Good Bye Turtle

Before we left for Chicago, I wanted to let my turtle go. Here he is in the pool before I let him go.



On his way to freedom
I hope he is doing well

My new pet (at least for awhile)

So this time it is a real pet....We found a turtle on the road the other day, and Kevin actually stopped for me and let me bring it home. It is a small water turtle, so I turned the swimming pool into a turtle "cage".






I have been feeding it ham and grasshoppers...the ham is easier to "catch"

I think I will keep it for a little while, then let it go, and wash and wash and wash the pool. :) It is fun for a little while.

Nadine's last week

So Nadine's last week here in the US was as busy as all our others.

One evening we went to Wild Animal Sanctuary to see the big cats:






We also went to the aquarium....


We also spent Sunday at the Sterling Reservoir. Where she got to go out on the boat (last time she was here, we tried to go boating and the boat broke...so this was fun).


She didn't really drive, but she wanted to....

She did get to ride the tube out on the water.....




And her last meal request? My famous BBQ Baby Back Ribs....this is my secret recipe...I make my own dry rub, and my own BBQ sauce....the whole process takes 3 days (about 3 hours on the grill). YUM I say this will rival any Famous Dave's (Yes I am that confident)
For more pictures check click here.

On Saturday evening Nadine flew home. It was a really great trip, and so wonderful to get to see her again. I really hope we are able to go visit her some time soon.

We miss you Nadine

A visit from Kari

The last time Nadine was here, she also met my best friend Kari. So of course Kari wanted to come and see Nadine. Kari came on Tuesday night and we got to spend the afternoon together, have dinner and visit.

Colorado Springs....day 2

The next day on Saturday, we decided to start the day at the Air Force Academy.


The Chapel is a must for any visit....

Nadine stood here for awhile looking for just the right recruit to walk by below for her to meet....

We also got to see some planes...


And we stopped by the football stadium where I was almost attacked by a Giant Falcon...

After leaving the Academy, we drove (2 hours) to the Royal Gorge Bridge:



Where again Kevin found a chair for him....

Then he wound up in Jail....

Right along with Nadine....
But, I told Nadine, there was no smiling in Jail...

But of course the real reason you go to the Royal Gorge is to walk across the bridge and see the Arkansas river from a very great (and high) vantage point.

What a great trip to the Springs this was....see more pics here

Colorado Springs....day 1

The weekend of July 9-11 we decided to take a small road trip to Colorado Springs.....Nadine did not get to go there the last time she visited, so we thought it would be a good trip.

Friday morning the first thing we did was take a Cog Train trip to the top of Pikes Peak



Then we went to the cliff dwellings


Then to 7 falls....see we took our own picture:) It started to rain and there was lightening, so we decided to leave there ...

Next we went to Garden of the Gods...so beautiful


Day 1, was really busy and we were really tired, but it was fun

Nadine is here

We are so very fortunate that one of our past exchange students has been able to come visit with us again! Nadine came to stay for just a short time this summer, she arrived July 6, and goes home on the 24th.

She was all set to watch Germany in the World cup...but they came in 3rd...



She said one day she liked to drive the tractor...well we have room and a need for that...so we put her to work :)

Niagara Falls

On July 3rd before we left Toronto we actually took a bus tour from Toronto to Niagara Falls. FUN:

We did the Maid of the Mist tour....they gave us very stylish "souvenir" ponchos:

You get very close to the falls on the Maid of the Mist and there is so much water it is like being in a big rainstorm...we were glad for our blue trashbags....Kevin and I were in the front of the boat:

There are a few more pics Here

Toronto

I am so behind in posting! Going back to June....June 29 - July 4, Kevin and I traveled to Toronto Ontario. I was making two presentations at a conference. We did get out to see a few things. July 1 is Canada day, so they bring in the "Tall Ships" to the bay:


We also got to go to the top of the CN Tower. The views from there were amazing.
On Friday evening we got to take a boat tour out to the islands, and Kevin found a chair just his size:

We also got to see the water


So we had a nice trip, the conference was good, and we enjoyed site-seeing. You can see a few more pictures here. The trip coming home...not so good. We were diverted from landing at DIA due to large thunderstorms, so we were sent to the Springs, where we sat for 4 hours on the runways waiting to go back....Long story short, we did arrive in DIA only about 6 hours later than we were supposed to....

Fort Morgan Fly-in

Fort Morgan claims to be the boyhood home of Glenn Miller, the famous band leader. So to celebrate this, the city holds the Glenn Miller Dancin' on the Plains Festival. As part of this celebration they have a fly-in and have people bring in there vintage aircraft (typically WW2 era). Since the airport is not far from our house and the Lion's were serving a pancake breakfast and there was live 40's music we decided to check it out.

A Navy fighter.

This is a Beechcraft bi-wing

Gotta love the artwork, to customize the plane.


More planes came and went throughout the day, so we didn't see them all.

The most exciting thing I learned is that there is someone out there that does flight training....Ooooh I hope Kevin says yes to me getting a license .....

All things Bacon

Ok, so I like bacon, I mean who doesn't right? I have seen bacon used in many items, some good, some not so good. Some even unusual but tasty: candied bacon

But I did not know there was a website dedicated only to bacon: bacontoday.com

Check out their colored bacon....I don't know if I can eat Green bacon: http://bacontoday.com/colored-bacon/

Behind the Apron

So here is a fun little questionnaire for those who like to cook.

Who has been the biggest influence on your cooking? My mom, Kevin, and cooking shows and magazines. I learned how to cook from my mom, have gotten many yummy recipes from cooking shows and magazines, and Kevin is always asking for something new, and never complains when it just isn’t good. :)

What is your favorite dish to cook…your signature dish? BBQ ribs. I don’t make them often as they take 3 days to make. I do it all from scratch, the rub and the BBQ sauce.

What was your biggest cooking disaster? Soapy Sausage…college mistake…only Kari and Ralyn know the truth….

If you could travel to another country just to taste their cuisine, where would you go? Italy. I love Italian food

What is something you have never cooked, but would like to try? A chocolate souflee. Just because it would be a challenge…and, they’re good.

What do you consider the 5 most essential ingredients you keep in your kitchen? Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper (is that one or two?), Garlic, Onions, chicken.

What is comfort food to you? Lots of things… mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, potato chips, you know starchy things

What are the ideal toppings for pizza? Fresh Mozzarella, prosciutto, red onions, garlic, red sauce…or if I want white pizza: garlic sauce, red onions, chicken, bacon, mozzarella

What kitchen utensil/gadget can you not live without? This is hard as I can make do with almost anything. However, I would say my Santoku knives. I have a couple, and I use them almost for every meal.

So who is behind your apron?

Crunchy Pistachio Chicken

My mom gets the Cooking Club magazine, when she has read it, she passes it on to me. I enjoy trying different recipes out of it. In the April/May 2010 magazine there was a recipe for Crunchy Pistachio Chicken....now for copyright issues (Educators are big on that), I don't want to put the entire recipe...but let me give you the gist....

Mix honey, an egg and garlic together
Combine panko bread crumbs (I think you could do this without panko), chopped pistachios, parsley

Salt and pepper chicken breasts, dip chicken into honey mixture, then press into the pistachio mixture. Place on foiled lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees till done.

Sorry I didn't get a picture of this...but if you want more info let me know, and I would be happy to share with you. These were really yummy, and can be served with almost anything. Very high in protein too!