Life is Entertaining

Life with a two-year-old in the house when you're in your fifties is entertaining.  There are very few moments of boredom when youngsters fill your evenings and weekends.

Last night my grandson, Liam, decided he was going to sleep in my bed.  He announced in his cool, crisp little voice "Gammy's bed" as he climbed the doggie stairs to crawl in next to PaPa (his ultimate favorite person).  He fell asleep quickly and PaPa got up to go watch TV in another room and fell asleep.  By the time I went to bed, I woke Emily (Liam's mom) and she decided she'd sleep on one side of Liam and I'd sleep on the other. Aerobic bedtime doesn't even begin to describe the night I had.

     Liam rolls over on me -- the dogs (who think it's their bed) growl

     I roll over on my side to give Liam a little more room -- the dogs growl again

     Liam rolls closer -- I pick him up and put him back in the middle where he began the night

     Liam rolls over on me -- the dogs growl more

     Okay - you get the picture.  A very restful night!

At 5:00 AM Liam wakes up screaming "PaPa".  Of course, PaPa is not in bed.  After a diaper change and a refilled cup of milk I thought the little man might go back to sleep.  Oh no!  Only PaPa would do.  PaPa came in to get him and he laid down with him in the bunk beds for about 20 minutes.  Just as I was falling back to sleep I heard a sweet little voice saying "Gammy's bed" as he climbed the stairs once again.  I told him to lie down on the pillows and he immediately began to yell for PaPa yet again.

Needless to say, there was no more sleep for anyone in the house.  But . . . that is not the end of the story.

As I was showering this morning I heard a loud thud.  Liam had climbed into the bathtub in his jammies and diaper.  He looked up at me saying "shower -- shower".  He was so cute!  I was trying to rinse my hair and he said, "Gammy - shower mine".  Who knew?  At two, he's taken over my bed and the shower.  What's left?

As for me, I was tired - very tired - today.  Liam -- he had a 2 1/2 hour nap this afternoon.  He's good to go!

Emma's in France - What an Experience

I admit that I was apprehensive about Emma and Matt leaving the country, but they are having a wonderful time in France.  Emma sent a few pictures today.  They are staying in a little town about 5 hours outside of Paris.  I got quite a kick out of the picture of the beds in their room -- there were two twin size beds - she says one is actually smaller than a twin and is called a single.  I asked her if they pushed them together and she said they tried, but they are on wheels and they keep rolling apart.  Ah . . . sweet, romantic memories for the two of them.

They are trying foods they wouldn't normally eat and finding out they really like them.  This is a fantastic opportunity for the two of them.

The plated food was dinner for them Monday night.  The pretty gate was in front of a residence.

They have cooking classes each morning and then scheduled tours each afternoon.  They have a few hours of free time too on a couple of days.

I love that Emma has this chance to travel to France, but I will be breathing a little easier when we pick them up at the airport next Saturday.

Guacamole Party Dip

Do you want to be the star of your next pot luck event?  Well, give this Guacamole Party Dip recipe a try.  It is unbelievably good, and I'm proud to say, it's my own recipe.

2 large avocados
1 pkg of Produce Partners or Tostitos brand Guacamole seasoning
1 (14 oz) can of whole kernel white corn
2 cups of Pico de Gallo (see my recipe -- it's on this blog)
1 can of black olives (sliced into quarters)
1 cup of Ranch Dressing (I like Wishbone Guacamole Ranch Dressing)

Mash the avocados and add the seasoning mix.
Place in the bottom of a clear glass 2-quart casserole or serving dish.
Top with one can of white corn (drained)
Top with Pico de Gallo
Top with the sliced black olives
Pour the Ranch dressing over the top

Making this dip is pretty labor intensive, but it's so worth it!  Serve it with Totstitos.

Pico de Gallo

I have become a big fan of Pico de Gallo.  I used to buy lots of salsa, but these days I make my own Pico de Gallo and use it in every recipe that lists salsa as an ingredient.  It's so easy to make!

2 fresh red tomatoes (seeded and diced)
1/2 red onion (diced)
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Cilantro
1 garlic clove (pressed)
1 Jalapeno (diced) -- I leave this out
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper

The secret to really good Pico de Gallo is making sure your cuts of the tomatoes and onions are the same size.

Combine all of the ingredients and then refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

I don't like the flavor of jalapeno, so I leave that out.  I know most people love it, so use it as you like.

 I use Pico de Gallo when I make Guacamole, Fajitas, Layered Dips and just as a dip for Tostitos.  It is a family favorite.

Our grandson, Liam, had surgery last Friday to tighten the muscles in his eyes to prevent them from crossing.  Our poor little guy is just terrified of going to the doctor, so he begins crying when we enter the doctor's office and doesn't stop until he is safely back in his car seat in the car.  Needless to say, this gets to be a little unnerving!  Imaging how much screaming he did when we arrived at Cardinal Glennon as instructed 2 1/2 hours before his scheduled surgery.  Once the doctors and nurses in Pre-Op had their fill of his unwavering screaming they suggested a sedation they called Baby Valium - it had a formal name, but I can't remember it.  Emily and I were relieved that Liam's crying would stop.  

The drug was in liquid form, and of course, Liam threw almost all of it back up since he'd been crying for so long.  Our first thought was, "Oh no!  Now it won't work."  But two minutes later we began recording the following videos.  Poor Liam could barely remember the words to Ring Around the Rosie or figure out how to play Pat-A-Cake!  It's impossible not to have a chuckle!

It was quite a trying day, but Liam's eyes look great!  

A Little Meat Math

Do you ever find yourself struggling to figure out just how much meat to buy for a meal or dinner party?  Just follow the chart below:

Meat                                                       Per Person

Lean or Extra Lean Ground Meat              1/4 lb

Spareribs                                                  1 lb

Steaks - boneless tenderloin,
rib-eye, sirloin                                           1/4 lb

Steak - T-bone                                         6 oz

Chicken - boneless                                   4 oz

Chicken - bone-in                                     1/2 lb


To figure out how much meat you'll need for a party just multiply the amounts shown by the number of guests you expect.  Add a few extra servings to have enough for second servings or leftovers.

Asian Sesame Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is an inspiration from, believe it or not, two different recipes that have nothing to do with one another.  I made a salmon dinner for my hubby's birthday this week.  I don't usually prepare seafood unless it's crab, lobster or shrimp.  But . . . for the hubby's 60th  birthday, I had to make an exception.  The salmon was baked with an Asian glaze and I almost liked it.

I'm a lover of sweet potatoes and I'm always looking for ways to fix them that the family will find appealing.  I chunked the 3 lbs of sweet potatoes and topped them with the Asian glaze and baked them.  They are delicious!  And not loaded with brown sugar and butter.

3 lbs of sweet potatoes (peeled and chunked)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame seeds (I toasted them)
1 tsp dried minced onions
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel and chunk the sweet potatoes and place them in a foil-lined 13 x 9" baking pan.  Drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

Combine the remaining ingredients and stir to mix well.  Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes and stir to coat.  Roast the potatoes for 20 more minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to sit for five minutes before serving.

Liam Cracking Up

Kids are priceless!  My grandson, Liam was just finishing dinner tonight as I was watching American Idol.  I simply cleared my throat and he totally cracked up.  This poor child laughed so hard he couldn't catch his breath.  His face was totally red!  I ran for the camera hoping to recreate the moment.  This was as close as I came.  Note the mashed potatoes in his hair, eyes, ears, and lap.  Needless to say, his glasses had to be removed -- it's a little tough to see through mashed potatoes. 

This is a can't miss!  Give yourself a smile moment and watch this video.

Super Bowl Menu

I am a football fan, and Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year.  It's the biggest game of the year!  Food is part of the game experience, but should not take the host away from the excitement. 

So . . . here we go . . .  This was our Super Bowl menu this year.

 

 

There was plenty of good food.  The menu centered around "Hooter's Chicken Wings" (not pictured here - they went into the large white serving bowl).  I deep fry wings breaded in the Hooter's brand breading and then coat them with Hooter's wing sauce just before serving.  We had an assortment of fresh veggies and dips (Dill and Fiesta Ranch) and fresh fruit.  There was fresh shrimp and cocktail sauce, Guacamole and Tostitos, sliced cheeses and Greek Salad Bites.  The table looked great and the food was yummy!

 

The Greek Salad Bites are so easy to make and they are delicious.  You have to give this recipe a try when you want to impress your friends.

 

3 - 4 Persian cucumbers sliced into 1/4" rounds

12 cherry tomatoes (halved) -- look for small round ones

24 black olives

1 pkg of fresh mozzarella cheese (cut 24 square cubes)

 

Dressing

 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp oregano
Fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Use a toothpick to skewer the tomato, then the cucumber, then the olive and finish with a cube of mozzarella cheese.  Repeat until all ingredients are gone. 

Arrange on a serving platter.

Put lemon, oil, fresh pepper and oregano in a jar and shake to mix well.  Drizzle dressing over the skewers just before serving. 

This is a very easy dish to make and it looks really impressive.

Breakfast for Dinner

The weather has been very cold this week and it's definitely been the perfect week for comfort food.  Tonight we took it one step futher . . . we had breakfast for dinner.  Who doesn't like that?

The menu:    Scrambled eggs
                    Bacon
                    Fried potatoes and onions
                    Country gravy

It was definitely a home run dinner.  The only thing missing was everyone dressed in their PJs. 


Last weekend my hubby asked me, "How do you make your eggs so fluffy?"   I guess the grandkids don't like his eggs so much.  :)

My secret to fluffy eggs is to add about 1/2 cup of milk to about 12 eggs. Whip with a whisk until somewhat frothy.  Pour into a pan with melted butter over medium heat.  Keep your egg mixture moving so it does not  brown.  Your eggs will be fluffy and yellow - not skinny and brown.