Dinner and a Snack

I wish I had taken pictures of these recipes, but oh well...they were delish! nonetheless.

Stuffed Portabellos: Serves 2 (but easily doubles or triples)

2 portabello caps

1 cup leftover spanish rice (I made a homemade version, but store bought works well)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese

1/4 cup oil

Heat the oven to 375*. Oil the top and bottom of the mushroom. Place the caps top side down (the stem side should be facing up). Put the rice on top of the mushroom. Then top it all off with cheese. Bake it for about 15mins then broil for about 3mins or until cheese is melty and bubbling. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Sticks: Serves 2-4

1 can refridgerated breadsticks (refridgerated pizza dough can be substituted)

2 cups oil--guesstimate

some cinnamon and sugar

Pour oil into 10" or 12" frying pan. Oil should be about 1 1/2" deep (may need more than two cups--I didn't measure last night). Roll each breadstick out to about one foot long. When oil is about 350* or bubbles around the end of breadstick, lay three breadsticks in and fry about 30-45 seconds each side. They will puff up so DO NOT crowd the pan. When golden brown on each side, take out and drain on a paper towel and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Enyjoy!

An Oldie...but a Goodie

I grew up listening to late 80s and early 90s pop love songs. The song "I love a rainy night" came to mind and I HAD to listen. It just made me think about other songs I used to listen to all the time and brought back some fun memories. Here is a list of a few faves:

I love a rainy night--Eddie Rabbit

I wanna ance with somebody--Whitney Houston

Karma chameleon--Culture Club

Don't you want me, baby--Human League

What I like about you--The Romantics

Conga--Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine

Wake me up before you go-go--Wham!

and anything early Mariah Carey

What did you listen to while growing up?

Midnight Train to Georgia...well almost

This weekend Nick and I took a trip to Georgia to see some good friends and attend Faith wedding reception. It was a long, tiring weekend, but it was good to see the girls. I really miss having girl friends to hang out with anytime so it was refreshing to be back together with all of them. Pictured are Allison, myself, Faith (the blushing), and Patti Mae.

Here are Nick and I (compliments of Allison). Normally I don't like pictures of myself, but I love this one and another Allison took of her and I. Also, Nick cleans up pretty good. :)

This probably my favorite picture of Faith and Brian. I like the angle; I think it just adds a cool element to your traditional wedding pictures. Also, Faith's dress was FABULOUS!! She picked a beautiful, classic shape with a gorgeous lace overlay and a bit of sparkle. Loved it!!

New Recipe

I made this recipe up a couple weeks ago but have just been to busy to make them. However, I wish had done it sooner because they were great!! We had them paired with corn and mashed potatoes. They would be a great appitzer though and can be made quickly. I really hope you'll try this one; I think you'll LOVE IT!! I know it is definitely a keeper for us.

Buffalo Chicken Wontons: Serves 5

approx. 20 wonton wrappers

1/2 cup water

1 large canned chicken, drained

4 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce

1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 375*. Lightly oil baking sheet. Flake chicken with fork then add cheeses and hot sauce. Place about a tablespoon of mixure one one half of the wonton wrapper. Moisten edges of wonton with water, fold edges together and lightly press to seal. Place wonton on baking sheet and lightly oil the top. Bake about 10mins or until egdes begin to brown.

July 4th Pictures

Here we are the Nationals stadium. It was a bit windy on the concourse but felt great!!

The entrance was right next to the metro station. There were a lot of people there.
Here's the stadium. It looks all gray when you see it on tv, but in person it actually really nice.
Go Chipper!! Chipper Jones had a great day...even if we lost. Go Braves!!

July 4th Weekend

I planned a special trip for Nick and kept it secret for 3 months!!! A definite record for me since I like to give presents the same I buy them. Anyways, it was a trip to see the Braves play the Nationals in Washington, DC.

We got a steal of a deal at the Raddison Inn in Arlignton--$99 for two nights!! (Really it was buy in night get one free but still...) It was a really nice hotel--sleep number beds, down comforters, roof top pool, close to shops, restaurants and metro stations. However the service was terrible. The staff was not friendly, and they charged for parking and extra amenities!! What kind of hotel is this!

Friday, we visited my grandmother in Richmond for about an hour and a half then continued on our journey. That evening, we did find this modern Thai restaurant where the food was fabulous. I got my favorite Thai dish, Pad Thai, and Nick got Basil Rice, which was extremely spicy. We stayed in for the rest of night since we were tired from the trip. We watched "Bridge to Terabithia"; it was definitely better than I thought it would be but not one I would be upset about missing.

Saturday, we sunned at the pool for a bit, got ready for the game, and headed off for the metro. As a side note, DC Metro is confusing so make sure you pay attention to the signs and ask attendants if you need help!! Well, we got to the game about an hour before hand and walked abround the new stadium which looks much nicer in person than on tv. It is huge, but it seems like there would not really be a bad seat. They had good food and places to seat and eat without missing any action. We had great seats just past the third baseline and were close to all the action. Nick had a blast--even if the Braves lost. I am so happy he enjoyed the game. That night we stopped to eat at Noodles and Company. (If you haven't eaten there, you are missing out on some awesome food!!) Then we turned in for the night and just watched some tv.

Sunday we headed out early in search of a Dunkin' Donuts. Normally in abundance up North, we could not find one and abandoned our search. Then about five minutes later we found one and saw a 7Eleven on the way. So armed with a boston kreme donut, small coffee, chocolate chip muffin, and a medium Slurpee, we were back on the road home. Suprisingly, there was no major traffic on our way to from DC, but when we got to Oxford, NC (a little slice of nowhere) there was amjor traffic backup. We turned off on the next exit, got "lost", and then ended up back where we exited off in the first place. However, after our 30 minute detour, traffic was flowing and we finally made it home. Then left an hour later to have dinner with my sister and her husband, but that was really nice, especially since we had not seen them in 3 months.

All in all we had a wonderful time, and we so happy to have some time away.