Third Move in 3 Years

We have moved again. It was a quick 10 months for us in Alabama and then we headed for another adventure. We moved back to Va. We thought this was where we would come after Marks schooling last year but it is the military and so nothing is for certain on how long or where you are going.

I am ready to put down some roots for the next couple of years. We have the kids in good schools and they seem to be enjoying it for the most part. We are busy. Busier then we have ever been before. Jonathan is in marching band and it requires lots of practices, games and competitions. The good news is that he loves it! The bad news is that our weekends are gone and most evenings too. I am so thankful that I get to be apart of the driving and watching my kids excel in there activities.

Anna is doing Cross County and really enjoying that as well. It is less of a time commitment and only has two meets and two practices a week. I am getting to help coach her age group and it is so much fun.
Hopefully I can be better about sharing recipes, photos and our family adventures.

Fall in Alabama

It has been a quick 3 months since our move to Alabama. We are really enjoying living in the South. I was a little worried when we first moved here and I discovered what humidity was like. YIKES! Since the temps have cooled and weather has changed, I am really liking it here. We are stationed with good friends from Montana so it has been so nice getting to spend time with there sweet family. I miss our friends from previous bases but have jumped in and gotten involved with the ACSC spouse's group. It is so much fun! I have been scrap booking, taken cooking classes at Williams Sonoma, learned some international dishes, helped with some outings and have even met some friends to run with. I am so thankful for this year with my family and the adventures we are getting to partake in. I am not saying it has been easy moving with a teen and almost 12 year old but am so glad we have this year as a family. Mark is home and not deployed! He has a great schedule and we are getting to run together, bike and he even bought a canoe to take the kids fishing. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and good friends coming to visit!

We made this soup for our cooking class and it was so tasty!

Sweet butternut squash and tart Granny Smith apples are enriched with cream and saffron in this savory soup. For a sit-down meal, serve the soup as a first course in warmed individual bowls. For a Thanksgiving buffet, present the soup in a warmed tureen so guests can help themselves. If desired, garnish the soup with croutons and a pinch of chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley or sage.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 Bermuda onion, chopped
• 1 butternut squash, about 3 lb.,
    peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and
    chopped
• 4 pinches of Spanish saffron threads, about
    1 tsp.
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. When the butter is foamy, add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until tender and translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the squash and stock, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Add the apples, saffron and nutmeg and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Using a food processor or a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the cream, and season with salt and pepper. Warm gently as needed.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and serve immediately.

Serves 12.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

 

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Changes

This has been a year of changes for our family. We left Ohio after 4 wonderful years and moved to a small town outside of DC. Mark started a new job, we found a church, the kids got involved in school activities, the kids got a puppy and we all started making friends. Then we found out some news. We are moving again! This SUMMER! To say the least we were shocked. Moving, again, so soon? I am so glad that we have complete trust in our God! For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (NIV Jeremiah 29:11) So the Friesen family is headed to Alabama this summer for 10 months. Mark has the opportunity to go become a student again! Not sure we will have lots of visitors at our new home but it is still always open to all of you. DC has been great and we have had lots of friends and family come see us so far.

A Perfect Evening

We had one of those perfect evenings on Saturday. It was a nice 85 degrees with light breeze. Perfect for grilling and eating outside. Mark loves backyard BBQ's and is always up for using his new grill. It has been so hot and humid in Va this summer.

 We made one of our favorite meals so far on the grill. We grilled fresh Alaskan salmon on cedar planks, wild rice salad (from my favorite Ina Garten), roasted green beans and a tomato, sharp white cheddar cheese bread pudding. It was so good! Our son tried his first piece of salmon ever and he is 12. Then he ate the entire piece. It is starting to cool off in Va. We are hoping for more evenings like this before school starts.

My Busy Spring

I have been having lots of fun staying busy with a million different things. I am happy to say that I have taken advantage of every opportunity to hang with friends, go shopping at my Pottery Barn Outlet, go running with friends and lots of coffee dates esp. Ghost Light. Our moving date is approaching so quickly. I ran my first 30 K trail race in March with a couple of friends. Loved the experience of running in San Francisco but came away with an injured knee. That led me to the next 6 weeks of little running, PT and lots of exercises to get my knee back on track. I had been training for my second Team In Training marathon called the Flying Pig. It came down to the wire and I wasn't sure if I could do the distance with my knee not being normal. After praying about it and talking to my Dr's I decided to forge ahead. I ran the race and finished in a fine time. It was such a different run then my last marathon. Because of my knee I knew that I wouldn't do any personal records but wanted to enjoy the experience of this race. I ran for my sister Steffy who is doing amazing. It was quite the emotional roller coaster for me. God is good even when we don't understand why things happen the way that they do. We are moving in 4 short weeks. I have been blessed with amazing friends that have supported and loved our family over the last 4 years. We are sad to go but excited to see where God leads us next.

Pioneer Woman's newest book

I love that you can make the topping ahead of time!

Yum!

Pioneer Woman's newest cookbook came out a few days ago. I want to make everything! I decided to try the Make Ahead Muffin Melts for dinner last night.  Be warned! Do not make these for your family for dinner on a night when you have to run 60 minutes of hills! I couldn't help myself from sampling a few too many bites of these before I headed out for my run. Lets just say that I didn't do so great on the run last night and leave it there. The muffin melts were divine. A great hearty and filling dinner for everyone. I did enjoy one when I got home at 8:30 last night. I just know to not make anything that tempting before a run. I halved the recipe and still had leftovers. Everyone enjoyed one for breakfast this morning.

A great way to start February by making Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies.

So happy that it is now February! January seemed like a really long month to me. I found this recipe today and couldn't wait to try it.  The dough turned out great and I can't wait to see how they taste. I might have to do a tasting of these with the kids when they get home from school.

The dough turned out really dark from using all brown sugar.

These cooled for 15 minutes before I took them off the pan.

My little book worm!

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup dark brown sugar; firmly packed
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate, cut in small coarse chunks (Lindt or Ghiradeli
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a mixer, cream the butter with both sugars until very well blended. Mix in the vanilla and the egg very well. Then fold in the salt, flour and chocolate chunks.
Form into small or large balls (walnut-sized or golf-ball-sized, as desired).
Place on the baking sheets and press down slightly. Bake on upper rack until done, about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on racks.
Makes about 2 dozen large cookies
Disclaimer-
I love fresh baked cookies from the oven. I froze half of the dough for a later use. I also let the cookies cool and placed them in ziplock bags to go with the kids lunches later on this week. We all tried a warm cookie with cold milk and loved them! Yum!