Five years ago today, D-Man came into our lives!!!!!!
(sidenote: I have been battling with blogger all day to get these photos in the correct order, and since I have obviously lost the battle, try to keep up with me).
D at one month...
Four years...
Five years...
Three years...
One year...
And, here is J-Dawg's "moon face" with his hot-off-the-press tortilla!
WaaaaaaHooooooo!!!
Viola!!!
This somewhat coastal, somewhat cajun dry rub is fantastic on EVERYTHING- fish, chicken, veggies, beef.
Mix some up and hang on to it as long as you can. You'll want to use it often though, so you might want to double up.
2 tbsp coarse sea salt
2 tbsp sucanat (brown shugah)
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp dried tarragon
Rub meat or veggie with oil and then rub a generous amount of this mixture, and grill to perfection! We used this for sweet red, yellow, and orange peppers and salmon last week... DELISH!!!!!
No photo here guys...sorry, we ate it before I even thought about it, but this is a yummy side dish for chicken.
Dinner Caramel Apples
2 tbsp butter
3 apples, diced (I used gala and i did not even peel them, but any firm apple will do)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 cup sucanat (may sub brown sugar)
Melt butter in med saucepan over med-high heat, add apples and saute. Sprinkle with cinnamon and add vanilla. Stir in sucanat. Reduce heat to medium and heat until apples soften, approx ten min.
Eat up, yo!
Crazy how we got married when we were 17, right?
you must try it
Biscuits:
2 cups soft white wheat flour (aka wheat pastry flour)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp honey granules (can sub white sugar)
1 stick butter, chilled
2/3 to 3/4 cup half and half, milk, or cream (use cream- why not?)
Filling:
1 quart strawberries
1/3 cup honey granules (can sub white sugar)
Whipped Topping:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
Rinse berries under cold water; drain well. Hull and slice berries; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with honey granules; cover and let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Whip the cream (sweeten with 2-3 tbsp honey granules if desired and 1 tsp real vanilla) until it holds a soft peak. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In food processor (you can use a pastry cutter or fingertips) combine the flour, baking powder, salt and honey granules and pulse to mix. Cut butter into about 8 pieces and add to the mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, but with few pea-size chunks of butter left in the mixture. Transfer to large bowl and make a well in center. With fork, stir in cream until dough is just moist. Do not overwork. Let stand for a minute. Turn dough out on floured surface. Knead 2-3 times until dough holds together and is less sticky.
Gently pat the dough into a 3/4 inch thick rectangle and cut into 8 (3 inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Brush on some cream and sprinkle with honey granules. Bake for 10-15 min.
Remove to a platter and split each biscuit horizontally with a serrated knife. Top with about 1/3 cup of berry mixture. Replace the tops and top with a tbsp or so of berries. Serve with whipped cream for topping.
Delish!!!!!
A documentary about food and crop preparation in America.
Fresh, the movie, Coming Spring 2009. Watch the trailer.
J-Man had been having a rough morning with focusing and keeping his hands to himself, so on the way to lunch he and his teacher, Ms. Corrigan, had the following conversation...
Ms. C: J, you need to have a really great lunch and get yourself under control because your mom is coming to take you to the book fair this afternoon, and you won't be able to go if you can't control yourself.
J: Yes, Ma'am (as he straightend his back a bit and thought)
J: But, what if someone makes an angry face at me?
Ms. C: Well, I wouldn't like it if someone made an angry face at me, so what is something you could do if that happens?
J: I could move?
Ms. C: Yes, you could move. What else could you do? You could use your...
J: Manners!
Ms. C: Yes, you could use your manners. You could also use your...
J: Words!!!
Ms. C: That is right! You could use your words.
J: I could use my words, just like Martin Luther King did!
Ms. C: Yes, that is great. I love that you are remembering something that we talked about earlier in the year. You can use your words just like Martin Luther King.
J (walking off and mumbling to himself): I could use my words just like Martin Luther King... but, he got shot!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!
Yes. There is half of a cow in my freezer. My small group that is based on natural/ healthy eating found "a guy" to purchase a farm raised, grass fed cow from. How crazy is that? We actually ended up purchasing 3 cows in total, but our family bought half of one.
I went to pick it up yesterday, and the first thing that I pulled up and saw at the butcher was two live cows in a pin. My thoughts were..."Whoa, am I really going to do this? Poor cows." I eat meat all of the time (and love it), but this makes it a little too close to home. In door number two, I saw two animals hanging, and about ten minutes later I looked in and a dude was butchering one. CRAZY! In door number three, this sweet little lady takes us into a humongous freezer to get our beef. Then she tells us that her husband, Big John, who owns the place has steped out because one of the goats got loose. Smart goat- run little goat; run like the wind!!!!! When Big John returned, he was not happy because he didn't find the goat, but he did get out of his truck with his rifle- just in case. I have to say it again- CRAZY!
So, I have about 60 lbs of ground beef, 30 pkgs of steak and a dozen roasts in my freezer. Anyone want to come over for dinner?
Mooooooo...
I am not going to post the photos that I took because I don't want to make anyone sick or turn anyone into a vegetarian (if I haven't already).
D's first experience at a Japanese restaurant. He did not think that the "fire" was very funny! Try to ignore my obnoxious laughter, but his reaction is worth it!!!
In joy, Troye
BrowniesNice Photo op...
My friend Laura at Baby Dolls and Beer Bottles tagged me for a take-a-picture-of-yourself-right now-and-post-it meme. She did not tell me what it was for and just messaged me that I had been tagged. So, like an idiot, I went straight to it.
And, here it is...
Cute, huh?
I've been asleep on the sofa since 8:30 because I have been puking. I woke up to puke some more at 11:30, and decided to use the hour of felling better to catch up on a few things on the laptop, and I stumbled upon Laura's message. Thanks, girl!
If you are reading this message, consider yourself tagged. I don't have the energy to go through and link everyone right now.
and A First...
I have been a Premier Designs Jeweler since 2000. It has been 8 1/2 years, and for the first time ever, I puked at a show. I have probably only hurled two or three times in that whole 8 1/2 year period, and this time, I had to break it down at a jewelry show. Lovely! I left my jewelry at my hostess' house. I hope the guests had fun playing in my jewelry box tonight!!!!!!!!!
We made these burgers for the second time this weekend, and they are the best burgers EVER...as long as you have someone to work the grill...like my man! No need to limit them to the summer as the recipe says either. These are delicious when it is cold outside as well.
Summer Feta Burger with Gourmet Cheese Spread
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
softened
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red onion, minced
2 lbs beef
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta
1/4 cup red wine
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 large heirloom tomato, sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced
8 leaves green leaf lettuce leaves
8 Kaiser rolls, split
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 clove minced garlic, basil, and dill. Cover and set aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook 1 clove minced garlic and onion for 4 to 6 minutes, or until translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil grate.
4. While the grill is heating, gently mix together the cooked garlic and onion, ground beef, pork sausage, feta cheese, red wine, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Do not over work the meat mixture. Divide into 8 equal parts and form into patties.
5. Grill patties on preheated grill for 5 to 10 minutes per side, until well done. Toast the split buns on the grill for 1 to 2 minutes. Assemble the burgers by spreading 1 1/2 tablespoon of the cheese and herb spread to both the top and bottom of each roll. Place patties on the bottom half of the rolls and stack a slice of tomato, sliced red onion, and a leaf of lettuce on each burger. Add the roll tops and serve.
ENJOY!
In joy, Troye
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I realized a couple of months ago, that I have never lived in a house long enough to need to re-organize anything. About the time that we got to the point of needing a little fresh organization in our home, we would move, which allows for re-organization in and of itself.
J got off of the bus Monday afternoon, and said, "Guess what, Mama? I have something VERY funny to tell you.
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