A few years ago I came across a recipe in a magazine from Guy Fieri, one of the many chefs on TV, for grilled romaine. Sounds...not appealing, right? It's deliciously awesome!! And it's really easy. My 3 guys here are meat and potato kind of guys so the thought of grilled lettuce was met with "just another one of moms crazy ideas". But it's got bacon on it. BACON. Everything is groovy with bacon. I don't usually measure when I cook so here is the basic recipe, adjusted to taste:
Romaine, washed, tops trimmed and cut in half lengthwise
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Cooked bacon, crispy
Balsamic vinegar
Feta cheese
Brush cut side of romaine with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill over medium high heat about 3 minutes each side. Mix olive oil and balsamic with cooked bacon, heat over medium low heat (you can add bacon drippings too if you prefer). Remove romaine from grill, drizzle dressing over lettuce and sprinkle with feta. So YUMMY!
And because they like meat, we served it with grilled chicken marinated in zesty herb stuff. If you try it or have your own recipe let me know what you think!
Our family birthdays are obnoxious!
There are 5 of us kids. 4 of us have kids of our own. In total there are 6 grandkids. The oldest, Ryan, is seventeen although no one in my family will claim they are old enough to have a 17 year old.
Ok, fine.
He's mine.
So we've had a lot of birthdays over the years and I don't remember when it started, the cha-cha-cha. I even think I've written about the cha-cha-cha before. But I don't remember that for sure either. It sucks getting old. Anyway...
In our family we always get together to have a family dinner and cake and celebrate the person having a birthday. Pretty normal. But when it comes to singing happy birthday we get all crazy. We get...obnoxious. We sing the traditional birthday song but add a huge CHA-CHA-CHA to it. And we're really LOUD. And we drag it out. A lot. Today is nephew Mason's birthday.
Happy birthday to you CHA-CHA-CHA
Happy birthday to you CHA-CHA-CHA
Happy birthday dear Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssoooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Haaaaappppyyy birthdaaaaaay toooooo yoooouuuuu.
See, obnoxious for good. Not for evil.
If someone in my family didn't get the cha-cha-cha treatment for their birthday, they would probably feel let down and disappointed and possibly unloved. Ha, I kid. Kind of. And this is not exclusive to the kids, either.
It's very hard to go to a "normal" birthday and not cha-cha-cha somebody. It's a bit awkward when you accidentally do.
Ahh, well. There are more obnoxious things in life! :0)
Ok, fine.
He's mine.
So we've had a lot of birthdays over the years and I don't remember when it started, the cha-cha-cha. I even think I've written about the cha-cha-cha before. But I don't remember that for sure either. It sucks getting old. Anyway...
In our family we always get together to have a family dinner and cake and celebrate the person having a birthday. Pretty normal. But when it comes to singing happy birthday we get all crazy. We get...obnoxious. We sing the traditional birthday song but add a huge CHA-CHA-CHA to it. And we're really LOUD. And we drag it out. A lot. Today is nephew Mason's birthday.
Happy birthday to you CHA-CHA-CHA
Happy birthday to you CHA-CHA-CHA
Happy birthday dear Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssoooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Haaaaappppyyy birthdaaaaaay toooooo yoooouuuuu.
See, obnoxious for good. Not for evil.
If someone in my family didn't get the cha-cha-cha treatment for their birthday, they would probably feel let down and disappointed and possibly unloved. Ha, I kid. Kind of. And this is not exclusive to the kids, either.
It's very hard to go to a "normal" birthday and not cha-cha-cha somebody. It's a bit awkward when you accidentally do.
Ahh, well. There are more obnoxious things in life! :0)
Stretching Our Food Dollars
For about a year now my family and I have been participating in a food co-op. It's been really reasonable and beneficial for us. It's called Bountiful Baskets and they have many locations in about 22 states. You "contribute" $15 dollars and get a generous amount of fruits and veggies. Saturday I got melon, onion, blueberries, plums, pineapple and papaya in my basket, among other things.
Sometimes you get things you've never heard of before or at least never thought to purchase on your own. Yesterday in my basket, I got Swiss chard. It looks a bit like rhubarb. I've never cooked with Swiss chard. Or rhubarb. I think my chances would be better with rhubarb. But, I've googled some recipes and we will try it. Steve, the husband unit, is a bit more picky than our two boys. Maybe picky isn't the right word. Snobbishly selective. If he is unfamiliar with a food he will pick it up, look at it, sniff it, make a face. I tell him he has to take 2 "no thank you" bites and then he can ditch it. Most of the time it works and he's discovered that he doesn't mind certain things now. Sometimes I sneak the unfamiliar item in with something familiar and no one even knows. He's caught on to me though and has busted me on several occasions and now knows to just ask, "...and what ELSE is in it?" The boys, on the other hand, will eat just about anything and are willing to try new things. Unless it looks absolutely disgusting, they will try it.
Friday, my cousin Bonnie told me about a local, non-profit organization called Market on the Move. It's a food "rescue" organization. The produce is still fresh, still edible, still very, very good but markets pass it by because it might have an odd shape, the color isn't bright enough, etc. So the organization "rescues" it and offers it up to the public, otherwise it would go to waste in a landfill somewhere. For $10 you can get up to 60 pounds of produce. Saturday I got tons of tomatoes, 20 orange bell peppers, a huge grocery bag full of jalapenos, fresh green beans, more melon and zucchini. They also offered egg plant but I always mess it up when I cook it so I passed. They had also run out of cucumbers and watermelon by the time I got there. But, $10 for 60 POUNDS OF FOOD!! I put together a few bags to share, which is the idea behind MOM. Check it out:
Neither MOM nor Bountiful Baskets has endorsed this post and I have not received any compensation for this post. I'm simply passing along some great information in hopes that people can benefit from them also.
Sometimes you get things you've never heard of before or at least never thought to purchase on your own. Yesterday in my basket, I got Swiss chard. It looks a bit like rhubarb. I've never cooked with Swiss chard. Or rhubarb. I think my chances would be better with rhubarb. But, I've googled some recipes and we will try it. Steve, the husband unit, is a bit more picky than our two boys. Maybe picky isn't the right word. Snobbishly selective. If he is unfamiliar with a food he will pick it up, look at it, sniff it, make a face. I tell him he has to take 2 "no thank you" bites and then he can ditch it. Most of the time it works and he's discovered that he doesn't mind certain things now. Sometimes I sneak the unfamiliar item in with something familiar and no one even knows. He's caught on to me though and has busted me on several occasions and now knows to just ask, "...and what ELSE is in it?" The boys, on the other hand, will eat just about anything and are willing to try new things. Unless it looks absolutely disgusting, they will try it.
Friday, my cousin Bonnie told me about a local, non-profit organization called Market on the Move. It's a food "rescue" organization. The produce is still fresh, still edible, still very, very good but markets pass it by because it might have an odd shape, the color isn't bright enough, etc. So the organization "rescues" it and offers it up to the public, otherwise it would go to waste in a landfill somewhere. For $10 you can get up to 60 pounds of produce. Saturday I got tons of tomatoes, 20 orange bell peppers, a huge grocery bag full of jalapenos, fresh green beans, more melon and zucchini. They also offered egg plant but I always mess it up when I cook it so I passed. They had also run out of cucumbers and watermelon by the time I got there. But, $10 for 60 POUNDS OF FOOD!! I put together a few bags to share, which is the idea behind MOM. Check it out:
Neither MOM nor Bountiful Baskets has endorsed this post and I have not received any compensation for this post. I'm simply passing along some great information in hopes that people can benefit from them also.
Sum..sum...summer time!
So, it's not officially summer yet. But it sure feels like it here. Temps are over 100 degrees and we are out of school. Summer in Arizona doesn't go by a calendar. We have 2 whole months off, all of June and all of July. Since I work for the school that means I get that break, too. It's kind of nice. I made a list, of course I made a list, of the things I hope to accomplish this summer, a "summer bucket list" of sorts. Some are random, some are simple, some are rather dull and are more like chores and some are, hopefully, capable of recharging my very low batteries. I will now bore you with some of the list.
I'd like to get into a workout routine, hitting the gym 3 days a week or doing the C25K (couch to 5K) and have it stick with me so that when school starts again I will be in the habit of just doing it.
I have a kiddo starting his senior year of high school in the fall. I really need to work on his scrapbook, for which is just bought new paper! Just don't tell Steve I bought more scrapbook paper. He thinks I have enough. I also need to make a shirt in support of his senior football year. Oh the pressure!!
I want to do at least 2 more fun projects. Just. For. Fun.
It's my goal to post to the blog at least 45 days this summer.
Take more pictures.
I also want to be more informed about diabetes and organize my walking team and fundraising team and really get it going.
It's also a goal to get the boys out of town, even if it's just for day trips. Ryan has football practice but should have a day off during the week. We'll run up to Prescott or Sedona or some little town off the highway and just explore, get out of the heat.
The rest of the things on my to-do list are the chore things like go through our closets and get all the stuff that doesn't fit and donate it, and clean out the cupboards. BORING. But, I've got time!
Starting in the fall we go non-stop with work and school and boys' activities and then the holidays. And, I will be starting college classes again in the fall I think, so I will be even busier. These next few months will be low key and relaxed. I can only hope :)
I'd like to get into a workout routine, hitting the gym 3 days a week or doing the C25K (couch to 5K) and have it stick with me so that when school starts again I will be in the habit of just doing it.
I have a kiddo starting his senior year of high school in the fall. I really need to work on his scrapbook, for which is just bought new paper! Just don't tell Steve I bought more scrapbook paper. He thinks I have enough. I also need to make a shirt in support of his senior football year. Oh the pressure!!
I want to do at least 2 more fun projects. Just. For. Fun.
It's my goal to post to the blog at least 45 days this summer.
Take more pictures.
I also want to be more informed about diabetes and organize my walking team and fundraising team and really get it going.
It's also a goal to get the boys out of town, even if it's just for day trips. Ryan has football practice but should have a day off during the week. We'll run up to Prescott or Sedona or some little town off the highway and just explore, get out of the heat.
The rest of the things on my to-do list are the chore things like go through our closets and get all the stuff that doesn't fit and donate it, and clean out the cupboards. BORING. But, I've got time!
Starting in the fall we go non-stop with work and school and boys' activities and then the holidays. And, I will be starting college classes again in the fall I think, so I will be even busier. These next few months will be low key and relaxed. I can only hope :)
Homemade Granola
In our attempt to eat better and less processed foods I came across a recipe for granola. In my house we snack on granola bars at school/work because they are soooo easy to just slip into your lunch bag or back pack and are very convenient. But they are full of crap.
I haven't attempted the bars because I just don't have the patience to try that yet, but give me time. Anyway, here's the recipe I followed:
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Stir the melted butter and sugar together, mixing well. Add the oats and cinnamon mixing well again. Spread the mixture on a baking pan and bake at 200-225 degrees for 2 hours, stirring every half hour.
As a bonus my house smells like Christmas. So, we'll see how this works, if the kids will eat it. Yes it has sugar and butter and those things aren't so "healthy" but they are REAL foods. It's still a work in progress for us but ... it's a start.
I haven't attempted the bars because I just don't have the patience to try that yet, but give me time. Anyway, here's the recipe I followed:
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Stir the melted butter and sugar together, mixing well. Add the oats and cinnamon mixing well again. Spread the mixture on a baking pan and bake at 200-225 degrees for 2 hours, stirring every half hour.
As a bonus my house smells like Christmas. So, we'll see how this works, if the kids will eat it. Yes it has sugar and butter and those things aren't so "healthy" but they are REAL foods. It's still a work in progress for us but ... it's a start.
Strawberry Cheesecake Cobbler
Found this recipe in a locally published magazine (Up the Hill) and it is DELICIOUS:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 quarts whole strawberries, capped and washed
4 oz cream cheese, but into small pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 glass baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish but do not stir.
Add strawberries, arranging them in a single layer. Place the cut cream cheese over strawberries.
Would be perfect served with vanilla ice cream.
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 quarts whole strawberries, capped and washed
4 oz cream cheese, but into small pieces
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9x13 glass baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish but do not stir.
Add strawberries, arranging them in a single layer. Place the cut cream cheese over strawberries.
Bake about 45 minutes, until crust is golden brown and a bit bubbly.
Dear "Anonymous"
Because you try to comment on each and every new post I put up, I've decided to direct this one specifically towards you.
STOP spamming my account. I will never click on your link and I will never publish your comments. There are so many of you, every day I receive at least 2 "comments" but usually more. The last two were in Chinese. At least I'm assuming it's Chinese. I don't want to buy handbags or designer perfume at a fraction of the cost. I don't want to buy shoes or scarves or jewelry.
My guess is you won't read this. You will simply try to post a comment. You must have tons of time on your hands to just kind of blanket the blogging universe with scam links. Are you paid by click? If so, you can stop wasting your time with this little blog. There will be NO clicking going on here.
Oh, ironically, as I'm getting ready to post this, another one of your comments comes in:
"Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
Have a look at my webpage...xxxxxx"
Well, Anonymous, wish granted! Here's me, writing again, very soon.
STOP spamming my account. I will never click on your link and I will never publish your comments. There are so many of you, every day I receive at least 2 "comments" but usually more. The last two were in Chinese. At least I'm assuming it's Chinese. I don't want to buy handbags or designer perfume at a fraction of the cost. I don't want to buy shoes or scarves or jewelry.
My guess is you won't read this. You will simply try to post a comment. You must have tons of time on your hands to just kind of blanket the blogging universe with scam links. Are you paid by click? If so, you can stop wasting your time with this little blog. There will be NO clicking going on here.
Oh, ironically, as I'm getting ready to post this, another one of your comments comes in:
"Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I have really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
In any case I will be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again very soon!
Have a look at my webpage...xxxxxx"
Well, Anonymous, wish granted! Here's me, writing again, very soon.
Lessons from I Love Lucy
Yesterday I caught an episode of I Love Lucy. Silly Lucy was trying to be a part of Ricky's show. She went to the audition and tried to dance but really she just had two left feet. Ricky brought out a costume, said it was a size 12 and said, "you all are size 12, right?" All said yes. Except for Lucy. She didn't say what size she was but she tried on the costume and it ripped. So she made a deal with Ricky. If she lost a bit of weight to fit into the size 12, she could be in the show. Long story short, she did.
But here's the thing that caught my attention. ALL of the girls were size 12. And they looked perfect. They were fit and healthy and didn't look "fat". Today, though, a size 12 actress would be called fat and the only thing that would be talked about was her weight and her pursuit to drop pounds. That would be the focus instead of her acting. Her name would be prefaced with "plus size". It's so irritating. Marilyn Monroe was a size 14. No one, ever, called her fat. No one, ever, called her plus size. When did the "normal" size of women, size 12 or 14 become considered fat and size 0-6 become ideal, become the prevelant definition of beautiful?
There is a local DJ here, actually probably more than one, that calls Adele a fat cow. One of the actresses on Mad Men is called plus size. It pisses me off. They are neither a fat cow, nor plus size. They have shape and definition and curves! When did that become so "bad"?
So how do we move away from that and get back to where women aren't judged by their weight, their worth is not based on their appearance?
But here's the thing that caught my attention. ALL of the girls were size 12. And they looked perfect. They were fit and healthy and didn't look "fat". Today, though, a size 12 actress would be called fat and the only thing that would be talked about was her weight and her pursuit to drop pounds. That would be the focus instead of her acting. Her name would be prefaced with "plus size". It's so irritating. Marilyn Monroe was a size 14. No one, ever, called her fat. No one, ever, called her plus size. When did the "normal" size of women, size 12 or 14 become considered fat and size 0-6 become ideal, become the prevelant definition of beautiful?
There is a local DJ here, actually probably more than one, that calls Adele a fat cow. One of the actresses on Mad Men is called plus size. It pisses me off. They are neither a fat cow, nor plus size. They have shape and definition and curves! When did that become so "bad"?
So how do we move away from that and get back to where women aren't judged by their weight, their worth is not based on their appearance?
Menu Sunday
Haven't posted one of these in quite a while, but I'm experiementing with some new goodies so...
When I cook with new stuff or try a new recipe, Steve sighs, rolls his eyes and, I think, silently prays. Out loud he says, "Oookaaayyy" with just the tiniest hint of reservation. Only it's not really so tiny.
This week in my Bountiful Basket I received leeks, eggplant, a bag of potatoes, blood oranges, a pineapple and broccoli. I've never cooked with leeks or eggplant before. I asked a friend if they had any good ideas. They said leek and potato soup! So this morning, I got up, washed and cut the leeks, the potatoes, added beef broth, evaporated milk (didn't have heavy cream) and a little bit of water. Salt, pepper, etc. and simmered for a little bit. Put it in a blender and hit "liquify" and....delicious potato and leek soup! We're having it for lunch right now and even Steve likes it.
I also peeled and cubed eggplant and mixed with a can of tomato soup, onion, zuccini, yellow pepper, garlic, pepper to make a ratatouille in the CrockPot.
Contemplating pineapple salsa. We like fresh pineapple too much for it to actually get cut and make it into a salsa. It's eaten as it's cut. Maybe we'll try. Pineapple, red pepper, cilantro and jalapeno (although I might skip this, it will be good without) and a squeeze of lime.
Tomorrow I will be making a pot roast with carrots (also from BB) and potatoes, letting it cook all day while I'm at work. The rest of the week looks like this, in no particular order:
Chicken Stir Fry
Tatertot Casserole
Ribs
Ratatouille
Grilled Brats
Cheese Ravioli with Marsala-Caper sauce
I'm also feeling just a bit adventerous and might, might try some fried pickles today. Not sure I have the correct ingredients to attempt this.
When I cook with new stuff or try a new recipe, Steve sighs, rolls his eyes and, I think, silently prays. Out loud he says, "Oookaaayyy" with just the tiniest hint of reservation. Only it's not really so tiny.
This week in my Bountiful Basket I received leeks, eggplant, a bag of potatoes, blood oranges, a pineapple and broccoli. I've never cooked with leeks or eggplant before. I asked a friend if they had any good ideas. They said leek and potato soup! So this morning, I got up, washed and cut the leeks, the potatoes, added beef broth, evaporated milk (didn't have heavy cream) and a little bit of water. Salt, pepper, etc. and simmered for a little bit. Put it in a blender and hit "liquify" and....delicious potato and leek soup! We're having it for lunch right now and even Steve likes it.
I also peeled and cubed eggplant and mixed with a can of tomato soup, onion, zuccini, yellow pepper, garlic, pepper to make a ratatouille in the CrockPot.
Contemplating pineapple salsa. We like fresh pineapple too much for it to actually get cut and make it into a salsa. It's eaten as it's cut. Maybe we'll try. Pineapple, red pepper, cilantro and jalapeno (although I might skip this, it will be good without) and a squeeze of lime.
Tomorrow I will be making a pot roast with carrots (also from BB) and potatoes, letting it cook all day while I'm at work. The rest of the week looks like this, in no particular order:
Chicken Stir Fry
Tatertot Casserole
Ribs
Ratatouille
Grilled Brats
Cheese Ravioli with Marsala-Caper sauce
I'm also feeling just a bit adventerous and might, might try some fried pickles today. Not sure I have the correct ingredients to attempt this.
This Makes it Worth It
The 8th graders go to me today. I tried really hard to behave, but I ended up telling one off, in the nicest way possible, of course, and kicked his butt out of class for disrespect. He's a kid who is constantly in trouble and now I know why. Anyway...
So after our regular school hours, kids go to the after care program and it is often held in the library. A little boy in the program asked if he could look for a book for his class project and if I could help him find a book on Peregrine Falcons. Of course, I said yes. He told me he was in second grade. We went to the section where the Peregrine Falcons could be found and sat on the floor. He selected a book on birds of prey and started thumbing through. He would stop and tell me about what was catching his interest and he decided it would be a great book for his class report.
So a few minutes later he hands the book back to me. I said, "do you need it for a little bit longer?" He said he didn't. He started to talk to me about video games, games like Mario Party and Donkey Kong. "Do you know what?" he'd ask and start telling me what! We talked about Michigan and how his dad was born in Michigan but is not from Detroit and you don't find many people that are actually from Detroit and how they both really like hockey. My new friend Jack, it turns out, is a Phoenix Coyotes fan and his dad is a Red Wings fan. They were sweating out a tied game between the two last year during the playoffs. My new friend Jack is also very animated and makes the most adorable facial expressions when he is telling his story. He tells a great story and he is a lot of fun to watch. His entire face gets into the story. I also found out that he records the Wild Kratts. I miss the show now that my own kids are older. He seemed surprised that I knew who they were. And Jack also saves money for the book fair. He's got $59 burning a hole in his pocket.
Chatting with a 2nd grader. What a great way to end my day!
So after our regular school hours, kids go to the after care program and it is often held in the library. A little boy in the program asked if he could look for a book for his class project and if I could help him find a book on Peregrine Falcons. Of course, I said yes. He told me he was in second grade. We went to the section where the Peregrine Falcons could be found and sat on the floor. He selected a book on birds of prey and started thumbing through. He would stop and tell me about what was catching his interest and he decided it would be a great book for his class report.
So a few minutes later he hands the book back to me. I said, "do you need it for a little bit longer?" He said he didn't. He started to talk to me about video games, games like Mario Party and Donkey Kong. "Do you know what?" he'd ask and start telling me what! We talked about Michigan and how his dad was born in Michigan but is not from Detroit and you don't find many people that are actually from Detroit and how they both really like hockey. My new friend Jack, it turns out, is a Phoenix Coyotes fan and his dad is a Red Wings fan. They were sweating out a tied game between the two last year during the playoffs. My new friend Jack is also very animated and makes the most adorable facial expressions when he is telling his story. He tells a great story and he is a lot of fun to watch. His entire face gets into the story. I also found out that he records the Wild Kratts. I miss the show now that my own kids are older. He seemed surprised that I knew who they were. And Jack also saves money for the book fair. He's got $59 burning a hole in his pocket.
Chatting with a 2nd grader. What a great way to end my day!
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