weekend catch-up

Thursday 7/06/17

- work

- Nathan & Kayla came home for the weekend

- hot crab dip & lemon lush
- late birthday celebration for Nathan

- set a date for the baby shower (8/19/17)

- got this CUTE CUTE video ...."Nana" <3

Friday 7/07/17

- took the day off and went to Marion for a few hours

[we couldn't stand it any longer! we had to see Kamry!! 

and of course, Logan & Lindsey too!]

She is getting sooooo BIG!!! 

highlights of my day: 

*kisses [when I say "give nana love"] from Kamry <3 <3

*while feeding her breakfast, I said "oh goodness Kamry, we forgot to say grace"...

up went her little hands clasped under her chin! <3 <3

*she thought it was hilarious when we sang "this little light of mine" and when we got to the part "nobody's gonna (make the sound of blowing it out) it out" ...she would wait for that part and spit as hard as she could and giggle so loud! :O) <3 :O) <3

Saturday 7/08/17

- work
- cooked turkey breast w/the trimmings (on the hottest day of the summer)
- stormy looking but a beautiful night for a golf cart ride

- Tangier by Moonlight

Sunday 7/09/17

- Chesapeake House breakfast for N & K
- work
- N & K went back (only 3 weeks left of classes and clinicals for Kayla)
- we tried a new grill recipe and ate dinner on the patio
- boat ride

Grilled Kansas City Pork Chops

We tried a new grill recipe today - a Pinterest win!!!! 

Put chops in a gallon ziploc bag. Mix together remaining ingredients in a bowl to make a dry rub (reserve bbq sauce for grilling). Pour rub into bag with pork and coat well. Refrigerate for 2 hours +. Grill - basting with bbq sauce - grill 4 minutes per side. Yummmmmmm!!!! I was happy when Peter asked if we could eat dinner outside on the patio! :O)

5/of 15 - on the summer bucket list: try a new grill recipe 

s'mores & sparklers

We didn't get around to making s'mores on the 4th, but the next night Peter asked if I wanted to make them. :O) :O) :O) It's funny when I post our summer bucket list, he is like a man on a mission until it's completed...LOL. I had taken the sparklers with us on the boat but we never lit them so he grabbed those too! It was a little breezy, so he fired up the grill instead of the fire pit. We both are bigger fans of the toasted marshmallows than the s'mores, so maybe next time I should make it "toast marshmallows over the fire pit" instead! YUMMMM A nice night on the patio, stretching out the 4th of July fun a little longer!

pioneer woman: burger bar & baked beans

Since PW cooks for an army, I halved both the burger and the baked bean recipes. Her burger recipe is super simple, only a few ingredients, including heavy cream which is the secret to these juicy burgers!

BURGERS

2 - 2-1/2 lbs. ground beef

1/4 cup heavy cream

1-2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2-3 dashes hot sauce

sat & pepper - to taste

MY FIXINS' BAR

sauted' onions

raw onions

tomato 

cheese

pickles
relish

mayo

ketchup

mustard

bacon

avocado

other suggestions:

feta

arugula

bbq sauce
sauted' mushrooms
jarred sliced jalapenos


I topped my burger with mayo, sauted' onions, and avocado slices. YUMMMM!

BAKED BEANS

{LINK}

The linked recipe does not have quite the same recipe as the one from the cookbook.
Also, I halved the recipe (amounts below) --

6 slices bacon
1 onion - diced
1/2 red bell pepper - diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper - diced
1/2 green bell pepper - diced
4 (11 oz.) cans pork & beans
1/4 cup bbq sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. apple cider vinegar
dash red pepper flakes
1 T. mustard

Cut 3 slices bacon in pieces and fry in pan with onion for 3-4 minutes.
Add peppers and stir around and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add beans, bbq sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, pepper flakes, and mustard.
Stir and cook until hot and bubbly.
Pour into a 13x9 baking dish and top with remaining bacon strips.
Bake for 1-1/2 - 2 hours in a 325 degree oven until thick and bubbly.


These are seriously THE BEST baked beans I've ever eaten.....and our burgers weren't bad either!!

4th of July 2017

This year's 4th of July was the complete opposite of last year's and I think it was my favorite!! (since the boys were little that is). Peter was home this year and we made the best picnic! Mom, Dad, and Derek joined us for dinner. We tried to get Peter's mom, Lois and my aunt and uncle, Liz and Mitch to come too, but they weren't up to it. We took them a plate of food on our way to the beach later.

Peter wanted burgers and hot dogs this year, so I decided to pull out my Pioneer Woman cookbook and see what recipes she had for the 4th of July. Her menu featured a burger bar...perfect!! I'll link to the recipes I used from her cookbook.

-menu-

- grilled burgers & hot dogs 

- fixins' bar: 

sauted' and raw onions, cheese, tomato, bacon, 

avocado, mayo, ketchup, mustard, pickles

- corn on the cob

- potato salad

- cole slaw 

- baked beans

- mac & cheese

- onion dip/chips/chicken in a biskit 

- watermelon

- flag poke cake

- smores

plate #1 

Peter grilled but we decided to eat inside by the a/c because it was after 4 and the sun was beating down...hottttt!!!! Everything was delicious, especially the BURGERS and BAKED BEANS, both PW recipes! The burgers had very few ingredients but were very juicy and tasty, and I can't rave enough about the baked beans!!!

After dinner, Peter and I went out on the boat for the rest of the evening. We rode over to the beach for awhile, then all the way around the island, ending up in the bay just before the fireworks. It was very cloudy, so no brilliant sunset, but what a beautiful evening on the water! :O) 

Two more items checked off of our Summer Bucket List.....

2/of 15 - celebrate the 4th of July

3/of 15 - watch the fireworks from the boat

We were hoping to make S'mores and fly our kite, but we just didn't fit it in today. So, that makes 3 of the 15 items on the list done, twelve more to go! I know we still have lots of summer left, but it seems like once the 4th has come and gone, summer passes by too quickly!!

4th of July Archives

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

[sunday funday]

Ok....so I'm officially in LOVE with S*U*M*M*E*R!!!!!

hi july!