Bang Bang

The best part about my parents moving away from my "hometown" of Vacaville is that I get to visit really awesome cities like Seattle! I spent Labor Day weekend in the City of Flowers (how lucky their state flower is the Dahlia! One of my faves!) This was my first trip to the city where I wasn't running from the car to escape the rain, or seeking shelter under storefront awnings, or covering my surgical boot with plastic to protect it from the storm. Seattle looks a lot different out from under an umbrella. And let me tell you that September is the perfect time to visit - I soaked up four rare sunny Seattle days and loved every minute.

Another first - a trip out to the shooting range to shoot clays with my fam. I have never even held a shot gun before and had NO idea what I was doing, but with a little practice and some good pointers, I managed to hit 4 or 5 clay targets. The boys were insanely good at shooting and hit almost every single shot - including pairs and report pairs (one shot right after the other) and rabbits. But, my mom was the true champ with 100% accuracy! What a natural! Phil better lookout - he might have some competition! ;)

Another cool thing about shooting was that I got a peek into my brother's job - he drives around and refills the clay machines at the shooting range in Montana.  Coolest part about hanging out a sporting clay range? Riding around in the Ranger from station to station. Think golf cart on steroids. I want one to deliver sweet drinks to Steve in the yard.

I was pleasantly surprised at how fun shooting is and thankful to have shared in one of my BONUS-Dad's favorite hobbies. Steve is pretty stoked that I tried it and we have big plans to go shooting together locally. Aw, so sweet, I know. 

Romantic Getaway

Here are some of my favorite moments from our weekend away in sunny San Diego for Tylia and Chalon's wedding. 

• Walking around the shore cliffs of La Jolla hand-in-hand. Cool trees, energy, scenic views, and yummy burritos.

• Room service dessert to make up for an AWFUL dinner downtown. (Loved that it came with roses!) BTW, we also got room service for breakfast on Sunday morning. We have never ordered room service before, so it felt like we were living large! We only left the hotel room once for dinner (we wanted to make the most of it - we got an upgrade to a high floor and a larger room!!!) We chilled in our matching robes, lounged on the patio (love hotels that have windows or doors that actually open!), drank beer, and watched the homeless shenanigans below.

• Sunday afternoon in Mission Bay, on a shady patch of grass. We lounged on a blanket and shared an authentic burrito. There isn't much better in this world than a San Diego burrito.

• Meeting up with Shannon and Griff at The Dana Hotel before the wedding for some drinks and photos. 

• Magazine-worthy kiss. (Photo credit Megan Schahausen)

• Loved hanging out with the beautiful Schafhausen ladies, Megan, Jo, and Janet. Jo was the prettiest bridesmaid of all time, might I add.

• Tylia's smile said it all. I loved seeing the joy on her face all night. What a fun, elegant, and lovely wedding! And one of the best wedding dinners I've ever had!!! (I ate my whole dinner plus finished Steve's, nom nom!!)

• This expression was on Steve's face all night. He was full of jokes, laughs, and a little craziness. And, get this....he danced with me! To a fast song! Multiple times! With this huge smile on his face! Loved every minute. He loved every minute until morning... ;) 

Rogers Crew

As promised, here are a few of my favorite professional photos from our family reunion in Myrtle Beach! Love these.

Grandmama, the matriarch, has 4 children, 9 grandchildren, and three and a half great grandchildren! She is an amazing woman and I hope to always be as soft and sweet as she is. I have such fond memories of summers in Georgia, running around my Grandma's house, dressing up in her jewelry, and chasing fireflies. 

All of the 'Rogers' cousins

Chris Rogers fam

The Dwights!

My sweet cousins

This is my favorite picture because it shows the magic of life! Look what Grandma created! Her life continues to touch so many people and her loving spirit and nurturing heart runs through all of our blood.

Dance Joy

Have you been watching So You Think You Can Dance? The performance and results show in one, and the two-week Olympics hiatus really messed things up this season. They've had to get rid of 4 contestants at a time, which really breaks my heart! In fact, this week they got rid of the only eye candy on the show - the Ryan Gosling mini-me. On one hand it is refreshing that they aren't keeping people around purely for ratings, but hello! Sex sells! 

Anyway, enough of my rant. My mom was in Lake Tahoe a few weeks ago for my cousin's dance competition and guess who was there?! Joshua, the winner from season 4! One of my fave SYTYCD seasons of all time. 

Endless Summer

Thankfully we live in a climate where garden season seems to last forever. We started with snap peas and lettuce and we will end with peppers and tomatoes. Lately, our strawberries have been popping, and it's like Christmas every time I go out and hunt for those juicy red morsels. These are the BEST strawberries I've ever had and so cool that whenever I want a sweet treat, I can just walk outside and grab a handful. 

We tried a new cucumber variety this year - Armenian cucumbers. They stay yellow and get HUGE. Unfortunately, so far their flavor hasn't been all that great. In fact, they sort of taste like a very dilute and salty honeydew. Ew. But, one of them grew in the shape of a J, so I can't give up on them yet!! And check out that radish below. Hideous and alien, but zesty and fresh.

Summer Mosaic

Tylia's wedding shower in Mission Viejo

Summer treat - home grown fruit, a scotchmallow, and a glass of wine

Date night at Castoro Cellars to see Peppino D'Agostino

Bathroom remodel continues with my handy hubby

Sky art in San Luis Obispo

All photos taken with my iPhone. Getting ready to bite the bullet with a new lens for my Canon.

Potstickers

My mom is an excellent cook and one of her favorite things to make for people is Pot Stickers. A few years ago when I was visiting the fam in Bozeman, we all sat down and made Pot Stickers together. At the time, I didn't pay much attention to the recipe, which befuddles me because knowing what I know now, I don't have a clue how I survived over the years without these savory treats.

It all started when my friend Maren was about to have a baby and I wanted to come up with a  fun, unique, and yummy dinner to deliver to her family after the baby was born. I immediately thought about creating home-made chinese take-out, which got me thinking about those pot stickers. 

Pot stickers are relatively easy to make but they do take some time, so be patient and don't leave them to the last minute!

Pot Sticker Ingredients:

• 1 pkg wonton/pot sticker wraps (round) - I couldn't find round, so I bought square and trimmed off the corners.
• 1 lb ground pork (not sausage!) - This was not as easy to find as I thought it would be!
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 can water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 2 tsp grated ginger root - (Cool trick alert! The leftover root can be frozen in a ziplock)
• 3 green onions
• 8 black mushrooms - dried in a package in the produce section. Follow instructions on the package before using.
• 4 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Dipping Sauce:

• 2 tbls Soy sauce
• 2 tbls Rice vinegar
• chili paste (tiny bit!)
• sesame oil (couple splashes)
• 1 tbls brown sugar
• Add more of above ingredients to your liking

Mix raw pork, water chestnuts, ginger, green onion, soy sauce, mushrooms, pepper, and sesame oil in a medium bowl. See how easy!?  Put 1-2 tsp of mix in wrapper. Use egg wash around the rim of wrapper and seal by pinching. Place on wax paper so that they don't stick.

Pre-heat 2-3 tbls vegetable oil in a skillet. Add pot stickers and cook until browned on bottom. Once browned, add 1/2 cup water and cover for 5 minutes. (Be careful when you add the water, as it will splash and sizzle all over the place!!)  You may have to work in batches.

Serve with dipping sauce and enjoy!!

For the dinner delivery, I also made the Thai peanut noodle dish, and some Jasmine rice, a bag of seaweed snack from Trader Joe's (Maren's fave!) and a bag full of plums from our plum tree!  I put everything in cute little chinese delivery boxes from Cost Plus (lined with parchment paper!).