BLACK IN DEFINATELY IN!

After 4 years and 2 1/2 hours. . .

Proud. . .Proud. . .Proud! Those are MY boys!

That about covers it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

How lucky am I? Got to have dinner last night at a girlfiend's home to celebrate my recent 29th (that's my story & I'm stickig to it) birthday. Dinner was fabulous and we laughed a lot! We always laugh a lot when we get together and again, I'll say. . .we should do it more often! Dinner was wonderful. . .gifts (including Caldrea. . .hey! You ARE actually reading this thing!). . .cheesecake. . .and great friends. . .what more could you ask for?? Well. . .now that you mention it. . .a better angle on the camera would be nice. . .help a sister out, will ya?

No, really, thank you guys for a wonderful evening! I appreciate it all!

Salmon done the RIGHT WAY!!

Ok, I guess I'll share this one with you now. . .I've probably made it for everyone I know that likes salmon anyway! Plus, it's almost grilling season and this is REALLY GOOD & REALLY EASY!

It's so easy, in fact, that I am going to forego the measurements altogether. You can just eyeball it!

4 6oz salmon fillets (have your fish monger do this for you so you don't have to mess with it!!)
handfull of capers, rinsed & drained
8 thin slices of lemon (2 for each fillet)
fresh lemon juice
white wine
olive oil
s & p
minced fresh rosemary


Make 4 foil pockets and place a salmon fillet in each.
Rub with olive oil and sprinkle with s & P
top with 2 slices of lemon & a few capers
splash with lemon juice & white wine

Seal the foil pockets tightly and place on a hot grill for about 20 minutes.
Honestly, this has to be one of my favorite recipes! I auctioned off my "chef" services at a recent fundraiser and made this salmon along with some big juicy steaks for a fun take on surf & turf for the winners! It's my favorite kind of recipe. . .big impression with very little work!

Serve this with a fresh, cool green bean and potato salad for a fresh, beautiful Spring meal!

Cook 1 lb cubed red potatoes in salted water for 10 min; add 1 lb trimmed cut fresh green beans and boil for additional 5 minutes. Drain. Toss with 3 T olive oil, 2 T red wine venegar, 1 cup thin wedges red onion and 1 cup tomatoes sliced into wedges. Add s & p to taste. This is great served at room temp and can be made in advance. This also travels well!

In the summer, when we pack up a cooler to spend the day on the boat at the lake, I make the salmon packets ahead and put them on ice. . .and take along a big container full of the potato & green bean salad. When we're ready for lunch, we light up the little propane grill on the boat and do the salmon and we have a beautiful lunch on the water!

SEEING RED!

Soy Boy & his Dad are preparing to test for their black belts in a couple of weeks. . .but, he got a big surprise recently! His instructor awarded him a "red top", which at his school signifies that he is now on the leadership team! He is the youngest member of the leadership team and will be the youngest member (& one of the first) to get their black belts! GO SOY BOY! We're proud of you!

THE BEACH IN WINTER!

Grandmother in Korean is "halmoni." (We pronounce it "Harmony"). In February, several members of my husband's family took Halmoni to the beach for a "vacation". She is battling colon cancer and is 'done' (by choice) with treatments. We had a wonderful visit with her and everyone that we don't get to see often enough! The kids especially had a fun time going to the beach in the winter! We celebrated a birthday or two and celebrated family. We had a wonderful visit, but it was admittedly tough saying goodbye. . .maybe for the last time. Because she arranged my husband's adoption from Korea about 34 years ago, I have her to thank for the family I have today. (In the top photo, the woman in the solid red shirt is my mother in law. Seated is Halmoni's son. Her daughter is in the striped shirt. Her son-in-law and family friend also standing).

LET IT SNOW!!

This is what we woke up to yesterday morning! Talk about a winter wonderland, but in MARCH!? C'mon!! This will all be a distant memory by the end of the week but we made the most of it. And by 'we' I really mean 'they'! I used the old "I have too much cooking/cleaning to do!" excuse! It was FREEZING outside! But Foodie Dad braved the cold along with the young'uns and built a snow fort of which they were very proud!

You Can't Win Them All!

Well, even the best of us have flops of a meal and I definitely had one this Saturday night! We had friends over. I was very excited to have these particular friends over because my girlfriend had recently had major surgery and my purpose was to get her and her family out of the house. . .change of scenery. . .a great meal. . .well, at least they had a change of scenery!

I made what I thought to be a simple undertaking. . .vegetable cerviche for an app, roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus with Parmesan and Florentine stuffed chicken wrapped in prosciutto. Dessert. . .double layer vanilla cake stuffed with whipped cream and raspberry preserves and topped with sugar and shaved chocolate. Now, doesn't that sound good??!!

Vegetable cerviche. . .DELICIOUS!
Asparagus. . .mushy. . .almost unrecognizable. . .and the parm cheese I topped it off with could be lifted off in one lacy layer all at once.
Potatoes. . .crispy. . .not roasted. . .OVER-roasted. . .almost empty on the inside. . .you KNOW what I mean!
Chicken. . bland. . .boring. . .white. . .dry. . .shall I go on?
Dessert. . .DELICIOUS!!

So, if we had just stuck with the appetiser and dessert and just forgot about the mess in between, we would have been fine. Our guest politely went on and on about how great it was to be out. . .and how great it was to not have to cook. . .and how well the kids were behaving & how much fun they were having. . .the were very. . .POLITE! To my gracious & very dishonest friends. . .I owe you one! I won't be posting any recipes from this weekend. . .better luck next time!