Camping with the Getz Family!

What better way to kick off summer than to go camping?!

I will admit, up until last weekend, I dreaded going camping and found every excuse in the book not to go. Sleeping on the ground, being too hot or too cold all the time, bugs, no real bathroom…the list goes on and on. But last weekend I realized all of the positive aspects of camping…there is no schedule to follow, the expectations for the weekend are out the window, if the weather is right, you can rotate your chair around the campfire to be in the sun all day, s’mores for breakfast (!)…and again, the list goes on and on.

Last weekend we ventured North (and west) to the Lower Narrows on the Poudre River (near Ft. Collins) with our good friends Brian, Jamie & Tucker. We had the best time and I cannot wait to do it again! (Who’s the new girl?!) I was so inspired/excited about the weekend, when we got home, I started putting together a container for all of our camping gear and went shopping for things we needed.

Another great thing about this camping adventure…no cell reception. So we were able to unplug for the weekend and come back feeling like we just went on a retreat to a far away land. (A girl really should do that more often.)

Here are some fun pictures from the weekend

It was a little chilly Friday night, hence the hat, coats, boots and poka dotted socksCamping tradition: Shotgunning a beer (and I capture the moment!)
My first chili dog! (Well technically, I had two) Great camping food, but I don’t think I will be making them for dinner anytime soon…Headlamps are so great! S’mores for BREAKFAST!
Testing out the LifestrawMenTwins (Patagonia represent!)Group picture…Tucker is so thrilled!Relaxing in the hammock
S’more s’mores…how can I have s’more of something when I haven’t had any yet?!And of course star gazing and the obsession with shutter speedThank you to the Getz Family for the invitation and all the fun, we can’t wait to do it again! Now, we just need to find an open weekend.

May Happenings

May was filled with some adventures, a lot of rain and family visiting Boulder, CO. Here is a recap of what the month of May looked like for us!

May is the most important month of the year because it is my birthday month!

My brother and I pulled off the epic “Mother’s Day Surprise” (See a few posts back for more details!)

Trying to get out of the house between the break in the rain storm one night, Tyler and I walked downtown for some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream #cabinfever

A fun night out with good friends!

Memorial Day weekend, Tyler’s family came to visit. We did lots of “tourist” things including…

Going downtown, shopping and walking through Boulder Creek Festival

A girls afternoon at Upstairs Circus

The Bolder Boulder 10K

Seeing The Decemberists & Spoon at Red Rocks (well, technically, we saw Spoon and ran to the vehicle during a torrential downpour and left before The Decemberists went on.)

Franklin’s BBQ- Austin, TX

This past January, Tyler and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary (now that’s something to celebrate!) We decided to celebrate by taking a long weekend vacation to Austin, TX. Why Austin you may ask? Well, 1) we had never been their before 2) it was somewhere warmer than Colorado in January 3) We have heard great things about the town and we thought we would see for ourselves what it was all about.

The trip was memorable in many ways, we did a lot of walking around, a lot of eating and some shopping in between. The food in the town was amazing. I feel like we really didn’t have a bad meal while we were there. But one meal sticks out above all the rest, Franklin’s BBQ. BBQ in Texas…it’s one of those “when in Rome” situations. Using one of our best foodie friends, Yelp, it was a definite must stop visit.

We arrived at Franklin’s around 11:00am, right after finishing breakfast. The line was pretty long already, snaking out the door and down the street. We got in line and thought, this shouldn’t take too long….almost 3 hours later, we were getting ready to order probably the best BBQ we will ever experience. Worth the 3 hour wait? YES! And the 3 hours went pretty quick. The wait staff brought us sample sandwiches to munch on while we were standing in line, offered beer and water to those who were interested, it was great. But lets get back to the food. SO good, I am not even sure how to put it into words. We ordered a little bit of everything and like Tyler said, “it was so good, you don’t even need the sauce”.

We debated getting BBQ somewhere else the next day for lunch but then determined, we would just be disappointed because nothing is going to live up to that meal we had at Franklin’s.

Inspired by our experience, we got home and pre-ordered Franklin’s cookbook and look what gem showed up the other day.

This is not an ordinary cookbook, although it has recipes, it also tells the history and techniques that makes this BBQ so great. Tyler and I would take turns reading it until we both finished it. Inspired by the book, Tyler decided to make homemade BBQ sauce from the book and declares it “So good, we never need to buy BBQ sauce again”. And once we live in a place bigger than our 400 sq foot apartment and have a yard of some sort, I will not be surprised if Tyler builds a smoker and becomes best friends with the local butcher in town.

Moral of the story, if you are in Austin, go to Franklin’s BBQ, it is well worth the wait. And if you like BBQ, buy this book, it is a great read and the recipes are amazing.

Mother’s Day Surprise

“Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a Mother”

I saw this quote last Sunday on Mother’s Day and I immediately thought, “spot on”. My mom is one of a kind and her “mother’s instinct” is so accurate it’s scary. She knows things I am thinking before I even think them.

One week ago, I was just about to board a flight from DIA-MKE. My brother was just making his connection flight from ATL-MKE. We were in route to one of the biggest surprise we will probably even be able to pull off. We were headed to “home” aka Eden, Wisconsin, to surprise our mom for Mother’s Day weekend.

How the surprise unfolded…

A few weeks before, my brother and I both realized that neither of us had plans on Mother’s Day weekend. So we decided we were going to make the trip home and have it be a surprise to everyone. Well, almost everyone, we told our Dad so he could help us pull it off!

My brother Dan and I both flew into good ol’ Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee at 11:00pm Thursday night, rented a car and drove the hour to our parents house. When we arrived it was almost 1:00am on Friday morning. We snuck into the house, trying to be as quiet as we could…opened the door to my parents bedroom and said “Mom, we’re home!” She rolled over and looked at us, and it took a minute for it to register that she was not dreaming. She was BEYOND excited and emotional.

After that, it was hard for anyone to go to sleep, so my dad made us a pizza at 2:00am and we all attempted (and failed) to go to sleep.

We ended up getting a few winks before it was time to go to “Costello Family Breakfast” (a regular thing of Friday mornings), where we surprised our grandparents. The surprised continued from there by going to visit my mother-in-law at work and hand delivering the flowers Tyler and I had ordered for her.From there we went to complete the list of surprises by visit Aunt Mare in her classroom by brining her lunch and flowers.

Friday was full of surprises for everyone. And the rest of the weekend was filled with lots of family time that I am so grateful I could be a part of. Coming back to CO on Sunday night, my heart is so full of joy and love, I felt I could explode. The memories are irreplaceable and I am able to see, yet again, how fortunate I am.

Thanks to everyone who made the weekend so memorable! And Mom, we got one past you, Happy Mother’s Day!

Creamy Roasted Brussels Sprout and Quinoa Gratin

I will be the first to admit, I am the baker, Tyler is the cook. Here is a recipe that we have made twice already because it is so good. Ok, ok Tyler has made it twice (per my request)…I shredded the cheese, that has to count for something.

Creamy Roasted Brussels Sprout and Quinoa Gratin
(adapted from Cookie & Kate)

Ingredients:
1 cup water (or chicken broth if you have it)
1/2 cup quinoa (rinsed and drained)
1/2 lb of Brussels sprouts, quartered
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of red pepper flakes
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup Fontina cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring water (or chicken broth) to boil on stove top. Add Quinoa, cover and reduce to simmer for about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. When this is done, keep cover on and set aside.

Coat Brussels sprouts in olive oil, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for about 12 minutes.

Stir in thyme, salt, pepper, nutmeg and red pepper flakes into cooked quinoa. Add milk, shredded Gruyere and Fontina cheeses to quinoa mixture and stir until incorporated.

Once Brussels sprouts have been cooked, stir them into the quinoa mixture.

Spread mixture evenly into a deep dish pie pan (or 8×8 baking pan). Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving (this is the hardest part!)

And there you have it, Creamy Brussels Sprouts and Quinoa Gratin!

Sunday Mornings

In my opinion, mornings are the best part of the day. I can do almost anything at 5:00am, but at 5:00pm, I start thinking about putting my pajamas and hitting the couch.

There is something to be said about the stillness and quietness of the mornings that I absolutely love. I could go on and on about this, but I will spare you the bore.

On Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays), when the weather is nice, the sun is shinning and it is not bitterly cold, I like like going for walks right after the sun comes up. It is seriously one of my favorite things. Usually I go alone, but on the rare occasion that Tyler is awake at this time, he comes too (I think this has happened once in the past year).

I usually stop for coffee and/or breakfast, sometimes I get it to go and enjoy it on my way back, sometimes I bring a book and sit for a while. This morning I stopped in at Spruce Confections, located on the far west end of Pearl St. in Boulder, and got my drink “to go”, as I am in desperate need of a good book and did not have one to bring along!

I ordered a vanilla mate latte. The vanilla was homemade and I had never had a mate latte before, so why not. I was a little taken back when my drink came out looking like this.

A couple thoughts rolled through my head, “what is that?” “Is that part of the “mate” style of latte?” “Should I take that out now or when I get home?” “Where is the pretty little design that is usually made when the steamed milk is poured in?!” Of course I could have asked someone behind the counter but I was a little embarrassed, thinking I should know what this is. Come to find out, it was the homemade vanilla (thank you, Google).

On my walk today, I tried to come to a conclusion of why i enjoyed this time so much. Maybe it was the silent streets, maybe it was the sun shinning, maybe it was the fact that I saw only 7 other people on what is usually a very populated street, jam packed with street performers and tourists. I realized, the answer is C “all of the above” (plus many many more reasons).

So, cheers to you Sunday morning, its been fun and I am looking forward to our date again next week.

Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks!

Yesterday we had the chance to attend the Easter sunrise service at Red Rocks with 12,000 of our closest friends! It was beautiful. Pictures do not do justice but here are a few for you to check out!

March: That’s a Wrap

Goodbye March, Hello April!

The month of March went by way too fast! And we are already 3 days into April (Yay Spring!) Here is a recap of what we were up to during March

We spent some time in the great state of Florida vacationing and visiting family. I realized how great it is to have the opportunity to get a tan in the month of March…I love the sun, Tyler hides from it.

We started off our trip in Miami. One recommendation for food in Miami is Harry’s Pizzeria. Tyler and I shared the best meal there, and the service was awesome! Thank you Yelp, for the suggestion.

Here we are biking though The Everglades, it was so cool! Defiantly worth the stop at Shark Valley Visitor Center! We saw over 50 alligators, lots of different birds, the weather was perfect, such a fun experience!
We spent a night in Naples, Florida which was great. Watching the sunset on over the Golf was breathtaking!
We spent the next few days traveling to visit family, it was great to connect with them!

Our last night in Florida we spent in Delray Beach. There was something about this town that I really enjoyed. I am not sure if it was the atmosphere, the closeness to the ocean, or the people, maybe all of the above. We ate at a fabulous restaurant that night that I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone that goes to the area. If you are ever in the area, check out DADA.

We made it back to the great state of Colorado, just in time for Pie Day! And to celebrate, I made black bottom oatmeal pie from Smitten Kitchen. O.M.G…so good.
To finish out the month, I went for a solo hike on Tuesday afternoon. It was a perfect 75 degrees out that day and I thought, why not?! Here I am at the summit of Mt. Sanitas in Boulder (Yes, I had someone take a picture of me because I was so proud of myself).
Well March, it was fun, see you next year.

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

First recipe post (of course it is a dessert!)….drum roll please!

Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Who doesn’t love brownies?! Not the kind of brownies that come out of a box, add one egg, oil, water and mix….no, no, no, not that kind of brownie. I actually never knew how easy making brownies from scratch were until I was introduced to Smitten Kitchen, Salted Caramel Brownies. And they are delicious too, talk about heaven on earth.

A while ago, Smitten Kitchen posted another recipe using a similar brownie recipe, splitting it in half to make 2 smaller/thinner brownies, and adding ice cream in the middle. I thought I would give it a try. Come to find out, it one of my favorite thing to make and eat.

Below is the recipe
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Yields: 16 square pieces (4×4)

Brownies:
3 oz of unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup of butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp of salt
2/3 cup flour

Ice Cream:
Pick a flavor, any flavor (you will need a little less than 1 pint)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper (or have someone else with more patience do this part…”Oh Tyler!”)

Roughly chop the unsweetened chocolate. In double broiler, melt chocolate and butter. When it is melted, remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients, one at a time (sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, flour). Mix until combined, do not over mix.

Once ingredients are combined, pour half of the mixture into the 8×8 baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake 1st set of brownies for 12-15 minutes. Once the time is up, stick a toothpick in the middle and make sure it comes out clean.

After removing from oven, place pan immediately in freezer for about 15 minutes (or until firm). Next, remove pan from freezer, place the parchment paper with brownies back in the freezer until you are ready to assemble sandwiches.

For 2nd batch of brownies, follow the same steps as you did for the 1st batch. (Line baking pan with parchment paper, pour in remaining 1/2 of brownie mixture, bake for 12-15 minutes, remove and place directly in freezer for 15 minutes)

Once both brownie pieces are cooled completely, it is time to assemble the sandwiches. I used the same 8×8 pan I used to bake the brownies (no need for parchment paper anymore). I placed one section of the brownies at the bottom, covered it with a delicious ice cream (I choose salted caramel) and placed the other section of brownie on top. You may need to use a frosting knife or spatula to get the ice cream smooth and spread out evenly before adding the top piece of brownie.

Cover and place back in the freezer for about an hour before cutting and enjoying!

About

Hello world!

This is me!

My name is Katie and I am a 20 something year old Wisconsin girl living in Boulder, Colorado. I live here with my husband, Tyler. When I have time, I enjoy crafting, trying new recipes, online shopping, being outside and spending time with friends and family!

You may be asking yourself, how does a Wisconsin girl end up in Boulder, Colorado? Well, about 4 years ago, I had recently graduation from Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and Tyler had been out of school for about a year. He graduated from The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. We had been dating for about 8 years and we thought, well, if we are going to take an adventure, now is the perfect time. We both started looking for jobs all over. Long story short, Tyler got offered a job with an internet marking agency in downtown Boulder, Colorado. We moved here in August of 2011 and have fallen in love with everything about it, especially the views.

Here is a quick recap of the past 3 years in Boulder, and how we became “The Oestreichs”:

2011-2012 was the first year in Boulder. Our first year living together. Let’s just say we learned a lot about each other!

In August of 2012, Tyler got down on one knee and asked me to marry him on a hike in Estes Park, CO!

In January of 2014, surrounded by our family and friends, Tyler and I were married in Negril, Jamaica. Check out more pictures from our wedding week here.

And in June of 2014, we went back to Wisconsin and had a big wedding celebration! Who wouldn’t want to celebrate their wedding again?!

In my blog, you will find delicious recipes that I cook up in the kitchen, adventures that we go on and lots of other fun things. Stay tuned as I get things up and rolling. This blog could not be possible without the great expertise and help from my husband, Tyler. Find out more about Tyler here!