Easy Pasta Salad

So on Monday Dave and I really had no plans. Dave has started working graves so we have been adjusting to that schedule. Once he woke up we decided to do a BBQ. We marinated some chicken to grill up, with some hamburgers and hot dogs for the family. I have also been craving cheese fries all the time. So I sliced up some potatoes nice and thin, tossed them with olive oil salt and pepper and threw them in the oven at 400 till they were nice and crispy then topped them with bacon and cheese. So healthy, right!? I them mixed up a side of spicy ranch (Ranch dressing, paprika and cayenne pepper)

I also really wanted some pasta salad (yes we had soo much food and sooo much leftovers!)
What I used (guessing on the measurements here)
1 cup pasta (elbow macaroni, or penne)
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cup cucumber (about 1/2 of a large cucumber)
1/4 of an onion, chopped
3 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon Ranching seasoning
1/4 cup Mayo

So I boiled up some pasta, cut up onion, tomatoes and cucumber, added salt, pepper and Ranch dressing seasoning with mayo. Use enough mayo to coat everything well, and after adding seasoning do a taste test to make sure the mayo flavor is masked. I hate when I can really taste the mayo flavor. It was very yummy and much more flavorful after sitting for about 6 hours. Next time I make it I will add feta or Parmesan and fresh rosemary for more flavor. 

Macarons Take 2 and 3

So today I tried making Macarons again. The second attempt was looking good, but the batter turned out much too thick.
What I changed from the first time? I had used wax paper the first time, rather than parchment paper which was a big no no to begin with. I beat the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes, rather than maybe the 3 minutes I beat them the first time.
The second time I made them the batter was extremely thick and nearly impossible to pipe, also the batter was still a tad clumpy, but they puffed up in the oven and "ruffled" on the bottom like they were supposed to, they were just a bit deformed rather than smooth on top. And they got a little too dark on the bottom, being cooked for 15 minutes.

For the third time I again, beat the eggs and sugar for 10 minutes, but used all but 1/4 cup of the dry ingredients which made it the perfect consistency (at least from all the research I have done). I also threw the dry ingredients in the blender to help make them smooth, which helped a lot, and than used a pastry blender just before adding the dry to the wet. They were very simple to pipe, my circles were pretty much perfect and puffed up and ruffled nicely. Mine are a little extra ruffled, but I am still happy with how they turned out. And I cooked them only for 10 minutes, which made them perfectly browned.

I also read that the filling shouldn't spill out of the Macarons... but oh please, look how lovely these look.

I am very happy with how they turned out and can not wait to make them again. I topped them with cocoa powder, but next time I will probably try topping them with cinnamon, or maybe ground coffee which I think could be lovely.


Tip, after adding the ganache pop them in the fridge for a bit, to let the "cookies" soften up. I let them sit for about 7 hours and they were perfect. Can be kept refrigerated for up to one week.


For the recipe 

Food Porn

photo credits to Finely Made 


This weekend has been a whirlwind trial and error of firsts.


I found this lovely recipe via the grand and glorious Pinterest. I have honesty never become so obsessed with a recipe. To be blunt... This photo is literal food porn for me. I have never had macarons, I have never made macarons. But when I see or think of macarons I am transported to a quaint cafe, sitting at a dainty table with the Eiffel tower glinting in the distance. Who can say no to France?
So I included the seemingly simple recipe ingredients in my grocery shopping list.


To start the adventure, little did I know that a very vital ingredient, Almond Meal runs about $10 for a 1lb bag. Ouch. I immediately threw out the idea of making these beauties.  
But the above photo haunted me. I found myself repeatedly returning to the Finely Made blog to only longingly gaze at the photo of such rich decadence.


So I made a second trip to the grocery store and bought the horrendous $10, 1lb Almond Meal.


I learned a valuable lesson this weekend. Do your research first, rather than later. Advice that I needed more than once this weekend.


From the Finely Made blog, the recipe seemed simple, and feeling comfortable in the kitchen, I had little worry of failure. But as the baking carried on, I felt less and less confident of a successful outcome. Despite following the directions to a "T", my "macarons" came out flat as pancakes, burned to crisps, smoking out of the oven and were all thrown in the garbage. A waste of 1/2 a cup of Almond Meal.


But I'm not ready to give up. I have never been so driven to perfect a recipe. As from the countless blog posts I have been reading, I have found that macarons are hardly as easy to make as the recipe I was using lead me to believe. So this week I will be trying my hand again, and hopefully more successfully.


What I have found?


- Age eggs at least 1 hour.


- Beat the egg whites till glossy and stiff. "9-10 minutes." "If you hold the bowl above your head and nothing moves, it's ready!"


- The Almond Meal and sugar should be one. Sift, sift twice. 


- Fold, don't mix, carefully and no more than 50 times. 


- Rotate pan half way through baking time.




Have you ever made macarons? Any tips?


Something else I not quite successfully worked on this weekend....

Another adventure to share another day.... 


Happy Weekend 

Meal Planning and Shopping

      Ever since being married I have found I really do enjoy grocery shopping and my love of cooking has grown so much, but I don't really go shopping with set out plans in mind. I buy what I want to buy, and make what I want to make, so understandably, our grocery bill can be high since I don't really regulate it, by any means. So I spent Friday hunting for a great website/app for meal planning and grocery shopping. I was given some suggestions via Facebook and wonderful Pinterest, and found one that was very smooth, very easy, and even had a great app, which I am all about apps. (If I am going to pay $200 a month for my iPhone, it better do more for me than just be a phone).  

Food on the Table is easy to set up and understand. It will first prompt you to create an account and then ask you what stores you shop at for groceries based on your location. Just a side note --- I don't think it lists Walmart, which I realize is where a lot of people do their grocery shopping, but I don't, and... I don't recommend that you do either. I may save money at Walmart (I really haven't calculated it out) and I do buy my cleaning, paper, household, ext products at Walmart, but I am always disappointed in the produce I purchase at Walmart. Always. But with Smiths, I am rarely disappointed. Even the frozen chicken breasts (store brand) at Walmart are much worse quality than the Smiths store brand frozen chicken breasts. Walmart's are extremely fatty and tough no matter what I do. The produce is often moldy, or simply doesn't taste good. Dave and I eat very organically whenever we are given the chance, which for some isn't fiscally possible, but I really notice it when cooking and in how my meals turn out... And even the "organic" Walmart product just simply don't cut it compared to Smiths. Call me picky....  

After choosing the store, it brings you to recipes; you can use their recipes and explore new recipes based on ingredients, time of preparation, or enter in your own, and it also shows you what is on sale at your store and till what date so you can base your meal choices and shopping off of what deals are going on that week or month. 

It then creates your grocery list based off of the recipes you have picked out and you can add or remove whatever you like. I especially love how they have the grocery list organized, as it's by department, which I never would take the time to do when personally writing my list, which would result in my running all over the store.  


Both the app and site are free to use!


This is only my first day using the app, and here's to hoping I stick to it! I am feeling dedicated to using the food we have to make meals and keep things from going to waste. Please let me know if you have any great tips of meal planning and grocery shopping and I will post any new things about Food on the Table that I come across, pros or cons.


On the topic of apps, any other iPhone apps, or organizational websites you simply can't live without? Do share! 


Happy Weekend!

Chocolate Balsamic Raspberry Cupcakes

Chocolate Balsamic Raspberry Cupcakes are my favorite cupcakes. Love it! I originally discovered this delightful recipe when I helped a friend make them for a wedding. They have such unique ingredients, but it's worth it! 


The recipe comes from the lovely food blog, Love and Olive Oil which is hands down one of my favorite food blogs, the author of which will soon be releasing her own cook book which will be on my shelf. 

Makes 12 cupcakes.

ingredients:

1 cup soy milk
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons almond meal (I leave this out)
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For Frosting:
4oz (1/2 cup) fresh raspberries plus 12 rasperries
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup butter or margarine, room temperature
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3-4 cups confectioners' sugar

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin pan with paper liners.

Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar, set aside for 5 minutes (mixture will curdle). Whisk in sugar, oil, and vanilla. 

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, almond meal, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in soy milk mixture. Stir until just smooth (do not over mix, this important!).

Pour into liners. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Separate out 12 raspberries for garnish and set aside. Gently toss remaining raspberries with 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Set aside and allow to macerate for 15-20 minutes. Roughly mash berries until no large chunks remain.

Cream butter until smooth and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and cocoa powder and beat until combined. Mix in raspberry mixture. Continue adding sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition (depending on the temperature of your butter, you may need more or less sugar to achieve the proper consistency). Continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Spread or pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Sweetwater Tavern Bruschetta

When I was in Virginia with my family they took me to a restaurant they loved called Sweetwater Tavern. It really was quite yummy, but my favorite thing was their Bruschetta. Since those restaurants are currently only back east, I made my own copy cat recipe of the dish.

What you need;

a Baguette, or really any sort of firm bread
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar 
Tomatoes
Sugar
Rosemary or Italian seasoning
garlic and onions optional
Mozzarella

Slice the bread in fairly thick slices. Drizzle with olive oil.

In a bowl marinate chopped tomatoes and onions, about 1/2 cup  balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon rosemary or Italian seasoning, and finely chopped garlic. I try to marinate it for at least 20 minutes.


Top bread slices with mozzarella and broil until melted. Top with tomatoes and marinade. Best fresh.

These little beauties are so easy and so yummy! You can also use large slices of bread and just use Roma tomatoes, very yummy no matter what.

Enjoy! 

Tune in at the end of this week and I will share my favorite dessert recipe using Balsamic vinegar!

Wayne

This past weekend a dear family friend passed, he was rather, old I believe 68. He had been sick for a very long time with congestive heart failure and COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common lung diseases. It makes it difficult to breathe). He was required to be on oxygen, which he hated. I had a feeling he would pass soon, so it was really not a surprise, and honestly, for him, for the better. He lived alone and he told me he would often pass out when he stood up too fast. His health was deteriorating to the point that he was looking into moving into a assisted living facility, which I don't think he would have enjoyed. I am sure he is up there enjoying a ride on his motorcycle which I know he missed since being tied to an oxygen tank.

When Dave and I were living in Provo, Dave was working at a place called Provo Rehab and Nursing. Wayne chatted me one night on Facebook saying he was staying at a rehab location close to us, turns out he was staying at Dave's place of work. His heart ended up failing and we was taken to the hospital for open heart surgery and they replaced one of the valves in his heart. I think he said they had used the valve from a cow or pig heart. Pretty crazy, and that at one point during the surgery the doctor had to physically reach in and pump his heart with his hand. Yikes! I can't even imagine.... 


Wayne lived next door to us in PG when I was growing up. We lived there until I was about 7. He was definitely an interesting individual, and had once been described as looking like Santa Clause on crack. He had a parrot named Simee who always added plenty of comical background noises to the conversation any time you went to visit Wayne. Simee could mimic our screaming, so any time Megan and I would walk by his house we would scream, and Simee would scream back. 

Megan and I were often babysat by our favorite babysitters, Brook and Shay, who were sisters. Whenever talking about Brook and Shay, due to my talking at the speed of light, Wayne would always tease me about how I would say Brook and Shay, because I would say it so fast that it just sounded like BrooknShay. I remember the first time he teased me about it, we were outside and he was working on his motorcycle...


The first time I ever rode a motorcycle was with Wayne. I still remember how it was scary, but thrilling at the same time.

I remember when we were living out in Eagle Mountain he came to visit. My mom had planted Hollyhocks in the front and they become really large and were honestly starting to take over everything because the seeds would get blown off and spread and plant themselves all over. But I remember him saying that his mom always had Hollyhocks and his sisters would make necklaces and things out of the flowers. I always thought that was such a fun idea, but we never did it.


He would often chat me on Facebook and we had quite the fun conversations. 


He was one of the biggest supporters of my photography and would often comment on how much he loved looking through all of my photos and how I really have an "artists eye". He said that he had actually made a few sketches from some of my photos, but I never got to see them. 


We also often talked about food. One of the most interesting things he told me about was how he would make his own chokecherry syrup. He said that he had never seen chokecherries sold in stores and would actually go pick his own in late August. He would then use steam to juice them and use the juice to make syrup. 




"I think life is really a cosmic joke and I think it's funny."


 Rest in peace Wayne. You will be missed! But I am sure you are so much happier with working lungs and a working heart =)


For those of you who knew him, his service will be this Saturday at 11:00 at Anderson and Sons mortuary in American fork.

Social Media, Blogging, and the Internet in General

I watched this episode of the Framed show and one of the things the photographer talked about was how that everything we post on the internet is searchable and that our children and our future grandchildren will be able to learn so much of our lives because of all the things we post to the world wide web. And this is actually something I thought about recently because everything I blog about, in the past and what I am blogging about right now, chances are, there will come a day when my own children and grandchildren will be reading this. And it is very weird to think that because I don't think people view blogging and social media in that sort of light, but it's totally true. And it makes me think, has everything I ever blogged something I would want my posterity reading? Would it make them proud? Would it make them glad to be part of my family? And my very first blog post was August of 2008, quite a long time of blogging!

Part of me wants to go back and read every single one of my posts. And maybe sometime I will get around to it. I don't think I have anything that I would be ashamed of.... Neither really on Facebook. Sometimes I complain about stuff probably more than I should, but I don't have any photos of me smashed at some party, or in some skanky outfit at a bar, or taking a pole dancing class. But what about you? What have you posted throughout your time on the world wide web and how would you feel about your posterity reading it? Just a thought.

And to my children out in the quite distant future, for now all I really want to say is that I hope you find my frequent blogging of the past, interesting and entertaining.  

Fun Facts

So Dave and I are a little obsessed with IMBD. Anytime we watch a movie we always check out what other movies the actors have been in through IMBD. You can also find a list of interesting facts for most movies. Whose to say they are all true, but still cool.


Thanks to IMDB I have found...


From the Titanic;

When Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) is preparing to draw Rose (Kate Winslet), he tells her to "Lie on that bed, uh I mean couch." The line was scripted "Lie on that couch", but DiCaprio made an honest mistake and James Cameron liked it so much he kept it in.  


At $200 million, the movie cost more than the Titanic itself. The cost to construct the ship in 1910-1912 was £1.5 million, equivalent to $7.5 million at the time and about $120 to $150 million in 1997 dollars. 


Harry Potter;

The trouble-making poltergeist Peeves (played by Rik Mayall) does not, in the end, appear in the movie nor in deleted scenes on any home editions of the film. Mayall claimed he didn't find out that he was cut from the final cut until he saw the movie himself. 


The inscription around the Mirror of Erised says: "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi". Reading the inscription backwards it says, "I show not your face but your heart's 
desire."

Filming the torture scene where Bellatrix is torturing Hermione at the Malfoy's Manor at the climax proved to be very intense for the actors involved (Most of the scene was cut to avoid an R rating in the USA and a 15 rating in the UK). So intense and brutal as it was that Helena Bonham Carter approached Emma Watson right afterward to make sure they were still on good terms. 

Daniel Radcliffe reportedly broke 80 wands throughout the series because he used them as drumsticks. 


The script was originally written, like the book, to include Draco Malfoy's bully friends, Crabbe and Goyle. As in the book, Crabbe was to be killed in a climactic battle. Jamie Waylett's arrest and conviction on drug charges, however, forced the filmmakers to change this plan. Crabbe was written out of the script, with Goyle being killed in his place. Another Slytherin character Blaise Zabini (portrayed by Louis Cordice) takes Goyle's place from the book. 


Lord of the Rings;

Eight of the nine members of the Fellowship got a small tattoo of the word "nine" spelled out in Tengwar, which is the Elvish script created by Tolkien. They got it at a tattoo parlor in Wellington, New Zealand, to commemorate the experience of the movie. The ninth member, John Rhys-Davies, declined and sent his stunt double in his place. Elijah Wood's tattoo is on his lower stomach. Sean Astin and Billy Boyd have the tattoo on their ankles (to commemorate all those hours in the hobbit feet). Orlando Bloom, who plays the archer elf Legolas, has his on his forearm. His tattoo is visible during a fight scene in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Ian McKellen's is on his shoulder. Dominic Monaghan's is on his shoulder. And the eighth member, Sean Bean, has his tattoo on his right shoulder. Viggo Mortensen has his tattoo on his left shoulder. It is visible on some pictures from the movie Eastern Promises 


The Tolkien estate was never in favor of Peter Jackson's film adaptation but seeing as J.R.R. Tolkien signed the rights away in 1968 for $15,000, there was nothing they could do about it. Tolkien's grandson Simon came out in support of the production and was disowned by his relatives. Tolkien's son Christopher Tolkien later retracted any opposition. 


Hobbiton was made a year before production began to make it look like it was a natural, lived-in place, complete with real vegetable patches. The greens department regulated the length of the grass by having sheep eat it. 

Your welcome.

Marinated Chicken and Grilled Asparagus

For Easter my Aunt had grilled asparagus as one of her side dishes. I couldn't remember the last time I had asparagus, if ever but it was so yummy, grilled simply with butter, salt and pepper. Whenever I see asparagus I think of some gourmet cooking show or magazine because I feel asparagus is always served with gourmet meals, so it makes me feel fancy.


I had never bought asparagus before, nor have I cooked with it, so I did a little research in regards to the stuff; Asparagus is high in folic acid, a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamins B6, A and C. It has no fat, no cholesterol and is low in sodium. It is in season February - May, so now is prime time to buy some. When shopping for asparagus, look for firm stalks with deep green or purplish tips. Also check the bottom of the spears, if they are dried, they have probably been sitting around for too long. When I found mine, they were standing in water at the grocery store. 


To prepare them, trim off the tough bottom of the spear by grasping each end and bending it gently until it snaps at its natural point of tenderness, usually 2/3 of the way down the spear. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the outer skin of the lower half. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until coated. 


You can grill or bake them. Grilling will take about 5 mins on a hot grill, turning each spear until brown in spots. Or bake for 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

In my research I found this note rather funny;

eating spears with your fingers enhances the experience

"Oh eating these spears with my fingers really enhances my experience!" 

They turned out very yummy! We had chicken marinated in tomato, basil and balsamic vinegar with a side of asparagus.  Yum Yum! And it was a very easy 30 minute meal!

Watch This

Avengers!

So yes I went to the midnight showing of Avengers and it was definitely worth it. I can't remember the last time I went to a midnight showing honestly, it's been a while but I really enjoy going to them. I think they are so much fun it's just a shame I work at 6:30am every weekday. Yikes.

We have some family in town who wanted to go and I was like what the heck, it would be fun so we bought our tickets. We had a late lunch/early dinner at 3 and I was feeling so tired and really regretting buying those tickets, thinking wow, I am way too old for this (at my ripe old age of 20) so around 6 I laid down for a nap. I was asleep till 9:30! I got up, took a shower and ate a little food and then I slept again until we left just around 11:30. And thank heavens I did. I was able to wake up for my 6:30 shift, no problem and I feel fine. Definitely a little jittery from the energy drink I had this morning. But not as tired as I expected to be by any means. Yay for not being a complete zombie!

But back on topic of the movie. I am going to do a detailed movie review, because, why not?

So the Avengers in the movie are Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye.

Captain America is considered the first Avenger, and I really loved his outfits in this movie, like his non uniform outfits. Particularly the one at the end of the film, tan slacks, a small checkered blue shirt and a brown leather jacket. I at first didn't like Chris Evans as Captain America because I felt he had too much of a baby face and that Captain America needed to be more chiseled, but he grew on me.

Robert Downey Jr. is perfect for Iron Man, honestly who cold do a better job? I have never been disappointed with him in that role.

Thor, oh that big man of muscle. He is spot on. He really seems like he is plucked out of some gooey romance novel with his long hair, massive arms, and dreamy voice and accent... Oh and blue eyes. Dream. It is crazy to think how beefed up for the role he got. Do you remember him in Star Trek? Go back and watch the first 10 minutes, that dad who sacrifices himself, that's him! He looks soooo different. So impressive!

I have not seen the most recent Hulk movie with Edward Norton, although I am a big fan of him, but not of the Hulk character at all. I find it very odd the he did not play Hulk in this movie, he turned down the role so they brought in someone new entirely, Mark Ruffalo, who did a good job, but I always think of 13 going on 30 when I see him, and I feel like he plays in a lot of chick flicks... But again he did a good job, and Hulk really kicked butt in this movie and certainly redeemed himself as a character.

Black Widow is played by Scarlett Johansson. She is such a babe, I really do love her. I can't think of a movie I have seen her in that I have not enjoyed. Although I wish we had a bit more of a background on her character. Which of course if I knew the comics, that wouldn't be a problem, but... Like I'll ever actually read those.

And finally Hawkeye who I feel I know nothing about. His character really is quite cool, but I just wish we had more of an idea of who he was, or had at least been familiar with him by seeing him in earlier movies, like Black Widow. She played a small role in the last Iron Man, but she was obviously something serious. Supposedly Hawkeye is in a bit from Thor but I will have to re-watch it... Obviously he wasn't in it enough to be memorable. Oh and I particularly like the Lord of the Rings reference...

All in all the movie was good and up to expectations. There was some constant fighting between the boys all trying to be "alpha male" which got a little old, but it was action packed, comical and well done. I would actually like to see it again in theaters, which it has been a long time since I have felt that way about any movie and it is definitely one what we will buy once it comes out.

A Little Obsessed

So we watched the movie the Descendants the other day with George Clooney.  

The movie is the story of a family of four, living in Hawaii, and the mother of which, due to a recent boating accident is in a coma. The movie revolves around them coping with that fact the she is not improving and they will have to let her go and that in the middle of it all Clooney's character, is trying to decide who to sale the 25,000 acres of Hawaii land his family has owned for generations.  


The story line sounds quite simple, and a little sad and dull. It is a bit dramatic, understandably, but who can complain when Clooney is involved? We liked it a lot and will definitely be adding it to our collection.

The story line, the actors, the comedy, it's all good, but out favorite part of it was how insanely beautiful Hawaii is. The movie pans across blue waters, lush green hills and purple pink sunsets of what is Hawaii. Dave said something along the lines of "It's so beautiful" every 15 minutes throughout the movie. And I've found myself slightly obsessed with the idea of moving there....


The movie starts off with Clooney narrating, "My friends on the mainland think just because I live in Hawaii, I live in paradise. Like a permanent vacation. We're all just out here sipping Mai Tais, shaking our hips, and catching waves. Are they insane?"


But let's be honest, of course if you were to live there, you would have to be working some sort of job. And even if I was working the exact same terrible meaningless job I am working now, I think it would be a lot better knowing that the moment I got off work there was nothing stopping me from going down to white beaches and absorbing glorious Hawaiian sun. 


Who can complain about that? 


So crunching numbers. In the extreme unlikeliness that we actually did end up moving to Hawaii, what would it actually take? 

In looking at jobs in Hawaii, most require you to live on the island before even calling to ask about the job. So we would need have enough money for about a month at least to cover living expenses while looking for a job once on the island. 

So what are average plane tickets to Hawaii? It would be cheaper because you would only be flying one way. For the cheapest, looking at about $500 per person. Not too bad. And getting our stuff there? We would probably sale the vast majority of our things, including our car, and buy a new one once we got there and pretty much anything that can fit into a carry on, or an average sized checked bag we would take with us, mostly clothes. Anything additional we really want we could have shipped in first priority boxes. Those things ship to anywhere in the US for a low flat cost, right? Assuming that includes Hawaii we can just mail about 6 boxes for $100, not bad, enough to get sentimental stuff over. 

Then of course you have to figure out where to live. Thanks to craigslist it's actually easy to find quite decent housing for under $700 and most that I have seen include utilities. A million times cheaper than I had expected. Additionally it's quite easy to find furnished places which is particularly good since we won't have a lick of furniture. And to be frank, some of these rentals are a little on the shack side, and oddly enough a lot of them do not include a stove or even just a range. But hey, I could live off of fruit and veggies, and I probably should, given that I would want to be in a swimsuit 90% of the time.

But regardless of how shackish the place is you can't complain with a view like this in your back yard;

actual photo from a craigslist add for a rental under $700

Even if your place is small, if your shack looks like this... 

actual photo from a craigslist add for a rental under $700

#deeplydreaming