erica danielle

Such a fun week in Chicago. The weather is perfect, which means it is perfect to stay outside all day and not do any housework or even think about sitting at the desk blogging... until now :) I have walked/biked all over Lake Shore the last few days and my goal of biking to the beach 1x a week--CHECK! July is almost here! What an exciting month it will be! Here are some things I am REALLY looking forward to: Going to MN this weekend- on the docket-- Breakfast with the fam, hot stone massage with my amazing sissy, Happy Hour with Emily and someone special Twins game at the new Target Field, Family BBQ in Wisconsin, drinking coffee and having chats with my mom, bike rides, frisbee with daddio.... = Can't wait. Family Camp 2011! Sten and I are packing up and heading to family camp @ Portage Lake mid-July. Can't wait to see this little man: as well be with the whole Carlson/Tournell Crew. Looking forward to long walks with my sister-in-laws, laughing in the cabin, and l...

It's been a busy/relaxing weekend. Sten and I took full advantage of the sun and biked to the beach 2x! We also went to Ravinia and enjoyed a show by Prairie Home Companion. We also enjoyed some delicious salad, veggies and of course, red wine. There is nothing like Ravinia. I wish I could experience it at least once a week. It's a sophisticated adult picnic. On a HUGE green space right outside of the city. I got to go with my love and we really enjoyed it. I have been taking pictures of all my creations and I wanted to share Mama Prints' Brownies and Hot Fudge recipes. We grew up on these brownies, my mom would make them in this brown pyrex dish and we would all cut little pieces day by day until they were gone... But sometimes, (when we were having company) she would make the brownies with this super special chocolate sauce and serve it over ice cream. This is the perfect treat and I would suggest it at your next dinner party. Your guests will be happy you did. All go...

I've never been more excited for the home stretch as much as I am right now. I have been working... working... working.... since June 13th... Two more days until the weekend. And I plan to enjoy every single second of it. I must admit this week has been less glamorous than I would hope for. I haven't taken many pictures and I have been going to bed at 8pm and getting up at 4:30am. But here are some things that make me love life even though my schedule is less than enjoyable: Sten. He has driven me to work 3 days this week and each time his alarm goes off it just looks painful. I on the other hand have been up (and am a morning person) and want to have chats: "How did you sleep?!?!" "What do you think you are going to eat for breakfast?!?!" "I wonder if it is going to be a nice day?!?!" He also gets my coffee ready every night and puts my work phone on the charger if I forget. This morning he left me a note and I think it got me through the day. I l...

Made this tasty dinner on Sunday night and it was easy, tasty, quick and delicious. Sten and I had just come home from MI, it was a little chilly and I wanted to cook a Sunday dinner. I sprawled all my recipes on the floor, looked through 3 different cookbooks before I stumbled upon this gem. And I am sooo glad I did. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Rachel Ray's 2,4,6,8 cookbook. Its like when you bread chicken... only you bread the ravioli-- healthy-right?! toast 'em up! Every time I try to fry something the kitchen starts smoking and the fire alarm sounds. Sten usually ends up rushing to the smoke detector and rapidly fanning it with a Seminary book. Enjoy! Bread, olive oil, wine and a candle. Hello perfect evening! Toast Ravioli. Adapted from Rachel Ray! 2 eggs, a splash of milk, salt and pepper 1 1/2 C Panko bread crumbs, sprinkle of parmesan cheese, italian spices, fresh parsley (chopped) 12 Large fresh Ravioli, (we had roasted chicken and mozz) EVOO 3 garlic c...

Best things about today: Great train ride to work this morning. No weird smells or creeps. Good day at work. Love my co-workers. Talked to my S.I.L. Ryann and caught up on eachothers lives. I can't wait to be at Family Camp with her in 3.5 weeks. Went outside with Sten and did a boot camp workout. We were laughing sooo hard we couldn't finish our first 40 jumping jacks. Getting ready to go to Birthday dinner for Karoline with some FUN girls. It's nice out! xoxo. e

What a joy filled weekend. We kicked it off with a sleep over including Meredith, and a trip to our favorite BYOB I Monelli. We woke up early Saturday morning equipped with Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins , and hopped in the car for the wedding in Grand Rapids. What a beautiful celebration! All smiles. I am so lucky Most beautiful dress ever, and I LOVED the veil. The belle of the ball. Elin. Mim the magnificent with Elin. CUTEST thing ever. Dala Horses and Swedish candy. 2 of my ALL time favorite things. 3 Beautiful girls. Lauren, Elin, and Kira. Grammy and Elin. GG and Elin. Uncle Sten and Elin. Don't you just want to kiss her ALL over??!? We had so much fun celebrating Kathryn and Ryan. When we got back to Chicago Sten and I: Cleaned the apartment. Including: putting away laundry that had been in baskets since last week, bleaching the floor, cleaned the closet, put up new pictures, and scrubbed the stovetop. Biked to the grocery store with $50 and a list of necessities- our total ...

I love checking the mail. I love mail. I've always loved letters and stationary and cards. I wrote letters to my grandparents weekly when I was little, and to this day think snail mail is the way to someone's heart. When I studied abroad in Italy Sten and I weren't officially dating yet, but we were pretty good little pen pals. One time he sent me a package with 2 mixed cd's and a phone card that wasn't international. We still have the letters we wrote to each other-- is that hoarder-ish? Sten and I only have 1 mail key, and I am in charge of getting the mail everyday... that is, until I lost the (only) key last week. I was really freaking out. Yesterday, we went for a wild goose chase around the apartment, and don't worry- I found it in the kitchen, in the junk drawer, in the 'laundry-quarter-pouch'. Why was it in there? I immediately sprang out the door, down the stairs expecting LOTS of good letters stuffed in our box. I was slightly disappointed. Her...

Hello new recipe. I was inspired to make these by my co-worker Mandy. She is so great, I love hearing about what she makes for dinner every night and as we are both trying to eat healthy she always has tasty good-for-you ideas. So, I gave these a try last night. They were fun to make and fun to eat. Next time I will try them with the bbq sauce, because Sten and I love bbq sauce. I love it more than him, but he loves it too. Finished product. Starting the layering process cole slaw, buffalo chicken, and blue cheese. wrap it and bake it! Here's the recipe and WAY better pics. Tonight I met some friends down at Montrose Harbor and did a boot camp workout. I'm officially calling it a Zirk-Out, because personal trainer extraordinaire Andrew Zirk leads it. If you are interested, let me know! The more the merrier-- who doesn't want to get beach ready while looking at the Chicago skyline and watching a million sailboats go by?!? Here are the best things about today: It was in ...

It is officially summer in the city. Today was about 104 degrees and I am NOT complaining. I love the heat. Bring it on. Yesterday we met some friends downtown for a free concert in the park. What a treat! It was hot hot hot, and there were a million people there, but it was so fun and as Sten and I were riding the L home we both decided- THIS is why we live here and love this place. Where else do you get to sit on a blanket on a Monday night, drink wine and listen to music in Millennium Park? my view from the blanket. Joel and Megan. We have about a million of these pictures. Pete and Anne. Tonight Sten and I are going to look at our summer calendar. The weekends are filling up fast and I still want to squeeze in some good times. Here is my to-do list for the summa: - Eat lots of cherries and watermelon - Bike to the beach once a week, even if its 5pm and I won't get any sun. - Eat at as many outdoor patios as possible - already ate at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba for brunch, and The Daily f...

Today is my sister's birthday. I love her with allllll of my heart and I hope this year is FULL of joy, abundant joy! I have to share this with you. Aunt Pam makes the best cake. I know I love the Chocolate Chip Layer Cake , but Grandpa Eddie Spaghetti says that at the Print Family Reunion (capitalized) people come from near and far when they hear that Pammy's bringing this cake. It's THAT special. And she is special, I love her so much.. I sooo enjoyed going on walks and having talks in PA. I wish we lived closer! So.... here it goes: So Easy Cherry Fudge Cake. 12-15 servings. prep:15 mins. bake: 30 mins 1 (18.25 oz) pkg. devils food cake mix 1 (21 oz) can cherry pie filling (I used light) 2 Lg eggs 1 tsp. almond extract -- 1 Cup sugar 1/3 Cup milk (I used soy) 5 Tbls Butter 1 Cup semi sweet choc chips --- preheat oven to 350. Beat first 4 ingredients on low speed for 20 seconds, increase to medium speed and beat 1 more min. Pour into a greased 13x9 in pan. - Bake 27-30...

Eddie Spaghetti. The one and only. Front porch sittin' Aunt Pam and Uncle Dan's dog Lucy! Sten's mad Badminton skills Almost there!! We went to Uncle Curt's home and got to spend time with him. I have never seen him so lovey! He fell asleep on my grandpa's shoulder. My gpa was over-joyed! Dad and Gpa... what a pair. sister and sister... what a pair. Well. It is the end of Saturday, 4 days into June... I can't believe it. This week FLEW- as did May, and April and March..... Pennsylvania was amazing. I love my family so much. I love the stories that are told and the songs my Grandpa sings (and whistles). I love the fact that I am the way I am so much because of the "Print Way". While driving across Indiana, Ohio, and into Pennsylvania, Sten and I found 39 state license plates, had lots of great conversations and laughs, listened to our ipod on shuffle, and stopped at just about every pit stop for road food and drinks. This week was great. I took a lot of...