2009 Vacation: The Reject Pile

Somehow, on elegant night, my dad ended up dressed just like Mr. B. Blue Blazer, striped shirt and tie, and white pants. My sister and I were discussing the scandal of how gay they looked, hence her face.

One of us has a huge head, the other has his sexy look going on. One of us is really, really digging her eyebrows and that's the reason she posted this picture.

Elegant night silly shot. That's my momma on the left :) She couldn't purse her lips like ours so it came out as a crazy smile.

My "you better not" face. As you can see, we all had on above the knee dresses. My dad kept telling us to cross our legs for the picture. My sister was about to until I shot her the look and hissed "ladies don't expose their nono zones."

Tomorrow, I'll present the prize winning photo's from the trip. I have a lot since my dad is worse than the paparazzi.

Parmesan Seasoned Fries

This recipe comes from Stacy Southern of PLAYING WITH SUGAR blog.

My personal preference is to double the amount of seasoning because I prefer stronger flavor.


Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium russet potatoes (approx 3 medium potatoes)
1 1/2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning
2 TBSP of Kraft Parmesan Style Grated Cheese (I used reduced fat)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 425.
*Wash and cut potatoes into 1/8ths.
*Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil (I used Reynolds Release foil so that they will not stick, but you could also either use non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease the top of the foil with extra virgin olive oil).
*Mix all of the spices and the parmesan cheese in a small bowl.
*Place all of the potatoes (remember we are talking about one pound at a time) into a gallon size freezer bag, add olive oil and the parmesan cheese/spice mixture to the bag.
*Seal the bag and shake until the potatoes are evenly coated.
*Once thoroughly coated dump onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread in a single layer.
* Bake 30-45 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown. (Baking times will vary depending on the amount of fries that you make and the size that you cut them). For the ones shown in the picture they were baked at 425 for 45 minutes."

Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe

This recipe is particularly good over baked potatoes. It's not very filling without them.


Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe: "Panera Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe #150384
Very good soup...serve with crusty bread.
by chefnini
1¼ hours 30 min prep
SERVES 4

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream (I'm pretty sure I used whipping cream, or milk and water)
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrot, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper


Sauté onion in butter. Set aside.
Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir constantly and add the half & half.
Add the chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat 20-25 minutes.
Add salt and pepper. Can be puréed in a blender but I don't {I pureed half of it}. Return to heat and add cheese. Stir in nutmeg."

Cooks.com - Recipe - Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups

Here are some recipes to enjoy while I'm cruising! Look at Monday's post for the pictures.


Cooks.com - Recipe - Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups: "SPINACH LASAGNA ROLL UPS
Printed from COOKS.COM



8 lasagna noodles
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 lg. garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 c. Ricotta cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 (14 oz.) jar spaghetti sauce
Parsley sprigs {I didn't use these}


Prepare lasagna noodles as per directions on package. Drain, lay flat until ready to use. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium heat and saute garlic 2 minutes. Stir frequently in bowl. Combine spinach, Ricotta, salt, garlic and 1/2 the Mozzarella cheese. Spread each cooked lasagna noodle with a heaping 1/4 cup of spinach mixture. Roll up firmly.
Pour spaghetti sauce into 12 inch skillet. Place rolls seam side down in skillet, bring to boil; reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Sprinkle rest of Mozzarella - cover - simmer 5 minutes longer or until rolls are heated through. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4."

Pictures today- Recipes later

Here are the pictures for all the recipes coming up this week while I'm on vacation:




Tuesday: Spinach Lasagna Roll Ups


I was in the midde of eating when I stopped to take a picture. As you can tell, I am not concerned with fancy presentations, my only requirement is that it taste good!




This is what my spinach rolls looked like as I was filling them





Wednesday: Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Baked Potatoes
I wouldn't reccomend just the soup, it wouldn't be filling. I baked potatoes and scooped them all up together and chowed down! There's also half a croissant on that plate.



Thursday: Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries

We had these with bacon swiss burgers :)

This is my 300th post

Last night I had a blast at the fair! At one point I thought I was going to have to go toe to toe with a group of teens that thought they were going to cut in front of us at a ride. TheCount kept asking me to calm down. It was hilarious. I am super sweet UNLESS I feel like somebody is trying to take advantage of or blatantly disrespect me. I was staring at them giving them death rays and they kept acting like they didn't see me. At one point I just pushed dude out the way and stood in front of him and his 6 friends, blocking their way. They tried to get behind us and this lady went off! I didn't see that group for the rest of the night. Lazy privileged punks! Tomorrow, I leave for my cruise! I've spent the night cleaning the house and now I'm exhausted. I think I'll leave work early tomorrow. Since I probably won't talk to y'all until I get back: enjoy life!

I was on my way to rescue the people. I was trying give action, but it came out as insane laughter.









My favorite thing about the fair? Food! I had 3 pieces of pizza (I convinced him to give me one free), some funnel cake, fries, 2 caramel apples, and a lemonade. My tummy was very happy. I was humming and dancing as I ate this pizza, it was delicious with a lovely garlic taste!

This is a picture from the wedding we went to last week. I loved all the bridesmaids hair, especially the lovely natural 'do!

I'm dumb and I don't know how to turn the picture, so you turn your head. It was the end of a long night so a bathroom photo shoot seemed like a good idea, phony smile and all.

Fearless

Sooooo, I went to the doctor yesterday. During my visit I told her about my ankle/toe/knee problems. She ordered up a set of bloodwork that I needed to have done. I walked out of her office went down the hall and got my blood work done. How about I had to give 6 tubes of blood!? How about I darn near acted a fool when she pulled out those tubes. All the staff was laughing because I was like, "dangit, I guess she's going to teach me a lesson about complaining." She most certainly did. The blood work nurse {can't remember her fancy title} had a really hard time trying to find my veins because they are super tiny, so she called everybody over and we made it a group project- fun times man. Anyway, I made it through without whining and went about my merry way waiting for my results. Less than 24 hours later, I have my results. Gosh darn and all the heck some of my numbers are off the freaking chart. I was on the phone with my momma when I read them. I kept laughing and she kept talking about me dyeing her hair for her tomorrow, you know keep it normal, cuz worrying doesn't change a thing. There is one test that I'm waiting on the results for. Funny thing is, yesterday the doctor told me,"if it's abnormal, they send it out to another lab, but it'll be back by Monday, and then I'll email you about seeing a rheumatologist if you need to." I was looking at her yesterday like whatever, whatever, now I don't even know what that test is for, lol. Listen with your ears boys and girls when the doctor is talking. Hey, no worries here though, all the diseases I can prevent, I have prevented. I used to have high cholesterol and I was anemic- no more my friends :) Diabetes and high blood pressure run in my family- but not me my friends :) I take care of my body the way I'm supposed to and God will do the rest. Ain't no stupid Lupus going to take me down! I'm going to the fair tonight and I'm leaving for my cruise Saturday morning. Praise Jesus I'm alive and well and truly enjoying life :)