Camp Meal

Besides getting Shawn and my girlies home I also get these.

And I'm pretty sure all those calories I sweat out cleaning the pool house.

Sooooo worth it.

The Big Texan!

We headed to Lubbock this morning because our beautiful bonus daughter is graduating high school tomorrow night. As we were getting closer to Amarillo Shawn started talking about The Big Texan. He's wanted to go forever and this time it was going to happen.

The place is so cute. We bought some fudge and turtles from the candy store and stared at the 72 oz. steak and all the food that goes with it that's part of the challenge. You see, if you can eat a 72 oz. steak and all the things that go with it in an hour, it's free.

If you don't eat it, you pay $72. Luckily Shawn wasn't interested in doing that so we ordered off the menu and hoped someone would take the challenge while we were there.


We were in luck.

But before we knew that we took in the scenery.

We were sitting right next to the challenge table. See the 6 clocks? As soon as the insane person takes their first bite and says it's cooked as they wanted it, they timer starts. I had a picture of the steak on the grill and apparently went to be with the Lord, because I can't find it. But if you look closely you can see the grill master holding it up. She did that when people wanted a picture of it. She also yelled "72!!" at the top of her lungs. I have to say, it startled me every single time.


And then he sat down. He had to be about college age. And let me just say, he had muscles in places that I didn't know you could have them. His jaw was muscular. He had on a tank top with no arms...or sides, and we could see the muscles in his back. I wondered if his stomach had muscles.

By the time we'd paid he still had 20 minutes left....and it wasn't looking good. Poor guy. If we hadn't had family waiting we would have hung around.

We did take time to take a few pictures and sign the boot. It sure does help to always have a Sharpie in my purse. Even though my boss repeatedly steals them.

Sadly there was no time for cow pictures.

I'm so sorry Mr. Cow.

So we'd finally been to the Big Texan. And I'd discovered they have MSG in the seasoning...that they put on everything. At least the experience was worth the stop.
Oh, that and the turtle we bought at the candy counter. I don't eat fudge. Holy cow that thing was good! I'd drive back to Amarillo right now to get another one.

Unless someone wants to deliver...

The King

The King of our house is of course Shawn.  

I love him for many reasons but a big one is because he's always eaten whatever I cooked.  What...e...ver.  I haven't always been very good at this cooking thing.  He survived the first four months of our marriage with me, a hotel room, a hot plate, a slow cooker, and one cookbook that had a can of Campbell's soup in everything.  I have gotten to be a much better cook, but even a good one occasionally has a flop.  He's even eaten the flops.  Sometimes he doctors them up a bit, but he eats them.  He's also the king of leftovers.  He's not embarrassed to take them to work.  He's even been known to share!  At home it doesn't matter what it is, he will dump it together and eat it.  I love that.  In 16 years of marriage he has only disliked one thing.  A chicken, mozzarella, tomato sauce concoction.  I don't know how I messed it up, but I did.  That recipe was thrown away. 

But he reminded me of Elvis a little this morning with his choice of breakfast.  I don't lay claim to this recipe.

A jalapeno cheddar bagel, butter, peanut butter, red pepper jelly, and a banana.  I was a little afraid to kiss him goodbye.  He called later to say his creation was delicious.  Hmmm...makes me wonder if my cooking is really all that good if this was considered delicious...:c)

i heart crumbs

I have a sweet friend I met when I joined the Phoenix Mitchell's Angels.  I fell in love with Renee the first time she opened her mouth.  She's hilarious!  And sweet.  And cute.  I could so easily hate her, but she won me over with her humor.  Not only does she run and entertain me with her Facebook status updates, she also bakes.  Amazing things.  And she wanted me to take pictures of her creations so she could start a website and eventually a bakery.

We started with cupcakes.

My newly purchased studio lights and I showed up at her house this morning ready to go.  But the girl wasn't ready!  Her excuse?  She can't do the math to half a recipe so she just made 11 full recipes of cupcakes.  They were everywhere.  Literally. 

As I set up she got started.  6 pounds of butter, 9 bags of powdered sugar, a Prozac, a 5 hour energy drink, and a Red Bull later...she'd made 9 different recipes of icing and frosted enough for me to photograph.

Here are some of my favorites.

Shimmers!

The weather might still be deciding what it wants to do; be cold and rainy, or hot and windy, but Shimmers is not waiting around. 

Our tongues are so happy!

I may or may not have already had 4.

Okay fine, 5.

But for the first time in a long time, I'm ready for summer!

I hate wearing a coat and eating a snow cone.  It just seems wrong.

Finally.

There's a restaurant around these parts that's known for it's fried chicken. 


We've never been able to go because it's over 30 minutes away and Shawn has to be that close to the hospital.  But something happened tonight.  He wasn't on call.  I don't know how that happened.  I don't think he is either.  But we decided to celebrate.  With chicken.  We're fancy around these parts.  The girls had a piano thingie at 7:30 so even though he wasn't on call, we still had to rush.  Luckily it was a miserable rainy day and the highway was almost empty and there was plenty of seating when we got there. 

If you're going for fancy, this is not your place.  You seat yourself, there's no printed menu (it's hung on the wall and shellaced into the table top), and no plates.  Luckily I'm a sucker for history so it's all okay. 
But there is one problem.  I don't do bones.  I eat meat that's on a bone...but only if someone removes it for me.  Luckily I married an awesome man who is willing to do that for me.  But I also got a BBQ sandwich just in case:)  Let me just say, I was the only one who didn't care for the chicken.  Or the sandwich.  And I couldn't have the nachos because they used canned cheese.  But the fried okra??  So worth the whole experience. 

Oh, and the windows made it more fun.



So if you ever find yourself in, of all places, Okarche, Oklahoma, stop by and get yourself some Eischen's.

And let me know if you don't like meat on the bone.  I can't be the only one.

Garlic Noodles

For the last four years we've gone to eat at P.F. Chang's for the after All State concert meal. Sing it with me. Tradition! Last year Mom asked if we could go somewhere else since she really doesn't like that type of food. Unfortunately when I mentioned it to McKinley she broke down in tears and said it was her last year and we had to go there. This year before we left I talked to Kennedy about other choices and she said, "But we have to go there. It's tradition." Sorry Mom:c)

I of course got what I always get, because I'm not going to waste money by getting something I might not like. But McKinley went for something new, Garlic Noodles. She was served enough for the restaurant to share. Luckily she only shared with us. I. Fell. In. Love. They were delicious. Garlicy with a slight spice. Perfection.

I came home and started searching for the recipe. I found three and they all seemed to be the same so I stuck with the one that let me adjust the serving size. I upped it to 8 because we love leftovers and started writing it down. When I noticed I needed four pounds of vermicelli I got a wee bit concerned. I bumped it down to six servings and Shawn went to the store to get me everything I needed. (Love him!)

Monday night I started making Garlic Noodles. My mouth was watering the whole time. I made some stir-fry vegetables to go with it and considered it a full meal. I couldn't wait until 6 pm. Let me just say, the wok was full. Completely. When everything was ready we sat down to eat and the girls raved about them before I could even take a bite. But when I finally did it was such a let down.

Let me say now that the recipe wasn't exactly thorough. It never told me when to add the Cantonese Stir Fry Sauce so I guessed. But really, it wasn't that hard of a recipe. So now I had almost 3 pounds of not really flavorful Garlic Noodles.

Shawn came home around 11 that night and went to bed Garlic Noodleless. I got a text today from him while he was eating lunch saying they weren't very garlicy. (You'd think 12 cloves of garlic would be more evident.) I agreed and told him I was trying again with the leftovers for dinner tonight.


So tonight I made my amazing Baked Almond Chicken, put it in the oven, and set to work on chopping more garlic. I did a few things differently and was excited for dinner. When the oven timer went off I got the oven mitts and pulled the chicken out of a very cold oven. How did I not notice that the oven hadn't ever heated up?? How did I not notice there were no delicious smells coming out of it? I think I was bit too over focused on the Garlic Noodles. So we had noodles and stir fry vegetables again. And the chicken went to spend some quality time on the outdoor grill. When Shawn got home an hour later he had the full meal. The girls and I had chicken for dessert.


And the noodles?? Still not right.


And I don't want to alarm anyone...but it doesn't look like we've eaten a single noodle.


I think they're multiplying when we're not looking.


Guess what's for breakfast. Scrambled Eggs...with Garlic Noodles!!

I Missed My Kitchen!

After traveling and recovering from those travels for nearly two weeks I was sick and tired of eating out. I'm not a big fan of eating out and having no other choice but to do so it a bit much. So this morning I got reacquainted with my kitchen.

I noticed there were some over ripe bananas so I made Banana Split Bread. Then I decided we needed a dessert so I got everything out for a Cherry Coffee Cake that is so rich we don't eat it for breakfast anymore. When I opened the cherries though I realized I'd opened cherries when I needed Cherry Pie Filling. So I made a layered Jell-O salad that McKinley just loves. Oh, and I started a great new recipe that you'll hear more about later.

My kitchen and I were having so much fun together:c)

When I put on Facebook that I was spending the day cooking a couple of people commented and said I should start a blog with my recipes and it got me thinking. Is that something you all think I should do? Would you all like to see what I cook? I don't want to invest my time and effort (although I think we all know by now that I love sitting) if no one is interested.

So let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Christmas Eve

I wish I knew how long our church has been having Christmas Eve Candlelight Services...let's just say for a long time. It's always been our families tradition to go to that and then eat Mexican Stack-Ups and Layered Dessert. My grandma would make the Stack-Ups and my mom would make the dessert. When I got married and my mom passed away we started doing everything at our house. I am a huge tradition follower. No good tradition will ever end with me. So Stack-Ups and Layered Dessert have continued.

But first, the candlelight service. Our church seats 2500 people and on Christmas Eve every seat is used. So much so that for the last several years they've offered two services. The name has been changed to Carols and Candlelight Service. I am traditional, I don't like the change.

But some things never change. Like Silent Night and the candles.We'd gone to the first service so as soon as we got home I started the chili and started getting all the ingredients out. Stack-Ups are a Mexican dish where you put out tons of items and people can stack up whatever their heart desires. Some people just use everything. Some people are my wonderful husband who loves everything that I cook:c)My buffet in the kitchen is getting smaller. Or is it that we just keep adding things?Stack-Ups

Tortilla Chips
Chili
Cheddar Cheese
Rice
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Coconut
Pecans
Sour Cream
Black Olives
Picante Sauce
And this years addition, Jalapeno Slices (Shawn was the only partaker.)

After we ate we forced the girls to sing their Rocking Around the Christmas Tree trio. McKinley was not excited about that at all. She hates when people look at her while she sings.

Can you tell? After Minty Snowman making (next blog post) the girls set out treats and a letter that Reagan wrote. She's our only believer left:( And just when we thought it was safe to start putting stuff out, McKinley came running downstairs to tell us something. Reagan had left her camera out, on the video setting, to try and catch Santa.Shawn and I decided to make a little video. So Reagan woke up to a dark video with the sound of jingle bells jingling.

I love Christmas Eve! What are your traditions?

Our Thanksgiving

We were expecting 14 people for our Thanksgiving. In Shawn's family I host it every third year. With four brothers, four wives, two parents, and 10 grandchildren it could be a big group. Last year when mom had it she held it at their church so we'd all fit. My aunt and grandmother are included each year so we're over 20. But for my year, one brother and his family went to Branson to see different family, one brother and his wife aren't speaking to any of us, and the third brother called the morning of with news of a sick kiddo. That dropped us down to 10. But with only a three hour warning, I couldn't cut back on the food. I make everything the day before to save my sanity on the actual day. I just take everything out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes before I'm ready to bake it all.

So now, six days later...we're still eating Thanksgiving food. And have plenty to share. Want to come over??

So what did I fix??

Get ready.

Cranberry Cheese Ball-One of the two recipes I have made up on my own. Based loosely on one I tasted at a tea room. It's heavenly.

Mushroom Puffs-Six ingredients of what I hear is pure heaven. I hate five of those ingredients so I go no where near these things.

Turkey-All Shawn. From picking it up at the store, to marinating, to injecting, to frying, to cutting. All him. I love him for that. Oh, and for reaching inside and removing the yucky things. I will not under any circumstances do that. We wouldn't have a turkey.

Dressing-I have yet, in five years of making it, made a good batch. Send help. And recipes.

Gogo's Cranberry Salad-Absolute delight on a fork. Marshmallows, whipping cream, pineapple, and cranberries. Absolute delight. Have I said that already? It's what I asked her to bring.

Burgundy Mushrooms-Nine hours of simmering. 3 a.m. alarm set to start them. Whole house smelling like them. I hate mushrooms. Hate. They were loved by almost all.

Mashed Potatoes-I add cream cheese and sour cream, put them in a casserole dish, and bake them the next day. I had the very last of them today for lunch. I cried knowing it had come to an end.

Gravy-I hate gravy. Except cocoa gravy which we had the next morning for Reagan's birthday. I don't boil the yucky innards to make broth like I should, I just make a roux of flour and butter and add beef broth. I know I know, I should be ashamed. But I'm not because I don't eat it!

Spicy Sweet Potatoes-Sweet potatoes and I have had a long relationship of not getting along for many years. I don't like them mashed with marshmallows on top. I do like them grilled with butter and cinnamon and cayenne. And I've now found I love them roasted with oil, brown sugar, and cayenne. Reagan hates them because they're 'hot'. She will have to learn.

Hominy Casserole-This was McKinley's only request. (Reagan's side dish request was Crock Pot Lasagna...but that's another story for another day.) It's a Pioneer Woman recipe and McKinley had five servings. We finished it last night. She cried.

Broccoli Rice Casserole-This is an absolute tradition. We can't celebrate a holiday without it. I found an easier version a few years ago and it made my life happy again.

No Knead Knot Rolls-The easiest bread recipe out there. Make the dough the night before, no kneading! Kelly tried them this year and loved them:c)

Pumpkin Pie-I can't stand pumpkin pie. I don't even have a recipe for it. I made it anyway. I heard it was good.

Pecan Pie-Pecans are my favorite nut but put them in a sugary pie, no thanks. Yuck. I heard it was good.

Whiskey Sauce-I tried the Pioneer Woman's recipe that was supposed to take minutes...it took me almost an hour. I'm a pretty good cook. I don't know what I did wrong. It went on the pecan pie so therefore I didn't try it.

Marshmallow Pie-This was my pie. Sadly not everyone knew that and I did have to share. It was delish.

See why I have food left over?? It was a bit much!

But soooo delicious.

What did you all have for Thanksgiving?

Marshmallow Artwork

When I was printing out a picture for a gift for a 4 month anniversary...yep, I came across some pictures I'd forgotten to share.

For Kennedy's 11th birthday party we made marshmallow skewers as thank yous. I'd seen the idea on The Decorated Cookie and purchased the markers she'd suggested.

I did the artwork and Kennedy did the wording. We had a blast.

I've done these for lunches a few times with rave reviews.

Okay, so who's going to buy the markers and make these?

I can't wait to see your creations!

Lambert's...oh how I love you

We started our last minute vacation/road trip by heading to pick up my in-laws. They live at one end of the turnpike. Why of why the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority feels the need to do 9 straight miles of road construction during summer break is beyond me. But to keep it fair they also do it during Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, and Spring Break. Basically anytime there's going to be twice as many cars as usual, they park a whole bunch of equipment, rip out several miles of road, make us merge to one lane, and drop us from 75 mph to 55. And believe me when I say this, in 17 years of regular turnpike travel, I have hardly seen any actual work being done. It gets finished obviously, but you hardly ever see actual work happening. Apparently they don't work before 9, after 3, on weekends, when there's bad weather, or on holidays. Sounds like a job I could do!

In one of the construction zones I was following this. Not a dog in a crate in the back of a truck, but a goat. I guess goats do have to be transported from time to time....but I must say, I thought this was a hunter taking his dog out for the day.

Maybe it's a hunting goat!Honestly, I just looked at the title of this post and wonder if you all think I'll ever get to the point.

I am now. Sorry for the wandering.

But wait! Just one more thing. Look at that sky! If the goat was a bad omen (come on, it could be viewed that way!), then the sky is a good omen.

Now I'm really back on track.

After we picked up Gogo and Grampa we set out for the final 4 hours. I don't mind the drive (even with more construction) because I know where I'm headed. Yes yes, Branson was our ultimate goal but Lambert's comes first.

If you've never been to Lambert's, you haven't lived. Food galore. Everything is all you can eat. I have never once in my life eaten all the food I've been served. My mother-in-law ordered the Chef Salad once and it took two people to bring it to our table. She ate and ate and it never looked like she took a bite. I have always gotten the vegetable sampler. That plus the pass arounds are plenty of food for me.

As soon as you're seated (and we've waited as long as an hour and a half) I grab a paper towel and start looking for the person with the pass around okra. As I was looking the roll guy came buy. Lambert's claim to fame is that it's the "Home of the Throwed Rolls". And they mean it. Rolls aren't brought to your table and placed in front of you, they're tossed across the restaurant. It's a good idea to stretch a bit first to prepare for your catch. And since they're hot it's a good thing I already had my paper towel out. I could have been fine with this food, okay, more of it, but there's more!After your order comes, which is about five minutes after your order is placed, you can get the other pass arounds. Black eyed peas, macaroni and tomatoes, and hello lover, fried potatoes. Add that to the mashed potatoes, creamed corn, green beans, and pineapple walnut salad I'd ordered for my meal. Sadly I didn't take any more food pictures because I was inhaling everything in sight.

As I sat back and wondered if I could unbutton my pants without anyone seeing, I took in the atmosphere. It's such a fun place. Almost every inch of wall space is covered with Norman Rockwell prints and old fashioned advertising signs. Flags from all 50 states hang from the ceiling. And there's the roll thrower.He's vying for my love. It's honestly between him and the okra girl.I'll have to go back and try to figure that out....I'll keep you posted:c)