Gluten Free Pumpkin Carving Party!

Last night we had our newlywed friends Marc and Danielle as well as their daughter Ari to watch the ASU game and carve pumpkins.  I refuse to touch pumpkins.  I think their insides are gross and I hate carving them... but I like having them as decorations.  You can even ask my mother, since I was very young my sole pumpkin carving job was to micromanage everyone else who was carving pumpkins to make sure they were doing it properly.  After both traveling all week and going on a brief cooking strike (my disposal was broken....I do not know how people can cook without one but told Chris I was on strike until it was fixed) my cooking had gone all to heck and I definitely fell off my gluten free, soy free, and somewhat  (used very loosely) dairy free diet. 

I had Danielle bring over veggies and delicious hummus for an appetizer and I made my signature Pesto Pasta and a harvest salad.  I have a hard time explaining recipes because I cook all of the time rarely measure things and change things each time I make them but here's my best shot!

Pesto Pasta (serves 4-5)
1-16oz bag Gluten Free Brown Rice Penne (I like Trader Joes because it does not seem to get soggy)
Parmesan Cheese
Small bag of Organic Pine Nuts
5/8 Cup Pesto (recipe below I make large quantities before hand and freeze it)
2 Organic Chicken Breasts
21 Season Salute (Trader Joes)

Cook pasta per directions on bag and start water boiling as you start the chicken
Cube Chicken and cook in a sauce pan flavoring with 21 season salute until fully cooked
Drain and rinse pasta, put into bowls, and add as much chicken as you want to each bowl 
 Add 2 tbl spoons (or to taste) Pesto to each bowl and mix in
Sprinkle with a little bit of Parmesan Cheese and Pine Nuts

Pesto Sauce 

1/4 cup organic walnuts

1/4 cup organic pine nuts (or pinons if your from NM :)

3 tablespoons chopped garlic
5 cups fresh organic basil leaves, packed (my mother in law grows LOTS of organic Basil it grows like a weed so let me know if you need any :)

Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups good  organic olive oil

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan ((I usually use A LOT less....maybe about a 1/3 of a cup and can not tell the difference)

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of your food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Process for 15 seconds.

Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper.

With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed.

Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute.

Harvest Salad

2 large bags organic mixed baby greens salad

1 organic red apple (i prefer gala)

1 cup glazed organic walnuts (I just glaze them myself on the cook top with sugar) but you can buy them at TJ

3/4 cup goat cheese

1 cup organic dried cranberries

Just throw it all together....if you don't know how to make a salad with the above ingredients at this point but plan on making the other two recipes above there is no hope for you. :)

I do my own dressing as well....soy/gluten free dressings are few and far between at the grocery store.  Again I just kind of throw stuff together in a salad dressing container.  Mix 1 cup organic olive oil, 1 cup raspberry vinegar, about a tablespoon dried organic Basil and a tiny bit of sugar....violently shake and modify to taste and your done.   

Pink Chicken Yum!  Season with 21 season salute to taste.

 Glazed Walnuts.  VERY EASY TO BURN if you do not constantly watch them!!!!

 Finished Pesto Pasta Deliciousness

 Harvest Salad and Dressing

 Marc, Chris and Ari Carving Pumpkins. 

 Danielle and I relaxing watching ASU put the smack down on CO

 Chris' Dbacks Pumpkin and Ari and Marcs Kitty Pumpkin

And a special treat for everyone!!!  Literally the cutest child you will ever see... Emily my Niece/God Daughter in her Halloween costume in NM.  Raarrrr!!!!

TREAT YO SELF!

Todays motto was taken from one of the best shows on TV lately...PARKS AND REC!   

Everyone deserves to Treat Yo Self!  So today I am starting my own TREAT YO SELF 2011!  Manicure....TREAT YO SELF....Cocktails....TREAT YO SELF....New sewing software for my machine....TREAT YO SELF...  beautiful, overpriced sweater dress that I may never ever get to wear in AZ because it is so hot here still from Nordstroms...TREAT YO SELF!

So get out there today and do something nice for yourself!  We all deserve a day like this!  :)



Girls Trip!

Last weekend we had the most amazing girls trip for the Lacombe/Clarno nuptials to Portland!  I loved every second of the entire trip and it was nice to actually spend some qt with my old partner in crime LIBBI (as well as the other girls)!!!!  We flew into Portland last Saturday morning and the debauchery had already started by 7:30am!  Sara and I were upgraded to first class and enjoyed free snacks and cocktails the entire way!  I love Oregon (Pinot Nior)  and the wedding was gorgeous! CONGRATS LIBBI AND AARON!  Here are some pics from the weekend!

Arizona girls:

In downtown Portland:

 Looking chic in the lobby before some pre wedding football:
WELCOME to TROUTDALE!

Sean just being hilarious behind us:

Listening to hard core rap taking a pic with my friend Sara:

The bride and groom!  Libbi and Aaron Clarno!

I was very sad to miss 2 other weddings we were invited to last weekend.  My family represented at both weddings...I had the Lefflers at the Mceuen/Anderson nuptials and the Griegos at the Jenks/McNichols nuptials.  Congrats to my favorite cousin Audree and Brett as well as our AMAZING friends Marc and Danielle!!!!  I heard both ceremonies were BEAUTIFUL! xo

Last but not least I have some very sad news for everyone.  If you have not already heard....the Dbacks are no longer making a run in the playoffs.  The sad reality hit me hard this morning when while doing laundry I came across Chris' favorite Dback t shirt.  After shedding a tear I apprehensively threw it in the washer.  We did not want to chance anything this year and since every game we went to the Dbacks won (seriously)  Chris became very superstitious.  I had not washed his Dbacks shirt since the middle of September. We had gone to several games in September and 2 in October and Chris wore the same shirt, dirty, every time!  I mean its hard to be your favorite teams lucky charm....now I guess we learned our lesson and are going to have to start traveling with the team next year.  Thanks for an AMAZING season boys!

I hope Prince Fielder really gets bit by a snake.
Oh and I LOVE YOUR RYAN ROBERTS!  :) 

xo

Is A Gentleman With A BROSTACHE Invited To This Party?

OF COURSE!!!!!!  Duh.  I love this app!!!

So it has been a crazy few weeks!  We had my good friend Tiffany come visit and a big football party 2 weekends ago.  I had to dog sit for 2 of my friends so Kiki also had her own football party.  Luckily, Kiki owns 11 Jerseys (5 NFL, 4 NCAA, 1 MLB and 1 NBA) that she was able to share with her little furry friends so they could get in the NFL spirit as well.  We invited our good friends to an amazing dinner the night before the party at a restaurant called Uncle Louies in North Scottsdale.  If you have not been there...get there....its AHHH-MAZING!

Last weekend I went home to Albuquerque for my FAVORITE time of year, The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.  My father was a hot air balloon pilot and this event holds a VERY special place in my heart.  I surprised my little brother and sister with a brick memorializing my father at Balloon Fiesta Park.  Mark my words one day my little brother Richie and I will become pilots and get our own balloon! 

My niece Emmy also enjoyed the Fiesta.  She could not stop staring at the "BAWOONS" for even one second as is apparent in the photo below.  Her favorite was the shark balloon in which she insisted on calling BABY BELUGA!   It was so much fun!!!!

On a sad note I would just like to give Mike Locksley the farewell he deserves.  Who knew the former UNM Lobo Football Coach would go out in such a classy way?  I mean honestly.  Thanks for winning 2 games out of 28....That's what Charlie Sheen calls "WINNING!!!!!!" 

PS-KIKI still hates you!