Patriotic and Romantic - Filed under 'home'

I keep this blog with the help of my husband. It chronicals our adventures, whether its living in the far north, parenthood, keeping up with our small city homestead or just trying to make a tasty meal.

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December 31, 2011

2011: The year in review

2011 was a big year for our family with the addition of Zelda in September. After an initial trip to Dallas in August to meet our birth mom and test whether we could survive the Texas heat, we headed south again over Labor Day weekend and then awaited her arrival. She showed up right on time and we spent the next couple of weeks getting to know each other before we all returned to Alaska as a family of three.

Of course with the addition of a baby, our fall and winter have been filled with firsts for Zelda. Her first Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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We also made a quick trip back to Iowa so that she could meet most of her extended family and attend Zach's cousin's wedding.

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Filed under // family general goings on holidays home travel

Posted by Meg

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December 26, 2011

Potica

Potica is a Slovenian holiday bread and is an annual tradition in the Zaletel family. It is a sweet yeast bread that is stretched as thin as you dare stretch it, covered with a mixture of walnuts, honey, sugar, sweetened condensed milk and spices, and then rolled into a log, roughly the size of your arm. After it rests and doubles in size, it is baked for about 45 minutes. You end up with a tasty horseshoe of sweet treats that always disappears too quickly.

I mixed things up with the recipe a little bit this year, and allowed the dough to proof in the refrigerator overnight before stretching it out. The results are promising, though if I manage to plan my time better next year, I'll probably stick with the regular recipe.

After the dough is mixed, it proofs until doubled.

The filling is prepared.

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The dough is stretched thin and covered with the filling. After the filling is spread all around, the dough is rolled up into a log and placed in a horseshoe shape on the pan.

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After the potica is baked, cut into thin slices and enjoy!

Filed under // family food holidays home made by papa

Posted by Zach

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October 30, 2011

Halloween at home

We decided for our adult Halloween celebration that we'd have a couple of friends over for food and to watch Nosferatu.

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Filed under // holidays home mama and papa time

Posted from 0°0'N, 0°0'E

Posted by Meg

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October 4, 2011

Welcome Home!

Zelda went on her first airplane ride and was a champion flyer - the pilot on the first flight even presened her with her first set of wings! After two flights and a layover in Seattle, Zelda made it home to Anchorage in the wee hours of October 3rd.