30 April 2009

You and me goin' grillin' in the dark...

Ok, so I know it's really fishing in the dark, but we got a late start on dinner last night and our yard light needs a new light bulb, so we were grilling by flashlight.


It didn't seem to hamper the outcome though... our first attempt at grilled pizza was a home run!

I made the dough in my food processor and used the recipe in the manual/recipe book. It has basil and parmesan in it and made 2 thin crust pizza's. Perfect for us since Brian likes a lot more onions than I do.

We had some leftover chicken that we just chunked up, we carmelized some red onions, assembled our work tray, and headed out with the flash light.

First, we brushed the grill with oil, then put the crust on until one side was nice and toasty, then we flipped and added pesto, spinach, chicken, onions, feta cheese, and an italian blend and let the other side cook.
They were delish! We served the grilled pizza alongside Jodi's salad that we are eating everyday this week!

I have to finish some sewing! Happy Weekend!

28 April 2009

Yes, I'm Still Here...

So very sorry for the delay in posting! My mother-in-law came down with a pretty bad viral infection so I have been taking a few shifts watching our nephews. They are really fun. Anyhow, her follow up appointment was yesterday, and it was not MERSA, just a bad viral infection, so we are very grateful for that.
Also, congrats to my brother in-law Ben, father in-law Denny, and our friends Nick and Willie for winning the Blue Water YMCA Salmon Stakes Tournament this year! Bring on fishing season!

On that note, I really have been busy... Here is my progress report...
The Speedy Cable Cowl and Beret are finished...


Please forgive my lack of creativity while I find places in and around my house to photograph things.

The Fisherman's Shrug is finished too, it has not had a great photo opp yet, but here it is. Yeah, I need a better pic of this...
I finished this Breadcloth for Erin's Shower - isn't it cute?



For Easter I made Cherry Turnovers from Everyday Food # 41 - April 2007

They were a HUGE hit! I had no idea my father-in law's favorite was cherries! I have now made them 4 times. I made a double batch for his birthday last week and he was elated! Trust me on this... the Pepperidge Farms Frozen Puff Pastry is the BEST. And add at least 1 Tablespoon almond extract to the cherries! If someone is allergic to eggs, using a milk wash can substitute, but the egg wash is first choice. These are delish!

I also made a Welch Kringle. The recipe is posted under Sweet Stuff, click the link to get it! My mom's cousin Mary Lou made this when we visited in Seattle a few years ago and was generous enough to send me the local cookbook it was from. This would be the perfect base for a fruit tart. But it is PERFECTLY Yummy on it's own. There was NONE left!
Thanks Mary Lou!  Um, maybe I should make it again soon?

This is a great recipe for Asian Chicken Soup, also from the April 2007 Everyday Food. You will soon see that I am getting A LOT of use from this issue. I am not a bell pepper person, so I of course omitted the peppers, and I think I used lemon juice instead of lime. But this soup had really good flavor. The only problem was the noodles. When I made it, everything was perfect. By the time Brian got home, the broth was brown and the noodles were mushy. So this is definately a serve immediately dish. The leftovers tasted good, but again, were mushy.
** Edited to say: (I also used the water/granulated chicken boullion (sodium free) instead of chicken broth for this soup)

And then there was this dinner...

Top: Greek Chicken Cutlets - yep, Everyday Food #41, April 2007 (I didn't have any mint, opps)
Left: Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli (sodium free here people! not from a box!!!) Everyday Food #45 (another of my fav issues) September 2007 oh, and you are welcome mom... told you I would find one! My Substitutions to make it Sodium Free - omit the chicken broth and use 14.5 oz. water and 2 tsp. Sodium Free Granulated Chicken Boullion( Wylers and Herbox both make one) I also added about 1 tsp. granulated garlic. (BTW - there were no leftovers of the rice)

Right: Just roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, but we eat these little green leafy things weekly!

I think I have perfected the recipe for Chicken Chili, so I will be bringing that to you very soon.

The Barcelona Bolero is on the needles, Jamie's snake is almost done, I just need the stuffing and to sew it together and there are socks on the needles too. Oh, and I snuck in a really easy pair of mittens this weekend too! ( they were purple though) I think April and May will be Green Month's, because there is no way I will have the Bolero finished by Thursday. The snake, maybe. The Bolero, not a chance!

Upcoming posts: Fresh Salmon recipes and Grilled Pizza which I will try to post this week still!

01 April 2009

Apparently, April is Green Month...

I was finishing the black jacket (pics coming soon) last night and pondering my next project(s).  Apparently, April is going to be Green Month. Well, bring on spring!


And yes, Ruger likes to be in photos too!

The chunky yarn on the right is Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick. I couldn't wait, so the cowl is already finished and just needs the seam sewn. I will more than likely have the matching beret done tonight.

The small skein of light green yarn is going to be a snake for Jamie's Birthday in May and I can't wait to start on it. Problem... what I want it to look like is in my head, and not on paper anywhere that I can find. Oh, well, I have until May.  I haven't figured out what to make with the Homespun yet, but it could be a hat and mittens someday.

I also have some socks and fingerless gloves to work on too when time allows... HA!

The other night for dinner Brian & I made this...
The Simple Risotto is from Everyday Food #51 and is our fav risotto recipe. It has several variations and is just heavenly! And the scallops... ah, the scallops. Seared Scallops with Lemon-Butter Sauce is from Weight Watchers Annual Recipes for Success 2009. Delish! Don't worry Dad, we will make them for you soon!

My family loves the Wet Burritos at Liberty Lanes (we don't bowl, we just go for the Burritos!) and I think we have almost perfected them!

Let us know what you did different or any suggestions you have!
Mom and I made these for dinner on Saturday night. They were almost perfect, and huge. We need to find the same plates that they use at the bowling alley. We had to bake them on pie plates. Yep, I was drinking wine & milk with dinner that night, the sauce was pretty spicy!

I am heading to the lake this weekend to get some scrapbooking done. Our wedding album is almost finished and I am spending the day on Friday in the basement with Lean Mean Thirteen, the space heater and Stormy.











Have a wonderful weekend! And bring on the Green of Spring!