Life of a Single Married Lady

Yay beer! Long time, no blog! Things are going well around here - Wil has a job interview tomorrow so wish him luck! Other than that, spring came to visit, remembered it left its socks at home, and brought winter back to babysit. It looks like spring is coming back for good this week, and I can't wait for the warmth again. In the meantime I've been cooking up some cold-weather foods! Before I give you some recipes, I did mention a boot in the title...it's a beer boot! We ate dinner with a friend at Essen Haus, a German restaurant downtown, and Wil made sure to get the full beerxperience. On to the food! The first is my stroganoff recipe, which I love and have made a lot  this winter. It's a crock-pot recipe, but you could probably make it in a big pot or Dutch oven on the stove. I think this recipe is the perfect thing for when you want creamy, beefy, mushroomy sauce over noodles, but not have to lie to yourself (too much, anyway) about the calorie count! No...

I love my family, every single oddball one of them, and now that I'm married I have double the number of people to love! Wil's dad Dave and uncle Leo came to visit this weekend and it was just a blast. Madison supports a fantastic bike infrastructure, and this past weekend they held a bike expo to show off all the neat biking gear from shops all around town. The ICE Adventure trike, Wil's favorite Wil, Dave, and Leo spent about an hour just on the recumbent trikes! They were pretty amazing - zippy, nice handling, comfortable, and sleek. If you ever get a chance to rent one (we did that overseas to explore around town) or test drive one, you totally should! Two wheels in back (...delta? I think?) is okay, but two wheels in front (tadpole) make for a smaller wheel base and better handling overall. I also bought a bike! My bike from home is just a bit too small for me, and I've been wanting a bigger one. I'll be able to ride to church, around town, and maybe e...

Yesterday was an incredibly balmy 45 degrees!! In celebration, I went on a walk through the U-W Arboretum, a 1200-acre park full of forest, prairie, savannah, and wetlands. It was wonderful! I can't wait for spring so I can use the currently snow-covered trails and smell all the new growth. Looking out over Wingra Lake towards the AOS building, where I work (way far off in the distance, with all the hardware on top); from the UW Arboretum. Weekends around here are devoted to cooking and preparing meals (mostly soups) for the week ahead. Since I was lazy and ate eggs this Friday, I decided to cook up some fish today instead. I found a great recipe for Creole Red Snapper, which I figured would be just as good with some of my tasty frozen tilapia. It totally was. Creole Tilapia Ingredients - 4 fish fillets (typically about 4-6 oz per fillet) - 1 tbsp olive oil - 1/4 c. chopped onion - 1/4 c. chopped green pepper - 1 clove garlic, minced - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoe...