WDB #45

This week's WDB post features my two sons as the photographers. They wanted to take the pictures this time.

Okay, sounds simple. Well, few things are simple when it comes to my youngest. His picture-taking debut spawned quite a few tears. His pictures weren't good enough. No matter that I loved them, no matter that they were every bit as good as his brother's attempt. They stunk. Period. And poor Bailey. DS wasn't exactly a patient and gentle photographer either - he got mad at Bailey for moving and tried to force Bailey into different poses, etc. Sigh.............

The good news is, DS finally found a picture he was satisfied with and all was well.

First, from DS #2, we have the photo that came only after much angst:


Just for fun I'll put in one of his funny attempts:


And DS #1 chimes in with his photo - he was happy after one try:


Don't forget to visit Sweetnicks tonight for pictures of the whole furry gang.

Salmon Packets

Salmon Packets

Ever have one of those days in the kitchen where you feel like a everything you touch turns into a disaster? Thursday night was one of those days.

I had decided to try a recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food that sounded like simple elegance - Salmon Packets. A little parsley, a touch of horseradish and a piece of salmon all wrapped up in a delicate phyllo packet.

Now phyllo dough used to stress me out. However, as I got used to working with it, I realized that it's actually more forgiving than I thought - a rip here or there doesn't matter so much - the next layer is bound to cover that over. So, I approached this recipe calmly and did okay with the phyllo. It was a little finicky - phyllo usually is - but I got 3 nice little packets made without too much trouble.


So, it wasn't the phyllo that gave me trouble, it was the little box of supposed convenience food that was the culprit. To be fair, it was really the stupid electric cooktop, not the box of Near East Roasted Garlic with Brown Rice, Pearled Wheat and Bulgur. I set the grains to a boil, reduced it to a simmer and went about my business. The next 10 minutes or so were a series of pot boiling over, me removing pan and reducing heat - repeat. And repeat. And repeat. I was becoming a tad enraged. I finally turned the danged burner down to almost "0" before it would finally stop boiling over.

I HATE my electric cooktop. I dream of the day I can have a gas stove again...............at this rate, that won't be too far off.

Anyway, back to the salmon. As I cooked the rice, I put the salmon in to bake. When I went to check it, the phyllo was already starting to brown too much. That's when I realized I had put the salmon in before the oven was fully preheated. Stupid oven. Okay, that time it was mostly stupid me, but if the oven didn't take so danged long to heat up...........

Oh, and did I mention that the stupid oven that is attached to this stupid cooktop doesn't have a light that automatically turns on when you open the door? Nope - you have to manually turn it on any time you need a little extra light to check your food. I thought that was a pretty standard feature, but......................

Back to the salmon. The recipe said the salmon would cook in about 10 minutes and although we were skeptical, I think that was pretty accurate. Mine got left in a little longer (what with the preheating and all) and it was just a tad overdone.

By the way - the little individually wrapped salmon fillets they sell in the frozen section at places like Sam's Club and Wegman's are perfectly sized for this recipe.

Despite my cooking snafus, everything came out very nicely. The salmon packets were very tasty. I think there are some variations begging to be tried - like spreading pesto on the salmon in place of horseradish. DH thought these would make a great appetizer by turning these into tasty little salmon-phyllo triangles - with pesto or with horseradish. Lots of possibilities. That's what I love about trying new recipes - they often inspire other creative ideas.

Along with the salmon and rice blend, I sauteed some asparagus with lemon juice, salt, and Penzeys Florida Seasoned Pepper.

Whew. Despite the rocky start, it was a very nice dinner and something that I think would make a lovely presentation for guests (and could be completely assembled beforehand). I also like recipes that you can recreate anywhere without having to have the recipe on hand - this one is easy to create from memory. Definitely a keeper.

Time for Tempeh

Starting in about 1990, I stopped eating meat. No real reason, it just disgusted me. I swear it started with a dream about ground beef that grossed me out. That dream apparently made a lasting impression - I didn't eat meat again for at least 7 years!

I credit that time for making me a more creative cook. (And I was lucky to have a patient and tolerant DH who was willing to go along with the ride.) When you're not relying on burgers or steak and potatoes, you need to get a bit creative. or eat pasta every night. I tried lots of things I might never have tried - hummus, falafel, tabouli, millet cakes, etc. And tofu.

I like tofu, but I have a texture problem with it. It's best at a restaurant where they prepare it really well, but I've never been able to recreat that texture at home. I don't like it to be soft and mushy - firm and chewy, please. I tried all the recommended methods - freezing and thawing, draining, squishing, you name it. Still couldn't quite get into it.

Picture from Wikipedia

Tempeh, however, is a different beast. I was really surprised how high in fiber it is - apparently this is because it has parts of the whole soy bean in it.

I did an internet search for tempeh recipes and came upon a recipe for tempeh quesadillas. Quesadillas are a family favorite in this house, so I figured it would be a good way to introduce this new food to the family (we've tried tempeh before, but I've never cooked with it). I decided this recipe from Whole Foods Market. I did hesitate - the combination of wild mushrooms and Mexican flavors didn't quite seem to fit. Still, you never know until you try, so why not?

Overall these were quite good, but I probably wouldn't make them again without some modifications. As I feared, the earthy flavor of the wild mushrooms just didn't seem to fit with salsa and Mexican flavors. I would consider using tempeh in quesadillas again, but I'd pair it with more traditional fillings such as corn and black beans.

We thought the tempeh was a bit bitter. Perhaps I need to do more research in to tempeh preparation before I try it next time. And there will be a next time. I still have an 8-ounce package in the fridge - 16 ounces seemed like too much for the amount of mushrooms and for the amount of filling I needed for four of us. Even with one package, we had much more filling than we needed.
This meal was made especially healthful by preparing the quesadillas with La Tortilla Factory whole wheat tortillas. These have 8 grams of fiber per tortilla! I don't know that I would use these for regular quesadillas, such as steak fajita quesadillas - the whole wheat flavor comes through pretty strong - but they paired well with the earthy wild mushrooms. The texture of these is a little off (a bit flaky, not as tender and flexible) since they are low fat, but they worked well for a quesadilla since they are fried in oil.

I served the quesadillas with a salad of fresh tomato and avocado dressed with olive oil, lime juice, cumin, ground chipotle pepper, salt and pepper. Mmmmm....it was delicious.

I look forward to trying tempeh again, but more research first.............

Falling behind............

I'm falling behind! Time to catch up on the recipes I've made this week! In order to keep this from being an endless post, I'll post each recipe separately over the next 2 days. We've got fried rice, a tempeh recipe and an elegantly presented salmon recipe........

On Sunday night we had fried rice. The kids and I love fried rice, but I often forget to make the rice the night before (the rice works best if chilled), so I don't make it as often as I'd like. I finally remembered to put the rice on Saturday night for Sunday's dinner. I don't follow a specific recipe really, it's one of those recipes that's good for using up whatever you happen to have on hand.


First, the rice (about 3-5 cups) needs to be thoroughly chilled and the oil (at least 2 tablespoons) needs to be hot. I like to use brown rice for added nutrition, but white rice works very well, maybe even better. To the rice I like to add shredded carrot (if I'm in the mood - I'm not a big fan of cooked carrot), peas, corn, scallions, and egg. Sometimes, like Sunday, we add meat - this time, chicken. (My ambition is to make the chicken like they do in the restaurant - I know this involves pounding the chicken thin, but I haven't mastered it yet. I'll let you know if I do.) I then add a bit of salt, pepper, sesame oil and soy sauce to the mixture for flavoring. No measurements here - I just add it to taste. One of these days I'll try to write down an actual recipe.

A new technique I learned this time around is for cooking the egg. Have you ever noticed that the egg in a lot of fried rice dishes doesn't look like regular scrambled egg? I found this recipe on Epicurious that seems to describe the technique for cooking it that's probably responsible. My egg didn't turn out quite as written, but the second try was much closer.

Next time I'll have to make more - everyone was looking for leftovers the next day and there weren't enough to go around..................

Wednesday Weigh-In

Well, this is probably not the blog to come to for life-changing weight loss inspiration, I'm afraid. It's just real life. And sometimes real life means 2 steps foward and 3 steps back. But that would mean backsliding, so really it's more like 3 steps forward and 2 steps back - leading to very slow, but forward progress.

I have achieved inspirational progress in the past, but I went at it full out. It's hard to go full out on something and keep it up indefinitely. I don't want my weight loss to be temporary. I don't want it to be something that I commit to full out for a few months, then lose steam and stop, gain the weight back and then have to start all over again. That's the definition of a diet for me - something you go on, and something you almost inevitably, eventually fall of.

Calorie counting has been my "diet". I count vigilantly for a while, lose weight, then get tired of counting, stop, gain weight. I'd really LOVE to lose weight without having to dedicate so much time and effort to such a tedious task. This has been one of my obstacles this time around. I simply get tired of the calculating and tracking.

So what to do? Is counting simply a necessary evil for me? Where else can I make changes and perhaps see progress without counting calories?

I can definitely up the exercising. A daily 30-minute walk is definitely better than nothing, but it will not lead to the results I'm looking for. I not only want to lose weight, but I'd like to build muscle - good for the metabolism and the bones. I also need to change things up. Fortunately I have been doing just that this past week - changing things up and adding weight training to my workouts again - I've been working out with Cathe Freidrich on Fit TV. More on that in a later post.

I can watch the snacking and the junk food. Surprisingly, without even consciously trying, I have been much better about mindless snacking and eating junk. It certainly helps that it's been hot and I've not been baking - baking always gets me into trouble. And portion control. I need to remind myself that just because something tastes good, I don't need to eat the whole thing! But this is where counting calories holds me accountable - not sure if I do so well on my own.

I can watch the alcohol. Not that I drink like a fish mind you, but it is pretty easy for that one glass of wine with dinner to turn into 2 or even 3. Not necessary and not good. Easy does it. Just like with food - I need to learn to sip slowly and savor. Again - calorie counting keeps this in check too.

So, we'll just have to see what the next week brings. Maybe there will be calorie counting, maybe there won't. The weekend will be a challenge - we're going out of town and getting together with friends. I can control myself MUCH easier at home than when I'm socializing. Exercising is challenging when we go out of town too.

Up a 1/2 pound this week:

WDB #44

Just a quick post tonight to participate in Sweetnick's WDB.

Hey, Mom, can you take a hint??!

Bailey's not-so-subtle hints make him a pretty good personal trainer!

Shhh...we won't tell him he doesn't look so intelligent with the tongue hanging out........

Breakfast!

Rachael Ray's Pain Perdu

Photo from Food Network

Something new for The Savory Notebook. A breakfast post!

Although I love a big homemade breakfast, I have to admit that I'm not all that keen on actually making them. I like a leisurely morning, spent drinking tea and reading the paper. Cooking breakfast seems like such a hassle. So, I tend to make big breakfast meals for dinner. When I do take the time to make a hot breakfast, I find out it's really not such a big hassle and it's usually oh-so-yummy.

The boys have been requesting French Toast ever since I bought a loaf of really thick white bread. It's been my plan to make it, just never got around to it. Until this morning.

I decided to try a recipe I saw Rachael Ray prepare on Food Network - Pain Perdu. The addition of cornstarch to create a bit of a battery crunch intrigued me. I hadn't planned on making the berry compote, but then realized I had some fresh blueberries and raspberries in the fridge, so I went for it - after all, it's in keeping with my resolve to not let things go to waste!

The only changes I made to the recipe were to add one more egg and a bit more milk - I tend to like a lot of egg in my French toast batter, but I also had 9 very large pieces of bread and wanted to make sure there was enough egg/milk mixture to go around. I also followed the recommendations of several reviewers to cut the sugar to a 1/2 cup. 1 cup seemed like overkill and even a 1/2 cup was a bit sweet. Maybe 1/3 cup next time.

The French toast was tasty and did have a nice crunch on the outside. The syrup was delicious but really overwhelmed the French toast. I think I would have preferred just a simple maple syrup, but that's a matter of personal preference. In the future, I would reserve a berry syrup like this for a heartier base like a whole grain pancake.

It Feels Like Soup!

Soup weather, that is. According to the weather site online, it's still 69º, but it feels downright chilly! I guess after all this hot and humid weather we've been having, the cool breeze is a shock to the system! Too bad it wasn't this cool earlier in the day or I would have taken advantage and made some soup. I love to make soup on cool days in the summer - it's like a special treat. Like a good blueberry in the middle of winter.

Tonight's dinner was not soup, however, but a repeat of a very quick, easy and delicious salad that I had made once for the boys, but not for DH (I made it after DH moved to PA without us). It's so simple and tasty - it will definitely become a regular in this house. I served it with the Dijon dressing recipe my mom shared with me - love that dressing - we're out, so it's time to make some more to keep on hand (I keep it in a Ball jar that I seal shut with my Foodsaver).

Spinach Salad with Egg, Bacon and Goat Cheese

Tonight I had better luck with cooking the eggs in the microwave. I used wax paper instead of plastic wrap (I'm a little nervous it would start to melt) and used a rubber band on each ramekin to secure the paper. I microwaved the eggs for 40 seconds, but they weren't even close to being done. I kept going at 22 to 33-second intervals until they were done. This time they came out nice and soft, not rubbery and overcooked like last time. It's a pretty easy way to cook a number of eggs at one time.

Tomorrow night it's some sort of fried rice. The brown rice is already in the rice cooker since it really needs to chill thoroughly before being fried. Sometimes my fried rice comes out great and sometimes only okay. Here's to hoping tomorrow night is a great night. Recipe to follow tomorrow..........

2 Dinners

I have 2 dinners to blog about tonight - tonight's meal and last night's meal. I had enough energy to cook last night, but not enough to write about it.

One of my goals in cooking is to make sure that things get used up and don't go to waste. We're not terrible about this, but there is definitely room for improvement. We often have chunks of bread that go moldy before I get them properly wrapped and in the freezer or potatoes that get lost under the sink and begin to sprout. So, last night I set out with the goal of using up the two cobs of fresh corn, the fresh tomatoes and the fresh bread leftover from Tuesday's meal. I also decided that shrimp would be our main ingredient.

Although I found several tempting-sounding Mexican-influenced meals involving black beans, corn and shrimp, I decided to try something different. I went with the Shrimp and White Bean Salad from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food site, but I added corn. It turned out okay, but I don't think it's a repeater. Somehow, the beans just didn't work with this dish. I don't think I care for the combination of shrimp and beans - seems like I've tried that before and didn't care for it then, either. Mmm...I think avocado would have worked well in this dish. Ah well, I think it will at least be a spring-board for some experimenting down the line - the dressing was easy and tasty.

The shrimp salad with a side of bruschetta.

To use up the tomatoes, I made a bruschetta topping of tomatoes, balsamic, salt, pepper, a bit of EVOO and capers. I spooned this on fresh rosemary olive oil bread that had been toasted and rubbed with garlic. Everyone seemed to love it, but I think it was the spicy zing of the raw garlic that made it so tasty - the tomatoes weren't good enough to really make it a good bruschetta.

Tonight it was steaks on the grill. I had strip steaks from Wegman's and simply rubbed them with a little olive oil and fresh garlic and then sprinkled them with salt and pepper. One of our favorite things to eat with steaks is horseradish sauce. DH makes a great one, but I wanted to find one we could keep on hand for last minute convenience. I had my doubts about a prepared horseradish sauce, but this one rocks - IF you like your horseradish really potent. This stuff is more like the wasabi paste you get in Japanese restaurants.

The steaks were the best we've prepared at home in quite a while. Although the preparation was nice, we really think it was the quality of the steak that made it so tasty. We've done some fabulous preparation on steaks in the past and they still only tasted so-so. If it really was the steak itself that made the difference, I'll be buying my steaks from Wegman's from now on.

This stuff is really strong - a little goes a loooonnnnng way!

Along with the steaks I served fresh green beans from a local fruit farm (go figure) and roasted baby red potatoes that were in danger of being lost under my sink. Another save! The green beans were wonderful - I seasoned them with fresh lemon juice, dill and Penzeys Florida Seasoned Pepper. I buy them at the grocery store all the time, but every time I buy them, I know they could be so much better. These were what I knew a green bean could be. Yummy! Hopefully next year I can have a big garden and try my hand at growing them myself. Bunnies and bugs have ruined my efforts in the past, but I'm willing to try again.

Mmmmmm...fresh green beans.

Not sure what's on tap for tomorrow. I may need to continue my theme of reducing wasted food by serving small portions of leftover gazpacho with a sandwich melt of some sort to help use up some lunch meat that may go bad before the weekend's over.

Wednesday Weigh-In.....on Thursday

I actually did weigh in on my scale yesterday, but I've been feeling under the weather so I never got around to posting about it. Feeling somewhat better today, so here goes.

Seems I get interrupted every time I try to get back on track with health and fitness! During the move and then vacation I did not track my calories, but I have been walking pretty faithfully, especially while we were at the beach - I walked 5 or 6 days out of the week we were there. Walking has been more of a challenge now that we're home again since it's been so hot out. Still, Bailey and I have managed to get out here and there until I started feeling sick Tuesday night. Just a sinus infection, but it really knocks me out the first day or two - all I feel like doing is lying around, so that's what I did!

Yesterday, while lying around, I watched Fit TV on DIRECTV. This channel is new to me since getting satellite for the first time. It felt a little silly to SIT and watch people exercising, but I figured a sick day was the perfect day to check it out. None of the actual exercise shows were on while I was watching, but I did get some ideas and it was nice to at least hear people talking about good food choices and exercise.

One reason I'm very interested in Fit TV is that I'm having trouble deciding what to do about regular exercise. In Indiana, we belonged to the YMCA - it was no more than 5 minutes away and I felt very safe letting the boys play in the gym while I worked out upstairs. Not only was it a small facility where most people knew us, I could also see the gym where they played from the workout room upstairs.

We have checked out the nearest YMCA here - at least 15 mintues away - and I'm not so sure. The building is a maze - I had a hard time finding my way around, so I can imagine it will be hard for the boys. It's also much larger with many more people coming and going - I don't know that I feel comfortable letting the boys wander around while I work out.

So, distance is one issue. 15 minutes is not terrible, but this place is also downtown and just all around harder to get to - especially in winter when we're out in the country on winding roads.

Cost is another issue. It's about $61/month - not bad, but quite a bit more than the $43/month we were paying in Indiana. DH rarely used the Y in IN, and with it being further away now, I don't see that changing here. I just wonder if we'd use it enough to justify the cost?

On the plus side, it is near where I will be going to get my hair cut and near Wegman's - I could conceivably use it for babysitting while I get other things done too. Maybe when the boys are older and I don't feel so paranoid.....

The other option would be a health club, but the boys are too young to leave alone yet and most health clubs do not offer good solutions for bringing kids along - my kids are past being in a babysitting room, but not quite old enough to be on their own.

So, I think that for the summer, I will probably exercise at home. Perhaps once the boys are in school, I can join a health club - something where I can have a membership during the school year. This sould solve my childcare problems and give me a place to exercise in winter when the weather makes walking outside a bit treacherous or unpleasant. If and when I got back to work, however, I'll be faced with trying to figure this out all over again.

I will need to muster up all the motivation and discipline I can find - I am not very good at exercising in my home. I do much better when I get out of the house and can really focus, without distraction. I have weights and a step and will invest in an exercise ball (I had one, but Bailey popped it). If I do decide that exercising at home is my best option, even during the school year, I may look into investing in a treadmill - a year of NOT joining the YMCA would pay for a pretty decent one.

I'd love to hear from those of you who have had similar issues and how you resolved them.

Back to my weigh-in.......

When I jumped on the scale yesterday, I was 3 pounds down from my starting weight. Considering that I haven't been making a concerted effort to lose weight, I was pretty happy with that. Although I haven't been counting calories, I've been pretty good about not snacking, not eating too many sweets, and at least getting some exercise most days. But now it's back to trying to fit in strength training and counting calories.

My goals for this week are to count calories (starting today), get in at least 2 days of weight training, get in 40-45 minutes of walking/cardio on days I don't do weight training, 30 minutes on days I do weight train.

Until next week...................

A Cool Summer Meal and ARF/5-A-Day

....with tons of veggies. Tons of veggies means this post will be perfect for Sweetnick's weekly ARF/5-A-Day round-up.

(Due to Blogger maintenance, the photos for this post may not appear at first. Hopefully they will be back later!)

As I planned our menu for the week, I decided that we were in desperate need of a light, vegetarian meal. Light in calories, but also light in how it sits in the stomach - hot weather cries out for light foods. Not only was this meal meet both of those requirements, it also did not heat up the kitchen - another plus for the dog days of summer.

Half the veggies go into the food processor to be pureed.

Gazpacho. Or, as we call it, Gasburpo. Ahem.

When I think of gazpacho, I think of a tomato base. Interestingly enough, according to Wikipedia says that the ingredients that actually make it gazpacho are bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. I like the tomato version - it's a light and flavorful base, but I'd love to try other versions too.

This recipe is adapted from Jane Brody's Good Food Book. Her recipe calls for onion, I prefer scallions which don't have such a harsh bite. I leave out the pimento and I tend to add more chopped veggies than her recipe calls for.

The other half
(I usually add more - I like to bite into lots of veggies)
are reserved for the soup.

Tonight's batch of gazpacho was a near disaster. I decided that it needed more hot sauce - this time it was Frank's, not Tabasco - and as I went to shake in a few drops more, a large amount plopped right out of the bottle into my bowl. I had not just flipped the top, I had taken the top off altogether. I was sure it was ruined. However, further inspection revealed that it was not only not ruined, but not even close to unbearably hot. In fact, had I stuck with mere drops instead of tablespoons full, we may not have noticed the hot sauce at all. So, I can't tell you how much Frank's actually went into this soup, only that it was probably at least 2 tablespoons and it worked.

Gazpacho

We served the gazpacho with fresh corn from a local farmer and fresh rosemary olive oil bread toasted with olive oil and Pecorino Romano. Yummy. The boys seemed to enjoy it too - their plates and bowls were clean.

Giant's not so bad either.

Wegman's is fantastic, but Giant is not so bad either.

Only I don't understand the difference between the different Giants. There are the PA Giants that look like this:PA Giants are also apparently in MD, WV and VA. The other Giant looks like this:

This Giant is in DC, MD, DE and VA. I don't get it. They look to have the same parent company - Ahold - but different beginnings - the PA Giant was started in Carlisle, PA and the other Giant's beginnings are from D.C. Ah well anyway................

As I visit "regular" grocery stores in the area (as in not Wegman's), I am beginning to realize just how limited my choices were in Indiana - it was even worse than I thought, if that's possible. Even Giant - which happens to be a bit closer to us than Wegman's - has A LOT more to choose from than Meijer, Walmart Supercenter (ugh - only went there if absolutely necessary) and Scott's. They make a decent effort to carry organic and international foods. Heck, they even have a decent olive bar, much like Wegman's.

However, choices can also cause confusion and indecision. I wanted some roast beef lunch meat and there were probably 4 different kinds. So I got turkey. The plain kind. The deli has the largest assortment of meats and cheese that I've seen in a long, long time - including things I never or rarely could find like capicolla, proscuitto, pancetta and even mortadella (I once searched for this to make muffuletta). Although I must admit now that I've found and seen mortadella, I'm not sure I want to try it after all - looks like bologna with hunks of stuff in it - I call that a "loaf" - ewwww.

If we ever need a crab fix, they have steamed blue crabs at $1.50 a piece. Not bad if we just wanted a little appetizer taste of crab. Hey, maybe I can even order crab at a restaurant now without fear that I'll get krab instead.

The menus for this week will be revolving around light fare with all this heat. It's pretty hot up here on our hill, but there's a decent breeze and it's not so humid that you feel sticky and gross the minute you walk out the door. I can handle that.

So, we'll be cooking things like grill, making salads and maybe some gazpacho. But what to have tonight? I forgot the tomato juice and scallions, so gazpacho is out. I also forgot the goat cheese for the spinach salad I was going to make and I think it's really key, so that's out. Dang, I wish that just once, just once, I could go to the store and remember everything I need. Sigh.....................maybe we'll just do tuna melts and fruit. Cheap and easy. Back to the store tomorrow..............

This, That, and WDB #43

Wow, I've been away almost a month! I suppose technically I've had time to blog, but I find it very difficult to write when my brain is otherwise occupied. And oh, how we have we been occupied.

A week after arriving in PA, the boys left to spend a week with the in-laws so that our youngest could attend Phillies baseball camp (which he LOVED). While they were having a blast with their grandparents and cousins, DH and I got quite a bit done around the house and were able to have an evening out to sample one of the local restaurants. DH had what he proclaimed the best crabcake ever - which means very little was added to the patty other than crabmeat.

That crabcake was a nice appetizer for the seafood feast we had in store later. After picking up the boys from the in-laws and spending a couple of days with them, we headed straight to the Outer Banks for a week-long vacation with my parents, a friend, and my brother. While there, we treated everyone to a crab feast - something we did not get to do very often while living in Indiana. Although I'm often squeamish when it comes to meats and seafood, I have to admit I do enjoy the primal pleasure of rip-tearing into those steamed crustaceans.

Ahhh, there is nothing more relaxing than going to the beach - no overwhelming need to go sightseeing or to do anything in particular. I think it's the only type of vacation where I actually come home well-rested, not needing a vacation from my vacation. We had great weather overall but would you believe that the ocean was ice cold for several days and even the air temps were pretty chilly! NC in July and chilly???? But it felt great.

J venturing out into the ocean.

After getting last Sunday, it was a week of playing catch-up and running errands. I think I ran the poor boys ragged. They will probably be happy when school starts just so that they can get out of errands!

My SIL and BIL came yesterday for an overnighter with their 4 girls and dog. It was fun, but chaotic. Our new house is not nearly as well-suited for guests and lots of kids like the house we just left in Indiana, but the finished room the basement was/is our saviour - at least one place we can kick the kids when things start to get out of hand.

Speaking of chaos, it was a whole different level of chaos with two young dogs running around! Their dog, Sparky, is a 10-month-old yellow lab and full of energy. Whereas Bailey tends to run my parents' dogs ragged (they are older and smaller), this dog gave Bailely a run for his money. The pair got along famously from the get-go, with Bailey playfully attacking Sparky the second he mosied in the door. I don't think Sparky knew quite what to make of that, but pretty soon he was all over the play action and I think I caught Bailey trying to make a run for it a few times. Payback for all the grief he gives my parents' dogs, I say!

Which brings us to WDB #43. I have two pictures. One of Bailey and Sparky in WWF mode and one of Bailey being a doggie angel while being mountain-climbed by our youngest niece who just turned 1-year-old this month.

Don't let the show of teeth fool you, we were quite convinced that they were in competition
to see who could be the Beta dog! Two submissive, non-Alpha males make for great playmates!

Bailey's far too sweet to complain, but I'm not sure what he thought about the rugrat.

Don't forget to take a look at the roundup over at Sweetnicks later tonight. Boy, go away for a little while and miss a lot. Sweetnicks has another new look - second new look this year - and it's fabulous. I thought the last look was very nice, but this one is fantastic - very professional.

I hope to be back regularly this week, but I'm not sure what will be going on in the kitchen. While I have been cooking, it hasn't been anything terribly exciting. It's also hotter than heck outside which is not exactly motivation to get cooking in the kitchen.