Yep, I'm going there

Thanksgiving sappiness.  Because why not.  Also baked goods, because yum.

Moar pie

Yesterday it snowed, and stuck everywhere but at my barn and house.  Now you might think 'yay you can still ride!'  But, yeah not so much, the arena is now totally saturated and the temperature dropped over night, so think frozen block of sand instead.  Now is the time to practice lateral work in hand I believe.  Really though, now is the time to remember blessings.

This horse

Baby horses

Baby lambs

Did I mention this horse

This guy

More things I am thankful for?  My parents, my friends, my house, my dog, my cats, my health, my memories, my future.  I hope you are all able to do something fun today and eat something tasty.  Thanksgiving isn't really about the big turkey or stuffing or cranberries.  It is about remembering the things we have instead of focusing on what we don't have.  It is about making new memories and savoring the old ones.

Time to cook

And who knows about what really happened on that first Thanksgiving (hello folklore gone wild), but I really like the idea of adventurers in a new land meeting new people and having a party.  I know this can be tough time for people who are feeling alone, I encourage them to volunteer, or cook a meal for other lonely people.  Make treats and bring it to the people who have to work.  Be thankful that you have the ability to give.

Last year's pies

Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful day, eat til that top button is tight, and laugh until your sides hurt.

The cold comes rolling in

Not much for riding pictures this week as it started with gallons of rain and has ended with a low of 17 degrees!  I did get to break out my quarter sheet and wool socks:

as expected Diva was a star

Diva also got to start wearing her warm and cozy spoiled princess blanket I bought her on sale last spring when I was feeling like I had money to spend.  I love it!

Plus it matches my truck and trailer, win!

I need to pick up some sleepy drugs for her so we can clip her.  By we I mean sprinklerbandit and I will tag team so that we can use less of the expensive sleepy drugs.  I am really wanting a princess crown or tiara on her behind or shoulder or both....

I was laughed at when I suggested this entire emblem

Yeah, so I don't even own any over priced Juicy Couture...but Diva brings out the princess in me, I want her to have all the things!  Also there is this princess, she just oozes cute!  Too bad cats don't like accessories.

no words for the cute level here

The other thing the cold weather brings out in me is my inner queen of the kitchen.  I baked scones.

Serious carb coma after eating these

And since next week is Thanksgiving break and I don't get to go see the Hubby I will be baking away my sorrows.  Ok so sorrows is excessive, but it worked well in my sentence.

Pie anyone?

And for a peek at how my week leading up to break went at school check out this picture. 

The eraser was a present from Husband

That was the start of a Forensic Biology test, ended up being 8 full pages of hand written calculations. Nerd.

Playing dress up...and awkwardness:)

So this was the most fun filled horsey weekend in a seriously long time!  It all started with the trail ride I talked about last time and just got better and better from there.  This will probably be a picture heavy post again, but who doesn't love pictures!?
Diva finally seems to be untangling her legs and actually jumping the jumps instead of just going through them.  On Saturday Alyssa came with and took some pictures and then we went out the the 100 acres and she rode Bridger while I took pictures.  It was nice to see him with someone else aboard and other than the same mounting issues he is giving me (glad it isn't just me) he was great.
 Then on Sunday we had the most awesome dress up day with Sprinklerbandit and Alyssa and our buddy Ross with a camera.  We had warm sunshine and smiles all around.  Also there is an amazing contest involving the blue open front boots seen in some of the pictures below, over here.  The boots were fabulous!  Alyssa is part of the OTTB club too, but hers has been fighting a mystery lameness so the cutest QH ever came to play, her name is Vegas.

Squeee so cute!

What a good boy, how cute are they?

Check out the hind end engagement!

Again with the hind end

She looks great, but wtf am I doing?

Wow!

Enjoying a canter, and a cute fly bonnet

I'm not even a fan of teal and I loved these boots!

Love her!

He captured a sneeze cloud from her, kinda cool

The three amigas!

Then it was girly craft and cooking day/evening with sprinklerbandit and we made creamy tomato and tortellini soup, garlic bacon brussel sprouts, and brownie cookie bars, so yummy.

mmmm

We decided our fly bonnets needed bling and I have a huge bead collection (used to make jewelry) and wallah:

Navy and pink

Future FEI horse in the making! 

The fun even continued into today with more jumping.

Me trying to not jump ahead

Biggest jump for Diva so far!

Then I was lucky enough to ride C-rage over his first cantering jump:)

He is getting to have such cute knees!

Note here about the tendency to jump ahead on the greenies.  While not classic or great jumping form (and yes I try to nip it in the bud, and it nearly disappears when I am on a more trained horse) I much prefer it to getting left behind and catching the horse in the mouth and on the back.  Too much jumping ahead can lead to rails down, but too much left behind can lead to a horse that shuts down.  Ok off the soap box.  And one more picture because we all need a good laugh!

Bridger throwing in a grand spook, goofy horse went right back to work in a split second.

All is quiet

The fire is still burning, but people are still somewhat safe, thank goodness.  I got saddle pad racks up and hooks for girths and my boots and polos organized.  Diva's cut is healing, she is sound.  Mojito is cute as ever.

Pic my mom got this spring, edited by me

Also, I got Bridger out and led him around on an adventure.  He tried to bring out his old naughty side, but with some patience and reprimands he shaped up and was cool.  Mojito and Diva ran around a bit when their friend left and then went back to eating, woot woot.

Surprise here: I have actually cooked good food twice this week!  I made some balsamic chicken and quinoa with red bell pepper:

Complete with a cat in a fish car salt and pepper shaker

 Then last night friends came over and I recreated the delicious balsamic chicken and made pasta with pesto + fresh garlic, fresh mozzarella, fresh Italian parsley, and feta...omg yum!  It literally brought me inner peace, no joke.

Pesto. Pasta. Perfection.

Just a note and a recipe

I have to apologize for the strange format here, tried to fix it and finally gave up with a better than worst version...blogger headache.

I got this shot a few days ago and forgot to post it here, the wind was howling but it was warm and the mud was drying up so no complaints here.  I also waxed a bit poetic about the day.

As the whispering wings of wind whistled through the tree tops they started to pull at the edges of the barren cloak of winter making way for the hopes of spring and the growth of green

Also, I've promised recipes and not come through so finally I bring you....Pretzel rolls!

I found this recipe while watching the food network with grandma, there are several steps, but it is so worth it.   Not kidding here: my friends request them!  They are moist with that classic chewy outside, and full of sweet/mildly garlicly flavor.  I could literally eat an entire batch right out of the oven and then lay there moaning, it would be worth it.  Ok, so I haven't done this, but the self control needed to not do that involves giving them away.  I must give credit where credit is due so here is the link to the original recipe, I follow it verbatim, I like to tweak ingredients and such but these are perfection as is.


Pretzel Hot Dog Buns:
1 cup milk

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 packet active dry yeast

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 small cloves garlic, grated

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 cup bread flour

1/2 cup baking soda

Pretzel salt or coarse ground sea salt, for sprinkling

In a small saucepan, heat the milk, 1/2 cup water, sugar and honey to 105 to 110 degrees F. Add to the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water mixture and wait for at least 10 to 15 minutes until the yeast blooms. In a separate saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and garlic and cook until the butter is melted and the garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Combine the all-purpose flour and bread flour in a mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the blooming yeast, and then add in the melted butter and garlic mixture. Mix on medium speed until the dough has come together and is smooth and elastic in texture and pulling away from the sides of the bowl, 5 to 7 minutes. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone mats.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and form into a ball. Cut into 4 equal pieces, and then cut those in half to form 8 equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a ball and place onto a prepared baking sheet. Cover with a dish cloth and let them rest in a warm place for 12 to 15 minutes. Once rested, lightly dust your work surface again and roll the balls into 7-inch logs. Place onto the other prepared baking sheet, cover, place back in the warm spot and let rest for an additional 30 minutes.Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place one oven rack high and one low. Line 2 more baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. In a large pot, bring 8 cups water to a boil, and then add the baking soda. In batches, place the dough in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side. Using a slotted spatula, remove the logs and place onto the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle the logs with pretzel salt as they come out of the water, to ensure the salt sticks. Then cut 3 diagonal slits on top of the bread, not too deep. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating between the top and bottom racks of the oven halfway through the cooking.

Lets give it another go

I've been inspired to try this blogging thing again. I don't want to limit myself on content either, whatever inspires or incites for the day. It could be a horse, a recipe, a frustrating experience, anticipation of a future event, who knows! I've been working on a new story so maybe i will post pages from it here and see if anyone likes it. I've been enjoying finding out about my cooking skills for the past year or so and it turns out they are not lacking. In fact friends have been claiming I should open a restaurant someday, this likely won't happen, but its fun to dream. I don't just cook, I also bake...excessively!  It can be so fun to start with a recipe, tweak a few ingredients, and walah! Some new divine concoction is born. So I've included some pictures of food from the last several months.  I wish you could smell what I do when these pictures are taken, that is half the journey of eating and cooking, the sensual caress of various scents wafting past your nose.

Pretzel rolls
Apple Pie
Peach tea infused raisin scones
Cookie fest!
Biscuits 
Smoked salmon and feta penne
Sugar and spice scones
Roasted potato, peppers, and sausage
Chocolate Chip scones