Celebrating 1 year as Wichitans + ice cream pie

We went from job searching and newly engaged to new hires and wedding planning fiends to 1 year of employment and newlyweds. it's been pretty much a whirlwind. It seems almost impossible that the end of July marked one year with a Wichita address. 

In January 2013, when Nicholas began interviewing for school psychologists positions we didn't quite know where we would end up. But as luck would have it, he aced the interview of the position he really wanted and we were headed to Sedgwick County. We were fortunate enough to have family with an available house that we could rent. We officially moved in the weekend before we started our jobs and the rest is history. 

Albeit belated, in honor of our 1-year Wichitan anniversary, here's a recap of a few of our random favorite discoveries about the town, ourselves, and our life:

1. Unsurprisingly, Nick knows his way around pretty well; I still use iPhone Maps for everything.
2. We eat at home more times than not. Hence the restaurants we haven't visited but have been meaning to... i.e. The Anchor, Picasso's, Twelve, Kanai, Little Saigon, Avivo Brick Oven, NuWay, Bonefish Grill, Old MIll Tasty Shop, Luciano's, Stearman Field, MIke's Wine Dive, Stroud's... That said, we have managed to find a handful of new favorites though: Ming's Chinese on Seneca, Taco Pronto, Molino's, Tanya's Soup Kitchen, and Newport Grill.
3. We have a soft spot for the Westside. We love our little neighborhood and the ease in which we can get around. Nick says "it has a small town feel with large town/city amenities."
4. Driving 20-25 minutes to go across town has become normal when back home we could have been in any number of different towns.
5. We were so lucky to find Four Paws Dood Ranch in nearby Peabody. Garth was the perfect addition to our family! 
6. We see my brother and his family much more now that we're less than an hour away from them
7. There doesn't seem to be any great biking trails nearby which is a bummer for Nick.
8. Oddly, we don't watch local news like we did in Pittsburg, but instead rely on our technology and social media to keep us up to date.
9. The majority of our nearest and dearest friends and family don't live here. We miss them!! Come visit!! (see number 12)
10. We see a fair amount of split faces and Wildcats license plates running around town so we know were still in good company.
11. The new double oven we put in this rental house was a fantastic decision. Never have I loved an appliance so much. 
12. We have put over 15,000 miles on our new car in eight months...so, apparently we're not in Wichita a lot.
13. We have a lot more to learn about this city we now call home.

We finally visited The Keeper on our Wichitan anniversary.

Since this is a post about our address anniversary, we should celebrate with something sweet. Ice cream pie seems like a natural fit. This quick and simple recipe starts with Oreos. Not just any Oreos, but the ones with the Reese's Peanut Butter cream filling. I must confess I was sorely disappointed in these cookies. I think my high expectations of their wonderment left me accordingly underwhelmed. But, their redeeming factor: they make a kick butt crust. Once the crust is made, the rest just falls in place in no time. It's certainly a dessert with a lot of cool factor (ba dum chh).

Reese's Oreo Ice Cream Pie
makes one 9-inch pie
Crust
1 box mini-Reese's Oreos
1/4 cup butter, melted
Filling
1 container of cookies and cream ice cream (or your favorite flavor)
1/2 cup-3/4 cup chopped Reese's Minis (or more if you please; and use the unwrapped minis- easy and delish!) 

Instructions

1. Finely crush Oreos in food processor (or put in a Ziploc bag and crush with rolling pin).
2. Pour Oreo crumbs in a medium bowl. Mix in melted butter until well combined.
3. Spray 9-inch pie pan with non-stick cooking spray. 
4. Pour moist crumbs in pie pan and pack/smoosh into an even layer including the base and sides of pan. 
5. Refrigerate crust for at least 30 minutes. When you put your crust in fridge, take your ice cream out of the freezer.
6. Once crust is set, spread ice cream into crust. 
7. Sprinkle the top with chopped Reese's Minis. At this point make it your own! Fill free to top with some hot fudge or more.
8. Freeze again for 20-30 minutes. Cut slices and enjoy! Store in freezer, but the pie won't last long. 

Dang, I wish I had a piece of that pie right now. Oh well. Here's to the next year of adventures in Wichita! Talk to you soon! 
-xo