The Fair, Dirtbikes, and a Painted Room

Ahhh, the crowd, the food, the smells....hey wait.....what did I step in?  All kidding aside, we did go to the fair tonight and met some friends for dinner, although Carl said he was only going to see how many different foods could be fried.  Ryan did see a couple of friends - here he is with David.  I only wish my son would have smiled, but I will remember this picture and pull it out when he graduates from high school. 

We also saw a 2 week old goat.

The corn dogs and elephant ears were delicious, it was a fun evening spent with friends, but I'm happy to be away from the smells.  I even grew up on a small farm - you would think I would be used to it.

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Kyle and Ryan raced three days this week.  They were at the Clinton County Fair twice and then at the Hendricks County Fair on Monday.  Ryan got 2nd place and Kyle 7th at Clinton County.  Then at Hendricks County, Ryan got 3rd and lets just say that Kyle had a rough night.  After a couple of wrecks, we were happy that there were no broken bones and no broken bikes. Here are a couple of pictures from the Hendricks County Fair.

Kyle....

Ryan and Carl.....

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Carl recently told me that he thinks our house needs "color".  I took a look around  and thought it had color, but then I started looking at magazines and other blogs and guess what - our house needs some color!  That leads to project #1 - painting the entry way.  It's basically a large box that we don't use for anything other than a hallway.  I did have some old porch posts around the doors and couldn't decide if I wanted to keep them there - well, they have been removed.  To see a before picture, click here.  We decided on Benjamin Moore Van Duesen Blue which is a dark blue and we love it!  I told Carl that we had to work on project #2 so I could find something else to talk about.  Here are some pictures of the finished project.

Porch posts have been removed.  Now I need to figure out if I want to put curtains (or something) on the doors. 

The walls are a bit plain, but that can be fixed by shopping! 

I'm going to hop on over to Leslie's blog to see what everyone has been working on lately.  If you like to sew, Leslie's blog is one to read.  She is soooooo creative! 

Brussel Sprouts

I have a confession and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I like brussel sprouts. 

But, I will only (and have only) eat them if they are cooked according to the following directions because they end up a little bit brown and crispy, slightly salty, and just plain yummy.  I was craving them so much this spring that I even ate them for breakfast. To make brussel sprouts my way, you need a cast iron pan - this is critical part of achieving the brown, crispy yumminess.  If I could cook all the time in cast iron, I think I would, and that would lead to another blog post :) 

Ok, let's start cooking!  Heat your pan first and then put the olive oil in it.  Make sure the pan is already heated before you put the oil in.  Add to the pan minced garlic, sprouts, then a sprinkling of sea salt.  And use sea salt if you can - it just makes things taste better.  I don't know why - it just does :)  Oh, and don't cover the sprouts - just let them cook and turn them over once in a while. 

Now you may ask why I'm confessing my fondness for brussel sprouts.  I think I've mentioned before that the ladies I work with (there's 4 of us) talk about recipes, exercises, etc.  We've been challenging each other to try new foods this year and my challenge to them was brussel sprouts.  Rochella already likes brussel sprouts, so this was not a big deal for her, but then there's Janna and Rachel.  Rachel said they were ok, but Janna has a strong aversion to this wonderful vegetable.  To read her traumatic, exciting adventure with brussel sprouts, click here.  And remember, I left my directions on cooking brussel sprouts above.

It's a Mexican Fiesta!

Last night I made chicken enchiladas for dinner and for I also made guacamole for a luncheon that I was attending today.  The family really liked the enchiladas and my 10 year old wanted me to thank whoever "made up" the recipe.  So thank you Cheryl P. for submitting your creation to allrecipes.com!  The guacamole must have been good because the bowl was empty when it was time to clean up.  I liked the guacamole so much that I would like to thank you Bob C. for that recipe.  Now honestly, aren't those two of the best compliments a woman can receive?  Your family telling you that they really like something you baked/cooked and then an empty dish to take home from a pitch-in.  To everyone that has shared a recipe with me, or one that I've found on line, in a cookbook, etc., Thank You!  You've made me feel like all the time I spend trying to find an answer to the age-old question of "What's for dinner?" wasn't wasted.  I'm once again inspired to try new recipes, spend time in the kitchen again (sometimes I feel like I live there), and pretend I'm Pioneer Woman.  Speaking of Pioneer Woman, have you seen her recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles?  These are definitely going on the list of things to make when I need an ego boost from the family.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
3 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (I used the chicken in a can)
2 c. sour cream
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies
2 tblsp. finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
10 (8 in.) flour tortillas, warmed

Directions
1.  In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, chicken, sour cream, soup, chilies, onion, pepper, and salt.  Spoon about 1/2 c. off center in each tortilla and roll up.  Place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.

2.  Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.  Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Guacamole

Ingredients
3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup diced onion
3 tblsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma or plum tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions
In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt.  Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic.  Stir in cayenne pepper.  Refrigerator 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.

The girls (some of us are probably in the lady category) I work with all share recipes, challenge each other to try new foods, and so on.  I've tried more new things this year than ever before.  Here's the list (so far):  wheatberries, quinoa, salmon, asparagus, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, and strawberries.  I really hated strawberries last summer and have since acquired a love for them.  As a matter of fact, I think I had strawberry shortcake every night last week. So tell me please, what are some of your family's favorite meals?  Where do you go for your inspiration?  Do you have a favorite cookbook?  What is something new that you've tried lately.

Happy cooking and I hope you find your answer to "what's for dinner?" tonight.

Girls Night Out

It was a FUN girls night out last night.  Now don't feel sorry for Carl and the boys - they had a "boys night in" and grilled steaks and watched movies. The main purpose of the evening was to celebrate Monika's graduation from nursing school.  She has wanted to be a nurse for so long and decided to to go back to school three years ago and we are all so proud of her!  We all went to the movies and saw Letters to Juliet (what a good chick flick) and then went to Applebees.  Since Monika missed her pinning ceremony, Laura (a nurse and nursing teacher), pinned her.  Monika tells me that this is a big deal for nurses.  From all the laughter and good conversation, I would say that everyone had a great time.  Here's a picture of Monika and her pin.

Can I tell you that I had a great day yesterday?  Well, let me tell you that I did.  I don't know if it's because it didn't rain, or that I was able to spend some time with family and friends, or that I stayed home for part of the day and cleaned my house.  In the morning, Carl and went to Janna's house and she gave me some peonies.  I bought some last summer and they didn't come up this year - boo hoo :(  So it was Janna to the rescue!  She has some beautiful peonies at her house and she also gave me some cuttings.  Besides smelling absolutely lovely, aren't they also pretty?

Well, today is church, finish cleaning up the house, and then a graduation party.  I'm almost finished with teh bedroom redo and will post pictures soon.  Plus, I've found some great blogs that have given me new ideas for decorating my house.  Maybe I'll just "tweak" every room as I feel like I've had the same decorations out for years. 

Have a wonderful day everyone.

For Peggy and Kate plus my Goodwill finds

Oh Peggy, how I wish you were a blogger!  This blog I found is perfect for you.  And Kate, you might need to take a road trip.  This blog is called Artsy Fartsy Junk Finds and they have soooo much cool stuff.  I think I'm even addicted.  Their header description reads:  to all of us junk girls, trash can divers, and roadside junk junkes!  And, check out this blog A Day In the life of a hillbilly. Scroll all the way down to her inspirational picture - it's soooo cute! 

We went to Indianapolis yesterday and I hit one of the Goodwill stores over there and found these 2 little gems.  I don't remember what these bowls are called, but I saw different versions of them this summer at garage sales and they were a bit pricey for me.  I paid $1.99 for this one - it needs to be cleaned up, but it's a keeper.  Sorry the picture isn't very good, I was using my phone and in a hurry.  The sign is perfect and I paid $4.99 for it. 

    

Well folks, it's time to exercise, take down my Christmas decorations, and work on my furniture refinishing projects.  Have a great weekend and stay warm.