Guess Who?

I think in Austin we can safely say that we love Hurricane Alex!

It's much more fun to play with a noodle in a tree during an afternoon rainstorm than in the pool.

The best part about rain in the summer: our grass continues to look like this and it's oh so much cooler:)

Sneak Peek

Master Bedroom Makeover-the new color!

It's only taken us 5 years to find a color that we love and to actually start filling the walls with it! This picture was taken at night so it really doesn't show the color off very well. We refer to it as a "cool" blue with some grey tints. It's called Jekyll Club Pulitzer Blue...strange name? Once we get it ALL done I'll show you the before & after shots.

Japanese Bread Crumbs

PANKO...

Yes, that's right I've hit the international aisle at HEB! Ever since we took a cooking class I've wanted to cook something with PANKO. PANKO is a Japanese style bread crumb that is light and fluffy and oh-so-delicious! It's nothing like italian bread crumbs or even our mothers "Shake-n-Bake"-you have to buy a bag and try it if you haven't. You can PANKO anything and it just gives it that little extra crunchy texture that I love. PANKO is white but when you fry it or bake it, it turns golden brown-yummy!

Steelhead vs. Rainbow...

I had to do a little research for my latest fish cuisine. I love all "white" fish in general, so when I saw a recipe for Almond-Crusted Trout I got excited. However, when you go to buy trout they have two different kinds: Steelhead and Rainbow. There in front of me was this Alaskan Steelhead Trout that was pink in color and an Alaskan Rainbow Trout that was white in color. I've obviously only had Rainbow trout my entire life because I never knew there was another type. This is where the research on my part came into play, so this part might be boring for some, but I found it interesting and I can say that I learned something "new" today.

Many people feel that steelheads and rainbows are exactly the same fish. In truth, they are similar but not the same, despite the fact that they both belong to the same species. There are several differences between the two, both in appearance and in habits.
Steelheads are much more like salmon than they are like rainbows. This is because of one key; they live a portion of their lives in the ocean. Rainbows do not. Young steelheads remain in fresh water for around a year, sometimes longer. Only then do they work downstream to the ocean. This gives them quite an advantage because they are usually larger and stronger before they reach the ocean, so are slightly less likely to be eaten by predators.
Rainbows remain in the same bodies of water through their entire life cycle, never going to the ocean. The body of water can include lakes, naturally, however they can also include streams and rivers. This is an important distinction because a rainbow may have access to the ocean, but will not leave the river or stream of the river or stream.

Almond-Crusted Trout & Orange Couscous with Mint

Now to the good stuff. Tonight I completed my final "fish trial" before the big 4th of July WHOLE FISH. The orange glaze (a little help from the chef at Andrew's work) that went with the fish was delicious and everyone loved it except Taylor. He was happy with just eating the salad (the only greens he'll eat besides peapods), fresh oranges, and couscous. We did manage to make him eat 3 bites of fish-he tried it but was not a fan. This recipe was definitely more involved than the salmon a few weeks ago. I'm soooo glad that I did the salmon before this one. Game on, I think I'm confident and ready to fulfill one of my summer to-do-list items... bring on the whole Red Snapper (or similar fish if I can't find that one)!

Jumping Beans

Not only does our child want a trampoline in the backyard now, he wants two trampolines in the backyard...

Can you guess why?

One for Marie and one for himself of course (see video below)!!!

Little does he know that that will never happen, because outside of a gym, I think that they're so dangerous!

He also wants the $300.00 John Deere tractor trailer from Walmart, but that's not going to happen either.

Start writing your wish list to Santa kiddo...

Toy Story 3!

"There's a snake in my boot"-Woody

"There's a snake in my boot"? "That's so funny"!-Taylor

BOY was that popcorn GOOD!

Cousin May-May and Tay-Tay-

Both have gotten to old for their sweet nicknames-

Just stay young forever...

Please...

Fish Quest

My summer quest to bake a whole fish in my oven has begun!

You might be thinking to yourself right now, "why is it so important to her to cook a whole fish". Well let me answer that...

It intimidates the heck out of me, and I want to overcome my cooking fears-if you want to call it that. Plus, in a weird sort of way, it sounds fun and I already know it tastes delicious, and it's healthy for you too!

So for practice last night, I broiled a salmon fillet-only 1/4 of the total fish what a bargin.

Before last night the only fish ever cooked in our oven were fishsticks!

Not anymore, and I only had to call Andrew once to make sure I was "broiling" right-"yes, honey leave the door open a little bit", "okay-got it, thanks".

So with Andrew and Taylor out of the house, and a time deadline of 5pm to have dinner ready and on the table to eat before our son lost it emotionally from lack of sleep, I made a broiled salmon with a creamy horseradish sauce, garlic and herb couscous, and a salad.

It was so easy and so fast!! It took 5 minutes on each side and it was done-fabulous. I'm going to do one more fish experiment next week (almond crusted trout) before the big showdown with the "whole fish". Johnson's and Macfarlane's be parpared to taste and enjoy real soon!!

Summer Gymnastics

Ever since Taylor learned to walk, I can remember him jumping off of things: chairs, couches, stairs, etc... He's definitely all boy with an added bonus of "no fear" when it comes to things like that (that would be a daddy trait). For the summer we placed him in a gymnastic class for 3-4 year olds at Crenhsaw's Gym. The little tots gets to learn a variety of skills such as: trampoline and running trampoline, rock wall, foam pit, basic tumbling, balance beam, and mat play (walking like a bear, or an elephant). All in all, we have been so happy with the experience. Taylor was so shy and nervous the first week (clinging to my leg for dear life-if it wasn't for BFF Marie I'm not sure if we would have made it to week #2) but since he's got the lay of the land and some confidence about what's going on, he's released my leg from his grasp and has gone in running everyday.

This is all good training for him (and I) for pre-school in two months...
Here's a very rough movie clip of a mat play rotation-I haven't been able to get much because there's no place for the parents to sit and watch in view of their children.

Chicken: It's What's for Dinner!

Monday and Tuesday nights are fun cooking nights at our house! Andrew's off on those days and that's when the cookbooks are perused to find something different and delicious that we've never had before. Tonight's dinner was just that! It was super easy to make and I would say start to finish 30 minutes. Taylor's even getting pretty helpful in the kitchen these days. He likes to sit up on the counter watching everything going on.

I think Taylor would have really enjoyed this dish (he loves rice and chicken) but unfortunately dinner was cut short due to our no nap and early bedtime schedule. Yes, that's right still no "true" naps. As of now it's more like every other day out of pure exhaustion. One day he fell asleep on the floor next to his bed with his bath towel on top of him. He still just plays in his room (even after I've removed all the extra toys and books). On a positive note we know for sure that it's just a phase and not that he's giving up naps altogether. The days he doesn't take a nap (like tonight) he can't make it passed 6pm. It's like a little internal clock goes off between 5:30-6:00 and he just looses it. He also just completely crashes out within 5 minutes of hitting the pillow. I can't wait for naps to resume and fun, family dinners to continue!

Chicken With Peanut Curry Sauce

(Sandra Lee)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut in 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
8 ounces frozen cut green beans, thawed (recommended: C&W)
8 ounces frozen pepper strips, thawed (recommended: C&W)
For sauce:
1 1/2 cups light coconut milk
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus wedges for garnishing
Coconut Rice, recipe follows
Cilantro sprigs for garnishing
Directions
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add cut up chicken, season and saute until cooked through stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add green beans and pepper strips and continue cooking for 3 minutes.
While chicken cooks, start the peanut curry sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the sauce. Pour sauce into a frying pan over the chicken and vegetables, stir to combine. Turn heat up to high and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 6 to 8 minutes. Serve over Coconut Rice or plain steamed rice.
Coconut Rice:
3/4 cup light coconut milk (recommended: A Taste of Thai)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 lime, juiced
2 cups instant rice
1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted
In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, chicken broth, lime juice, and instant rice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and cover for 7 to 9 minutes. Fluff rice with fork and stir in toasted coconut. Serve.
Note: To toast coconut, place in dry frying pan over medium-low heat stirring occasionally until golden brown.

Seriously! Just My Luck!

The past 3 out of 4 days Taylor has refused to take a nap. I use the word refuse lightly because it's not a kicking, screaming nightmare or anything, it's actually the opposite--

playing in his room when he should be sleeping,

changing clothes when he should be sleeping (my personal favorite),

reading books (over and over) when he should be sleeping,

playing music when he should be sleeping,

whispering to himself when he should be sleeping,

singing to himself when he should be sleeping, etc.

We've stopped going in to "re-settle" him because it doesn't work anymore. Now the only plan at hand is to wait "him" out. You see, Spring Break was the same thing...mommy home 24/7 equals more time with her and less nap time for anyone! The same is holding true for Summer Break. This boy is good, he doesn't forget a thing and rarely misses a beat! Oh yes, when Taylor sleeps we ALL sleep! We are a bunch of nap lovers over here! We're screwed when he turns five or so and decides to give up naps all around. So today, once again, when napping was a distant memory (in my mind) after an hour-and-a-half of "quiet time" in his room, I got him up and headed to Target! Yep, Target or anywhere for that matter as long as it was out of the house. What happened next SURPRISED me and recentered both of us-THANK GOODNESS! Not 5 minutes down the street (not even out of the subdivision) he falls asleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our child who NEVER sleeps in the car was finally out like a light and I only had a 5 minute trip to make. My camera was still in my purse from this morning's activities so I made sure to document this one. I guess our child hasn't forgotten how to sleep during the day!

What's Cook'n for Dinner

Being home for summer is a great excuse to get my hands dirty in the kitchen-and I don't mean cleaning it! Since cooking class is over, I've been scouring cookbooks to find things that I like, my family will like, and that aren't super complicated. I've never really been the cook in the household because Andrew does such a great job at it. We've always loved Sandra Lee on the FoodNetwork because usually her menus are quick, inexpensive to make, and taste great. I recently purchased another one of her cookbooks: Fast-Fix Family Favorites and I was also given a new Pasta cookbook as a gift at school. Last night, with both new cookbooks out and ready, Andrew passed the apron over to me and I made Italian Baked Pork Chops and a Tortellini-Mozzarella Salad. Both were super easy to prep and make and when all mouths were fed and happy the consensus was that it was yummy-a new family favorite! If you have the time and interest give it a try and tell me what you think.

Serving: 4 Prep time: 5 minutes Baking time: 10 minutes

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard, French's

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, Bertolli

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, McCormick

4 pork center loin chops (6 ounces each)

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, Kraft

[1] Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with kitchen parchment. Set aside.
[2] In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, oil, and Italian seasoning. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then brush both sides of the chops with mustard mixture.

Press parmesan into both sides of chops.
[3] Place chops on prepared baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until just cooked through.

*If you need to make the salad ahead of time, reserve the mozzarella and add it right before serving time so it doesn't become mushy or rubbery.
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
5 ounces dried or 10 ounces fresh meat-filled tortellini
1 1/2 cups cubed plain or smoked mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
1/2 of a medium red or yellow sweet pepper, cubed
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
3 tablespoons olive oil or salad oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 small head radicchio, divided into leaf cups, or 4 leaf lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan or pasta pot bring 3 quarts water to boiling. Add pasta. Reduce heat slightly. Boil, uncovered, 15 minutes for dried pasta and 8-10 minutes for fresh, or till al dente, stirring occasionally. (Or, cook according to package directions.) Immediately drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again thoroughly.
In a medium mixing bowl combine cooked tortellini, mozzarella cheese, and red or yellow sweet pepper.
In a screw-top jar combine basil, oil, white wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. Cover; shake well. Pour over pasta mixture and gently toss to coat all ingredients with dressing. Serve salad in radicchio cups or on lettuce leaves.

Bon Appetit

To: Marie From:Taylor

Three Years-

That's how long I've known you

That's how old we are

Park Trips-

I'll race you there

Let's run, skip, laugh, and play

Coloring-

I'll trade you my green for your orange

Okay, can I have my green back now?

Games-

Imaginary ones, Memory, or Candy Land

I'd play with you all day and night

Outside-

Pushing or pulling toys, sliding or swinging

You're the one that always makes it fun

Alphabet-

All 26 letters we have learned

When I read my alphabet book I'll think of you

Numbers-

1-10, 10-15, 15-20

We can identify them now, say what there's more?

Best Friend-

Sometimes we bickered like brother and sister

But there's no one else in the whole world I'd rather play with

Thank You Friend!

Thanks Heather for all the wonderful memories and photos over the years! Now, I guess we can send them off to pre-school... Do we really have to??

What Did You Say?

Schools Out for Summertime!