Ellie's Trip to South Africa - Leaving on a (Few) Jet Planes

The night before Ellie, Kohlton and Mark left for South Africa, we met up at the Bass Pro Shop for a nice, relaxed meal.

After dinner they headed off to the Hampton Inn Suites near the Denver International Airport. Mark likes to start off the trip in a relaxed, excited fashion. I was a little weepy thinking about how much I would miss our girl. And, it was a bit scary sending her off on her first international trip with someone else, though we knew she would be safe because Mark treats her like she was his daughter.

One of the advantages of staying at the hotels by the airport is that they allow you to park your vehicle in their covered parking garage for $3 a night, much cheaper than the long term parking by the airport. At the hotel the kids had a good time swimming.

The next morning they were off early and on their was to Washington, D.C. where they would meet up with the other people on their tour. They were able to board the South African Airlines airbus early, but then had a two hour rain delay. Once in the air, they were comfortable and the food was good. Plus, they could watch as many movies as they wanted to.

The flight is a long one, with a layover in Dakar for refueling. It was about 11 p.m. or midnight our time, so the kids slept through it. Ellie and Kohlton seemed to naturally work out a sleeping schedule where one would try to watch a movie while the other one cuddled up and slept. This way they both got rest. I doubt that they others can say the same since planes are crowded when you are tall.

When they were in Dakar, Senegal, Ellie woke up enough to see the 160 foot tall "Monument of the African Renaissance" which was pretty impressive.

They stayed that first night in South Africa at the Afton Guest House in Johannesberg, just a short distance from the Tambo International Airport.

The people were nice, but they did not speak much English. They had a small gift shop where they used handwritten receipts. Ellie loved the mask, but they were too large to take with them or to shop. She settle for smaller gift like jewelry. She also wanted to send a few post cards, but they were locked in a glass cabinet, so she only had time to send one post card to little Issac from school. She thought that would be a thrill for him. The pool looked inviting, but it is the fall in South Africa and so it was too cold to take a dip.

The next morning they took another plane for East London.

Next, they drove to the Wild Schutzberg Game Reserve and then on to Hunter's Hill.

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Ellie made dinner again tonight and it was wonderful. She made Chicken Broccoli Shells and grilled corn on the cob.

Chicken Broccoli Shells
via: Taste of Home

1 jar (16 ounces) Alfredo sauce
2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
21 jumbo pasta shells, cooked and drained

In a large bowl, combine the Alfredo sauce, broccoli, chicken and cheeses.
Spoon into pasta shells. Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
Cover and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

This cheesy entree can be assembled ahead of time and popped in the oven when company arrives.

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Grilled Corn on the Cob

Ear of Corn with Husks attached 2 per person

Preheat the grill on high at least 10 minutes before placing the corn on the grill.
In the meantime, gently pull back the husk, run cold water over the ear of corn and the corn silks. Then pull the corn silks off. Throw those aside.(Some people opt to put flavored butter on the corn before pulling the husks back up. Gently pull the husks back up to cover the corn. Then soak them in water for at least 15 minutes. This will keep the corn husks from catching on fire and it will make it so that the corn steams while cooking, instead of drying out.

Ethan Comes Home for a Short While + a Few Recipes

Ethan was able to come home for about a day and a half. He will go back to work on Monday afternoon.

He wanted to have a nice grilled meal so we had steak, fingerling potatoes and grilled corn with butter, lime and paprika.
The kids agreed to a nice picture for mom.

They thought they needed a knarly picture, too.

And well, you have to have some silly photos, too.
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Grilled Corn with Butter, Lime and Paprika

Fresh ears of corn with the husks attached
Butter
Limes, quartered
Paprika
Salt and pepper (optional)

Pick out ears of corn that have husks that are bright green and fit snugly around the ear of corn. The kernels should be in tight rows right to the tip of the ear of corn, and be plump and milky.

Gently pull back the husks and remove the corn silks. Sometimes I run the ear of corn under cold water as this helps make it easier to remove the silks. Don't worry if you leave a few on there. They will burn off. put the husks back in place and soak the whole cobs in a pot of cold water for 15-20 minutes. Be sure they are completely covered. This will help steam the corn kernals.

While the corn is soaking, preheat the grill to about 350 degrees. Place the corn on the grill, shifting and rolling the ears a few times to make sure that all of the sides are heated equally. Some of the husks will burn. This is okay.

To serve them, putt the husks back (be careful - they will be hot) and run butter over the ear to coat it. Serve this with pieces of lime and some paprika. Have a light hand when seasoning, or let each person season his/her own.
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Seasoned Fingerling Potatoes

2-3# Fingerling Potatoes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt (optional)
Rosemary (Powdered, if you have it. You'l find it at spice shops like Penzy's)
1-3 Cloves Garlic, minced

Scrub the fingerling potatoes and cut them into similarly sized pieces. Toss them with olive oil to coat them. Heat a skillet to medium high. Add in the potatoes. Saute, stirring often. About 10-15 minutes into the cooking add the garlic and rosemary. Saute until tender and nicely browned. Season, or not, to your taste.

Mother's Day - a Lovely Surprise + Caramelized Corn

My children gave me a wonderful surprise for Mother's Day. They set a lovely morning buffet in the back yard. It has green and so of lush now that spring seems to suddenly appeared after so much so of late. This gift is beyond the breakfast; it is the idea that they know how much I love a well set table. We ended up inviting Grandma Gay over for breakfast, too.

Ethan made waffles, Ellie prepared the fruit and the handmade gifts. My favorite mug, the one I use every day to have my morning tea, was a gift from Ellie many years ago. This new one fits my hands nicely and I love the polka dot accents.


Ethan had the day off so he came home from Glenwood Springs last night. It is a 3 hour drive one way, so it will not happen very often. He said it was nice to be home, see his family, be part of the everyday actions, smells, goings on of home. I think he is a bit homesick since he lives in a hotel and works really long hours. I wanted to send a care package back with him so I made chocolate chip cookies, a giant pail of bubble gum, 18 hard boiled eggs (sometimes it is hard for him to find time to get reasonable food and eat at work so I thought that the eggs might be quick, easy protein)and caramelized corn. Ellie left a bag of her caramel corn popcorn with a note in Ethan's vehicle.

I also made a nice lunch for all of us and Grandpa Don. I grilled t-bone steaks, made roasted broccoli and caramelized corn. That made Ethan very happy. We had a relaxed afternoon. The men chatted while Ellie and I played the Draw Something II game on her Ipad. We were playing the game with Kohlton. It involved drawing a picture and the other person guesses the word. The three of us make a great team. I feel lucky that we can enjoy eachother's company in such ways. It is a lot of fun.

Here are a few of the images we drew - Hamburger, Patriot, Candle.


My caramelized corn is popular and easy to make:

2# Corn, Frozen
1/2 cup Butter, Salted (1 stick)

Heat a heavy bottom saute pan on medium high. Add in a few tablespoons of butter into the pan, allowing it to melt. Add the corn and stir. Continue use to cook the corn in this way for about 10 more minutes. Add in the remaining butter, stirring the corn around once the butter is melted. Continue to cook the corn, stirring it from time to time. Some kernals will become browned. That is the goal. Cook until much of it is this way. With my pan this takes about 30 minutes. Add salt, if you like.