Life's Celebrations

I am off to Colorado tomorrow for an MBA Career Services conference in Keystone, a family reunion with my Mom's amazing siblings (except Auntie P who I will see in July) in Glenwood Springs and Denver, and (hopefully) a trip to Omaha to see my brother and root on the 'Hoos at the College World Series.

This weekend was full of life's celebrations including Molly and Chris's rehearsal dinner and wedding, both my parents birthdays, Father's Day (see previous post), spending time watching baseball with Evan and Meggie ('Hoos over Cal  4-1), and meeting Kate and Shane's daughter, Grace Elizabeth.

We met Molly and Chris in April '09 when they visited Charlottesville for Darden Days when Molly was deciding where to get to her MBA. We instantly connected to them, spent a wonderful evening chatting, and have been friends ever since. It may have been the beautiful scenery in Crozet or the delicious wine at King Family Vineyards that convinced them to pack up their Boston apartments and move to Charlottesville; but I believe it was the welcome wagon named "The Armstrongs" that really sealed the deal. Joking aside, we joined together for family dinners, Polo matches, and an annual Darden Days "anniversary" toast. This weekend we were fortunate enough to be invited to both their rehearsal dinner at Horse & Hound and wedding at Keswick Vineyards where the view and the bride were absolutely breathtaking. It was joyous and classy without being overdone; and their favors were homegrown Sanborn Farms Maple Syrup (courtesy of Chris's family) and Seattle Chocolates (for Molly's family). Congratulations and we will miss you when you move to Minneapolis. Don't forget that we will be calling about that Best Buy discount...

In other news, our best friends in Charlottesville, Kate and Shane, welcomed their beautiful daughter to the world on Wednesday, June 15. She was 9 days late and took her sweet time saying hello to her folks, but she is absolutely gorgeous. Blake and I met her yesterday and after holding her little hand and kissing her cheek, she has us hooked for life. It was a beautiful reminder that life is a miracle.

It was a full weekend and we could not be happier for those who make life truly joyous!

Lessons from my Father

It's Father's Day--a day to celebrate the man who taught me how to saddle a horse, pen a herd a cattle, shoot a left-handed layup, and love deeply. While words cannot describe the life lessons that George Phillips taught me during the last 25 years, here is a short list of the ones I hold most dear.

1. Service to Others: Dad coached basketball at the college, high school, and junior high level for 20+ years. He coached me in 7th and 8th grade, Frank throughout high school, and many many others at Challis High School/Jr. High, Utah State, Hayden High School (Colorado) and during summer ball camp. He lived and breathed basketball not for the money but for the love of children and the game. He has given his life to educating/coaching kids and I am very thankful for the service that he has given to thousands.

2. Loyalty: Who is your best friend? Are they someone you met in high school, college, or later in life? Dad has had the same best friend, Harold, since he was 7 years old. They have remained close for 45+ years while Dad attended college and played basketball at Lewis and Clark State College and Linfield College, moved to Colorado (where he met my beautiful mom), and returned to Idaho to coach and teach in my hometown. They have endured many challenges and celebrated happy moments together.  My parents have enjoyed a very strong, happy marriage for 26 years and Dad has been the primary caregiver for my Grandpa (who is 91!) Loyalty is a attribute that can not be understated and there is no one who is more loyal to his friends and family than Dad.

3. Hardwork: Frank and I have always pushed ourselves whether we were studying during high school and college, practicing basketball, or preparing for the County and State Fairs; and we have this high work ethic because of our Dad. He encouraged us to do our very best and was extremely supportive at every step. I cannot calculate the miles he has driven in the past two decades taking us to sporting events, horse shows, fairs, college visits, and life celebrations. He is truly a man to be emulated and I am so lucky to be able to call him Dad!

I will see my parents on Friday for a Family Reunion in Colorado but I am unable to spend time with him today. Luckily, when I was home in Idaho in May, he gave me multiple packages of home-grown beef. Today, in honor of my Dad (and my Grandmother), I made a hamburger casserole that takes me back to time around the dinner table with the Phillips family.

Grandma Phillips Hamburger Casserole

1 pound ground beef (local, grass-fed)
1 chopped onion
1 16-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15-oz package of macaroni (or penne pasta)
2 tablespoons italian seasoning
1 cup cheese (I used cheddar and romano)
salt and pepper

Brown ground beef with onion and generous amounts of salt and pepper.
In medium saucepan, simmer tomatoes and italian seasoning.
Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente.
Toss together beef, tomato sauce, and pasta.
Add casserole to 9 by 13 glass pan and cover with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Passion for Baseball

Blake has one true love (other than me of course) and that is Virginia Baseball. He moved to Charlottesville in February 2007 and spent the last four years writing marketing plans, creating on-field promotions, and playing music during games. He spent the majority of his time writing down lyrics to songs to play in baseball situations, talking about Coach O’Conner and the players, and hoping  for a return trip to the College World Series. His 2009 adventure with Evan to the CWS was truly a highlight of his life (I’m still wondering if it was the baseball or the steak at Drover’s in Omaha that has given him the itch to return….)

Blake left the Athletics Department for a wonderful opportunity in University Development in March and has severely missed spending time with Andy and Chuck in the press box and rooting for his beloved team through music. Luckily, this has given him time to tailgate with Evan and be a cheering fan. We have spent the last two weekends engulfed in baseball as our team hosted Regionals and Super Regionals. We have very specific tailgating traditions…chairs set-up in the correct order, Bratwursts/Coors/Corona for the boys and veggies/hummus/cheese/crackers for me, and lucky outfits (we aren’t superstitious at all). Throughout the two weekends, we beat Navy, St. John’s, and ECU handily before meeting the Anteaters of UC-Irvine in the Super Regional. We beat the Eaters 6-0 on Saturday, lost a heartbreaker on Sunday, and nervously awaited Monday’s tie-breaker to go to Omaha.

Blake and I barely slept on Sunday night and spent all day at work with a nervous feeling in our stomachs. We met Evan at 3:30 PM for the game and all sat quietly in the stands anticipating the first pitch. UCI scored first before UVa's Kenny Swab launched a homerun over the left field wall to tie the game at 1-1.  In the top of the 8^th, our biggest nightmare began to unfold. A UCI double followed by some useful outs, forced another run across…2-1 Irvine…our dreams of another CWS run were almost over. In the bottom of the 9^th inning with two outs and two strikes on him, David Coleman lines up the middle, followed by Jared King's liner off the pitchers ankle, followed by a four pitch walk. With the bases loaded we ask, "can we do it?" Could we honestly score and win this game? No, it’s too crazy…




We're Going to Omaha!

 

Chris Taylor up to bat…a fastball for strike one…here comes another fastball…base hit up the middle (crowd is going crazy) as we tie with one run and then clinch the series with the other! The Hoos are going to Omaha!!!!!

As I hugged Blake and many strangers around me, I was reminded why I love sports…anything can happen…even with 2 outs and 2 strikes in the bottom of the 9^th inning.

Next stop? Tailgating on Sunday at 2:00 PM as Virginia takes on Cal! Let’s go ‘Hoos, I want to use my newly purchased Southwest Airlines ticket to see you in the Championship!!!!

Tre Anni Felici

Blake and I celebrated our 3^rd wedding anniversary this week! We stayed in, shared a bottle of Prosecco, created Salsa de Pomodori Freschi and Bruschetta ai Fagioli, and relived our amazing wedding week through beautiful pictures.

Beach Week 2008 was absolutely perfect! We rented a house on Sandbridge Beach, Virginia and were surrounded by our parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, close friends, fraternity brothers, and sorority sisters. For 6 days we shell hunted, kayaked, dolphin watched, drank iced tea and Dogfish Head beer on the Leto deck, played with Billy Bob teeth, and had only one agenda…have fun!  In fact, our wedding day was so low stress that Blake was body boarding an hour before the wedding.  Everyone pitched in to arrange the flowers, decorate the arch, design the seashell aisle, cool the beverages, and make the food. Our wedding was a team effort and truly a dream! As the fog rolled in, Blake and I shared our vows and then it was off to the party! We shared in great food and drinks, chased each other with eggs filled with confetti, took knee-high dips in the ocean, and spent quality time with the people we love the most! Shouldn’t all weddings be as happy?

Thank you Blake for 7 years together and being a perfect life partner!!!


Salsa di pomodori freschi


This recipe  is best in the summer when cherry tomatoes are in season at the Farmer's Market.


1 pound fresh pasta
24 oz fresh cherry tomatoes

1 clove garlic
8 Tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil
6 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste


Cut tomatoes in half and simmer with olive oil and garlic for 25-30 minutes or until tomatoes begin breaking down. Cover and stir frequently.
Add the basil, salt, pepper and freshly cooked pasta and simmer for 2-3 minutes over the heat.
Garnish with fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese.


Bruschetta ai fagoili


This is Blake's favorite dish from our cooking class and he requests it frequently. If you do not have time to soak and cook the beans, a can of rinsed cannellini beans works great.


4 oz dry cannellini beans
2 fresh sage leaves
1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon red onion

6 tablespoons olive oil (use the best quality available)

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic (chopped)

1 sprig fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

Soak beans for 24 hours with lots of water and cook with sage leaves and garlic for 35-40 minutes. Let cool in their own water.


Strain the beans and add to olive oil over low heat. Use a fork to mash half of the beans.
Add vinegar, red onion, garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper.
Warm for 5 minutes, remove rosemary sprig, and add more olive oil if needed.
Serve over toasted baquette slices.

Beautiful Virginia and Zucchini Bread

Wow, what a wonderful day! Blake is in Idaho visiting his family so I planned many social events to fill my long Memorial Day Weekend. Kate and I met for breakfast at Bluegrass Grill and a trip to the Charlottesville City Market. Baby Gracie is due next weekend and Kate looks absolutely stunning (I can say without a doubt that she is the most beautiful mom-to-be that I have ever seen)! It was such a special treat to spend the morning with her and I am counting the days until I can meet the newest member of our Charlottesville family.

After filling my cooler with nature's bounty (strawberries, squash, zucchini, asparagus, baby red potatoes, salad greens, and raw honey), I met Sean, Pepin, Emily, Kelly, and some new friends for lunch and an afternoon at the vineyard. Sean (and Everette) have raved about the Batesville Store located in you guessed it, Batesville, a very small town 30-minutes from Charlottesville through the beautiful Virginia countryside. We sat outside in perfect 70 degree weather and enjoyed our phenomenal lunch. They are known for their down home cooking (mac and cheese, jambalaya, pork barbecue) and I treated myself to four kinds of salad beautifully assembled on bibb lettuce leaves. I enjoyed a sampling of their wild rice salad, lentil salad, cauliflower and apricot salad, and tuscany bean salad.  After lunch, we enjoyed a few hours of sunshine at Veritas Winery sampling sparkling Moussex, sweet Viognier, and dry Rose. It was a perfect day in Virginia!

After sampling delicious local fare throughout the day, I was inspired to bake succulent Zucchini Bread.

Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups raw sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup canola oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cups pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 cup raisins (optional)

Beat together eggs, sugar, zucchini, oil, and vanilla.
In separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
Add dry ingredients, pecans and raisins (if using) to wet ingredients and combine.
Bake in two bread loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Enjoy!

Fiesta Pizza

This pizza combines two of my favorite things...latin flavors and pizza...and uses a black bean dip as the base of the sauce. This dish is very versatile and would be delicious with any combo of veggies and cheese that you prefer. I make my own pizza dough but if you are pressed for time, any fresh pizza dough will work wonderfully.

                                                                                    
Black Bean Base

1 can black beans (rinsed)
1/2 cup salsa
1 clove garlic
2 T cumin
2 T fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno or 6 pickled jalapeno slices
Juice of 1 lime

Process all ingredients in food processor. Roll out pizza dough and spread with sauce (if you have leftover sauce, it would be delicious with chips or rolled into a tortilla).

Toppings
1 cup corn
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 cup cherry tomatoes (sliced)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 cups cheddar cheese

Bake pizza for 500 degrees for 20 minutes or until pizza is golden brown.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

One of my earliest childhood memories is picking strawberries in the middle of the Idaho summer with Frank. We would pick for hours, eating most of them,  and then bring the leftovers into the house for Mom to make into jam. I absolutely love homemade jam on toast, biscuits, pancakes, and ice cream. It is strawberry season in Virginia so it's the perfect time for this fantastic recipe!

Here is an easy step-by-step process for making delicious freezer jam.

                                    1. Buy fresh strawberries. I used 4 quarts to make the jam.

2. Pulse strawberries in food processor. You will need 8 cups of strawberry puree.

3. Heat 2 packets of Sure-Jell (Pectin), 2 cups of water, and 3 cups of raw sugar over medium high heat stirring frequently. When sugar mixture begins to boil, stir for 1 minute and remove from heat. Add strawberry puree and stir for another minute.

4. Add jam to 8 oz freezer containers leaving 2 inches at the top for expansion. I had enough jam to fill 16 containers. Let sit uncovered for 2 hours, cover with lids and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours to set up. 

5. Share with friends and family! Jam will last 3 weeks in fridge and up to a year in the freezer.