Rooftop Concert - Take 2

Tonight I went with my new roommate, Leslie, to the last Rooftop Concert Series for this summer. I didn't go at all last summer and my first time going was the summer before that... back when it was actually on the roof. Last year it got too big and they blocked off Center Street and have the concert there. It is still free though, just don't have quite the same feel to it.

This concert was not only the last one for this summer, but it was a big one. It was KASKADE! Opening for Kaskade was The Brocks. I used to listen to them practice when I was going out with Dave because he was friends with them. They are great... I like them a lot, so I wanted to go for both.

It was a HUGE crowd. Filled up all the streets.... but it was a great free activity just around the corner from where I live. Can't beat that. I have to say... Provo has really stepped up it's game. There are plenty of cool and fun things to do here, not just in Salt Lake like many people say.

Confessions of a Brunette on the Internet 287

I am in desperate need of a pedicure. My feet have been pretty beat up this summer. It's a good thing. It means I have been active outside. I am just recovering from blisters from hiking in Goblin Valley over the weekend and my poor legs are barely starting to recover from the many mosquito bites I got while visiting Trav. My feet are also super rough and just getting worse from all of the hiking. So they need to be rewarded with a pedicure.

My favorite fitness instructor is back at the Novell gym after taking a summer break. I'm sad that she isn't doing pilates though. I miss pilates. She is doing a fun new class though called U-Jam. It's like Zumba, but better because there is more hip hop. It feels more like a dance class with less repetitive moves. I love it.... but I am also hoping that pilates comes back. Fingers crossed.

Tuesday was a cousin day. Trav is in town... I know, long time no see. So I met up with Trav and Dave in Salt Lake and we did a little hike... but I will blog more about that later. After the hike we went to dinner in Salt Lake at a place called the Porcupine and had the best nachos of my life. I like having one on one time with my cousins, it doesn't happen very often, but this summer I feel like I have gotten a lot of it, which is awesome. One on one time with Lisa in July (which is rare with her big family) one on one time with Trav when I was in Michiana and his family was busy and one on one time with Dave and Trav on our hike and dinner. Lucky me!

Wednesday I hung out with Stacey... trying to figure out things for our trip. Trip planning is fun, but there are parts of it that can be a drag... the kind you want to get over with so you can get to the fun parts. The fun is yet to come.

Tonight Trav and Dave invited me over to Dave's house to hang out with them while they watched football. I don't really care about football, but hanging out with them is fun, so I went. We had fun and now I won't see Trav again for who knows how long.

I finished Nashville, well... until the next season starts up again this month, then I will have to keep up on it week to week. I think it is a show I will want to keep up on though. I like it. I will probably watch some random movies before I get invested in another tv show.

I'm excited for the Holiday weekend. I just love long weekends even though they never seem long enough. I'm supposed to go out of town, but pattern with this certain friend... I'm guessing it won't happen. In that case, not sure what this weekend will bring. Guess we shall see.

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Another picture from Goblin Valley.

Goblin Valley

Last weekend I went to Goblin Valley with a few friends. It was all of our first time there. Fun to all explore it for the first time together.

We showed up right before the park closed and got one of the last camping spots. Lucky. It was a full moon that night, so we were able to explore the Goblins at night without having to use a flashlight which was pretty cool. It was nice temperature at night for camping. We decided to explore the Goblins in the morning before the worst heat of the day. Great decision. Goblin Valley is super unique and totally worth a visit. There aren't any specific hikes, but you can explore for as little or as much as you want. I explored for a couple hours and felt great about it.

One of the best moments was when Ian accidentally found a Geo-cache. He didn't even know what geo-caching was. They call that a muggle find. I told him that, so we opened it up and all signed the log and Ian labeled it a muggle find by our signatures. Ha!

It was a beautiful place to explore. Glad that I had friends that wanted to go. We had a great time. I like my friends. They are pretty great.

Little Wild Horse and Bell Slot Canyons

While in Goblin Valley last weekend, we decided to do an 8 mile hike that goes up one slot canyon over to the other slot canyon and down the other slot canyon. It was a cool hike. However... it was so hot that I thought I was going to die. It would have been cooler if it weren't almost 100 degrees outside. It is a very neat hike though... can't be claustrophobic or too fat or else you wouldn't fit. ha ha It got REALLY narrow! It was nuts! Hiking through slot canyons is cool though. I totally recommend it.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Pepita Dip

Here is the other recipe we made. The main event. It is SOOOOOOO good. I think I pinned this same recipe or something similar on Pinterest... I have been dying to try it because it looks so good, and I was right. It is SUPER good. Full of flavor. I will make this again for sure. Probably soon.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

* 2 pounds sweet potatoes (3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and sliced into 1- inch chunks
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Spicy Black Beans

* 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked black beans)
* 1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or lime juice
* Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Avocado-pepita dip

* 2 avocados, pitted and sliced
* 1 cup cilantro, packed (mostly leaves, some small stems are ok)
* 1/2 cup pepitas
* 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
* 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
* 1 small lime, juiced or 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
* 2 tablespoons water
* 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
* Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Tortillas and garnishes

* 8 to 10 small corn tortillas
* Crumbled feta
* Toasted pepitas
* Optional: finely sliced radishes, quick-pickled cabbage, chopped green onions, cilantro, hot sauce

Instructions

1. Roast the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the prepared sweet potatoes with olive oil, cayenne pepper and salt. Arrange in a single layer and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway, until the sweet potatoes are tender and caramelizing at the edges.

2. Prepare the black beans. Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the cumin and chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds while stirring. Pour in the beans. Remove from heat, stir in the vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and cover until you're ready to serve.

3. Make the avocado dip: First, toast the pepitas in a skillet over medium, heat until they are fragrant and starting to make little popping noises. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. In a food processor or blender, combine the avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, water and salt. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor/blender as necessary. Add almost all of the pipettes (reserve a couple tablespoons for garnish) and blend until the pipettes are chopped small (some remaining texture is desirable)

4. Warm the tortillas: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and warm each tortilla individually, flipping occasionally. Alternatively, you can warm them directly over a low flame on a gas range.

5. Assemble the tacos: Spread black beans down the middle of the tortilla, top with sweet potatoes and avocado-pepita dip. Garnish with feta, pepitas, and anything else that you want. Repeat with remaining tortillas and serve.

Sun-Dried Tomato Caesar Salad

My new roommate Leslie LOVES to cook. I don't hate that. We got to talking about how a certain recipe looked super delicious and we wanted to make it, so we made it (I will post that next) AND also made this yummy salad from the same girl's blog. I have never had a salad quite like this before, but I really enjoyed it. I would make it again for sure.

Ingredients

Parmesan-crusted croutons
* 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups of 3/4 inch cubes of rustic bread

Sun-dried tomato dressing (yields about 1 cup dressing)
* 1/4 cup roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes
* 1/2 cup grated parmesan
* 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 2 table spoons water
* 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
* pinch of sea salt
* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Caesar Salad
* 2 or more small heads of romaine, halved or chopped
* Sprinkle of additional Parmesan
* Sprinkle of additional chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Instructions

1. If you are using tough, dried tomatoes, you'll need to soak them in boiling water until there're pliable, then pat them dry and continue with the recipe. Or you can get them from Trader Joe's that come soft and not too oily right out of the bag.

2. To make the croutons, preheat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the top of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the olive oil, Parmesan and salt in a large mixing bowl until a paste is formed. Add the cubed bread and mix well with a spatula, until all the bread is coated. Turn the bread onto the prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake 10 minutes, then stir and put the croutons back into the oven until they are golden brown and crisp, up to 5 more minutes.

3. To made the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, lemon juice, water, garlic and a pinch of salt in a food processor or high powered blender. Process for 1 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. While running the machine, drizzle in the olive oil and blend for 10 more seconds. Don't worry if it;s not perfectly smooth, it will still taste delicious. Taste and add more salt and some black pepper, if desired. Set aside.

4. To assemble the salad, drizzle the dressing over your halved romaine or toss with your chopped romaine. Finish with croutons and sprinkle of parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes. Serve immediately.