...and then there were THE REST OF THE PICS...

Our trip was amazing (have I said that enough times lately???) Sorry - probably a little obnoxious, but it WAS really...well...you know ;)

We spent a lot of time on the water. The kids did some tubing, lots of swimming and a little fishing with the neighbor boy...

We played a lot at Nana and Bapa's house...

Baby crashed with Bapa - awwwww.....

We did a LOT of hanging out in the back yard...best place in TX...seriously...

Monkey discovered his love of measuring...

Monkey spent a lot of time in the buff...

Again, with the back yard...even Pipps had fun in the pool...

Oh, and there was the day we took out the slip n' slide...

All in all, a great trip. One we'll take again....

Thanks again Nana and Bapa - we love you guys and miss you!!!

I Left My Heart in San Antone...

Ok, so I didn't. I only left a few dollars there when I bought lunch along the Riverwalk, but what can I say...it seemed like a catchy title for this series of pics :)

Of course we went to the Alamo...I don't think you can miss it :)

Here's Pipps standing in front of a building we thought was really neat...the architecture in SA is pretty amazing...

The infamous River Walk...

Baby eating his toes...we were still at the Alamo waiting for Nana to buy souvenirs...Monkey got a coon-skin cap, the older kids picked out rocks...seriously....little tiny polished rocks. They are definitely not my real children ;0)

Even the cops at the Alamo have a swagger in their step ;) (Can I get a Yee-Haw!!!)

I wish we grew trees like this here...

The Coolest Natural Springs EVER...

Krause Springs - ever heard of it? If not, MAKE IT A DESTINATION...it's amazing.

You can read about it here

Our Safari in Texas...

One day when we were in TX, we went here.

I seriously don't think my kids have ever had such a great time. It was really cool.

We rode in a big wagon behind a tractor and with our huge bucket of feed, the animals were eating right out of our hands. It was incredible...

My Mother's Garden

I doubt that I will ever be a great gardener. My mother and I may have many things in common, but I'm pretty sure this isn't one of them. I just don't have the patience - or maybe I do - but it's put to use raising 4 kids, 3 of whom are LOUD boys :)

Anyway, I just wanted to share these. She has a wonderful back yard...it's one of the most relaxing places I've ever been...

Monkey and Ms A go "Georgia O'Keefe"

Venison Stroganoff with Fennel and Red Wine

Oh. My. God.

My Dad is a hunter - always has been - and I used to HATE eating venison. But lately, well, I don't know if it's because it's free or because I've been getting into the "eat local" mode or what, but it's been good...I experimented a bunch last year when he sent me home with an entire grocery bag full of stuff.

This year the pickings were a little slimmer, but whatever - I still got some good stuff. The round steaks are my fave - and what I used to make dinner tonight. I was equally inspired by a pasta dish a friend of mine from Italy made one night using fennel, mushrooms and cream - I don't remember what else was in it, but I remember it being the first time I actually LIKED eating something with mushrooms in it.

I should have taken a picture - I ended up making it in the crock pot, so it's not like I didn't have time - I just got busy with a sick daughter, babies that refused to nap, and all the other jazz I've got going on every day.

So enough of that...here's the recipe:

(again, sorry for the approximations, but I'm not an exact recipe kind of girl)

• 3-4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 lb venison (or beef) round steak, sliced into strips
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 bulb fennel, chopped - use both the bulb AND the pokey/hairy things - seriously, you CAN eat it all...
• 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• 1 pkg sliced mushrooms
• 1 tsp dried thyme (I'd use fresh if I had it, but no...I was out)
• 1 cup good quality beef broth - or I use this paste stuff that comes in a jar...it's SO much better
• 1 cup red wine
• a bit o' white flour
• pepper to taste

• 1 cup of sour cream
• chopped fresh parsley
• egg noodles (I used no yolks)

1. Heat 1 Tbsp EVOO in a pan and add chopped bacon. Sprinkle liberally with fresh pepper and thyme. Cook until rendered and almost crispy.
   
   
2. Add Onion, Fennel and Garlic. Sautee about 5 mn, or until onion is transparent.
   
   
3. Dump the mixture into the crock pot/slow cooker
   
   
4. Put the same pan back on the stove top and add a Tbsp of butter.
   
   
5. When it gets hot, add mushrooms and cook until slightly browned.
   
   
6. Dump those into the crockpot too...
   
   
7. Add the beef broth - or the paste/water to the slow cooker too...
   
   
8. Dredge the sliced beef in flour and with the SAME pan, add a tsp of EVOO with a tsp of butter until hot and then brown the meat, in batches if necessary.
   
   
9. Dump the meat in the crockpot and then deglaze the pan with the red wine. Let it cook down for a minute or too and then - you got it! - dump that into the crock pot :)
   
   
10. Give it a quick stir and then cook on High for 4-5 hours or until you can't wait any longer.
    
    
11. Add a cup of sour cream and stir until combined
    
    
12. Top with fresh chopped parsley and serve over Egg Noodles.

This was the perfect dinner for our first "real" day of fall :)

Pesto Crepes with Eggplant

Ok - so obviously all my posts are going to be about my spoils from the farmers market...what can I say - I was so inspired by what I bought that I've been having a blast finding new ways to make everything....

I had bought a bunch of tiny purple Japanese eggplant and wasn't really sure what to do with them, but they were SO PRETTY, that I had to have them...thank goodness my husband understands this about me - although I really need to make him understand how this should apply to shoes as well...

Anyway - I had made a ton of homemade pesto with the POUND of basil I bought for $2 and was looking for a fun way to use up the rest of that too...and don't ask me why, but I thought...Crepes! Green crepes!

They might look a little weird, but holy cow were they good. The Hubs even loved them, which doesn't happen very often, because you know, it's chick food...

Anyway - here's how I did it:

In a blender I combined about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the homemade pesto, 4 large eggs, and a splash of milk (maybe 1/4 cup) I blended that for about 20 seconds until it was a frothy green liquid and then 1/4 cup at a time, I added 1 cup total of flour. It seemed a little thick, so I added another healthy splash of milk....

Are you following this? So I think here's my recipe:

• 1/3 cup pesto
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup flour

Meanwhile, I heated a Tbsp of Olive Oil over medium heat and added a finely chopped shallot, 1/2 of a yellow onion and 6 of the little eggplant cut in half moons. I seasoned liberally with black pepper and a little salt. The key with eggplant is to make sure the oil is hot enough and you LEAVE IT ALONE until it has a chance to brown. If you don't, you'll have a goopy mess - which is why I think I used to hate eggplant, but now that I know how to make it...Mmmmmm

Total cooking time for these was about 10 mn.

Once your filling is done cooking, turn off the heat and just leave it there. Then on the other burner, get one of those little non-stick pans. You don't really need a crepe pan - this will work just as good. Trust me.

Put a smidge of butter in the pan on Med-high heat and swirl around until it's hot. Take 1/4 cup of the crepe mixture from the blender and start making crepes! You can see in the picture here how they look before you flip them:

...and how they should look AFTER you flip them...

(These take about 2 mn tops for each one - SO easy, SO good...)

Let 'em cool a bit and then fill them with a bit of the eggplant mixture, roll up and place in a sprayed 9 x 13. On second thought, I don't really know if the pan really needed to be sprayed, but I figured I should err on the side of caution...

For fun, and because I had a bunch left over, I topped these with a simple bechamel sauce that I added about 1/4 cup of leftover Brie cheese, a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of nutmeg to...it didn't make a ton, just enough to drizzle down the center.

Oh, and we had them with the DELICIOUS jalapeno sausages I brought back from TX. SO good.

Fingerling Potatos with Lemon and Stuff...

Again with the farmers market stuff....I LOVE the farmers market...and this time I took pictures! Woohoo!

Start with a bunch of fingerling potatos. I bought the package with the white, red and blue. What can I say - I love color in my kitchen and haven't seen blue potatos since I lived in Sweden. I was feeling nostalgic and since Pipps was with me, I just couldn't resist.

I boiled them slowly in some water with a little kosher salt. In hindsight, I think this would've been better had I roasted them - which I LOVE to do with potatos, but I don't know...the whole swedish thing had me thinking boiled potatos, so that's how I did 'em.

While those bad boys are cooking (make sure they're done all the way through - you know how gross undercooked potatos are, right??? YUCK)

Chop up a green onion, a few leaves of basil, grate the rind of a lemon, and shred some parmesan cheese - the good stuff, not the powder in the can...

When the potatos are fully cooked, throw them in a bowl, drizzle with a couple Tbsp of olive oil and grind some fresh black pepper all over - I use a lot because I love it - use as much or as little as you want...

Throw your cutting board full of goodies in with the potatos and stir until they're all coated.

Isn't that pretty???

So good. The lemon and fresh basil and the green onions - they just taste like summer and they really lighten the dish - and I didn't even have to add extra salt because I'd salted the potato water and used GOOD parmesan. These were a huge hit....although, like I said before, I bet they'd have been even better if I'd roasted them...

Cream Cheese Stuffed Chili's

I found this recipe originally on PWC - if you haven't checked out this site before, I highly encourage you to. I stumbled upon it through a friend a few months ago and I now read it religiously...

ANYWAY - the way she makes them is good - if you're not into spicy - which we REALLY are. We love hot things, spicy things, if it makes you sweat, makes your nose run, makes you cry...we like it that way.

So I had bought a ton of different chilis and jalapenos at the farmers market on Saturday and was wondering what I should do with them when I remembered how much I loved this recipe last time with the jalapenos. I thought, of course! they'll be even better with the SPICY chilis...and they were. They were freaking fabulous. I love them. My husband loves them. I could seriously eat a gazillion of them.

I wish I would've taken a picture, but sadly, they were all gone by the time I even thought of it.

SO - click the link above and see hers and try and imagine a bunch of different colors and sizes and spice levels and you've pretty much got what I made :) YUM.

So here's the recipe:

• A bunch of chili peppers - the small ones work the best since you can just pop 'em in your mouth.
• Cream Cheese - you can use regular, neufchatel, fat free, whatever floats your boat
• Bacon - mmmmm

1. Cut the peppers in half - scoop out the guts
2. Cut a smudge of cream cheese off the block and smoosh into the pepper half
3. Wrap with a piece of bacon - or a half piece if you have a small pepper
4. Grill 'em, broil em, whatever...just make sure you cook them until the bacon is crispy. Soggy bacon = yucky, but if you like soggy bacon, I guess you could do it that way too.

ENJOY!

Jelly's Mom Makes the BEST Potato Soup...

It's true. Just ask anyone. Especially me.

And because she just got hitched this wkend and requested that I email her the recipe that she brought me when I had Baby - well, I couldn't resist...had to post it.

Jelly's Mom is a vegetarian and so this recipe can be as well. However, when we eat it at our house I like to add some bacon crumbles...mmmmm....bacon.

Anyway - without further ado - here's the recipe! (Oh, and I've never actually made this in a slow cooker, and I'm not sure if J's Mom has either, but be creative - have fun - it's SOUP!)

"Baked" Potato Soup

6 lg russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes (about 3.5 lbs)

1 lg onion, chopped (about 1.5 cups)

3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth with roasted garlic (Jelly's mom uses 3 Knorr veggie broth cubes which I actually prefer as well...)

1/2 cup butter

2.5 tsp salt

1.25 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half

1 cup (4 oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

3 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 8 oz container sour cream

4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Shredded cheddar for the top :)

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker

2. Cover and cook on HIGH 4 hours or on LOW 8 hours or until potato is tender

3. Mash mixture until potatos are coarsely chopped and soup is slightly thickened; stir in cream, cheese, and chives.

Top with sour cream, if desired, and sprinkle with bacon and cheddar cheese before serving.

Makes 12 cups

Back to School...and Blogging...

I know, I know...it's been a while. I haven't been writing or posting or anything other than being a "cruise director of summer vacation" since school got out in June...what can I say, I have 4 kids and summer gets really busy...it's no excuse, but it's the one I'm using :)

HOWEVER - I cooked a couple of FABULOUS recipes recently. My friend S had made them for a girls night in at her house a while back and I fell in love...so when we were in TX visiting my mother, I offered to help out with the cooking.

I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family with great chefs. My mother, my father, my grandmothers - they can all cook up a mean meal. Blessed. That's what I am...

SO - without further ado - here are my 2 new favorite recipes...

This is a beautiful salad - salty, briny, crisp, SO refreshing. Definitely my new favorite way to make green beans.

Green Bean Salad with Red Onion and Prosciutto

(adapted from a recipe found on epicurious.com)

• 2 pounds fresh string beans, trimmed
• 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 pound prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced and cut into long, thin strands
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Zest and juice from 1 large lemon
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on taste

1. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook beans until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Drain in colander, then immediately transfer to bowl of ice and water to stop cooking.

3. Drain and pat dry. Refrigerate 1 hour, or overnight.

4. One hour prior to serving, in large bowl, combine beans, onions, prosciutto, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

5. Toss gently and let stand at room temperature for one hour before serving.

My second recipe is adapted from a Giada Laurentiis recipe found on foodtv. I added more meat, and more sauce and it turned out really lovely. See?!??!!

Grilled Italian Sausages with Peppers and Onions

(adapted from a recipe by Giada Laurentiis)

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds Italian turkey sausage – 1 sweet, 1 hot
• 2 red bell peppers, sliced
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ¾ - 1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cup Marsala wine (I just used the red that we had on hand)
• 2 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

1. Grill Sausages until almost done – (they will continue to cook in the pan.)

Or if you don’t have a grill, just cook them in the pan with the olive oil 7-10 mn before you add the peppers and onions. Remove them and then continue with step 2.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat.

3. Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the oregano, basil, and garlic and cook 2 more minutes.

5. Add the tomato paste and stir.

6. Add the Marsala wine, tomatoes, and chili flakes, if using.

7. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits.

8. Bring to a simmer.

9. Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each, about 1-inch cubes.

10. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to combine.

11. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes or until to your liking.

Enjoy!