Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day to all. Thank you to those who have served in the Armed Services.

In exciting news I traded in my 2008 Chevy Cobalt for an amazing new vehicle for me. I got a 2011 GMC Terrain AWD it rides like a dream and has a lot more room.

Watch out world it has warmed up a lot here in the last couple days. It has been in the 70's, I had forgotten what that felt like after 232 days. I have been busy planting flowers and grilling everything possible on the grill. I also created a new recipe with inspiration from two salads. One was a Grilled Corn Orzo Salad with Chili Lime Vinaigrette and Mediterranean Orzo Salad

Now for the long anticipated Salad. I am having a hard time coming up with a cool and funky name for it...
1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
1 cup orzo, uncooked
2 ears sweet corn
1 avocado, chopped
¼ small red onion, minced
2 Tablespoons chopped basil

Dressing
½ cup olive oil
honey (can use however much you want) I think I used 2tbsp
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (Next time I will use a little bit more)
Salt & pepper

Cook orzo in a large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Shuck corn then grill for 5-6 minutes, rotating every minute or so to evenly char on all sides. Let cool slightly, then cut kernels off the cob.

Combine cooked orzo and corn kernels avocado, red onion, olives, feta and basil in a large bowl and stir to combine.

For the dressing: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine or you can put it in blender. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Serve chilled, or at room temperature

A Little About Me!

 I have to be crazy to start a blog, how can I have anything interesting to say?! Well, here goes nothing!

First a little about the title. Great Plains Transplant In Alaska. I was born and raised my entire life in the middle of nowhere North Dakota 12 miles from the Canadian border and the nearest town of 1000 people was about 10 miles away. In Mohall, the had a school, courthouse, post office, 3 bars, four churches, two gas stations, a clinic and a little shop that cut your hair. I moved to Alaska in 2007, not by choice, but that is another story for another day. I have learned to love Alaska now and wouldn't move anywhere else.

Now to tell you about the cast of characters. The first person is myself,   I was born in Minot, North Dakota and raised in Mohall, North Dakota. My amazing fiance and I have two furry children together (Monkey and Tiger). He is a heavy equipment mechanic on the North Slope of Alaska.

My dad was a hard working man who was superman, truck driver, and oil driller. My dad was an amazing man who taught me how to work hard and how to be a great person.  This past November my dad passed away due to kidney disease and a brain bleed. I miss him every day and would love just to be able to make a phone call up to him to talk to him.

My mom is my rock, I get my strength, tenacity, and will from her. She has been with the county for 30+ years as an eligibility tech. I have one little brother, well he is not so little but when you are six years younger than me that is the title you get.  He is a certified welder and lover of the Xbox.

I love to cook, bake, drink, sew, knit, crochet, garden, share my adventures and crafting in general