Candle light dinner anyone?

So, amazingly enough, I was able to get up today and be somewhat productive.  I got some research stuff done and now have time to blog, but what to blog about...hmmm.  

As Dane and I still have a lot of catching up to do now that we can actually get pictures off of our camera, I was looking through some of the pics and decided to write about our pizza

 making.  Yes, we love pizza, and we love our pizza stone.  We have made some great pizzas over the last several months and I thought that I would share with you some of our favorite recipes:

Rachel Ray's "Blackened Chicken Pizza: with yellow tomato salsa"

1 Tbsp steak seasoning

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce (option for the spicey lovers)

1/2-3/4 lb chicken breast, sliced thin

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

All-purpose flour or corn meal for dusting

pizza dough for 1 14" pizza (you can buy the dough mix or make your own)

about 1/2 lb shredded cheese of your choice (again monteray jack is an option for the spicey)

Salsa:

2 small yellow tomatoes seeded and chopped finely (roma tomatoes also work)

1/4 C chopped red onion

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

2 Tbsp cilantro

2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 garlic clove, minced

the zest and juice of 1/2 lime

salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Heat a large skillet over very high heat.  Combine grill seasoning and other spices above on a plate.  Press chicken into seasoning.  Add oil to screaming hot pan and cook chicken about 2 min on each side.  Remove from heat and chop finely.

Sprinkle corn meal onto pizza stone, or pan and stretch dough to make crust.

Mix ingredience for the salsa.  Scatter chicken, salsa and cheese over dough*.  

Bake 12-15 min, or until crust and cheese is golden brown.

Enjoy!

The next two are our inventions and very yummy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza (inspired by CPK)

(sorry, no picture, but it is really good)

1 chicken breast

1 C bbq sauce of choice

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 C shredded cilantro

1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

pizza dough

Grill the chicken breast and chop finely.  Then coat with 1/4-1/2 C bbq sauce.  Spead remaning sauce over pizza dough*, sprinkle chicken, onions and cheese.  Bake 10-12 min (450 degrees).  Sprinkle fresh cilantro and enjoy!

Margarita (inspired by Abbie)

1 can pealed, diced tomatoes, partially drained

6-10 fresh basil leaves (the basil is the key to making this yummy!)

mozzerella cheese (you can use shredded or use that yummy mosserella that comes in the ball, if using the ball,  6-8 1/4" slices)

pizza dough

Spread tomatoes over pizza dough*, scatter basil leaves and sprinkle cheese.  Bake 10-12 min and enjoy.

*One tip that we have found very helpful is to let the pizza dough bake at temp for 2 min. before adding sauce and toppings.  This make the crust less soggy and helps it to be a better pizza all around!

Happy One Year!

Yes that is right, Dane and I have officially known each other for one year, today.  I know, all of you who are like, "What?!"  I kinda feel the same way.  I cannot believe it has only been that short of time.  I really feel like we have been together forever, like my life began, for real, when I met Dane.  

For those of you who do not know the story (I  am assuming there are not many), and those of you who would like to hear it again, here goes:

One year ago today, I had been invited up to Park City to reunite with some friends from my freshman year at BYU, Dale Smith and Jessica Fallon (now Garrett).  Dale and I had kept in touch since we both had returned from our missions and hung out a little.  It was a beautiful

 summer day and we had plans to hang out at a hotel where Dale and his little brother, Dane, were waiting for there parents, who were coming into town for a family vacation the next day.  

I was excited to swim and hang out with good friends, with no idea how cute the little brother would actually turn out to be, and how not little.

We spent a fun day in the pool, (I, unfortunately, was on the phone for a good portion of the time trying to get car insurance....not making a good impression...) and the brothers made

 dinner for Jessica and I that night.  At this point, I was glad to have hung out with Dale, thought Dane was fun, but didn't expect him and I to ever really hang out at a later day, even though I was secretly wishing he had a crush on me.  We called it a night, sort of, and as Jessica and I were about to be heading back to Provo, Dane asked for a ride, as he had to work the next morning at the BYU Bookstore.  

If you ask me, this is where our story began.  Dane introduced me to some of his music, bought ice cream for Jess and I to share, and we bonded enough on the car ride home that Dane

 suggested we hangout that night.  

At her apartment, with Michael Bubble and Josh Groban serenading us in the background, Jessica randomly became Dane and my ballroom dance instructor.  We danced the night away, and seriously become more hyper than I remember being in a very, very long time.  I don't know how it happened, but somehow we had out shirts stuffed with pillows as we glided, not so gracefully across the carpet.  I was so impressed at this point.  I could not believe how easy it was for me to be myself--my weird self around this boy that I had just barely met.  Jessica and her roommates all thought we were crazy and couldn't believe that we had just me that day.  

Dane was inspired and knew that we had a future in our dancing carreer.  

He insisted we become dance partners and that we must practice again.  Suavely, Dane retrieved my phone number, asked me out, and that next Saturday, we doubled with Jessica and a friend and continued our dancing (our first official date, according to me).  

I think Dane knew, he had to move fast and roped me in that night.  Yes, he did kiss me on the first date, and after that, we were completely hopeless.  We both knew at this point that there was nothing else in the world worth spending our time with, we became attached at the hip, and saw each other everyday after that until we were married.  (Well, technically, we did not see each other the day before we got married...we were still recovering from Christmas-time-flue/mystery sickness.)

I am so happy that we found each other on that beautiful summer day, one year ago.  Ours is a story that even I have a hard time believing when I look back.  Everything went so quickly, but I knew then and still know that it is so right.  I have never been happier, or more in love than I am now.  Thanks for a great year, my love!

P.S.  Thanks again for the beautiful flowers Dane!

Long time, no post!

So, it really has been a while since we have posted huh?  Well, a lot has been going on, so I thought that I would try to fill everybody in.  A few weeks ago, we finished finals and I finished my last classes at BYU (with the exception of student teaching).  My parents came home from Peru, and made it just in time to come to my graduation at BYU.  (For those of you wondering, I will not be officially graduating until Dec, but it just seemed to make more sense to do the whole cap 'n gown thing now, rather than wait until April.)
Thank you soooo much to my beloved parents, husband and teachers who helped make this all possible for me!

After graduation was over, Friday morning, Dane and I began our exciting adventure to Washington.  Prosser pretty much became our head quarters as we basically toured almost all of Washington.  We had a lot of time to just sit back and relax;  I even gave in, started and finished the first book in the Twilight series.  

We took a trip to Tri-cities, Yakima, and even Toppenish to see the murals with Fabio and his parents.  We then took another trip to Spokane to visit Dane's dad at the hospital and drop Dale off at his new apartment for law school.  We are really proud of you Dale!  Good luck in school!

We love you Dale, and we will miss you!

After some more relaxing times in Prosser, we headed to Seattle to visit Leslie, David, Molly and Annie.  But, we couldn't make it there with out stopping first at the Boeing plant/factory and museum in Everett.  Dane was super excited, to say the least.  

We took a super sweet tour, and then spent a day and a half with the Packards.  It was a ton of fun, and sad to say, we did not take any pictures.  I know, lame.   

However, we did take plenty of pictures as we made out way back to Prosser; we drove up and around Mt. Rainier, and Snoqualmie Falls.  It was all so beautiful!  Dane took advantage of the clear beautiful day and took some great pics.  Overall it was an amazing vacation.

Finally, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!

To all who have been waiting (as have I) to finally find out where I will be student teaching, I am proud to make an announcement. I will be doing my first few weeks of the semester at "Freedom Academy". This is a charter school (k-8) south of Provo. And the next several weeks, I will be heading a little north to Lindon to work at Oak Canyon JHS....yeah, that stands for JUNIOR high school...ahhh. (just a little ahhh) I really do look up to my older brother, Alan, who teaches middle-school math. It takes a lot to not only be able to, but want to teach those years. That is just the age, ya know? Who wants to teach junior high/middle school? I am a little nervous to be completely honest, but mostly really excited. If I had my dream job, it would most likely be high school, but then again, you never know. I could love it! I am going to love it! It feels so good to finally know where I am going. For some reason, it feels so much more real now.

So, student teaching will be my last semester as a student at BYU. (It is ok if a tear came to your eye just now, there is a little one in mine.) I will admit, I am happy to be done, but I am going to really miss school. I love what I do. I love to learn, and I really love to be around other inspiring art students. I have loved my time at BYU.