Mt. Hood

I wrote this blog two weeks ago...so sorry for the dated info, but I wanted to post it so people knew about our trip to Mt. Hood!  So here you go...

I have so much to blog about and my temptation is to write it all in a single blog, but I am going to have some self control and write about one subject at a time.

Mike was supposed to be gone on a business trip last week, Wednesday - Friday.  His boss ended up getting sick and his family was sick, so they ended up not traveling to California.  Yay for us!  I was not looking forward to Mike leaving again. 

On Tuesday morning last week I was talking with some parents at Tommy's preschool as we were waiting for the kiddos to get out of school and they had taken their kids up skiing over President's Day weekend.  I thought what a fun idea and Tommy is definitely the age I want to start him skiing since I was 4 when I started skiing.  So then daydreaming, I thought wouldn't it be nice to go up to Mt. Hood during the week and have the mountain not be crowded at all.  Then Mike called me and said basically the same thing - although not skiing, just general mountain fun.  So spur of the moment we were headed to Mt. Hood on Thursday last week for the night.  Mike's wonderful cousin Mary Jo came and stayed with Jesse and Molly (the dog and cat respectively).  We packed dinner - meatloaf and a mashed potato casserole - for Thursday night since we were staying in a condo at Resort at the Mountain that had a full kitchen. 

We were able to check in early to the condo on Thursday, which was great because Morgan needed a nap.  The condo was great!  It was two bedroom two and two and a half bath condo with a kitchen and a full washing machine and dryer.  Morgan took a nap and then woke up early so we headed up to Timberline.

We had cheese fondue and beers for a late afternoon snack.  The kids had great hot chocolate.  It was a great atmosphere and made me wish we were staying there.  Morgan was able to meet the Lodge's St. Bernard puppy.  Then of course Mike (the softie) went to the gift shop and bought both Morgan and Tommy a stuffed St. Bernard puppy.

We headed back to the condo and prepared the dinner we brought from home...meatloaf, a mashed potato casserole and asparagus.  Yumm.

We also decided that we needed to stay another night.  It was so much fun to have a mini-spur-of-the-moment vacation that I just wanted to keep hanging out.  So Mike checked with the front desk and we were able to stay!  Yay! 

So the next morning we got up and headed to Summit Ski Area and went intertubing.  Morgan made it down the hill once with me in tow...and Tommy and Mike made it down the hill three times!  They had fun, but then it was time for hot cocoa.  So we sat and enjoyed our hot chocolate. 

We went back to the condo for lunch and naps.  Then we made Carbenerra pasta for dinner.  It was super yummy and totally what I remember from being over in Black Butte as a kiddo during the winter.  It was fun to share that with the kids.

The next morning, our friends the Mitchells came up to enjoy the snow with us.  We had a great time sledding on the golf course by the condo, but as noon approached, it was time to pack up the condo and checkout.  We went to the Zig Zag Inn and all the kids and I had grilled cheese sandwiches and the adults mostly had burgers.  The pizza there looked really good so if we go back I will definitely order pizza.

Time to head home and all-in-all it was one of the best trips we have had as a family.  Really fun just hanging out!

Cheers to spur of the moment trips!

Nervousness

I sit here tonight and my thoughts are consumed with The Shamrock Run tomorrow.  I signed up back in October for the 8K race (5 miles) and thought of course I will be ready.  I have been training and running every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday since then, but I am still nervous. 

I have been training with my friend Sara Monterossi and she has stuck it out with me during freezing weather, ice on our paths, paths being flooding and pretty much everything else you can imagine.  We have been really consistent and have improved so much...the first time we ran 2:30 and walked 2:30 - eight times, we thought we were going to die.  On Thursday we ran for 25 minutes, walked 1 minute and ran for 25 more.  So I think we are ready. 

But of course then my thoughts turn to running up Broadway.  While it does not seem like a big incline, I am scared to death of it.  When I used to work downtown I would walk up that street and it is definitely an incline.  So I am VERY intimidated...now of course I am not running the 15K that is up Terwilliger because I know I could not make that...it would take me the entire year to train for that.   So my current challenge is conquering my fear of running up Broadway - as well as knowing I just need to run at my own pace, not be disappointed in myself.

So wish me luck...I will try to take as many pictures as I can and post tomorrow/Monday :)

Cheers to conquering my fears and the beer post-race!

Salmon Cakes

Okay so I made the Salmon Cakes listed on this blog:

http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/recipe-for-asian-flavored-wild-salmon.html#more 

for dinner tonight and they were SUPER yummy!  Morgan even ate them...Tommy not so much, but eventually he will get there :)

I put them on Portland's French Bakery's Pub Buns and then we had brown rice and asparagus.  All-in-all a good meal.

Also I wanted everyone to know I am SUPER thankful that Mike is staying home Wed-Friday instead of traveling down to California!  YAY Mikey!  :)

Introduction to Grilling Class

Mike loves to grill, BBQ and smoke pretty much any meal that we have.  Of course he also likes to cook in the kitchen, but since we have 6 grilling/smoking apparatuses, he likes to put all of those to use.  I also like to grill - I am not that fancy, but I can grill a mean chicken breast, flank steak or hamburger patty on the gas grill.  We grill year round...we are not just summer grilling people, we grill in the rain and cold temperatures - mainly because it is one of the easiest and cleanest ways to cook! 

So last summer Mike and I were talking and thought it might be a fun idea to offer a "Introduction to Grilling Class" because so many people call Mike asking questions throughout the summer.  Plus I think it would be a great class for many of my mom friends because it is such an easy and clean way to cook.  Yesterday I started thinking and revisiting this idea because I grilled some chicken breasts to put in the Sour Cream Enchiladas I posted about yesterday.  It was so easy and I was thankful I knew how to grill the chicken. 

Yesterday, I started with an outline for the class and book that would accompany the class.  I do need to do my research on what permits we would need to actually host this type of class and we will need to do some sort of test class for some of our friends and family to see if it actually would work.  So the following are items I need to work on and I will keep you updated as to the progress:

• keep working and revising the Grilling Class Outline and Book
• figure out permits, insurance and other legal items that we might need to host these classes at our house
• put together a "sample" class or two and obtain feedback on how the class is structured and if it is helpful or not
• figure out what it costs us to hold the class and what we should charge for a class like this

Please let me/us know if you like this idea...what you would like to learn, etc.

I am also excited for the other classes that we could develop in a Grilling/BBQ series...Tragger Smoking Class, Grilling Pizzas Class, Summer BBQ Party Class...really the possibilities are endless! 

Cheers to a new fun project! 

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

These were a standard in my house growing up.  They are outstanding and you can make double the recipe and freeze one for later.  SUPER Yummy!

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Serves 5-6 (but can be easily doubled)

This recipe is a great one from my Mom.  I think it might have originated with Marilyn Herb, but I give my Mom credit for giving it to me.

Sauce (Mix together):

1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup

½ pint of sour cream

1 sm. can chopped green chilies

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1 can sliced black olives, drained

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves(cooked – I usually grill the chicken) and chopped up into bite size pieces)

12- corn tortillas (softened in oil – I use a skillet and pour a few Tbsp of veg. oil heat until when you put in the tortilla in it bubbles – then put tortilla in the oil, flip and place on a plate with papertowel, then repeat – so use a papertowel in between each tortilla to soak up the extra oil)

¾ lb. cheddar cheese

¾ lb. mozzarella cheese

Fill each tortilla with 1 Tbsp. sauce and 1. Tbsp cheese and chicken chunks on top.  Roll and place seem down in casserole dish.  Cover with remaining sauce and cheese on top.

Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes.

Freezes well, but thaw before baking.

Kauai

A lot of people ask me about trips to Hawaii and I previously posted about our trip to the Big Island (Hawaii), but one of my favorite other spots is Kauai.  I typed up an email to a friend who was considering Kauai, so I thought I would share that too:

Here are my thoughts on Kauai:

A great general Poipu site is: http://www.poipubeach.org/

When we were growing up, we would always stay in Poipu which is down on the southern coast of the island.  I always wanted to stay at the Kiahuna Plantation condos: http://www.kiahuna-vacation.com/ They are beautiful and a shorter walk to the beach than the place we used to stay, listed below.

We stayed at the Poipu Kapili (pre 1991 Hurricane), but we loved it!  It was a nice pool and a fine walk to the beach.  http://www.poipukapili.com/  We used to stay there as a family when I was growing up.  It was a great property and I really have great memories of it.

About 4 ½ years ago – just pre-Tommy we stayed with a group of friends in a condo complex called the Poipu Kai.  I would probably not recommend it…it was really far from the beach and nothing special.  The condo was nice, but I think you could get closer to the beach.

Also a great hotel that is right on the beach in Poipu is the Sheraton: http://www.sheraton-kauai.com/ And if you are single and want to be pampered – it might be nice to do the hotel thing (depending on your budget). 

I have also heard great things about things North of Lihue (the airport), but I have never stayed up there.

Cheers to people going on vacation...and my recommendation if you go with kids, take a nanny, family member or babysitter...it helps tremendously with the "vacation" aspect of it all!

Playroom vs. Family Room

The playroom has been started and mostly finished!  We sold the dining room table last weekend and then headed to Ikea this weekend to buy the furniture/baskets.  Here is what the dining room used to look like:

So pretty basic dining room.  I was never a big fan of this dining room set, so I must say I was VERY happy to see it go.  So when I was thinking of what I wanted to do with my "playroom", I decided I needed to get shelving and some sort of storage. 

I turned to my friends - first I asked my dear friend Beth Kershner where they got the black cubed storage shelving that they have in their playroom.  She let me know they bought it at Ikea.  Then I read my lovely friend Stephany Taddeo's blog (which if you are interested in an awesome blog, you should subscribe) and while being an amazing mom and person also happens to be an interior designer - she described her living room that she turned into a playroom/guestroom.  So I completely copied her design, except for the guestroom part.  So Steph, sorry that I copied your design, but it looked so perfect for our needs, I had to - copying is the best form of flattery right?  :)  And let me tell you if we ever remodel/redesign our house, I am going to Steph first because she has amazing ideas!!!

So here is part of the transformation:

Things I still need to do:

• have Mike secure the bookcases to the wall
• get the chalkboard labels from Pottery Barn Kids for the baskets to keep organized
• get two large baskets from Pottery Barn Kids for stuffed animals and over sized toys
• unload the large wicker basket that we used to use as our toy storage
• figure out what lighting I want because we currently have a brass chandelier and that does not necessarily go in a playroom
• find new artwork for the room
• put up the video monitor so I can be in the kitchen/family room and still see what the kiddos are doing

The nice thing about this transformation is we get our family room back...it is no longer just a pile of toys here and there...the giant black coffee table has been moved back to it's original location pre-kiddos.

I am also excited because I feel like I can now have play dates and there is a place for the kids to play and the adults to sit.

So cheers to keeping my resolution of getting more organized!


Sidenote:
I am a huge fan of holding dinner parties and the way we have the new "play room" set-up, I can move furniture around and still have dinner in this room.