The next Food Network star

As you all know, I have had a little extra time on my hands lately. I decided to take this opportunity to try out a few new recipes. Here are a couple that I would recommend.


Steakhouse Kabobs
before



after...yum!




Chicken-and-Rice Stoup
before



after


The first recipe can be found on the Food Network website. The second is from my girl Rachael Ray.

Today I am making banana chips and tomorrow will be granola bars. Move over Julia Child, there's a new sheriff in town.

Hide and seek

Elliot loves to bury treasures around the house. Once we find the treasure, it is no longer safe and she has to move it. We always find this humorous since she would never dream of actually digging in the dirt outside to bury anything. I decided to grab my camera and document her next hiding adventure. She loves cookies from Petco and was so excited to get one the other day for good behavior. Here is the journey of that cookie over the course of 3 days.


It all began when I found it in the dining room chair...




Then it was off to the couch...




where it was safely hidden in the blanket...




then it went to the pillow on the love seat...




then Leah picked it up and put it in her bowl...




the next morning it was in my bed...




then it made it to the living room floor where her favorite toy, Blue, could watch over it...




then it went to Leah's flip flop (a personal favorite)...




then it landed on the kitchen floor after someone put it back in her bowl...




then we found it in the hallway...




Finally it went back to the blanket on the couch where it was consumed.

Happy Birthday!

It's a milestone birthday for one amazing woman in my life. She loves her family, loves her God, and loves people. She is a great cook, woman of prayer and she keeps me laughing. She has taught me so much through the years and has adopted me as one of her own grandchildren. Happy Birthday, Grandmother.

How about a list or two

Here's a list of a few things I love right now:

1. Edy's Fruit Bars. They are perhaps my new addiction. I am in love with the strawberry variety. It reminds me of a freezie pop addiction my roomies had in college. Only this time, the wrapper actually gets thrown away.

2. Ranch flavored party mix. Leah has started making this new mix that has Cheese Nips, oyster crackers and pretzels in it along with ranch seasoning. I think I may have eaten my weight in it this summer.

3. Inception. Awesome movie. Strange as all get out, but some kind of awesome. The special effects are amazing.

4. Netflix. It's summer, what's not to love?

5. Air conditioning. This heat almost makes me want to believe in global warming, but not really.

6. Being a nerd. I made a 103 on a paper about Moses and the burning bush, and I was upset that I didn't make a 105. I almost emailed my professor to find out why. I can't believe I just admitted that. I am very proud of the fact that I have high A's in both classes so far this semester. I like to think of myself as a somewhat cool nerd.

7. Food Network Star and Design Star. I LOVE these shows. They make my Sunday nights complete.

Here are a few things I do not like:
1. D.C. Cupcakes. I saw this show on TLC the other day and it was painful to watch. It was so staged and the acting was horrible. Don't watch it to find out, just take my word for it.

2. Belly Shots. I know that people say pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but I do not want to see your belly. It freaks me out. I have no doubt that children are a gift from God and pregnancy is something I can't even comprehend, but I don't need to see your naked belly.

3. The last hour of Today. This is something I have not been able to watch until now due to work. I can not express how much I dislike watching Kathie Lee and Hoda. I think I might actually like Hoda without Kathie Lee. The sad thing is, I am usually too lazy to change the channel.

And there you go.