Lesson of the day: Always twirl once in the mirror before leaving the house.
(Thanks R!)
Monthly Archives: May 2009
Jenn vs. Grill
I used the grill for the first time this season to make Kraft’s Grilled Chicken Roller recipe, mostly because I just happened to already have all the ingredients. And come on, how hard can a 4-ingredient recipe be?!?
Ingredients:
(for as many as you want to make)
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast half (1/4 lb.)
1 KRAFT Singles
1 slice OSCAR MAYER Center Cut Bacon
1 Tbsp. KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
Directions:
HEAT grill to medium heat.
POUND chicken to 1/4-inch thickness.
TOP with Singles; roll up tightly. Wrap bacon around long sides of roll covering exposed Singles, stretching bacon as necessary to fit; secure with toothpicks.
GRILL 15 to 20 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF), turning frequently and brushing with dressing the last 5 min. Discard toothpicks before serving.
And yea, it was easy enough. I tried to remember not to wipe my slimey chicken fingers on anything else in the kitchen. Fired up the grill and threw the chicken on. Okay, but here’s my question… how do you prevent the toothpicks from catching on fire?! Is this a bit of wisdom one should just KNOW??
Toothpicks on fire, oozing cheese, my eyes are burning, omg what are we going to eat on the side?!… and oh yea baby, so glad I decided to grill tonight.
But, when it was all said and done, ya know?… they tasted really good! Evren took one look at them and said, “I’ll have the smallest piece please.” And Ayla said, “Ditto.” But then they tasted it and all I heard was, “This chicken is fantastic!! This is the best chicken ever!! Can we have this chicken again tomorrow night?!!” We agreed to chop up the leftovers and mix with some kind of rice for tomorrow night’s dinner. So, I smell like bacon now, but it was a hit!
Rock Climbing
Evren showing off his skills on the wall.
Ayla’s first turn having someone belay her.
Summer Reading Programs
Half-Price Books Summer Reading Program
Barnes and Noble Summer Reading Program
Here’s How It Works:
1. Kids read any eight (8) books of their own choosing.
2. Kids use the Summer Reading Journal to tell us their favorite part of each book. A parent/guardian signs the journal when it’s complete.
3. Children bring their completed Reading Journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 26th & September 7th, 2009.
4. We’ll give them a coupon for a FREE book! They choose from a list of exceptional paperback titles.
Kids Reading Challenge! at Borders Book Stores
Read 8 books, fill out the challenge worksheet, bring it in and receive 50% selected titles.
Let me know in the comments if you know of other great reading programs (either nation-wide or in your area) so we can get that information out!! Thanks!!
The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I wanted to take Oatmeal Raisin cookies to a Memorial Day barbecue I was invited to and after some googling around, finally settled on this one, and it was a hit! I think they were even more delicious served at room temperature when all the flavors had a chance to come together. Yum!
The Best Oatmeal Raisin Walnut Cookies from Anna at Cookie Madness
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh if possible)
1 1/4 cups butter — (2-1/2 sticks) room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Quaker oats, (quick or old fashioned, not instant)
3/4 cup pre-plumped raisins (see note)
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
3. In a mixing bowl, using high speed of an electric mixer, cream butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla.
4. By hand, stir in the flour mixture. When flour is absorbed, stir in oats, raisins and nuts.
5. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie or 10 to 11 minutes for a crisp cookie. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Note about raisins: If you use regular raisins, put them in a bowl, cover them with boiling water or juice, and let them sit for 5 minutes. Before using, drain them thoroughly and pat them dry. These days, you can buy pre-plumped raisins like Sun-Maid’s “Baking Raisins” or Sun-Maid assorted Jumbo raisins.
From My Inbox
This is literally a “church signs” debate, being played out in a southern town, between the Catholic church and a Presbyterian church that face each other across the street. From top to bottom, you will see the response and counter-response over time. The Catholics are displaying a much better sense of humor. You get the impression that the Presbyterians are actually taking this seriously!
(Thanks J!)
Reading & Watching
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’ll admit (should I be ashamed?) that I had no idea F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote this. Nor did I know it was a short story when I went to look for it in the bookstore. It just seemed like a cool story to read, and get this, it’ll take you less than an hour to read! It was odd for sure, but now I really want to see the movie.
(and Brad Pitt may have a tiny something to do with that…)
Update! I read the short story in February (and the above was the original post from 02/18) and finally was able to see the movie this weekend.
And yeah… not sure it was the best decision to make this story into a movie. It was nice and sweet, a little sad, but way too long, and a bit on the weird side.
Final review: The story was too short, the movie was too long, the story was interesting, but not that interesting.
