Turnagain Arm

On the way home from Girdwood last weekend I stopped at one of the main pull-outs alongside the road. These areas are the perfect spot for photos. I was also looking for Dall Sheep and Mountain Goats on the mountainside but wasn't lucky enough to see any.

The mudflats are more visible as the tide rolls out but very dangerous. It's like quicksand. A few people are rescued every year from the flats around Anchorage and Girdwood.

Organic living

My ice cream maker post the other day got me thinking about why I purchased the thing in the first place. D just shakes his head when he catches me bringing something else into the house (i.e. more clutter) but this was something I think will be good for us in the long run. 

Ice cream, sorbet and sherbet purchased at the store have preservatives and other additives. Isn't that crazy? When you make it yourself the ingredients are milk, sugar, fruit, lemon juice or vanilla, etc. No partially hydrogenated this or monosodium that.

Over the years I've become more aware of the need for a healthful lifestyle. I'm not perfect and still buy unhealthy things ALL THE TIME (Doritos for Girls Weekend? Sadly, yes.) But at home D and I are slowly shifting to more organic products. Our main sources of meat are bear, caribou and from those we make steaks, sausage, ground meat, etc. Our chicken is still store-bought in bulk from Costco but I'm am in the proecess of sourcing out local natural chicken farmers. The majority of our produce is organic, from our bi-monthly Full Circle Farm boxes and the stuff we buy from the small organic section at the store.We're also planning on resurrecting our vegetable garden this year - last year was too rainy and hectic with wedding events.

We're committed to composting our organic materials and recycling paper, plastic & cardboard, which means our garbage output is way down (especially compared to our neighbors). Buying in bulk is good because your packaging is limited, in most cases. I hope I'm not coming off holier-than-thou here because we definitely aren't close to living off the grid or anything, but little changes undertaken one at a time can make a big difference.

Just desserts

For the last few months I've been researching ice cream/sorbet makers - going back and forth between a couple manufacturers and waiting for good deals to pop up. Well, I finally decided on one (a Cuisinart from Amazon.com - free shipping!) but lo and behold on my trip to Costco last Friday I found the same model for $18 less! So instead of paying $50 I took home a very nice machine for $32. 

What finally sold me on this model and brand was the great reviews - thank you Amazon - and the fact that no ice or rock salt is necessary. This particular ice cream maker has a bowl with a liquid core. Just place the bowl in the freezer for at least 8 hours. So easy!

Ok, so this machine holds 1.5 quarts - perfect amount for me and D. I began by cleaning all the components (was dusty coming out of the box) and freezing the bowl portion for 24 hours in one of the garage chest freezers. Yesterday after work I started by making a simple syrup, which is equal parts sugar and water heated on the stove until dissolved and then cooled in the fridge.

Next step is to defrost 1 quart of bagged frozen strawberries and puree in food processor with 4 TBS of lemon juice.

Wheeeeee! My little KitchenAid food processor is tiny but MIGHTY! I like the compact size but it took 4 batches to make the strawberry puree.

Next up: mixing the simple syrup with the strawberry & lemon juice mixture.

Mix, mix, mix.

Time to pull the bowl from the freezer and put the components together. 

Slowly pour the sorbet mixture into the opening at the top of the machine.

Let the magic begin.

The actual sorbet-making inside the machine took a little over 20 minutes. At one point I thought the mixture would come out the top since it sort of grew and multiplied but disaster was averted. The consistency was like soft-serve but after sitting in the fridge overnight it turned into the hard-pack texture. 

I didn't strain the strawberry seeds like the recipe suggested because I don't mind them, but it's an option if you like a smoother texture. In the end I think it was a success - even D liked it! I love sweet stuff and have a major sweet tooth, but this was pretty sugary so I think I'll decrease the simple syrup next time. My next recipes will be vanilla ice cream and Framboise sorbet! YUM.

Photo credit: Lottie + Doof

Wedding memory

This image from our wedding was printed up in the last Adorama order. It is sitting in a sweet little cherry-colored frame in our living room.



Our parents look so amazing! Gorgeous and handsome, each one.  

 I love looking at this photo and seeing all of the big smiles. Our friends and family so happy for me and D, surrounding us with love and encouragement.

Girls Weekend 2011

My boss very sweetly allowed me to take Friday off to prepare for Girls Weekend, and the extra prep time was definitely necessary. I drove over to my favorite auto shop early in the a.m. and had them do an oil change/air filter cleaning. Then it was off to Carrs for a few groceries and Costco for the rest. There were at least 10 people waiting for Costco to open at 10 a.m. when I arrived and the warehouse quickly filled up with pre-weekend shoppers. I honestly wonder if there is ever a time that the store isn't crowded.

With all the goodies crossed off my list, I headed home to cut fruit, gather all my items together and pack up the car. I worried about leaving town on time when I had to leave the house on an emergency errand for a friend, but managed to pick up my two passengers and head to Girdwood just before 4 p.m.

The house was just as we remembered it and the owner was glad to have us girls back for the second year in a row. The weekend went by so fast! It was filled with lots of movies (3 Meryl Streep films back-to-back, I kid you not: Devil Wears Prada, Mama Mia and It's Complicated), evenings in the hot tub, wine/framboise/pudding shots, and a ton of games. I even learned how to play cribbage again!

The weather was rainy and wet and cold for most of Friday and Saturday, so we took our long walk to the hotel from our cabin on Sunday, when the sun finally made an appearance. These photos are all from my iPhone since I forgot my camera back at the cabin.



The snowmachiners were back again this year for a sno-cross event.

Moguls up and down the mountain.

A gorgeous metalwork firepit outside of the Alyeska Hotel lobby.

Backside of the resort.

Driving back on Sunday.

We're already looking forward to 2012, especially since the owner offered us a discount if we come back for a 3rd year in a row. I'm trying to convince the girls to travel to Seattle next year and have our weekend there! A few are totally game for that - especially if we can shop IKEA and then ship our bigger items back to Anchorage on the barge.