Happy Halloween!

And so it begins - at our neighbors - the first treats of Halloween!

Happy Halloween

From a witch and an avid sports fan!

Halloween Haul! 2018 Edition

A strong haul for the kids mostly driven by Jack!  He leveraged his running skills and ran solo through the neighborhood with me trailing behind monitoring.

This is the first year I recall packaged Dove bars (top left).  Twix seem down.  Hershey's, Reese's and M&M's are holding their own.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Piano Recital - featuring Kylo and Rey

Elle, tonight known as Rey, played Spooky Story.



Jack, or Kylo Ren, played In the Hall of the Mountain King.

Happy Halloween!

Drownproofing Class

Dad would often speak of his drownproofing class at GT.  He paid Bill and I to learn the technique and put it to the test.  I've done the same with Jack and will with Elle too!

Nehi Peach!

Steph and Elle Take Petey to the Annual Blessing of the Animals

Creamy Sausage Rigatoni

Steph made this and it was incredible....

What You Need
1 lb. rigatoni pasta, uncooked
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (24 oz.) CLASSICO Marinara with Plum Tomatoes & Olive Oil Pasta Sauce
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Make It
Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
Meanwhile, remove casings from sausage if necessary; crumble sausage into large skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Cook on medium heat until evenly browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, cook and stir 30 sec. Add pasta sauce and cream cheese; mix well. Cook on low heat 3 to 5 min. or until cream cheese is completely melted and sauce is well blended, stirring frequently.
Drain pasta. Add to pasta sauce mixture; mix lightly. Top with basil and Parmesan.

Cavachon Puppy!

Our friends got a Cavachon puppy!  Half Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Half Bichon Frise!

Elle!

Jack constructed this Elle themed chain of dominos... it kind of worked but left a huge mess!

St. Augustine Fun!

Fall Risk Indeed!

Pete at school pick up

Watermelon Brew Reviewed

Not as good as I'd hoped. 4/10....

Great Corn Salad

The Summer of '18 might be remembered for a great corn salad that Steph whipped up.  Here's how to make it.

Ingredients

8 ears grilled sweet corn cooled to a comfortable temperature *See Notes

1/4 of a sweet onion peeled and finely diced

1/2 of a sweet red bell pepper diced thin

1/2 cup crumbled Cotija (questo fresco or mexican crumbling cheese)  

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves or parsley, coarsely chopped the juice of 1 lime plus extra wedges for serving

1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper or chili powder to taste. 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  Shuck the corn and soak it in water for about an hour.  Then grill it directly on the BBQ until the some of the kernels on each ear or golden brown - even a few burnt kernels are ok.

2.  Stand a cooled, grilled corn cob on a cutting board, flat end down. Holding the cob steady with your hand, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels away from the cob. Once you've cut away all of the kernels, use the dull, back side of the knife to scrape out any remaining juices or pulp from the corn cob. Discard the cobs.

3.  Stir together the corn, pulp, onion, pepper, cheese, mayonnaise, cilantro (or parsley), lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon of the ground chipotle or chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper until everythig is evenly distributed. Taste and adjust with more ground chipotle or chili powder, and salt or pepper until it tastes just right. You can serve immediately or refrigerate for an hour to let the flavours meld. This is best eaten the day it is made, but will hold up reasonably for leftovers the next day.

Georgia Tech Football!

In Tampa!!!

The Friendly Bird!

The Game of Life Still Has It!

Jack and a friend hunkered down for a rousing game of Life!