snow snow snow

Last Thursday night, we almost died.

If I'm being really honest, we just almost slid into a ditch, and "almost" is kind of an extreme term for the situation, but it was still really scary.

We knew snow was rumored that night, and were really hoping for it!
Almost everyone around school left at 3pm, when the supposed flurries were scheduled to begin. No one wanted to be caught in the snow storm!
In Lynchburg, snow may as well mean Armageddon. People get crazy.

When Dusty came to pick me up, it went from a cloudy/rainy day, to this in a matter of minutes.

It was really intense.
But also really beautiful, really exciting, and really dangerous!

The drive home was precarious, at best. We couldn't see a thing. The inside of the windshield was fogging, so we had the defrost blasting on cold and were constantly wiping down the window to keep it clear.
The snow was falling in huge clumps and clogging up the windshield wipers.

By the time we got to our street, we could see a little bit better but the roads were really slick.

Lucky for us, the road leading to our apartment is dark and treacherous.

As we approached the last turn onto our street, the two cars in front of us began to do a little dance.
A dance called the sliding-on-ice-toward-death. The Slide and Ditch.
As the second car began to slide down the ice toward the ditch on the left, (while I'm screaming "NO! NO! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, what? Whatdowedo, arewegonnadie!? We can't get stuck here!") the preppy passenger jumps out and falls painfully about 6 times, his Target hoodie flapping uselessly, before reaching our car window and warning us boldly, "Hey, that's all ice."
What a hero.

He then continued to run and fall past us, and was never seen again.
Maybe he was an angel.

Anyway, we both started just praying out loud. Really loud, panicky prayers with lots of word repetition. Somehow I don't think God cares as much about creativity in those situations.
Dusty drove the car as far to the right as he could, without going over into the other ditch. We slid a few times going up the hill, but managed not to hit any of the obstacle-course cars that were parked with their hazards on in various locations along the way.
I was very fearful of a pinball game type scenario taking place.
We reached the apartment complex, but knew we couldn't go all the way down the hill to our apartment. It was too steep, and way too dangerous.
We parked on even ground, and walked the rest of the way huddled underneath our umbrella. It had mostly stopped snowing at that point, and everything was quiet and beautiful.

I decided I hate when it's snowing but I love when there's snow. 
Is there a way to arrange that?

The rest of our night consisted of making our favorite pasta sauce recipe (the secret is the splenda!), and pretending we were fancy with some olive oil, balsamic, fresh ground pepper and pesto/butter covered toast.
And now that small salad and apple I had for lunch seems ridiculous. 

We stayed in our pajamas on the couch in front of our space heater, watching TV.

The next morning was bliss.

The University was delayed until 11am, so we enjoyed the beauty all around us while we slowly got ready.

The blizzard the night before was totally worth the snow-covered paradise we got to enjoy the next day!

Oh wait -- it's not Fall? I guess we should take our wreath down...

It took us about 20 minutes to chip away all the stubborn ice from our car. It wasn't a fluffy soft snow...it was very thick and icy, and our car was buried in its igloo embrace.

It's all melted now, although it's in the 20's today and walking outside makes me feel like anything thinner than my thighs is going to break off like peanut brittle.

The forecast is predicting more snow for Friday - and I don't mind one bit!
As long as I can stay inside while it's actually snowing, and then walk around in it in the sunshine.
That's the best.

In love,
Cait

Fall Treats: Caramel-Filled Apple Cider Cookies

Holy mamajama, I have found a taste of heaven.

If you love Fall, caramel, heaven, apples, sugar, meltiness, apple cider, crisp leaves, cold weather, and a hot cup of tea, this recipe is for you. 

Last night, the law wives had a cookie swap!
Our friend Stephanie hosted the event in her home, and we were all instructed to bring 5 dozen cookies of our favorite homemade cookie recipe.
I wanted to try something new and tasty, and I somehow stumbled upon this beauty on Scrambled Henfruit's blog. (I think I serendipitously met with it on Pinterest, via God's divine design.)

Caramel-Filled Apple Cider Cookies

If you love your family, or even if you just love yourself, make these cookies immediately.

They are so easy and delicious. Also? They MUST be eaten hot so you have a direct order to eat them right out of the oven.

Ingredients:
1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 box (7.4 oz) Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 bag of Kraft Caramels (14 oz)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
3. Cream together the butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packets of cider mix, until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well.
5. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture until just combined.
6. Refrigerate for about an hour (optional: but it makes it a lot easier to work with!)
7. Scoop out cookie dough (about a Tablespoon's worth) and flatten slightly into the palm of your hand, then press a caramel into the center and seal the dough completely around it.
8. Place onto the parchment-covered cookie sheets 2 inches apart.
9. Bake 12-14 minutes until very lightly browned. DON'T over-bake!
10. Once done, slide the parchment straight onto the counter and let cool. When they're beginning to firm but  are still slightly warm, carefully twist them off of the parchment and finish cooling them upside down.

I would alter step number 10, and edit it to "when they're beginning to firm but are still slightly warm, stuff them into your mouth."


This batch will make about 4 dozen, so you'll definitely have leftovers, unless you're really quick at eating a ridiculous amount of cookies, or you're having a party of people greedily waiting around the oven to eat them while they're still warm.

Once the cookies have cooled, the caramel will firm up again. So it's best to either microwave them, or (like the fabulous blogger from Scrambled Henfruit suggested) set them atop a steaming cup of tea until the steam begins to melt the caramel in a haze of poetic deliciousness.

I took them to the law wives cookie swap yesterday, and I won Tastiest Cookie!!

Can you believe it?? Out of ALL SIX people, I actually won.

Stephanie's home is absolutely wonderful. She has flawless taste. One of my favorite parts is this corner in her kitchen!

They made this little extra bar from scratch, and it now is the perfect place for a serving station.

I also love her anthro-chic shelf above it!

She had homemade whipped cream for our hot chocolate, and let's just say, we were all on a sugar high.

She even made goodie bags of fresh pomegranate chocolate bark.
Best hostess award.

 And I am now much happier at work.

 What a great night!

I hope you all try the Apple Cider Cookies -- and if you do, let me know how addicted you are!

In love,
Cait

comfort food

I love the concept of comfort food.
Comfort food is completely tailored to each individual, and has everything to do with how and where they grew up.
It can range from french fries to fried chicken, from potato soup to mac and cheese.
Or if you're fancy, maybe it's shrimp or lobster or steak.
For me, my comfort food is Top Ramen. I know, go ahead and groan, go ahead and talk about the high levels of sodium and the potentially indigestible properties of the pre-packaged pasta delights. I don't care.
I was in a car crash last night, and the first thing I did was go home and curl up on the couch and eat a bowl of chicken Top Ramen with Tabasco sauce. (It's okay, you can groan again). Then I fell asleep to re-runs of How I Met Your Mother, because I was so comforted.

When you're functioning on leftovers and cheap foods, it's amazing the kind of cheap and easy throw-together meals you can create. Like crackers and spray-cheese, they get the job done.

Like
Cabbage Salad:

Why it's comforting: soy sauce and vinegar, and the delightful crunch.


For non-cabbage lovers, this will be a no-go. Because if you haven't noticed, it's a salad made completely of raw cabbage.
(Although I think this may be very tasty eaten hot, with fried or steamed cabbage, as well).


Ingredients:
Cabbage
Carrots
Mango
Lime
Soy Sauce
Red Wine Vinegar
Pepper

Directions: 
Chop up everything until your bowl is full, and sprinkle with lime, soy sauce and red wine vinegar.
Dash with fresh ground black pepper.
Voila!

This satisfied all of my cravings, while being extremely low calorie, which is very odd for "comfort food". It had the salty sourness of soy sauce and lime, as well as the delightful sweetness of mango and the pleasant crunch of cabbage and carrots. The perfect raw salad.


You could also go for the
Tilapia Sloppy Joe


Now don't gross out on me. I promise, it was good. I had two of them, they were so yummy!
My pictures are on my laptop at home, so maybe I'll add those later. But just trust me on this.


My original plan was to make tilapia patties, because I was craving a burger/fish taco. Sometimes cravings get mixed up in transit.
But I didn't have any eggs, so I knew it would be difficult to make a patty mix that would stay together. So I improvised.


Ingredients:
2 tilapia filets
1/2 fresh chopped tomato
Bread crumbs/crushed potato chips (I'm so creative/unhealthy)
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Fresh ground pepper
Crushed Red Pepper flakes
Chili Powder
Whole wheat hamburger/sandwich buns (I'm back in the healthy zone)

Directions:
Finely chop your tilapia filets (this might be easier if you cook them a little bit in the skillet first). Toss together with your chopped tomatoes, bread crumbs and a little bit of oil.
Sprinkle as desired with garlic salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and chili powder. (For me, the spicier the better!).
Throw into your skillet with some more olive oil, and fry them until thoroughly cooked. Scoop the mixture onto the bun, add ketchup, and consume.

The result is a crumbly, deliciously comforting "Sloppy Tilapi". I don't regret it, no matter what people may say.

These are my musings for the day. Sometimes, comfort food is what ya need for dinner.
Be creative, but don't feel bad if Top Ramen is on tonight's menu. Oh, and Taco Bell. Don't let anyone judge you for Taco Bell.

In love,
Cait

the luck of the irish

Did you know I'm Irish?

Yes, I know, I'm American. But you know how it is. Americans like to spice things up a bit, by claiming their largest fraction of whatever-it-might-be as their true heritage and just running with it.

Well, we've been running with our Irish side for as long as I can remember.

My maiden name is O'Neil. I just love O'Neil. I love the way it sounds, love the way it looks. It was a fantastic name to have for 22 years, and I'm proud to be a part of that family -- just as I'm proud and excited to be a part of a new family name for the rest of my years!

(I'm not one of those girls who won't take my husband's last name. I have some thoughts and theories on those women, but I'll keep them to myself.)

We had THE BEST St. Patrick's Day party this past weekend.

We just decided to go for it, and have a big shindig with 4 other couples in our little cozy apartment. And I gotta say, I was totally pleasantly surprised with how lovely it was. I was a little stressed about how the flow would be, and about our lack of seating, but everything worked and it was great. It was so fun!

Luna was pretty at home with the Irish decor.

I utilized our computer chair,
fabbing it up with a soft blanket and pillow :)

Balloon chandelier!

I tried the fun Pinterest technique of putting a marble in a balloon, and hanging a bunch of them from the ceiling. Worked like a charm!

ON THE MENU:

Appetizers:

Dubliner Cheese (imported from Ireland), grapes, green apples, and kiwi.

Green hummus, with celery or pita chips. 

Main Course:

Guinness Stew, with Colcannon

Specialty Drink: 

"No"jitos! Yummy lime/mint soda drinks.

Dessert: 

Mint Brownies. Mmmm.

How adorable are these kiwis,
cut into shamrocks with a cookie cutter? :)

Shamrock confetti, and chocolate cold coins :)

A fabulous touch of "rainbow" added to the table!

 PS: I was wearing a black shirt with green jewelry, and let me tell you, I was bombarded with accusations. I was totally psyched at how spirited everyone was :)
And how dedicated they were to GREEN!
So I changed. :)

We all hung out for a while, and Allison mixed up our Nojitos while we all snacked and visited.

The whole apartment smelled so minty! Yum!

I was wishing I had a dinner bell to bring the boys inside to eat.

Once the Nojitos were done, and I could hear the tummies a growlin', I ran up and grabbed an Irish blessing to bless the food with.

I used the wedding blessing that my maid of honor read to us in her speech at our reception. Over Christmas break, she gave us the blessing in a beautiful gold frame. I thought it was fitting for the evening!

We were then ready to dig in. :)

I totally loved the Colcannon.

It's an Irish dish, made with mashed potatoes and kale.

One of the couples had brought it go with the stew, and it was the perfect addition! 

A big dollop of Colcannon, topped with Guinness stew, is an extremely delicious meal.

There's nothing like some soft, delicious mint brownies with vanilla ice cream to finish off a happy stomach!

I may as well introduce these couples to you.

I absolutely love any get-togethers that bring all of us girls together, but having the men along is always double the fun. We had some pretty goofy moments - and I love the photo booth style pictures we set up!

GREG AND ALLISON

A dynamite couple, with good looks and an adorable baby boy to boot.

Healthy, stylish, and athletic, this pair is the epitome of High School Sweethearts.

CHRIS AND HEATHER

Coffee, food, travel, and fitness -- all of these things are integral parts of the Chris/Heather combo!

A fun and outgoing pair, they're sure to liven up any get together with their energy and humor.

JOSHUA AND STEPHANIE

A power couple complete with style, taste, and culinary skill. (Stephanie reigns as Dessert Queen).

Their adorable pinch-his-cheeks baby boy is enough to make anyone grin, and they're a warm, happy family that is always a joy to be around. 

PHILLIP AND ERICA

Animal-loving, Catan-playing, fun-loving, well-read couple that is impossible not to love!

They're smart and kind, but it was their love of games and great books have made them top-notch in our book -- plus they're pretty much adorable.

DUSTIN AND CAITLIN

OH wait - that's us! Weird and awkward, we've somehow managed to snatch up all of these great friends. 

THE GIRLS

We are what make the parties great.

Make no mistake.

THE BOYS

They are what make us happy. :)

I hope you guys had a fabulous St. Patrick's Day, because I know I did! 

I love Irish things. I love St. Patrick. 

Show this off to your friends, as a no-booze way to party.

:)

xoxo

In love,

Cait