TASTY TUESDAY

Anyone that knows me well knows that I LOVE to cook...therefore I am anti most anything that comes prepackaged. There are exceptions, however! ZATARAINS! I love it! My faves are currently their black beans and rice (serve with a side of sour cream with a healthy dash of chopped cilantro mixed into the s. cream...very yummy!) And now, the Jambalaya mix! Of course, I did doctor it up a bit......Here's my take on it:

Make the jambalaya mix as directed; when it tells you to add the meat, I used turkey smoked sausage. This comes in your deli meat section of the grocery store and is pre-cooked. I used half of the package and just sliced it and then cut the slices in halves. When I added the meat, I also added a small can of whole kernel corn, and a small can of diced petite tomatoes. (drain the tomatoes a bit, but not all) While that is simmering, slice up a small green bell pepper (or just half of one) and about a 1/4 of a small vidalia onion. More or less to your taste. Saute the bell pepper & onion together in a skillet with about 2 tablespoons of butter. When this browns a little, add it to the zatarain's already in progress and throw in a handful of chopped cilantro. Yummy to your tummy! Serve with crusty french bread and hot sauce:)


**Some of you may know that Houston (our lovable, but high-energy weimeraner) was struck by a hit-and-run driver in a truck, pulling a trailer, no less. This was about a week and a half ago. Stewart had gone out in the front yard about 10:00 in the evening when we realized that Houston has gotten out. Stewart called him and he heard the truck hit him and Houston yelping. The truck drove right past Stewart and he ran up the street to find Houston lying on the sidewalk. He was still alive, and Stewart got him home. I came out and saw him lying on the garage floor with multiple wounds on his head and back leg and we both thought he probably wouldn't make it. The next morning, Houston was able to raise his head, but that was about it. Now, a week and a half later, he is back to his old self! You would never know he had yet another brush with death! That dog has 9 lives! On a lighter note, the same day that Houston was struck by the truck, our hamster Jack-Jack had gotten out of his cage. When Houston was trying to stand after his accident, he threw up, and in the mix was a blob that looked mysteriously like a furry little Jack-colored rodent! What are the odds? Stewart & I didn't get close enough to inspect it and verify...one can only speculate. Hmmmm....

August is halfway over already???

Ahh...summer is winding down, and soon it will be fall. I can't believe school has already started back for the kiddos...I see them filing into the elementary school down the street with their new backpacks and freshly sharpened pencils. Rylie isn't old enough for school yet, but I couldn't help but buy her a fresh pack of crayons on our last visit to Target. Something about school supplies...I love it! This is a picture of Rylie and her Grandad blowing out the candles on the yummy German Chocolate cake we made him for his birthday. He and my mom came up to see us & we went out for sushi to celebrate, then back to our house for cake! Rylie is a budding chef....she loves to help out in the kitchen and even frosted most of the cake herself!
My little Rachel Ray in the making!

Here is Rylie and her buds Andrew & Kaylen, munching down on some frozen treats! We had an impromptu pool party in the backyard....fun times!

Stewart recently acquired a motorcycle....it just so happened to be while I was out of town...go figure! Don't worry, he called me and let me know before he got it...actually, it was on his way to get it! HA! Anyway, he is schooling Rylie on the mechanics of the bike in this picture. She had been helping him wax it and make it look "cool".

Here is Rylie on her "motorcycle". This is currently her favorite vehicle to play with and she will take it in and out of the house, wherever she may be at the time. Inside the house she likes to load the handlebars down with purses. As you can see, there is a baby doll in the back trailer part pictured above. She calls the trailer her "boat", like daddy's truck when he pulls the boat behind!

She is learning to swim with her floaties or a life jacket quite well. At the beginning of the summer, she was somewhat afraid of the water, but now she loves it!

Rylie and her daddy on the "hog". Too cute!

Sporting her Cinderella tattoo. That thing did not come off for days! What does Disney make that glue out of? Jeez? The other day we had this conversation:

Rylie: "Mom, do cats sometimes bite your tongue?"

Me: (Thinking where did this come from???) Did someone ask you if the cat got your tongue when you wouldn't say anything?

Rylie: Yes. Pop.

(She had seen my grandfather, Pop, the week before and had been mulling over this for the whole week apparently! The kid never forgets anything!) She looked relieved.

Farmer Rylie checking our tomato plants. She is sporting the overalls that were her daddy's when he was that age. We have a few tomatoes, zucchini, and bell peppers left in our little garden, aside from the jalapenos that must have come from Lucifer's home collection. I thought I would be a domestic goddess and make my own pickled jalapeno slices, so I researched, found a tasty recipe and proceed to slice a large jar's worth of jalapenos (sans rubber gloves) and made the brine to pour over them. As I placed the lid on, I went over to the sink and rinsed the jar, as well as my hands. A few minutes later I scratched my nose and afterwards it felt as if I had cut it in the process. So I went to look in the mirror and lo, and behold there was nary a scratch there. That's odd, I thought and splashed a bit of water on my nose. This, in turn made the inside of both nostrils feel as though I had just snorted a match. After a bit more water splashing on my face, (I thought that would help?) my face soon felt like the dry lands of the west engulfed in a brush fire! I literally could not see out of both eyes and my face felt as though the skin had been peeled off! I yelled for Stewart and he told me to put Milk of Magnesia on my face. I blindly got the bottle of or closet and poured it directly out of the bottle in a mad frenzy over my almost certainly disfigured face. This, all while I struggled to maintain composure because Rylie was following at a close pace as I ran from kitchen to bathroom to bathroom seeking relief! When that didn't work, I ran to the fridge and grabbed the milk jug and poured it all over the first piece of fabric I could find and stuck my face in it screaming "my eyes, my eyes...oh, the burn" with Rylie looking at me like I was crazy! By this point, Stewart was making phone calls, probably because he finally realized I wasn't being overly dramatic (this time:) and I had threatened to go to the ER! So, he hastily grabbed a bottle of Aloe and covered my face in it! Ahhh~ sweet relief! After I could peel my eyes open again, I opened them to see my dear husband and sweet daughter staring at me with horror and awe. I looked at myself in the mirror and found that I had mascara running down my face, my nose was running, eyes watering and maybe a bit of drool was involved. Rylie said, "Mommy, I brought you this soft kitty cat from my room so you can rub it on your face!~ (Don't worry, you can laugh! It IS funny in hindsight!)

Sweet girl!

Rylie, Jonah, and baby Katherine on one of our family camping trips!