Monday, January 28, 2008

I've been recipe tagged!

Well Kasey - you tagged the right person because I have some awesome recipes to share! Let me know if you try them - you will not be dissapointed!


Chicken Brunswick Stew (dont let the stew thing fool you - this is a really good BBQ recipe)

1 (2 1/2-pound) fryer chicken Water


1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar


1 (16-ounce) can creamed corn


1 cup ketchup


1/2 cup barbecue sauce


1 tablespoon liquid smoke


1 onion, chopped


1 tablespoon vinegar


1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce


Salt and pepper


Celery salt


Cooked rice, as accompaniment



In a large pot, place the chicken and enough water to cover chicken and bring to a boil. Cook chicken until meat falls off the bone, approximately 45 minutes. Drain the chicken and reserve 2 cups of stock. Remove the skin and bones and chop meat.
In a separate pot, mix the chicken and remaining ingredients. Simmer slowly for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add a little bit of the stock if the stew becomes too thick. Serve stew over steamed rice.



Tomato Bisque

4 tablespoons unsalted butter


1 tablespoon minced bacon (about 1/2 ounce)


1 Spanish onion, chopped


1 carrot, chopped


1 stalk celery, chopped


4 cloves garlic, minced


5 tablespoons all-purpose flour


5 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned


1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes (with liquid)


roughly chopped 3 parsley sprigs 3 fresh thyme sprigs 1 bay leaf


1 cup heavy cream


1 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt


Freshly ground black pepper



Heat the butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until crisp and most of the fat has rendered, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Pour in the broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Tie the parsley sprigs, thyme, and bay leaf together with a piece of kitchen twine and add to the pot. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
When the soup base is cool, remove and discard the herb bundle. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth. Using a sieve over a large bowl, strain the tomato puree. Return the puree to the pot and reheat over medium heat.
Whisk the heavy cream and salt into the soup and season with pepper to taste. Divide among warm soup bowls and serve immediately.



Rigatoni with Pulled Rotissiere Chicken, Pesto, and Roasted Peppers

2/3 cup basil pesto


1 box of rigatoni noodles


1 tablespoon olive oil


3 cloves garlic, minced


4 cups pulled cooked chicken meat


2 cups sliced roasted red bell peppers


1/2 cup pitted olives, halved lengthwise


Salt and pepper


1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for the table


Put the pesto in a large bowl.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Whisk the pasta water into the pesto.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until soft and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken, peppers, and olives and cook, stirring until hot, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the pasta and cheese to the pesto and toss to combine. Add the chicken mixture and combine. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls and serve immediately. Pass Parmesan at the table.

I know we all need new recipes, so share a few and tag a few friends so we can all add to our collections! Share 3 of your favorites recipes, tag 3 or more of your favorite bloggers and let the food fun begin!

I tag Lanae, Maren, Heather, Sarah and Angie

Friday, January 25, 2008

Funniest ads in the world

Number 4 is the best one, but you can decide for yourself.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

I call it the Sledgehammer

So the video isn't the best, but we had a fantastic time.

There were 6 cars, I think, and I was cofident that I had 1st place locked up. Confident until Robert Kempton showed up with his "Derby-O-Death". Robert's is on the right.I knew the only way that my design would lose is if someone had a bigger motor. Well, there is the bigger motor. We raced several times. We even raced starting at the finish line and launching off the top of the starting line. We made some sweet jumps at the end of the event to see how far in the air these things would go. the "D-O-D" actually took flight and left a mark on the wall where it hit about 12 feet high. It was quite impressive.

Everyone had a great time and even the family that won the flat tire award was thrilled to get the cake. Their son thought he had won first prize.
If you have never done this, you should organize one. It would be fun any time of the year.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Totally Extreme

Today is the "Extreme Pinewood Derby" for the men in the Hampton ward. After much smack talk, and a few designs that failed, I have finished my entry for the competition. There were only 2 rules for this event. 1. Nothing that combusts. (model rocket engines and gas powered motors) 2. No contents under pressure. (gas, liquids, etc)

I was lucky to find an old remote control airplane that I could tear apart to use the electric motor and propeller. This was the most important part since the car weighs next to nothing. Wind resistance is not an issue at such low speeds. I only have one concern. I need the car to not jump the track. If it does that I am sure it will break in a million pieces. Right now it is held together with epoxy.

When the gate at the starting line is raised I will hit the "gas" on the controller in my hand and hopefully speed down the track to victory. I think there will be a few extra heavy cars there that will try and take advantage of the initial downhill of the track. We will see how that works.

I will post pictures tomorrow of the event and some video of the races.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

SOOOOOO READY!

Stick a fork in me. I am sitting here looking out my jobsite trailer window when I get an email from Sarah. (Curse you Sarah) It is a link to all sorts of pictures and info about St. Croix. I'm done. I wish that I was leaving tomorrow. Emily is in full on "find-a-swimsuit" mode. I have even quit my soda addiction to try and look as good as Emily. There is a trim guy under this layer of "soft". We are three weeks away! Ever since Emily added the day counter to our blog, the time has crawled. Crawled like the lobsters that are about to be speared when we arrive. Good times.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

With Nathan's gluten-free diet it means no cake, cookies or brownies and he doesnt like Rice Krispie treats so I had to think of something that he would like for his birthday. Well, he loves hot dogs - so that was what he got. We went to Ted's Famous Hotdogs and he couldnt have been happier. Then it was off to the Zoo Lights.

Caitlyn and Mommy


Okay - so he isn't smiling in this pictured, but I swear he had a great time.


Party guest. They were truly estatic to put on these hats and join in the fun.

This is the group picture that containes the most people that came. We didnt get one of all of us and Aaron and Summer were mysteriously missing from all the photos. Could they have been avoiding the camera?



Triple threat (Brookelyn, Caitlyn, Ellaree). They were on their best behavior though and they loved to walk around holding hands.


Thursday, January 3, 2008

Guess Who's Turning 4!

Happy Birthday Nathan! We love you!




If you read the post on Caitlyn's birthday - you know that we like to take pictures of our kids right when they wake up on their birthday. Here is a glimpse into Nathan's birthday mornings: (okay - I am missing year 2 and it is killing me! I know its somewhere in a file and I will post ASAP)

1 Year Old

3 Years Old
4 Years Old

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Too hilarious not to share!