Orange + Chocolate = Bliss

Okay so mine don't look exactly like these, but man are they good! I intentionally omitted the candied orange peel. I miss the days of the simplified "Everyday Italian" show that Giada used to do. However I have recently found a new friend, The Cooking Channel! They have those simple, older cooking shows that used to be on the Food Network before it got absolutely huge. This is where my obsession of wanting to be Giada came from. This weekend I was watching the show and she made chocolate cupcakes with orange zest frosting. So Good! I have always wanted to try putting orange zest and orange juice in my frosting and I finally did. It's awesome so here are the links to the frosting and cupcakes. Buon appetito!

CLICK HERE FOR HER RECIPE

Easy Mango Sticky Rice

Okay so I am sitting in my bed, Gilmore Girls is on the TV (Yes life is perfect at this moment) and I just have to share my new favorite dessert of which I am currently consuming! Mango Sticky rice is a new recipe that I am shamelessly exploiting. My roommate McCall is the source of this new addiction, meaning the jury is still out on whether to strangle her or hug her. Regardless I probably should count the calories in this compared to the calories in my favorite Tillamook Peanut Butter Chocolate ice cream, but what can I say, ignorance is indeed bliss! So here is the recipe, try it you won't be sorry.

Easy Mango Sticky Rice

2 cups cooked- steamed rice

1 can Coconut Milk

1 cup sugar

1 ripe mango

I usually just start the rice in my rice cooker. Then about half way through the cook time of the rice I get started on the sauce. Over low to medium heat combine the coconut milk and the cup of sugar in a sauce pan. Heat until rolling, foamy boil, whisking periodically to avoid burning the bottom of your sauce pan. Take off of heat after it's been heated through. When the steamed rice is done combine the two cups of cooked rice and the coconut milk while both are still hot. Cover and let sit for a full thirty minutes at room temperature. Peel and dice the ripe mango into small edible sized pieces. Add to the rice. I usually have a few spoonfuls right there, it's great at that temp. But It's my favorite after it's been in the fridge for a while. That is why it's my favorite dessert which doubles as a breakfast. Hee hee! Enjoy!

Let it Begin

I was at Bunco this evening and a few of us were talking about blogs and the constant need we feel to always measure ourselves (subconsciously of course) against all of these words that our friends and family members put on their blogs. And while it is wonderful to journal the great things in our lives it is no one's intention to exhibit this pretense that their life is the pinnacle of perfection. Dashboard says it best when they say "I am flawed" We are all flawed and it is our fault that we measure ourselves against others. I am the worst one. I don't usually like to share certain things on blogs, things of a personal nature but I feel very hopeful that someone might read this and possibly allow this song to aid them in their trials. I have been struggling with something lately and its difficult to not feel abandoned and overlooked for blessings. I was comforted and humbled this evening as I read my friend, Julie Yardley's post on Facebook. She is this gorgeous, amazing wife, mother, friend, daughter, aunt, etc. Julie and I share a few nephews and a niece as she is my brother-in-law's little sister. She also has the brightest future as an LDS Music artist. She is fantastic. She has a new song out on a cd at Deseret book,

Women of Hope. So I went into Itunes to see if I could download it and I couldn't but I could download "Let it Begin" This song is beautiful. Musicality alone it's genius, but then listen to it further and you will be amazed at how it hits home so well. I mean the first words to the song are "You might think that no one knows what you're going through" It was absolutely inspired that I sat down tonight and listened to it and I have felt well, less than inspired the last year or so. But I keep learning the same lessons over and over again. And as cliche as it sounds "Life is what you make it". It doesn't matter what you're going through. The atonement allows us to give our trials and our mistakes over to someone else...someone who can handle them. That's an amazing concept. We have to ask that they are taken, but they are taken without any addendum or crazy stipulations. When we are struggling we have to make the choice to turn it over and let our brother, Jesus Christ take it from here. I think that usually I always use the atonement with mistakes I've made. That's what we learn, right? This is I guess one time that I am consciously using the atonement to comfort me in a trial I am experiencing, not that I have never used it that way, but more I am being reminded to use it for that purpose. The fact that he has felt exactly what I have felt is comforting. Because it's someone who knows.

Singing my way through life as I have the past 27 years, makes you a crazed lunatic that has to find a song to relate to while in certain afflictions. I guess this is mine for this one. I have never heard anything that has spoken so clearly to me in my life. So thank you to my sister for marrying Marc who is the brother of Julie. Thank you to Paul and Karen Rose for creating an amazing daughter who continually stays close to the spirit so that I can be inspired to buy her music, and today thank you to my Father in Heaven and brother Jesus Christ for knowing me so perfectly and allowing me to be inspired by beautiful music and lyrics.

...the healing starts within, just let him in, and let it begin.

Love this...

A Spanish Proverb states “Only an Aunt can give hugs like a mother, can keep secrets like a sister, and share love like a friend.”

I am the proudest aunt of these three adopted children. They are my entire life and I love them with all of my heart. My sister and her sweet husband are hoping to be parents of another newborn as soon as possible. This is there portfolio for their journey to parenthood, created by none other than the dynamic duo at MadMarie Photography. They should win an Academy Award for their hard work. If you know any birth mothers who are looking for families, please send them our way!

The Rose Family from Mad Marie Photography on Vimeo.

Guilty Pleasure...

So I realize that this is maybe an inopportune time to post this as I just recently posted about New Year's goals and aspirations, but I am obsessed with Tillamook Dairy products at the moment. My sisters and I discovered that we have a Winco about 15 to 20 minutes away from my parents house. I typically don't like cheese and crackers but my sister in law, Ashley Heather, introduced me to Tilammook Dairy products a few years ago. It's the only cheese I like to eat now and when we were at Winco on New Years eve we found that Tilammook is a main distributor for Winco. They have the milk, the cheese, the sour cream and the yogurt. Oh the yogurt! The Lemon Squeeze yogurt is an inspired little cup of goodness and the only way I can get through my morning these days. If you get the chance to go to the very inexpensive Winco or another supermarket that carries Tillamook products, make sure you get the yogurt and ice cream. The Peanut Butter Chocolate is amazing, but they also had one called Cinnamon Banana Bliss that I cannot wait to try. Thank goodness for Tillamook County Cows Y'all!

New year, new thoughts...

The January blues or "doldrums" as my mother has put it, have become that incessant thought that I find inescapable this season. Although I have yet to find the exact source of all my woes every January one I find myself disappointed that it has come. Though my attempts to embrace this seasonal transition have been feeble at best, I had the best of intentions this year...I think?
I imagine that every year I just become overwhelmed with the ubiquitous New Year's spirit that seems to be welcomed as fast as the Christmas spirit is dismissed at exactly noon on December 25th! Being one that hates change I feel like I stumbled upon something this year. It's two fold actually and the first part involves stopping the immense pressure I put on "resolutions" for myself and instead just celebrating the things I learned and loved in the previous year. With this attitude I feel more like I can take those things with me through the next year. It feels less like "change" and more like an addition of months to an already incredible chapter of my life. So I will in this post list my favorite things of 2010 and the things I look forward to in 2011. Please bear with me as some will be more or less superficial than others.

Things I Love 2010:
...Peach Coke- Sonic, ask them to put a little peach syrup in your Coke next time.
...Graduating from college feels awesome!
...Eclipse- the movie was all I expected and more from I am pretty sure The Twilight Saga's biggest fan.
...Thanksgiving in Texas
...conquering that Haunted Forest!
...reuniting with my "shisters"
...large and small tribulations- because the large ones make you grateful for the small ones.
...moving back to the only "hometown"I could ever claim.
...working for the greatest bank in Utah!
...lessons in love I learned.
...the birth of my newest nephew Oliver Grey Kearns (was there ever a cuter little baby, I submit that there was not. Oh wait except for the other five nieces and nephews I have)
...Sun Valley with a few of my sisters.
...Sisterpalooza
...Frogurt
...Zupas
...Park City family reunions
...being in close proximity to my sister Julie the entire time she was here
...Cedar City and all of my friends there!
...Hunger Games, Catching Fire

Things I look forward to 2011:
...getting healthier
...being more confident and all that comes with that.
...strengthening my relationship with and my faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
...England, Ireland
...Cousin reunion
...Kearns sister's weekend 2011
...BREAKING DAWN PART ONE!
...Mockingjay
...getting organized.
...new apartment
...more consistent temple attendance
...buying a dog
...Christmas with all my sibs (hopefully)
...transforming from ruins
...new opportunities at work

Happy New Year folks!