30

David threw me a 30th birthday pool bash with about 30 of our closest friends and their kids.  It was the best day in the sun relaxing by the pool with good friends and good food.  David got Cantina Laredo to cater!  My favorite!  It was my best birthday yet.  Thanks babe!

Herbs on the patio

The community garden recovered nicely from all of the snow.  (pics to come soon when the plants have matured)  I have also been planting on the back porch.  I decided to grow beans here since we have such smart bunnies that live in the woods near the garden.  I doubt they'll travel up the hill to my backyard which is frequented by two beagles.  I also grow a plethora of herbs and other experiments.

 For example: Did you know that you can just plant a potato, clove of garlic, or heart of celery stalk in the ground and it will just grow new ones?  I'm talkin, regular produce you buy from the grocery store.

The celery will even live through the winter.  Though, the bugs really like this one.

 So, a friendly neighbor let me borrow some ladybugs she happened to be raising.  (a project for her son)  Thanks Cristina!  They are doing a great job!

 A little too good. Oh my.  I may have baby lady bugs of my own soon. 

 I also keep a bunch of bug repellent plants on the porch.  These give off a pungent smell that is supposed to keep mosquitoes other pests out of our way.  I mean, they aren't miracle workers but they do the trick.

The strawberries are out of control!  These were picked on Wednesday.

 Then these were picked on Friday! 

I can't keep up!  Its a good thing they taste so good.  Cause they don't keep very well.  I guess that is what you lose when you don't have any chemicals...shelf life.  That's ok, we are extending our own shelf lives and I'm good with that.  :)

DU What?!

That's right folks.  I did my first duathlon yesterday.  That's run bike run for those of you who actually said du what?  1 mile, 11 miles, 1 mile to be specific.  There is a du series in Springfield every Tuesday night for 4 weeks that is specifically designed for beginners and those who want to get out, have fun, and race together in a relaxed setting.  The races are very laid back and short.  "Perfect!" I thought,  "I'm a beginner who is laid back and likes short distances."  Oh ho ho ho did they have me fooled!  David says the picture below is me "sizing up my competition before the race."  What I am actually doing is counting all of the guys wearing time trial helmets and winners that I recognized from previous races in our area. 

 "The goal is to not finish behind anyone with straight handle bars," David joked.  "The goal is to not finish last!" I said very seriously.  Besides, I didn't see anyone with straight handle bars.  They all had road bikes, carbon ones.  Or tri bikes with disk wheels.  Yeah, that guy's gonna be real slow I'm sure!

 

Anyway, like I said, these races are pretty "laid back."  We all gathered around for the "pre-race meeting" and then the guy just yelled "GO!" without warning.

 I was pretty confident in my run since it was only a mile to begin with and because it is my strength.  I was able to stay with the middle of the pack into the 1st transition.

 One thing I need to work on?  Getting clipped in BEFORE I push off and start pedaling.

 I was so nervous about getting left behind that I didn't clip in right away and spent about a full minute trying to get my feet in the pedals.  Thank the Lord I did not fall.

 The bike course was a tough one.  I ranged from 30 mph to about 5 mph.  That is how hilly the roads were.  It is very humbling to watch biker after biker pass you on the course.  2nd thing I need to work on?  Riding on the road and not the trainer.  At one point I remember changing my goal from not coming in last to not getting off and walking up the steepest hill I had ever ridden.  "Not much further and you get to run again," I told myself.  Get to run again?  I never thought I would hear myself say that.

 I was able to keep one girl that was about 200yrds ahead of me in my sights for the entire bike.  She was wearing a blue shirt.  I don't know if I was more motivated because I thought I could catch up with her or because she kept me from getting lost on the course.  T2 went smoothly and finally I got to run again.  Thank goodness it was only a mile.  I was able to catch blue shirt girl at the half mile point and beat her to the finish line.

 And yay I didn't come in last!  Actually I didn't even come in second to last.  I'd say I was about 40th out of 50.  But that is just a guess because they haven't posted the results yet.  My actual time was 60:16. 

 Boy was I glad to be done!

 And here's what I looked like when I found out I wasn't last!  Just kidding, I'm smiling at (more like scaring) my son.

Though this race was challenging, I am glad I did it.  I was able get the jitters of my first race that involved a bike out of my system.  I also learned that I probably don't want to do anything more than a sprint in the near or distant future.  I have a new found respect for all of you that do Ironman, 70.3, and olympic distance even.  This crap is hard!

Straw-Berry! That's good!

Our strawberry plot is flourishing!  (and we are going to have raspberries soon too)

 Every day, the kids and I walk down to the garden and 5 or 6 are ready to be picked.

 Then we take them home and eat them right away!

 Because no one wants to wait.  In fact, we all fight over them.

 We fight over them because they are so delicious.  So deliciously sweet that they taste as if they have been soaked in sugar.

The best strawberries we have ever had!  And they were free!

(ps. Asher just popped that whole strawberry, leaves, stem and all in his mouth.  He chewed, swallowed, and would not open his mouth so that I could take the green parts back.  That's how good these things are.  I now cut his leaves off before he is allowed to eat.)

Another Amazing Recipe

I got this recipe from my Food Network Magazine and let me tell you, it is a winner chicken dinner.  They call it Chicken and Rice Casserole.  But it is so much more than that and deserves an appetizing name that I just haven't come up with yet.  What you need to do, is go into your recipe book and throw out every Chicken and Rice Casserole recipe you own because you will never want to make them after you try this.  That's what I did.  Also, it is very important that you use shredded rotisserie chicken and not shredded chicken breasts that you just boiled/baked.  It makes a huge difference.  I usually buy a cooked rotisserie chicken every other week or so and shred it when I get home.  I have enough chicken to use in two or three different dinners that week.  It makes my life easier.  Now lets get started!

 

(Insert your name for this dish here)

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 green onions, sliced

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed

1 cup uncooked white rice

1 plum tomato, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup diced dill havarti cheese (about 4oz)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Melt the butter in a large OVEN PROOF skillet over medium heat.  (I don't own a skillet large enough for everything to fit so I use a large pot).  Add the garlic and green onions and cook about 2 minutes until soft. 

 Add the broccoli,

 chicken,

 rice,

  tomatoes and 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste.  Then give it a good stir.

 Whisk together the sour cream and chicken broth in a separate bowl and then add to the pot.

 Give it another good stir.

 Add half of the havarti and half of the parmesan.  Give it one last stir and bring to a simmer.

 Cover the pot with a lid or foil and put it in the oven for 20 minutes.

Then tell your hungry son that he is just going to have to be patient because dinner isn't quite ready yet!

After 20 minutes, take the lid off the pot and turn on the broiler.

 Now, you could eat it just like this.

  But if you want to be taken to flavor town, as Guy would say, sprinkle the rest of the cheeses on top and place it under the broiler for about 2 minutes until melted.

 Yum.  The recipe also says to sprinkle some green onion on top after broiling but I have a hard enough time getting my kids to eat mixed up stuff like this without onions staring them in the face.

 Dish it out and serve.  Everyone will enjoy.  Yes, my picky kids eat this...once I pick out the tomatoes.

Garden Woes

The good news is that the milk jug green houses worked!  The bad news is I accidentally deleted the photos I took before I transplanted them to the garden.  The even worse news is that IT SNOWED TODAY!

 

 33 degrees on May 3rd! Big Boo Large Hiss.

 The milk jug green houses took a really long time to get started so after about 6 weeks, I got antsy and started some tomatoes and green peppers in the house just to be safe.  They grew fast.  So fast that they became tall and flimsy and whenever I put them outside I was afraid a light breeze would blow them in half.  The tomatoes grown in the jugs were shorter but the stems were stronger and the leaves much more healthy.  As soon as this weather lets up, I'll take the plastic bags off of them and show you all the difference. 

Here's the garden today.  If you look closely you can see the snow coming down.  Everyone has buckets over their tomatoes. 

 Except me.  I don't have any buckets.  I have walmart bags.

 But check out those strawberries and raspberries!  Good thing they can handle the cold.  We have lots of blossoms and should be eating fresh strawberries very soon!