You Gotta Try These!

I had an exciting first today. I have always admired people who create new recipes or who change recipes to make new creations. Well, thanks to two black bananas, I tweaked my favorite chocolate chip cookies (Nancy's chocolate chip cookie recipe) and created a new favorite cookie. Not only that, I cut the butter and sugar into half and it actually tastes good. Here's the recipe (with the butter and sugar already cut in half) in case you ever have black bananas:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 very ripe bananas
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, sugars, bananas, eggs and vanilla. Add oatmeal and mix. Add flour, baking powder and baking soda to bowl (tip: instead of using a new bowl to mix the dry ingredients, I always add the flour right on top of the wet ingredients and then carefully add the baking powder and soda to the flour and slowly mix the flour to mix all the dry ingredients and then mix it into the wet mixture. It's kind of cheating, but it works.) Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough before baking (it bakes better if it is cold). Bake for 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Don't over bake:)

Happy Anniversary to....

"Thanks for marrying mom," I told my dad on Sunday. "Thanks for marrying my dad," I told my mom also. Isn't it crazy to think that I am here "all because two people fell in love?" Okay, it's not crazy, it's awesome. I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents that love each other and love me! Happy 30th Wedding Annivesary mom and dad!

To celebrate, Tyler and I made them an Easter dinner. We planned the menu, set the table, labored all day in the kitchen cooking...we did everything. Okay, not everything. They bought the groceries and cleaned up. But I think we all got a pretty good deal! Tyler made a delicoius beef tenderloin with roasted asparagus and I made rolls, twice baked potatoes and cherry vanilla jello.

I spent all day Saturday baking. It was a blast. I made them an anniversary cake: chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and chocolate peppermint ganache topped with strawberries. Then I made Grandma's sweet yeast rolls. That is my favorite bread ever. See how nicely it rose? I was very impressed since I hadn't made this recipe before. Then mom made cinnamon rolls with the left over bread. We have had lots of good eats lately!

Cakes with Love

One of our dreams for the future is to open a cake shop called "Cakes with Love." A year ago in January I took a cake decorating class at the community college in Lincoln and found I had a hidden love for cake decorating. I say hidden, because when I was little I remember never liking birthday cakes; I would always request brownies! So here are a few examples of the cakes I have made in the past year.
This is my first cake.


Here is the second cake. I definitely got the shape down, but that week in class we were working on making the icing look very smooth and perfect. It got better in the next few weeks.




My first experiment with two layers. I enjoyed doing the basket weave on the sides.




This is my all-time favorite (so far!)


I made this last Easter. (Ashley helped me with the Greek writing!)


I found a recipe to make my own fondant with marshmallows and powdered sugar. I made this cake for a baby shower for two of my friends.


A co-worker of mom's requested I make him a cake for his birthday. So I made my first carved cake. Mom said he loves anything to do with cowboys so I made a cowboy hat. (Last year whenever I made cakes we would have a piece at home and then mom would take the rest to work. Let's just say she became a favorite among her co-workers!)


This is a soccer ball cake I made for Chris Choi's birthday. Go Auburn!

Last year I was all about decorating. This year I am all about trying new recipes and fun flavors. And my newest thing is I am trying to psyche myself up to make a wedding cake (just to practice for the future) because I want to prove to myself that I can make a layered cake. We'll see how that goes!

A Culinary Adventure

We walked in and immediately felt like we were in France. They brought out delicious sourdough bread straight from the oven, crisp on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside. While we waited for the appetizers we sipped our wine, one a Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon and the other an Eroica Riesling. It's the little things in life worth celebrating, and the big things. We were celebrating our 9 month wedding anniversary last weekend and couldn't help but smile as we indulged at this little restaurant that brought back memories of our culinary feasts at the Broadmoor on our honeymoon. We shared a cheese and meat board and crab cakes for the appetizers and savored every bite. Small but significant side note: Jackson 5 started playing while we were there and we decided we approved of their music choices. Carmela's Bistro and Wine Bar is our new favorite place here in Lincoln and we already have plans to go back to celebrate Tyler's birthday in a few weeks!

A Full House

What do you get when you have the soccer team over for dinner? Three and a half pounds of left over spaghetti:-)

The parents take turns having the team over for a pre-game dinner and Tyler decided we should take a turn. It was a lot of fun. The guys are great guys and it's very interesting to listen to their conversations. By far the best line was, "It'd definitely wear a silk onesie to school." Anyway, the menu was spaghetti with meat sauce and an italian chicken rotini with sundried tomatoes. My biggest fear of the night was running out of food, so needless to say I made WAY too much pasta. I discovered a great tip from one of the moms: make the spaghetti ahead of time, put it in the fridge in a gallon ziplock bag, and then when you are ready to eat, heat it in the microwave (in the bag) for 5 minutes. It was a great night finished off with the guys running to the hill behind our house to play a game of "skins" versus "shirts" soccer, until it got too cold and they were all "shirts." Needless to say I am excited to have a house full of boys of our own one day!

My wife's heart is still in Florida

Before I begin this story, I must admit that it has a bit of a "I guess you had to be there" feel to it. In case you feel that way after you read it, please laugh anyway. I appreciate it. :-)

The last time the Rossers went to Juice Stop was before one of us had acquired that last name. We ventured there on a cold, windy Tuesday in January around 3 PM when it was evident that very few people wanted to leave the comfort of their own homes or offices to indulge in a blended fruit conconction. Yesterday was different. It was a beautiful spring day in Lincoln, Nebraska. The birds were chirping, the flowers were blooming, pollen was coating the exterior of every vehicle, and my wife could think of nothing better than to sip on a Pomegranate Plunge smoothie before taking a long walk outside.

We were headed home from Mass around 1 PM when she had the idea. I would drop her off at CVS Pharmacy to pick up whatever one picks up at that store and I would drive around the corner to the smoothie place to pick up her tasty beverage. After she was finished shopping, she would meet me at Juice Stop, and we would continue our journey home. I told my wife, "You're brilliant. That way we can kill two birds with one stone." I always like efficiency especially when we are running errands. The next half hour was amusing, but not efficient.

When I walked into the store, I could not decipher which line was which. As it turned out, I was first in line to order, but last in a line of about fifteen people to get Dene's smoothie. This was already a much different experience from the January Juice Stop escapade several years before. I always get a bit nervous when I rarely patron a store and have to make a quick decision on what to order. So I stepped up to the cash register and as boldly as I could proclaimed, "I'll have a pomegranate plunge please." Silence. Blank Stare. Finally, she replied, "What?" I said again, feeling my face turning red a bit of moisture developing around my brow "A pomegranate plunge." She asked, "What's that?" Thirty eyes were piercing the window to my soul at this point, the owners of which were probably thinking, "He must not be from around here." Exactly.

I finally asked if they had anything pomegranate*. She said very earnestly, "We have cranberries." Readers of this blog can tell me, do cranberries and pomegranate taste anything alike? I can't remember the last time I had either, so I was not sure. Just wanting to end the conversation, order a smoothie, and become number sixteen in line, I quickly looked at the board and ordered the first thing I could see that I thought my wife would enjoy. I said, "It's ok. I'll have an Eagle please." Problem solved, sweat decreasing, face returning to normal, I am almost done. I handed her my Discover card thinking I had conquered the store when she said bluntly, " We don't take Discover." I fumbled through my wallet and realized I had given Dene' the Visa debit card minutes before. I had no cash on me either. Moisture and redness returning, I said, "Ok. I'll wait for my wife to get here." She retorted, "Good idea. Next."

Feeling humiliated, ashamed, and discouraged-ok, it wasn't that bad, but still-I shied away to the corner of the buildin and waited for Mrs. Rosser. I thought, "Who sells a Pomegranate Plunge? The name sounds familiar." Ten minutes later, my better half walked in joyfully with a smile on her face expecting to soon plunge into the pomegranate drink she had so longed for. I whispered, "I have bad news," and proceeded to tell her that Juice Stop did not carry the Pomegranate Plunge (perhaps because the name is too normal sounding at a place that sells the "Eagle" and the "CrossStitch"). Nonchalantly, she remembered and squeaked with amusement, "Oh yeah. Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Florida sells those. Sorry." If only she could have taken the news a little bit better. ;-)

The next fifteen minutes went smoothie-ly. We ordered the drink, paid, waited, picked up a straw after Dene's "Eagle" was ready, and hightailed it out of there. Dene' and I are convinced that these small memories are among the things that make our marriage so special. Sure, we cherish and will continue to treasure the big moments, but the little things in between are priceless. Thanks for reading.

*I am convinced that no store in Lincoln sells the fruit. They sell pomegranate juice in several different flavors, but no pomegranate. We went to HyVee last week so my expert baker could create a pomegranate cake. No such luck. She made an orange, cranraisin, and lime cake. Intersting combo, but very tasty.

7 v 7 Soccer

Tyler played his first game in the adult league in Lincoln today. It was a beautiful spring day and a perfect day to watch soccer. Mom and dad came and they enjoyed watching their son-in-law play for the first time. I really admire my husband for going out there, playing with guys he doesn't know, and giving it his all. Even though he jokingly says he is "all washed up," that is not true. He scored two goals and used his leadership abilities on and off the field. I love you my soccer man!

Author change :-). Hey y'all! It's tyler now. What Dene' did not mention is that we got lost on the way to the game. It reminded me of the good ol' days of club soccer when mom, dad, and I would consistently get lost on the way to soccer tournaments. Of course, I rarely missed the first half of a game as I almost did today. We almost made it in time...that is until we pulled into a youth soccer complex we thought was the right place, only to get stuck in a mob of minivans trying to depart the park. The traffic was moving so slowly that I even had enough time to hop out of our minivan and use the bathroom...in a port o' potty of course (that's the first time I've ever typed that one out, it was fun). I was feeling rebellious and I didn't even lock the door. Nevertheless, we finally got to the park. It was such a blessing to have my beautiful wife and my in-laws come to the game. It was a perfect day.

Go Bolts!

I love being a soccer wife. I think it's good practice for the future when I am a soccer mom. It'll be fun to have our little ones playing some day, but for now I am very content with watching my husband coach. He is an awesome coach. Lots of the parents comment to me that he is very devoted to the guys and they can tell he is very passionate about soccer. (In case you didn't know, Tyler is coaching the Junior Varsity team at our Catholic high school here in town.) The Pius Bolts played last night, today, and have a game on Monday. And why take Sunday off? Tyler signed up for an adult league in Lincoln on Sunday afternoons. So that means, after Monday I will have watched 5 plus hours of soccer. But I am coming to love the sport. It's very relaxing to watch, unless it comes down to the last minutes of the game. But for the last three games it has been very enjoyable. They have gone 10-0, 10-0, and 4-0. Last week Tyler said his dream was to have a shut-out. Congratulations my love! One down, lots more to go! I never imagined having a soccer coach/player as a husband, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Chocolate Extravangaza

I have been craving chocolate. Ever since I watched Barefoot Contessa a month ago I have been excited to make brownies. What has been holding me back? Oh, let's say the 1 pound of butter, a pound and a half of chocolate, 2 plus cups of sugar (did I mention peanut butter?) that her recipe called for. I just couldn't let myself make them, knowing I'd be eating all that stuff. So when my dear husband said he would gladly take the brownies to his soccer practice (he said the guys would easily run it off) I made a quick trip to Hy-Vee. Let's just say, I have never made brownies like these before. Of course I let myself have a snitch or two (or three) as I was boxing them up for the guys. Rich, creamy, dark, melt in your mouth chocolate, with a hint of coffee and peanut butter. Yum. But still, can you imagine all that butter and chocolate? I had a little extra time on my hands, and I was curious to know how much stuff is in a single brownie. So stick with me here...I cut the brownies into 20 pieces. That means in one brownie there was 1.6 tablespoons of butter, 1. 7 ounces of chocolate, and 1.8 tablespoons of sugar. Isn't it funny to think that we would never eat those ingredients separately by themselves, but mixed together with some flour, salt, and eggs they are pretty tasty? My recommendation if you want to take on these crazy brownies? A large glass of milk.

Welcome!

This "blog" thing is new to both of us. But please stick with us on this adventure as we post tidbits about our daily happenings. For now there will probably be a lot of cakes and baking posts and leadership and sports posts (we'll let you guess who will be writing them...) but as we start FOCUS at the end of May we'll keep you updated on summer training and the exciting news yet to come of where we will be living. We love and miss you all!