Friday, September 18, 2009

Cheesecake wonton bites...

I had a request for this recipe. Mine turned out pretty yummy but I didn't follow the cheesecake recipe very strictly so they probly could be better. I only had less then a package of cream cheese so instead of measuring out everything else into a third of what the recipe called for, I just kinda threw the ingredients in until they looked good. Lol. Usually that works just fine, but I think in this case it would be a better idea to measure things out accurately.

Wonton wrapper dough:

1 egg
3/4 tsp salt
2 c flour
1/3-1/2 c water

Combine the egg and salt and beat lightly. Mix in 1/4 c water. Add in flour and add the rest of the water as needed until a soft dough forms. Knead for about 5 min and the cover and let rest for 30 min. Roll out and cut into shapes. I just used a large biscuit cutter but any shape can be used as long as it can be shaped into a little cup. Or if you prefer to make little pockets or rolls you can cut into square or triangle shapes to fold around filling. The recipe that inspired me to try these suggested star shapes like this:



For cup shape, press cut outs into mini-cupcake tins. The wontons themselves only need about 5 - 7 min to bake but I've baked them up to 15 min depending on what the filling requires and they did not burn.

So far I have made about 34 wonton cups from the batch and I still have about half of the dough left. It freezes well, though, so I just pull it out and take what I want and then return the rest to the freezer well-wrapped.

Cheesecake filling:

3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp fround nutmeg

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in 1 egg at a time. Add extract. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 min or until firm.

Spoon cheesecake into wonton cups. Topping can be added before or after baking depending on what the topping is. I used frozen blueberries so I added them before baking. Next time I will probably bake them without anything and then drizzle with chocolate or another topping after they are cooled...

Enjoy...

God bless,

~Antonia

Little Wonders...

I woke up this morning with an intense desire for Christmas music. I'm trying to hold myself off, though. I'm afraid if I start on it too early, I'll end up bored with it by the time Christmas actually gets here. I can't wait to set up a tree and decorate my little apartment...

Last weekend we got our washer and dryer. On Monday I washed every single piece of dirty laundry in the apartment. :D And I quote Jase: "Man, everywhere I look there's clean laundry! This is awesome!" I LOVE it...

















On Tuesday I conquered the sewing machine and proudly produced four cute little napkins out of a piece of yellow gingham that mom had found at a material store while she was here. My next project is a pillow out of some brown plaid that mom found at yet another material store. :D I got it all cut out and even started sewing an edge of one of the pieces, when everything came to a screeching and very unhappy halt at the realization that I had no brown thread or extra bobbins. I finally acquired the necessary articles and am hoping to resume work today...



I came across a recipe for wonton cups while disassembling a taste of home recipe card booklet. I decided I had to try them. Since I didn't have wonton wrappers, I searched out a recipe for making them from scratch. Basically they are just an egg noodle recipe. I also had to make up my own filling since I didn't have the required ingredients for the recipe that inspired. They turned out so yummy. I baked about two dozen and still had over half of my dough left. It is now in the freezer awaiting the discovery and/or invention of a yummy dessert filling...



Me + Him = Us...

He's going to fuss at me for posting this, I know.

Poor Babe. He needs a haircut so bad. I love his hair long, but it's getting rather out of hand as of late. I really need to make my next project learning how to cut his hair, but I'm so afraid I'm going to butcher it, which will most likely result in him cutting it super short the way he likes it. *sigh*

This was on our way out the door for our forever long walk on Wednesday to the bank, Walmart, Dollar Tree and back home. I think it was about 7 or 8 miles in all. I was so tired that evening...



God Bless,

Antonia

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Our lives are made in these small hours
These little wonders, these twists and turns of fate
Time falls away but these small hours
These small hours remain...

Friday, September 11, 2009

I will remember...

Today started with a trip to the laundromat to finish forgotten laundry from yesterday and to pick up a package that Michelle (the landlady) had called us about. I had put laundry in yesterday around 12:30 and then forgotten about it. A text from Jase this morning reminded me that I needed to go finish it and pick up the package that Michelle had left sitting by the dryer for us. We were hoping it was the envelope that Mom and Dad had sent us for Jase's birthday, as it still hasn't arrived. Unfortunately it wasn't, but it was made up for when I pulled out this adorable pillow from mom...



I love it! It's so cute perched on my new couch with the afghan from Ms. Laura.








Also, another new addition to the living room:

Jase's old trunk. I originally wanted to paint it until I got it into the living room and realized that I kinda liked the look that it gave to the room.


So far I am really liking the way the living room is turning out. We've contemplated asking the Michelle if we could paint a wall or three but we decided that for the time being it's more hassle than it's worth, considering the fact that if she did grant permission, we would most likely have to promise to repaint back to the original color when we move out. As it is, with all of our furniture, moving out is going to be enough of a chore without having to repaint walls. Maybe we'll do it later, especially if we renew our lease at the end of a year. We'll see...


I really only have two complaints at the moment:

1. The entertainment center is downright hideous. I'm really wanting to get it painted or something, but we haven't been able to get anything done yet. I really have no idea what to do with it. Painting it will help some, I'm sure, but I'm thinking it's gonna need something more done to it to make it look good next to the couches. Whatever we do, I'm really hoping it happens soon because I'm getting really sick of looking at it...


2. My furniture is too big for me to rearrange easily. Even if I could push it around myself (which I can't) the living room only allows so many ways for it to be rearranged. I've contemplated getting rid of the entertainment center altogether, which would make it easier to rearrange everything, but I like the extra storage space that it gives me. For now I kitty-cornered the shelf that used to be along the wall next to the love seat...


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I started the day off yesterday by making oatmeal maple cinnamon muffins. They turned out a little dry which didn't surprise me considering that I had to tweak the recipe a bit. They need some work but overall they were pretty yummy...


Yesterday we went to Redeemed Books and Music to spend a gift card that Jase had gotten from his mom for his birthday last month. We found these:



The Complete Works of William Shakespeare

Travels of Marco Polo

The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne

Tom Sawyer by Clemens


I love collecting old books. Even if I never read them they look cool sitting on a shelf...


We also got this one, which I'm not altogether sure about:
I have never read any Edgar Allan Poe. Jase pulled it off the shelf yesterday and started talking about how freaky Poe is and how we would probly never sleep if we read this book. My reply was a sarcastic, "Sounds like fun...".

So we bought it. We'll see how that goes. I'm glad it was cheap cuz it may not stick around for long...

Well, I'm off to do some cleaning. My mom and bro are possibly coming tonight and bringing my two mattresses for the trundle bed in the back room and my washer and dryer. The back room and closet need serious cleaning and rearranging to be ready for them. I can't wait to have my own washer and dryer. If I never have to carry laundry to a laundromat again in my entire life, it will be too soon.
One last adorable pic of my beautiful hubby...

Isn't he so cute?


God bless,


~Antonia
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A beautiful and blinding morning
The world outside begins to breathe
See clouds arriving without warning
I need you here to shelter me
If I could make these moment endless
If I could stop the winds of change
If we could keep our eyes wide open
Then everything would stay the same
So keep me awake for every moment
Give us more time to feel this way
We can't stay like this forever
But I can have you next to me today
We'll let tomorrow wait, you're here, right now, with me
All my fears just fall away, when you are all I see
And I will remember
All the love we shared today
Oh, I will remember...

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Wedding Photos...




So it's been way too long since I posted last, but life has finally settled down. Jase and I have been married for 7 weeks today and we've loved every minute of it so far. We're settled into our little apartment in Springfield. We love our little home. It's small and cozy, 2 bedroom and 2 bathrooms. My only complaint at the moment is that I don't have nearly enough counterspace in the kitchen. :D It makes baking and cooking projects a bit tricky but I'm enjoying having my very own kitchen, nonetheless.

We're about 2-3 miles from Jase's work so it's been really nice to not have to get up super early even though he's been moved to an earlier shift. I'm back to working on my papers for school and the dealine is looming over my head again. I can hardly wait to be out from under them.



Here are a few more pictures from the wedding. It went so well and our photographer was wonderful. We're thrilled with how everything turned out.


Friday, May 15, 2009

Engagement Pictures

10:47 pm

Last Wednesday, May 6th, we had an engagement photo shoot at the Gillioz Theatre in downtown Springfield. We're a little late getting them but I'm glad we finally did. Here are some of the pics for those of you who do not have a facebook account.


We are finally pretty much moved into our apartment thought not technically living there yet. I've been with Jase and his family for about 2 weeks now. Long story short, what was originally supposed to be a two day visit turned into a 2 weeks visit due to changes in plans and then bad weather moving in and wiping out mom and dad's power. I'm headed back to Fredrock tomorrow night for two last weeks with my family before heading back here the week of the wedding to finish up with last minute preparations. Mom and Jana came for a short visit yesterday and went back home today since our power was restored yesterday afternoon. I was supposed to have gone back with them but at the last minute I just couldn't leave. I know the longer I put off leaving my apartment the harder it will be but I just couldn't do it today, especially since leaving today meant leaving Jase here. So Jase and I will be heading back that way tomorrow night after he gets off of work. I've been hanging out at the apartment unpacking, cleaning, sorting, organizing and messing around on our highspeed during the day while Jase is working. So far I've gotten to see him on every break for the last two weeks. It's been awesome.

I finally have all but my clothes and few other things in my apartment. When I came two weeks ago I brought all of my shower stuff to move in and then most of my furniture was brought by my cousins who were kind enough to haul it over in their trailer since they were headed this way
from our house and had room to bring stuff. Yesterday mom brought my shelf and the rest of my stuff except for what I need to survive for the next two weeks. I have all my elephants out and my kitchen is set up. Mom and dad have loaned us some furniture for the time being until we find what we need. Oddly enough we've encountered the problem of not quite knowing where to put things because we have a bit too much furniture. :D NOT a bad problem to have but definitely a surprising one. I have tons of pics but I seem to be stuck in transitioning them from my camera card to Jase's old computer. As soon as I get that figured out I will update with those also.


































22 days to go...
~Antonia

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Wednesday morning...

4-22-09
10:40 a.m.

I'm sitting in Panera with Jase listening to a consulting meeting he is in with some friends that own a website company or something. Today is his day off but they are paying him for his time so we are happy to let them have a few hours. Hopefully this is going to be happening occassionally and we are grateful for the extra income.

We are 6 1/2 weeks away as of today. It feels far away and yet every time I turn around a week has gone by and we are a week closer. Time is going by so fast. Things are coming together well and yet there is so much yet to do. Much of it we are at a standstill with as it's still to early to be purchasing things like food. :D The flowers are purchased but I am still working on arrangements. I have names for cakemakers and photographers and Lord willing those will be settled soon. Today after we are done in Springfield we will be going to the church to measure tables, doorways, the basement, etc for decorating purposes.

This last Sunday we found wedding bands. Today we will be returning mine and looking for something else. I love the ring. It's absolutely beautiful but it simply isn't going to work as a cohesive piece with my engagement ring. And it kind of swallows my finger when I put it on with my engagement ring.It is a band of diamonds and it kind of takes away from my marquis and it's just too much bling for my size hand. The guy at the jewelers said that he could custom make a simple band that will actually fit my engagement ring as I am having trouble finding something that works with it because Jase had it custom made. I think a simple band with no stones is probably the best idea since my stone is pretty impressive by itself. I adore that Jase has such gorgeous taste. He's amazing.

We get the apartment a week from this coming Friday. That makes everything seems really close. We found a mattress a couple of weeks ago and with the pieces of furniture that mom and dad are giving us we're pretty much set.

This last Saturday Shelly and Joanna(Jase's mom and sister) hosted a shower for me at the church. It went really well and I was actually somewhat surprised at the turnout since I know so few people at Bethesda. The gifts were wonderful and I was very thankful to everyone for their generosity.

That same evening Jase took me to the Springfield symphony. It was my first time. I enjoyed it very much despite the fact that I was sooo sleepy after a long crazy day and the beautiful violin solo almost lulled me to sleep. A friend of mine, Brooke Barksdale, and her sister April who had come in from Arkansas for the the shower went with us. It was a great evening.

Yesterday Jo and I spent the day in Springfield shopping. We found gifts for Becca's upcoming personal shower and spent some time walking around the mall oohing, aahing and drooling over Dillards home furnishings and decor. I'm taking Jase back there today to look at several bedding sets and dishes that I found. I'm wanting to pick out a china set also.

We have an upcoming couples shower on May 3rd hosted by mom. It should be lots of fun. For anyone who does not have facebook, doesn't attend Parkland Chapel and unfortunately didn't make it onto my invite list: the shower is from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Families are invited and we will be serving an afternoon dessert and beverages. For registries visit our site link on our blogspot profile or go to www.theknot.com/ourwedding/antoniavalenciaandjasonburks.

I'm sleepy. We're sitting in the conference room and I'm observing the decor. I think I like it. Plummy purples, golds and burnt oranges. Somewhat similar to my color scheme for the wedding. Whoever decorated this room has pretty good taste.

Jase and I have been talking color schemes for the apartment. The walls are a pretty, creamy beige. We have two bathrooms, one off the hallway and a masterbathroom. For the hallway bathroom we are doing tans and beiges with sand dollars and dark purple towels and accents. I'm having trouble finding sand dollar decor as it's not a very popular theme at the moment. I like that it's not super common though because even though it makes it a bit harder to find it also means that it will be different. I found paper sand dollar coasters at Tuesday Morning that I am going to frame and use as decor. The few pieces of sand dollar decor that I have found are usually in some sort of aqua setting of somekind. I like aqua but so far I hate all of the shades that accompany sand dollars.:P

The master bathroom will be in wines, reds, chocolates, and gold accents. Some of those colors will probable spill out into the master bedroom.

We haven't decided what the guest bedroom decor will be. I will have a black iron looking day bed but I still have no bedding for it and we haven't decided on colors. Something earthy and sophisticated.

I'm wanting a cafe sort of feel for my kitchen. Blacks,reds, beiges, chromes, and bamboo kitchen items.

I collect elephants. Neat earthy looking elephants. Jase loves fluer de lis. We both love dark woods, deeps browns,golds, earthy colors, greenery, exotic looking plants and bamboo.I can hardly wait to start decorating the apartment.

45 days...<3 <3 <3

~Antonia

Friday, April 3, 2009

Commenting...

12:01 pm

I just wanted to leave a quick note to let our readers know that I switched some settings around on here and now everyone can comment whether they have a blogspot account or not.

I will try to update soon. We have had a busy week. I'm working on some papers for school this weekend which are probly going to take up all my time so I will update as soon as those are out of the way. God bless...

~Antonia