tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86933872024-03-14T05:06:13.753-05:00suz's musings<b>thoughts. reflections. recipes. photos. from the life of suz.</b>suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.comBlogger425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-32974823590932886922012-03-24T19:29:00.002-05:002012-03-24T19:30:02.826-05:00Happily Homemade: Fruity GranolaEver since I was served homemade granola by my friend Rachel during a visit to her place a while back, I've been kind of obsessed with making my own granola. I've poured over granola recipes. I've compared ingredients. I've experimented. I've accidentally allowed a couple batches to get a little too toasty. And I've eaten a lot of granola.
After all of that, I think I've finally landed on the suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-48430429780500963962012-02-16T10:17:00.000-06:002012-02-16T10:17:10.013-06:00Food for Thought: The Fear of the Lord
"Obviously, to be in the fear of the Lord is not to be scared of the Lord, even though the Hebrew word has overtones of respect and awe. 'Fear' in the Bible means to be overwhelmed, to be controlled by something. To fear the Lord is to be overwhelmed with wonder before the greatness of God and his love. It means that, because of his bright holiness and magnificent love, you find him 'fearfully suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-30597325287277622992012-02-14T12:17:00.000-06:002012-02-16T12:21:41.860-06:00A Photo Collage for my Valentine
Created on Shutterfly.comsuzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-11809627810650010132012-01-12T12:34:00.000-06:002012-01-12T13:47:42.067-06:00Spice DelightOne of the things my sweet Hubs gave me for Christmas was the gift of organization, in the form of a new system for storing my spices. The more I've delved into cooking over the past few years, the more spices I've collected. The collection outgrew my previous system (if you could call half my spices on a stair-step thing in the cupboard and the other half jumbled in a basket in my pantry a "suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-81303902588033445862012-01-09T17:39:00.002-06:002012-01-09T17:40:23.823-06:00Destination Date Night: MarrakeshWhen we got married, the Hubs and I set aside Friday evenings as our regular date night. Sometimes date night means we go out; sometimes it means we stay in and do something special together at home. For Christmas, I gave the Hubs a DVD set that I found at Costco: Jamie Oliver's Food Escapes. It's a 6-volume set in which Jamie Oliver (a.k.a. The Naked Chef) travels to various cities to experiencesuzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-65671574005209614832011-12-19T17:15:00.000-06:002011-12-19T17:15:00.322-06:00Christmas Song : Labor of LoveIt hit me this morning that Christmas is now less than a week away. That means the window of opportunity in which to complete preparations is narrowing quickly. Preparations not just related to traditions and festivities, like shopping and wrapping the rest of the presents, addressing and mailing our Christmas cards, and thawing the turkey for Christmas dinner (all of which remain on my To-Do suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-51808471841299253452011-12-15T18:09:00.000-06:002011-12-15T18:14:01.215-06:00Best. Appetizer. Ever.I don't remember exactly when I fell in love with bacon-wrapped dates, but I do know that from the moment I let that first scrumptious bite melt in my mouth with all of its warm, sweet and savory, fruity and bacony goodness, I have never been the same.
In the early years of my love affair with bacon-wrapped dates, I limited my encounters to infrequent visits to tapas restaurants (such as Cafe suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-45519135648980637152011-12-15T17:55:00.000-06:002011-12-15T17:55:15.961-06:00a new lookIf you've been here before, I'm sure you've noticed I've changed the design and spruced things up a bit. What do you think of the new look?suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-45529283243713646972011-11-04T14:34:00.018-05:002011-12-15T18:14:15.588-06:00Fall Foto FridayOkay, you caught me. I am retroactively posting this pic as last week's Fall Foto Friday (on the following Wednesday). Does it cut me any slack that the photo depicts where I happened to be last Friday? Well, anyway, here's a pic from my time down at Taylor last week, recruiting for WV during their World Opportunities Week. Scattered around Taylor's campus were quite a few of these bright red suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-50791492143224879952011-10-29T20:13:00.001-05:002011-12-15T18:14:26.016-06:00Pumpkin Chocolate Chip CookiesEver since my friend and former co-worker Tirzah shared this recipe with me, these cookies have become a MUST every time autumn rolls back around. I was asked to bring a dessert to a church function last night, and I knew these would be perfect. True to form, my plate of cookies was one of the first ones empty. That's just how good these cookies are. Make them and you'll see!
Ingredients: suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-12607525186201469102011-10-28T17:16:00.000-05:002011-10-28T17:16:26.806-05:00Fall Foto FridayHello, dear readers! Thanks for sticking with me through another unpremeditated blogging drop-off. When I originally proposed Fall Foto Friday, I failed to factor in that my upcoming vacation would mean I'd be unplugged for the following two Fridays. And then after that I was simply busy/lazy. But now I am back, and I intend to make up for those missed Fridays! Because while I wasn't posting, I suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-60749858881378321512011-09-30T13:00:00.001-05:002011-09-30T13:02:10.921-05:00Fall Foto FridayAs September melts into October, and the leaves are turning in earnest, and there's a new chill in the air, and I find myself with an insatiable appetite for all things pumpkin or apple, I've decided to celebrate the season (and goad myself into using my camera more) by instituting Fall Foto Friday. Enjoy!
Disclosure: Today's photo was taken last fall on an unseasonably warm October afternoon atsuzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-21213400778035327632011-09-02T17:56:00.000-05:002011-09-02T17:56:18.997-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 8
V is for Vistas Colorado is full of them. But then, I suppose any state is. It's just that in Colorado, you find yourself wanting to just stand there and drink them in with your eyes. Whereas while driving through Nebraska, you find yourself looking out the window and wondering just how many more hours you have of driving through Nebraska. (My apologies to any readers in or from Nebraska.)
suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-57788002649643011262011-08-24T16:20:00.000-05:002011-08-24T16:20:08.275-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 7<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-51663876056911664922011-08-24T08:00:00.001-05:002011-08-24T08:00:10.181-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 6
P is for Pizza If you ever find yourself near Leadville, Colorado, stop in for a pizza (and some crazy good garlic bread) at High Mountain Pies. Trust me (and Travis, and all the 5-star Yelp reviews) on this one. Travis and I shared "El Hidalgo," which featured a garlic oil base topped with thinly sliced beef sirloin, dried cherries, caramelized onions, blue cheese, and arugula--a suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-80510836160938386282011-08-23T12:25:00.000-05:002011-08-23T12:25:50.490-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 5
M is for Maroon BellsAt Dave's suggestion, we took a day trip to the Maroon Bells, which are near Aspen. The Maroon Bells are touted to be the most photographed location in Colorado, and a visit there makes it easy to see why. It's absolutely gorgeous. Because we visited in the late afternoon, the sun position unfortunately wasn't the best for photos of the bells themselves. That didn't stop me suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-52178566666486545392011-08-19T20:19:00.000-05:002011-08-19T20:19:54.446-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 4J is for Journey Companion
A long road trip can be a good test of just how well two people get along. Our drive to Colorado and back was the longest road trip Travis and I have taken together, and I just have to say, there's nothing quite as sweet as having the perfect companion for the journey. Not that either of us are perfect (far from it!), but our vacation this summer was just one more suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-80488009471600239112011-08-18T18:52:00.003-05:002011-08-18T18:53:44.737-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 3G is for GrassOn our descent of Mt. Quandary, Travis celebrated when we reached tree line, because it signaled the end of the seemingly endless rocks. On the way down Mt. Sherman, my knees were protesting against the pressure of descending rock after rock after rock. (My feet weren't too happy about it, either.) Therefore, when we reached the grassy Iowa Gulch, I had to do a little celebrating ofsuzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-15484402988576298472011-08-17T08:00:00.003-05:002011-08-17T09:48:09.972-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 2D is for DessertI rarely need an excuse to order dessert, but "Hey, I'm on vacation!" is a great one if I find myself hesitating. Here's the Triple Berry Chocolate Mousse Torte that Travis and I shared at Dixie Quick's (see E below). We were half-way through it before I thought to take a picture. Yeah, it was that good.
E is for Eat Like a Local The hubs and I watch our fair share of Food suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-53806343134432424302011-08-16T10:40:00.002-05:002011-08-17T09:47:19.572-05:00A Vacation Alphabet - Part 1A couple posts back, I wrote about how preparing for a vacation gets me all stressed out, and how even once I'm actually ON vacation, I have a hard time relaxing. And so because I felt myself an abecedarian when it comes to knowing how to kick back and get away from it all, I charged myself with the task of creating a Vacation Alphabet. The intent was simply to challenge myself to take notice, tosuzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-4603980970271147262011-08-01T17:39:00.000-05:002011-08-01T17:39:38.873-05:00If you can't stand the heat......bake in your crock pot. Really! Whether you are skeptical or intrigued, read on...
Here's the scenario that confronted me today: Two brown speckled bananas hanging on the banana tree. Ninety-one degrees outside. Eighty-four degrees inside, even after running the (ancient) living room AC unit and 3 fans all morning.
Those bananas were just asking to be mashed and folded into some banana suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-18268809650812608252011-07-06T21:35:00.002-05:002011-07-06T21:36:03.348-05:00The Storm Before the CalmTomorrow morning at 8:00 the hubby and I intend to hit the open road in our sporty little black wagon, bound for adventure, grand vistas, and vacation with my parents in Vail. In between hiking to the tops of 14ers and visiting with friends flung across the front range, some relaxation is on the agenda. Yes, I said that relaxing is on the agenda, because that's how I roll. I am an J (for all you suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-65980329167262502112011-07-05T17:55:00.002-05:002011-07-05T17:55:00.126-05:00Good Times in Small Town USADid you enjoy the holiday weekend? Hubby and I packed in some great times and made fun memories together and with friends. Saturday morning we headed out to Glen Ellyn, a suburb of Chicago, to play the role of enthralled spectator at the town's annual Cardboard Boat Regatta.
If you're not familiar with the concept of a cardboard boat regatta, here it is in a nutshell: teams of 2-8 people build suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-36026910445024376722011-06-22T12:10:00.000-05:002011-06-22T12:10:08.076-05:00Rise and Shine...and BakeIf your home is like mine and doesn't have central AC, you know that the best time to attempt any baking during the summer is in the early morning, after a cool night. This morning was an ideal occasion: I had four very ripe bananas hanging on the banana tree, and the rollicking storms that passed through the Chicago area last night cooled things off quite nicely after yesterday afternoon's humidsuzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8693387.post-41702578116057802222011-06-14T18:24:00.000-05:002011-06-14T18:24:29.933-05:00Back in the SaddleAfter an un-premeditated (would that make it post-meditated?) six month hiatus, I am gingerly climbing back up into the blogging saddle. Some of you have wondered what caused me to fall off the wagon back in December (if you'll allow me to mix metaphors). Some of you have pointed out (in person) that I stopped writing, which means you'd lost track of my comings and goings, cookings and musings, suzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09727617899514861462noreply@blogger.com6