Yummy Chinese Take-In?

Living far away from The Big City, and all major restaurant chains, I have done a lot of experimental cooking the last few months. Since there really isn't any to be had, I've had to find ways to create our favorite "take-out" dishes. Some have been huge successes, others have not. (Seth, I'm sorry for that soggy, putrid glop that was supposed to be mushroom ravioli!)

Whether you live in a small town, or just maybe want to save a little money, I hope you enjoy this yummy Chinese "Take-In" meal.

Cashew Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts or thighs
2 teas minced fresh ginger
1 tbs oil
1 med. red bell pepper
1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/3 cup roasted cashews
Cilantro

Cut chicken into small chunks and mix with ginger. Heat oil and stir-fry chicken a few minutes. Add bell pepper and cook until chicken is finished. Add teriyaki sauce and stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in cashews. Garnish with cilantro.

Fried Brown Rice

¼ cup olive oil
4 cups cooked brown rice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 envelope onion soup mix
½ cup water
1 tbs soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
1 cup frozen peas and carrots, partially thawed
2 eggs lightly beaten

Heat olive oil and add rice stirring constantly, about 2 minutes or until rice is hot. Add garlic. Stir in soup mix blended with water and soy sauce and cook 1 minute. Stir in peas and carrots and cook 2 minutes. In a separate pan, fry eggs and chop into very small pieces. Add to rice and stir well. Serve hot.

Not-Me-Monday - Sleep Deprivation and More

Whew - what a week it has been. I can hardly believe that it is Monday already. Between our anniversary, Seth's golf tournament, a trip to The Big City, a wedding, visiting with my aunt, visiting my grandparents, visiting my parents, shopping, etc. I am not tired one bit. My eyelids aren't heavy, I'm not pinching myself to stay awake, and I definitely didn't indulge myself in a nap when Juliette was taking hers this morning. Nope not me!

Last night, I also did not fall asleep on the couch 15 minutes after Seth and I started watching an episode of "Planet Earth". No, I would never sleep through a television program or a movie. And I certainly would not have slept through the fact that Seth then quickly switched the movie out for a DVD of his favorite show"Wings", when he noticed his lovely snoring wife fast asleep. . . er, I mean not-snoring wife completely riveted to the documentary on fresh water.

Seth and I did not indulge in some fast-food while we were in the Big City. Not even a frosty with french-fries. That would totally off-set all of the training I've been doing for the October Marathon, and I would never sabotage my training. Nope, not me!

Speaking of running, I would never take my daughter out in her jogger while still in her pajamas, or slather so much sunscreen on her, that it looks like I haven't washed her hair in a week. No, not me!

While we got to see a lot of family this weekend, we definitely did not run out of time and have to ask some of my sisters and my brother to meet us in the Qdoba parking lot so we could at least spend some time with them before we headed back to here to the High Arid Plains.

Nor would I have trouble getting my sisters to pose for a picture with Juliette.

The camera is this way everyone.

Look at me this time.

Okay, I think this is the best we're going to get.

I also didn't make Seth and his three buddies take Juliette with them golfing, so I could have the luxury of attending my meeting un-distracted. Making her suffer in the mid-day heat, trapped in her stroller, surrounded by golf-crazed guys is just cruel. I would never do that. Not me!

And while I was at that meeting, I did not feel old when I saw a couple of the preteens that used to be in the youth group that I worked with in college, and I realized that they have now all just finished their first year of college. How can they be so grown-up already. Yikes!

Visiting with everyone this weekend, I wasn't surprised to hear that some people are actually reading my crazy posts from time-to-time. Nor did I feel really dumb when I was telling them a story and they said, "Oh yeah, we read about that on your blog". I mean who would constantly repeat themselves? I mean who would constantly repeat themselves? Not me!

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The Boy Scout Motto

It's raining.

It's not supposed to rain here on the high arid plains, but it is.

Our grass is loving it.

Our garden is loving it.

I'm loving it.

I'm also loving the fact that Juliette and I went for a run early this morning, before the rain. She did great - I on the other hand - well, let's just say I'm glad I'm alive . . . barely alive.

Along the way we saw the cutest little baby skunk, but luckily it didn't see us. Too bad I didn't have my camera again. You'd think I'd learn to take that thing with me everywhere - because you just never know when you might need it.

It's good to be prepared. You never know when it is going to rain, or when you are going to spot a teensy-weensy black-and-white stink ball, or when you're going to die (and I mean the real thing, not just the way I felt after trying to conquer the big hill while pushing the jogging stroller).

That's right. Die.

Everyone has been talking about the deaths of certain celebrities today. I just hope they were prepared.

There are certain things in life that are certain. Like it or not death will come to all of us. Somber, I know, but not thinking about it doesn't change the fact. Rainy days come, exciting adventures come, and death comes. Am I prepared? Are you?

Great Expectations

Last week we started eating spinach and lettuce out of our garden. Yummy!



Because we are just renting our house here on the high arid plains, and because our house is a particular target for deer and other wonderfully pesky . . . I mean wonderfully wild creatures, one of our friends was nice enough to give us and another friend use of part of her garden plot outside of town (and far away from the pests . . . I mean deer).






So we've all planted a ton, and are taking turns watering our "community garden". We're hoping that we'll be able to enjoy some tasty organic produce grown in this high, arid, sage-brush country. We're hoping.




These pictures were taken a few weeks ago, and you can't really tell it here, but we actually have a lot that is up and growing - tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, potatoes, cabbage, collard greens, onions, collard greens, corn, strawberries, and more.

Like I said, it may be hard to tell at this point - but we do have great expectations for the harvest. We'll see!

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The LORD will indeed give what is good, and our land will yield its harvest.

- Psalms 85:11-12

Isn't It Romantic?

Seth and I celebrated our Almost-Anniversary last night. And boy was it romantic. See?


Especially with the trash can in the picture.


Doesn't it just reek of romance?

Actually, in case you were starting to get worried, we didn't just hang out in the parking lot last night, staring at our canoe and inhaling our rotten garbage. Seth took me on a river adventure - just the two of us - exploring the sights and sounds of the beautiful river that runs through our town. And boy was it romantic.

We saw lots of wildlife - deer eating the lush river grasses, ducks nesting atop their precious unhatched eggs, Canadian Geese cozying up with their life-time mates among the wild irises. Each and every bend in the river brought us to new sights and sounds. Along one turn we came across a new-born fawn standing on the bank. It still sported its spots, and its big ears and eyes turned towards us inquisitively. It was the smallest fawn Seth and I have ever seen - standing no more than about twenty inches high. How I wished then that I had a waterproof camera!

The weather was luxuriously warm, the sunset was vibrant, and to top it all off, Seth and I were serenaded.

That's right.

Serenaded.

Along the way, we kept hearing music, but we couldn't figure out where it was coming from. At first we thought it must be some fisherman camped along the river. But as we continued on, it started to sound more and more like a live band. Sure enough, we finally rounded a corner and came upon a band that was playing for a private river party. And guess what . . . they were playing the EXACT song that Seth and I had our first dance to. Is that romantic or what?

We never could have planned it out to happen so perfectly. As Seth and I floated on past the party, I had tears in my eyes. What a special Almost-Anniversary gift from the Author of Romance Himself!

What fabulous memories we will cherish of our sunset-river adventure. Even after the mosquito bites fade. Now isn't that romantic?

An Almost Anniversary

Seth and I are celebrating our anniversary tonight, even though our actual anniversary is tomorrow. Seth is scheduled to play in the second-half of a two-week golf tournament tomorrow night, so I told him that it would be okay if we celebrated tonight. I'm nice like that.

Actually, seeing that I have told several people that our anniversary is today, the 23rd, when in fact it is the 24th, I'm in no position to complain. I even told the lady who publishes the church directory that it was the 23rd. Oops!

I keep using the lame excuse that I get confused because we were almost married on the 23rd. We couldn't find a large enough facility that had availability on the 23rd, so we switched the date to the 24th. So the 23rd is our Almost Anniversary. But seriously, it is a pretty lame excuse. One should remember the day on which they were married!!

So if I can't keep the date straight, I am not going to insist that we celebrate on the actual day. Shoot, let's just forget dates altogether and celebrate the entire week! Like I said, I'm nice like that.

~~~

Happy Almost Anniversary Seth!

Not-Me-Monday - Golfing Adventures and More

This week I definitely didn't let our precious Juliette unpack her diaper bag, and strew items about our entire dining area. And when she found the Star Puffs, I didn't just dump some out on our kitchen floor, so she could help herself. I mean letting your child eat off the floor is really disgusting. I would never do that. Not me!

I also didn't agree to take let my husband take Juliette and I golfing, when she really should have been at home and asleep in her bed. And this did not happen just once but twice this week. I mean a good mother insists that her child have regular and consistent bedtimes.


When Juliette got antsy, I definitely didn't just let her crawl around on the putting green.

I mean there are all sorts of chemicals on that grass, and who knows how many mosquitoes might be lurking about.

And I definitely didn't just take a ton of snapshots, when it was supposed to be my turn to putt. I mean who gets distracted when they should be focusing on trying to put that little ball in the even seemingly smaller whole. Not me!

Nor did I try to distract her by letting her investigate my putter. Not me!

I definitely didn't let her have her pacifier outside of her crib nearly the entire week - because I believe, I hope, I pray that her top two teeth are coming through. I mean letting your child have a pacifier in the first place is questionable, but letting them munch down on it all week is definitely out of the question. I wouldn't encourage such behavior. Nope, not me!

And I definitely didn't lay my daughter down for her nap without her pants on. Nor was I completely surprised to learn that she now knows how to unhook the Velcro and un-diaper herself - making a complete mess out of herself, her clothing, and her bedding. But if something like that would have happened last week, I definitely would not have already written a post about it. Nope, NOT ME!

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