Breakfast of Champions

I've been trying to eat healthier lately.  So this past week, I started each morning with an egg.  My kind of breakfast.

I also had rabbit, however he only lasted two mornings.  I usually go for the ears first. What body part is the first to go on your Easter rabbits? 

Thanks to Rob for the Easter care package and Adrienne if you're reading this, the egg did come with a side of apple...

Happy Easter!

It's official

I'm back! Don't worry, I'm not going to waste another post trying to explain why I have been absent from the blog world for so long. No excuses this time….well ok…to put it quite frankly, my wireless card and my computer were in the middle of an “it’s complicated” relationship. But it’s ok now, because my computer has found a new relationship with one whose initials are ATT.

So let’s go! In no particular order, here is a quick snapshot in photos of what’s been going on since Freezo-Rama!

My Goddaughter, Brooke turned 3

The Palladium, a new concert hall in Carmel opened up and we went to see free concerts.

Work party at JJ's Backyard BBQ

Home for Christmas...fresh snow on Christmas Morning

Traditional Christmas date nights with Grandmas. Here is my sister, grandma and I at the Mill in Jasper.

Holly's (bottom) bachelorette party in Nashville TN

New Years

Holly's Bridal shower. I love this hard core pic

Harlem Globetrotters

She's hitched

Valentine's Day Dinner

Belly dancing lessons

My first ever hockey game. Tampa Bay Lightning

Trip to Tampa, Fl for work

Bill Cosby

I fell on the ice and tore my ligament and chipped a bone. Had to wear this puppy for 6 wks

Rob's (middle blue) going away party.

Chicago view

I'm from Ireland, Indiana so I went home to celebrate. Always a great time

My boyfriend, Rob! He joined me at a banquet I helped plan through work.

Church group fun. So blessed

Children's Museum

Skiing date. One of the coolest dates, I must say.

Having fun with fresh snow at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. See Rob's snow angel next to mine?

Good friend, Erika's (next to me) Bachelorette wine tour party.

The loaner (2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee) Honda gave me while one of the four new transmissions was being installed in my Hybrid.

Ice skating double date

The Eagles that have made a home in my parents' tree

Adrienne's birthday party at the Ratheskeller

Game night with my family...one of my fondest memories of the winter. This one was EXCEPTIONALLY fun!

Over the Edge for Special Olympics

This past Saturday, I was able to experience a rush of a lifetime!  Three weeks prior to Saturday, I decided to try to raise $1,000 for Special Olympics so that I could rappel down the side of a 17-story building.  Thanks to the support and donations from friends and family, I was able to raise $1,625 for this wonderful organization!  Added Bonus: Rappelling.

Saturday was quite the rush, I must say. I was very nervous as I was eating my breakfast across the street from the building I would soon be rappelling down. I'm glad mom, dad and haley made sure I was always thinking about something else. And thanks Dad for telling the homeless man and other passersby all about how I was going to "jump off" that building in a few hours. haha. When I arrived, the Indy firefighters and rappelling crew first allowed us to rappel off a 3-story parking garage, so we would understand how to work the harness and what to do in case of an emergency. The whole process of staging and getting ready took longer than anticipated, so I had to wait an additional 1 1/2 hours after my original start time. My cheering section stood strong with necks cranked upwards, however, waiting for me to descend. They were great!

My cheering section taking photos

Barnes and Thornburg Building Downtown

When I arrived to the top of the 17-story building, my anticipation was mounting and I just wanted to go! The view was nothing but blue skies and a few other building that were taller than the one I was standing on. They told me there would be a photographer there to take our pictures as we went over, but he was nowhere in sight. I was a little disappointed, but then a staff member checking our names off took out his personal camera and took about 10 pictures of me up on the roof. I was humbled by his willingness to do this and make sure the pictures got to me. I can't wait to see them!

I don't really remember what those firefighters on top of the building were telling me as they were strapping me in. Maybe it was because I was standing a foot away from the edge with nothing but a carabineer attaching me to the roof?? Or maybe because my cheering section, who had seen my red shirt started cheering sooo loud and yelling my name. The firefighters said I had the loudest spectators by far!

So, they had me kneel down and scoot backwards until my feet were hanging over the edge of the building. "Ok Hannah, just fall backwards nice and easy," was all I heard. My heart was racing the entire time, even though I knew I was safe. They had me hooked up with a radio, safety harness, backup cable, and a little seatbelt-like thingy that would catch if you traveled down too fast.

Coming Over the Edge

The building had a 40 inch lip, so they encouraged us not to try and swing towards the building, but to just travel straight down and enjoy the ride. I was a little disappointed I couldn't push myself off the walls (I really wanted to look like one of those professionals, you know!), but it was probably good because, I was able to twist around and get a good view of everything, ground included. It took me about 10 minutes to get down to the ground...safe and sound.

I also put together a video from the day!  Click below.

Who's up for it next year?

Deep fried goodness - Just can't get enough

Last night was a treat!  Literally. After a lovely dinner at my friend's, Jaimie and Shauna's, new apartment, conversation led to the State Fair - partly because it has been consuming my life for the past few months.  And partly because the fabulous fair food is always a good topic of conversation. The deep fried cookie dough, we agreed, was amazing.  Feeling inspired and thanks to recent technology, Shauna's boyfriend, Will, looked up a recipe for deep fried cookie dough on his cellular.  We already had the cookie dough - so we needed the "deep fried."  Flour? check. Sugar? check. One large egg? check. Baking Soda? check. Club soda? hmmm... Will this work...

Sure! We had all the ingredients, so we were off.  Since I was the only one who grew up with a deep fryer in the group, it felt a little like home.  Every Sunday growing up, we would cut biscuits into fours, throw them in the fry daddy, and smother them in powdered sugar.  I miss those little doughnuts...So this literally made my night!

We rolled the cookie dough into balls and threw them in the freezer.

  

 We made the batter. 

Heated up the oil on the stove to 350 degrees.  Good thing we had a meat temperature checker!

 

 Into the pan they go!

Look at that oil!!

Top off with powdered sugar. Deep fried goodness. They actually tasted just like Fair!

Some candid photos!

The aftermath....a little gross...but soo worth it!

The recipe:

For the dough, use your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and roll into balls.

Batter - we did half this recipe and it made about 16 balls.
2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup pasteurized eggs)
1/2 cup seltzer water or club soda, plus more if needed
Vegetable oil, for frying

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add the egg and half the seltzer and whisk well to combine. Add more seltzer as needed until the batter is thick and the consistency of heavy cream.

Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 350 degrees F. Dip the chilled dough balls in the batter and carefully place them into the hot oil. Fry a few at a time, turning them over from time to time, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes total. Drain on paper towels and serve while still warm.

Happy cooking!!