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And on Sunday …


Since we'd stayed up until 1:30 at my parents house playing Phase 10, we were a bit slow to get started on Sunday. Once we did, we introduced Patrick to the wonders of Noodles and Company and then headed south to visit Garden of the Gods. I'm not sure I've ever been there before Sunday, but whatever the case, we got to take Loki on a nice walk around the area and look at some very nice rock formations. I will be posting further photos later …

After GotG, we drove back to Denver and picked up dinner at Tamale Kitchen … we took the food home and made the only thing that could possibly improve upon Tamale Kitchen's food: margaritas. Margaritas were followed by lots and lots of Karaoke Revolution. I think it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed themselves.

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On the Slopes

Our good friend, Patrick, was in this weekend from Nashville. As is our tradition, we went skiing!! We usually go Vail, but since the condo was occupied, we day-tripped Copper Mountain instead. It was perhaps one of the best skiing days I've ever been on. The weather was gorgeous … sunny and warm(ish) for most of the day and the snow was bee-yoo-tee-ful. Since we rented skis in Denver, packed our lunches, and used our vair cheap Copper 4-Passes, it was a very cost-effective day on the slopes as well.

It was quite the remarkable day, too. As we were waiting in the lift-line we noticed a young lady in a puffy pink jacket with a fur-trimmed hood. She was wearing TONS of make-up and talking on her cell-phone (and a call that was clearly NOT “I'm in the lift line!”). Well we got on the lift, went on up and started skiing down. We noticed Ms. Cellphone skiing and talking at the same time. Suddenly, the multi-tasking became too much for her and she fell in a giant poof of white. Miraculously, she managed to hang on to and keep talking on her cell phone. Tres amusant.

But that does not compare to the other spectacle we witnessed … Continue reading “On the Slopes”

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Chunky Potato-Crab Chowder

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
3 1/2 cups (1-inch) cubed red potato (about 1 pound)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
8 ounces lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Add potato; saute minute. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in milk, thyme, pepper, nutmeg, corn, and broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in crab, parsley, and salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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BBQ Chicken Burritos

from: Cooking Light December 1999

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup bottled barbecue sauce
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

Directions
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, and garlic; cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring constantly. Stir in barbecue sauce and beans. Sprinkle with cheese; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture down center of each tortilla; top each with 1 tablespoon sour cream, and roll up.

Nutritional Info (1 burrito(
CALORIES 458(26% from fat); FAT 13.3g (sat 4.1g,mono 5.6g,poly 2.4g); PROTEIN 34.9g; CHOLESTEROL 65mg; CALCIUM 243mg; SODIUM 744mg; FIBER 4.8g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 49.1g

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Gifts from the South


While we were in Nashville, we stayed with Matt's dad and step-mom. Matt's step-mom, Sherrie, cooked lots of good stuff for/with us while we were there. One of the highlights of Matt's trip, in fact, was that he got to learn how to fry chicken (and the boy LOVES fried chicken). He's even cooked it for me again since we've been home with excellent success.

Sherrie was kind enough to share some of the recipes she prepared for us while we were visiting and I've captured them in our recipe database for the good of all man-kind (or their stomachs anyhow).

Sherrie's Cheesy Whots-Its
Apricot Nectar Cake
Broccoli Cheese Casserole

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Sherrie’s Cheesy Whots-its

from: Sherrie Nichols

Ingredients
1 box cheez-its or cheese nips
olive oil
dill weed (fresh, finely chopped or dried)
lemon pepper

Directions
Heat oven to 250. Pour box of crackers into a large bowl (larger than you need, so you can mix them around). Drizzle with olive oil and mix until lightly coated (you may want to add a little mix, add a little more so you don’t over-do it). Sprinkle with dill and lemon pepper and mix to coat. Add more as necessary.

Put coated crackers onto rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.

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Broccoli Cheese Casserole

from: somewhere on the web

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 apples – peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 10 inch tube pan. Cover raisins with warm water, let soak for 10 minutes and then drain. Whisk together flour, spices, and salt. Set aside.

Cream together butter or margarine and sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir together soda and 1 tablespoon warm water, and mix into the sugar mixture. Stir in flour mixture, apples, and strained raisins until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan. Once cool, shake pan to loosen cake. Turn onto plate, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

from: Pillsbury Bake-Off

Ingredients
1 (14-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread & Muffin Mix
1/2 cup cinnamon-covered raisins or plain raisins
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine quick bread mix, raisins and ginger; mix well. Add butter and egg; stir until dry particles are moistened. (Mixture may be crumbly.)

In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; mix well. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from cookie sheets.

Nutritional Info (1 cookie(
150 calories; 6g fat; 25mg cholesterol; 120 mg sodium; 23g carbs; 1g fiber; 15g sugar; 2g protein

from: Sherrie Nichols

Ingredients
cake
1 Box Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix
3/4 C Wesson Oil
1 C apricot nectar
4 whole eggs

glaze
2 lemons
1 orange
1 T apricot nectar
1 C confectioner's sugar

Directions
For the cake …
Heat oven to 325. Mix the first four ingredients well. Then add each egg, one and a time and beat well. Bake in tube pan for 1 hour.

For the glaze…
Juice the lemons and the orange and combine their juices, the nectar and the confectioner's sugar. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle glaze over cake while the cake is still hot.

from: Sherrie Nichols

Ingredients
2 small boxes chopped broccoli – cooked and drained well
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 small onion chopped
1 C sharp cheddar shredded
1 C mayo
4 slices bread, toasted
1/2 C butter

Directions
Heat oven to 400. Spread broccoli over the bottom of a casserole dish. Mix cheddar, mayo and soup together and pour over broccoli. Crumble bread and top with it. Melt butter and drizzle it over the top. Bake for 30 minutes.

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Apricot Nectar Cake

from: somewhere on the web

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 apples – peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 10 inch tube pan. Cover raisins with warm water, let soak for 10 minutes and then drain. Whisk together flour, spices, and salt. Set aside.

Cream together butter or margarine and sugar. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Stir together soda and 1 tablespoon warm water, and mix into the sugar mixture. Stir in flour mixture, apples, and strained raisins until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool in pan. Once cool, shake pan to loosen cake. Turn onto plate, and dust with confectioners' sugar.

from: Pillsbury Bake-Off

Ingredients
1 (14-oz.) pkg. Pillsbury Pumpkin Quick Bread & Muffin Mix
1/2 cup cinnamon-covered raisins or plain raisins
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, combine quick bread mix, raisins and ginger; mix well. Add butter and egg; stir until dry particles are moistened. (Mixture may be crumbly.)

In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; mix well. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; roll in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until cookies are set. Remove from cookie sheets.

Nutritional Info (1 cookie(
150 calories; 6g fat; 25mg cholesterol; 120 mg sodium; 23g carbs; 1g fiber; 15g sugar; 2g protein

from: Sherrie Nichols

Ingredients
cake
1 Box Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme cake mix
3/4 C Wesson Oil
1 C apricot nectar
4 whole eggs

glaze
2 lemons
1 orange
1 T apricot nectar
1 C confectioner's sugar

Directions
For the cake …
Heat oven to 325. Mix the first four ingredients well. Then add each egg, one and a time and beat well. Bake in tube pan for 1 hour.

For the glaze…
Juice the lemons and the orange and combine their juices, the nectar and the confectioner's sugar. Mix thoroughly. Drizzle glaze over cake while the cake is still hot.

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Ugh …

We started off with a very nice weekend … goofed around on Fri night (Kelly came over, Matt made fried chicken and we played Settlers), had a very busy Saturday (I went hiking with friends, grocery shopped and helped my parents cook for their big New Years bash … which we then attended) and Sunday (I programmed most of the day), but by Sunday evening, I was feeling pretty icky. I had, in fact, caught the annoying cold that's been going around. On the way to dinner with my parents, we stopped at Walgreens and picked up some Airborne for me. That, plus sleeping most of yesterday away, seems to have helped. This morning, my left ear is a bit plugged up, but I can breathe thru my nose and my sinuses aren't all tight and achey anymore.

Unfortunately my sleep schedule was a bit off and I didn't fall asleep 'til after 1 last night, so this morning has been a bit of a struggle…