Walnut-Strawberry Quick Bread

Before I moved out to the east coast I was living in Broomfield, Colorado. If you have ever been to this area of the country then you are familiar with its beautiful year-round weather, fantastic views and plethora of health-conscious people. Colorado is consistently ranked as the fittest state in the country, with one of the lowest obesity rates. The first two qualities of Colorado help influence the third. When the weather is nice and there is a mountainous playground at your front door, you tend to enjoy your exercise so much more.

While I spent the majority of my time in Colorado working in the lab, I did take some time to enjoy the sights. I would pack myself a nice slice of banana bread and head out into the wilderness. Just me and my water bottle, against all of the elements of nature, I would set out into the Rocky Mountains. By reading the signs at the entry to the park you expect to be attacked by at least three woodland creatures before you leave.

According to the signs you must… 1. Not go into the areas marked with specific signs because they are raptor nesting areas. Now, I don’t know about you, but personally I don’t think we should be promoting raptor procreation. Didn’t the people of Colorado ever see Jurassic park? 2. If you see a cougar, you should yell at it. I think that having a nice conversation with the cougar would suffice, but apparently this will not keep it from mauling me. 3. Beware of bears. There wasn’t much more helpful information beyond that.

Luckily for me I made it out of the wilderness without getting mauled by raptors, cougars, bears or any other mysterious animals. The Rocky Mountains are full of crazy animals, many of which I was not warned about on the signs. What if I came upon a tap-dancing squirrel or a monkey with a tambourine? Other than thinking that the local circus lost a train car, I would have no idea what to do. I guess I would just have to offer them some of my bread.

Stylish Blogger Award! Pass it along!

I was so happy to discover that I'd been awarded the Stylish Blogger Award by two three! of my favorite bloggers!  Many thanks to Boulder Locavore, The Kitchenarian and I'll have What She's Having!  It is an award passed through the blogging community to those blogs that are deemed "stylish" by their peers.  And if there is one thing that I pride myself on is being stylish.  I do wear these boots around in wet weather (actually I wear them all the time...)



I love reading Boulder Locavores blog because it reminds me of the great years that I spent living and working in Boulder.  The posts also help to remind me that it is possible to eat locally and eat well. 

The Kitchenarian also has a fantastic blog that I love to read.  I'm always impressed the the photography, go check it out, the photos are beautiful.  Be sure to read some of the older posts, they are a wealth of great information!

I've just discovered Lynn at I'll have what she's having, but I love it.  She has so many different recipes posted.  So whether I'm in need of a dessert or dinner recipe, I've got a place to go!

So in accepting this award I am obligated to do the following...  Share 7 things about me, that you might not know!  Then pass this award along to some deserving bloggers.  So here we go!

You just might not know...

1. My first paying job was as a coat-check girl.  Drunk people give the best tips.
2. I was originally a photography/art major in college.  I spent a whole year painting, drawing and spending time the darkroom.
3. I have photographed many many weddings, it's most fun when you're not the lead photographer. 
4. In the past year I have traveled to ten different countries.
5. I was a cheerleader in high school.  I think this is why I excel at teaching group X classes, I get to yell at people.
6. I love BBC America and my DVR tapes Doctor Who whenever it's on.
7. Michael Weston is my TV boyfriend.  My real boyfriend looks very similar to my TV boyfriend.

Okay, I hope that you have enjoyed that little glimpse into my world.  And now let's pass this award along!  Please check out some of my favorite reads.  They make me laugh, they make me want to lick my screen and they bring so many different perspectives to cooking.  Thank you for your energy!  In no particular order...

Hot Polka Dot

Eat.Live.Travel.Write

CaffeIna

Squirrel Bakes

Bite by Bite

Awardees – Accepting this award is based on the following criteria:


1. Thank the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the Award on to other bloggers you follow and who have inspired you.
4. Copy the award from my blog and then you may display it on your own blog.
5. Notify your selected recipients.

Banana Whoopie Pies

It would seem that I’ve been making a lot of cookies recently! I suppose that it’s that time of year! This year I wasn’t in the mood for the regular old boring cookies. I didn’t want to make raspberry thumbprints and chocolate mint cookies, I wanted to break out of the mold. Go cookie crazy! Throw tradition to the wind and have some fun. So I started out with the dark chocolate hearts, wonderful. Then I thought, let’s get nuts! It’s whoopie pie time!

The whoopie pie. If you haven’t heard, it’s the cupcake of 2010. They’re getting more hits on Google than “What to buy my husband for Christmas.” That’s pretty popular! If you’ve never had one, then apparently you’ve been hiding under a house all year long. Now is your time to embrace the whoopie pie.

Wikipedia describes them as “made of two round mound-shaped pieces of chocolate cake, sometimes pumpkin cake, with a sweet, creamy filling or frosting sandwiched between them.” Cake mounds? Cream filling? Sounds right up my alley! How about you?