I am proud of the man he is becoming. He has matured so much of late.
We celebrated with two parties this weekend. On Friday we had the family over. It was a nice dinner and a good visit. We had not seen Aunt Kathy for about 3 months. Mark and Lilia told stories about their trip to Maine for Lobster Season, my mom is always fun to have around and Don tells great stories.
I made most of the food the night before, just putting the finishing touches on Friday afternoon. (This is always a challenging party because it happens so early in the school year, when I am SWAMPED. Somehow I get it all done.) We had various appetizers that included some of the smoked fish we brought back from Wisconsin. I also made Beef Lettuce Wraps and a Grilled Corn & Basil Salad from a recipe I found in the most recent Cooking Light magazine. (I changed up the recipe just a bit so I posted it below.) We rounded it out with pecan pie at the request of the birthday boy.
On Sunday we had kids from the biking team over. They were a great group of boys. They had lots of fun playing video games, Rock Band, taking turns on the tree swing, doing a little Airsoft, throwing "throwing knives" at a stump in the alley, cards and hanging out. I made a variety of homemade pizza for the boys including white & basil pizza (using alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce), pepperoni pizza and margarita pizza (with olive oil, fresh basil, tomatoes from our garden, Parmesan and mozzarella cheese). They were a bit hit. We topped that meal off with chocolate chip cookies instead of cake.
On Monday I took a small gaggle of kids boating at Bear Creek Lake Park. I recalled that I enjoyed going on the paddle boats, but I had conveniently forgotten how hard it was. it was handy to have a bunch of bikers with me. I guided the boat while they peddled. I was pooped after 15 minutes of peddling, they went on for about an hour and a half.
We also did a bit of kayaking. The kids used a two person unit. I tried a longer, sleeker kayak, but managed to dump myself into the lake even before I was a few feet from the shore so I traded it in for a short, wide kayak. I had a lot of fun in that boat.
I'd like to have one or two of my own. Until then, I will be happy to come to the lake and take one for a spin, or rather, a paddle. It was a great way to round out a long holiday weekend.
Grilled Corn and Basil Salad
From: Cooking Light Magazine, Sept. 2010
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/4 cups)
Ingredients
* 8 ounces small yellow Finnish potatoes or small red potatoes (I boiled and then roasted these before adding them to the salad)
* 3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears) (I used frozen
* 2 cups assorted tear-drop cherry tomatoes (pear-shaped), halved
* 1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper
* 1/4 cup minced shallots (I didn't have these this time - they add crunch)
* 3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (I used regular Balsamic Vinegar)
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 6 cups arugula, trimmed (I could not find this, but it was fine without it)
* 1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
* 2 ounces goat cheese, sliced (I will use mozzarella next time)
Preparation
1. Place potatoes in a small saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook 11 minutes or until tender. (I then tossed mine with olive oil and roasted them at 400 until they were lightly browned on the edges.) Drain and chill. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Combine potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and bell pepper in a large bowl.
2. Combine shallots and next 4 ingredients (through black pepper) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Slowly pour oil into shallot mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Drizzle over corn mixture; toss well. Add arugula; toss. Sprinkle with basil; top evenly with goat cheese.
Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2010
*** This was a nice, easily salad that I constructed the day before. I tossed the salad with the veggies just before serving. It was a nice party salad that was popular.
Lettuce Wraps - Two Versions
Pouring/Dipping sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Chicken or Beef Stir-fry
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed to 1/2″ (or ground beef)
1 – 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, minced to the size of corn kernals
1 - 8 oz. can Bamboo Shoots, chopped finely
1/2 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced fine
6 large leaves of iceberg lettuce
Stir-fry sauce
1 teaspoon hot water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
Begin by making the pouring sauce. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in 1/2 cup warm water, then add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, lemon/lime juice and sesame oil. Mix well.
Combine 1 teaspoons hot water with Dijon mustard and garlic and set this aside in small bowl.
Combine oils and add to wok or large frying pan. Heat oil over high heat until it glistens, about one minute. Add chicken and saute until cooked through, then remove from the pan (I kept it warm in a casserole dish in the oven). Keep oil in the pan, keeping it hot over a low flame. (If you are making the beef version brown the beef with the onions and drain off any fat.)
Prep the stir fry sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Add in the Dijon mix.
Take pan that you cooked the chicken or beef in and turn it up to medium-high heat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, wait one minute, and then add garlic, onions, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and the stir-fry sauce you prepared earlier. Stir-fry everything until they have cooked, about four minutes. Add in the chicken/beef. Pout the stir fry sauce over the mix and stir it in.
Serve stir-fry with iceberg lettuce leaf wraps and the pouring sauce on the side.
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