A Flavorful Adventure: April 2014

Recipe #1: Banana Pudding

I started my last year before thirty by making my birthday dessert. I love anything with bananas, but Jeremy is not a big fan so I rarely make banana treats because I don't want to have to eat the whole thing myself. For my birthday, however, I made Banana Pudding, complete with homemade vanilla pudding, vanilla wafers, and whipped cream. It was rich and delicious. Even Jeremy liked it, and it actually was better the day or two after I made it. I made a few tweaks to the original recipe. I used a whole vanilla bean instead of extract and I added the whipped cream on top to make it extra rich for my birthday. I also added a couple more bananas than it called for (to offset the whipped cream, of course)! Here's the recipe if you want to make it.

Recipe #2: Vanilla Ice Cream

I tried this recipe a week or so before my birthday, but wound up with inedible vanilla scrambled eggs. However, after the success of the vanilla pudding in my birthday dessert, I thought that I would give it another try. I'm so glad that I did! This ice cream (really more of a custard) is so rich that you only need a scoop to be satisfied, so we will be eating it for awhile. Judging by the "yums" coming from Jeremy, though, I think he'll be happy to eat it for weeks! Here is the link to the recipe.

Recipe #3: Garlic Kale Pasta

After the first two recipes, I thought that we needed something a little lighter, so I made this kale pasta. It has as much kale as pasta per ounce and you could make it with whole wheat pasta if you wanted to increase the nutritional value even more. It is super simple, and Jeremy and I both thought it was delicious. Here is the link to the recipe.

Forgive the pictures. I'm still trying to figure out how to take a decent picture in poor lighting. But trust me, these three recipes are delicious and definitely made it into our "It's A Keeper" pile. Keep watching the blog for a double Tucker Tuesday this week.

Tucker crawled for the first time this morning. It was a great birthday present. Yes, today is my birthday. I love birthdays, even my own. I don't quite understand why some people hate getting older, but I feel like it's a good chance to reflect on the previous year and prepare for the next one. I try to make each year better than the last. This year, I made a bucket list of things that I want to complete this year. Some will be easier than others. Some will be a lot of fun and some will just be something to accomplish. I love being able cross things off a list, so here are 30 things that I would like to cross off my list before I turn 30 next year. I'm planning on blogging the activities as I finish them, so you can follow along with me. If you'd like to join me on an outing or two, I'd love to have company. It's going to be a great year, folks! Here we go...

Finish Our Bedroom Wall and Entryway: I've been meaning to hang up some decorations and picture frames in our entryway since we moved in. I also need to finish the main wall in our bedroom. It's the last wall that we see when we go to sleep and the first wall that we see when we wake up, so I know I want it to be special family pictures. Now, I just need to do it!
Read 30 Books: If you are like my Mom, 30 books in a year doesn't seem like much of a challenge; she reads several books every week. I love to read, but don't always set aside time for it. I am going to try to read 30 books this year (not including Tucker's books).
52 new recipes in 52 weeks: I love to cook and bake, but I don't get a chance very often since Tucker was born. This year, I want to try to make a new recipe for every week of the year. Some weeks I will probably make several and other busier weeks may just be spaghetti or tacos, but by this time next year I will have 52 new recipes under my belt.
Meet with a Graduate School Advisor: I'm pretty sure that I would like to be a Nurse Practitioner at some point. I really like my job (which is why I commute over an hour each way), but I'm not convinced that I want to do it forever. I've picked the brains of my co-workers who are in school, but this year I am going to meet with an advisor to get more information.
Finish Some Scrapbooks: I love to scrapbook, but I don't always make it a priority. I've got several scrapbooks that I would like to complete this year including my pregnancy album, wedding album, Hawaii 2013 album, and our honeymoon album. All of these albums would total hundreds of pages, so I know that this is probably not going to be completed but I want to give it a good try. I'm trying not to be such a perfectionist, and I've tried a few different approaches to make it go a bit quicker.
Finish Tucker's Digital Photo Albums: I have so many pictures of Tucker from his first year, and I've started a digital album. I would really like to get it completed shortly after his first birthday, so that I can have a physical copy printed shortly after. I love looking back at pictures and seeing how much he's grown and changed.
Take Tucker camping: We never made it camping last year because I didn't feel like sleeping on the ground when I was in the third trimester of pregnancy, but I want to make it a priority to take Tucker this year. We love Lake Itasca State Park, but any campground will work. I can't wait for summer!
Get Back to Europe: Before we got married, I told Jeremy that I wanted to go to Spain before we had children. We spent 2 weeks of our honeymoon in Spain (and another week in Sweden for Jeremy). Then, as we waited half a year to close on our house (it was a short sale), we went back to Europe for three weeks. To say that I'm in love would be an understatement. I realize that Europe is a big place, but I've always loved our time spent there. We sit down to drink coffeeshop coffee from real coffee mugs, walk almost everywhere, dive into different cultures, and just generally slow down. I love the history that you feel while walking among buildings that are centuries old. I've wanted to get back since we left, and although he won't remember, I want to share it with Tucker.
Grow a Garden: I should clarify. I want to have a successful garden. I have several neighbors that grow big beautiful gardens, and I'm envious of the delicious, fresh vegetables that they must enjoy all summer long. Last year, we planted a garden with the understanding that my 9 month pregnant belly was not going to be getting down on the ground to weed a garden. Jeremy lost interest rather quickly, and our poor plants died. This year, I am going to stick with it.
Read an E-book: It is time for me to join the year 2014. I have never read an e-book before, so one of my 30 books will be read on our Google Nexus!
Spelunking in MN: Jeremy and I went spelunking while we were in South Dakota a few years ago. We had such a good time, and I've always thought it would be a fun weekend activity closer to home but just haven't ever followed through. There are a few caves that are open to the public in Minnesota and I want to check one out this year.
Finish the Playroom: Before Tucker was born, we swore that we wouldn't go overboard on baby stuff and toys. Well, that was before he was born. Most of his toys are hand me downs from friends, garage sales, or our town's biannual consignment sale. Nonetheless, we still have a lot of stuff, and I want to finish off the playroom so we have a place to put them.
Redo the Master Bathroom: Our master bathroom isn't terrible by any means, but we've been wanting to paint and add some storage since we moved in. We didn't get it done this winter, but I want it done in the next year.
Work on My Spanish: I've started using DuoLingo which is an app that helps you practice a language. I want to continue to practice my Spanish and maybe even take a course.
Take a Photography Class: There are so many photography classes available, and I've always wanted to take one. I am going to find one and improve my photography!
Start Learning Photoshop/Lightroom: I would like to begin to learn how to edit photos. I don't ever plan on being a professional, but I want to be able to do enough to fix an ok picture or to enhance the pictures that I plan to frame.
Run a 5K: I don't like to run, but this year I am going to try again. I have a goal of completing a 5K which doesn't seem like much, but I've never done it before and I want an attainable goal. I'm skeptical that I'll fall in love with running, but maybe I'll become a marathoner like my sister-in-law!
Find the Best Doughnut in Minnesota: I love doughnuts and want to find the best doughnut in Minnesota. I've got a couple places that I want to try out, but let me know if you've got a favorite spot.
Slap a Bare Chest with a Slippery Salmon: This sounds strange, and it probably is so I will explain. It's probably been 5 years since we've made this agreement, but I mentioned how I thought it would be funny to slap a bare chest with a big wet fish. Jeremy agreed that for my thirtieth birthday he would be my bare chest. Well, here we are a year away from my thirtieth birthday and I'm ready to slap my husband with a wet salmon.
Take a Community Ed Course: I always look through the community ed magazine that comes and see lots of classes that I would like to try, but I'm always too afraid to try it out by myself. This year, I am going to take a class (with or without a friend). Who knows, maybe I'll meet a new friend!
Pay Off My Student Loans: I told Jeremy when we were dating that I didn't want to bring any debt into our marriage, but he proposed anyway. :) Then, we decided to pay off his law school loans first. Then, I was put on leave from work before Tucker came. Then, Tucker was born. And now, it is time to get the last of my loan paid off! I'm paying extra to have it paid off by the end of 2014, and I'm excited! I hate having outstanding debt, and once this is paid off we will be down to just the house. Yay!
Make a Quilt: I have a sewing machine, but I don't really like to sew. There are lots of patterns that I would love to make, but there are so many other things that I prefer to fill my time with. When I was pregnant with Tucker, I had some issues and was taken off work for about a month. I was supposed to be taking it easy, so I did more sewing than I've ever done in my life. I made a dozen burp cloths and about a half dozen blankets. I'm really happy with the end products, but I don't love the process. However, I started a quilt about 3 years ago and this is the year that I'm going to finish it!
Start a Recipe Book: I love spending time in the kitchen. I like to cook and bake, and it is something that Jeremy and I used to do together before we had Tucker. I've been planning on compiling our favorite family recipes for a long time, but haven't actually done it. I'm not sure if I'll create a digital book or a physical book yet, but I want something that I can keep adding to as our family's favorites change. So many great memories start with food, and recipes are a great thing to pass on to future generations.
See a Ballet: A few years ago, my Dad said that he wanted to see an opera because he's never been to one before. I got him tickets to La Boheme for Christmas, and we went a few weeks later. We both enjoyed the experience and the time together. As I've been compiling this list, I realized that I've never been to a ballet before, so attending a ballet will be a goal this year. Wanna come with, Dad?
Try Stand-up Paddle Boarding: I really wanted to try when we were in Hawaii last February, but I didn't think it was worth the minor risk since I was 4.5 months pregnant. Now, stand up paddle boarding has made its way to Minnesota and I'm going to try it.
Milk a Goat: I love goats and goat cheese. I always make Jeremy check out the goats with me at the State Fair. This year, I want to take it up a notch and try milking one. Come on, you can't tell me that you've never thought about milking a goat or a cow! After breastfeeding Tucker for over 8 months at this point, I have a whole new appreciation for cows and goats. Anybody have a friend that owns milking goats?
Cross Country Skiing: I have lived in Minnesota my whole life and never cross country skied! I've been wanting to try it for awhile, but never want to get out in the cold winter to follow up on it, though. Next winter, I'm going to try it!
Fly in a Hot Air Balloon: It's romantic and kind of scary. I've watched them fly over Rochester my whole life and I've always wanted to give it a try. Maybe this will be the year.
Attend a Concert: I like going to concerts but I usually go on a whim if somebody has an extra ticket or if we see it at the last minute. This year I want to go to one that I normally wouldn't go to.
Go to a Saint's Game: We have a season ticket plan for the deplorable Twins. I've had it for 7 years and we've been to a lot of games, but I've never been to a St. Paul Saints game. I hear that they are a great time, so I would like to give it a try.

Honorable Mentions:
Attend the Olympics. There are no Olympics this year, but someday I will make this happen!
Get a Puppy. Someday, Jeremy and I will get a dog, but I think we will be busy enough with a one year old.
Get another cat (or 10). I think my husband would leave me if I added this to the list.
Have more babies (like 5 or so). Again, I think my husband would leave me if I added this to the list. Although, I might be able to sign him up for one.
Return to Haiti. It's just not an option for me right now with Tucker being so young. It's not a place that you can ever leave and feel like your work is done, but someday I would like to go back and continue the journey that I started there two years ago.
Rewatch Breaking Bad. It's time consuming, so I won't officially add it to the list. It's so good, though, that I might just rewatch it from the beginning.
Participate in a Flash Mob. Nobody wants to see me dance, and I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I do think they're pretty cool and hopefully one day I will get to witness one.