Thursday, August 30, 2007

Cheddar Bacon Hamburgers

So, we didn't watch a movie and we didn't try a new recipe last night. I guess we're slacking. However, over the weekend, we tried these new hamburgers. They were wonderful!!

Cheddar Bacon Hamburgers
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Ready In: 20 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup real bacon bits
1 egg
splash of A-1 Steak Sauce

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef, Cheddar cheese, horseradish, salt, pepper, garlic powder, bacon bits, egg and A-1 using your hands. Shape the mixture into 4 hamburger patties.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place hamburger patties on the grill, and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until well done.

Adam - ****
Melanie - *****

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Like little ducks in a row...

You'll probably have to enlarge the picture to see it... but I thought the image of these trucks was kind of comical. =)

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A fun deviation

Click on the person below!


Thanks Margaret! =)

Monday, August 27, 2007

A picture is worth a thousand words

When Addy was five weeks old, I decided that it would be fun to have her pictures taken every month of her first year. I blame that idea on some crazy post-partem hormonal thing. JC Penney and Sears have programs to hook sleep deprived, emotional, 'my-baby's-never-going- to-be-this-young-again' thinking Moms. No sitting fees and entire packages as low as $8. So, for as little as $96, parents can have their baby captured in time by a professional photographer 12 times in that first year. So, we started. The first appointment (at 5 weeks) was pretty stressful. Not because of Addy, but because of the mayhem that is considered 'normal' in these photography studios.

I fed Addy just before we left. She was eating every three hours, so I figured that she'd be well fed (and thus happy) for her pictures which were scheduled to be taken 45 minutes after we left the house. I thought that I had it all under control - I had scheduled the first appointment of the day so that I knew that I could be in and out before the rush of the day. Of course, this is the where I have to say that the control that I had was only in my mind.

We arrived at the studio to find one person answering the phones, greeting the public, taking pictures, placing orders and digitally enhancing the pictures before the orders could be placed. You might wonder how, since I was the first appointment of the day, all of this was going on. It turns out that there had been two 'walk-ins' that the photographer had decided to try to squeeze in to the 15 minutes between the time that the studio opened and the first sitting of the day. The photographer was running around like a chicken with her head cut off - and while she was nice, it appeared that the stress was starting to mount.

If things weren't off to a rough start already, one of the photo shoots that had been squeezed in ahead of Addy was of a two month old who was screaming his head off. His Mom tried to calm him down by bringing him out into the waiting area - where Addy and I were. If you don't know, babies have this sympathy gene built into their brains... if one starts crying within earshot of another, the listening baby usually starts crying too. So, I pulled Addy's flap of her bunting closed again and tried rocking the baby carrier - hoping that she would stay asleep. And then I tried to remain calm.

About two hours after Addy's feeding (and an hour and fifteen minutes after our appointment time), we were led into the studio. The photographer was in and out and in and out - still wearing her 'Jill of all trades' hat. After a few shots, we realized that Addy was clearly spent and decided that the few pictures that we had were going to be good enough. I ordered some pictures as quickly as possible - holding Addy who was being a quite a trooper, though hungry, tired and manhandled. I carried out a screaming baby carrier - glad to be done and swearing that it would be different next time. I thought that I had learned some tricks that would make the next time a little better. (It turns out that I had, but I was greeted with a whole different set of problems at month two).

After the first two months, I changed photography studios - but have found a similarly chaotic one person run operation at the new one too. So, I'm thinking that this is just what it is. Things are getting easier now that Addy is getting a little older... but every time is still something of an adventure. (I've found that even picking up an order leaves me with stories to tell as well.)

I think that I've left every sitting sweaty and stressed. But truly and honestly glad that we did it. I have to say - we've gotten some great shots along the way. All in all, I guess that it's worth it - and we're almost halfway done now... just seven more sessions to go. Of course, I know that I've set a precedent if we decide to have more kids. Hmm... double the fun? =)

Scary movies

I don't really have a movie review for the week... we rented several and while they were alright, they weren't really anything to 'write home about'. Ha! =) I've posted my star ratings (out of 5) and brief synopses of some of them below. All of these movies are scary movies - though I must say they scared me in different ways.

Rosemary's Baby **
I had never seen this before, but I have quite an issue with the ending of this movie - it poses quite the conundrum I think. Unconditional love vs. evil. I don't like the ending at all. Who comes up with these ideas?

Keeping Mum **
This is a British 'comedy' (at least I guess that's probably how it would be categorized). It has big names - Rowan Atkinson, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze. It's definitely odd. It can only be said that this movie is 'light-hearted' because it's not real.

The Ice Storm *
So I'm not sure how it happened, but a friend and I rented this movie in high school. It has a star heavy cast (though I don't know how many of them were stars in the late 1990s) - Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, Toby Maguire, Elijah Wood, Christina Ricci, Katie Holmes... I remember that I just didn't get the movie back then. That coupled with the fact that didn't remember much of it made me want to watch it again now to see if I missed something the first time. Turns out that I didn't miss anything - this is a horrible movie. It's very dark - along the lines of American Beauty and depressing and awful. I don't know what we were thinking when we rented it 10 years ago... or two days ago.

Here's hoping for a better (and lighter) group of movies this week!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Citrus chicken

Last night for our 'dinner and a movie night' we had citrus chicken and watched The Ex. Both the movie and the dinner fell into the realm of 'ok'.

Citrus Chicken
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 red onion, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
1. Coat chicken with flour, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, and sautee garlic until tender. Add chicken and sautee until browned.
2. Pour orange juice concentrate over chicken and cover; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, then stir in vegetable stock, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, basting with skillet juices.
3. Add oregano, thyme and onion; mix well and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Chicken: Adam *** 1/2, Melanie *** 1/2
Movie: Adam ** 1/2; Melanie ** 1/2

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Art or Jello?


This is a dessert that I made this weekend. It's just a simple Jello dessert (time and refrigeration are the only extra things required) - but really kind of pretty too! Thanks to Adam for taking the picture!

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

The sun is always shining...

...erm, setting somewhere (well almost always!). Click here to see!

Monday, August 20, 2007

Things gone awry

It started with our wireless connection. The garage door was next and the screensaver followed. Then the radio.

These are all electronic items that have gone haywire in our house in the last two weeks. And it’s starting to freak me out.

The issue is not that these things stop working. The issue is that they work on their own terms.

Our wireless connection, for some reason, is no longer ‘always on’. (For those of you who check rhinoworld, you’ve probably noticed this lately as the computer that has rhinoworld on it is connected to the web via our wireless connection.) When it goes off, we just have to wait for it to come back on – there’s no rhyme or reason to it. Adam has tried everything he knows to make it work. If it doesn’t want to work, it just doesn’t.

Then for three days last week, the garage door just didn’t work. Sometimes it would raise three inches and stop and other times it just wouldn’t do anything. We thought the motor was gone until Thursday night, it mysteriously just started working again. Like nothing ever happened.

Our computer screensaver is working on its own terms as well. We’ve actually had a case of burn-in because the screensaver never started. We’ve taken to turning the screen off now… though sometimes when we turn on the screen to use the computer, the screensaver is working. But not all the time.

We have a radio in the kitchen that has an alarm on it (though we never use the alarm and rarely use the radio). Just last week, the alarm started going off at 7:00am and again at 8:00am. It just happened.

Adam thinks that there may be sunspots (or something like that) wreaking havoc in our home. I’m beginning to think that our house is haunted. Ok, not really, but you have to admit, it is more than a little strange. I just hope that the dishwasher doesn’t decide to blow up mid-rinse!

So, with no explanation, we keep on searching for the mystery. It makes life a little more interesting I suppose – waiting for the next thing to turn off or on. Maybe someday we’ll have logical explanations for all of these things. For now, just consider us trapped in our garage with no wireless connection but with a burned in screen, being woken at 7:00 and then again at 8:00. It’s a crazy life.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Stardust ***1/2 (out of *****)

Adam was very excited about this movie (especially since it was made from one of his favorite books), so we went to see it opening day. I didn’t know much about the plot before going to see it but Adam told me to expect it to be a cross between The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. That’s a good way to explain the feel of it. It’s a fantastic world – with magic and curses and clearly delineated good and evil.

Movies about the fantastic are really hit or miss with me. I go in hoping to be ‘wowed’, but often times I leave disappointed. Adam knows that, but I think that he knew that the storyline would get me on this one. After the movie, he actually said that he felt me go from ‘semi-interested’ to ‘actually-interested’ halfway through the movie. He was right – down to the very scene. It’s the scene where the storyline takes over the movie. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I think that you’ll understand if you see the movie.

Claire Danes was great – she reminded me a lot of Kate Winslet (one of my favorites!) and was not at all angsty (as Adam had feared). Charlie Cox was a good pick for shopboy/explorer, but was more believable as an explorer than a shopboy (which is alright since the movie is really about his exploration). And Robert DeNiro was amusing in a very unusual role for him. The cast was large and, overall, provided some good laughs along the way.

Adam felt the movie stayed as true to the book as possible without confusing the viewer, though he felt that the movie was a bit scattered at times. I have to say I didn’t feel that, but then that may be because I haven’t read the book.

So, I liked the movie. There were some heavier scenes and some unsavory bits, but overall, it didn’t take itself too seriously and it provided a fairytale like feeling for the most part. It was an enjoyable movie that provided several laughs and even some warm fuzzies.

Friday, August 17, 2007

Meatball subs and cookies

On Wednesday night, we had meatball subs and super super easy cookies. We watched Drive Me Crazy (or, more accurately had it on in the background) as we finished up some projects around the house.

Meatball Sandwiches
Yields: 4 sandwiches

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated
Parmesan cheese 1 egg, beaten
1 French baguette
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch salt, or to taste
1 (14 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices provolone cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, gently mix by hand the ground beef, bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, garlic, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and egg. Shape into 12 meatballs, and place in a baking dish.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cooked through. Meanwhile, cut the baguette in half lengthwise, and remove some of the bread from the inside to make a well for the meatballs. Brush with olive oil, and season with garlic powder and salt. Slip the baguette into the oven during the last 5 minutes of the meatball's time, or until lightly toasted.
4. While the bread toasts, warm the spaghetti sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. When the meatballs are done, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce. Spoon onto the baguette and top with slices of provolone cheese. Return to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Cool slightly, cut into servings, and enjoy!


White Cake Cookies
Yields: 24 cookies

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggs
1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix together cake mix, eggs and oil in a large bowl.
2. Make little balls with the dough and set on ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 4 - 10 minutes

Sandwiches: Adam ****, Melanie **** 1/2
Cookies: Adam ***; Melanie ****
Movie: Adam ** 1/2; Melanie ***

(Sorry Anna - we forgot to take pictures - next time we will though!)

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Where's Addy?


Adam took this picture at one of the Summer Concerts in the Park recently. He thought that it would be fun to play the "Where's Waldo?" game with Addy. She's in there... can you spot her? =)

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Geocaching

Adam, Addy and I found a fun new hobby recently - geocaching! Here's the deal - someone hides a treasure box (aka: geocache) with random things in it - ie: small toy figurines, cheap CDs, pens, candy etc. and then enters the latitude and longitude coordinates online at the geocaching website. Then someone else (usually completely unrelated to the geocache placer) finds the listing on the website, and armed with GPS, tries to find the geocache. Upon finding the box, the geocache hunter leaves a small token and takes one item in return. Most of the time, there is a log book at the treasure site as well, so the hunter notes that he/she was there. Then, the geocache box is replaced by the hunter just as it was - so that the fun can continue for others!

We went out on Saturday afternoon and found two geocaches and gave up on a third. We found the first one relatively easily (which has been there since 2002!) and left one of Adam's super cool origami pieces. There was a child's hat in the geocache - knitted to look like the Microsoft logo which was just perfect for Addy, so we took that in return.


Can you see the geocache?

The official game piece!

Addy and her new hat!

Then we went on to the second geocache - it was a little harder to find, but we found it under the branches of a large tree. It was a 'log only' geocache, so we left our name on the log and moved on to the next one.

Our second geocache - only 2 inches by 2 inches

The third one escaped us completely (see our map/route below). We were losing the light and the GPS satellite was having a hard time finding us through all of the trees, so we temporarily gave up on that one. But we'll be back - I'm sure of it!

The trusty navigator!!

Our route to find the third geocache. Luck just wasn't with us!!

The website rates the sites on difficulty and terrain, so it was easy to find hunts that were appropriate to do with Addy. It was a fun way to spend a few hours. I guess even scavenger hunts can go high tech!

Monday, August 13, 2007

Memories

Addy is almost six months old. Watching her grow and learn is so much fun and incredibly amazing. It seems like she is able to do something new every day now. It’s so hard for me to believe that she’ll never remember this important time in her life.

Adam and I were talking last night about our first memories and also the first time that we actually remember what daily life was like. If we’re any indication of when conscious memory sets in, Addy still has a way to go before she starts doing things that she’ll ever remember.

There are tidbits that I remember from early childhood. My first memory comes from the day before my second birthday – I remember climbing on the kitchen table to stick my fingers into my chocolate birthday cake (with the Big Bird candle). I accomplished my goal too – with one finger. My Mom, hearing the commotion from just up the stairs ran down, and upon seeing her almost two year old daughter with a chocolate finger, perched upon the table cried out “Oh fiddlesticks!”.

I don’t remember anything else that specifically until a few years later. But I do remember being extremely excited about the two pairs of pants that I received probably when I was probably about three. They had back pockets – and that was the height of cool. I’d walk around all day looking for things to put in those back pockets. I’d collect stray strings, small pebbles and who knows what else. It was exciting I tell you.

I think that the next detailed memory that I had took place a couple years later. We were in a hotel (which was incredibly exciting) and I remember as I got ready for bed I realized that I didn’t have my lovey to sleep with. It was a five inch high white kitty atop a small heart pillow – and it was at home. Before I even had a chance to say something about it, my Mom pulled it out of the suitcase. Even at that young age, I remember thinking that I must be pretty special for her to bring that all the way to the hotel for me!

I start to remember daily life around Kindergarten – it’s there that I remember more about how things were, rather than just seeing snapshots in time. But it’s funny to look back at those snapshots from early childhood – I wonder what it was about those specific situations that left such impressions. I’ve heard it said that the first memory influences who a person becomes. That sounds a lot like pop psychology to me… but maybe there’s more to it than I realize.

I wonder what Addy’s first memories will be. I hope that they’re filled with excitement, wonder and love. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime though, she’s definitely filling our lives and memories-to-be with those incredible things.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

The Bourne Ultimatum **** (out of *****)

I loved The Bourne Identity. It may be my favorite action flick (though The Italian Job is up there too). I was really disappointed by The Bourne Supremacy. The relationship that I loved so much between Jason and Marie was ended 15 minutes into the movie… and needlessly so. The movie left me wanting to keep Jason and Marie at the little seaside scooter rental shop (with the burn bag flower pot) that was the end of Identity.

Even with all that being said, I was very excited to see The Bourne Ultimatum. Watching Jason Bourne work within the system to fight the system is still fun – and Ultimatum provided a lot of that. The film’s first sequence – between Bourne and the reporter – provided the audience with a glimpse of the amazing training that Bourne had received and also again revealed Bourne’s incredible intelligence. He was always one step ahead and that was exciting to watch.

The movie continued without much of a plot and of course included much mayhem along the way. Julia Stiles gave her best performance of the trilogy (though I love Julia Stiles, that’s not saying a lot). But still, it’s nice to go out with the best. The action part of the movie was great – fantastic explosions and even some Crouching Tiger fight scenes. Of course Jason Bourne is invincible throughout all.

By the end of the movie, Jason has remembered everything – more than he wanted to, but the memories provided closure for him that he couldn’t have achieved otherwise. Treadstone is evil and Bourne finally escapes once and for all (well for now I guess. There’s still a little wiggle room left for another movie…). However I choose to believe that the series is over.

All in all, Ultimatum was a very good action movie and it was leaps and bounds above Supremacy. It was still nowhere close to Identity. But it’s definitely a fun ride – just don’t expect too much plot along the way!

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Taco chili

We kind of wimped out on the dinner and a movie night last night. It was too chilly to go to the park for a movie, so we stayed home. The West Wing goes perfectly with any type of food!

Taco Chili
1 pound ground beef
1 1.2-ounce package taco seasoning mix
2 15-ounce cans chunky Mexican-style tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans
1/2 cup hot water
shredded cheese, sour cream and fritos for toppings

1. In a large skillet, cook ground beef until brown. Drain fat.
2. In a 3.5 to 4 quart slow cooker combine the cooked ground beef, taco seasoning mix, undrained tomatoes, undrained beans and hot water. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 3 hours.
3. Top with cheese, sour cream and fritos.

Chili: Adam ****; Melanie ****1/2
West Wing : Adam *****; Melanie *****

(PS - does anyone out there have another show as good as The West Wing? This is our third time through the series (all seven seasons) in less than three years, so it's probably time to start something else.)

S'mores

We had s'mores out on our back deck recently. Here's Adam hamming it up for the camera! (Obviously he's a 'light the marshmallow on fire' person!) =)

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Tearjerkers

I'm not sure why we like to watch movies that make us cry... What are your favorites?

Here are the top 50 tearjerkers (as rated by Entertainment Weekly)

#s 50-26 #s 25-1

Some major cry-fests missing from the list:
My Girl
Delovely
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Beaches

My favorites from the list:
Dead Poets Society
Titanic
The Notebook
Rudy
The Moulin Rouge
Glory

Monday, August 6, 2007

I bought it on ebay

I have been looking for a specific type of outfit for Addy’s 6 month pictures – and having no luck. I didn’t want to spend a lot of time looking in stores and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money either. Then someone suggested ebay. So, ‘what the heck?’, I thought.

That’s when it started. I typed in a search and got hundreds of results. Many outfits were new with tags still attached and most were priced very cheaply. So I bid on one and started looking through the other clothes that were offered. There were thousands of listings of baby clothes – new and cheap (much cheaper than in the stores, even with shipping). This clearly could become a dangerous place for the serious bargain shopper… I realize that I’m walking on thin ice.

As I’ve started watching auctions, I see that there’s definitely a method to the madness in order to actually pick up the bargains. I’ve seen a couple of auctions where the bids far surpassed the value of the item. It’s exciting to start bidding, and bidding wars raise adrenaline. That, combined with the time counting down to the end of the auction can create a bidding frenzy. I guess that is what all auctions are about – virtual and in person. Ebay is not for the weak willed. I wonder if it’s not for the super competitive either! =)

When I was five years old, my grandparents sold their farm and all of their equipment at a large auction. My parents and I went to Minnesota to be there for the sale. I was completely fascinated by the auctioneer. I remember asking my Dad if he was a human (in my five year old mind, I thought that he might be a robot). As my Dad answered, he told me to not point (as I had done when I asked my question) because I didn’t want to make a bid accidentally. Things were pretty crazy that day and in all of the commotion, I suppose that a blonde haired little girl could have made a bid – committing her Dad or Mom to purchase a tractor or a combine – something that neither parent needed or wanted. The crazy thing about it though, is that after watching ebay a little while, I would venture a guess that some people could have done that all by themselves as well – without a daughter in tow.

After my week watching auctions, I expect that buyers’ remorse runs rampant on ebay… But, I guess it could be worse – the buyer can become the seller pretty easily and start the ‘circle of ebay’ all over again. =)

Friday, August 3, 2007

Rhinoworld...

has been made over. Please head over there and then let me know what you think! Thanks! =)

The Simpsons Movie *** ½ (out of *****)

We went to see The Simpsons Movie yesterday at the parent/baby screening. Because I had seen a couple scenes (and laughed out loud at them!), I was looking forward to seeing the whole movie. I should probably insert the disclaimer here - I’m not a huge Simpsons fan. Don’t get me wrong, I like the show just fine… it’s just really not ‘have to see TV’ for me.

So anyway, off we went to see the movie. The basic plot: Homer, through his crazy shenanigans, dooms Springfield to quarantine and then annihilation. The family finds their way out of quarantine and moves to Alaska in order to ‘start over’, but soon after hearing that Springfield and all of its residents will be destroyed, go back (sans Homer) to save the town. Homer, with the help of a truth-seer, goes back to try and fix the problem he created, but ends up dooming the town just as it seems like the residents of Springfield are about to save themselves. However, with only seconds to spare, Homer manages another town-saving attempt and is successful. And they all live happily ever after... or at least as happily ever after as the Simpsons can live. Don’t worry – knowing the ending to the story doesn’t ruin anything. Truly, the plot is not the reason to see this movie. =)

There were good moments and I laughed out loud at more than the couple spots that I knew about. It was entertaining for its 86 minutes and I’m glad that we went to see it.

I was excited to see the movie. But yet I still had no real expectations for it. And I think that was good.

So, yay for Homer and the gang. I’m glad that they pulled it out and saved Springfield, Wherever (which is now, we know, obviously not in Alaska).

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Grilled chicken and blackberry cobbler

The fam went to see The Devil Wears Prada in the park for our 'dinner and a movie night' last night. Our dinner was, again, more of the picnic variety, but we did try something new. We had Chicken Caesar Salad (chicken from recipe below added to a bagged Caesar salad bag), French Bread and Blackberry Cobbler.

Grilled chicken:
INGREDIENTS:
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon basalmic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness

DIRECTIONS:
1. Whisk together lime juice, vinegar, orange juice, broth, and honey in a bowl until the honey dissolves. Add salt, pepper, chipotle powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, oregano, cumin, ginger, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and olive oil; whisk to mix. Place chicken breasts into a resealable plastic bag, pour in marinade, and coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil grate.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess; discard remaining marinade. Cook chicken on the preheated grill approximately 5 to 7 minutes per side, or until the juices run clear and there are no signs of pink in the meat.


I picked the below cobbler recipe because I thought that I could pick blackberries from around our yard to use. Though there were some in the yard, there weren't 4 cups worth that were ripe. So I raided our fridge. Instead of the four cups of blackberries that the recipe calls for, I used one cup of blackberries, one cup of sliced strawberries, one cup of sliced apricots and one cup of sliced pears. Also, because I wanted to use this recipe, I finally seasoned the cast iron skillet that we received as a wedding present. =)

Blackberry cobbler:
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.
3. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Mix in remaining 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and blackberries. Transfer to a cast iron skillet, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Drop dough into the skillet by spoonfuls. Place skillet on the foil lined baking sheet.
4. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until dough is golden brown.

Ratings (out of *****):
Chicken: Adam ***; Melanie **1/2
Cobbler: Adam ****; Melanie *****
Movie: Adam ***; Melanie ***

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

To be a kid again (cont'd)


Here are a couple more pictures from last night. I just couldn't resist taking these couple shots - the fact that this little one's clothes match the sidewalk chalk colors is too perfect!

To be a kid again

Every Tuesday night, a bunch of Microsofties get together and play games, so Addy and I have Girls' Night Out while Adam is gaming. Since all of the surrounding towns have 'Concerts in the Park' during the summer months, we've been making the rounds to all of the nearby suburbs' concerts. Last night, we went to Issaquah's weekly concert and had a great time. There was live music (obviously), a sidewalk chalk art contest and cardboard sledding. Addy and I watched the kids sled down the hill for quite a while - it was a hoot. I hope that this picture captures the (almost) controlled chaos.