Las Vegas, Nevada

April 28, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ 4 Comments

Las Vegas, Nevada | Yea Yea Pueblo What an exciting week we’ve had.

It’s been at least 17 years since I’ve been to Las Vegas, and though I’m over 21 this time — pregnancy limited my activities in the same way they did back in the late 90s. No drinking, and well — no gambling, but mainly because shopping was more fun. The Vegas nightlife wasn’t entirely lost on us, though. Isaac and I made our way out to the Mirage to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Love. I’ve been a die-hard Beatles fan since the last time I was in Vegas and this performance showcased tracks from every period of the Beatles discography. It was positively sensational! I would go again and again if price and location were no obstacle.

Las Vegas, Nevada | Yea Yea Pueblo I’m surprised I didn’t have the cops called on me while waddling my maternity body down the Fremont Street Experience with a virgin Margarita in hand. Fortunately, my teenage step-sister was in stride, with the same drink in hand. It must have appeared less incriminating to see a pregnant woman and a juvenile boozing in Las Vegas. I swear, contrary to appearance, they were alcohol-free!

Las Vegas, Nevada | Yea Yea Pueblo Margot was fascinated by the lights on Fremont. She probably thought she had arrived in some cartoon land, which may have been confirmed for her when a homeless-looking Elmo showed up for a photo-op. These street performers and impersonators were everywhere; their tip jars overflowed while happy tourists cheered them on.

Las Vegas, Nevada | Yea Yea Pueblo While in Las Vegas, we had a gender scan to find out whether or not our newest addition would be a boy or a girl. We were happy to discover that our baby will be bundled in blue this September. It’s a boy! We shopped extensively at the outlet malls, and strip malls for our baby boy, coming home with an additional suitcase full of baby boy clothes and toys. The excitement of a second child is finally setting in, and after returning home, the nesting process has officially begun. Margot has no idea what’s going on, except that there are toys in the closet that I won’t let her have.

Outside of the Las Vegas city limits, Red Rock Canyon National Park beckoned — we toured the park briefly, letting Margot see the landscape, and check out a few desert tortoises at the welcome center. Military families get a free membership to all of the National Parks. Those military discounts always put a spring in our step.

Las Vegas, Nevada | Yea Yea Pueblo Margot wasn’t used to all the sunshine yet. She was slathered in sunscreen, tucked under a sun hat, and hiding behind toddler sunglasses almost the entire time we were outdoors. I suppose some of that may have been the first-time-parent syndrome kicking in.

She’s walking a lot more these days, although she prefers to hang onto our hands above her head while she walks — she lacks the confidence to venture out on her own most of the time. She’s getting better at it every day.

On this trip, all of Margot’s grandparents agreed that she is one adventurous eater. Here at home, she eats anything we eat, from feta and salad, to lentils and curry. She really only rejects broccoli and meat — even then, it’s only on occasion. She ate her weight in berries, cheese sticks, and yogurt on this vacation; she even indulged in Southwest Salad, Chinese food and Cajun while we were sojourning. I hope her openness to different foods doesn’t end anytime soon.

Margot also swam for the first time on this trip. It was nerve-wracking for me, probably because I’m a chronic worrier. She fared well, but preferred dry land overall.

She’ll miss all the attention and additional playmates she had while visiting family in Las Vegas and Oklahoma City. Peek-a-boo with her aunt Kelli, and chase with grandma Mimi solicited baby giggles that could end a war. We’ll try to keep her occupied half as much as her family in the lower-48 did, but they are a tough act to follow.

Las Vegas, Nevada | Yea Yea Pueblo I’ll post photos from Margot’s Zoo visit in Oklahoma City soon — there are even a few I took while we fed goats on a farm near her Great Uncle Sam’s house.

Babies on vacation — that’s some pretty adorable exploration.

Raspberry Orange Muffins

March 31, 2014 ~ Crystle ~ Leave a comment

Raspberry Orange Muffins Recipe

Orange Zest The days have been getting longer and longer since the winter solstice back in December, when we saw only a few hours of daylight. Today we have roughly 15 hours of daylight, which will steadily increase until the summer solstice where the sun will only disappear for a couple of hours. These are wild extremes that we live, way up here.

With winter in the rear view mirror, the landscape has changed slightly each day that the temperatures has risen above freezing. South-facing rooftops have little to no snow remaining, main roads are as clear as they were before the snow fell, and the deep snow drifts that covered our yards all winter are now slowly receding; all signs of the coming Summer. The temperatures weren’t what bothered me most about our first Fairbanks winter — it was the lack of daylight. Now that the sun is shining brightly I feel compelled to wear sandals and skirts, and drink iced green tea, even though the temperatures still hover in the mid-thirties. The rest of the town is in the same mood. Pedestrians in shorts, kids on bikes, men scraping the last bits of ice from their driveways; these are all elements of the slushy spring break-up I’ve been hearing all about.

It’s wonderful.

Raspberry Orange Muffins Recipe

It’s a coincidence, too, just as I exit the first trimester of pregnancy that the sun should be shining so brightly. My food aversions are nearly all gone, and I’m back to eating healthier foods. The gloomy cloud of winter was prolonged by my first trimester, and now that the sun has broken through, things are looking up.

We’re heading to Anchorage this weekend for a Maternity photo session (a client’s, not mine), then off to Las Vegas and OKC for some shopping, eating, and family time. Later this month we find out if we’re having a boy or a girl, then it will practically be summer! Picnics, hikes, dog walks, cook outs — I’ve missed all these things while the snow has inundated our world.

We’re going to try to make the most of this summer, mosquitoes be damned.

These muffins are the perfect embodiment of my current mood and circumstance. They’re zesty, sweet and tart; their flavors swarm and whelm you, just like the warm spring after a long, tedious winter. I’ll keep this recipe on-call until the height of summer pulls me into another culinary direction.

Raspberry Orange Muffins

Recipe Type: Breakfast

Author: Crystle

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 12

Zesty, sweet and tart, these muffins shine brightly on the breakfast table.

Ingredients

2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1/3 cup orange juice
2/3 cups greek vanilla yogurt or one six ounce container
1/3 canola oil
2-3 teaspoons grated orange zest, from about one orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 6oz box of fresh raspberries

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375F.
Line a muffin tin with paper cups, or grease with baking spray.
Stir together dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl until no brown sugar clumps remain.
Combine egg, orange juice, greek vanilla yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla in large mixing bowl on low speed. Slowly add in the flour mixture until incorporated. Add raspberries and mix until the raspberries have broken up, do not over mix.
Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, filing each until 3/4 full.
Bake 20-22 minutes until golden brown and they pass the toothpick test (comes out clean).
Cool in pan for several minutes, serve warm or cooled completely.

Notes

Sub in all-purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour, if you prefer. [br]I threw in extra sugar for this recipe since the first batch ended up a little too acidic from the orange juice and zest. If you prefer to cut back, you can get by with 2/3 cup brown sugar instead.[br]Recipe adapted from Driscoll’s.

Homemade Iced Vanilla Latte

June 4, 2013June 4, 2013 ~ Crystle ~ 4 Comments

I’m too caught up in the weather. I have a dozen or so cities saved into my weather checker favorites so I can regularly envy someone else’s weather. Santa Fe, NM, Bakersfield, CA, Oklahoma City, OK; you all seem to be having warmer weather than Washington State. I by no means miss the warm weather, but I do miss enjoying a cold beverage on a hot day, or walking out of an icy-cold movie theater into the sweltering summer heat. Those are the fondest memories I have of beating unbearable summer heat.

In honor of those missed (or hopefully, upcoming) summer days I’ve whipped up a delicious iced coffee drink; a subtle reminder that the seasons are changing. It’s brilliantly simple, and positively refreshing.

Iced Vanilla Latte Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Cold Brew Concentrate:

1 cup fresh ground espresso roast coffee (or the equivalent of making 8-10 cups in your coffee maker) – must be dark!

Cold water, enough to cover the grounds and fill the french press to the brim.

For the Latte:

One extremely generous splash of Vanilla Creamer, or a few pumps of vanilla syrup if you’ve got it. As you can see, I like my coffee drinks VERY WHITE.

1/2 or 1 cup cold milk, I use 2% — again according to preference

1/2 – 1 1/2 cups cold brew coffee concentrate, depending on how strong you like your coffee beverages

One small splash of half and half (optional)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cold brew, grind espresso beans in grinder according to manufacturer directions. I use the setting to ration out grounds for 8 cups of coffee. Pour grounds into French press, add cold water to saturate the beans completely. Fill French press with water, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow coffee to steep for 8-16 hours at room temperature.

Then use French press plunger to separate the grounds from the brew. Pour into container with a lid to store in the fridge. I used a clean Nalgene water bottle.

Fill glass with ice, pour your preferred amount of coffee concentrate over ice. Add milk, creamer, vanilla extract and half and half, if using. Stir, and enjoy!