Kitchen Tip - Slow Cooker Freezer Kits

My life has gotten crazier.  I've been back to work for a month now.  

This year I work at the building that starts and ends the latest.  This means I can clock off at 3:45.  I usually don't leave the building until 4 o'clock most days.  The earliest I get home is 4:30.

Here's the dilemma:  Hubby has to be at work by 5:30 3 days and the other 2 days has to be at work by 6:00.  Even though there are 2 days, he has to be at work at 6:00, he has to drop Know-it-All at Kung Fu by 5:30.

So how do I get dinner on the table? 

There are 4 ways.

1. Tell Hubby what to cook 
2. Freezer cooking
3. Slow Cooker 
4. Food preparation during the weekend.

I'm to discuss the slow cooker method.  

My slow cooker looks nothing like this slow cooker.

Once or twice a month, I make freezer slow cooker kits.  The bags need to be labeled with the date, contents, and then cooking directions.

I then freeze them.  When I'm ready to use the slow cooker kit out of the freezer and put it in the slow cooker.  Sometimes I use a slow cooker bag.  Other times I don't use a bag.  It's easier to clean up if you use a bag.  

You can certainly thaw your freezer kit in the fridge the night before.  I don't because it takes longer for the frozen meals to cook.  During the day, I am busy teaching so I don't always have time to call or text Hubby to tell him to turn the slow cooker on keep warm or when to do that.  (If I tell him prior or leave him a note, it won't necessarily be done.  I have to call or text him.)

Here are some great blogs to find slow cooker recipes that could be frozen:

Eat at Home

Sidetracked Sarah

The Sassy Slow Cooker

A Year of Slow Cooking

Once a Month Meals

Please be careful with using potatoes.  Russet potatoes will brown easier because the amount of starch in russet potatoes.  Use red or yellow potatoes instead.  They are less starchy.

Oh, some recipes have you put some of the foods closer to end of the cooking time, I make 2 bags with the part you put in first and then the other bag.  I put both of those bags in another freezer bag.

As we eat some of the slow cooker freezer kits, I will start to post some of the recipes.  That is I'll post the recipes of the ones that were hits with my family.

Happy Cooking,

Traci

Copycat Zaxby's Sauce

In late July early August we traveled to the beach and on our way there and on the way back home, we went on a road trip to see Monticello, Appomattox Courthouse, Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, and the Space and Rocket Museum.  

After we left Zoo Atlanta, we traveled to Huntsville, Alabama.  We ended stopping at a random park in a town called Fort Payne.  They had a beautiful fence with the word Alabama on it.

I knew we were in Alabama so I thought it was letting visitors know what state they were in or something.  

Any who, we ended up stopping at a Zaxby's in Fort Payne.  The wall was decorated with albums and pictures of the band named Alabama.  They were from Fort Payne.  That was why there was the beautifully decorated fence at that park.

On a side note, we also traveled on part of the Trail of Tears when were in Fort Payne.

I fell in love with Zaxby's after we ate dinner there.  So much so when we traveled to Walt Disney World, I had Hubby stop there once on the way back and once on the way home.  

There are no Zaxby's in Ohio.  Kentucky, yes.  Indiana, yes but none in Ohio.  :(

So I did research and found the special sauce they give out with the chicken dinners.  It's not the same but is still tasty.  In fact Hubby loved it!  He couldn't stop dipping his fries and chicken strips in it when we had it for dinner.

Copycat Zaxby's Sauce

Adapted from Ranker

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 c. mayo
• 1/2 c. ketchup
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 to 2 tsp. black pepper

Steps:

1. Mix the mayo, ketchup, and garlic powder until combined.
2. Add the Worcestershire sauce and mix until combined.
3. Coat the mixture with black pepper and mix until combined.
4. Put in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
5. Enjoy!

(I put mine in the fridge for an half an hour and it still was delicious.)

Foodie Pen Pal - March 2014

Hello from Disney!

Last month I did not do the foodie pen pal.  Between illness and gross weather, I would not have been a good foodie pen pal.  

This month I signed up once again and boy am I glad I did.  Emily, my foodie pen pal, sent me an excellent box.  

Emily lives in Maryland.  She sent me some yummy local treats!  That is what I like about the foodie pen pal program.  I love trying local treats from different places.  

Here's what she sent me:

The tulle she used to protect the goodies.  The Wee One loved it.

In fact, here is outside playing with the tulle.

The handwritten note.  I enjoyed learning more about the different foods in the box.  

The back of the note

Yummy local cookies - When she got married, her husband and her gave these out as welcome gifts.  They are light and airy.
Here's a link to Berger Cookies' website.

A closer look at the chocolate part of the cookie

The back of the cookie

This is from a local French bakery.  She could not remember the name of the pastry but it was described as buttery and flaky.  I can't wait to taste it.

Beef Jerky - I'm saving this for when we are down in Disney.  It would be a good treat to have on hand because we are going to have one big meal a day.  The rest of the day is going to be snacks.  I've got some tuna fish so this would be a good change of pace.

Here is another snack that I'm saving for Disney.  No one else is going to want to taste any of it.  

The funny thing is I sent her some paleo "granola" also.  This looks yummy!  I love almonds, cashews, and coconut so this should be good.

I've saved the best for last.  

These chocolate covered espresso beans are the bomb.  In fact Hubby thinks he is going to take this because he loves Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.  I let him have a couple but might need to hide the rest.  These are mine!  

Here's a link to Zeke's Coffee's website.

For more information about the foodie pen pal program, please visit the Lean Green Bean.

Happy eating, 
Traci

Homemade Pizza Crust

In the last week, we've had homemade pizza twice.  Last Sunday I made a pizza for our Sunday night dinner at my mother-in-law's house.  We then had it for supper on Saturday night.  I tried two new crust recipes and enjoyed the second one.  In fact, Hubby told me that the pizza was great on Saturday night.  Coming from a man who works in the pizza business that is a compliment.

The only problem with having homemade pizza is the Imaginative One does not like pizza.  He likes a few kinds but overall will not eat pizza at all.  He is allowed to eat something else for dinner when we have pizza.  It's usually a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The Wee One loves pizza and could have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if allowed.  We had gone to the Home Depot for a DIY project for the kids earlier on Saturday.  They gave him an apron to wear when he's doing projects.  He's decided it's his cooking apron.  He put it on to help me put the sauce, pepperoni, and cheese on the pizza.  We had strawberries for dessert and he put on the apron to help me prepare the strawberries.

While the pizza was baking, he watched the timer and would give me updates that were usually "2 minutes until 7 minutes."  So cute and funny!

Onto the recipe:

Pizza Crust

Brown Sugar Toast

That's the Wee One's hand - He was fake cutting the pizza.

Stars of the Recipe:

• 1 c. warm water (105 -115 degrees)
• 1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
• 2-1/2 c. flour
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sugar

Steps:

1. Make sure the water is 105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit so the yeast can dissolve.  Add the yeast to the water.
2. After the yeast is dissolved, add the rest of the ingredients to your mixing bowl.
3. Using either your mixer or with a spoon, mix the ingredients.
4. Knead your dough either using a mixer or with your hands on a clean floured surface for about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Place dough in greased bowl covered with a damp towel.  Allow it to rise in a warm place.  (This is the first time I've tried using my oven.  Turn it onto the lowest temperature.  Mine was 170 degrees.  Then turn it off and allow the dough to rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Spread out on a cooking pan or pizza stone.  Top with sauce and your favorite toppings.
7. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

If you don't have enough time you can do steps 1 through 4.  Skip step 5.  Then do steps 6 - 8.

Pork and Sauerkraut (A Slow Cooker Recipe)

It's a family tradition to have pork and sauerkraut for our New Year's dinner.  My father-in-law would make a big pot of it and family members would eat the sauerkraut so that they would have good luck for the new year.  Since he died two weeks ago, I offered to make it this year.

I made some changes to how it was cooked.  First of all I made it in my slow cooker instead of in a big stock pot.  I also roasted potatoes instead of cooking the potatoes in the slow cooker with the meat and sauerkraut.  Hubby loved it and was impressed because it didn't have the bitter/sour taste you usually associate with sauerkraut.  He even took some to work with him to share with his co-workers.

The boys did taste the sauerkraut so they would have good luck but being kids didn't really like it.  At least they tried it which is better than on New Year's Eve.  I made fish for supper.  The fish was cooked with olive oil and a seasoning mix from one of my Foodie Pen Pals.  Hubby loved it but the boys wanted to give me excuses on why they could not eat it.  They still had to eat it but it was interesting on what excuses they came up with.  The best one is their brain was going to explode since I told them fish is brain food.

Now onto the recipe:

Pork and Sauerkraut in the Slow Cooker

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 -2 lbs. pork roast


• 16 - 32 oz. of sauerkraut (depending on how much pork you have)


• 1 big carrot or 2 small carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces


• 1 apple, peeled and cut into small pieces


• 1 - 2 Tbsp. brown sugar


• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Drain and rinse the sauerkraut several times to remove the brine.


2. Place the pork roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.  (Mine is 5 qt.)  Sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork roast.


3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the rinsed sauerkraut, apple pieces, carrot pieces, and brown sugar.


4. Place the sauerkraut mixture on the pork roast.


5. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.


6. Shred the pork and combine with the sauerkraut.


7. Enjoy with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, or roasted potatoes (just serving suggestions)!

My absolute favorite breakfast besides granola and yogurt is sausage gravy and biscuits.  Sometimes I treat myself to an order of them at our local farmer's market.

Since I was on winter/Christmas break and life was back to normal or almost normal, I decided I needed to make some for Hubby and my lunch.  The Wee One and the Imaginative One won't touch the gravy with a ten foot pole.

So if you are looking for a delicious lazy Saturday type of breakfast, this recipe is for you.

Sausage Gravy

Crumbs and Chaos

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 pound of bulk sausage


• 1/2 c. flour (I used whole white wheat)


• 4 c. milk or 2 c. milk and 2 c. half and half


• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce


• black pepper and seasoning salt (or white salt) to taste

Steps:

1. Brown crumbled up sausage in a skillet on med. heat.  Don't drain the grease off.


2. Add the flour and stir until all of the sausage is coated with flour.


3. Cook for about 2 minutes.


4. Add the milk and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet.


5. Turn the heat up to high and allow the mixture to boil.  (Keep an eye on the mixture.)


6. After it boils, turn the heat down to med. low and allow to cook for 5 more minutes or until the gravy is thickened.


7. Enjoy over biscuits!  Some biscuit recipes from my blog are 7-up biscuits, buttermilk biscuits, or buttermilk biscuits revisited.

Our Super Trip ~ Day #9

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Day 8

We planned to leave early on Saturday morning so we could get to the Georgia Aquarium at a decent time.  It usually closed at 9 pm but on this particular Saturday, it was closing at 6 pm.  :(  

Before we left, the boys and I walked out to the beach.  The Wee One was crying because he did not want to leave the ocean.  The Imaginative One was looking for sea life while we were down there. 

Finally we got on the road and traveled to Georgia.  At one of the rest stops, I got a drink out of the vending machine but didn't have enough on me to get the boys anything.  (It was in the car.)  A gentleman approached me with 2 dollars for the boys.  The Wee One used his dollar to get what he had his eye on.  The Imaginative One kept his money.

When we were almost to our destination, we got into a traffic jam.  There had been an accident.  Luckily we only to travel on I-75 for about a mile so we got out of it pretty quickly.  We've driven through Atlanta on the highway but never on the surface streets so it was neat to see a different side of Atlanta.  

Once we got the hotel, we checked in and then walked through Centennial / Olympic Park to get to the Aquarium.  The line to get into the Aquarium was long even though we already had tickets.  Once we got to the front of the line, we realized it was because we needed to go through the metal detectors.  

We loved the Aquarium!  Our favorite exhibits were the 3D show, the whale sharks, the beluga whale, the frog exhibit, and the dolphin show.  

When we were done with the Aquarium, we once again walked through Centennial / Olympic Park but took extra time to enjoy our surroundings.  The funniest thing was seeing a man walking 6 dogs.  All 7 of them were wearing sunglasses.

Then we went to Waffle House for dinner.  We loved the service there.  Tracy (our server) made sure it was okay when the Wee One ordered a certain drink.  I thought that was great.

Afterwards we went back to the hotel for a little while.  We were going to ride the Ferris wheel that was across the way from our hotel.  However, we would have to wait for almost an hour and then pay $50.  That was not going to work with the boys.  They decided to go swimming but the water was too cold.  So we went to bed.  The boys had a pull out to sleep on.  The trouble was it was a single so the Wee One slept curled up at the top while the Imaginative One slept curled up on the bottom.

Our Super Trip - Day #8

Day 7

Friday was our last day at the beach.  I once again got up and was out the door by 6:30 am.  This time I went to the pier to watch the sunset.  Boy was I glad I did because it was gorgeous.

Afterwards I went to the hotel next to our condo complex because they had a Starbucks.  I was hoping to use my coupon and Wifi.  The coffee shop served Starbucks but was not an actual Starbucks so they couldn't accept my coupon.  :(  I ordered a tall latte and ended up with a venti instead.  I didn't complain.

After stopping at the coffee shop, I walked around Folly Beach and took pictures.  Before heading back to the condo, I stopped at the Lost Dog Cafe.  The breakfast burrito I got was so good!  I also got a caramel latte with peanut butter whipped cream.  Yum!

Once I was back in the condo and everyone was up for the day, we spent the rest of the morning at the beach.  

After we returned to the condo and had lunch, the Imaginative One and I walked over to Sugartime to get him some ice cream.  Then we went to pier.  He enjoyed watching on of the fishermen pulling up their catch.

Then it was back to the beach for the afternoon.  Once I got down there, the kids decided they did not want to play in the ocean so i took them to the pool instead.  I got in the pool with them for a little while.  

We left the pool area when the four (niece, nephew, Imaginative One, and Wee One) of them decided to play some sort of weird congo dance game. 

My in-laws' bathroom had a whirlpool in it.  The kids decided they wanted to use it so one at a time they got into the whirlpool.  Even though it was dinner time, the Imaginative One was laying in there while reading a book about space.  We let him sit there for a while longer so we did not have to hear him complain about the dinner.  (He did just that because he didn't want the chicken.)

After dinner, we all went out to the beach and took the family pictures.  (I will post the pics of our family and my mother-in-law and father-in-law but not my sister-in-law's family.)  

Once the pictures were taken, it was back to the condo to pack up because the next morning we were going to leave for Atlanta.  

Here are some pictures:

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Our Super Trip - Day #7

Day #6

Since it was lightening when I woke up, I did not go for a walk on the beach.  I stayed on the balcony and watched the waves come in.  No sunrise pictures were taken on day 7 because there was no beautiful sunrise :(.  I do have a picture or two of the clouds though.

After everyone got up for the day, we headed to do some geocaching,  If you don't know what it is, Google it.  While we were at the first park, I got to take pictures of the Bridge and watched a family crabbing.  That was cool!

After we left that park, we headed to another park to get a geocache.  I stayed in the car because there wasn't any cool scenery for me to take a picture of.  By that time, we were tired of the bugs eating us.  So we headed to Piggly Wiggly and got some bug spray.

Hubby and I both wanted to eat at the 'Wich Doctor for lunch but it was not open until noon so we headed out to the beach that overlooks Morris Island Lighthouse before hitting up that local joint.  Once we got to the beach, we found my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nephew there.  They had been fishing out there all morning.  My nephew caught his first ocean fish!  We got to see dolphins swimming out in the water while we were at the beach.  That was cool seeing their fins while swimming.

We took our usual pictures with the Morris Island Lighthouse as the backdrop.  The Imaginative One and Wee One were not so cooperative when I was trying to get their picture taken together.  Argh!

Once we left the beach and got to the car, I discovered my foot had red ants on it.  The Imaginative One with all his random knowledge told me not to put water on my foot because it would make them attack more.  I was able to brush them off and immediately put the topical Benadryl on my toes that were bitten.

We did end up going to the 'Wich Doctor for lunch.  Hubby tried their pizza and I got a Greek tuna salad sandwich with olives and capers and pickled green bananas, carrots and daikon.  A local told us how it is favorite local restaurant.  :)  The food was delicious.

While we were waiting for our food to be cooked, the boys and I went to get them shaved ice.  They were promised the shaved ice the night before but because of the rain, we could not get it.

The rest of the day was spent being out on the beach.  I once again cooked supper for the whole family.  This time I made sloppy joes.  The hamburger was still not fully defrosted even though it had been in the fridge for almost 24 hours.  I was able to work around it this time though.

After dinner, the Wee One and I went for a walk on the pier.  We watched a young adult throw peanuts into the air and the sea gulls catching it.  They even gave the Wee One a peanut so he could feed the sea gulls.

After our walk on the pier, we went to Sugartime and got some treats and ice cream.  It was nice to spend quality time with the Wee One.

After we got back from our walk, we sang "Happy Birthday" to my father-in-law and sister-in-law.  Then we enjoyed the brownies that were baked to celebrate their birthdays.

More adventures later . . .

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Our Super Trip - Day #6

Day #5

I could not get my rear out of bed on Wednesday.  I guess the walk with my mother-in-law the night before really tired my body.   I did get up in time to get pictures of the sunrise from our balcony instead of from the beach.  That was fine because I have a telescopic lens so I used that to get closer ups of the sunrise.

After everyone was up for the day, my nephew, Hubby, and the Imaginative One went for a bike ride.  The Wee One and I went back to Black Magic   I got myself a Shark Attack smoothie that was out of this world good.  We then went onto the beach but only stayed on the beach  for a little while because the Wee One didn't like the fact that none of the other kids were out there with him.

After Hubby, my nephew, and the Imaginative One were back from their bike ride, we left to go to the Angel Oak.  It's a tradition to visit the tree and get pictures.  I brought my tripod and set it up where I thought it should have been.  However, I was wrong by a few feet. By the time they told me, I was getting ready to take it down anyway.  People laughed with me as I ran across the canopy to get into place.  We got some great pictures though.

The plan had been to eat our picnic lunch at the Angel Oak but the mosquitoes were biting us.  We ended up having to hit a Piggly Wiggly for some topical Benadryl and Starbucks.  Their espresso machine was not working so I got a coupon for a free drink.  Which reminds me that I haven't used it yet.

We ended up going to St. Johns' Island's park.  To get here, we had to drive on Bozo Lane and then Dunmovin Drive.  (I have a picture of the street signs at the intersection.)  Afterwards we ate our picnic lunch and listened to thunder in the background.

Once we hit the Bridge, it was really starting to storm in Mt. Pleasant.  We still went to the park and played under the bridge in the play area.  The boys were apprehensive at first because of the rain but discovered it was fun to play under a bridge during a rainstorm.  Even Hubby even played a little bit.

Once we were finished at the park, it had stopped raining so we headed to downtown Charleston.  We wanted to go to a couple of the historical churches and just walk around.  As we were walking around I went to Bakehouse again.  The cashier remembered me from a couple nights before so that was cool.

We went to the Provost Dungeon first but decided not to go on the tour because the Imaginative One was tired of museums.  We then walked down Broad Street and noticed there was a bunch of people on the one side of the road and people talking about a miniseries for CBS being filmed across from the church we were heading to.  One of the leading actors was Cam Gigandet from the first Twilight movie.  We watched for a few minutes but then went into St. Michael's Episcopal Church.  George Washington worshiped there on May 8, 1791 and Robert E. Lee also worshiped there.  In the graveyard, John Rutledge, first governor of South Carolina, is buried there.

Afterwards we watched some more of the filming and then walked around looking for the Circular Church.  Once we got there, the Imaginative One was not happy to be in another graveyard.  Oh, well!  We made him walk through it.

Then it was onto St. Philips Episcopal Church.  It is famous for ghost stories and a cannon being stuck in the steeple.  Charles Pickney, signer of the Constitution, and Edward Rutledge, signer of the Declaration of Independence, are buried in its graveyard.

As we headed back to the car, we walked down Philadelphia Alley aka Dueler's Alley.  It was a hidden out of the way alley that is full of history and ghost stories.

Once we got the car, we headed back to the condo.  I was scheduled to cook dinner that night.  I cooked tacos.  We ran into a problem though, the meat was frozen solid.  I put it in cold water and then slowly took off the defrosted meat.  We never got it completely defrosted.  The next day the half we put in the fridge was still frozen.  Crazy!

My niece spent the night with one of our relatives so it was only boys around.  They had fun playing in the condo because we could not go out to the beach because it was raining.  

More adventures tomorrow. . .

Here are some pictures:

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Our Super Trip - Day #5

Day #1

Day #2

Day #3

Day #4

When Foodie Pen Pals Meet

I got early on Tuesday and took a walk.  The sunrise was absolutely gorgeous!  So totally worth getting up early to see it.

We had decided to go as a family to see the Battery and take our traditional pictures on the cannon.  I almost missed it though all because of having to go to the bathroom.  I knew I shouldn't have drunk the second cup of coffee but it was so good,  There is no where on the Battery to go to the bathroom.  Let me repeat there is no public restrooms.  Argh!  A lady and her husband heard my plight and decided help me find a bathroom.  She and I walked over to an inn and she asked them for some southern hospitality.  Fortunately the lady did allow me to use their bathroom.

I missed all the kids by themselves on the cannon but got pictures of all 4 grandkids with the grandparents.  (Out of respect to my sister and brother-in-law I'm not going to post those pics.)  I also used my tripod to get pictures of the whole family and I.  The problem I had was I couldn't get onto the cannon without crawling onto it.  (I was wearing a dress.)  After picture taking was done, everyone went their separate ways.  We walked a little down Rainbow Row and then ended up in the Edmonston-Alston house.  Hubby and I enjoyed that.  The Wee One did not enjoy it as much.

We then went to my favorite restaurant in Charleston - Hominy Grill.  The boys were not so thrilled with the food.  I'll take that back, they liked the French fries but not the mac and cheese because it had pepper on it and the applesauce because it was lumpy.  Hubby and I ate until we were stuffed.  I had a Dirty Biscuit which was a southern style biscuit, a fried chicken breast, and sausage gravy.  I had it with okra and tomatoes and marinated cucumbers and onions.  For dessert, I had a slice of peach upside down cake.

After we got back to the condo, we laid down for a while and took a satisfied belly nap.  Everyone else in the house was gone so it was quiet.

After everyone came back, it was back to the beach for the children.  They had fun jumping around in the waves.

Hubby, my father-in-law, my niece and nephew, and the boys went to a minor league baseball game - Riverdogs - that evening and my sister and brother-in-law went out.  So it was only my mother-in-law and I went to Cory's Grilled Cheese for dinner.  I had a Cory's Famous which was cinnamon raisin bread, provolone cheese, bacon, and honey mustard.  So delicious!  I also had their summer slaw which was an Asian slaw with ramen noodles.

After we got back to the condo, my mother-in-law and I went for a walk along the beach.  It was nice to talk with her.  She is such a giving person.  Soon after we got back to the condo, the kids, Hubby, and my father-in-law came back from the game.  Some how the Imaginative One got a foul ball and then gave it to the Wee One.  Hubby is still unsure how it totally happened because all the Imaginative One was suppose to do was get some water.

Then it was off to bed.  More adventures later.

Here are some pictures:

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Our Super Trip - Day #4

Day #1

Day #2

Day #3

When Foodie Pen Pals Meet

Monday started with a walk on the beach with Hubby.  I looked like a tacky tourist as the Wee One would say.  I had on my bathing suit, a cover up, a thin fabric cardigan, my photography backpack, and was carrying around my lens cap insulated coffee cup.  We walked up and down the beach enjoying the sunrise.

After our walk, we came in and ate breakfast as other people were waking up.  Eating on the balcony while watching the ocean waves come in and out and listening to the waves crashing against the beach was a real treat.  Paradise.

My nephew and the Imaginative One ended up getting up and wanting to take a walk so I ended up taking them out for a little while.  The Imaginative One kept wanting to see sea life so he looked around in the tide pools.  He didn't find anything too exciting them.

Once we got back upstairs, almost everyone was stirring so they got ready to go out to the beach.  I hung around the condo for a little while since I had already been on the beach twice that morning.  I did end up going down and staying down there for almost an hour.  During that time, the Imaginative One wanted to take another walk so we walked past the pier and saw sea gulls and terns attacking a bag of chips.  We found out the chips were not even opened when they started eating on them.

My mother-in-law's cousin and her grandson came out to visit us on the beach.  N. is the same age as my niece and the Imaginative One but got along great with my nephew.  It was great seeing my mother-in-law's cousin - she is a true southern, accent and all.

We were told about this great little hole in the wall grilled cheese restaurant, Cory's Grilled Cheese, that was located near the Piggly Wiggly.  We needed a few more things so it was a good excuse to leave the beach for an hour or so.  We could not find that restaurant what's so ever.  The restaurant was not located near the Folly Beach Piggly Wiggly.  It was located near the James Island Piggly Wiggly, a good 7 mile difference.  We ended up at Jack's Cosmic Dogs.  Oh, my goodness.  The food was out of this world good.  I had a Galactic Dog which had chili, slaw, and cheese on it and drank Tang with it.  Yum!  Hubby got a grilled brat with fries that were covered with bacon and cheese and spicy ranch to dip the fries in.  The boys and I devoured a whole basket of plain fries.  They were that good.

It was back to the condo for a while.  We visited with my mother-in-law's cousin for a little while longer and then played on the beach/in the ocean for a little while.

I had a second cooking class that evening so Hubby drove me to that.  This time I was actually going to be cooking.  We were going to be making cheese straws with carmalized onion dip, pork wraps, baby bok choy and shitake mushroom stir fry, potato salad, and pecan crumble over vanilla ice cream.  Yum!  Since we got to downtown a half an hour before the class, I asked him to drop me off so I could take pictures as I walking to the class.  That was fun. 

I stopped in a local café, bakery, and coffeehouse (Bakehouse) for a cup of Joe before the class.  While waiting for my cinnamon roll latte (which was the bomb), I spoke to the cashier.  It seems that a lot of Ohioans came down to Charleston because whenever she spoke to a tourist, the majority of them are from Ohio.  LOL!

As I walking, it was lightening and thundering in the distance so that was cool to watch.  I did not take any pics because it is extremely hard to take pics of lightening without a tripod and there were buildings in the way.

The cooking class was fun and relaxed.  We all had different stations so I helped make the potato salad.  After we all cooked, we sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labor.  The lady who sat next to me was a social worker for the D.C. school district so it was interesting to talk shop with her. 

Hubby picked me up and took me back to the condo.  By that time, it was bed time.  More on our adventures later.

Here are some pics:

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Our Super Trip - Day #3

Day #1.

Day #2

When Foodie Pen Pals Meet

Just so you know, we stayed at the beach with my in-laws (mother, father, sister, and brother) and my niece and nephew.

On Sunday, I was the first person up so I could see the sunrise.  It was not as spectacular as it ended up being by the end of the week.  After the kids got up (niece, nephew, the Wee One, and the Imaginative One), the Imaginative One and I went for a walk on the beach.  While we were walking, I talked to a local who was out taking pictures.  He even took my picture.  Then the Imaginative One and I ended up getting rained because of a pop up rainstorm. 

I then got ready for church but ended up not going because of a mix up in times.  One place said church started at 9:00 am and the other said it started at 11:15.  I realized the mix up some time after 10.  I decided to walk down to the church anyway just in case.  Since I missed the church service, I continued walking and ended up at Black Magic and ordered a chocolate croissant.  It was delicious but on the day we left, they gave Hubby a moldy cheese Danish so I don't recommend this place for pastries.

Since we had some time, we took the boys to the Piggly Wiggly to buy groceries.  Hubby was having fun trying to find local goodies to eat.  Every time I turned around, he was putting new items into our I had a list in mind and deviated a little from the list. 

We got back to the condo and quickly ate lunch because Hubby and I had a date.  We were going to go to a cooking demo at Charleston Cooks.  We didn't know what they were going to make so when I saw shrimp and grits and chocolate pecan pie my heart skipped a beat.  Now Hubby was not so happy because he loves grits but is not so keen on shrimp.  He tried the shrimp and actually loved it!  (My mother and father - in - law had the boys.)

After the cooking demo, we walked around the market.  We knew if we did that with the Wee One, he would beg us for everything and anything. 

Then it was back to the condo.  As the rest of the family were making dinner, we noticed there was something on the beach because a huge crowd gathered around it.  Since we couldn't see what it was, I ran/walked fast down to the beach with the four kids to be nosy.  I'm glad we were nosy because it ended up being a live horseshoe crab.  The Imaginative One really loved seeing it. 

We were going to have dinner but since I was still mostly full from the cooking demo, I ate a yogurt parfait with the family since we were all sitting down for dinner as a family. 

After dinner, the boys went down to the beach with the aunt and uncle while Hubby, my mother-in-law, and I walked on the pier.  We got to see the sunset which was absolutely beautiful.  It was a perfect end to a great day.

Here are some pictures:

[caption id="attachment_3819" align="alignnone" width="200"] The Wee One playing in the ocean.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3820" align="alignnone" width="300"] Hubby boogie boarding[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3821" align="alignnone" width="200"] The Imaginative One walking along the surf.[/caption]

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Our Super Trip - Day #2

Day #1

When Foodie Pen Pals Meet

On Saturday morning, we got up early and went down for breakfast.  We ended up being early which made our two sleepy children not happy about that.  Luckily there was a lobby with couches so they laid down until breakfast was ready.  Before we left Charlottesville, we stopped at Bodo's Bagels.  It was jam packed so that a sign of a great place to get breakfast.  We got bagels and honey pecan cream cheese.  The Imaginative One loved the plain bagels so much he had two of them on the ride down to Folly Beach.

Stop #2 was Appomattox Courthouse.  The location of Lee's surrender to Grant at the end of the Civil War.  This significant even in our history occurred days before Lincoln was killed.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw the reconstructed McLean house where the peace document was signed. 

Before we got there, we had to drive through the back country of Virginia.  At one point, we even were in the geographical center of Virginia.  Some of the roads reminded me of Oz with the cornfields on either side of the road.  We stopped for gas at this little country gas station.  It was called Duck Corner and every time someone opened the door, it would quack.  The boys loved this.  I had to apologize to the clerk because of them wanting to hear the quacking.

Oh and the Imaginative One complained about his stomach hurting while we were driving down those roads.  Luckily I had packed peppermints so I told him to suck on that.  There was no car sickness that day.  Mommy saved the day.

We only spent an hour at the Courthouse.  I could have spent a lot longer but we were on a tight schedule.  Our favorite things were the living history people.  It was interesting to talk to Corporal Robert Fields from Pennsylvania.  He kept in his character the whole time we talked to him.

We also met Jeff Toalson who has taken letters written during the Civil War and put them in order and in a book.  I got the book called Send Me a Pair of Old Boots & Kiss My Little Girls.  These are letters between husband and wife Richard and Mary Watkins.  I've read about a fourth of the book but had to put it down because it was hard to keep putting it down and then picking it up.  When I have time to dedicate to reading it, I will read it.  It's that good.

After we were finished with Appomattox Courthouse, we traveled to Folly Beach.  When we were outside of Raleigh (Lynnwood), we stopped for lunch and  a little playtime.  Soon afterwards we were back on the road.  When we were at the South Carolina border, it started to pour.  It was so bad that we could barely see in front of us.  We stopped at the welcome center and the boys and I didn't get out because of the puddles and how fast the rain was falling.  Hubby needed to check on his bike rack so he got out and ended up being soaked.  The rain stopped as quickly as it started.

The boys were restless at that point.  They so wanted to be at the beach but we still had a few hours to go.  At one point, Hubby and I decided to rock out to Pink and put on a performance to Get the Party started.  I even had motions and dancing in my seat to the song.

Finally I saw the Bridge and knew we were in Charleston.  Only 20 minutes were remaining until we were at the beach.  Those 20 minutes took forever especially with the boys being loud in the backseat.  But we made it at about 7:45 pm that evening.  After we got there, the boys got to walk in the sand and dip their feet in the ocean.  They were so happy to be there.  No one went to bed until 11ish that evening.

Here are some pictures:

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Our Super Trip - Day #1

We just got back from a super trip because it lasted for 11 days - 6 of which were at the beach.  On the other 5 days, we visited places and traveled from one place to another.  We listened to the boys say "I'm bored!" or "What state are we in?" or "Ohio.  Indiana. Missouri" or "I want to go back to the beach!!!!!!"  The third statement was in reference to the license plate game.  The Wee One loves that game!  :)  We also listened to books on tape such as Drizzle, Encyclopedia  Brown, and the Henry Winkler Hank Zipper series.  Most of all we made memories we will cherish.

Day 1 was the travel day to Charlottesville, VA (Check out my post about why we chose that city).  We wanted to leave by 6 am in order to be able to do a tour of Monticello.  The official start time was 6:05 so that was a good start to the trip.  When we hit the south eastern Ohio to West Virginia, we hit fog.  In fact, the Imaginative One said the bridge that separated Ohio from West Virginia was like a tunnel not a bridge. 

We made excellent time during that leg of the trip.  We got to Monticello (our first stop) by 2 pm.  The Imaginative One loved Monticello.  His favorite parts were where they kept the ice, Jefferson's reading apparatus that held up to 5 books, the dumbwaiter, and the polygraph machine.  Hubby and I were impressed with Jefferson's bed in the wall and the closet at the end of the bed and the closet above the bed that had air holes so there was ventilation.  We were also impressed with his front parlor where he greeted guests.  The clock was amazing and the maps were interesting.  The Wee One took away from the whole experience that Jefferson liked to read.

After we left Monticello, we went and checked into the hotel.  Hubby needed a nap and the boys were very loud and squirrely so I took them swimming while their dad took a nap.  Once we were done swimming, we got ready and went down to the University of Virginia rotunda to do a virtual cache (geo caching - Google it). 

While at the rotunda, we got a hold of my sister so she could take a picture of us at the virtual cache.  The boys thought it would be funny to stick their behinds out at the camera.  I don't know if she captured that or not. 

After taking pictures at the University of Virginia rotunda, we went to the Pedestrian Mall and met up with Jo.  We were late because of Hubby geo caching and because we got turned around at one point.  We found the Hawaii license plates in the parking lot where we parked.  To read about our adventures at the Pedestrian Mall, visit this blog entry.

Here are pictures from the first day:

[gallery type="rectangular" ids="3718,3719,3720,3721,3722,3723,3724,3725,3729,3730,3731,3732,3733,3734,3735,3736,3738"]

My new favorite foodie place

Last month as I was getting ready to shop for my foodie pen pal, I decided to visit the Second Street Market.  I had driven by it many times but it was closed so I couldn't stop.  The boys and I went and got lunch before heading to another place.  The Greek salad I got at one of the vendors was so good.  It was the best Greek dressing I've had.

I tried to get back there but my Saturdays were busy so it was not feasible.  Note:  It's only open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.  It's closes at 3 on all 3 days and I drive by it at 4 so I cannot stop.  

Last Saturday, I made the trek down to the market before heading to my digital photography class.  Foods I discovered on that day were a granola called "Triple Threat."  It has cranberries, white chocolate, and walnuts.  Not too sweet, great as a snack.  I also discovered Rahn's Artisan breads.  Their bagels are delicious.  Spice Rack and Bulk Foods has unusual tea combos.  There is not a lot of variety but that's okay because I'll eventually try them all.  I got Fruit Sangria, Coconut Truffle, and a Hazelnut Toffee teas.  My tea infuser from Charleston Tea Plantation has been put to work.  

So this week, I decided I was going to go once again to the Second Street Market and buy some local goodies for my foodie pen pal.  (I'm not going to disclose what I bought for her.)  The boys had gone north east to see their cousins so Hubby and I had free time.  We went out to see Gatsby on Friday night and went to the market on Saturday.  Two dates in two days - virtually unheard of in these parts of the woods.  We almost went on a third date to Sam's Club but that would have been too much.  One of the dates was to celebrate our anniversary.  The other was to celebrate my birthday.  

He was pleasantly surprised with the variety and smells of the place.  It was super busy but that's a good thing.  Vendors were selling their wares.  We watched a man making a bowl on his pottery wheel.  We heard a bluegrass band singing while little kids were dancing.  We taste tested different infused olive oils and balsamic vinegars.  Then we got our lunch.  It was so busy that finding a table was virtually impossible.  Luckily for us, as he got his fried egg sandwich a table opened up.  I got my Mediterranean veggie sandwich and Greek salad.  It was a great date!

Next week, we are hitting the World A Fair to taste test foods from all over the world.  We love going there.  I've already have a list of foods I want to eat there so I'm excited!

 

14 years ago today . . .

Let me take you back further than 14 years ago because that's where this story begins.  It was September of '97 and the fall quarter at the college I attended.  I was running late to one of my classes because I was doing my teaching practicum at a school that was 45 minutes away from my college.  I didn't have a car so I was riding public transportation to and from the practicum.  

I walked into the the teaching reading class and there was no seats.  Hubby was there and practically pushed one of his friends out of their seat.  Unfortunately for hubby, the professor found me a seat next to her.  

A few days later, I had a art class and guess who was in my class.  Yes, hubby!  A few weeks later, the professor of the art class had a sick family member so 3 classes were canceled.  We went over to my dorm room and just talked.

In October of '97, we began dating.  Our first date was at the Spaghetti Warehouse in downtown Dayton.  

In January of '99, I began student teaching.  During the time I was student teaching, we had a big snow/ ice storm that caused school to be cancelled for multiple days.  I ended up visiting at his parents' house for a week so that I was not in the stuck in the dorms.

I also ended up with either a stomach virus or flu.  On the day I was sick, he went with his sister to find me an engagement ring.  

Since school was cancelled was closed for multiple days, my student teaching was extended for about 3 days.  My last day of student teaching was St. Patty's Day.

The next day, I had class and all I wanted to do was sleep and rest afterwards because I was exhausted.  Hubby was insistent we go out.  Since it was a rainy/ dreary day, we didn't get to go where he wanted to - Glen Helen Nature Reserve in Yellow Springs.  Instead we went looking for apartments.  He was ready to move out of his parents' house and I was getting ready to graduate from college in a few months.  The first place we visited ended up being nice so he got on knee by the stairs in the apartment and asked me if I want

ed the apartment and him.  We were engaged!

That weekend we went to Pittsburgh to visit my grandma, aunt, and cousin.  It was the first time I had been back there in almost 14 years.  It was a nice way to celebrate out engagement.

Our plan was to live with each other for a year, plan the big wedding, and then get married.  My grandpa put a stop to that plan.  He basically told us that he didn't want us living in sin even though we had made a commitment to each other.  We decided to follow my grandpa's wishes of us getting married.  We picked a date that was on a Saturday for the following year and then began marriage counseling.  We were going to elope a month an

d a half after we were engaged.  

We ran into a snagfu while planning the elopement because we needed witnesses.  We decided to ask hubby's dad and my grandpa.  If we asked them, then the rest of the family was going to be there at the wedding.  We ended up having 12 people at our elopement.   Eleven were family members.  One was a family friend.  

It was a Thursday morning at around 11 am if I'm remembering right.  I only had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I took the day off.  It was als

o World Day of Prayer.  Our current pastor married us and then we went out to eat at First Watch.  That night we went to see Shakespeare in Love.  

14 years ago, today we were married.  Two days later, I turned 24.  A month later I graduated from college.  A year later, we had our big wedding and honeymoon at Walt Disney World.  A few months after our big wedding, I began working at my current job.  When I decided to marry my sweetheart, it began a snowball effect of life changes.  I cannot believe it's been 14 years!

Enjoy pics from our bigger wedding a year later

Vegan Brownies

My husband has a cousin, J., who is a vegan.  We went to his hand fasting (another new experience for us) a year and a half ago.  The reception afterwards featured Indian food (another new experience for us) and vegan cupcakes.  We were pleasantly surprised on how yummy they were.

J. and wife had their first baby in September.  Since they live in Canada and we live in Ohio, we had not met baby S until last night.  He is totally cute and very long for his age.  J. is a tall man so it's not too surprising. 

Since we were going to meet up with J., wife, and baby S., I knew there was going to be Christmas goodies there.  J. wouldn't be able to enjoy the goodies so I decided to make him a batch of vegan brownies so he could enjoy some Christmas goodies. 

These are very rich so a tall glass of water, milk, tea, or coffee is in order when you eat a piece!

Vegan Brownies

Hevil's Special Delights

Stars of the recipe:

• 1 1/3 c. whole wheat flour


• 1 c. cocoa powder


• 1 3/4 c. sugar (This may be reduced to 1 1/2 c. sugar or if you use Truvia baking mix, use 3/4 c.)


• 1 c. applesauce


• 1 banana mashed (I used my mashed potato masher.)


• 1 tsp. vanilla extract


• 2 tsp. baking powder

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


2. In a large size bowl, mix together the apple sauce, banana, and vanilla extract.


3. In a medium size bowl, mix together the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Warning:  the batter is going to be thick.


4. Pour into a greased 8 by 8 pan or 9 by 9 pan.


5. Bake for 35 minutes and then check to see if the brownies are done baking.  (Mine took longer when I checked.)


6. Cool and then cut into pieces.


7. Enjoy with milk, water, coffee, or hot tea.

Wordless Wednesday

Monday ended up being a snowy day.  The Imaginative One and the Wee One went outside for maybe a total of 10 minutes.  Most of it was in and out the front door to complain about the cold, their brother, or to get more snow gear on.

Hubby told them if they got the living room picked up and vacuumed, he would allow them to get out the legos.  They quickly did that.  The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with those legos on the floor.  Even Hubby got into the action.