Annyeoung

It's been a pretty eventful few weeks at the Weaver household. As most of you know, the really big thing that happened was...

...this guy's birthday!

I now have less than 365 days to plan an epic 30th birthday party. Which will be in Asia somewhere, since another thing that happened was we finally found out that our next assignment is in South Korea!!! We are so excited, and have already got a spreadsheet going with all the things we have to get done. We got the official orders on Friday, and we will be going to Camp Humphreys, outside of Seoul. Here is the Wikipedia page to give you a basic idea:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Humphreys

All we know so far is that we report on November 29th!

So, back to Robert's birthday...

After 4th of July, I found this really cool recipe for a patriotic cake. Since it was too late to make it for the 4th, I decided to make it for my own personal Captain America for his birthday.
Basically, you make 3 cakes. 1 is white, 1 is red and 1 is blue

There is a lot of slicing and cutting, and then you ice it all together...

On the gorgeous cake platter we got as a wedding present!

Then, you cut a slice, and voila!

It's a flag cake!!! It helps if the stripes are more even, but I was still pretty proud of it!

Update

Well, my car broke down on the way to work today. At least, the Civic I have been driving because we were worried that my Elantra would break down on the way to work, broke down. Oh, the irony! The good news is I was home by 11 AM and now have lots of free time to blog that I would otherwise be wasting doing something silly like working or driving to the grocery store. I also got to practice being independent today. When Robert and I were dating we talked about how I would have to learn to do a lot of things on my own when he got deployed. We did not talk about the fact that I would have to do this even when he's not deployed! Apparently they can't use cell phones in the helicopter, yeesh. So I called USAA, got towed, and called a friend to come pick me up, all by myself! It was a definite improvement over the last car crisis I had right before the wedding, where I just started crying until Husband and/or Dad could be reached and tell me what to do. This time I got through with minimal crying, yay me!

Anywho, obviously lots has happened since the last blog post. I'm not even going to try to touch on the wedding yet, partly because I would never shut up about it and partly because I don't have any pictures that are uploadable. So basically I just uploaded whatever I had on my camera and that's what we'll talk about today!

We've been trying to take some trips to the beach, since we're really close to Panama City and Destin.

Restaurant on the beach

They like to pretend like they're in the movie Top Gun

Rob and I have really gotten in to cooking. There's not much good food to eat here and it saves money, and it's fun! Also, I love wearing my aprons. Since we had a long weekend for Memorial Day, I tried out Aunt Peggy's sugar cookie recipe.

Using Nana's rolling pin!

I made stars since I only had star and snowman cookie cutters. I'm not sure where I even got cookie cutters from. But we'll pretend I used stars to be patriotic for Memorial Day. The cookies were really good but I need some practice on getting the dough right.

Since I love to post recipes and talk about cooking on the blog, I don't want people getting the impression that we are master chefs over here. So to that end, I am posting a picture of a fail that I had. This was a slow cooker recipe for ribs with rice and broccoli. The recipe called for long grain converted rice, and they don't sell anything fancy like that here in Alabama, and I just used regular rice. Second, I made this the night before and put it in the fridge, then got up and put it in the crock pot the next morning. So, broccoli and rice were sitting in water all night, AND got cooked in water for 8 hours the next day. I'm sure you can imagine how that turned out. If you don't have imagination, it was something like this:

The rice and broccoli were total mush. We just rinsed off the ribs and ate those anyway!

A few weeks later, my parents drove up to visit and hauled all our presents from the wedding. It was a fun visit. We took them to the neighboring town of Headland, where an annual Blueberry Festival was going on. It gave them a good taste of the Alabama life.

Not pictured: anything with blueberries in it

The next weekend, we took our gift cards and bought up a few extras to complete our kitchen. We now have a bunch of great kitchen gadgets (all of which have been used multiple times already!) Our kitchen counter was getting crowded, so we set out to get a little hutch/island that we could store our Keurig and related items on. We ended up finding a perfect thing which had great storage for all our coffee cups and mugs. My husband was excited until he saw that assembly was required. Apparently, he is a total man stereotype and hates following directions. Lucky for him he married a girl that 1) is an accountant at heart and LOVES following step-by-step instructions and 2) used to follow her dad around doing everything he did, including assembling furniture. So we got home and I got out my trusty power screwdriver, all excited to put it together.

All excited

Of course I wanted to do it all myself so Rob was banished to the couch to play videogames. I think he was ok with this arrangement.

Tada!!

Making a Home

We have been doing a lot of settling in the last few weeks. Robert's parents came down to visit from Texas, and they brought with them a Uhaul full of all the stuff I couldn't fit in the Civic when I moved to Alabama. Now we have a fully furnished living room, not to mention a bed that is not on the floor! It was a quick visit, but we managed to hit most of the good spots here in Alabama. We went hiking at Ft. Rucker, ate at Mellow Mushroom and Chee Burger Chee Burger, and stuffed the apartment with boxes full of clothes. After the parents left on Sunday, we went to Lowes and went crazy in the plant section:

Cactus, on our new (to us) coffee table

Tree, with the awesome recliners that Bill and Susan gave us!

Little trees, the one on the right is growing too fast!

Hanging plant, with our TV stand that my handy husband stained himself

Another thing we did was go shopping! Kohl's was having a great deal on silverware, and we got these stylish utensils as an early wedding gift from the parents:

We also got a bedspread from Papa and Mema, which is luxurious:

Not captured: softness of sheets

Well there is a little mini tour of our apartment. I know many of you will not get a chance to visit us before we are on to our next assignment, but hopefully some of you will! We have a guest bedroom! Just give me plenty of warning so I can get my boxes of clothes cleaned out of there...

I'll be heading back to Texas on April 23rd, less than one month away!!

Cooking Hazards

The main redeeming quality of living in Alabama is proximity to Florida beaches! In the time it takes to drive to Galveston from Houston, we can be in Destin, Florida! One beautiful Sunday we took a day trip with some friends. There were 6 children with us, but guess who ended up digging holes in the sand...

Now it is time for a new segment called "Braggin' on my Husband." On Saturday, I had to go to work. One of Robert's Army friends was having a birthday golf outing, and Robert decided to go out and have some guy time. They ended up playing for a looooong time, which was a problem since we had to leave at 5 to go see our friend Mandy perform with her dance company. So, I was all dressed up and ready to go when Robert barrelled in through the door with about 5 minutes to get ready. He was making a beeline for the shower when he stopped in his tracks, turned around, gave me a kiss and told me I looked beautiful. *melt*

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming before you all throw up...

Tonight we tried a new recipe, Pork Roast with Hard Cider Gravy:

3 Tbs. butter

2 1/2 lbs. boneless pork loin roast

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 onion, sliced

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced

1 bottle hard cider, 12 ounces (apparently you can find this in the beer section of the grocery store)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat Dutch Oven (you can use a deep pan instead) over medium high heat; add 2 Tbs. butter. Season pork with 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper; sear until golden brown, like so:

Remove from pot; reserve. Add onion and apples to pot; season with 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper. Cook until golden, 8-10 minutes.

Add cider; if you so desire, have your husband "help" by putting his beer in the picture while you are trying to take serious photo documentation of your cooking.

Cover. Cook in oven until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees on meat thermometer, 30-45 minutes.

Remove from the oven. The next step is the most crucial:

DO NOT FORGET THAT THE PAN WAS IN THE OVEN AND TRY TO GRAB THE HANDLE!

If you do this part wrong, you will burn your hand and it will be scary and you will turn to the sink and start running your hand under cold water and then you will burst into tears and your husband will be concerned because you are not usually one to cry at an injury and he will ask you what is wrong and you will try to stop sobbing long enough to say that you feel stupid for grabbing it and he will try to make you feel better by telling you he has done the same thing but you will not believe him and then you will cry more because you are mad at yourself for crying over something so stupid in the first place.

If this happens, put your hand in ice water for an hour and then cover in aloe vera.

After this step is complete, remove the pork from the pan (use a potholder!) Pour the drippings into a blender and puree. Return to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Whisk in remaining butter. Serve with pork.

If you missed the most important step, have your husband cut your pork up for you so you can keep your hand in your ice water bowl =)

Pizza, Helicopters and Babies

The husband has been feeling extra culinary lately, and so on Valentine's night I helped him make pizza, completely from scratch!

Dough:
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
2 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons white sugar

In small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. (this part is best left to a member of the family who has worked in the pizza industry!) Cover with sauce and toppings and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Marinara

2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatos
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup white wine

In a food processor place tomatos, tomato paste, chopped parsley, minced garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
In a large skillet over medium heat saute the onion in olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the blended tomato sauce and white wine.
Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Robert put bacon and onions on his half, and I put spinach, mushroom and onion on mine.

We also attempted stuffed crust, but since Robert did not think to let the pro handle the dough rolling it turned out a little lumpy! But it was amazingly delicious!

The big event this week was that some of Robert's friends went through selection. This is where they get to pick out which helicopters they will fly, which of course is a huge deal since it will affect the rest of their careers. The way it works is, they bring in a list of helicopters available, and they go down the list of people in the class in order of their rank in the class (based on written and flight tests and physical fitness test).

Much congratulations are in order for 2 friends who got exactly what they wanted. James Wynn got a Mike Model Blackhawk, which is the fanciest, most up to date Blackhawk. Right now Robert wants this too if it is available to his class.

Friend Sylvia, who is, of course, from Texas, was very lucky to land a Chinook, which is often not even an option. This is the beast she will be flying:

Another option that Robert is still weighing is the Apache.

Earlier this week, Robert got to sleep in a bit because class started late. I had washed his uniform the night before. I had just settled in at work when I received this picture in a text:

Yep, that is pantyhose stuck to his uniform! Luckily he caught it before leaving the apartment! I had a good laugh at work thinking of what a fun little reminder it was for him that he is now a married man. The good part is, someone else does your laundry, the bad part is there is girl stuff taking over all your guy stuff!

And today, I leave you with a special treat. In the words of my wise-beyond-his-years nephew, it's a little bit naughty, but I like it. Sometimes naughty things are funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cds7lSHawAw

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from the Weavers! Now, ladies, prepare to awww. Monday morning, I awoke to this:

Not pictured: red lighting

Yep, those are heart-shaped, made-from-scratch pancakes! Yeah, with strawberry milk. The night before, Robert went to Wal-Mart and told me he got "red" stuff. (Red? I asked. Yes, he said, it's Valentine's Day!)

I wanted to get him something that was classical Valentine's Day, but something more personal than cologne:

Coupon book!

"1 pass from taking Roxie out - good anytime"

I also got Robert a tempurpedic neck pillow like I have. He also got me a box of chocolates. Because, hey, awesome breakfasts do not excuse you from getting the box of chocolates.

Anywho, now a lightning fast recap of the past 2 weeks. Our roommate, Mako, moved out. We got to move into the room with the bigger bath and closet, and now we also have two bathrooms, which is great since we get ready at the same time.

I got the flu.

We bought furniture! We got a great deal on this floor-model couch, which is a good thing since Robert ended up sleeping on it during my flu.

Poor Robert....

Robert found this interestingly shaped table at a flea market, and it was perfect for our corner TV.

Also, we got a table off of Craigslist. You can see it in the Valentine pictures above. It has a granite top which is cool looking. Once my best-inlaws-ever get here in March with the coffee table and a few recliners, as well as my bedroom furniture, we will definitely be feeling like we have a home! Not having a roommate helps too....

My husband is a pretty organized guy. I am too, in theory. In the theory that I would like to be organized. The great thing about Robert is he thinks of ways to get organized easily. Instead of fighting the fact that I always leave my coat on the chair instead of putting it in the closet, he just put a hook next to the front door.


Instead of fighting to get pots and pans in and out of our tiny cabinet, he put hooks in our pantry to hold them.

Now while I get to enjoy all these innovations, I have been doing my part too. No more "folding" t-shirts like a single girl:

My previous method of choice

Ah, so much better

Robert and I made a deal that I will do all the laundry and he will do all the dishes. Which we are both pretty happy with so far. I'm especially happy with the fact that I have made $25.36 while doing his laundry. It is a bonus that he is always amazed at my ability to have cash on hand when we need it without ever having to go to the bank.

For Superbowl Sunday, we went to 2 parties, because there is just not enough Weaver to go around. I made 6 layer dip (not 7 layer, because olives are gross)

The recipe is pretty basic, put a layer of refried beans, cover with a layer of cheese. Bake until cheese melts. Cover with salsa, sour cream, then avocados. Top with a layer of cheese. Then, have your husaband make a ring of sour cream topped with spices so it is more aesthetically pleasing. Next, take to Superbowl party where you will contract the flu by sharing dip with people.

Next post I will share the recipe for made-from-scratch pizza! Hopefully in less than 2 weeks.