Field Day

Brooks running his heart out at field day to take his team to a second place finish for the school.   His principal shared this picture on Twitter.

Talent Thursday

Brooks performed in the school talent show on Tuesday.  I barely made his performance, as they started the show early due to all the performers they had.  He did a great job, and told us he got high-fives and hugs from his classmates and teacher.  Even the kids at the bus stop were telling him they liked his song.  I'm thankful that the boys have a terrific public school to attend.

Winding down

It's a crazy week here with the last few days of the school year.  Hudson had his Kindergarten graduation program on Monday.  They sangs some songs and read a poem.  The whole idea of a Kindergarten graduation is silly, but it was fun to see them perform.

Hudson's teacher, Miss Gallahan.  It was her first year teaching, and she was great.  I'm sure she will remember Hudson for a long time!

 

Hudson with his best friend, Riley.

Race Season Again

Mountain Bike race season kicked off last Saturday at Winona Lake.  Ryan trained hard all winter, and it paid off, he placed 8th in his age group and well into the top half overall.

The boys both raced in the Junior division.  It was a 5 mile race and Brooks finished with 45 minutes and Hudson did 47 minutes.  They originally told me they would tie, but Brooks decided to take off instead.  They both did great, with no crashes or mishaps.

Hudson came in while the kid race was finishing, so he had to pass around the little kids.

They slept most of the way home.

Field Trip Fun

I chaperoned the 1st grade field trip last week.  They went to the local zoo and park and had a blast.  There were a lot of adorable baby goats.

 

Funny Friday

The Whale
by Brooks

Big as a street
with fins, not feet
I'm full of blubber
with skin like rubber,
when I breathe out,
I spew a spout.
I swim by the shore
and eat more and more.
I'm very hard to ignore.

Windy Weekend

Ryan and I got away to Chicago last weekend.  We ate great food (Oasis Cafe, Frontera Grill, and Restaurant Ecuador), went on an informative architecture tour, and stayed at a swanky hotel.  It was fantastic!

The Inland Steel building

The view from our hotel room

Graceland Cemetery, where many famous architects are buried, like Louis Sullivan.

Meanwhile, Brooks and Hudson enjoyed a weekend at Grandma and Pop Pop's house.  Thanks for watching them!

Tasty Thursday

Here are the new recipes that I tried this week.  They were all a hit.  Hudson loved how limey this slaw tasted.  It went great with the enchiladas.

Tri-Color Slaw with Lime Dressing

1/2 head green cabbage, cored

1/2 head red cabbage, cored

1 pound carrots, peeled and shredded

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

3 limes, juiced

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp sugar

Salt and Pepper **I used Pico de Gallo seasoning**

1. Shred the cabbage (I use the food processor).  Toss together the cabbage, carrots, and cilantro.

2. Whisk together the lime juice and oil.  Mix in the sugar.

3. Toss the dressing with the slaw and season with salt and pepper.

These enchiladas were yummy!  They would have been vegan, except my beans had been cooked in bacon fat.

Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas

Sauce Ingredients

2 TB oil

2 TB flour

2 TB chili powder

2 cups water

3 oz tomato paste

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne

2 tsp cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

Filling Ingredients

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 avocado, chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

8 corn tortillas

1. Prepare the sauce.  In a sauce pan combine the oil, flour and chili powder.  Heat over medium heat until it bubbles, whisk and cook another 2 minutes.

2. Slowly pour in the water while whisking.  Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and whisk until smooth.

3. Cook over medium heat and bring to a simmer.  Once the sauce has thickened, remove it from the heat.

4. Preheat the oven to 350.

5.  Mix together all of the filling ingredients, except the tortillas.

6. Spread a layer of sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 pan.

7. Next add a layer of tortillas, and top that with a layer of filling.

8. Repeat the layers 2 times, and top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce.

9.  Bake for about 25 minutes, or until they're heated and bubbly.

Don't be scared of the raw egg in this ice cream.  It makes the texture nice and creamy. 

Heath Bar Crunch Ice Cream

2 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

Heath bars, chopped or bits

1. Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

2. Slowly whisk in the sugar and continue whisking until blended, about another minute.

3. Pour in the cream, milk, and vanilla and mix together.

4. Transfer the mixture to your ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer's directions.

5. When the ice cream has stiffened, mix in the Heath bar bits.

Wordless Wednesday