Project 365: Where Did September Go?

I'm going through all my pictures and wondering how quickly the month of September flew by.  Tomorrow is the beginning of October (and the 10 Day Give) and I'm not ready! 

September 1 - Treats accumulate at the office

September 2 - Mom and I go to dinner at Crepes and Crepes - love ending my meal with a strawberry nutella crepe and a cappuccino

September 3 - Gigi's Cupcakes and the Paris Street Market in Littleton before visiting the Columbine Memorial and then going to see the Help

September 4 - I made the amazing White Chocolate Blondies

September 5 - Labor Day Brunch (above and below) at Paris on the Platte

September 6 - No crying while reading this Nicholas Sparks novel (really!)

(time passes)

September 13 - a new fashion line causes the Target site to crash

September 15 - My prize at staff meeting

September 17 - Three new restaurants (click here)

September 19 - My sister has started using dry erase boards at work and home to "erase boardom"

September 20 - Uptown Sampler

September 22 - Beer themed dinner party (why I made the Guinness cupcakes)

September 23 - Cooking School

September 24 - Canon City (pictures to come....just not yet)

September 29 - new table in my office

September 30 - Kosmic Karma pizza at Mellow Mushroom

Introducing: The 10 Day Give

As you know I've recently discovered the world of (entertaining) personal finance blogs.   However, until I have good advice or have achieved an amazing goal, you won't see me writing one.   One of the blogs I now read is Christian Personal Finance.   And there, I heard about the 10 Day Give.    The mission, should you choose to accept it, is to give something to someone every day for 10 days.  There aren't any rules.   You can give your money, time, talent, creativity, or just a listening ear.    Any day you decide to give is a good day, so why not start on October 1 and go strong for 10 days.   As bad as it sounds, I feel like I have to prepare to give, especially if I'm trying to do something outside my normal realm.    I'm going to have to have cash on hand if I want to donate to the Denver's Road Home (10 year plan to end homelessness) parking meters that are on the sidewalks downtown.   I'm going to have to seek out people and be brave enough to offer a gift.    I'm not sure exactly how this is going to play out, but I'm willing to try. 

What?  You want to give something to someone?

There is an option for audience participation!

Earlier this year I coordinated a shoe drive at work to benefit Soles 4 Souls.   Now it's time for another one.  This time as a part of the Flippin' Good Deeds Challenge.  You will have a chance to give your gently used shoes another chance.   I will have all the details posted here in the next few days.   Most of us have more shoes than we need.   These flip flops were just the top three pairs on the shoe pile in my closet.   A pair of shoes might not seem like much.  But for someone trying to apply for a job or go to school a single pair of shoes can make a big difference.  It doesn't matter where in the world you are.

For fun I will try and find good feet quotes through the remainder of the Flippin' Good Deeds Challenge.

"Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm."

-Abraham Lincoln-

Traveler Goes to Cooking School: The Seasoned Chef Cooking School

Dog Treats in Class

Culinary question of the day:  Have you ever used a tomato shark?

In reading through the Westword two weeks ago,  I ran across an advertisement for a program called One Book, One Denver.   This year the book is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.   I haven't read this book yet, but I know that it's written in the dog's point of view.   There are a variety of activities (movies, crafts, etc) going on through the end of October - and they are all free.   The one that caught my eye, surprise, was the cooking class offered at The Seasoned Chef Cooking School.    The class was called The Art of Salsa and Dog Bones.  

Bottom line, snacks for dogs and people.   It was more of a cooking demonstration than a hands on class, but I still learned a lot, considering that I've never made salsa from scratch.  And, as much as I love the Chey dog, she has never received a homemade dog treat from my hand.   We enjoyed  and learned how to make a delicious tomatillo salsa.   I've never seen a tomatillo au natural before.   It's kind of like a tomato, with the consistency of an apple, wrapped in a leaf.  And I may need to add a "tomato shark" to my kitchen gadget wish list, but I think a zester is still at the top.   

The dog biscuit portion of the class was also very interesting.   It's very much like cooking a biscuit or a cookie for a person, but with less sugar and more meat flavored bouillon.   And sweet potatoes.   We learned how to make a sweet potato treat so good that our class tried them (more than one actually).    There is nothing for baking dog bones that you don't already have in your kitchen for normal cooking - except maybe a bone shaped cookie cutter.  If that's your thing.    I doubt your dog cares if you use a cookie cutter or just bake misshapen balls of doggy delights.    All I know is that the Chey dog gave them two paws up.

Denver Uptown Sampler 2011

This is the third Denver dine-around that I've done in the six years I've lived here.   I've dined my way through the Feast on the Fax and the Tasty Colfax.   Last week I added the Uptown Sampler to my list.   It was a beautiful night to stroll along the 17th Avenue visiting a lot of restaurants, which were mostly all new to me.   There were 19 venues, and we made it to 17, though we were no longer hungry by stop 14.   One of my favorite stops was "Eze Mop" which isn't actually a restaurant, but a small collection of shops (in the Eze Mop building).   But they offered gelato and had great gifts in their stores.   Here are a few pics of some of our delicious sampling.    Enjoy!

Sliders and Wings at Tavern Uptown

 I don't remember what they were other than delicious - D Bar Desserts

Ceviche!!! - Limon

 Scallop - Wild Catch



Recipe: Gingerbread Guinness Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

About a month ago some friends and I were talking about how it would be fun if we got together for a monthly dinner party.  Maybe a party with a theme in the food.   Then we talked some more.  Finally, one person (not me), contacted everyone, determined the theme for the first dinner and all the rest of us had to do was figure out a day that worked for everyone.  The theme was beer.   I feel like one of the only people in the world who doesn't like beer.   I like hard cider.  I like hard lemonade.  But beer?  It's not sweet enough for me.   How can a person get through college without beer?  By drinking amaretto stone sours, white russians and 'jungle juice.'   Now that I'm all grown up (or something), I've graduated from white russians to mojitos and wine.   But still, no beer.   So I wasn't sure how this food challenge would play out.   But one thing is obvious.  I love dessert.  Still, in scouring through Allrecipes.com and Foodbuzz I didn't really see anything that really jumped out at me.   So I put my project in the hands of google, which took me to a site called Yummly, where I found this recipe.   It is a winner. 

Warning:  Your house will smell like Christmas when you bake these.

What You Need 

Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness   (what you do with the remainder of the bottle or can is up to you - but someone should probably drink it)
1 cup molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Makes about 36 cupcakes

What You Do 

Preheat over to 350.   Line muffin tray(s) with liners.   Bring Guinness and molasses to boil in heavy medium saucepan over heat.  Remove from heat; stir in baking soda (when you add the baking soda it will bubble and froth, so a medium pan is better than a small one unless you want it to bubble over everywhere).   Let stand 1 hour (or put the pan in the fridge to cool faster, which was my technique).

Whisk flour through nutmeg in a large bowl to blend.  Whisk eggs and sugars in a medium bowl to blend.  Whisk oil and then Guinness/molasses mixture into the sugar mixture.   Gradually whisk stout-egg mixture into flour mixture.   Divide batter among liners.

Bake until toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes (this was the original time and I kept to it pretty close even with the Colorado altitude).    I did notice that the cupcakes were a little concave after baking.   However, that dent becomes a bonus Cream Cheese Frosting holding area...so it all worked out.

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz cream cheese at room temperature (I use reduced fat)
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

In a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until creamy.  With the mixer on low, beat in powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.    Then increase speed and beat until light and fluffy.    Frost on cooled cupcakes and garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.   Eat shamelessly until gone.

Dining Around: Stella's Coffee, Li'l Nick's Pizza, Apres Dessert Bar

Last weekend I managed to visit three new places in one day. How is this possible, you ask? First my sister and I met up for a friend at Stella’s on Old South Pearl Street. Stella’s is a converted house, so it has lots of seating in the different rooms as well as a huge patio to get sun, or shade, as needed. The baristas were entertaining and I got to enjoy my mocha in a real mug. In the world of paper cups and cardboard sleeves, it was a treat. Only latte art in the foam would have made it complete (ironically, I met someone this week who trains on latte art, among other things, for a local breakfast restaurant).

We sat there talking so long that I had to order a blackberry Italian soda as well. Now, a good mocha or latte is hard to make at home unless you have a serious cappuccino machine or steamer – my experiment with my $4.99 goodwill cappuccino maker proves that. An Italian soda on the other hand could be easily made at home – you could probably make 15-20 for the cost of two at a coffee shop. Buy the flavored syrup at the grocery store or world market and then a two-liter of the store brand club soda and call it a day. You can be very classy for a low price.

For dinner we went to Li'l Nick’s Pizza in Wheat Ridge, courtesy of a Groupon that was getting ready to expire. Prior to my trip to New Mexico earlier this year, I don’t think I’d had garlic knots, and now when I see it on the menu, it’s almost a compulsion to order. The staff was friendly and the pizza was good, but Wheat Ridge isn’t close to home, so I don’t know when I’ll get up there again.

 For dessert we went to Apres Dessert Bar which is an arm of the Generous Servings coffee shop and cooking school in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver. I had won a $20 gift certificate as a part of the Visit Denver Restaurant Week photo contest on Facebook in the spring. The dessert bar only has a few tables and is open on weekends in the evenings. I had a rich Spanish coffee and then this beautiful flourless chocolate cake with Earl Grey ice cream and mint shortbread. I have to find a way to recreate the mint shortbread. It was practically life changing.

What a delicious day!

Recipe: Lazy Girl Mini Marble Cupcakes

Last week was the fall kickoff for the youth group at church.   This is my third year as a youth sponsor.   Starting any fall activity with a barbecue seems to be a tradition (there were a lot of barbecues in college, that's for sure).    Thankfully I fall in the N-Z section of the alphabet, so I could bring dessert instead of a side.    As you can tell by the recipes I post here, making salads and veggie sides are not my cup of tea.   Maybe I should take it as a personal challenge to try more side dish recipes....but not today.  I like making mini desserts because they go farther and more people can have a sample.  

I'm classifying these as "lazy girl" for using a mix and for using my leftover frosting to make life easy.  Sometimes lazy and easy and good are all the same thing. 

1 package chocolate cake mix, prepared to box instructions (and here in Colorado, using the high altitude instructions - more flour, less liquid)

Cream Cheese Marble Filling:
6 oz cream cheese, softened (I used reduced fat)
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup coconut

Preheat oven to package instructions.

Put paper liners in your mini muffin tin.   Spoon in chocolate cake batter first, then a small spoonful of marble filling and then top with cake batter.   Mini cupcakes usually bake at half the time of full size cakes, estimate 12-15 minutes, but watch them on the first batch to be sure. 

These were good without frosting, but I just happened to have some of the frosting left over from Chef Dennis's White Chocolate Blondies that I had made a few days before.  Spread a little on top and you are good to go.   How many things have you made in September because it's the start of so many activities?

The Tao of Travel: Part 2

My sister has recently rediscovered Reader’s Digest Magazine at the public library.   It’s the most eclectic mix of articles to ever share the same page.     The June/July 2011 issue featured two short excerpts from Paul Theroux’s book The Tao of Travel.   The article included a short list called “The Essential Tao of Travel.”    I really liked this list and added my own commentary on each item.   My previous post had items 1-5, this post is items 6-10.

6. Walk across a national frontier

I spent a summer working at Yellowstone National Park. It’s the oldest national park in the US and Wyoming was the “frontier” for the longest time. Even now, it’s one of the most sparsely populated states, especially considering its size. It’s a beautiful thing to stand somewhere and wonder how many people have seen the same vista.

7. Keep a journal

I don’t keep a journal in my “real life”, but beginning in college I started keeping a journal each trip I took. My grandma would give me journals for Christmas or my birthday and they would just sit there. Finally I put them to use. In December 1998 I traveled to Egypt with my mom, sister, and two friends from college to visit other college friends who lived in Cairo. Almost everything about that trip was eye opening – experiencing a completely different culture for the first time. Africa, Arabic, Ramadan, Christmas, New Years, Camels, The Nile. Thirteen years later I can read through my journal, smiling at the person I was in college. Thirteen years later I’m considering another trip to Egypt, this time to see one of my friends get married. How different will my journal be this time?

8. Read a novel that has no relation to the place you’re in.

This is easy for me. I felt no desire to read Out of Africa when I was in Tanzania this spring. I always bring books and magazines, but it’s usually fiction and completely unrelated to the adventure at hand. I know that I read all four Twilight books when I was in Thailand and the final installment of Harry Potter when I was in Door County.

9. If you must bring a cell phone, avoid using it.

When I’m traveling here in the states, it’s hard to go phone-less. Earlier this year, I had a great opportunity to catch up with college friends on a last minute trip to Illinois, just by posting my status on Facebook (using my cell phone). Last fall I went without my phone for ten days in Aruba and Curacao. There is nothing like lying on the beach in November to make you feel far away from Colorado. But every time I see someone texting their way through dinner with a friend it makes me wonder why they even bothered to show up.

10. Make a friend

Traveling alone (#2) makes it easier to make a friend. You are more outgoing when you aren’t with your family and best friends. Over Memorial Day my sister and I went to Santa Fe. We stopped for cocktails before meeting up with some other friends who randomly happened to be visiting from Wisconsin (thank you again, Facebook for letting us know). I start chatting with the guy next to me and my sister starts chatting with the table behind us, and before the evening ends, there are 8 of us dancing at a jazz club. If you’re too caught up in being you, you can’t enjoy the fun and novelty of meeting others.

The Tao of Travel: Part 1

My sister has recently rediscovered Reader’s Digest Magazine at the public library. It’s the most eclectic mix of articles to ever share the same page. The June/July 2011 issue featured two short excerpts from Paul Theroux’s book The Tao of Travel. The article included a short list called “The Essential Tao of Travel.” I really liked this list and added my own commentary on each item.


1. Leave Home

You’d think this was obvious, that travel means leaving home. Some people bring all of home with them – their stuff, their stress, and their problems. Some people go to the same place every year, which, to me, is like staying home. You have a routine. You have your favorite restaurant. To me the joy of travel includes the anticipation of leaving, the actual adventure, and then reflecting and sharing when you return home.

2. Go Alone

There are so many places I want to go. I love it when friends or family members share the journey with me. Someone else understands how spicy the food was, how close to the lions you were, or how long the train ride was. When I graduated college I lived in Lake Tahoe. I worked in a hotel, so my days off varied each week. For those two years, I was the master of going alone. I camped in Yosemite and Crater Lake, visited San Francisco, toured Universal Studios, and drove Highway 1 down the coast. I had never been to California prior to moving to Tahoe, so there was so much to see and do, I couldn’t wait for someone to go with me or I would miss out. My biggest go alone experience was traveling to Thailand for a month in 2009. I made friends once I arrived, but I landed in Bangkok at 1am not knowing a soul.

3. Travel Light

This is a work in progress. With the airlines charging baggage fees, I am more motivated to fit everything into my carry-on. The less you carry, the less you have to lose. And the most interesting places don’t have bellmen. Going on a cruise? Go ahead and bring your party dresses for formal night. But in the middle of the Serengeti, no one cares if you wear the same pants every day.

4. Bring a Map

I’m blaming my mom, but I love maps. Do I stand around on busy intersections holding a map half the size of my body? No. But do I have one in my purse or backpack to reference while I’m drinking coffee or people watching in the park? Yes.
5. Go by Land

You miss things when you fly. How do tourist sites like the Mitchell Corn Palace and Wall Drug stay in business? The great American road trip. Every year millions of families drive to South Dakota to see Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills. Most of them continue on to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Traveling by land you meet people. You stop at random diners in the middle of nowhere. You can stand somewhere beautiful all by yourself and take a photo. Internationally traveling by land gives you an even better feel of the culture. German businessmen on the high speed commuter trains. Thai kids yelling “I love you” when you pedal by on your bicycle. Being the only gringos on a boat tour of Sumidero Canyon in southern Mexico.

Recipe: Bribery Brownies

Bribery via food is not frowned upon.   Most people actually welcome it.   Accepting the use of a condo in Breckenridge during ski season?  Could be an ethical conundrum that involves your HR office.   Cookies on a stick?  Fair game.   These are an adaptation of Bribe The Teacher Brownies on A Spicy Perspective.    I don't have any teachers currently, so I will have to bribe someone else.    Suggestions?

1 box brownie mix (family size for 9x13 pan and the eggs, oil and water required per box instructions)

1 12oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 (14oz) cans of Nestle La Lechera (or any canned dulce de leche), I used the fat free version

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup sliced almonds

Prepare brownies per package instructions, adding all the chocolate chips (saving 1/2 cup for the topping).   I lined the baking pan with foil lightly sprayed with cooking spray.    Here in Colorado, I also follow the high altitude instructions (more flour, less oil).

Toss remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips, almonds and coconut in a small bowl.

Once brownies are baked per package instructions, remove from the oven and change the temperature to 400.  Pour dulce de leche (ddl...it's shorter to type) over the brownies.    I used fat free when I made these and it was runnier than standard ddl so it was easy to pour.   Next time I will try the regular kind to see how it plays out (I imagine thicker and more caramely).    Sprinkle the topping (chips, almonds, coconut) over the top of the ddl.   Move your oven rack to the top slot and put the brownies back in for 5-8 minutes to toast the tips of the coconut and to help set the ddl.   Let brownies cool completely.   I stored them in the fridge overnight before slicing them up.   

Deliciously sweet and sticky.  I took them to a casual dinner party last night and got two thumbs up.  

Provide to person in need of bribing with a fork and a tall glass of milk.

Filling Up the Bucket List

Pondering and updating your bucket list periodically is a good idea.  It's the whole "failing to plan is planning to fail" thing.  My trainer says that about my meal planning.  But it's true for many things in life.  If you don't know what you want to do (today, next year, before you die) you'll get stuck in a rut that includes, but is not limited to, action adventure movies, dinner at the Olive Garden, walks of exactly 15 minutes, annual vacations to Florida and a haircut that matches your neighbor's.   You could become one of those people who answers questions with "I don't know, what do you want to do?"      

In college we were tasked to create a list of lifetime goals that fell into a variety of categories including Job/Career, Physical/Health, Family/Relationship, Cultural/Educational, Community/Political,  Financial/Material, and Spiritual/Humanitarian.  

I put this book (pictured above) together in 2000.   The good news?  Some goals have been accomplished.   Others are still a work in progress.   And some aren't important to me anymore (I really don't care if I become a proficient horseback rider, after all)

A few that I checked off the list:

1 - Work in a national park

5 - Be a manager that employees like

8 - Go parasailing
13 - Participate in more winter sports  (oooh I could use the $500 to renew my ski pass!)
22 - Go on a trip with my friends once we are out in the real world
29 - Adopt my pets from the humane society
39 - Chaperone a youth mission trip
40 - Be active in a church
44 - Live west of the Mississippi

And here are a few pictures of things that I thought I wanted to do in 2000 that I still want to do today:

(what what?  Happy to say in fall of 2013, I moved to Hawaii...well outside of the lower 48, or the mainland as we call it here)

Recipe: Peanut Butter Cup Blondies

Ever since the early TV ads for Resse's Peanut Butter Cups where they would stick the chocolate bar into the jar of peanut butter, it's been an amazing combination.    These are the rockstar of blondies - and they are from Cooking Light!  With skim milk, these blondies can be the breakfast of champions.

Adapted from Cooking Light

1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chunky honey nut peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray
4 regular sized Resse's peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350°.

Spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Combine peanut butter and next 4 ingredients (through eggs), stirring well. Add peanut butter mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

I used a 9 inch silicone pan set on a baking sheet, but you could also use a metal one - either way, lightly coat with cooking spray. Arrange the peanut butter cups over batter. The original recipe called for a 19 minute bake time, but here in Denver, with altitude, I baked it for 30 minutes.  It's done when until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.

They Call It Whole Paycheck

LivingSocial: $20 to Spend on Groceries
$10 for $20 at Whole Foods - today's special on Living Social.  More artichoke fritters and fancy cheeses for me!

Who Knew? The Unknown World of Personal Finance

In the past month I have discovered some great personal finance blogs.   Humor, practical advice, true stories (and more humor) make what I would normally consider a dry painful topic something that I actually enjoy reading.  I'm learning something new every day.   Maybe I'll start to make better decisions.
This week in my personal finance?   I emptied the change bowl of all foreign currency.    After taking out the South African Rands, Mexican Pesos, Euros, Swiss Francs, Peruvian Soles and Guatemalan Centavos, there was about $1.50 in pennies.   There you go.

Small victories this week:

• Calling the bank to get a fee removed from my checking account
• Taking advantage of Chick-fil-a's free breakfast promotion
• Ice cream happy hour with the girls....you still get the hour or so of chat, but for the price of an ice cream cone

And some fun posts from that formerly unknown world of personal finance...

Budgets are Sexy - Don't be ASS-pirational    Aspirational spending - spending like the lifestyle you wish to enjoy instead of your actual one

Thousandaire - My Definition of Rich   Rich enough to provide miracles....kind of like Bill and Melinda Gates (mentioned above in the post about aspirational spending)

Yes I Am Cheap - Don't Have Kids if You Can't Afford Them  $14,000+ per year to raise a child not including college and inflation...ouch

Project 365 - August 21-31

August 21 - Fun with baking....again

August 22 - Current read

August 23 - Magazine ad...how do I get to be in first class with cute guys and balloon animals?

August 24 - Yo Craze - our favorite local froyo spot

August 24 - "Department Meeting" at the Rockies Game

August 25 - Happy Hour after our manager's outing

August 26 - The "Lowrider" Pizza at Proto's

August 27 - View from my friend's balcony

August 28 - Current Read

August 29 - Gas for under $3.00?  Gotta love King Soopers fuel points.

August 30 - Yum!  Cheese curds from Wisconsin

August 31 - Chocolate Hedgehog from Devil's Food Bakery

Recipe: Thai Beef Tacos

Those people who say to make a list before going to the store are right.   The weeks where I look at recipes in advance, plan at least a few meals, and buy the right ingredients are the weeks when my sister and I eat well.  The rest of the time?  It's cereal, cheese and crackers, or name that leftover.   The original recipe came from the April 2007 issue of Cooking Light.

A quick note about ginger:  I don't buy it very often and I was tempted by the ease of jarred pickled ginger, like what you would get with sushi.  However, a small piece of real ginger root is significantly cheaper - and has a great flavor of its own. 

Here's my modified version - it went perfectly with the semi-finals of America's Got Talent.

Beef:

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili paste (I can't even read the label because it's all in Korean and I bought it at the H-mart)

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced bottled garlic

1 pound sliced beef for stir fry

Slaw:

1/4 cup bottled lime juice (although I did squeeze the half lime left over from margaritas into the measuring cup first)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon chili paste

2 teaspoons minced bottled garlic

12 oz bag of broccoli slaw from the produce section of the grocery store

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas  (they were on sale - I warmed them in a skillet before serving)

Combine all beef ingredients and put in a ziploc bag and marinate for 20 minutes in the fridge, turning occasionally.    Saute beef in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray until browned on the outside (a little pink on the inside is fine - or cook until browned all the way through).   To make the slaw combine all ingredients and toss until well combined.   Divide the beef up and top with slaw.  Serve with a lime wedge.

Project 365 - August 11-20

August 11 - Peanut Butter Cereal Treats

August 12 - My $0.04 mocha courtesy of the text coupon from Dazbog

August 13 - Visited the Cupcake Dreamin truck which is based out of Aurora

August 14 - Picked up my friends at DIA and they gave me Russian treats

August 15 - Colorado Palisade Peaches

August 16 - Beautiful night at the Rockies game

August 17 - Great read

August 18 - Ceviche Tostada at Real de Minas. 

I squeezed extra limes on it and was good to go.

August 19 - Glee in 3D.  Definitely a guilty pleasure.

August 20 - Went to Rocky Mountain NP for the first time this year