Sunday, November 16, 2008

The goings on...

Amy turned 13 on Saturday so there are two teens in the house now! She had two friends spend the night, two others were unable to make it. They had a pizza pajama party and stayed up well past 1am. We took them all to the mall then next morning to run around. Amy ended up with a pair of teal jeans and two shirts, Ryan and Sarah, who have half-birthdays now, got a shirt apiece. It ended up being a great celebration, everyone had a great time!!

Mark's dad celebrated his 81st birthday on Wednesday so this morning I cooked a big pot of red beans and rice** and baked a chocolate raspberry pie* for his birthday. Mark and I took his parents to see his new office. It happens to be right across the street from their old neighborhood. Now, when I say old, I mean OLD! They moved from there when Mark was a baby. We had a nice visit with them, as nice as you can with someone who has dementia(his mom).

Now I believe I am due a nap!

Next week will be hectic but hopefully I'll be more posty!









* recipe here with modifications of an extra egg yolk and 2 extra tbsps flour, a tiny bit more sugar, dash of cinnamon and a 1/2 tsp raspberry extract. Oh, and I used Special Dark cocoa powder.

** Red Beans and Rice

1.5 pounds dried red beans
3 medium sized ham hocks
3 ribs celery
2 onions
1 green pepper
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground savory
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne(or so)
1 pound smoked kielbasa or sausage of your choice, sliced.
6 cups cooked white rice.

Soak beans overnight. Drain and keep in colander. Cook chopped veggies(except garlic) in oil for 5-6 minutes. Add ham hocks, garlic, bay leaves and seasonings, cook for another 5-6 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add beans and about 10 cups of water, or to cover. Simmer, partially covered, over med-low heat for 2-3 hours. Remove ham hocks and add sliced sausage. Simmer over medium heat for another 1-2 hours, uncovered, stirring often to prevent burning. Fish out bay leaves, let stand 10-15 minutes to thicken and cool a bit. Serve over rice with tabasco and salt at the table.

9 comments:

Anet said...

They sure grow fast don't they?
Happy Birthday to Amy! Looks like she had a great time.

Susan @ Blackberry Creek said...

Be advised: it's all downhill from here. LOL! Congrats to Amy on becoming a teenager. Prayers for Mom and Dad to make it through the next few years.

Betts said...

Teenagers! I don't even want to think about it... all those raging hormones. Run for cover!

A Slice of the Pie said...

Did you call Mark OLD?

Sounds like a busy weekend but in a good way.

Kel

~Molly~ said...

Kel, yep I called him old! Well, actually I was meaning that they'd been away from that neighborhood for a loooong time. Like since before I was born!!LOL That would be "old".

~Molly~ said...

Kel, yep I called him old! Well, actually I was meaning that they'd been away from that neighborhood for a loooong time. Like since before I was born!!LOL That would be "old".

Jeanne said...

Molly, you have had your hands full. Teenagers are a challenge but fun too.
Happy birthday to Amy. Also to your father-in-law. the cake and the red beans sound so yummy. Thanks for the recipe. Good for a crowd!

I tagged you with a book tag. Come over and check it out. If you don't care to do it please don't. I had fun with it but it does take time!!!

Hugs...Jeanne

Chickenbells said...

Happy Birthday!!

(wow...2 teenagers?!)

I am shaking my head a bit because I seem to have missed 2 posts...how does this happen?

Sarah and Jack said...

Hapde burfday to Amy!