Category Archives: Food & Cooking
A new way to cook tomatoes.
We’ve had a lot of tomatoes this season and we just can’t eat them fast enough (the kids don’t like them). I’ve been parboiling them to peel them and then cooking them down. It’s a bit of a pain but I do it. And then a friend posted her tray of UNpeeled tomatoes and onions and it was a lightbulb moment.
I roasted them for a few hours and they. are. amazing. Woohoo!! Now I can’t wait for more tomatoes!!
Double date night!
Jami and I picked a restaurant at a random restaurant that had good reviews—Roka Akor—and it did NOT disappoint!
Everything on the menu looked divine and I hated to pick one thing, so we all agreed to do the Chefs tasting menu (the decadent version, of course, because it was only like $25 more per person). Holy cow, what a dinner: 6 courses and (I think) 12 or 13 plates. Maybe 14. We took pics of everything, of course, but at the end realized we missed some! We had a few types of sashimi, beef carpaccio, scallops, crab, lobster tempura, mushroom risotto with truffles, and my first ever wagyu beef (two ways, including with bone marrow). We pretty much ate divine food non-stop for two hours.
Overall it was excellent food, excellent company, and an excellent birthday celebration!
Thank you to unknown party guests!
Some lovely souls brought this to a party we had and left it. I opened it recently and WOW it’s my new favorite favorite cider! Woohoo!
Hot dogs on the fire!
Owen is now obsessed with the fire, so we thought we’d let the kids cook hot dogs tonight. Owen was ALL about it but Katie wanted no part of it (you can see her pouting).
Owen did it but complained that it was too hot.
Happy boys having fun!
My first Bolognese.
This is how I started my first ever Bolognese. I think I need a bigger pot.
It was supposed to make about 7 quarts so I’m not quite sure where I messed things up…and it took a lot longer to simmer down than it said…so I wasn’t packing it up until bedtime.
And while it’s tasty, it didn’t knock my socks off so I probably won’t be making it again. But, I do want to taste my friends version to see how different it is.
I’m channeling my Grandpa Hank tonight.
His setup was much more precise…but then you had to be when doing two or more bushels at a time.
These were tomatoes from our own gardens! We’ve been picking them consistently but we can’t eat them fast enough so I had to make something…and pretty much everything starts with peeling the tomatoes.
Back-to-school BBQ
It was our first major shindig at our new place…and we didn’t even think about turning it into a housewarming. Oh well.
We did 9 racks of ribs in the sous vide. Our sous vide container isn’t big enough so we had to jerry rig a Rubbermaid bin.
We rented a waterslide and invited about 60 people. We had a great turnout of about half…and the kids had an amazing time on the slide. I don’t think Owen got off for more than a minute to use the bathroom and five minutes to eat dinner—he started about noon and we pulled the plug about 9.
We were so busy with party prep and visiting with guests that I didn’t even take many pictures. I can’t believe I didn’t even take a pic of the food spread—I always take pics of the food!!
We set up a tent and picnic tables.
Tom had put up posts to hang our sunshades and lights from.
Tom prepped the ribs in the driveway.
The kids still sliding at 8:15!
A good time was had by all…and we decided to keep the slide another day because it was supposed to be another hot day and we only splurge like this every few years.
I got a little parched waiting for the elementary bus…
Buses always run late the first few days and today was no exception. But we were all there waiting on time…in the sun…and it was hot…so at about 30 minutes I sent Owen home to get me a celebratory drink! It really hit the spot!
It’s time to attempt jalapeño tequila.
No recipe, just winging it.
I love a good jalapeño margarita so I figured since we’re growing jalapeños, I might as well try to infuse my own.
My first attempt:
A friend said I needed LOTS more peppers, so I went out and picked one more.
Give me a week or so and I’ll come back and taste test it!
I surprised the kids with lunch out!
I’ve been wanting to take the kids out for lunch all summer but just never did it, so today on the way home from the library I just stopped and surprised them!
I never expected to cross off two bucket list items tonight!
So let me backtrack a bit and say that back in July I saw a news article come across my Facebook feed about the most unique margarita in Michigan. Of course I clicked the link…and was happily surprised to see that it was a thimbleberry margarita in a restaurant in Calumet—exactly where we’d be headed later in the summer to pick the kids up after grandparent’s camp. What are the odds?
I tried to figure out when we could stop, hoping it would work on the way through as it would be about an hour from where we were staying (and since we’d only be there two days, we didn’t have much time to be traveling two hours for a margarita…even if I REALLY really wanted to). We planned to be passing through about 9pm which was perfect…except we left later than anticipated plus ran into construction and rush hour traffic so by the time we were driving by it was after midnight and they were long closed. 
And then I kind of forgot about it since we were busy with family.
But then we went on our date night—which was about 20 minutes from the house—and actually put us about halfway to the margarita. Tom suggested we go and I thought about it for a minute, thinking I’d love to but that would mean a 45-minute ride home afterwards and I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that. And he looked at me and said “REALLY?! Let’s go. We won’t be this close for at least another year.” #vacationbucketlist
I love this man.
So off we went. We walked in to the restaurant and headed to the bar. An older gentleman sitting at the bar welcomed us (which seemed slightly odd, but whatever) so we thanked him then ordered the margarita. It. Was. Delicious. Here’s me enjoying my first one.
I asked who came up with it and the bartender pointed and said “The owner—and she’s right there!” So we started chatting with them. They were a husband and wife (which, had I reread the article, I would have seen their photo) and they were really great and super nice.
So as we were talking, I jokingly asked if they would let me drink from the dispenser (because who hasn’t wanted to do that with a drink or ice cream at some point in their life?!) and the owner said yes! WAIT, WHAT?! I was kidding. But they said it was a first and no one had ever asked! Ha! Free margaritas? I’m totally in. She said I’d have to let them take pictures to post on their Facebook page and I said that was no problem!
So I did it.
My first thought was it’s harder than you’d think to line your mouth up under it—the dispenser shoot is pretty close to the machine itself which doesn’t lend itself well to putting your mouth directly under it. Plus I had to hold my hair out of the way so it didn’t get in the machine, get covered in margarita, or get in the way of the pics being taken. Plus you couldn’t just crank it open full force or you’d choke—and it obviously have you brain freeze! So it was a delicate balance…but I handled myself like a pro. 
Tom, the owner, and the bartender were snapping pics the whole time. Unfortunately noone took a video.
And from the bartender’s view:
It might have been dripping out of my mouth.
What a total riot! I mean seriously. I never would have guessed this is how my night would end. I told her I’m sure people would PAY to do that (I would!) and she joked that maybe that would be her new business model.
I took a pic with the owner and we exchanged pics and I posted them right then and there.
We even joked about me doing it again because we didn’t get a video and she said I could but then it didn’t go any farther. She said she’d let Tom do it if he wanted but he’s not a margarita guy. She then offered him the beer tap of his choice but as Marine Officer he declined. But, she did give me my second margarita on the house! Oh, and we also had a piece of delicious chocolate cake that the owner made!
We will definitely go back there…and I highly recommend the thimbleberry margarita.
It’s time to go get the kids.
Maggie was READY to go. Once she got outside while I was loading the car, she did NOT want to go back in and she just stood there waiting.
Unfortunately Tom didn’t get out of work as early as he’d hoped so we didn’t get on the road until 4…and with an 8-hour drive (well, 7 actual hours but 8 with the time change) plus construction and rush hour traffic…we didn’t pull in until almost 1:30am. Yuck.
But, because we could, we picked an awesome-sounding BBQ place on Yelp as we drove down the highway, called in an order, and picked it up within 15 minutes…eating in the car as we continued down the highway. Easy peasy. And then we took about seven minutes and stopped for ice cream along the way as well. We even got Maggie a dog ice cream which she wanted no part of. Kids!
What is life like without kids around?
If I had to pick ONE word (other than amazing), it’s quiet. And it’s wonderful. Most days I don’t even put any music on. It’s so nice to not hear fighting or asking for snacks every 20 minutes or having to be a referee or negotiator or repeating myself 13 times to get anything done.
I tell people that I haven’t missed the kids at all…and I’m not joking. I love them with ever fiber of my being, but I don’t miss having to be on duty 24/7. (Tom misses them but he only gets to see them a few hours between when he gets home and they go to bed. I get them ALL DAY. And therein lies the difference.)
How else is life different?
- We can cook whatever we want for a meal at the drop of a hat. We don’t need to discuss anything or think if either kid will like it or what they might get as an alternative (or make an alternative). Consequently meals are super easy and relaxing as there’s no whining or complaining about what there is to eat.
- We can watch a full non-PG movie before bedtime! We can start it right after dinner and be done by 9! We can never attempt this with the kids there because they always meander back into the room. I think we watched three this week.
- We can binge watch a TV series. This week it’s The Handmaid’s Tale.
- We can go anywhere together at the drop of a hat. No wondering where the kids are and trying to get them home or asking other parents if the kids can hang out while we run an errand…or negotiating which of us is going and which is staying or listening to them whine about having to go with us.
- And we can have sex at a reasonable hour (LOL).
And I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff.
I just know the kids are having a great time and we haven’t been alone alone like this since before Owen was born. And it was much needed.
And it’s going to happen next summer, too.
Anniversary day in Chicago: a foodie adventure!
Since the kids were away at grandparent’s camp, we decided to take advantage and go to Chicago for some foodie experiences to celebrate our anniversary a bit early. Of course I hadn’t thought far enough ahead about making reservations so the one place I really wanted to go had nothing available until September so we planned on walking in and hoping to eat at the bar (friends had done that so we knew it was possible).
Stop 1: Frontera Grill by Rick Bayless
We got there about 10 minutes before they opened and there was a line of about 10 people. By the time they opened there were probably 30 people waiting. We had a reservation and they sat us in the bar area at some reserved tables.
The menu wasn’t what I’d been looking at…I had downloaded the lunch menu, not paying attention that weekends had a brunch menu. (Rookie mistake!) So of course the two dishes I’d previously decided on weren’t available. I did ask if I could still get the dish I really wanted (one of their three ceviches) and he checked and said no. Dang. So it took me quite some time to pick what I wanted.
We started with drinks. Tom had a Chupacabra and of course I had a margarita. I really liked his and I’d order that above my margarita.
CHUPACABRA
Milagro blanco tequila, fresh and roasted vegetables (tomatoes, tomatillos, cucumber, celery, garlic, onion), fresh lime, Worcestershire and chipotle.
TOPOLO MARGARITA
Milagro reposado, Royal Combier, housemade limonada, shaken tableside.
FRONTERA CEVICHE
Hawaiian albacore, tomatoes, olives, cilantro, green chile. Crispy tostaditas.
The ceviche was amazing. It was a tie for my favorite dish of the entire day. I would eat that every day for the rest of my life. And it was one of the three ceviches they had that I didn’t think I’d like because I don’t like olives. But I’d never have known there was olives in it. I’m drooling now just remembering it. The tostadas were amazing—they stayed wonderfully crispy even with all that juicy ceviche on it.
I opted for two starters as my lunch:
GRILL ROASTED ELOTE CORN
Serrano mayo, cilantro, and fresh cheese
I had recently had Mexican corn at a farmers market and it came in a cup. I totally didn’t think this would come on a cob. LOL So it was messy but yummy!
SOPECITOS RANCHEROS
Crispy corn masa “boats,” braised beef shoulder, roasted tomato-serrano sauce, avocado, queso fresco.
Sooooo good. Unbelievably good.
Tom went way outside his box and got a vegetarian dish! I am not a huge mushroom fan so I’d never order it but it was good. (I forgot to get a pic once he unwrapped it and dug in.)
MUSHROOM MIXIOTE
Shiitake, maitake and oyster mushrooms, dark pasilla chile sauce, potatoes, chayote & local greens cooked in a parchment package. Creamy goat cheese, sunflower shoots.
And then dessert. We weren’t going to get any because we knew we had to eat again at 4:30 but…screw it. We both immediately went to this:
DOS, TRES, QUATRO CAKE
Dos candied nuts, tres leches, cuatro chocolates (chocolate-infused tres leches cake, house-ground chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookies, hot fudge), candied almonds & pecans.
We both love tres leches but weren’t huge fans of this. It was okay but we apparently like less fancy versions of this dessert (we joked give us your 9×13 pan instead of this crazy thing).
Stop 2: Chicago’s Original Architectural Tour by Wendella
We had asked friends for recommendations of things to do in the few hours between restaurants and this river tour was highly recommended. It was a quick walk from Frontera so seemed perfect. However, we hadn’t anticipated the hot and humid weather (it was probably 93° with 80% humidity) and we both decided there was NO way we’d enjoy any of it sitting topside in the blazing sun…so we each had a drink in the bar for most of the tour (they had margaritas so it seemed like fate). We will go back again with the kids when it’s cooler.
Stop 3: Hubbard State Cigar Shop
Because it was on the way back toward the car and Tom needed new cigars.
Stop 4: Firecakes Donuts
Because donuts. And it was right on the way.
From top: Espresso something or other, Pistachio old fashioned, Cherry fritter, Malted milk ball, Strawberry marscapone, Chocolate cake, PB cup, Creme brulee, vanilla with coconut
Stop 5: Three Dots and a Dash tiki bar
This bar was named one of The World’s 50 Best Bars so imagine the coincidence that it was ALSO on the way. It was only accessible via the alley—they had tiki torches outside (you can see them behind us).
Then it was down into the dark, cool depths of a basement bar.
The drinks were amazing…but expensive as hell. We only had one each. Tom said he has found his retirement job.
Stop 6: Girl & The Goat by Stephanie Izard (Winner of Top Chef)
So we got to Girl & The Goat way early. We wasted some time at a nearby coffeehouse since it was still like 90° and humid. At about 4:10 we walked down. The doors were locked but the revolving door was open so I walked in and asked the first employee I saw if it would be okay to sit at the bar until they opened since we’d just driven a long way and it was so hot out. He said he didn’t think legally we could do that and then suggested we sit in the waiting area. Okay, that was fine with me.
But my anxiety started kicking in as more people started lining up outside and then trying to come in (at one point a huge gaggle of like 20 people came in). You could see the manager getting irritated with people wanting to come in and wait but they obviously weren’t open yet. And the people looked at us sitting there like why did we think we were so special. I’m a rule follower at heart so I was torn between going to wait outside with the rest of the herd and keeping my seat (which no one was telling us we had to move…). I really wanted those first seats and we had been there first but I was getting paranoid that something was going to prevent it. Tom said he was ready to make a dash to the seats if need be. I know it’s just food and it would have been okay if we ended up needing to wait a bit, but I was still anxious.
Fast forward to 4:30 and a lady came over to us and asked if we had a reservation and we said no, we wanted to eat at the bar…and she said to go grab seats. Yay! So we were seated before anyone from outside even walked in. Phew!
That’s a goat topiary behind us.
And of course another margarita because why not?
I’d perused the menu ahead of time—as well as all the dishes our friends had ordered—so I had a good idea of what I wanted. I told the bartender that friends had been there and sat at the bar and had an amazing experience and he said he’d try to live up to the expectation!
We had drinks and picked four dishes. This is the order they came out (they serve them in the best order to eat them):
SWEET CORN PIEROGIS
Charred scallion sour cream, sweet corn-tomaro chimichurri
Everything was good, of course, but this was by far our favorite course of the night. The bite of pierogi with the chimichurri was pure delight.
SQUASH BLOSSOM CRAB RANGOON
Almonds, chive yogurt
We love crab Rangoon so had to try these. They were delicious, of course.
DUCK TONGUES
tuna and black bean poke, crispy won tons, piri piri
Just as delicious as our friend mentioned. (It was a toss up between this and the pierogi for the winning dish but the chimichurri pushed the pierogi over the edge.)
Then they surprised us with a dish, compliments of the chef, for our anniversary (we’d been talking about it with the bartender). It took me by total surprise and I forgot to get a pic. I’d never have ordered them but they were DELICIOUS.
SAUTÉED GREEN BEANS
Fish sauce vinaigrette, cashews
And the final course… We debated between a few and I let Tom pick.
GOAT NECK
Perilla marinated heirlooms, pickled grape tomato, green plums, tahini yogurt, wood fired pita
Mmmm. The meat was so tender and flavorful, the marinated tomatoes were perfect, and I’m not a tahini fan but it worked well together.
Before this dish came out we had discussed that we might need to order one more dish. While we’d had three planned dishes and one surprise dish, it really hadn’t been THAT much food. Did we need more? No. But we’d probably never be back so why not. But after the size of the goat neck, we opted to just go with dessert.
CARAMEL CORN & MALT BALLS
Vanilla malt ice cream, popcorn caramel, chocolate magic shell
When they delivered it (with the lit candle) they wished us a Happy Anniversary, as did all the bartenders behind the bar as they walked by! This was a crazy dessert that totally worked on all levels. Each component was delicious but a bite with everything was sublime. I’d order that again in a heartbeat. (They should really also add chocolate ganache squares to the description.)
We were there for almost two hours and we had a great time interacting with the bartender—I can’t imagine sitting at a table. When the bill came, they hadn’t charged us for the dessert, either, so we left him a huge tip. Overall an awesome meal. Just delicious all around. I highly recommend it…
And a last-minute photo as we were leaving!
It was such a great day and I’m so glad we did it…
Surprise anniversary adventure, day 2!
Tom told me to get dressed and be ready to go by 8:30! I had no idea what was in store…but I could only imagine it would involve more delicious food…somewhere north. I love adventuring with this man!
Sushi for lunch! Yes, please!
Then we walked around the downtown river area of Milwaukee. We might have done a little shopping and exchanged anniversary cards at one store.
Tom had made plans for dinner, too, but we didn’t spend as much time walking around as he had thought so we just headed home.
Garlicpalooza
So I bought that huge bag of peeled garlic from Sam’s Club and put it in the garage refrigerator and proceeded to forget all about it. Fast forward to now and I really need to start using it because it’s going to go bad. So I decided to roast a bunch of it.
Everything was going really well until I decided to up the temperature just a tiny bit while also forgetting to set another timer. Whoops.
The tray on the left was cooked perfectly. The tray on the right was mostly salvageable. Then I ground it all up and made little garlic pucks for the freezer.
Len Christmas in July, Year 5
And the meat festival begins…Of course Timmy brought a ton of his amazing brats…but this year he added smoked brisket to the menu! HOLY WAH!
And no, your eyes aren’t deceiving you…that’s a Gummy Bear brat. With real gummy bears in it. It wasn’t bad…just a sweet taste. I thought Katie would love it because she LOVES gummy bears but nope. Silly kid.
And the annual kid comparison! After last year when Owen was taller, Nick pulled ahead (which he should, as he’s almost 14).
2017:
The kids goofing around while I was getting the camera set up.
My test shot to make sure the settings were okay, and I loved it so much I kept it. It’s also fun to see how we can all pull it together for the real photo!
Nick and Owen…conspiring? Planning? Who knows.
Gramma created a project for the kids—money frozen in a block! They had to figure out how to get to it! (It didn’t take them long!)
Oh yeah! We also gained a dog for an hour or so. Mom didn’t recognize him and Tom called the number on his tag and it was animal control…?!? He was good and just hung out with us—got a few pets and belly rubs (Maggie pretty much ignored him). After awhile a young girl came looking for him—and we found out she was visiting someone in the neighborhood.
Overall it was a perfectly gorgeous day—not too hot and not too cold, lots of good food (too much, actually, but we’re Lens so it’s expected), and great visiting with family and watching the cousins play!
The princess roasts her own marshmallow.
Dog n Suds
Tom has wanted to come here since we moved here. He hasn’t been to one in 25 years and I’ve never been—I’d never even heard of it before we saw it here. It didn’t quite live up to his hype, but it was passable. Nothing we had was terribly exciting but I’m glad we were able to take a trip down Tom’s memory lane.
Who wants to come for ribs Saturday night?
We might have just discovered that Owen left the basement freezer open. Who wants to come for ribs Saturday night? Not kidding. We have four racks of ribs in the sous vide.
Yes, this is how much milk was put back in the fridge.
At least they told me we needed milk when we were at Sam’s Club this morning. #thestruggleisreal
The convenience is worth it.
Time to make guacamole with jalapeños from the garden!! I’m sure I’ll spend more overall than if I went and bought them but the convenience is worth it. 
This is what 5# of polish meatballs looks like.
The last time we made them, Owen was a baby. They all went in the freezer and we will enjoy them all summer!!
Tomorrow’s sous vide dinner: cowboy ribeye as big as your head!
They enjoyed the sous vide ribs so we decided to do the king of steaks—the cowboy ribeye!
Introducing the kids to my childhood!
I had Gramma search for her old Tonka makers (pie irons) and bring it! Tonight we had dessert—another day we’ll do pizza sandwiches!
Apple and Reese’s Marshmallow.
Cowboy Ribeye!
Our cowboy rib eye was deeeeeelicious! Some stir fried veggies and Brazilian Cheese Bread rounded out the plate. So yummy.
FYI – H2OJ with Lemon Lime Mio and Tequila is a very poor substitute for a real margarita.
But adding the tequila did help a little. (Yes, I was that desperate for a margarita. I won’t be doing it again, though.)
Naturally Slim, Round 2
When it’s time to get serious about Naturally Slim again. Plus I already have my walk in for the day. #icandothis #ididitonceicandoitagain #failureisnotanoption #facebookaccountability
Lunch!
20 minutes later
I posted the above on Facebook and within minutes, a friend suggested we support each other by checking in via text message. I knew a bunch of my friends were all wanting to reboot as well, so asked who would be interested and quite a few were so I decided to start a Facebook group where we can all post and commiserate and help each other out. I think by the end of the day we had maybe 25 people and a week later we are around 50!
There is such a thing as a too-big marshmallow.
We saw these huge marshmallows in the store and thought they’d be great for s’mores—I am always annoyed at having to get two marshmallows to cook evenly at the same time. But this was a huge fail (no pun intended). It was harder to cook the huge marshmallow because it was so thick…and it kind of overpowered the rest of the s’more.
