"Biscot"

Around this time of year [Christmas] my family anxiously awaits the most glorious package from Pittsburgh, PA....a package of my Grandma Venneri's fresh baked cookies!  Pizelles, almond cookies, chocolate cookies, snowballs, biscotti, chocolate covered pretzels....the list goes on and on.  Seriously, the best package EVER-second to the package she sends at Easter...don't even get me started!

 Isn't she just the cutest lil' grandma you ever did see?

Here are the cookies she baked for our wedding.  Love!

The past few years, we haven't had a package from Grandma since it's been harder and harder for her to crank out dozens of different types of cookies for all of her five kids and their families.  So, she has passed the recipe along to us kids and grandkids and we have made them for ourselves.  Obviously, they taste quite similar, but lack the extra love (and crisco) that Grandma Venneri adds to her cookies : )

When Ryan and I headed north to King City this Christmas, we made a pit stop in SLO for some Black Horse coffee and a snack to fuel us the rest of the way.  Little did I know that our innocent little pit stop would awaken a slumbering beast inside of me!

We bought a "Carmello" (delicious espresso mixed with caramel and a little milk) and a biscotti as big as your arm.  Seriously, I was in awe of how they baked one that big.

Let me just pause and say:

I          LOVE          BISCOTTI!

Besides Grandma Venneri's "biscot" (biscotti), I have never tasted any biscotti as good as the one at Black Horse.

So, of course on the rest of our drive up to King City I googled the crap out of their biscotti, searching relentlessly for their recipe so I could make it myself and take a bath in biscotti cookies every morning....ok, maybe not that extreme, but I definitely put my researching skills to the test!

And, to my disappointment, the biscotti recipe is nowhere to be found.  It comes from a hipster bakery, OF COURSE!  Hipster recipes don't exist outside of the shop...unless they're on Pinterest.

So, even though Ryan and I are ready to fast from bread, carbs and anything that has grease on it so we can lose the Christmas lb's, I am baking my grandma's biscotti recipe and enjoying it with a piping hot cup of coffee....because I said so!

Want the family recipe?  Sorry, can't share it! : )  However, I will share the two recipes I mashed together from allrecipes.com.

The original recipe, another recipe I used


ALMOND ANISETTE BISCOTTI

Ingredients:

12 ounces butter (room temperature)
1 3/4 c white sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp anise extract
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 1/2 c all-purpose flower
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 c chopped almonds

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.  In a large bowl, mix cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time; beat until fluffy.  Stir in the anise and vanilla extracts.

3.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add them to the egg mixture along with the chopped almonds.  (you might need to switch to a dough hook on your mixer halfway through)

4.  Divide the dough into two parts (or 4, if you want smaller cookies)  Roll the pieces into logs about 15 inches log.  If you have parchment paper, line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Flatten the logs out until they are about 3 inches wide with a slight hump going down the middle.

5.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Loaves should come out firm.

6.  Cut the loaves into diagonal slices, about 1/2 inch wide each.  Place the slices on their sides back on to the cookie sheets.  Toast each side for 5-8 minutes each, depending on how crunchy or soft you want them to be.

Careful!  You might discover your dough is soft in the middle and not completely cooked if you only do 2 loaves.  That happened to me my first time!  So, just toast them a little longer on each side and it will cook through while toasting the rest of the cookie.

7. Enjoy with a cup of your favorite coffee, tea or milk!

Cheers!,
Nat

8 things women should never do at the gym...

As the new year approaches and I think about the weight I have gained from my "Christmas Culinary Adventures," I started to think of all the people I would have to start dodging at the gym due to "New Years Resolutions."  


In light of the upcoming crowds I will be dodging, here is a list I put together of the things that I see and annoy me most at the gym...of course, this is meant to be mostly funny with a twinge (or two) of truth.  My apologies if this offends you...


8 things women should never do at the gym:

8)  Bend over in front of the pervs in the weight area.  All you'll do for yourself is attract this guy...

7)Wear only a sports bra and bottoms.  90% of the women who do this have no business doing it in the first place!  However, I will say...if you've worked hard and have the body for it, more power to you!

6) Make weird grunting noises while lifting weights.  If you should choose to go after it on the weights, find a way to breath lady-like…i's already weird enough when men grunt loudly while lifting heavy weights.

5) DO NOT! I repeat, DO NOT wear jeans, jean shorts, kahkis or converse to work out in.  Running shorts, basketball shorts or spandex are a better option.  Until you're in the shape you want to be in, they will at least help you look more athletic. You could always just print this handy dandy pocket guide if you ever question if what you're wearing is "gym-appropriate."

4) Not wearing your hair in a ponytail.  Really?  This isn’t Baywatch, and it's definitely not a slow motion scene for a romantic movie….so where is your hair tie and why is it not in your hair keeping it out of your face?

3) A freshly painted make up face.  Yep,  you know who you are.  You're that girl who  puts eyeliner, foundation, eye shadow and uses about a can of hairspray on their hairdo before stepping foot in the gym. Save yourself time, money and effort...you're gonna sweat it off anyways!

2)Your boobs are not a place for your electronics to be stored.  Period.  Invest in an arm band.

1) and last but definitely not least…TALKING ON THE PHONE WHILE WORKING OUT! Are you kidding me?  I especially dislike getting calls from friends when they are at the gym.  If I wanted to talk to you during this time, I would be there with you. I love you dearly, but I prefer not to hear your pants and grunts on the other side of the phone.  Please don't be offended if I find a reason to get off the phone at that moment.

With that being said...HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!  Here's to making resolutions and being smart about it!


xo,
nat

Strawberry Scones, brought to you by Miss.E.lliot

Part of my Fall tradition on cold or overcast days is going to Starbucks and ordering a Pumpkin Spice Latte and scone.  Either a pumpkin scone (don't judge me!) or a Maple Oat Scone.  Either way, it's a win - you should try it sometime.

So, yesterday I was looking through our refrigerator and realizing some of our food was going to go to waste.  Like that giant flat of strawberries from Costco we thought we were going to eat...right.  I found a strawberry scone recipe since I've had an itch to make scones lately.  You can follow this one or you can follow mine for a more yummy version : )

First, you need to put your Pandora station on.  I personally prefer my Missy Elliot station.  It's the biznaz.

Gather these ingredients, turn the oven on 425 and shake your tailfeather.

• 1 cup ripe strawberries
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 
  

Don't forget to line your baking sheet with parchment paper.  Which, by the way, is NOT the same as freezer paper.  Apparently you should NEVER use freezer or wax paper in the oven.  You're welcome for that little nugget of knowledge ;)

According to the recipe, you're supposed to hull the strawberries and slice them in half.  First of all, who has time for that?  Second of all, who cares?  Third of all, if you're trying to use your strawberries before they go bad, add an extra strawberry or two for the "missed" pieces you cut off the top.

I used about 12 ripe strawberries.  Definitely ended up being more than what is called for.  But in this case, more if better!

Dice the strawberries and spread out on a paper towel to get rid of the moisture.  Set aside.

Next, combine your vanilla and cream in a small bowl and set aside.  I used buttermilk with this one instead of light cream.

 I recommend leaving the mixture in the fridge until you need it. 

Mix your dry ingredients and the lemon zest together in a separate bowl.  I used 1 1/2 cup flour, 1 cup old fashioned oats instead of the 2 cups flour the recipe calls for.  Also, for the lemon zest, I "zested" more than I needed, so I used heaping teaspoons when measuring.  And then I put a pinch in for extra zestiness. Zester.  Zestina. Zest-a-roonie. Zestapotomus.  Zest.  

There, it's out of my system.

 One last note on the dry ingredients: if you can, buy some fresh nutmeg and grind it yourself, do it!  It makes a world of difference when you're cooking/baking and the flavor really pops.

Take your cold butter and cut it into little pieces.  Toss into the mixture and mix it, crushing the butter until its evenly distributed and looks like pea-sized pieces in your dough.  (See the notes from the recipe if you need more guidance)

Next, gently mix the diced strawberries into the dry mixture.  With your finger, make a hole in the middle of your dry mix and pour the cream/vanilla mixture in.  

 Stir immediately until the mixture is fully combined.  Don't get too exited and mix it like crazy though!  Let the mixture sit for 2 minutes.

 CAUTION:  Try to resist eating the mixture raw!  It looks like REALLY good oatmeal that your Grandma or The Filing Station would make.  Super yum.

The recipe calls for you to knead the dough.  I tried it and it was a hot mess.  Save yourself the sticky hands and don't even try it.  Just scoop the mixture onto your parchment paper and leave it to bake.

If you really want to, you can use your spatula to make triangle shapes "just like starbucks" as my husband said.

Bake for 16-18 minutes.  I baked them for 18 minutes and made sure to peek at them at the 16 minute mark.  You want them to be a golden brown, not like a chocolate brown : )

Mine could have baked for a little longer since I added extra strawberries and there is a lot of butter, but I like scones on the moist/soft side, so I took them out at 18 minutes.

Parting thought(s):

If I had to serve these at my breakfast table, I would invite the following people:
Shauna Niequist (I'm obsessed with her writing and love her outlook on life, as well as her widsom), Kristen Punt, Teagan Greenwood, The Hubs, Kelsey Erickson (because we're opening a bakery up together someday), Missy Elliot (for live performances, and to thank her for my inspiration and motivation), Pioneer Woman (to try to impress her with my baking skills, plus I have a cooking/baking crush on her), Kate-The Dutchess herself (because British people love "tea and scrumpets" as snoop dog would say...but we're getting way off track here.)

Ok, just one more table assignment.  Dinner: 
Kristen Wiig & Tina Fey, Erika Abdelatif (we're going on tour to host comedic Bingo games), Traci Carpenter, Caroline Rutenbar (funny to the MAXX), Delia Baltierra (no one has a bigger funny bone in as small of a body as she does), Kira Williams (because her laugh is hysterical and she laughs at almost the same stuff as me...and laughs as hard as me) and Donna Wells.  Basically, all the funniest women I currently know.  With the exception of Tina Fey and Kristen Wiig.  Oh, what I would give to be BFFFAD (best friends forever and a day) with them!

Enjoy your scones, and enjoy Missy Elliot's weirdly wonderful music videos as much as I do! 

If You Don't Know, Now You Know: Mrs. Lisk, First Grade Teacher

That's right!  Its official...as of August 15th, you can officially refer to me as, "Mrs. Lisk, First Grade Teacher!"

Now that I have a cool, fancy, shorter, more Irish last name, I thought I would get a teaching job to go along with it!

AND, now my students don't have to struggle with trying to pronounce Venneri and say cute things like "Miss Vanilla" and "Miss Vuh...Vuh...Vehh...ummmm....how do you say it?"  Ah, the days of student teaching :)

A [kind of] short back story to how I got to this point:

I graduated from Biola University (B-IO-LA!) in Elementary Ed and got my credential right after.  I was a little burnt out and hated seeing old, bitter teachers who yelled all the time at their students.  I didn't want to be that...at all!  

You know, like Viola Swamp in Miss Nelson is Missing?! 

(That's teacher humor for you, in case you didn't know)

PS.  A real life Viola Swamp? Creeptastic!

Anyway, I didn't want to be burnt out and grouchy and lame.  The kids know you dont want to be there, you know you don't want to be there and both parties end up losing.  Unfortunately, the kids are the ones who lose out the most!

So, fresh out of my credentialing program amidst a sea of teaching applications and an awful economy to search for a teaching job, I was offered to work for the corporate office of a restaurant. 2 1/2 years later, I felt God gently leading me back toward teaching but I was too afraid to make the leap fully.  So, I quit my job and took 3 different temporary jobs at ROCKHARBOR (one after another) and felt God continuing to nudge me toward teaching.  This time, it was practically smacking me in the face!  

Ryan had an awesome contact and I sent my resume to her thinking there wouldn't be much that came of it since teaching jobs were hard to come by in this economy...especially with no classroom experience and being 3 years removed from my credentialling program.

But then, I got a nibble.  The Monday before my wedding, I went in for a "getting to know you" meeting/interview with a school staff.  Amongst the interview committee; the head pastor of the church, the principal, the preschool director, the second grade teacher and a mom who's child was going to be a 1st grader in the fall.  When I left, I thought nothing much would come of it and was thankful for the opportunity to have experience interviewing.

Wednesday before my wedding (on Sunday) I got a call...they offered me the job!  I was honestly shocked and very flattered.  Needless to say, I got married, went on a little 2 day get away after my wedding and had some time to think and pray about it.  I had some interesting conversations and really thought I wasn't going to take the job until I met with the principal.  I literally went in his office thinking, "I'll ask him some questions for a better understanding, but I think I'm going to say no."  When I came out of his office, the posture of my heart had changed.

I honestly think God changed my heart, opened my eyes to ministry and teaching opportunity that I hadn't seen before and made me excited to think of the possibility this job offered.

All that to say, I accepted the job and couldn't be more thrilled about it!

A week passed and I was preparing to go on my honeymoon the following week.  I had an opportunity to meet my class and their parents at their last chapel of the 2010-2011 school year.  So fun!  I will be teaching a class of 11 boys and 3 girls (so far).  Sounds like a blast to me!  Even just the class size alone is a miracle, compared to most public schools right now with 20-30 kids per class!

There is so much to be thankful for.  But today, my heart leaps with joy and thankfulness that the Lord would provide a way for me to use my passion and gifting in the way He created me to.

In true Families Ministry Staff form, it feels only fitting to sing:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him all creatures here below

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

AMEN! 

It's the Final Countdown!

I woke up this morning with the chorus of this song in my head...

And then of course, my mind immediately went to the multi-talented, beloved, Gob Bluth.  If you're not an Arrested Development fan, I suggest you become one, pronto.

and of course, I had to post this video.  Because lets be honest...it's just too good to pass up!

6 more days.  Put your party hats on people!

I Suck.

I don't know what the 

I was thinking when I committed to a 45 day challenge.  Seriously?  "Oh sure, I will be that girl that can work a full time job, plan a wedding with almost 300 guests, try to maintain my relationships with my man, friends and family, move apartments and...oh yeah! blog EVERY day!

Seriously.  What the H, Natalie.

So you are going to get a quick "re-cap" of the last 10 days.  I use "re-cap" loosely because its going to be a list of sorts.  Don't worry, I'm an expert at making lists - this will be fun.

• I worked a lot.  That pretty much takes up the majority of time during my days.  The Tru Gathering has been awesome so far!
• Ryan and I met with Pete [our super cool pastor/officiant] and discussed wedding details.  It was great to touch base with him and to feel somewhat "normal" in this process of what we are feeling/experiencing/growing in.  Those of you who have been through the engagement process- nuff said.
• We moved all of our boxes into the apartment and started unpacking and organizing.  Guess who had the most fun with this?  [me, doi!]
• My mom and I went to the flower mart and scoped out flowers for the wedding.  So fun!  Ryan's mom will be our head florist for the wedding and I can't wait to see the creations she will make!  I also can't wait for the flower party and putting the arrangements together!
• My friend Casey came over and we had a craft night.  Meaning, I sewed a burlap banner for our wedding at the head table and she made this really cute burlap wreath for her mom for Mother's day.
• Me, Ryan and my brother took my mom to Mother's Day brunch at the Mission Viejo Country Club with my grandparents.  It was a buffet brunch with mimosas.  Score! 
• Sidenote:  As I was putting food on my plate in the buffet line, one of the staff at the country club remarked, "Wow!  Thats a LOT of food!" and then just stood there and looked at me awkwardly.  Like this   ...with his hand on his face.

and then he picked up his knife and did an awkward pose...

ok, no he didn't.  a little part of me wishes he did though so I didn't have to embellish his awkwardness.

Back to my non-dramatic response...

"Oh, really guy?" I [wish I would have] said to him.  You're going to call me out on how much food I have on my plate right now in front of ALL these people? (really, one grandma sitting at the table next to the buffet) and of course you know I am a bride trying to fit into my DRESS! (no, he didnt)  How dare you do such a thing!  PS.  You should have seen my plate in the caf when I was a collegiate volleyball player!  You would have passed out in your little white suit and died!

Actually, he probably would have.  Or he would have been really mad that me and my teammates finished off his chafing tray of scrambled eggs and potatoes and that he would have to make more because the "athletes ate it all!"  

His bad.

Ok, my brain doesn't work any more.  Happy Friday.

9 days!

Travel Bug

Today, the travel bug bit me.

He ALWAYS bites me at the worst times!  So inconsiderate!

And while I wish I could complain, the travel bug is a welcomed and familiar friend.  A refreshing reminder of my desire to explore and discover.

Ryan may or may not have received a few texts from me today stating the following, "I have the itch to travel" or  "Let's move to Europe for a year."  You know, possibly something along those lines.

Ryan and I share a love for exploring and traveling, so I know he will be an awesome travel buddy!  PTL!

Here are the top 12 places I would love to see before I die and/or have/raise little kids:

11 & 12 France & Germany

10. Austria

9. Australia

I hope one of these lil guys meets me on the beach and I guess I wouldn't mind meeting Mr. Dundee while I'm at it.

8. Sweden (isn't that veird?!)

6 & 7 Ireland & Scotland

                  

That's me on a motorcycle catching Nessy, of course.

5. Brazil

4. England

I'm sure these two would want to grab a quick dinner with me and Ry.

 And of course I would tease (the original) Will.I.Am about the abundance of hair he seems to have on this plate.  We all know that isn't true.  Silly Willy!

3. Spain

                            

            Ole!                             La Tomatina would be so much fun!

2. Greece

1. Italy

 Pretty sure I'm related to that lady...somehow.  She has a Venneri nose, I can see it.

And I would like to go back to South Africa.  A piece of my heart will always be there.

19 days!