Happy 21st Birthday, Zachary!

Wow, I can't believe it, but Zachary turns 21 today. To celebrate, he spent the night with us last night, and after a dinner of Chinese and a dessert of Gator-colored cookie cake

Zachary, Megan and Danny enjoyed a night of playing cards, and laughing. Taking a quick nap, Zachary managed to lose his phone under Danny's bed, and after taking Danny's room nearly apart, he was awake and ready for the next phase of celebration. At midnight, George and Zachary had a whisky and bourbon tasting. They tried several different kinds including tried and true Glenlivet

 

some Jameson Irish Blend, some Balvenie Portwood (only a sip - that stuff's expensive!),



and some Blanton's bourbon. He even tried some of my favorite - Drambuie. The jury's still out on whether he really likes it or not (it is an acquired taste after all), but afterward George made him a Jack Rose with Applejack brandy, a drink he very much likes. Thank you, Zachary, for spending the night and letting us celebrate with you by trying to get you drunk! Happy 21!

Naan Breakfast Pizzas

A few days ago, I was running late coming home from work and running short on options for dinner. As we always have eggs and bacon in the house, and we often have garlic naan (Indian flat bread available in the deli section), an awesome idea came to me. Why not make breakfast pizzas on the naan? I've had naan pizzas before - you can get them from the Indian markets in the freezer section - but I had not made one, especially not a breakfast pizza. I made two different flavors (pictured below).

The first was bacon, egg and cheese only for the kids. The second, mine, included bacon, onions, bell peppers, eggs, cheese, and herbs. This recipe is so versatile, you can put anything you want on the pizzas. Here is the full recipe.

Naan Breakfast Pizzas

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 pieces Stonefire Garlic Naan

4 eggs

3 pieces bacon or 1/4 cup sausage, cooked and crumbled into small pieces

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or 3 cheese Mexican blend)

Toppings like chopped onion, mushrooms, bell pepper, etc.

butter or cooking spray

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a buttered or sprayed skillet, sautee desired toppings until soft. Remove from pan. Add more butter or spray and then add eggs, scrambling until just less than firm. Remove from pan. Place naan on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Sprinkle bacon or sausage onto naan. Scatter toppings, spreading over surface of the bread. Top with scrambled egg and shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 7-8 minutes or until cheese is melted.

 

Enjoy!



A visit to my old stomping grounds

A few weekends ago, the kids and I made a trip to Jacksonville and stayed the night at Jax Beach. My old stomping grounds from high school/college days, the Jax Beach in my memory was always crowded and a bit, well, dirty. I decided that we'd stay one night, and we'd get a few hours of play on the beach. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, and we started with dinner at the bar/grill on the beach.

After dinner, we ventured out onto the near empty beach to look for shells and sharks' teeth. Megan, true to form, brought her book along.

I got some great shots of both kids as the sun went down, and they enjoyed a few hours in the sand

and then, while Danny and I swam in the hotel pool, Megan got comfy in the room.

The next morning, we all got up early enough to enjoy the sunrise on the beach, something I enjoyed much more than my two grumpy sleepyheads. I tried to explain that the east coast sunrise is something that we don't get to see at home. The beauty of that morning's sunrise took my breath away.

After a quick hotel breakfast, we went down to the beach again to enjoy the waves before it was too hot or crowded. Danny had a great time in the waves

while Megan again searched for shells.

We saw jellies

and shrimp,

and we enjoyed the beauty for a little while.

After a few hours, we checked out and spent the rest of the day with Mom and Dad Gilbert and visiting my Granny in her new and improved digs. After a dinner at Sweet Tomatoes,

We headed back to Tallahassee to George and Harley. It was a short visit, but we enjoyed it very much. My memories of Jax Beach have been changed forever, and the kids got some time with grandparents who love them so.

4th of July/Outlander weekend

Just because the 4th was over doesn't mean that our fun ended this weekend. George and I just finished the 8th installment, Written in my Own Heart's Blood or MOBY as its fans affectionately call it,, in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (soon to be a Starz series in case you've been living under a rock), and we decided to mix it up this weekend. We started with some of our traditional summer activities like making our homemade vanilla,

and smoking some wonderful ribs paired with franks (grilled from the night before) and beans.

As George says, he smoked 'em low and slow.

While George downed his signature drink (a Boulevardiere),

I sipped a Jack Rose with one of George Washington's favorites, Apple Jack Brandy (which is mentioned quite a lot in MOBY

while baking some awesome chocolate chip cookies.

Along with the traditional activities, we threw in some Outlander-inspired things as well. We made two different batches of Cherry Bounce (another of George Washington's favorites)

I got the different recipes from a blog called Outlander Kitchen, and they should be ready in 3-6 months. I'll let you know what we think! Outlander Kitchen just recently published a Tastebook, and I got a copy. It's full of excellent recipes, and I decided during this cooking/baking spree that I would make Black Jack Randall's Lavender Fudge.

While my picture is nowhere near as good as the blog's or the Tastebook's, the fudge was delicious. The lavender gives it a unique flavor, and I even spruced it up with some of my homemade vanilla. Yummy!

Now I know you're thinking, There can't possibly be more. Oh, but there is.

Sunday after church, Danny's had a friend over to play video games and ride bikes for a while. Here they are chowing down on some corn dogs.

Megan went to a friend's house, and George and I continued our Outlander weekend by making Outlander Kitchen's Shepherd's Pie from An Echo in the Bone.

All I can say is, Oh My Goodness. I believe we'll be having another weekend soon, as George has requested this as a staple in our house now. Glad to oblige on this one.

What a fantastic July 4th/Outlander weekend!

A very happy 4th of July

Our 4th of July was a quiet one, filled with fun at the Killearn Country Club pool and then enjoying a night of doing nothing but grilling hamburgers and hot dogs and watching America The Story of Us on the History Channel.  George did not have to work for the first time in 15 years (either on the street or working the fireworks somewhere), and we decided that we would skip the fireworks and enjoy the quiet of a night at home.  It was wonderful! As usual, George and I got some good pics from the day at the pool.

 

 

Nice photobomb, Zachary!

The kids had a blast, and by the end we were all sunburnt and ready to call it a day. We hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July!

Underwater fun

George got a new underwater camera for an early Father's Day present, and he tested it out at the Country Club pool just to see what kind of pictures it would take. He took Megan, Danny and Danny's friend Chase swimming, and I'd say he got some great shots, wouldn't you?