Dale's Mardi Gras Birthday

Brook's dad, Dale, turned the BIG 60 last week. He wanted to celebrate with a Mardi Gras themed party. Dale is originally from Louisiana so he's been to many a Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. This party had it all. Crawfish etouffee, gumbo, cafe au lait, king cake, mini -floats, a parade around the house, and a king and queen!

Picture area-- Brook's parents think of everything!

The king!My mask...

Shannon and her friends...They had such a great time!Our float in action...

Oven Fail

I was trying to be thrify and use the remaining garlic on some toast. My mom always said, "If you ever put anything in the oven on broil, you have to keep the oven cracked a bit and keep a very close eye on it." What did I do? I shut the oven completely and did NOT keep a close eye on the toast. In fact, as I was doing other things in the kitchen, I kept thinking that I should've left the oven door open and I should probably check on the toast, but I didn't. A few mintues later, I smelled and saw smoke coming from the oven and just knew. I really hate the sound of the smoke alarm. It is so incredibly loud and it freaks out the poor animals.

Head Bobbing Syndrome

Brook and I have noticed Vito doing this strange head bobbing thing a few times this week. It usually lasts less than minute and Vito doesn't seem to be bothered by it. It is almost as if he's shaking his head no. Last night, it started happening again. Of course, I got all worried and asked Brook what was wrong with him. Back story-- My family's boxer, Rex, had a brain tumor and I saw him have a seizure and it was the scariest thing I've ever seen. Tumors are common in boxers so you understand my concern. Anyway, Brook googled it on his iPhone and found out that it is a very common condition. It mainly occures in Boxers, Dobermans, and Bulldogs. It is called Idiopathic Head Bobbing Syndrome. It isn't linked to any medical conditions and is in most cases, harmless.

Like a Person

He likes to sit up like a person.

Snow Storm 2011!

Feed the Birds

We decided we needed to help out the birds in this weather, so we bought a bird feeder and some seed at Walmart. So far, I've only seen one bird near it. Oliver and Little Bit will love looking out the window even more!

Lemon Chicken -- How easy is that?

Last night, I made Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken Breasts from her cookbook, Barefoot Contessa How Easy is That? It was absolutely delicious! I accidentally grabbed chicken breast tenders at the store and the recipe calls for chicken breasts, skin on. I also didn't have fresh tyme leaves, but I used the ground stuff, and it worked just fine! I've decided that I need a zester. I used the one on my big grater and it took forever just to get 1 tablespoon of lemon zest. I'm pretty sure I didn't even have that much because I got so frustrated and stopped. Here's a pic of what it looked like...

This is the first recipe I've tried out of this cookbook, and I can't wait to try more!

Here's the recipe courtesy of Ina Garten's How Easy is That?:

1/4 cup olive oil

9 cloves garlic minced

1/3 cup dry white wine

1 T grated lemon zest

2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 t dried oregano

1 t minced fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless skin breasts (skin on)

Lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan and add garlic. Cook for just one minute but don't allow garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt, and pour into 9 x 12 baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes depending upon the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with alluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.