I'll take you in my backpack

12/13/10 Example of the Northern Lights, thanks Google Images It has been my goal since learning about my assignment in Fairbanks to see the Northern Lights. It's supposed to be one of the best places to see them, with some of the most brilliant displays in the world. Hm. I've seen more of the Northern Lights in Massachusetts than I have here in Fairbanks. True story. We saw them once as a kid over the golf course behind our house. I digress. Northern Lights in Fairbanks. I have literally been watching the " Aurora Forecas t" like a hawk, going out each and every night and early in the morning to try to catch a glimpse. To be honest I feel like those people on storm chasers, with much less success obviously! Day in, day out, NOTHING! Although, last Thursday, I do believe I caught a glimpse of what was the Northern Lights on my way to work but it was so cloudy that the clouds covered a lot of it, so, it also could have been the lights reflecting on the clouds, how...

12/11/10 Tis the season for holiday baking and festivities in the workplace. I tried something completely new and was insanely impressed. Just hearing the name kind of made me cringe, and I didn't have high hopes for it, but I assure you this recipe is a COMPLETE score and will become a favorite, oh, and it's simple! Pineapple Cookies J (Fairbanks, AK  2010) Take your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe in the place of chocolate chips, use 1 can of drained pineapple (diced or crushed). Everything else stays the same in the recipe. Voila, you're finished. See. Simple! Books Read: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk Water for Elephants

11/26/10 I've been meaning to take a picture and post this since, well, around the first month of being in Alaska. Finally got around to it today. Today's WTF Alaska is brought to you in the form of a photograph... WTF Alaska Pray for wings I have no words

11/26/10 Since leaving for college decades ago (at least that's what it feels like!) I've grown accustomed to some Holiday's away. And, this might come as a surprise, but I kind of like it! Perhaps these holiday's away have turned me into a bit of an anti-social, but I kind of like that too! Fact is, holidays usually bring way too much eating, some family bickering, more eating and gluttonous behavior, and a side order of sleep. Perhaps my non-traditional holiday isn't everyone's ideal, but I will tell you that I rather enjoyed myself. Yes I missed my family (that includes the surrogate family who has taken me in for years and years of Thanksgivings since I have lived in St Louis) but here's the upside; I didn't over eat (well maybe a few too many bites of popcorn at one of the two movies that I enjoyed), there was absolutely no family bickering (I had lovely conversations with all family members, let them know I was thinking of them, missed them, you ...

11/21/10 Norwegian Almond Cake       B.A., Fairbanks, AK (2010) 1 ¼ Cup sugar (I use C&H brand Baker’s sugar-comes in a square half-gallon carton, like a milk carton) 1 egg 1 ½ tsp. pure almond extract 2/3 Cup milk (I use whole milk) (Mix the first 3 ingredients well, then add milk. I use electric mixer at low speed) Now add: 1 ¼ Cup flour (be sure to tap measuring cup and even out with knife-I use a large cup of four and sugar) ½ tsp. baking powder 1 cube melted margarine (not butter!) (I used Imperial brand margarine) (Mix well) Directions: Pour slowing into a six cup Bundt cake pan that has been sprayed with Pam cooking spray that already has the flour in it (I sprinkle some sliced almonds-crushed-on the bottom of the pan after spraying, before pouring the batter in) Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 minutes (ovens vary) After cake is cooled enough (20-30 mins), turn it o...

4 PM in Fairbanks (and 11 below zero)

11/10/10 To start off my recipes from around the world I'm going to use an oldie but a goody. I got this recipe from one of my roommates when I lived in Barcelona. This is a Spanish staple, and not necessarily for breakfast (although it's a fantastic breakfast item). The great thing about this recipe is that you can add almost anything into your tortilla. Once I really learned to make one of these well, I tested out different combinations of ingredients and really found several to my liking, but the potato, onion, and egg are the base for building the perfect tortilla. Enjoy! Spanish Tortilla Potatoes, peeled and sliced thin Onions diced Scramble eggs (but don’t cook yet) and set aside (amount dependant on number eating) In olive oil in a pan (lots of it) fry the potatoes, after a few minutes add the onions. Remove the potato/onion mixture from the oil and put into the bowl with the scrambled (uncooked eggs) In a pan pour the mixture, cook for a little while ca...

11/7/10 So I finally took the plunge and made a big purchase for myself. You might be thinking house, car, etc...Native Handicrafts people! I have been eyeing the Athabascan hand beaded gloves since I arrived in Alaska, they are seriously amazing, and can't be fully appreciated until they are seen in person! Well today I finally rewarded my desires and made the big purchase...it is quite a big purchase I assure you (slightly less than a car or house, but pretty steep for a pair of gloves) none the less, these are some snazzy gloves, and a perfecto souvenir to take home from AK! Hefty investment-AK style I can't say enough about the native beadwork. I mean, seriously. This is all hand done, not shipped out to China and mass manufactured by under (or un) paid young children. The gloves also have fur around the beadwork (sorry PETA)...it's of the Beaver variety, which happens to be what most of their gloves/slippers are made of (that and seal).  After today my bank acco...

11/6/10 I promise this isn't about how I can see Russia from my house/hotel/corporate housing...Oh no this is far better. Earlier this week I had a conversation with my mom about how I wanted to go to Russia (she went there back in her hippie days...sorry mom I outed you for being a hippie!!) and how fantastic it would be. Fast forward a few days. Russian Lemon Cake I went to the UAF Women's Bazaar (I've never been to so many bazaars in such a short time frame) today. I don't know how many vendors there were, but none of that is important besides the one vendor that will be ensuring I leave Alaska at least 5 sizes larger and bursting out of my clothes. The Russian Baker. I remember seeing her in the summer (aka August) at the Farmer's Market and even purchased some apple bread from her there, but what I discovered today is beyond words. First is the Russian Lemon Cake, an amazing combination of lemon custard filling, powdered sugar top, and some sort of flake...

10/22/10 So it's been a while since my last post, but this one promises to be nothing short of entertaining! I apologize in advance for the mix of information that you are about to consume. I'll refer to this post as ambrosia...no one really knows what all the ingredients are, but there sure are a lot of them...kind of what this post will be like! On to my favorite ...I don't know if that's really the best choice of words but hey AFN (Alaska Federation of Natives) is in town for the annual conference/event/hoopla which means over 4000 Natives in from various villages throughout Alaska, most of whom happen to be staying where I am so things have been loud and rowdy at night...louder and rowdier. I went to the crafts portion of AFN last night and saw some really amazing things (most of which I couldn't afford and really had no purpose for)...this brings me to the "lovely ivory carving" that a man had proudly displayed on the front of his table with oth...

Pink accent lighting Ice scraper/snow brush Laquer and pink light 10/14/10 So today was the day that I had to switch my prized car in for an suv with 4wd. Or so I thought. It wouldn't be my life if something didn't go off course! What did I end up with? Oh let me tell you! I got a Ford Escape. It's gold, which is why I started calling it escape (pronounced with a spanish accent: escap-ay). The fun doesn't stop here though. To compliment the gold exterior  I have a lovely tan leather interior that is accented with black laquer. Would you have put something different with tan I think not! It also has a button in the center console that allows me to change the color of the accent lights (in the cup holder and the change holder (?)) there are several choices. I currently have it set on pink...which goes nicely with the tan and laquer. duh. So on to the kicker. This lovely suv, is not 4wd. its got none of that business so it's essentially a lifted...

10/10/10 I've decided to start sharing some of my "Gourmet on the Go" recipes on my blog. I've done my share of traveling and living in hotels, but this doesn't mean that I (or you) have to eat like I'm on the road all of the time! Game Day Nachos Ingredients: baked tortilla chips 2% shredded cheese  1/2 red onion fat free sour cream or a great substitute is fat free plain yogurt (I prefer Greek yogurt) ground turkey (I get the most lean thats available) 1 packet of taco seasoning black beans (I just get the canned kind because it's quick and easy) foil (i prefer the non-stick kind) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (if you don't have an oven or would like a quicker route you can use a microwave) brown the ground turkey and drain any fat (there isn't much with turkey) mix in the taco seasoning and required amount of water, simmer as directions indicate and drain excess liquids, set aside I use foil to make a pan because I r...

10/10/10 Cakes  Cookies So in honor of such a nifty date today I decided that I would go to Alaska Coffee Roasters for a lovely morning cup of coffee (see I can justify anything!). But it happened, I totally got lured in my the case-o-deliciousness. I forgot all previously set rules and went crazy! Totally disregarding the Ginger Molasses cookie that I had yesterday I got not only one but two items! How could I resist after all, I got there just after they opened (insomnia has it's perks) so the baked goodies were still warm! Could you resist this? I chose something that you can't see in either picture. I should rephrase that, I chose two somethings! I went with a Maple Almond Scone because lets face it it looked irresistible and what the heck, I'm pretty sure I've never had a scone so let's give it a whirl! What is a scone anyways, like a dry flavored biscuit? If scones all taste like this Maple Almond treat then count me in on scones, I'm a huge fan!...

10/9/10 Ice on the trees, and the sun just starting to hit the top There are a couple of things that have happened today that give me the impression that things are not well in the universe. First, I woke up to a car that was encased in ice. Literally. I sat there for 15 minutes with the heat blasting from all possible vents to try to melt the stuff (because do you really think I'm going to get out and scrap (I don't have a scraper here but thats besides the point) in 20 degrees?!). Aside from my car being covered, everything else was covered too, which was actually pretty swell. Recession cookie Second indicator that things are not well...my tastey treat from Alaska Coffee Roasters this morning. I went for a repeat, the Ginger Molasses cookie that I so fondly enjoyed last weekend (I only allow myself one trip per week, including weekends due to the lack of self-control that I have).  Last week my cookie was approximately the size of a frisbee (standard frisbee, not t...

10/7/10 Here is a small sampling of my day...yes this all happened in one day...in fact, less than 12 hours. I found a large bone in my tuna lunch kit from a bit name in the Tuna biz that I wont mention, probably one that kills dolphins which I'm hoping is not why I had a bone in my tuna lunch kit/meal When I opened Amazon's shopping page (on my lunch of course) it thought I was shopping from Canada I got stuck behind a backhoe. On the "express"way. On the way home from work. I use the term "backhoe" liberally because to me all of that "farming" equipment is the same. It had a big digger thing on the back and and a big bucket thing on the front. Oh yeah and it didn't go over 5mph. On the expressway Alas, things are looking up now though, I'm home. In a cozy pair of long underwear, with my snuggly Berkshire Blanket that Julie sent me, and a spicy black bean burger calling my name. All is well in Alaskanada

10/6/10 Well, it's here. As I look out my window I see snowflakes falling down. This means one thing and one thing only... That it's finally acceptable to watch The Grinch! In other news, it's becoming insanely dark in the mornings which sometimes lasts well into the day. This makes it VERY difficult to get up and leave the warm confines of my dwelling to get into my freezing car...until of course my heated seats kick in. The forecast called for snow all week, but at the rate that I'm currently seeing, it would take a year for me to get enough snow to make a proper snow angel!

10/2/10 Here it is, the long awaited WTF Alaska listed. Ok so maybe only BRad has been waiting for it, just bear with me while I build suspense! Since arriving in the "frontier" I have seen some rather interesting, entertaining, special, and blog worthy things. I've been compiling a list appropriately titled "WTF Alaska" for a day like today...the big reveal... (these are not in order of special-ness, just in order of how they occurred) 1. A motorcycle with a side car, with two grown men respectively riding on and in 2. A man walking barefoot down the street in 37 degrees 3. A pickup truck with a gun rack that not only blocked his view through the back window, but also had a very extensive collection of guns in it 4. A girl with her mom (?) at the grocery store, sitting in the car in their parking lot (conveniently parked right next to mine) and the girl starts to take her clothes off 5. Man walking shirtless (he had no shirt in his possession so h...

10/1/10-10/2/10 What a hectic couple of days! I woke up Friday morning. At 2:30 am to some sort of domestic violence occurring in my building. Correction, I woke up to a woman screaming. When I looked outside she was with hotel staff (and her small child) so I figured it was OK for me to sit and watch rather than try to help. I'm pretty sure I would have scared her more running outside in my long underwear, mismatched shirt, and hair that stuck out in every direction! I watched for about an hour. That's right, this whole scene took that long. I couldn't hear everything that was going on, but the general gist of things are that the guy had been drinking and then had become violent with her. In front of the small child who couldn't have been more than 2. The police arrived...did some obligatory questioning. The man became loud and adamantly denied doing what he was accused of. Another hotel guest came out and provided some information to the police that seemed to seal t...

9/28/10 In preparing for my day I checked the weather. 6 degrees. I had another cup of coffee and checked again figuring that it was clearly a mistake (ahem lack of caffeine). No, it still says 6. That's just offensive! So, I want to hear no complaining from anyone outside of Alaska about the weather. You're not cold...you want to feel cold, try 6 degrees thankyouverymuch! In other randomness...I have quite a diverse audience base that has been frequenting my blog...this is fantastic! Some of the places I have not yet put my two feet on, but I will. Some day! Here are some of the locales where my lovely readers are checking in from: US, Japan, Switzerland, UK, UAE, Canada, Mexico, and Sweden. How fancy! Love to all near and far!

9/26/10 Hello Sunday Morning! This my friends almost needs no introduction! Happiness in a small environment killing plastic container. Not long after arriving in Fairbanks I discovered the gem that is Alaska Coffee Roasting Co. Quaintly nestled in one of the many strip malls that can be found here. They have amazing (Fair Trade) coffee, but even more amazing is the smathering of baked goods, sandwiches, sweets, salads, cookies, etc that they supply on a daily basis. They are famous for their rolls (this being one-the cinnamon variety). I have also had a caramel walnut roll that was to die for. This is that kind of place that you have to get to early, because things sell out, and quickly. So if you want your piece of Alaskan deliciousness you must rise and shine and head out to Alaska Coffee Roasters! Since discovering this jackpot I've had to self-impose some rules and regulations...otherwise I'll have to buy an additional ticket home to accomodate some weight gain! Bu...