Walking on clouds

My newest pair of shoes just arrived at my door today and they are like heavenly clouds in the shape of cute leather sandals;
They're Fly Flots, an Italian brand Mum suggested, and boy was she right! The strap by the ankle is velcro adjustable which is perfect for my fat foot. I've been tromping around the house all evening since putting them on. These are going with me to Seattle and Victoria for sure.

So easy

Since I had today off for Memorial Day, my Sunday baking for work became Monday baking instead. This week's recipe was ridiculously easy. These two things brought together for about 12 minutes in a 375 degree oven;

To make decadent nutella croissants.
I only made enough for the boy and I to sample since they're better fresh. I'll make the rest in the morning before work. I think all of Chris' swooning while eating it meant it was a success.

Oregon bound

For our long holiday weekend we took a couple of days and went up north to visit the 'rents at their new house. We tried to get out of here early so that we would have some time to make a couple of stops along the way. After taking care of a last minute church money emergency we left in time to make it to Weed to have lunch at their brewery, Mt. Shasta Brewing Co.
The menu was pretty basic - dogs and sandwiches, but it all sounded tasty. I got an artichoke and spinach panini and the Canadian got the brat and pint combo. The brats were cooked in their porter so that's what Chris got as his pint, too.
Good stuff, Maynard. On our way up, Chris had agreed to stop in Ashland for a quick jaunt around since we hadn't been there since the Christmas preview we attended about three years ago. We did a stroll down both sides of the downtown strip where I just happened to find a nice pair of Keen shoes on sale that the boy offered to buy for me.
We made it the 'rents in the late afternoon, just in time to unpack, take the grand tour of the new digs, and get the bbq started for dinner before the rain started. Much to the beef-starved Canadian's delight, Mum had steaks for dinner with delicious roasted red potatoes, asparagus and garlic bread. After dinner Chris made up for lost time with his little buddy Chase.
The next day I tricked Mum into taking me to Macy's and Harry & David where I could stock up on all the goodies I can't get here like cute clothes and Oregon beers while the boys played with engines in the garage. We also took the 'rents out to dinner at a brewery in Medford called Wild River. Chris' brother Mark met us there and we reaped the rewards of early bird dining, in that we had the whole restaurant to ourselves at 4:30 pm.
Chris immediately sought out the beer sampler and was not disappointed.
Tasty food and tasty beers. It was a good choice from the 'rents since we'd first thought about going to a brew pub in Ashland. It rained most of the time we were there so we got to spend a lot of quality time torturing the dog.
We had an excellent visit and the Canadian was able to stuff himself silly with steak, bangers and bacon. It doesn't get much better than that in his little world. And the best part is that even after our little mini vacation, we still have another two days off!

Turtle bars

For my Sunday baking adventure I chose Turtle bars otherwise known as chocolaty caramel pecan bars. A layer of shortbread covered in caramel and pecans and then topped with chocolate. Can you say perfection? Unless you're the Canadian and hate nuts in your food. Then you take an obligatory bite and declare that they're good except for the pecans. Bah!
I think these will go over very well at work tomorrow. Assuming that the rest of the bars come out of the pan as easy as the first. Sometimes shortbread can get a little stuck to the pan and cause me numerous gray hairs in frustration. Let's hope for the best!

Men at work

Chris spent the morning, with the help of a few curse words and a sweet, sweet headband, getting engine stuff ready to take with us to Oregon next week;
Who's having the sexiest day ever? This guy.

Coconut milk to the rescue

While finishing my grocery shopping at Traders today, making sure to stock up heartily for the boy after my eminent rapture tomorrow, I found this delightful looking treat in the freezer section;
Coconut milk ice cream. I've been slowly weening myself more and more off of dairy products as they appear to be increasingly upsetting my tummy so I was excited to see an alternative for my nightly ice cream cravings. I've had some soy ice cream recently, but this just tasted better and creamier. I've seen some chocolate covered coconut ice cream bars in magazine ads, but after looking them up online I was disappointed to see how fatty they are. So for now, I shall enjoy my new evening treat.

Beer and brownies

For my Sunday baking extravaganza this weekend I decided to make beer brownies after having the ones our neighbors made last weekend for the home brew awards ceremony. I talked Chris out of his last bottle of coffee stout to put in my brownies. They turned out really good, not as sweet as normal brownies, but with a really yummy stout aroma.
I took most of them to work today, but I did manage to save a few for us. Delicious topped with some coffee ice cream.

I had a special surprise waiting for me on the front porch when I got home today - new Born shoes I'd ordered from QVC last week.
I'm glad to have a colored pair of shoes that fit over my stocking. And since I have more turquoise in my wardrobe than any other color, it was the choice shoe color. Go ahead, be jealous.