Happy Halloween family and friends! Are you ready for some adorable kids to arrive at your doorstep with the cutest outfits on just like Dustin and I are? We have to note, it's been a year since Dustin and I moved out here. Last year on Halloween day, my parents and Dustin's whole family piled into vehicles to make our way West for us to start a new adventure.

This new adventure for Dustin and I have been filled with joy. It feels like we are already married, however we aren't yet, in June we will mark that date ours when we become a unit and I no longer carry the Thissen name, but that's ways away! We have learned to rely on one another, and I have definitely learned not to get angry when Dustin just wants to relax and the house could be cleaned!

We have made a few adjustments while living here. Dustin moved to Philip as an auto mechanic but in August started a new job being a chef at the local hospital. It has been a wonderful transition for him, if I do say so myself because I come home from work with him in the kitchen cooking. I make up for it by baking him goodies on Sundays. We have joked that if things don't work out here in Philip and we move closer to family, we will open our own bistro. He cooks and I bake!

Dustin and I have been truly blessed with the support from our families while making this transition together. Through our jobs, we have formed many friendships. So we are happy to tell you that we are not complete homebodies! As we look ahead, I'm super excited to say that my family is coming out for Thanksgiving. I've always wanted to prepare a turkey and this is my year!

So I know its Sunday and I just told you that I bake on Sunday, let's just say I have no eggs! Key ingredients in my Oreo Cheesecakes and S'more Bars. I will post pictures and recipes on Tuesday! I better get ready for those trick-o-treaters! I hope we get some because we have 250 pieces of candy to hand out and it would be unfortunate if I had to eat all those!

Hello to all staying indoors today! Here in Philip, it's a chilly one with strong winds. This morning when I walked out the door to head to work, half ways I thought to myself I should of wore a stocking cap and gloves. It's that season again!

Upon arriving to work, my boss Codi mentioned how she's refraining from playing Christmas tunes and I said to her, I have had the same thought! And, it's not even Halloween yet! I've noticed over the years that stores display Christmas decorations more earlier than years in past and it tends to become depressing!

To boost my spirits over the holidays, I hosting Thanksgiving regardless if my family shows up. I think I've mentioned that before but after several phone calls with my mom there's discussion going on about the family coming out depends with my papa's work schedule. Now, I have to cook a 14 lb. turkey!

My highlight from last week: Chili cookoff! Last week, my coworkers talked me into entering chili for CBW in the cookoff. Let's just say, I lost a lot of sleep last week. This was my first time making chili and boy, oh boy! It was a fun experience and being out in the community. CBW walked away with the Best Tasting trophy, tied with the bank. But I still think we had the best tasting! I'm looking forward to it next year. Dustin and I already began thinking of recipes! Below are photos from the night.

Since the chilly weather has kicked in, I'm going to post two recipes that I have tried in the past week or so. They are so simple and tasty! I should mention most of the recipes I find come from the Pioneer Women Tasty Kitchen site. It is a fun site with a whole lot of variety!

Recipe 1: Parmesan-Garlic Tilapia Sticks
These are so easy to make and probably more nutritional than those out of the bag and taste better!
Ingredients:
1 pound Tilapia Fillets Or Any Other Firm White Fish Such As Cod
1 whole Egg
¼ cups Buttermilk
3 cloves Garlic, Pressed Or Minced Finely
1-½ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
⅓ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 dash Salt And Pepper, to taste
1 cup Warm Marinara Sauce, For Dipping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut fish into 1/2-inch strips and sprinkle a little salt on both sides.

In a small shallow bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk and pressed garlic. In another shallow bowl combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

Dip the fish sticks into the wet mixture, letting excess liquid drip off, then coat in bread crumb mixture. Lay on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining fish sticks. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. If you want them golden brown, broil them for the last minute of baking time.

Serve with warm marinara sauce.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Recipe 2: Crock Pot Pulled Pork and Cole Slaw Sandwiches
Dustin says these are "Good Eats"!
Ingredients:
FOR THE PULLED PORK:
½ cups Ketchup
⅓ cups Cider Vinegar
⅓ cups Packed Brown Sugar
6 ounces, weight Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Yellow Mustard
1-½ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
3 pounds Pork Sirloin Roast, Cut Into 3 Pieces
1 package Sandwich Rolls/hamburger Buns
FOR THE COLE SLAW:
1 bag (14 Oz. Bag) Cole Slaw Mix
½ cups Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil¼ cups Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar
¼ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Celery Seed
1 teaspoon Onion Powder

Directions:
For the pulled pork: mix together ketchup, cider vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, yellow mustard, salt, and onion powder in a crock pot. Add pork and turn pieces to coat with sauce. Cover, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once done, shred pork and stir to completely incorporate in the sauce.

For the cole slaw: mix coleslaw mix, mayo, canola oil, sugar, cider vinegar, salt, celery seed, and onion powder well in a large bowl. Cover and let chill for 1-2 hours.

Once pork is done and cole slaw is chilled, make sandwiches! Put some pork on your bun and top with cole slaw. Enjoy!

I hope these two recipes warm your heart! I'll be back soon with a few more recipes that I've tried. Maybe I just might mix it up and feature a "sweet" treat recipe! Well I hope you stay warm in the next couple of days. They are forecasting SNOW, it's just not right because a year ago, Dustin and I moved out here and it was beautiful! Have a wonderful day!

What a beautiful Saturday morning it is here in Philip, SD! I woke up around 7:30 a.m Mountain Time to remind you and now enjoying some quite time on the couch watching That's So Raven, Hannah Montana, and the Suite Life of Zack & Cody while drinking some coffee with creamer of course! Now, don't mock...there is nothing wrong being a kid!

After my run a couple weeks a go, I was sore for a couple days. I felt like I was 80-years-old! I planted my be-hind in the couch every day I got home from work. Over the past week, Dustin and I have been keeping busy. We've been to Rapid City, Dustin has been watching movies, and I have been testing out my baking skills. I had a dilemma this time trying to make some cookies. I used my future mother-in-law's amazing monster cookie recipe. Let's just say they didn't turn out like hers!

This past week was pretty exhausting. On Wednesday, the office was closed because the electric company had to turn off our electricity to put in our new furnace. So on my day off, I cleaned, did laundry, and baked whoppie pies. The reason why this week has been exhausting, I worked 10 hour days to make up for the office being closed. I thought it was bad enough sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours until this week!

I ponder what I'm going to blog about during the fall and winter months since we don't have a garden. I came up with a conclusion and you might like the idea. I'm going to blog about the recipes that I've tested out. Trust me, if they don't meet Dustin's standards, I won't blog them!
So bare with me, this post might be a long one.

First recipe: Cheeseburger Chowder Soup
We thought this was a tasty recipe and it was easy to make for a beautiful fall day. It took about 30 minutes to make. I'll be making this again throughout the fall season!
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1-1/2 cups water
3 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cubed red potatoes
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2-1/2 cups milk, divided
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the water, bouillon and salt. Add potatoes and celery. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
2. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk until smooth; gradually stir into beef mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the remaining milk; heat through. Stir in cheese until melted. Yield: 7 servings.

Options you might want to consider: Adding more cheese and bacon chunks!

Second recipe: Crescent Roll Hot Dogs
This recipe is a fun idea for kids and any ages! It was so simple and Dustin loved the idea.
Ingredients:
1 pkg of crescent rolls
1 pkg of hot dogs
American Cheese slices

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 3 strips of cheese into each slit.
2. Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up.
3. Bake at 375°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with: beans and chips. Like chili dogs? Pour some chili over the wrapped hot dog.

I hope you can find time to create my masterpieces. I will post more down the road when I create some more tasty recipes. I feel the Julia Child in me! Speaking of that book, its been sitting unread for about a year, maybe I start on that today along with doing some weed killing and brush destroying around our home. This could be dangerous!

Well I hope you have a wonderful Saturday as well! I won't judge if you spend your day being a vegetable. I will be back to inform you with something new in life soon and recipes! See you soon fellow readers!

Hello my fellow readers! I know it’s been a few weeks since I've updated you but it was go time before I conquered the marathon relay on Sunday. And by my surprise, I ran my leg of the race, 4.2 miles in an hour, which I had set before I sprinted across the exchange line.

I'll give you a rundown what was going through my mind as I took on this 4.2 mile leg...
1. Oh lordy, here comes Codi! Here's go time as I was read to puke!

2. Okay, I'm doing well. I can vaguely see my future mother in law in front of me!

3. Oh crap, my mouth is getting dry and I'm exhausted!

4. You can do it Sara, as I told myself every step I took!

5. Are you serious? My future mother in law is already heading back! I really got to pick up my pace!

6. I saw Vegas Man as he was running his 135 marathons mumble something to me as I had my music blaring in my ears!

7. I’m almost there! I’m almost there as I repeat that phase frequently to myself.

8. FYI, don’t drink water while trying to run. There are some repercussions!

9. Okay, old man! Make up your mind..stay behind me or pick up your pace so I don’t have keep passing you nor you have to keep passing me!

10. ½ a mile to go…I can see my destiny!

It was an amazing feeling to accomplish something like that. I would of never thought in my wildest dreams that I would to running 4.2 miles. It was awesome! Also, what made this experience amazing was to have some family participating too. My future mother in law and sisters in law also ran. I loved every minute being with them and my co-workers!

Probably the biggest joy of this whole weekend was having my ma and pa out visiting. It was the first time that my ma and pa were out since we moved to Philip on Oct. 30 so it was fun to show them the West River country.

I know that this is short but I’m exhausted just thinking about what I accomplished yesterday! Have a wonderful day my fellow readers!

Here I'ma comin'!