be with some of the fans of the winning team -- although they were not surprised, they were happy to get the W.

jack-o-lantern

cooking class

I had my first of three cooking classes at Blue Ribbon Cooking on Eastlake last night. It was a great class. The instructor's name is Krista and she's wonderful. She is energetic and encourages very hands on learning. There were about 15 people in the class and we made about 13 different yummy dishes. The best part was we got to taste everything and take all the recipes home!! Next week we are learning 'Approachable Ethnic.' I can't wait!!

Here is one of the recipes from the class:

Southwestern Turkey Breast with Cherry Apple Sauce

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chipotle chilies, pureed
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/3 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3-pound turkey breast

Directions:
To prepare the rub, puree the chipotle chilies in a food processor. Add the dry spices and sugar to form a wet paste or rub. Coat the turkey breast all over with the rub and allow to marinade in the refrigerator for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast the turkey in the oven for about one hour and fifteen minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees and the juices run clear. Allow the turkey breast to rest for fifteen minutes before carving. Serve with Cherry Applesauce.

Cherry Applesauce

Ingredients:
5 Gala or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 pounds) peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice or cider
1/4 cup cherry preserves

Directions:
Combine apple pieces and unsweetened apple juice or cider in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until apples are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in cherry preserves. Using a potato masher or fork, mash mixture to chunky puree.

prost!

This weekend was Oktoberfest in Leavenworth. A big group of us rented a house and spent the weekend there. It was so much fun and there was so much to do. The weather was beautiful - sunny and crisp!! We took long walks, played games on the lawn, barbecued brats, sat in the sun, talked, walked around town, partied in the tents at night, and drank lots of good beer!!

It was fun to think that on the other side of the world, Megan was doing the same thing at a real German festival!

bon voyage

Megan left on Tuesday for Germany, then Turkey for 10 months. I miss her so much already, but I am so excited for her and so proud of her!! I got a little emotional (who me?!) a few days before she left. I'm not really sure why -- I mean, we haven't lived in the same place for almost eight years, but for some reason the fact that she will be gone for an entire year this time really hit me. That is so long!! And I am really going to miss her. She is so brave and I feel so lucky to have a sister like her. She continues to amaze me!

We had so much fun during the few days she was home (in between her summer in Alaska and leaving for Germany/Turkey). We spent time with the family, went to dinner, shopped, hung out, talked and went for a really fun hike!

We took this picture on our hike. On our way home we found this cute little garden on the side of the road by Cougar Mountain that had flowers for sale. We took this bouquet home to our mom. So pretty!!