Emma’s Fantabulous Blog

On my way home today, some weird slushy rain started falling from the sky. I looked out my front door just now, and saw this……

Wtf! Snow in Seattle?!? IN MARCH!?! The end of March??? What’s going on? Clearly the world is ending.

Human Tetris II

This one came to me recommended by my friend Kate…..
Wow I love Japanese game shows… This is awesome!!!

So for some reason my auto blog posts via YouTube don’t come through, so I’ll try this the old way…

Sea Lion & Michael Jackson video.

Oh. My. Gawd.
This is pure genius!
Love it!!!!

Really enjoyed it although gawd, I’m exhausted and my feet/legs hurt. I totally need a pair of those orthopedic nurse shoes.

Also, for the record… Kids: stop hitting animals with bb guns/dart/baseballs. Seriously… When has this ever been viewed as an acceptable way for your kids to be spending their time? (other than times of famine or whatever of course, when you really need to live off of wild animals.) But seriously guys. It makes me think that you’re a serial killer in training.

Alright. I’m going to get a glass of wine and go to bed.

So, as of right now my friend Jenny is having her baby! Jenny was my cocktail hour buddy (pre her baby-fied-ness) as well as fellow fan of high end shopping. Her husband, Russell, is a close friend of Devon (they’ve founded a company together) as well as fellow Halo combatants. They are wonderful people, who will make amazing parents! Anyways.. It’s possible that their kiddo might very well be a St. Paddy’s day baby!

Best wishes and lots of strength to Jenny, and lots of love to your whole family!!!! I can’t wait to see your little munchkin!!!

So apparently hell has frozen over. I was offered and accepted a job at PAWS wildlife, doing reception and admissions. I originally thought that it was a seasonal/part time position… Well it is seasonal… But it’s certainly not part-time.

I start this Tuesday, working 9am-5.30pm, Tuesdays thru Saturdays. and then later in the season I’ll switch to 10 hour days, 4 days a week. Yeah… 40 hours a week is not part time, and I’ll have a new weird weekend. What good club nights does Seattle have on Sunday night? I think the scary Dawg Tagz bar/scary cinderblock building with no windows might have karaoke that night or something….  hehe but anyways, I’ll be making some nice duckets.

I’m excited, but a smidgen nervous. Devon is totally bummed that he won’t have a housewife to run his errands anymore… I’m psyched to have a househusband (yeah he has a job, but he works from home) to have greet me at the door with a cocktail and have dinner on the table. hehe. I kid, I kid…  Kinda…

My man likes apple pie. He also loves cookies. In addition, he also adores apple crisp. So when I came across a dessert that combines all of those things, I figured that this was a home run. There’s a buttery shortbread crust, topped with apple pie filling, topped with an apple crisp sort of crumble. There’s tons of butter and sugar, but omg! This stuff is wicked good!

Ingredients:

Crust-

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling-

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 9 mixed apples — peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup water, as necessary

Topping-

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats
• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 sticks salted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

Directions:

1. Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a 13×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. In a standing electric mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour and salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and set. Let cool on a rack.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling: In each of 2 large skillets, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter with 1/4 cup of the light brown sugar. Add the apples to the skillets and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir half of the cinnamon and nutmeg into each skillet. Cook until the apples are caramelized and very tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes longer; scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the skillets and add up to 1/2 cup of water to each pan to prevent scorching. Let cool.
3. Make the topping: In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the walnuts and press the mixture into clumps.
4. Spread the apple filling over the crust. Scatter the crumbs on top, pressing them lightly into an even layer. Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour, until the topping is golden; rotate the pan halfway through baking. Let cool completely on a rack before cutting into 2-inch bars.
5. Die happy.

I love these hand soaps from Ballard Organics. They have become a staple in my house. The soap comes out super foamy and it smells delicious, in addition to consisting of all natural organic ingredients and being bio-degradable/earth friendly. I especially recommend the Lemongrass scent. Each bottle will run you about $5.They retail in various stores in WA and OR, or you can purchase them direct if your order totals $20 or more.