Spitting Prohibited

Delishious*

*no, I didn't misspell that.  Delicious is well delicious, but DELISHIOUS, well that's a whole lot more.

SEE!  Delishious! (note: that's not really my photo, I don't keep decorative peppers on hand for photography purposes, nor do I have that rustic plate or table or fun salsa bowl.  But other than that, mine looked just like this - read the meat, lettuce and salsa which is all that matters.)

Here's what I did:

Carne Asada

Marinate a flank steak in olive oil, sprinkle it with Sea Salt (got that idea from mi hermana Stephanie, gracias Stephanie!) then rub it down with Emeril's Southwestern Essence.  I don't usually use other people's spice combo's, but I made his enchiladas a few weeks ago (meh...they were decent, not crazy good) and I didn't realize I was making a ton of the stuff until it was too late to go back and split the recipe by 8 to make just a small amount for the decent enchiladas.  I was slightly annoyed at the time.  Not anymore however. 

Let marinate for at least 4 hours.  Don't cover!  I don't know why, but beef gets tenderer-er if you let it marinate without covering.  If you can flip it over every now and then.  I didn't, just flipped it about 10 minutes before cooking and it was still yums.

Once I flipped the steak, I ran out and started my barbeque.  I turned 2 of the burners on full blast and 2 on low.

Then went back inside to clean off the crud from the last fish I barbequed a few weeks ago, so that's how I know it was about 10 minutes...ummm, ignore that part if you will...pretend I keep my barbeque sparkling clean and ready for the next outdoor experiment, and I spent those 10 minutes blissfully reading in a big comfy chair, or singing to small birds or something vaguely Cinderella-ish.  Hey, you don't know my Life!  It could happen!

So, that aside.

Before I put the now clean barbeque tray things back on the barbeque, I sprayed them down copiously with Cooking Spray (if my bbq was clean to begin with I'd have sprayed them down before I turned on the heat...my hair isn't so great that I can afford to singe half of it off).

Then the magic.

Put that steak on the high heat side.  Close the cover for 2 minutes.

Enjoy that wonderful searing popping sound.

Flip to the other side.  Again Close the cover for 2 minutes.

At this point I have to find something to do with myself or I find myself flipping that steak early, it's just too much fun.  I'm giddy with love for my bbq!  And everyone knows that love makes you do stupid things like flipping your steak before it gets a chance to really sear.

Now, that the color is yummy delicious, turn all the burners down to low.  Then, if you have it, and I do, lucky me!  Put your steak on the warming shelf above the original low side burners.  Close that cover and let it cook for 10 minutes on each side.  ...go get your tortillas, lettuce, salsa, the avocado I was so sad to realize had gone bad, so no avocado for me, but don't let that stop you, ready.  Essentially, get yourself away from that barbeque and the temptation to peek and ruin things!

I didn't quite get 10 minutes on the second side, that is my only regret.

Now pull it off the grill and let it set!  You can tent it with aluminum foil if you are ascared it's gonna git cold.  Set the table or do what I do and holler at your children to come and set the table if they want to eat, it's about time they put some effort into helping you already!  And you can use those exact words if you want.

Try try try to let it rest for 10 minutes, you want all those juices to get themselves back into the meat.  But again I could only wait 6 minutes.  What can I say, it smelled so good, I just couldn't help myself, but it really could have used a few more minutes resting.  If mine was Delishous, just think how good yours is going to be when you actually let it rest 10 minutes!

Slice it on the diagonal.  Try not to drool while slicing.  Other people will be eating that meat.  And that's just gross.

Serve it up.

Die a little inside at how good it is.  But that's not the best part.

Want to know the best part?  I got that steak buy-one-get-one-free at Giant Eagle!  So I get to make it again in a couple of days!  YEAH!

(side note:  spell checker thinks that should be barbecue, but I disagree.  What say you?)

 

Dreams on a Saturday

It's my traditional sleeping in day...ahhh Saturday!  The day when Tom magically gets up and sees the kids get breakfast and keeps them quiet (aka plays video games and they sit around watching fascinated).  I love it! 

It wasn't always this way, but it is one of the best side effects of Tom's job.  The best one is the money obviously.  But just under that is his sleep schedule has changed to more resemble mankind's.  He's one of those annoying quick sleepers.  He used to stay up until 2 or 3 am, which yes was handy when there were babies around, he handled the 10 pm to 2 am night wakenings and I handled the 2 am to morning wakenings.  The children learned to never, ever, EVER wake up Daddy if they saw him sleeping.  Though he sleeps little, he sleeps Hard and if you have to wake him during those hours be prepared for some yelling.

However, that's the past Tom sleep schedule.  The present Tom sleep schedule has progressed gradually due to fewer to no night-time baby wakenings and a steady work schedule that requires him to be at work by 6-6:30 am, I think there was a heady year of being there by 7 am.  Oh the hedonist lifestyle!  Anyway sleeping in to Tom means 6:30 or 7 am. 

So Saturday is my day of real sleeping in!  Yay Sleep!

Today though he got up about 6:30, just enough to wake me a little but not enough for me to do more than acknowledge he was leaving and roll back over and go back to sleep and dream again almost immediately.

In my dream there were 3 impossibilities.  Keep that in mind.

The kids and I were driving along with our new puppy.  He was that adorable stage of puppiness where he's not too little, but so playful.  Cute little white lab.  That running around goofy puppy stage...squish that little puppy face! 

Actually I wasn't driving.  I was in the back of the bed of a white pickup.  Grant was driving,  Alex and I were in the back of the bed.  And when I say the back of the bed, I mean we were standing on the back bumper, holding on to the sides...whee!  Wind whipping through our hair.  I think I told Alex to be careful and hold on when he was switching hands...such a good mommy I am.  Then the doggie jumped out of the bed, as we were driving on Washington Pike through Bridgeville in busy traffic.  And got ran over repeatedly.

I woke up.

I tried a little to put the dream out of my head, but it was disturbing.  I knew it was not going to happen. 

To console myself and shake myself out of the horror of the dream, I reminded myself of the impossibilities of this dream.  Could NOT happen.  These are the three things I came up with:

1.  I would never allow any of my children to ride in the back of a pickup truck and certainly not in heavy traffic or EVER EVER EVER standing on the bumper hanging on with the wind whipping through our hair.  EVER EVER EVER!

2. I might possibly get a dog in the future, but not a lab.  They're adorable, but kind of pains in the neck.  That puppy stage lasts until rheumatism sets in.  Dog maybe.  Lab No.

3.  My little baby Granter-panter, Grantsie, Granstar, Grant will never ever ever be old enough to drive!  IMPOSSIBLE!

 
Oh... waaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

Well anyway, giant growing up children who are not driving age no matter that they have grown up so much that they are now taller than me...

My scary, horrific dream woke me up early enough that we got to go to one of my new favorite places for one of my new favorite yummy breakfasts.

 

And when I say yummy I mean delicious.

 
Raspberry STUFFED French Toast.

Alex is stealing mine.  Stop that!

I was in the mood for sweet today, so I went with this yummy deliciousness, but for savory I unhesitatingly recommend Vicki's Jumbot.  I don't know why it's called that but it means a whole bunch of deliciousness thrown in to a pot and turned into heaven.  And Tom says the Omelets, for all that is holy, try their omelets!

So it wasn't a complete loss of a Saturday.

I'm sure they were doing something really important...

They must have met the ultimate golden contact on the street.  Or that family they've been working with for 3 years decide they were getting baptized...and it had to be tonight!  Perhaps one has been struggling with some deep internal problem and they just knew they needed to spend the evening fasting and communing with the Spirit through scripture study and prayer...

Or maybe they are just 19 year old goofs with limited understanding of how schedules and calendars work.  Either way...

I have been stood up by the missionaries. TWICE!

First time we invited them on the 4th of July.  The entire ward (except us apparently) was going to one of the church member's homes for a riotous time in which the missionaries were not allowed to go.  Perhaps they were going to serve shhhhhhhh...<<Mountain Dew>>  So since we seemed to be the only ones available I said they could come to our house for dinner.  Afterwords, I'm sure they had loads of appointments lined up since they were not allowed to watch fireworks...  But alas, they forgot us.  They were "out with another set of missionaries" not sure what that's about, but I suppose you couldn't really blame them for slacking a little.

So after their (I'm sure) heartfelt apology Sunday, I signed up to feed them again this week...tonight.  5:00 I thought whew they're running a little late, I can finish the salad.  5:15 I thought let's give them 10 more minutes, everyone gets lost finding our house the first time.  5:30 I thought, well lets go ahead and get started.  6:00 I thought, man I made way to much food, I was expecting hungry 19 year olds to polish this off...

To be slightly fair, I must confess dinner at the members home is not the norm here.  In our ward we have 3 sets of missionaries.  Every Sunday the ward Mission leader comes personally to beg for dinners.  Usually 3 or so people volunteer a little grudgingly.  Each feeding one set, one night...so figure they get dinner out at best once a week or less if they don't bother to show up!

I confess the whole thing is very strange to me.  Our ward is not small -- well OK its smaller but its not like we are nearing branch size-- although it does cover a much larger area than any ward I've ever been in before did.  But there are plenty of us to feed the missionaries more than once a week.  Back in the Tri's when they passed that missionary dinner schedule around if you weren't sitting in the front of the RS room there was no way you were getting the missionaries in your home.  No Way!  It was like a contest...pick me! Pick me!  Give this section the clipboard first!!  They got it first laaaaassst time... 

Here they did the schedule thing when I first got here, but soon switched to weekly personal pleading and still only manage to guilt a few people into opening their homes.  I'm not sure what the deal is, personally no matter how big a mess my home is I figure I can do a speed clean and make it presentable and prepare a better meal than these poor souls can.  (And I hate to say it, but I've been on exchanges before and some of the investigators homes, well let's not be judgmental -- they're working on making some big changes -- but let's just say my house has never been that messy -- OK now I'm going hell...) And its nice to have the missionaries in your home.  They bring a good spirit and attitude and especially I like having them around for my kids to get to know.  Good role models are hard to come by now days...

Which is why I keep feeding the missionaries, or trying to anyway.  I'm going to freeze the meat and take it to them on Sunday and tell them this way I will feel like I'm doing my part and they'll get a good dinner ...but the cake we're eating!

And would you like this recipe that I thought would be an Award-winning Missionary feeding recipe, well then today is your lucky day!  Feed a missionary or two near you...

Crock-pot BBQ Beef Sandwiches  (I heart my Crock-pot!!!)

• 3 lb roast
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tbls brown sugar
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• med onion - chopped
• 2 stalks celery -sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• hamburger buns (or hotdog buns for fun -- I don't know why but my kids love that)

Spray your crock-pot with non-stick baking spray (butter flavored preferably). Put yer roast in the crock pot.  In a separate bowl combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar and mustard, add the garlic, onion and celery.  Pour over roast.

Cook on low for 8 hours ...go about whatever wonderfully enjoyable thing you want to do that day.  Come home and your house will smell soooo good the neighbors will be jealous and...

Remove the roast from the crock-pot and shred (it should be tender).  Add the shreds back into the crock-pot and cook on high for 1/2 hour.

Serve to yer hungry cowboys, tailgaters, kids and maybe if you are extremely lucky, missionaries.

I like it with swiss cheese slices...yummy!

The Reluctant Pirate

For some reason Jon has been anti-summer camp this week.  I think its because he got in trouble Wednesday for not listening to his counselors and now the bloom is off the rose!  I can't just wander off?  I can't bring rocks into the gym?  I can't do what ever I want, when ever I want to do it?  Man this stinks...

Yesterday Grant stayed home with a tummy ache, and Jon decided that was good enough for him...he stayed home with sympathy pains.  I made both boys stay in their beds for the entire camp time, and neither complained.  Miraculously however they were quite recovered when it was time for the afternoon swimming activity!  Funny how that works!

This morning Grant was ready to go back and have some more fun, but Jon was still not interested.  Today was Pirate day, and I kept trying to use it as a carrot -- he acted like it was more like a stick!

Me:  Do you want me to make you a pirate costume?

Jon: No.

Me:  OK, just put on your regular clothes I'm sure that will be fine.

Jon:  But I need a ha-at.

Me: OK, I'll figure that out.  Just get dressed and come down and get breakfast.

Me: Jon, aren't you dressed yet?

Jon: I don't have any pirate clothes...

Me: <sighing deeply>

I think he pulled that last one thinking it would get him out of camp.  HA!  Wrong Mom kiddo!  This is the Mom who pulled together a penguin costume in under an hour - complete with Rock-Hopper Plumage - for a last minute (to me anyway) Penguin Party in Kindergarten, as well as making a tiger mask and lion mask for the two boys who were at home.  Pirate costume??? NO PROBLEM kid.

A pair of ripped sweat pants that were getting too small anyway and old white t-shirt of Brooke's, tie a bathrobe sash around the waist and we were almost there.  The bandana hat -- and it had to be a bandana hat, not a paper one -- was a little more problematic, I threw out almost all of my fabric before we moved, but fortunately Aunt S is an accomplished quilter and has lots of fabric for us to plunder (get it? pirates? plunder?  Don't look at me like that!) So my little reluctant camper was out of excuses.

fast forward 2 1/2 hours...

Jon:  MOM!!  Look!!  I got treasure!!!!  And a Spy Glass!!!  And look, I made this pirate map...and we had a treasure hunt...and I had fun!!!  And LOOOOOK!!!

So alls well in camperville again...

So...Fab food, well I was going to share a recipe similar to this one, but since Steph already handled that I'll share something that would go well with it if you want...maybe you're having a party and need lots of food - I don't know...  Anyway, this is from my Aunt S, she gave it to my mom years ago and we had it at my wedding reception.

Hot Peanut Chicken

• 5 chicken breasts w/o skin, deboned
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1/2 cup chile sauce (salsa will do)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 3 tsp - 3 tbls (to taste) minced garlic

Slice chicken breasts in 1 inch wide strips (easy when slightly frozen). Put onto skewers.  Mix the rest in a blender or food processor and puree.  Pour over chicken and marinate overnight or at least 6 hours.  Place 4-5 inches from broiler and cook 5 minutes on each side.

Serves 8

Updating You (complete with Waffles)

Is it Friday?  I am so out of whack without school.

So this is UPDATE Friday:

Update on the house in Kennewick:  I think it is finally sold...after much toil and tribulation...can you believe the title company has now sent me 4 HUD statements each showing a different amount I have to pay (or got back -- that was the first one, KNEW that one was WRONG!) Yesterday I went and wired the money off to them (Tom's company only a month late finally paid his expense report so we did have money to close -- Thank you HF!) and by yesterday afternoon/evening they were calling me with the last and hopefully final HUD statement needing yet another $1300 because they were estimating our mortgage payoff amount before this point (to quote the lady from my bank "Nice Estimate!").  I so wanted to ask them "Is this the first time you've done this????"  They have had this account (and all my information) for nearly 3 weeks now -- I received the payoff information from my mortgage company at least 2 weeks ago.  And they forgot to put it on the HUD statement?

Apparently time difference is confusing to them too, because they really didn't understand why at 6:30 pm EST meant I wouldn't be able to wire them the funds until this morning.  But it is done, so hopefully I am no longer a home owner.  Just get me the final paperwork and I'll prepare the expense report for the final home selling expenses.  (So happy that we have that coming -- or else this would be a total bummer, sell your house and you get to pay $3600.  But they are reimbursing us for all our closing costs, taxes etc.  so we will still end up on the plus side -- yay!)

Which leads me too ...

Update on Summer Vacation plans:

Once we have that above mentioned check in our hot little hands (well actually it will be direct deposited into our hot little bank account), we can start looking at airplane tickets for a trip home this summer!  BIG YAY!  Still thinking about being home in August, probably the 2nd week, staying for a couple of weeks.   Hopefully we will be flying into Portland so we can stay with Grandpa D & Grandma L for a bit too.  (Nat - lunch? dinner? park? beach?)  Definitely have to be there at least until the 26th as that is when Tom's good friend Andy is getting married.  BIG YAY!  Actually that is in Spokane, and since I don't propose driving from Spokane to Portland that evening, guess that means the earliest we can leave is the 27th.  Check back for news on July 13th (the soonest we can get that expense report)...

And speaking of Weddings...

Wedding Update:

OK this isn't really an update because I don't think I've told anyone about it...but I'm going to be making wedding invitations this summer for my hairdresser.  Very fun, and hopefully I priced it to where I'll actually make money not pay money for the honor of doing them, lol.  We'll see... I was sort of estimating prices I could get for bulk paper and I think I forgot to add in envelope costs.  So probably it won't end up paying the rent or anything, but I think its cool that she wants me to do them.

These are a few I mocked up for her.  I actually practiced a lot of restraint only doing 4.  For Russ and Kate I think I totally overwhelmed them with like 30 choices...

I like the 1st one, its a pocket - so you can put the RSVP card, a map, whatever info you need to send with the invitation right in the pocket, cool "eh".  I also like the beading around the leaf on the last one.

Speaking of leaves -- actually this has nothing to do with leaves, but this time I don't have a tie-in...

The Alex Update:

Teacher:  Alex sit on your mat.

Alex: *NO!* runs a way.

Teacher: You can play at the playground where the bark is, but don't go off the bark, OK?

Alex:  *immediately runs off the bark* You can't catch me!!

So apparently I jumped the gun on the ME time thing...not doing so well in the "listening to your teacher" category.  So I made him stay home a day (yesterday) and then I went with him today. I'll probably go for a couple of days next week just to see if I can reinforce the idea that he has to obey them, stay with the group, participate in the activity all the kids are doing... Strong-willed a bit?  Nah....

Anyway, today they got to go to a working historical farm (I guess thats what you call it...) It was built in 1850s and was donated to the Pittsburgh Historical Society about 15 years ago.  It was pretty fun, but the best was Alex's description to Tom, "Dad, it was COOL!  And it was full of DANGEROUS stuff!!"  I guess that was the antique tractors and plows they had on display -- either that or the cows!

Recipe Update (thought I'd forgotten didn't you...)

OK so you cannot get giant things of pancake mix here, just little boxes that are totally expensive, so I've tried several recipes and none of them were fulfilling that niche that was left behind when we had to leave our Snoqualmie Falls Pancake powder  (buy this if you see it in the store!) behind, until I found this cookbook...

Well, Aunt Shauna found this cookbook, no actually I found this cookbook, Aunt Shauna found me looking at it, realized that I was a booger and hadn't invited them to my birthday dinner (well...long story...), and even though I felt incredibly guilty about the whole thing because she looked so sad...she bought me this cookbook for my birthday and now I feel even guiltier about it...

But that doesn't stop me from enjoying the cookbook, I am not that emotionally deep apparently, and hopefully it won't stop you from enjoying a recipe from here either (no statement on your capacity for emotions either way...you may be shallow, you may be deep, I am obviously in no position to be judgmental being a shallow sleazebag myself...)  So here is the first recipe I tried and is still my very favorite:

Lighter than Air Waffles

From Waffles Cookbook by Betty Rosbottom (Now that's an unfortunate last name isn't it!)

1 c all purpose flour

6 tbs cornstarch

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 c buttermilk

1 large egg, separated

1 egg white

7 tbls unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

*added by me -- melt your butter first in microwave and put in the fridge and then when its time to add it to the batter it will be "slightly cooled".

• Preheat waffle iron, and if you plan to hold waffles until serving time, preheat the oven to 200 (F).
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  In another bowl whisk together the buttermilk and egg yolk until completely blended.  In a small bowl, beat the egg whites until firm, but not stiff.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the milk/egg mixture, blending gently only until the ingredients are combined.  Add the butter in a slow stream, continuing to blend until the butter is incorporated.  Gently fold in the egg whites.
• Cook according to your waffle iron specifications.
• To hold waffles, place in a single layer in your oven directly on the racks.
• Serve waffles with the topping of your choice.

Makes 6 6 1/2 inch waffles; serves 4 to 6 (according to the book -- I doubled the recipe and I could have used 2 or 3 more to feed our group.)

WhooooooWeee! Dats some pert darn near gooood Waffles!

You may now considered yourself Updated...

Fab Food Friday

OK Stephanie has Fast Food Friday and Gabriella has Freezer Food Friday, so I thought I give a go at Fabulous Food Friday...but only because its Friday and this is an absolute 10 on the yum scale...I guess if I were posting this yesterday, it would be a Therrific Thursday (T)recipe...  Whether or not there will be an additional FAB food recipe on Friday or otherwise, remains to be seen - I'm not really so good on those sort of schedules.

But first let me digress...I had never had bread pudding until about 4 months ago.  When we went to dinner with another family.  Patti assured me that the "bread pudding here is delicious."  I thought "Bread pudding and delicious don't go together..."

You see my Mom had always told me how awful it was, how her Mom had made it all the time and it was disgusting!  Grandma made it because it was a way to use up bread before it went bad...how homemade bread (talking about Fab Food!) went bad in a family with 6 kids -- 4 of them boys, is something I don't understand...I have only 4 kids and never does bread go bad at our house unless somehow it gets stuck behind something on top of the fridge and I think the loaf is gone, so I open another loaf and then I find the old loaf weeks later in some crazed who-knows-where-that-came-from-cleaning-spree...and thats not even homemade bread, just some cheap store brand.  But I digress...

Anyway, I had always envisioned bread pudding as the general equivilent of when doing the dishes, finding that leftover sandwich that someone just tossed in the sink with their plate that got dropped into pan that was left soaking, so that when you find it you have to dig that soggy nasty mess out of there with your hands...am I wetting your appetite?  Mmmmm

So when Patti recommend the bread pudding I was skeptical.  I sort of thought, "Well she's Southern...this might be one of those Southern things." (my apologies to any of my possible 1 southern reader)  But I actually was pretty full from dinner already, so I went ahead and tried the Southern Thing aka Bread Pudding.  And it was YUMS!  Especially with that little dollop of vanilla ice cream....Mmmmmmm

So with all do post-humonous respect to my dear Mother...I want to know what she was smoking when she gave me that other nasty impression!  Because its either that or I no longer have to feel sorry for being a bratty teenager because only bratty-teenage-angst-I-think-my-Mother-is-an-idiot can explain the priorly explained attitude towards bread pudding!

So fast forward 4ish months and you will find me flipping through my "Mrs. Fields I love Chocolate" Cookbook... Yes I do own that cookbook, what of it...

and lo and behold, I find a Chocolate Bread pudding recipe...I must try this!!!  So I wait for a relatively cool day (hey it has to bake for like 45-50 minutes!) and oh my...yummy yummy YUMMY!  And Day 2 (if it lasts that long...) Even Better!

So get your apron on, do your hair up in a beehive and get cooking like granny because this recipe deserves its FAB FOOD title.

So NOT DIET!

You will notice I have made a couple of adjustments for "me" and those of you fortunate (in our own little minds) to be like me...

Oh and this is another little gem if you like Chocolate, that may come in handy...

Yes that Forrest Gump has some FAB recipes too...and yes I own that cookbook too...

Anyway, do make this sometime if you are in the mood for some delicious down home cooking.  It is worth feeling like a granny if you get to eat this good...

(Wait a minute I think the phrase "post-humonous respect" would mean respect after I've died...)