Day 277

We recently started getting the Food Network magazine after getting an offer for a subscription at an unbelievable discount.  The magazine is fantastic.  Nearly every page features a mouth-water photo and accompanying recipe.  Crockett had been eyeing the cover recipe ever since it came in the mail, so tonight he fixed it while I helped LilCrockett with homework.  We both thought it was pretty bland.  So we added in some chicken base and some bacon (chopped fairly fine so you can barely see it in the photo).  Turns out that was exactly what the recipe needed as it was fantastic.  We added some garlic/herb croutons upon serving.  Yum!

Now, here’s a little cooking tip:

When your recipe calls for broth or bouillon, use soup base instead….the flavor is so much richer.  The base comes in a thick paste and mixes easily into soups, stews, casseroles, etc.  We buy Tone’s brand soup base at Sam’s Club in both their chicken & beef flavors and keep some on hand year-round.  They store easily in the fridge.  That’s your Cooking 411 for the day!

Day 275

As a child growing up, we would make campground donuts.  It was an occasional treat that my brother and I really loved but my mom usually only fixed them when we would go camping.  It’s been years (since the late 1990’s) since I last had one and so I decided to make some this morning.  Though not a healthy breakfast, it’s easy peasy.  Simply take a can of refrigerator biscuits.  Use a shot glass or donut-hole maker to cut a donut hole in the center of each biscuit.  Place the donuts & donut holes in a single layer in a pan containing a layer of heated oil and fry each side slowly until golden brown.  Remove the donuts from the pan and bread them with cinnamon/sugar.  Eat and enjoy! 

Though tasty, I have to admit that these aren’t nearly as delicious as I remember.  Probably because I’m not as much of a fan of grease as an adult.  Not only are the donuts fried in oil, but the biscuits themselves are fatty (with shortening).  If you make these, avoid using the grand or extra large refrigerator biscuits as they tend to get too well done (nearly burnt) before the donuts are fully cooked in the center.  We only had the extra large kind today and that’s how I know!  You can see how thick the donuts are since the hole isn’t very big.

And here’s the finished product…

And of course I have to include a photo of our cat being cute.

We had a large conifer behind our shed that developed some type of wilt and was dying.  It was quite the eyesore, but we had to wait for Ameren to come cut it down because it was intermixed in the power lines and was located within a few feet of the main transformer.  Though it took them many months to get out to our house, they finished it in one day.  Unfortunately they only cut it down just below the lines so the tree trunk was still taller than our shed.  Crockett got to work cutting it down this morning.  He had to go section by section until it was more manageable.  Even then, I had to help guide it’s fall with a rope as a backup.  No sense damaging our shed.  Ignore the mess behind the shed (please and thank you).   

 

And then for the best part of the day….a date with my wonderful hubby.  We went out a day early to celebrate our 13th anniversary over dinner while the neighbors watched the kids (my mom is going to watch the kids for us overnight at a later date, so we’re just doing dinner tonight).  We dined at a local restaurant called Indigo.  The food is a bit pricey, especially for the portion sizes, but I had purchased a $50-off coupon a few months ago for just $2 at Restaurant.com. Here’s what we dined on and a little review of each dish…and pictures too, though keep in mind they were taken with my iPhone in a candlelit restaurant.

Appetizers:

• Scallops - Pan seared jumbo divers with roasted roma tomatoes and honey balsamic reduction $15 (delicious but there were only 3 scallops)
• Crab Cakes - Panko encrusted jumbo lump crab over tahitian vanilla bean, lemon grass beurre blanc $12 (2 large meat-ball sized cakes, lots of crab meat, tasty but doesn’t compare to crabcakes we had in Maine)

Salad:

• Small plate of mixed greens with craisins and roasted almonds.  Served with a small platter of pita triangles accompanied by roasted garlic pods, hummus, and olives.  (Salad was good, though Brian thought it was a little boring.  Hummus and garlic pods were yummy.  I’m not an olive fan so no comment on that)  Forgot to get a picture.

Entrees:

• Sea Bass – Fresh Chilean Sea Bass pan seared and served over basmati rice cakes with a carmelized shallot and lemon emulsion $32 (this was my entrée and it was FANTABULOUS….perfectly cooked fish and the carmelized shallots were the perfect touch.  Rice cakes were good but I would have prefereed a little more flavor.  We both agreed that this was the BEST DISH of the night!)
• Yellowfin Tuna - #1 Sashimi grade tuna steak seared RARE in black and white sesame crust over ginger wok fry, mandarin ponzu and wasabi aioli $19 (this was Crockett’s entrée and it was really delicious as well.  I’m not a fan of sushi so I wasn’t sure if I would like it.  I’m glad I decided to taste it because it was really good.)

Desserts:  Crockett and I shared our desserts

• Crème Brulee (very delicious but I prefer a little more carmelization on the top and I thought the custard was just a touch runny)
• Lemon Shortcake with berry topping (superb taste.  I was worried the cake would be dry but it was super moist & it was a great dish to end the meal)

In order to get the $50 off, we had to spend $100.  Not too much of a problem at this restaurant, though we did have to order more food than normal.  Despite the list of foods we ordered (and finished), we were not overly stuffed.  As I said, portion sizes here are smaller than most restaurants, but I actually liked that. With all this food and 1 glass of Merlot, our total came to $100.50.  By the time they added on tax and gratuity, we still ended up paying $80.  But it was an awesome meal.  There was a beautiful sunset when we walked out of the restaurant.  It was the perfect end to a perfect date night.  I have a 2nd coupon for this restaurant and I can’t wait to come again!    

I’ll leave you with a photo of us.  I had my neighbor take it before we left on our date.

Day 254

We spent the morning watching some of the TV tributes to 9/11.  It was sad and LilCrockett kept asking why were were all crying, so we turned it off.  After that, my mom helped me clean the house.  So great how much more you can get done in a short amount of time when you have someone helping.  Too bad she can’t move in with us permanently!

This afternoon, I dropped GothGirl off at her friend Jade’s birthday party and then went to watch LilCrockett’s baseball game for 45 minutes until I had to go back to get her.  The party was at a dance studio and the kids were being taught part of a hiphop dance.  The parents were invited to watch them perform at the end of the party.  Here they are in action.  The lights were VERY dim in the room and I have my Rebel, which doesn’t do as well in low light as my 7D, so I had to use my automatic settings and the flash (which I NEVER do).  GothGirl is in back in the dark purple shirt. 

After the dance routine, which was only about a minute long, we went up front for cake.  The birthday girl’s grandmother used to own a specialty cake store, so the cake looked amazing!  I wasn’t going to have a piece, but once I heard who made it, I decided to try a piece.  It was so delicious. 

While we ate cake, Jade opened her presents.  Then her mom called everyone back for a group picture.  I don’t know the ages of all the kids, but the 3 girls in the center of the back row as well as the girl on the left in the purple shirt are all in the same grade.  You can see how tall GothGirl is compared to them, with the exception of her friend on her immediate left.  I think she will be like me though.  I grew well before everyone else and was one of the tallest in my class, but then I stopped growing and everyone passed me by. 

Day 252

Today was picture day at the middle school, so GothGirl got up early to straighten her hair.  She looked so pretty that I had to get a picture and happily, she gave me a genuine smile.  It was raining, so we were stuck inside, but it turned out pretty good anyway.  Ah, I just love this girl….she’s a beauty, both inside and out!

After the kids left for school, Felix was curled up on Crockett’s lap.  Before long, he got in his favorite position (on his back) and proceeded to attack his own tail.  So cute!

Today was my Friday off, so I spent some time in the morning scrapbooking before I had to do some errands.  Afterwards, I treated myself to my favorite lunch….a chicken bowl at Chipotle’s.  I brought it home and ate it while reading a great book (Girl in Translation).  Talk about bliss!  Good, healthy food and reading.

Day 247

Crockett decided to make a peach pie today and the kids wanted to help.  With a pre-made pie crust and frozen peaches, it was pretty simple. 

Getting the pie filling ready…

Beating the egg yolks to brush on the top of the crust…

The finished product….it tasted as good as it looked too!

That afternoon, our neighbors had a birthday party for the wife and two daughters, whose birthdays occur just a few days apart.  We went over for a bit but then had to leave to go to LilCrockett’s baseball game. 

Each game, he gets better and better.  Today he scored his first double and he got 3 guys out.  Here are photos of two of those outs.  LilCrockett catch the ball as the opposing team member is running to his base.  OUT!!  Way to go, buddy!

Crockett got this photo of LilCrockett with his head coach.  No, they weren’t holding up the game…..they were waiting for the catcher to get his protective gear on.  I can’t say enough good things about Coach Long.  He is so patient and motivating and the kids have learned so much under his tutelage.

LilCrockett trying to slide into 2nd base, but they got him out….

Running into home plate to complete his run…

Team huddle (with a few siblings too) after the game….

Happily I was able to get a photo of GothGirl today.  She has become such a camera-avoider lately.  I’m not sure why either as she’s a gorgeous girl.  Anyway, I love this photo even though I did get a bit of glare on her glasses and Flickr/Blogger are not capturing the color correctly.  I think I like this photo the best because she has a real smile rather than that pseudo, posed smile that she normally sports in photos.

Day 195

More photos of our kitten, Felix….the world’s most affectionate cat!  He’s waiting on the bathroom counter for me while I get ready in the morning.

My kiddos sporting silly putty moustaches. 

Tonight’s dessert…grilled banana boats with chocolate and marshmellow.  I had these when I was a girl but had forgotten about them until reading a friend’s facebook post.  Sadly, they aren’t as good as I remember.  I think the banana gets too sweet when cooked (though ours were probably a little overcooked).  My kids felt the same way, but it was fun to try something different.

GothGirl has been braiding her wet hair at night so that her hair will be crimped in the morning.  Thankfully she does it all on her own as it takes a bit of time.

Day 182

I had to run out to Kohl’s this morning to do a little shopping.  Though I’m not crazy about shopping on a Saturday (I’d rather go when it’s less crowded during the week), my 30% off coupon expired today and it was also the last day to earn Kohl’s cash.  And there were actually a few things that I really needed.  After shopping it was lunchtime, so I stopped in at Jimmy John’s.  It’s been several years since I’ve eaten here, which is sad because I really like it.  The inside of the restaurant was really cool and would have made for some great photos, but I only had my iphone camera and I thought they’d think I was crazy taking photos of their décor.  Maybe I’ll be braver next time and take some photos anyway.  Until then, you’ll have to settle for a shot of my meal (Turkey Tom sandwich, BBQ chips, & a soda) on my dining room table.  

After lunch, I finished reading a book and did a little relaxing before heading over to visit with the neighbors.  It was so hot outside that the only relief was their pool.  Though I didn’t go under water; the end of my hair got wet and when it dried later, my hair did what it does best…curl.  Here’s a look at my Shirley Temple ringlets.  All natural too.  It still amazes me sometimes that I have hair this curly.  I just wish that GothGirl had kept her curls too (her hair started straightening when she was about 4 years old).

It is eerily quiet around my house as Brian and the kids went to Kentucky Lake for a long weekend.  I was supposed to go with them but wanted to stay home to get some more rest and hopefully kick this lung stuff for good.  Though I was really sad to miss out on a trip to my BFF’s cabin with the family, I knew that 5 exhausting days of sun and boating would not have been a big help to my recovery.  Since I can watch whatever I’d like, tonight I rented a chick flick and plan to catch up on my DVR’d shows.  

Now I’ll leave you with a photo of our little snow leopard.

Day 168

Today our church was hosting their annual Garage-a-palooza event for kids.  One of the church campuses is housed in an old auto dealership building, hence the name.  During the day, the kids get to try 2 different activities and learn more about God.  LilCrockett chose magic card tricks and fishing for his activities.  GothGirl chose cooking and cake decorating.  Here are 2 of her creations…

Dirt cups complete with gummy worms and silk flowers.

Decorated cake (the cake was pre-made for them).  Since Father’s Day is tomorrow, she decorated hers for Crockett.

Both kids had a wonderful day.  Our church and all the volunteers go out of their way to make it a fun-filled time. 

Day 154

It was my day off today and I spent the majority of the day in my craft room putting away stamping supplies from past projects and organizing some new-to-me supplies that I had purchased from a friend.  Crockett got off work a little early, so we hit a few garage sales before heading out to pick up the kids from summer care.  When I stepped outside for the first time, I felt like I’d been hit by a heat wave.  It was sweltering and the air was incredibly thick and oppressive.  Ugh….I think summer is here early!

After arriving back home, I fixed a light dinner (cheese tortellini tossed with parmesan & spices) and cleaned the house while waiting for my mom to get in town.  Then we sat outside in the neighbor’s backyard while sipping on some Sparkling Moscato.  I opted to leave my camera in the house and enjoy myself. 

Day 144

No pictures today, so I’ll share one I took yesterday at work on my iphone.  One of my coworkers won a custom cake at a fundraiser and she brought it in for everyone to see since we work for a conservation agency.  Everything on the cake is completely edible. 

The catfish is made out of rice crispy treats and the sandbar is made out of cake.  And there’s lots of fondant as well (base, hook, fins, etc.).  Pretty darn cool, huh?!!  It was quite a conversation piece around the office.

Day 130

I didn’t take any photos today with my Canon.  Instead, I spent the evening bonding with my beautiful daughter.  GothGirl needed some clothes so we did a little shopping.  Next, we stopped for dinner…her choice was Noodles & Co.  She got her favorite Buttered Noodles with spices and I got the Chinese Chop Salad.  Both dishes were really yummy and we had a great time together.  I love hanging out with my girl.  Photos courtesy of my iPhone:

While we were doing our thing, the boys were fishing at a local lake.  They had a fabulous time too.  Then again, LilCrockett is happiest anytime he can be outside hangin’ with his dad!  Here’s a photo of him with one of the biggest bluegills of the day.  Note: I was losing light fast by the time they got home, so I had to snap this photo in Auto using flash.

Finally, I wanted to share some photos that I took yesterday at the Guten Tag Orchard (Home of the Team Quest State Finals) near Chester, IL.  It seems an odd location to hold these finals; but then again, it was a wonderful setting.  Groups of teams would rotate through the various outbuildings to perform the different events of the day.  I particularly enjoyed it because there wasn’t a lot to do while the kids were “in session”, so the grounds made for an interesting backdrop.  At one point, I walked down the country lane back towards the pond to take some photos.  I loved the rustic barns and such and was happy to get some great shots.