Arkansas and Good Friends

This post is long overdue, but over the 4th of July weekend we went to Arkansas to see our dear friends. Erin and the two kiddos were down from Scotland visiting family. Unfortunately, Jason had to work and was coming down later, so we weren't able to see him. Erin's parents were kind enough to let us stay with them and hang out for the weekend. It was so nice to spend time with Erin. It seemed like no time had passed and we just picked right up where we left off. The last time we saw Andrew he wasn't even walking yet. Here's a picture of him and Kevin when we were in Scotland in 2008.

And here is a picture of me and Andrew from our recent visit. Such a cutie!

And we finally got to meet Kate who was born in January. She is a doll!

We had such a great time!

New Orleans Trip

Several weeks ago I took a trip with my friend Brigitte to go pick up her nieces in Louisiana and bring them back to Texas for a visit. Road trip! Let me just preface by saying that this trip wasn't ALL about the food, but pretty close. My taste buds were singing!

First off, Brigitte surprised me by stopping for lunch in Lafayette at Prejean's! In the past, she and I had cooked out of their cookbook, and it was delicious!

I had the Eggplant Pirogue Prejean. It was half an eggplant, peeled with the insides scraped out to make a boat. It was battered and deep fried and filled with crawfish, catfish, and eggplant in a dark roux. Oh my word people! I also bought their cookbook to add to my collection. Kevin has been to Prejean's in the past and was very distraught that I decided to eat eggplant at one of the best Cajun restaurants in the world.

I wish I would have photographed what her momma made for us for dinner that night... seafood gumbo, potato salad with shrimp (!!!), and a three layer yellow cake with praline filling and chocolate frosting! The BEST potato salad I have ever had in my life. I wonder if she'll give me the recipe. It was all so wonderful..... Oh, sorry. I started daydreaming about it.

We spent most of Saturday in New Orleans. We started off at Cafe Du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait.

I was just a tad bit excited.

This is Brigitte's happy face. Really, really happy!!!

We went into the Old Opera House to hear some great jazz!

Lunch at Breannan's...

By this point I was starting to look a little worse for wear. It was HOT and HUMID!

A New Orleans French Quarter classic... Bourbon Street.

All in all, I really like New Orleans. I don't think I would go to Mardi Gras... ever, but I really liked the city. Great food! Two thumbs up! Yeah for road trips with great girlfriends! Thank you Brigitte for taking me with you and showing me such a great time!

Random Goodness

I am no green thumb. Not at all. Fortunately, Kevin can grow things pretty well. This year he planted a small garden of tomatoes, green onions, jalapenos, and corn. We have enjoyed quite a few tomatoes and green onions already. Can you say SALSA?!! And last week we finally picked the first ear of corn. Here it is in all it's glory...



And just for kicks, here is a picture of my pre-baked mountain high crunchy caramel apple pie...

Foodies

I am thankful to have friends who appreciate gastronomy (the art of good eating) as much as I do. In fact, they are willing to spend hours upon hours creating a wonderfully tasty dish. The end result is of course the best part, but the learning and creating are also quite enjoyable.

Tish and I made beef bourguignon several months ago when I was in town visiting. The flavor is always so incredible!

And Brigitte and I made a chocolate Pavlova with whipped cream and raspberries a few weeks ago. Divine!

Last Saturday I chose a challenging recipe out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking for Brigitte and I to tackle together. It was actually two different recipes. First you had to roast a chicken - French style. We trussed the chicken, which was a new experience for both of us, and roasted it in the oven for several hours while basting it every 10 minutes. Of course it produces the most gorgeous bird you ever did see. Then we carved the chicken, poured cognac over it, and lit it on fire. Sorry for the blurry pic, but it is an action shot of Brigitte shaking the fiery pan of chicken.

The chicken is then steeped in a port wine sauce with mushrooms and cream. Melt in your mouth goodness!

Anniversary Weekend

Kevin and I celebrated 10 years of marriage on May 6th! I can't believe it has really been that many years. So the Friday before our anniversary I flew into Houston where he was working, and he picked me up and we drove down to Galveston for the weekend. We stayed at the San Luis Resort, which was amazing! We had a very nice view of the Gulf and a balcony. Now, we would not normally stay at a expensive place like this, but I recently received a free 2-night stay that I won at a conference. What a blessing!



This was the view from our balcony. They were having a wedding on the lawn that Saturday afternoon.



The plaque beside Kevin's hand indicates the water line from Hurricane Ike back in 2008.



Here we are in the lobby of the resort. We had such a great time!

Babysitting

I headed towards East Texas a few weeks ago to visit friends and family during a long weekend. And I had the opportunity to babysit my niece for a few hours while my brother and sister-in-law went out. We had a great time!

Sock Artist

I am part of a knitting group at work. Yep, I have fellow knitters at my work in my department. We are a group of four knitters and a crocheter. We knit together every Wednesday on our lunch break and have for the past 3 years. Well, our dear knitting guru is retiring this summer. She's been knitting for around 45 years or so, and she is so knowledgeable. Since she's leaving, she decided to give us going away presents. Um, I think that's supposed to be the other way around. And she's not leaving until July. Anyway, she got me this awesome t-shirt!



I am almost always working on a pair of socks, so they have labeled me the "official sock knitter" of the group. I love my new shirt!