Cuisine in Klamath

I am constantly surrounded by two of the greatest things in life: delightful company and fantastic food.

I am a huge fan of food, quality, flavorful food. Eating it is wonderful, but creating it is even more satisfying. Upon getting married I made it a goal to cook up at least one new recipe a week. Sean and I both love to cook so we have both enjoyed contributing and consuming this culinary endeavor. In fact at this moment I have a coconut curry soup simmering in the crock pot, wafting it's savory scent through our 400 sq. feet of home.

I think I get an abnormal amount of satisfaction when I chop up veggies of different colors and see them lined up on the cutting board. The colors, the smells, the textures all working together to make something divine (well not always...but ideally). Its a wonderful experience and I find that it brings relief from a long day, gives joy to those around, provides an opportunity to

have friends over, and makes me feel more connected to my family. My family loves the food

experience. I find myself constantly thinking "what spice would Joseph (my brother) add to this? How would my mom arrange that on a platter? Would Jennie (my sister) can tomatoes or pickles (knowing her, probably both), and last but not least, "would my dad add bacon to this meal?"

It is a lovely thing to have those thoughts swirling around in my head; of course it makes me miss my family and love them all the more.

What fun it has been having our own little kitchen here! Not to mention it is a blast that both Sean and I love to cook together.

In addition to cooking from our residence, I now have the pleasure of cooking at a local coffee shop/cafe: Matteo's Coffee and Tea House. I love working there. It is a fun little place that is just starting to implement food onto their menu. I am working alongside a personal chef who is being contracted to get the food portion of the place running. She makes some fabulous food and is all about quality and flavor. I get to be a part of the creative process-so excellent!

Sean and I get up in the morning, take the bus together and I get off at the stop after his. I walk into work and I get to start making raspberry buttercream frosting for the french vanilla cake that is rising in the oven. Then I get to saute mushrooms, onions and garlic to compliment the ricotta cheese that will be placed in a fresh crepe topped with a light savory sauce. All the while I get to enjoy the company of Marcy, the chef, and my co-workers. We talk travel, dream up new recipes, dialogue about Jesus, and see hungry people leave the place happy.

I am very thankful for life. My best friend came to visit for the weekend, I am joyfully married, I get to be part of an incredible family, I have a job where I get to make people happy through quality food, and the rice for my curry just finished cooking.

*Best Friends posing for a classic fake laugh. Andrea Carlson, you're my soul sister.

The curry is delicious!

Here is the recipe-courtesy of "Art of the Slow Cooker" by Andrew Schloss

(I've altered it slightly)

-1.5 lbs chicken breast, cut into small cubes

-2 onions,diced

-1 carrot, cut into thin slices

-1/2 bell pepper, cut into chunks

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-1 T. ginger root, minced

-1 T. curry powder

-3 cups chicken broth

-1 t. salt

-2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped

-1 can (~14oz) coconut milk

-2 T. peanut butter

-2 t. soy sauce

-1 t. light brown sugar

-Some fresh cilantro leaves

1. Heat a tad of oil in a large deep skillet and saute chicken until light brown (~5 minutes) then transfer to crock pot.

2. Saute onions, carrots, and bell pepper in the skillet until almost tender (~5 mins) Stir in ginger, curry powder. Add broth, sale and lemon grass then heat until boiling. Then pour into crock pot, cover, and cook for 3-5 hours on high, or 4-8 hours on low. ( I cooked mine for 3 on high and it was perfect!)

3. In a separate bowl mix coconut milk, peanut butter, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Pour mixture into cooked soup about 20 minutes before serving.

4. Serve over rice or noodles and top with fresh cilantro!

Daydreaming in the snow

It is snowing in Klamath Falls.

I am still in bed watching it fall and land on the church roof outside our window.

My nose is running down my face like an athlete in the Olympics.

This is the first time I've been sick in awhile. Thus I feel justified in

watching a movie smack in the middle of the day. Thankfully I'm quite fond of our little abode and enjoy how the snow makes everything so bright!

The past few days I've been inspired to take an in depth look at my hopes and dreams. I was raised by dreamers and have thus spent life looking through a lens of optimism. One of the many things that I admire about my parents is that they are not only dreamers, but they are doers.

And I've come to learn that optimism and imagination without drive and courage will make dreams remain just that, dreams.

I want to help people. I want people to find joy in life even amid the darkest of times. How do you go about bringing joy to people's lives? How can you help a stranger feel at home? You need to discover where joy comes from. You have to recognize that to get to joy you may have to fight through a lot of challenges. I think what is so incredible about things like joy and hope is they tend to have a remarkable backstory. Stories that are messy, difficult, humous, and beautiful.

I am beginning to dream again so then I can do.

The past couple years I have been on a deliberate journey to grow in who I am and gain the skills to help people in a tangible way. I know that this is a lifelong process. I have always been one to make sure every minute of each day is filled with something productive: working multiple jobs, going to school full time, meeting several people each day for coffee, volunteering at various organizations, and the list rolls on. I have always felt fulfilled when my life is full, when I am doing a hundred things at once. But what if life isn't about doing a hundred things but instead finding those specific things that you can really thrive at and can wrestle with to learn and grow- Pursuing dreams in order to help the people around you.

I now have a unique opportunity of living a slower life for the next six months in a small town. I have the opportunity to be. I am finding that in this time of being I am discovering what my deepest dreams are, or rather building on the dreams that I've had, and the talents that I've been blessed with. I am listening more, praying more, and finally I have time to get in touch with creativity again. I've had times of revival within

myself but this time is very different. I have someone to live out my dreams with, to bounce my crazy ideas off of, to help remind me to soak up this time. The most wonderful part is, he is a dreamer too, and also a man of action. So I am realizing I need to seize each day here in this little town-get back in touch with my imagination, purpose, and enjoy the new adventures of being married.

As crazy as it sounds, I think I am supposed to find what my dreams are again in Klamath Falls. And then figure out how to do them.

*Never thought I'd be talking about Kfalls like this, just another one of life's bizarre surprises.

The City that Never Sleeps.

To those who are anticipating a tale of New York City or Barcelona, I fear you will be disappointed. This is not an ode to a famous metropolis of bustling atmosphere, but a deliberation about my current whereabouts:

Klamath Falls, Oregon

-The land of oversized mufflers and diesel trucks.

-A place of squally bars.

-A small town with a large drug problem.

-The residence of innumerable pigeons.

My home.

Saturday night marks my observation that this city does not sleep. The most popular and rambunctious bars are but two city blocks away from our cozy abode. Throughout the night we awoke to screams, cars skidding, and sirens. 2:00 a.m. is designated bar closing time, so naturally that was followed by more sirens, increased yelling, and the outbreak of more fights. I'd say we hear about a fight a night, of which half include the police. Between the clamor we continued to get minimal sleep due to the [now] familiar cracking of the radiator pipes (which incidentally sound like gun shots), and the not so quaint "choo chooing" of the nearby freight train. As the wee hours of the morning became more manageable (about 5:00 a.m.) I eventually dozed off to the sounds of pigeons cooing... and of course to the usual hubbub of large mufflers assaulting all nearby eardrums.

What I awoke to next was a far different tune than that of the previous night.

Harmonious chords resonated from piano keys and a chorus of voices sang:

"Everyone needs compassion,

A love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a savior

The hope of nations."

You see, our apartment faces a brick wall inlaid with stain glass. We are about fifteen feet from a local church. The continual disruptions of last night put me in a cantankerous mood. I feel asleep at 5:00 a.m. I was peeved. I had slipped into dreams with the expectation of waking up in a similarly disgruntled state. However I instead awoke and was reminded of beauty and hope. The sun streamed through the windows and my husband was next to me, smiling at tune that floated through our window. I was humbled by my previous far-from-optimistic attitude about our new home. While I am not quite used to the new sights and sounds, mullets and mufflers, I really am enjoying settling in.

I feel extremely blessed to be coming into a community of people whom Sean is dear friends with-and they are truly a fantastic crew! After just a week of living here it really does feel nice and homey. It has a charm all its own. Sure it is a bit rough and dry around the edges but the more I explore, the more people I meet, the more I am discovering that this little spot on the map has a rather intriguing character. One that I am excited to learn about and contribute to in whatever way I can.

So for those of you who choose to visit this southern Oregon scene, I have one bit of advice:

Bring earplugs.

* Sean and I like to cook breakfast together and finish off the morning with the daily crossword puzzle

New Life in Full Swing

Apparently I started a blog when I was fifteen years old. I had no recollection of such a blog, however when I went to create this one, the "About Me" and other info was already filled out. I was brought back to the awkwardness of early high school and the fun care free times of a teenager.

The "randomly generated question" I had been given was:

Your hand has been replaced by a rubber stamp. What does it say?

To which I responded:

"oohoo look, chicken wings!"

I cannot recall, nor can I imagine what could have possibly been rattling around in my fifteen year old brain that would possess me to reply with such an answer. Thankfully I've come a long was in the past half dozen years. What still gets me is I don't even like chicken wings...nor have I ever.

Today I find myself in a merging, or perhaps a crossroads of my person-who I was in the past, who I want to be in the future, which leads me to who I am today.

On one hand I am very much that fifteen year old girl that loved adventure, spontaneity, and had a particular hankering for creativity and whimsy. On the other hand I recently got married, packed up all my worldly possessions, and moved to a new place with new faces. My life is in a grand transition. Life can change so fast. Just one month ago I lived in the same house I'd lived in for years, I woke up each morning to french press coffee with my parents and spent my days between two jobs, school, coffee, and socializing. I went to bed each night surrounded by relics of my childhood and early adolescence. Then in one day, December 16th 2011, my life shifted in an extraordinary fashion. I got to marry Sean O'Brien. I closed one very big chapter of my life and opened a new one, only this one has two main characters.

I now have a new name (which I am incredibly fond of), live in a brand new town (in a darling 1930s studio apartment), am currently taking hiatus from the working world (the first time ever since I was fifteen), am only taking one class online, and I get to fall asleep and wake up next to the love of my life.

Indeed new life is in full swing with the best adventure having just commenced: life being married... and to an incredible, comedic and courageous man at that. Getting to traverse through the everyday with my kindred spirit, my love--my husband, is the most marvelous experience. Cheers to this new chapter in life, here we go!

*These pictures were taken on our honeymoon. We stayed up on this cabin in the woods on Mount Hood-the setting was that of a fairy tale, mysterious, romanic, and venturesome.