Realization.

New York City is quite the place. Between all the buildings, horns honking, and a traffic line of taxi's non-stop-- there is a certain amount of comfort here. For the first month, I couldn't feel it. I found my mind racing from one thing to the next and my feet walking faster than I ever knew was possible. I gotta make the subway, I gotta catch the bus, I have to keep up with the pace so I don't get trampled by the herd of businessmen behind me that are late for work. How do I carry all these groceries home with no car? How do I cook in an oven that can't fit a cookie sheet? How do we get the couch in through our tiny apartment door? How do we get rid of the couch that couldn't fit through our tiny apartment door? What are we doing here? This city is too big for us. And how do I pretend to look comfortable so that everyday I don't get...miss? can I help you? you look lost.

Well today, I realized that somewhere between all the racing thoughts and running feet, I found it. I found comfort in this city.

I had to journey down to the bottom of the Island today to the Social Security office to officially change my last name. (Yes, I am officially a Marsden :) )  A month ago, I would have been terrified to have to navigate myself from changing subways 4 different times to buses and into an area of this huge city I wasn't familiar. But somehow, I felt .....comfortable. In fact, not only that but not one but TWO people asked me for directions. Sadly, I couldn't help them, but I felt flattered that I must have seemed to look like I knew what I was doing. It was during this little voyage that I realized that we have found a home here. We are finding comfort in the people, the restaurants, the noises, the smells, the cars, the transportation, the friends. Not because it's not a crazy place to live, but because we are making our first memories being married, and I'm realizing that ...home is here. I never imagined being able to call the Big Apple my home, but for now--it is. And we are embracing every moment we spend here.

This is not to say that Scot & I aren't country people at heart. We miss the sky, the mountains, the grass, the tress, and the beauty of nature. Neither of us see us staying here for a long time, but for now....it IS home.Our home. And home feels comfortable :)

Here are some photos and events from this week: 

 We went to a Met's game! .....dedicated Red Sox fan. But hey the Met's were a fun switch up! :) Anything but the Yankees. Yuck.

Our good friends Thais and Tyler from our ward joined us for the game. Thais is 30 weeks pregnant! :) So happy and excited for them. 

Citi field :)

 Rainy days in NYC. I pop in my headphones, throw on my raincoat and make my way around the puddles.Sometimes rainy days are nice, I said it.

Last but not least....yup. I let my good friend Shayly (who has never done this) highlight my hair. I was brave. She was brave. and surprisingly...I think we may have found Shayly's secret talent--it turned out great!

What a great week! :) Happy almost weekend.

Best 20 dollars EVER spent.

Wow. That's pretty much all I can say. Last night Scot and I got SUPER lucky and found an amazing deal on craigslist for tickets to see one of our MOST FAVORITE bands--Bon Iver. At Radio City Music Hall, here in Midtown Manhattan.

These tickets were going for insane prices, and every nights show was sold out. However, we had amazing luck to weasel these tickets for 10 dollars a piece! Unheard of. (after getting free tickets to the US open, and now these tickets to Bon Iver, we are becoming masters at good deals) Basically, I contacted this guy who was selling his tickets last minute, because something came up and he couldn't go. We met in Midtown and when he didn't have change for the amount I was suppose to  pay, he decided that since we are new to NYC that he would give them to us for just 20 dollars! Wow, I was so happy! :) People are so generous.

All we kept saying all night was "this was the best 20 dollars ever spent!" ....the concert was seriously AMAZING. I've seen a decent amount of concerts, and this was definitely in the top 3 best ever. It was such a production. The acoustics, the music, the venue, the lighting, the backdrop--everything was incredible.

A little background on Bon Iver, they are an Indie Folk Band from Wisconsin who in 2012 won the Grammy award for best new artist, as well as the award for best alternative music album. This band is special to Scot and me because we were both (and still are) in love with them all last year and while we were dating. They are seriously so talented--especially lead singer Justin Vernon. His voice is unreal.

The songs from their hit album, For Emma, Forever Ago, were actually written and first recorded while Justin was staying alone in a cabin for 3 months in northwestern Wisconsin. Man, from cabin to Radio City Music Hall--these guys are a must see. We had an absolute BLAST!

Here is a video of them singing their hit, Skinny Love. Don't mind Scot singing along in the background hahaha little cutie.

Weekend Happenings.

Ah, the weekends are always just the best here in the city. Scot and I both work at least 8-9 hours a day, so Saturday can't come soon enough. This past weekend was super fun as we had a ward fall cook out in Central Park! It was fun to get to know more people in the ward, and enjoy some good food. I made cinnamon buns, and the whole picnic blanket was FULL of treats. We socialized, played some football/baseball and got to know everyone more. Central Park is a weekly "must-go". When we stand in the middle and look up we can see big sky and no buildings, it's a wonderful get-away from the hustle bustle of mad city life.

 Our great friends, Eric and Shayly are in our ward and we spent the night hanging out together! We love them :)

Saw these two crazies and asked if I could have a pic with them. There is always something to see in Central Park...

The Met. Museum, so big!

Only a few blocks up from our little home is this view. Sunday night Scot and I came out here and sat on the benches, it was so beautiful! We are so lucky to be living here right now. It's awesome! :)

I have an Obsession.

Man, I never knew I had such a passion for cooking until recently. I have to admit, I can go a little crazy in the kitchen, and Scot gets to reap the rewards!It's a little embarrassing....I am turning into that domestic cooking, blogging, sewing, decorating, crafty wife I never knew was in me!

I blame it on the fact that I've never had a WHOLE kitchen to myself! ..... even though our kitchen is seriously miniature status,  it's so fun to organize it and decorate it how I want. Lately I've been cooking, baking, cooking, baking, cooking....and with our budget Scot keeps reminding me that we need to have more left over nights, but I can't help the obsession I have for trying new recipes, it's hard to sacrifice a night! I'm getting better though. Haha. 

Here are some of our favorite recipes lately...and they are seriously all SO easy!

HAM AND CHEESE SLIDERS WITH THE MOST AMAZING SAUCE!

Ingredients:

White dinner rolls
Deli thin sliced honey ham 
Slices Swiss cheese
Mayonnaise OR  miracle whip.

Poppy seed sauce 1 Tablespoon poppyseeds, 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard, 1/2 cup butter melted, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

Spread mayo or miracle whip onto both sides of the center of each roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet. Place very close together.

In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients. Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy. 

HOMEMADE PIZZA ( We did Chicken Alfredo!)

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon white sugar

• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

• 2 1/2 cups bread flour

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

1. Stir in flour, salt and oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

1. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan or baker's peel dusted with cornmeal. Spread with desired toppings and bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let baked pizza cool for 5 minutes before serving.

APPLE SPICE PORK CHOPS

4 Pork Chops
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 onion
2 apples
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp Chicken broth
1 cup water

Directions: 


 Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating, open the pork chops and season one side with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

 Once the oil is hot (it should look wavy or ripply) place the chops in the pan, seasoned side down. Season the other side and let the chops cook undisturbed for 5-7 minutes or until the bottoms form a nice brown crust. If your chops are sticking to the pan, that means they have not formed a crust yet. They will "let go" once the crust forms. Flip the chops and cook the second side in the same manner. It should take 5-7 minutes for each side.

 While the chops are searing, thinly slice the onion. Wash, core and slice the apples into thin wedges. Once the chops have seared on both sides, remove them from the pan and add the apples, onion and butter. Stir and cook for about five minutes or until the apples and onions begin to soften.

 Add the bouillon, water, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to the skillet with the apples and onions. Stir until everything is mixed together then return the chops to the pan. Nestle the chops down in the mixture, making sure some onions and apples are on top of the chops.


Simmer the chops in the apple/onion mixture for about 10-15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir occasionally, moving the apples and onions around so they all have a chance to simmer and soften.
Serve each chop with apples, onions and sauce spooned over top.

HAWAIIAN CHICKEN AND COCONUT RICE 

Ingredients:

4-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts (mine were still frozen!)

1 Bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style Barbecue Sauce (from Target)

1 20 oz. can Pineapple Chunks, drained

For Rice:

2 cups rice

can coconut milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups milk

Directions:

Spray the inside of your crock pot with cooking spray for an easy cleanup!  Place frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot and cover with sauce.  Empty can of drained pineapple chunks on top.  Cook on High for 2-3 hours or Low for 4-6 hours.  Shred chicken with two forks while still in the crock pot so the chicken will be well coated with sauce.  Serve over rice.

Make rice on stove top as normal but with ingredients listed above instead of water.




CINNAMON SUGAR COOKIES (SNICKERDOODLE)

Ingredients:

cup butter (substitutes softened) 1 14 cups confectioners' sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cream of tartar 18 tsp salt 1 Tbls cinnamon

Directions:  In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture. Shape into balls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Visit to the West Side

So now that Scot and I have joined Spencer and Dianna in the city, we refer to each other as the "East side Marsdens" and the "West side Marsdens" ...since Scot and I live in the Upper East side, and Spencer, Dianna and their cute family live in the Upper West side. :)

It has been so fun living so close to them. They have such a cute little (or should I say BIG) family! Yesterday, they invited us over for Sunday dinner, and man was it a party. 6 kids, 4 adults in a 2 bedroom apartment. It was chaos, and we LOVED it.

The little ones put on a play for us that apparently they had been practicing for weeks now. It was seriously hilarious.  They all came out in old Halloween costumes and just danced around forever. Even cute little Sofia and London participated! After, Scot or (Uncle Sockie) told them all a good-night story as everyone cuddled up on the floor. We love the West side Marsdens and are so happy to be living so close to them!

                                                           

                                                                                           

    

Bad Quality, on iphone.

Food, Friends, and Fashion

Yesterday was the start to NYC's "Fashion week". Fashion week is a huge thing here in the city, where all the major stores in midtown are open with great deals, music, food and celebrities walking around everywhere. Last night our friends Eric and Shayly joined us ( I should say Shayly and I dragged our Husbands along) as we ventured over to Macy's (the largest in the world) where none other than...














Jef and Emily from the Bachelorette were hosting a benefit night. I know, I'm admitting it online for the world to read-I have a guilty pleasure of watching the Bachelor/ette. I was especially fond of this last season because Jef is from Utah ( represent! ) and I'm a fan of Emily.

After we just walked around town, got dinner, and took pictures on the red carpet. It was a fun classic NYC experience. We are loving living in this big city with so much excitement and entertainment everywhere you look.

 

 Other pictures from the week:

 
New York has fruit stands everywhere! The fruit is all really good, and cheap! As you can see, the orange addiction has begun to set in...

My cute Husband on his way to work in the big City! Us at the US open, and the view from my office...











 

....life is so good to us.

Newbies.

This weekend was wonderful! Nothing is better than a 3 day weekend, Happy Labor day!

Friday night, we decided to have a relaxing movie night in our new apartment.  However, redboxes seem to be a scarcity here in the Upper East Side-- 3 mile run to the nearest one, so needless to say, I got my workout in. We watched....

 The Hunger Games.

We had been wanting to see it forever. It was good, we both stayed awake anyways, which is a rare thing during movies in this Marsden house! However, I'm always shocked at the story-lines people come up with. Parts of this movie I felt were just too much.

Saturday we ventured down to Pier 96 , and took out the free Kayaks on the Hudson river with some friends from the ward!

THEN, Saturday night we decided to take the Metro over to flushing Meadows and walk around where the US Open was going on. We talked about how it would be so awesome if we could somehow weasel some free tickets off someone, and then sure enough...... we landed some free tickets! New York Newbie luck I guess. ;)

Cheers for a perfect first weekend as New Yorkers. :)