retrobdaypost

I must think the spacebar is overrated. :) 'tis why I'm guessing the title is all jumbled.

I have some horrid pictures of myself that I need to post. yuck. Ha ha 

Aaron had his 36th birthday on October 24th and I took him rock climbing and then to Liberty Market and Joe's Real BBQ for dinner(s).  Remember the Octoberfest Burger post?  Yeah, it was that night. Aaron ordered that (free birthday meal) and then went across the street and ordered me a free birthday pulled pork and cheesy potatoes from Joe's (The Cheesy Pots are bomb- you have but to add salt to unlock their true potential. epic.  I could eat them for every meal and still crave them upon awakening each morning.  geeze I'm so dramatic. anyway.....back to the bad pictures)

We had so much fun and spent sooooo little it's insane.

Before all the eating, we went to AZ on the Rocks.  I bought a groupon from my friend who realized she wasn't going to get a chance to use it before it expired.  She only charged me $2.  $2!!!!!!!?!?!?  It was for a day pass/gear rental (~$22) and a $5 Pita Jungle gift card.  $2!  shweeeeeet.  At AZ on the Rocks, you get a free day pass and rental when it's your birthday, so Aaron got in free. ha ha ha oh man did we work the system. 

Here are the horrible pictures.  That harness made me have a bubble butt. yuck.  and my shirt is all poofed out. and I looked horrible that day anyway.  AND I was slouching and sticking out my gutt in the.... nevermind.  you get the idea.  I dislike the pictures, but it's documenting a fun time and Aaron wanted me to post them
(THIS, Aaron, is how you know that I love you)

Gettin hooked up

 Awww. isn't he cute?  Happy Birthday, babe!

 nice legs, honey. 

 (no comment)

I really did have a lot of fun climbing- it feels so good to reach the top....

However, in this case, Aaron was not belaying me (securing the rope and controlling the speed of my descent with the gear), no, on this climb I was using the "autobelay" device, which is a rope hooked up to that round diaper genie-refill looking thing.  Genie details: 1. it slows your descent, but only enough so that you don't splat on the floor and 2. you have to just let go of the wall and start free falling like a dope before it engages and slows you down.  It takes a second for it to engage so yeah, it's fun. And freaky the first time.

 I swear if you say anything about this........

ummm ok, this is the end of the post.  Thanks for reading with your eyes closed.....  you didn't peek, did you? cause....... then I'd have to kill you.  (awkward silence)

BY THE WAY... I don't know if I've told you before that one of my ambitions is to become a licenced climbing/rappelling instructor.  My family used to go rappelling all the time growing up and I learned a lot from my dad... but it's been a long time.  When I get a little bit of time and money I'm going to get certified so I can take groups out (church youth groups and also just for recreation)  Also, it'd be a fun way to earn a buck.

Oh HEY!  I totally forgot to tell you guys about Liberty Market-  You know that The Lib, Joe's Real BBQ, and Joe's Farm Grill are all at least partially owned by this guy.  Yes, Joe Johnston who always wears a straw bowler and glasses and is super friendly.  You can follow him on twitter here.  We saw him at Liberty on A's b-day and he asked if we were going for the Birthday trifecta (visiting all three restaurants for a free meal on your birthday)  We told him that we had and he said "Now see, what you need to try next year is going in the first part of the day to all three and then after the shift change go to all three again."  Talk about milking the system... wow.  We had thought of doing that before, but kind of felt it was dishonest... now that we have Joe's go-ahead, it's a challenge!

Ze Cornish Pasty

lame title- just go with it.

I brought my leftovers with me to my conducting class a few weeks ago for lunch and although I was a little embarrassed to heat up this visually unappetising  mass of aromatic food in the company of my classmates, I was not ashamed enough to refrain.  mmmmm it was sooo good... turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, gravy all muddled together in a heap of unabashed culinary glory..... oh man... the redolent thanksgiving aroma made my classmates drool.  Ed, the professor, (and yes, we called him Ed- the adept Edmund Hughes, conductor extrordinare) took a reluctant look at the contents of my tupperware and asked "What IS that?"

"It's a Cornish Pasty.  From the Cornish Pasty Company"

"What's the Cornish Pasty Company?" he asked

There were gasps from around the room and then everyone came in at once with "You've never heard of the Cornish Pasty Company?" and "Ohhh it's soo goood!" and "You HAVE to go the Cornish Pasty Company"

Well, to tell the truth, I had never been to the Cornish Pasty Company before I got my turkey dish and was quite surprised that so many people knew about it.  I guess I became cool when I went.  Who knew?  I just thought it was yummy.

Would you like me to tell you about the Cornish Pasty Company?  No?  ok.

ohhh wait... you would?  it's hard for me to tell through this computer screen. you're gonna have to think louder than that if you want me to hear you.

A Cornish Pasty is made from pastry dough, and should be shaped like a ‘D’ and crimped on one side, not on the top. It should include beef, swede (called turnip in Cornwall), potato and onion, with a light seasoning of salt and pepper - keeping a chunky texture. The pastry should be golden and retain its shape when cooked and cooled. The pasty has been described as a "functional food" as it appears to be designed with the purpose of being easily carried, retains its heat for a long time and can be eaten with the hands.  There are many recipes for pasties these days but they for the most part stick to meat, potatoes, vegetables, and gravy.

History of the Cornish Pasty (pronounced past-y not like tooth paste, but like something happened in the past)  The exact origins of the pasty are unclear, despite the modern pasty's strong association with Cornwall (located in the south west tip of Great Brittain). It became popular in Cornwall during the 17th and 18th centuries, where tin miners and other workers adopted it due to its unique shape, forming a complete meal that can be carried easily and eaten without cutlery.  Side-crimped pasties gave rise to the suggestion that the miner might have eaten the pasty holding the thick edge, ensuring that his dirty fingers (possibly including traces of arsenic) did not touch food or his mouth. Other theories suggest that miners ate the pasty from end to end, and the earliest Cornish recipe book, printed in 1929, claims that "the true Cornish way" to eat a pasty is from end to end, so that any uneaten portion could be saved for later. Any excess pastry from a miner's pasty might sometimes have been left for the knockers, capricious spirits in the mines who might otherwise lead miners into danger. There is also a humorous belief that the pastry on a good pasty should be strong enough to withstand a drop down a mine shaft. The pasty's dense, folded pastry could stay warm for 8 to 10 hours.

Traditional bakers in former mining towns will still bake pasties with fillings to order, marking the customer's initials with raised pastry. This practice was started because the miners used to eat part of their pasty for breakfast and leave the remainder for lunch; the initials enabled them to find their own pasties.

Want to eat one?  A really yummy one?  in a hip dig?  Yes I just said that. don't mock me.  it really was a cool place- A place where they want you to think that they're not trying to be cool- that it just happened naturally, but oh boy are they trying.  Just like we all are, right? ;)

Yeeeaaaahhhhh... anyway... 

We had fun with Hipstmatic again.. sorry all you who like clear pictures.  We're just weird like that.

 We love the vintage.  the imperfect.  the quirky. the artsy.

 The bar..

oh wait- i didn't mean to say we like the bar.  I just meant "here's the bar."  that's it, I swear.

 We sat European style (no seperation of parties.  You're next to whoever is at the table... see the guy behind the menu in that picture down there? He was next to Meg- I think he didn't want me to take his picture.... hmmm... ...nah. I bet he loved it.  I wish he had moved that menu though- it kept getting in the way of his face. he has a lot to learn about modeling.

 We had these wicked awesome candles to kind of seperate the two families at the table.  i'm full of fun adjectives today.

 Oh ha- heres the other "try for a cool menu picture" picture. You can't see the menu but my eye looks sweet.  I'm a cyborg.

 My yummy food- The Pilgram: roasted turkey/chicken, sweet potatoes, grilled onions and stuffing.  Served with red wine gravy and cranberry sauce. Wow. It was spectacular.  I have to say, though, that it was even better as leftovers- all of the flavors melded together. wow.  i kind of wish I had eaten less at the restaurant so that I'd have more left over. It was delectable.

My food AND my family.  It doesn't get better than this.

One of our desserts.... caramel apple cinnimon pasty served hot with icecream. It made our eyes pop out and and our tummies say "howdy" (If you don't get the reference it's ok.  I'm just that wierd anyway)

nomlicious.

The Apple Caramel was actually a dessert appetiser because they put the wrong dessert on our ticket- so they just gave us the wrong one and said "the right one will be out soon."

The right dessert was a peanut butter jelly and banana pasty with heavy whipped cream. ruh? yup. it was yummy :)

 Oh, I forgot to mention how hip the set up was- all the benches were restored church pews and the patio had booths and tables and curtains as if it were inside.  The only lighting was those wine bottle candles.   You can see two ppl at their table outside the window in this pic... (wow, this picture totally looks like it was captured in the 70's and not just because of the hipstamatic finish)

Did I mention that the candles were the only lighting?  It was pretty dark in there... I loved it.  Who wants to see their food?  pshaw. totally overrated.

 Not this dark, but you get the picture.

Go visit the Cornish Pasty Company- it is a delectably eccentric experience and you'll love it!

Ahhhh my 31st birthday

Today, January 9th, is my 31st birthday.  It doesn't feel special at all.  Not because people haven't made it a special time, (because I've had a blast this weekend which I will tell you about in a minute) but because I have realized that your actual birth day doesn't mean very much.  I think that instead of celebrating your birthday, you should throw a party every time you change for the better or learn a life lesson or accomplish something great.  I want to send out an invitation to a party that reads "Come to my party celebrating 40 pounds lost!" or "I've just learned a major life lesson involving tears and many sleepless nights- give me presents."  LOL  But really, we make it easier by celebrating each year in hopes that you've done something with the last 365 days to better yourself and mature a little.  So now when I hear someone say "Happy Birthday"  I'll have to think about the previous year and decide if it really is a happy birthday or not.  Have I changed for the better- at least a little?  Or have I wasted this year? 

This birthday is a very happy birthday.  I have a husband who loves me despite my faults and many attempts to convince him I don't deserve him.  I have children who have good hearts and are smart and who love me.  I have parents who are strong in the gospel, love each other, and have been the ultimate examples of sacrifice, humility, unconditional love and wisdom.  I have wonderful supportive friends and family who have seen me through a very difficult and life-changing year and make me cry when I write this. stop it.  But most importantly I have my Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who has sacrificed all for me.  Who has let me know that no matter how I falter He loves me and has atoned for my sins so that I can live with my Father in Heaven again.  I cherish this year. Through all of the trials and blessings I have learned a lot of lessons that have changed me and will stay with me forever.  I would be an ungrateful wretch if I didn't publicly thank my Heavenly Father for the blessings I've received and for the gift of forgiveness in my life.  Thank you, everyone, for your roles in my life, especially in the last year.  Happy Stephanie's Birthday to you.

Ok, as for YESTERDAY!!!!  My parents didn't make the flight- they fly standby so they rely on the flight having empty seats and there weren't any yesterday, so they're planning on coming next Saturday.  It'll be fun- I'm kind of glad that they're coming on a day when I can spend more time with them- that gives you all a week to think of something touristy for us to do- Start thinkin, people!  Sooooo.... we ended up going to Liberty Market for my free brunch of biscuits and gravy, a bite or two of cinnamon roll and breadpudding-french toast, nummy breakfast potatos with horseradish sauce (OMGundersnatch it was goood), and southwestern style scrambled eggs.  And Orange Juice (the best drink on the planet besides water and milk-which is why I capitalized it).  Afterward we went over to the Gilbert Farmers Market and sampled some local produce, honey, salsas, hummus (ew. mine was WAY better- tutorial coming soon, sorry), and pastas.  We drove home, I took a nap, then we dropped the kids off at their aunt Valerie's house and headed to Elements Massage for our 4:00 55-minute couples massage  :)  Aaron has never had a massage before and he was nervous- it was pretty humorous to listen to his moans and groans during the session.  The therapist told him he was pretty tight- which I've been telling him for years. She said she could probably bouce a penny off of him. HA HA!  It's impossible to pinch that man's bum!  I really liked the girl that did mine- she was really good.  I think it's the best massage I've ever had.  Word to the wise- TELL the therapist what you want. You will enjoy the massage so much more. Also, did you know that if you refer someone to Drs Goodman and Partridge and they tell them you referred when they set up their first appointment, you get a free 30 minute massage at elements?  Just thought y'all should know.  That's how we got ours and we just paid to upgrade to hour long massages.

We went to Kona Grill for dinner and I got the Roasted Asparagus Salad and Lobster Mac n Cheese and a Passion Fruit Creme Brulee for dessert. nummy :)  Then we headed to The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar in Tempe.  It was really cool and fun.  Oh my the homeless people were collecting in droves last night- and some of them had funny signs- Two guys had boards with a number on each and then one big one that said "You've been rated" One time we passed I was an 8 and the other time I was rated a 9.  Not bad for 31, I say ;)  Another one said "Please help- zombies ate my brains and...."  Aaron didn't let me stand there long enough to read the rest, but I started busting up laughing.  There were homeless people every 15 feet or so.  not even kidding. I thought there was an anti-loitering law in Tempe that passed in 1998 or so- maybe the law lapsed and it's allowed now? I dunno.  I gave all my change to the first girl that we passed and then everyone who asked for our change after that (and we told that we'd already given away all we had) cheerfully said "it's ok, thanks for supporting the cause!"  What cause?  The cause of homelessness?  The cause of you not supporting yourself through gainful employment?  Anyway.. We rode the elevator back down to our car with a woman who was high and made our way home.  Going to Tempe always makes me appreciate our wholesome (by comparison) Gilbert home.

Anywho, today was a good birthday- after a lot of Happy Birthday wishes at church we came home and I got started on the homemade bread- I brought four loaves to dinner at Aaron's parents' house where we had scrumptious creamy potato soup (amazing) frito salad (always a favorite) and homemade angelfood cake with strawberries and whipped cream and fudge sauce for all of the chocolate lovers. Thanks Kristen and Julie for a yummy dinner!

Thank you everyone with whom I've associated this last year.  I've grown and you were unknowingly a part of it.  I hope to continue to improve my life little by little and you can see just how far I've come if you continue to read this blahhhg. For now I feel good, I feel great, I feel wonderful. :)  Goodnight, Blogiverse.

DATE NIGHT, Episode 1

Episode 1: Liberty Market NOM X 50 bazillion & Geek Empire woot!

Heya people!

I'm starting a Date Night Series and this is numero uno!

Aaron and I went on an A W E S O M E date on Friday.

(Dont ask me about my popeye arm- I have no

idea why it looks so big- lol)

First we went to Liberty Market for Dinner... [click for review  1  2  3 ] . This place was AMAZING! if you follow me on twitter you got a few tweets about it as I was melting from the sheer awesomeness of the tasty food. (the restaurant even RT'd my tweet to all their followers: [RT @demanieshs OMG That G stands for great googly gobbstopping gundersnatch. i just partook of the best food i've ever eaten. Liberty Market, marry me!]  ha ha)

I got the Picnic Sandwich, pressed, and fresh fruit

It has roasted turkey, caramelized pecans, green apple, bleu cheese spread, mixed greens, and roasted poblano pepper aioli. O.M.Gundersnatch!!  It was amazing!  I took that first bite and my eyes rolled back in my head and a moan escaped from my salivating mouth. NOT EVEN KIDDING. sooo funny.

looks like a normal sandwich, right? WRONG! A-MA-ZING!

Aaron did the same. He had the Maiden Lane sandwich, pressed, and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad (w/diced sweet potatos, cranberries, and carmelized pecans)

The Maiden had roasted turkey, brie, red cabbage slaw, cranberry, horseradish aioli  Wowza. it was sooo savory.

Aaron's not a sweet potato fan, but he said that this salad was really tasty-

he made me try it and I was surprised at how good it was.

not a looker, though. definitely not a looker.

For dessert we had the tastiest bread pudding. not dense or soggy. it was perfect. They make it out of their cinnamon rolls. Yumm-o! Get this- in the morning, they make french toast out of the night before's bread pudding- does it get any better than that? seriously!!

(Whoops! SHOOT! It was too good- I forgot to take a picture of it before we dove in...

well, not really, I thought about it but didn't want to stop to get the camera out.

You'll just have to see it for yourselves when you visit.

Cause..... let's face it, you ARE going to visit because you trust my opinion :) 

To top it off, we got to speak to the owners and they are the nicest people and totally deserve every bit of success they achieve. The restaurant is hip and the food is divine. Oh and GetOut wrote an article about their bathrooms a year ago. Check out the tour. LOL

Oh- and one more thing- they have good ice. Like Sonic and all the Banner hospitals. I think I might've died and gone to heaven for one night. :)

If any of you have the foursquare app on your iphones you'll like this next part- Aaron checked in at Liberty Market on foursquare and there was another guy currently checked in (his picture comes up with his name)- so we played where's waldo in the restaurant.  I won! I found "dave" and asked if it was him. He looked a little confused and I told him that we just checked in on foursquare and had fun trying to pick him out. He thought it was hilarious. We sat by him and his date and chatted for a while. hee hee We are such dorks (but we have fun so what the hay)

Then we headed over to what used to be Big Fish Pub and is now Smokey's Bar and Grill on Gilbert and Main Street. (Bit of History: My high school boyfriend played with his band there once and meanwhile I filled his truck bed with balloons to ask him to the winter formal dance- hee hee so juvenile)

We went to see our friend, Bryce Dopp, play bass there with two of his bands, Geek Empire, and The Undercovers (cover band). I'm not going to review them as thoroughly as I did the food, but I've got to say they were ROCKIN!  And very entertaining to watch. They have so much fun playing up there and tell appropriately cheesy jokes. Dallas goes crazy and has to jump at least once in every song and the guitarist, Clark, can shred some serious guitar. I also really liked his green shoes, which I made sure to get a picture of- I need that pic to put up here, BD! I was really impressed with one song that Bryce wrote- you go, dude!  He wanted his wife, (also my good friend since highschool) Nikki Dopp, to take pictures with his camera which she wasn't too excited about so I ended up taking them the entire time. 

I really need a new camera- thanks for trusting me with the fancy shmancy equipment, Bryce! I had a lot of fun with it :)

(Nikki and Me... yes, we called eachother beforehand to coordinate. Conversation went something like this:

Nikki: Hey Steph, are you gonna wear your red shirt tonight, cause I really don't think it'll go with the teal shirt I'm wearing.

Stephanie: Eh, it's ok, it's dirty anyway and I don't wash anything until the following month. I have a system.  I DO have that one green hulk tshirt that I was thinking of wearing

Nikki: Nah, you should try looking like a girl and not a comicon nerd.

Stephanie: oh. ok. how about that stripey shirt with the teal trim?

Nikki: sounds great!

Stephanie: yay!

YES MEN, WE DO THIS EVERY DAY. MYTH CONFIRMED. tell your friends.)

Green Shoe Ammendment!  What a cool cat.

All in all it was a very very very fun date!! I can't wait for our next outing (which I'm sure you will hear all about in Date Night, Episode 2)!
Woot woot!