5 Fall Looks I Love

It seems like the fall catalogs and lines have been coming out non-stop for the past couple of weeks, and they're full of looks I am totally in love with. Here's what I'm currently craving: 

1. Chadwick Cardigan from Vineyard Vines

I love the large buttons and the length of this sweater! I think it would be perfect for those 50-60 degree days in the sunshine when a jacket is far too heavy but a shirt leaves you a bit chilly. Or for your first Thanksgiving with your boyfriend's family (my plan)!

2. Bluefish by Sperry Topsider

My current Topsiders have definitely seen better days. I wear them all the time, and while they're still comfortable and holding together, they don't look as pretty as they once did. I love this brown pair- perfect for fall! (And maybe all the dirt will show a bit less.)

3. Khumbu jacket by The North Face

I have an unabashed love of fleece jackets. My current one is only four years old, but I've worn it out to the barn so often that it seems to have permanent horse hair all over it. I'll probably snag a new North Face jacket soon; I love it for fall camping and hiking trips, or any time I need to run out quickly!

4. Roll-Up Camp Shirt by Old Navy

Button up shirts are not normally my style, but given this shirt's long length and cute roll-up sleeves, I might give it a go. Something like this would be perfect for an evening outside around the fire pit, or to hit a honky-tonk with BFF Greer in Stillwater or with friends back home in Nashville. 

5. Murfee Scarf in Off The Hook by Lilly Pulitzer

I've made a vow this year to wear more scarves- how can I resist when beauties like these are out there?? The classic pink-and-navy, the fun print, the soft silk & cashmere?! This would look just fantastic with anything! 

What looks are you loving for fall?

Cookies

Johnny made some delicious chocolate chip cookies last night; they're soft and just a little bit chewy and filled with giant chocolate chunks. Mmm. He has a very specific and detailed recipe from Cook's Illustrated, which is great if you have all the ingredients on hand and the time to make the cookies. I prefer to do my baking with as little measuring and as few ingredients as possible; that's why I love this recipe for Cake Mix Cookies. My darling friend Greer shared it with me a few years ago and they've been my go-to ever since! They're extra-easy, so they're fantastic for those of us who aren't the best bakers or for kids who want to help out. And they're universally loved.

Cake Mix Cookies

• 1 box yellow cake mix 
• 8 oz pkg chocolate chip 
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, butter, and eggs in medium bowl. Mix until smooth. Add chocolate chips. Drop dough balls approximately 1" in size onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden. 

I like to replace plain old chocolate chips with other varieties- white chocolate chips, caramel chips, mint chocolate chips- you can go crazy! Some combinations I've enjoyed include white chocolate chips & caramel, dark chocolate chips with dried raspberries, chocolate chips with pecans, and chocolate & peanut butter chips. They're all delicious! 

5k Plan

No Menu Monday today- thanks to some unexpected ribeye steaks that needed eating last week, spoiled ground beef, and a late evening that ended in eating out, we are eating many of  the meals planned for last week this week. There are a couple of new recipes we're trying, and I'll be sure to share them if they're tasty. We have, however, begun a new training regime for our upcoming 5k debut! 

Thus far, my training for the upcoming Turkey Trot 5k has consisted of walking and jogging around our neighborhood for around 30 minutes four or five days per week. I realized last week that this wasn't working very well at all and with only a few weeks left until the race, I began searching for a structured program for more effective training. I found this- Fitness Magazine's Beginner Training Program: 6 Weeks to a 5K. We began Saturday. Here's what the first week looks like: 

Week 1

Day 1: Walk briskly for 1 mile. Run 2 minutes every half mile until you reach 3.5 total miles. Walk 0.5 mile.

Day 2: Walk 3-5 miles.

Day 3: Off

Day 4: Walk 1 mile. Run 3 minutes every half mile until you reach 3.5 miles. Walk 0.5 mile.

Day 5: Off

Day 6: Walk 3-5 miles, including 10 run/walk intervals (run 30 seconds, walk 1 minutes) in the last mile.

Day 7: Off

Week Total: 16-20 miles

The first day (Saturday) was rough! We jogged at the local high school track and were joined by a few other runners. I felt very slow and out of shape, but I'm proud of myself for going the entire prescribed distance! Johnny and I are going to follow the plan to a T and hopefully I won't collapse halfway through the race in November, haha! 

Sweet Cake!

My childhood friend Alice of Miller A-Team married her sweetheart Andrew earlier this year; they had a beautiful ceremony held in the church Alice and I attended throughout our youth. Everything was gorgeous, and now they have an award to prove it! Their wedding cake was recently chosen as one of Nashville's favorite wedding cakes of 2010! Here's Alice & Andrew's cake:

Photo (c) Jennifer Dunaway Photography

I love it! The ornate decoration, the square layers, everything is fantastic. Congratulations, Alice & Andrew!!

If you'd like to see more of Nashville's favorites, check out the article here.

Polo

I am a polo player. Although I've ridden horses throughout my life (in three-day eventing, mostly), I'm relatively new to the sport of polo. After moving to Wichita, Kansas last year and being unable to bring my horse with me, I took up polo at the local club. It was surprisingly difficult! While I am very good at simply riding horses and negotiating a dressage test or jumping course, I found I was not very good at handling a long mallet and hitting a very small ball!

I learned to play on this horse- a big Thoroughbred gelding named Doctor J. The Doctor is a very experienced polo pony; in this photo, he's being ridden in a tournament by his owner. Doctor J is a very responsive horse- just a touch of leg or flick of the wrist will direct him to where you want to go. He's been playing polo so long that he knows to follow the ball! He listens for the sound of it being it , then gallops after it, slowing just slightly to allow his rider to take a good hit at it. Doctor J is my very favorite horse.

Polo is a very competitive sport! Teams are composed of four players, each covering a fairly specific position. Number one is an offensive player. Number two is another offensive player, and generally does most of the scoring. One and Two often play off one another, passing the ball for optimum scoring opportunities. Number three is a tactical player, who is often the best player on the team. Three's primary responsibility is to hit long balls up to One and Two to allow them a chance to score. Number four is a defensive player, who usually defends the goal. 

One of the most exciting parts of polo is a ride-off- players compete for a hit on a stray ball; if they can't get a good shot, the goal then becomes preventing another player from hitting it. Here's a shot of a few of us at practice, heading toward a ball: 

Close quarters can result in 'hooking'; that is, using your mallet to stop another player's swing! Here, I stop my friend Paul from getting a hit: 

Paul rides BC; I am astride Magnum

Most of the time, though, polo is all about speed. Here, my teammate Josh (#3)  races with an opposing player toward the ball: 

Polo ponies move very quickly! 

Sometimes, though, all they want to do is go back to the barn...

Doctor J

And have a bath! 

Magnum

Happy Fall!

Happy Fall everyone!

I'm so excited- this is my favorite season and I can't wait for the weather to finally start reflecting the change. I am definitely more of a sweater girl than a sundress girl! It's currently 84 degrees here in Oklahoma, so while there won't be any sweaters for me in the foreseeable future, I'm still in the mood to celebrate the new season! Here are some fun fall facts: 

• Fallen leaves make an excellent addition to compost piles.
• September is National Chicken Month.
• Pumpkins are considered a fruit.
• Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
• The cranberry is one of only three fruits—the others are the blueberry and the Concord grape—that are entirely native to North American soil.
• President James Madison declared Thanksgiving twice in 1815- so it was celebrated twice.
• Today, six months of darkness begins at the North Pole and six months of day begins at the South Pole.
• While most of the US will end Daylight Saving Time on November 7, Arizona will not- the state doesn't observe DST. 

Bear & Woody

Woody & Bear

I snapped this picture of my cats yesterday afternoon- both of them were snoozing on the bed as if that is where they belong! Woody is the orange tabby; Bear is the tortoiseshell. They rarely snuggle up together- that is, unless Bear is planning to attack poor Woody. I thought they were just the cutest pair. 

Here are a couple more pictures:

Bear wishing everyone happy holidays in 2009.

Woody sporting a ridiculous sweater. 

Bear loves exploring.

Woody just likes eating grass.

They are very silly cats! 

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Menu Monday

Monday is here again, and with it comes a fresh menu for the week! This week is slightly different from last- my new job has me working into the evening on Mondays, so Johnny and I will be doing dinner separately. We'll still eat five home-cooked meals together- one of them will just be lunch on Saturday. Here's what we're cooking this week:

Menu for September 21-25

• Tuesday: Lemon spaghetti 
• Wednesday: Chiles rellenos
• Thursday: Roasted stuffed Cornish hens
• Friday: Penne with broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes and dijon cream
• Saturday: Grilled salmon over wild rice

I think I'm most excited about Friday's meal! The recipe is something I clipped from The Wichita Eagle last year and have made several times- it's a perfect all-in-one dish; there's no need for any fancy sides, except perhaps a slice of warm garlic bread!

Penne With Broccoli, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Dijon Cream

• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. Dijon mustard
• 1 c. fat-free half-and-half
• 8 oz. penne or other short pasta
• 1 1/2 c. broccoli florets
• 1/3 c. sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 c. shaved/shredded Parmesan cheese
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, place the garlic in a large, heatproof bowl that will partially fit into the pot. Add the mustard to the bowl and whisk in the half-and-half. Set aside or place over the pasta pot to warm while the water is heating. Once the water begins to boil, remove the bowl.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until it is al dente, according to package directions. About 2 minutes before the pasta is done, add the broccoli florets and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook 2 more minutes. Remove 2 cups of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and broccoli and tomatoes. Place the cooking water back in the pot and leave on low heat. 

Set the heatproof bowl with the mustard sauce over the pot with the remaining pasta water. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat and heat through. Drizzle with the olive oil and add the cheese. Toss again to coat and heat through. Carnish with a grinding of black pepper and a sprinkling of parsley before serving.  Makes 4 servings. 

It's easy as pie, y'all! I hope you love it as much as I do. Happy Monday and happy cooking! 

Flower Pots

For ages I've wanted a pretty windowsill herb garden. I adore fresh herbs- I use them frequently when cooking, they look beautiful, and it is so much less expensive to grow them than buy them. A few weeks ago, I bought some seeds (basil, rosemary, and parsley) along with pots in which to plant them. The pots are basic terra cotta, and I thought it would be fun to brighten them up with some paint! I chose white and two shades of blue; our kitchen is a warm orange-red color, but a piece of orange, white, and royal blue stained glass runs along the top of our cabinets. I really wanted to bring more of the wonderful royal blue into the kitchen since the orange can be overwhelming (our sink is also orange!). I think my pots came out perfectly!

Aren't they fabulous? There are two more pots which need to be painted, but Johnny has volunteered to explore his artistic side and decorate them. I'm excited to see how they come out! 

Apple Crumble

The fruits and vegetables of fall are some of my favorites. There's something comforting about the heartiness of apples, peaches, pumpkins, squash, eggplants, and the plethora of others just coming into season. Last week, the grocery in our town had a special on locally grown apples, so Johnny and I bought several Galas and Granny Smiths. Its became apparent we aren't going to eat all of them and I baked the Granny Smiths into a quick crumble yesterday. Here's the recipe:

Apple Crumble

• 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled & cored
• 1/4 c. water
• 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place apples in a lightly greased 8"x8" baking pan. Add water. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut butter into mixture until coarse crumbs are formed. (Alternatively, combine ingredients in bowl of standing mixer, and mix on low speed until coarse crumbs are formed.) Sprinkle mixture over apples and bake for 35-40 minutes, until crumble is golden and apples are tender. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Holiday Cards

I adore sending cards. Birthday cards, a blank card with a handwritten note, Christmas cards, you name it! All of this pretty fall weather has me thinking of all the holidays coming up and subsequently browsing all sorts of cards to send to friends and family!

First there's Halloween; I've found all manner of darling greetings for the occasion: 

Bird cards from catladycraftshouston

Halloween pumpkins from cardsbylucy

Immediately after Halloween, I'll be sending thank-you cards for birthday gifts. (My birthday is October 30.) I  have a lovely set of cards, but I'm running low. I really like these: 

Blue dots from Target

I've never sent Thanksgiving cards before, but there are SO many fun designs out there!

Traditional Twist from SewColorfulDesigns

And, then, of course, there are the Christmas cards! Well, 'Happy Holidays' cards in my case- I always send those, since I like to wedge New Year's wishes in there too. Here are two that I'm thinking of for this year:

MOD Holiday Folded Note from A Touch of Whimsy

Preppy Holiday Presents from A Touch of Whimsy

It might seem silly, but I'm really excited about sending cards this year! Well, until I have to pay postage on all of them, that is...

Garden Plans

One of my favorite things about living in this house is the gorgeous, sprawling yard. The previous owners put a lot of work into making the landscape as pretty as possible; there are flower beds and shrubs in the front and side yards, and the back yard is a beautiful oasis of crepe myrtles, cannas, marigolds, four o'clocks, trees, and vines. There's even a sizeable vegetable garden.

Things have gotten a bit unruly and ugly over the summer, though. With moving, unpacking, and managing the pool, we've been lucky to keep up with mowing the yard! This fall, though, we have a plan: clear out much of the existing vegetation and prepare the beds for new growth next spring.

The process will start with uprooting most of the plants currently in the beds. Then, I'll test the soil to check the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content, as well as the pH. (See? Soil science is a useful field of study!) Based on those results, we can apply fertilizer, plant bulbs, and mulch. We've started a compost pile using kitchen waste like eggshells, stale/moldy bread, apple cores, and discarded lemon wedges. We regularly add grass clippings and are trying to obtain some manure to really get it going. Hopefully it will make it through the winter!

The most fun part will be deciding what to grow! For vegetables, we're thinking tomatillos, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, snow peas, onions, garlic, peppers, and herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro). For flowers, I'm still undecided. Here are some ideas I've had thus far:

Foxgloves

I just adore foxgloves. They're so pretty, and I think they'd look great against the fence along our pool. Best of all, they grow fine in shade and moderately dry soil. 

English daisies

Daisies are so pretty, and English daisies are classic. They bloom in the spring, and I think they'll be perfect for edging the beds next to the stone walkways we have outdoors. 

Poppy

Poppies are just darling. My only concern is that our soil won't be moist enough for them. We did some irrigating this year with soaker hoses, but it was a wet, ugly, unpleasant experience for everyone involved.

Lupins

Lupins are beautiful, but like the poppies, they'll need irrigation. I think they're just lovely though.

Any other suggestions for growing a pretty garden? I'd love to have a yard that's just as pretty as the pool and deck- and having fresh flowers to bring inside is always a plus too!

5K Training

I'm not much of a runner. In fact, I hate running. Or jogging. Or walking quickly, even.

However, after a frustrating bout with a pair of formerly-flattering jeans a couple of months ago, I decided it was time to do something. I asked Johnny for advice. He suggested running. Of course. After all, running is free, you don't need any special equipment, and you can do it any time. Running it is. We set a goal: Run the Fort Worth Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. It's a 5K, benefits a great program, and is, in Johnny's opinion, very doable. 

I'm not sold on the last point, but every time I tie my New Balances, head out the door, and fire up JogTracker, I feel good about it. Of course, I feel less good once we've run a quarter of a mile downhill and I'm wheezing, clutching a stitch in my side and Johnny, former basketball player, cross-country runner, and Ultimate-Frisbee-er is pounding smoothly along, stitch-free. I try not to think about it. 

All this running is paying off, though- while I can't fit into the jeans (yet!), I can run further, faster, and with a less-painful stitch. Just look- we did over 2 miles on a recent jog and made a lot of progress on our time. Even so, I think I'll be happier when the pants fit.

Happy Monday!

Hello, hello, and happy Monday! Usually, I'm not a huge fan of Mondays, but today is special because it's the first day of my new job and the first day of my new blog. Today, in honor of my darling boyfriend Johnny repairing my poor, mistreated laptop, I'm starting Pretty Prairie Girl with the intent of it becoming a landing spot for me to share thoughts, recipes, things I enjoy, and adventures I have.

 I've decided Mondays on the blog will generally be designated 'Menu Mondays'; it's an easy topic and one that I am definitely happy to write on. I absolutely adore cooking; it's a creative outlet and stress reliever for me. Every Sunday, I plan a menu for the week (with some input from Johnny, of course). I base it on what's on sale at our local grocery store, what we have on hand, and what sounds delicious! On Monday, I'll post the menu here and select a recipe or two to share. So, here goes- the inaugural Menu Monday!

Menu for September 13-17

• Monday: chicken stir-fry with green beans & shiitakes
• Tuesday: chicken & sausage jambalaya
• Wednesday: grilled chicken & baby mixed green salad
• Thursday: slow-cooker beef stew
• Friday: grilled salmon with spicy cucumber relish

My absolute favorite of these meals is the chicken & sausage jambalaya. The recipe was given to me by my biology professor (of all people). I minored in biology in college and had the same professor for every single biology class I took (my alma mater was a very small school). He was from Louisiana and would always cook the most delicious dishes for us when we camped on research trips. It's an easy, tasty recipe that I've modified and made my own over the last couple of years:

Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb chicken breast, cubed
• 8 oz. sausage, sliced
• 1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. chili sauce
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 14.5 oz. can of tomatoes, with juice
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt & black pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté chicken and sausage until chicken is golden. Add garlic, onion, and green pepper. Cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add all other ingredients. Cover and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, then serve over white rice. Serves 4. 

That's it! And that's also it for Menu Monday- do be sure and let me know how your jambalaya turns out if you try it!