Snow Angel

YOE: Blind Date

My sister-in-love and I surprised our husbands with a blind date last weekend…literally. They were blind….like this.

Yes, we surprised them with a night of dining in the dark. Unfortunately, we were blindfolded instead of the servers having night vision :)

(Pardon all of the crappy iphone pics)

Judging by the picture…it looks like Tommy T wanted to experience dinner without his sight OR smell. Where’d that nose go?

We had to form a train and put our hands on each other’s shoulders and follow our hostess to the dining room. We passed through a curtain and were led to our seats.

The waitress took our hands and showed us where our glasses were and acquainted us with our table. We were the 2nd table seated…so the room was quiet with only the sound of the piano behind us. We tried to figure out if it was a live pianist or a player piano. We guessed Live…and ended up being wrong.

As the room filled, people started over compensating for their lack of vision and were practically yelling.

We enjoyed our anonymity and would try to “out-laugh” the table next to us. If they would laugh – we would laugh louder. When one man yelled out that “CHRISTINA AGUILLERA COULDN’T ACT HER WAY OUT OF A PAPER BAG!”….I enjoyed announcing “MADONNA IS A LEGEND!!!!”

We tried to record part of the experience with our phone – but they had the dining room so dark – that not much showed up. This is what it was like for us…

 

The hardest part about the entire experience was not knowing what was on our plate.

The first course…loved it. Our guess was that it was a spicy meatball wrapped in a puff pastry. Wrong.

The second course was also good. We guessed Arugula wrapped around Turkey. Wrong.

She then brought something out to cleanse our palette. I guessed pumpkin sorbet with coconut. Wrong.

The third course I struggled with…in a major way. All we knew was that it was an “animal protein” and was some sort of chop. Mine was spongy to the touch – luke warm and I could smell blood. The waitress told us that any animal with ribs can form a “chop”….which didn’t help my struggling. I took one bite and couldn’t do it – so I felt my way to John’s plate and piled my meat on his plate (since he wasn’t looking) (: We guessed that we were eating lamb….Wrong again.

There was some sort of hash brown potato cake thingy and some snow peas from HELL….they were so hot!!!

Finally the dessert. YUM! We knew it was something with peanut butter, chocolate mousse and caramelized sugar. We were good guessers with dessert.

Here is the menu they gave us as we left.

So yes….We had chorizo, Duck, eggnog, and a freakin’ ELK!

After dinner – we kept the “In the Dark” theme going and went to play Laser Tag – in which we were beat by children.

We spent the rest of the evening playing video games…

 

‘

Later that night – we found pics of our dinner on the restaurant Facebook page. Some of it…Disturbing.

 

 

 

What sound does an Elk make? Whatever it is…it’s still making it….and p.s. – just because we are blindfolded doesn’t mean we aren’t going to know you burnt the potatoes.

I love our YOE dates…experiencing something new and exciting together…even if it means eating a bit of Elk.

MLK…Cont’d.

Bradley came home today - with this paper he wrote about Martin Luther King. 

“Martin Luther King Jr. used big words for peace.”

So sweet.

Meeting Martin

Bradley came home from school SO excited to tell me about Martin Luther King.

“Do you know Martin Luther King?”, he asked.

Before I could finish answering, “Yes”, he blurted out - “"I LOVE him because he made it so WHITE people can go to McDonald's TOO!"

I tried to contain the chuckle as I listened to him expound upon his “version” of his newfound knowledge.

He told me that only “Brown” people were “allowed” to sit in the back of a bus and how white people had to have their own drinking fountains.

I decided I better clarify a few details with him.

We talked about Martin Luther King, segregation, and the Civil Rights movement.

He looked at me with a suspicious “You are SO making this up, Mom” look on his face.

He couldn’t fathom our country existing this way.

I googled some images to show him actual photographs of a segregated America. He just couldn’t believe it.

He kept saying, “That was the olden days, though, right?”…as if time passed would make it less real.

“It was just the other day”, I said.

We continued talking about it – looking at a few more pictures.

He LOVED the Rosa Parks story – biggest smile.

We talked about standing up for what is right…no matter what the world thinks…and how when we take a stand – the world can change.

This experience, so innocently sweet, made me even more determined to make sure that Martin Luther King Day is celebrated correctly in our family. That it is not just a day off of school…or another day we wonder why the mail didn’t show up. It is a day of responsibility, as a mother, to teach my children so they can fully understand, appreciate, and value the meaning of “liberty and justice for all”.

From here on out, that special day will be dedicated to waking up early and finding a way to bless the life of someone else – the way MLK would have wanted.

Like Dr. King said, “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others’?'

It was a precious experience, witnessing my Kindergartener “meeting” Martin…and becoming friends.

Shine On

This morning I went to wake the kids up for church and heard whispering as I approached Bradley’s room.

I found Karah and Bradley sitting in front of his window with the shades pulled up. They were nestled in a pile of blankets - playing with Legos.

I asked them why they were up so early.

Bradley said, “We wanted to sit by the window and watch the sunrise together. We were just playing Legos while we waited for it. “

The sun had already risen…but they were perfectly content waiting for it to shine on.

I adore them.

Final Food Throw Down

Well – for the final recipe of the Food Network Throw Down – I tried out Emeril’s Pulled Pork with Homemade BBQ sauce.

Click HERE for full recipe.

PROCESS:

Butt Roast (what a nasty name…but “it is - what it is”,  I suppose).

 

Here is the sweet little piggy before he went in the oven….all seasoned up.

The sauce….simple to make.

 

 

SERVING:

I was smart and had Tom pick up a few items at our local BBQ place.

This made it the most simple meal ever! Coleslaw, BBQ beans, and Mac & Cheese. All I had to do was shred the meat and add the sauce!

 

Bradley literally devoured it. It wasn’t pretty to watch.

     

REVIEW:

This recipe is definitely a keeper. Great kick to the sauce…sweet and tangy. A +++!!!!!

I will miss doing these food reviews…it’s been fun.

Keep up with my recipe blog for more cookin’!!

An Evening with Alton Brown

There is nothing like breakfast for dinner…it’s something we like to do a few times/month.

After tonight…I think we might be doing this a lot more often.

Chef #1: Alton Brown

Look into his eyes. Is anyone else afraid of this man? Please tell me I’m not alone.

Alton has a very egotistical flair about him. He isn’t in love with himself -he just knows how stupid you are…hence making him superior to you.

I confess that there have been times when it seems he is staring through the camera directly into my soul…loathing me for pretending to know how to cook.

It’s amazing that he has been so successful while having such disdain for his fans. Maybe it’s self deprecating behavior on my part…but I love that he hates me.

 

I really grew to fear him while I watched him on “The Next Food Network Star” ….and realized that, without reserve, he hated every single contestant.

The pictures speak a thousand words.

See the scared people in the background?

  

He hates them and he hates you.

 

RECIPE: Refrigerator Pie (aka quiche)

CLICK HERE FOR ALL RECIPES :

 

PROCESS:

 

 

    

The hash brown recipe was compliments of Emeril. This is the first time that I have made his “Essence” blend…and I LOVE it.

 

The avocado grapefruit salad was from a chef I am unfamiliar with…Daisy Martinez. Do you know her? Very tasty, Daisy.

 

SERVING:

 

 

VIDEO REVIEW:

 

FINAL REVIEW:

Alton – It must be hard being you. Living in a world full of pathetic cooks who will never measure up to you.

Thank you for your condescension…for finding us worthy enough to attempt to acquire but a portion of your skill. The quiche was amazing….of course.

 

Stay tuned for tomorrow….BBQ!!!!

Tetrazzini Drama

Looks like Paul got a little taste of the Tetrazzini. “She seducin’ my man wit her chicken tetrazzini. Paul love it. Paul Love it.”

Three Wise Men

Wise man #1, named “Kenny”, once said, “You gotta know when to hold em; know when to fold em; know when to walk away; know when to run.”

Now THAT is a phrase worth putting in vinyl letters.

Yesterday I spent the day helping a friend with a project. I picked the kids up….helped with homework…took an afternoon shower due to a violent coughing spell that showcased the failure to do my Kegels… did some housework…and supervised the kids splashfest during bath time. I also had a headache. The cherry on top was the fact Tom wouldn’t return back to town until after the kids were in bed.

Wise Man #2, named “Milton”, once questioned, “If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?”

Though…if he really was wise, he wouldn’t be asking this question…he would be lending his two hands to his wife.

I digress.

I had obviously missed the window for meal preparation.

I decided it was time to listen to Kenny and “fold em”.

 

Chef: Unknown…which is probably a good thing.

 

Serving:

 

RECIPE: Surrender. Pick up the phone. Lay on the couch in the dark. Wait for the knock.

 

 

REVIEW:

The kids gave it two thumbs down. They were ticked off that I bailed on Throw Down Breakfast Night.

The 3rd Wise Man said, "My mother's menu consisted of two choices: Take it or leave it." ~ Buddy Hackett

Stay tuned to see if my family will get “real” dinner, tonight.

Snow Day and Nigella’s Nuggets (blushing)

Today was the first snow day of the season.

I vaguely remember Tom kissing me goodbye before I drifted back to sleep.

I was curled up under my favorite “sheet-blanket-blanket-comforter” combo and was awakened to the sound of “Shhh…Shhh…Shhh….Shhh” sound.

I was totally disoriented – thinking it was the sound of a washing machine in the distance…but it wasn’t. It was Bryce. Apparently I was snoring and interrupting Nick Jr.. 

I heard the other kids playing downstairs and found evidence of their self-sufficiency (minus the part where they take their bowls to the sink on their own).

Before I could feel like a terrible mother, the microwave flashed 7:34 am. Guilt…swept away.

Back to my nest I went…until the clock struck 8.

The kids bundled up for a morning of sledding with friends. Bryce was smart and stayed inside…in his jammies and gloves.

It didn’t take long for Bradley to come back for his “real” winter coat.

The one he usually refuses to wear because it “makes him look fat”. It was that cold. Cold enough to to endure the torture of the puffy coat.

I found this recipe on my Sister-in-Love’s blog…and new it had to be done. The chef? The Pioneer Woman. Now SHE should have her own show on The Food Network. I would NEVER mock her. Ever.

When the kids came in from the snow…

…they were ready for some French Puffs and Hot Cocoa.

(see the kid sledding on the Hot Chocolate canister? That means you are supposed to make it after you sled.)

  

It cracks me up that the girls came in from the snow and put on their sun dresses….AND that Gracie found the only spot of sunshine on the floor.

We went out to run some errands and drop off some donations.

Bradley spotted a stuffed animal of his in the bag.

“My stuffed animal is in the bag! Who threw this away?”, he panicked!

“Your Dad told me to. He said you wouldn’t miss it”, I said.

“Why would he DO that???”, he yelled.

Karah chimed in…”I’ll tell you why…Because Daddy IS NOT A HOARDER!!!!!!”

I laughed…all the way to the movie store. I had a movie that was overdo….for a year.

I didn’t know I had it. They had been calling me incessantly – until I DEMANDED that they leave me alone…that I did NOT have their movie and I had returned it.

Well..upon moving furniture around….woopsie. Looks like they were right.

We pulled up to return it and all the lights were off and the shelves were empty. Woopsie, again.

 

OKAY. On to the Throw Down. Sorry for the delay.

 

Chef: Nigella Lawson

It has been said that the Nigella’s recipe for success includes “a liberal dollop of cleavage and innuendo”.

Tis true….but I’m not gonna hate on her…because everyone would know it’s just because I’m jealous.  She’s flawless.

 

Recipe: Ritzy Chicken Nuggets

CLICK HERE for Full Recipe

*Tonight I decided to do “kid food” since it was just me and the kids tonight.*

 

Process: (so much for not photographing raw chicken) :(

The recipe says these can be baked or fried. We opted for the oven since we were frying our French fries. IF you make these in the oven…DO use parchment or spray the sheet. I forgot and they were difficult to remove.

     

 

Serving:

REVIEW:

These were definitely a hit with the kids….as you can see…

 

They were incredibly easy and the buttermilk made the meat so tender. My only complaint is that they weren’t seasoned well enough. Next time I will definitely blend some seasoning into the cracker crumbs…but the kids didn’t complain. Great kid fare…but I still prefer my garlic parmesan nuggets. Sorry Nigella. You are still gorgeous.

 

VIDEO REVIEW:

 

And one last clip…for Bryce’s fans.

Tomorrow night…Breakfast. Stay Tuned!