4th of July

Happy 4th of July!! It's so nice to have another holiday and a fun reason to celebrate. We had an ultra-patriotic BBQ yesterday with a few friends. I decided to go overboard with the food and the decorations - everything was stereotypically all-American and the decorations were all red, white and blue! We had enough food to feed 50, but there were just 9 of us. I guess we'll be eating leftovers all week.

Our 4th of July celebration was quite a feast! We had fresh squeezed lemonade, iced tea, American beer and soda, chicken wings, potato chips & dip, deviled eggs, fruit skewers, buffalo chicken dip, hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, watermelon, baked beans, potato salad, and grilled corn on the cob. For dessert there was apple pie, cherry pie, jello cups, brownies, and homemade vanilla ice cream. It was really good food and everyone had a good time!

fresh lemonade (with lemonade ice cubes to keep it cold!)

fruit skewers - strawberries, bananas, and blueberries (red,white, and blue)

Bill - the grill master

YUMMY!

all the fixin's

baked beans

brownies (each one claimed for the USA)

what's more American than apple pie (still warm)?

and cherry pie too

dessert!

Four Things Friday #2

1. We went to a BBQ today. Really, it was more of a block party with all the people that live in our neighborhood that work at the embassy. There are a lot of people in our neighborhood...and a lot of kids. Too many kids! But, the food was delicious...and I took brownies (which were very good since I've been craving brownies for weeks).

2. I love to plan vacations - and I love to take vacations. I think I should be a professional vacationer. Is there such a thing? I am currently planning a week of vacation in April and a long weekend for Memorial Day. I'm also excited about an upcoming cruise in November and we're starting to plan our big vacation for next February! I really vacations!

3. I don't like to grate cheese. It's just one of those things I hate doing. So, I buy the pre-grated cheese...which I know is more expensive. I know I should buy a block of cheese and grate it myself, but I really hate grating cheese! For me, it's worth the extra money to have the luxury of pre-grated cheese.

4. Easter is approaching. I'm going to make Easter Baskets this year because Bill's family will be visiting us then. I'm happy that I live in a place where they have some choices for Easter candy and supplies for my Easter Baskets. The one thing I haven't found is white eggs for dyeing. I guess we'll have dyed brown eggs for Easter!

Four Things Friday #1

I'm going to try a new "segment" on my blog (that make it sound like it's a talk show). I had an idea, I'm sure it's not that original, but I'm not copying it from anyone specific...just something I thought would be fun. If it turns out to be too much work, I'll just quit! It's called Four Things Friday and it's fairly self explanatory. Each Friday, I will tell you 4 things. I'll try to keep them short and interesting...but I can't promise either. The idea is that I mention 4 random things I've been thinking about, it's not supposed to be too much work for me. I just thought it would help me contribute more to my blog and give you (my few loyal readers) something more to enjoy. You could ask why I don't do "Five Things Friday" and I would say, because 4 is my favorite number, not 5. Here's my first edition:

1. I got my hair cut today. Shorter than it's been in at least 10 years. I'm still getting used to it, but I think I like it. You'll see pictures in my next Project 365 update.

2. I can't take naps. I mean, I don't like to take naps. Actually, that's not right either...I don't like waking up from a nap. Yup, I can sleep just fine, but when I get up, I'm always confused and groggy and usually very angry. So, it's better for everyone if I don't take naps! However, Bill is taking a nap right now.

3. Our house guest, Frank the dog, is leaving us today. I've enjoyed her time here but I'm not sure she has. Our house is small and we don't have a yard, so she hasn't had much exercise. Having two dogs in one house has made me reconsider my desire for another dog. Maybe if we had a yard...that would work!

4. I'm craving brownies! I made a huge pan of brownies last weekend and ate almost all of them. I was hesitant to share them with anyone because my cravings were that strong. Now that I'm home, on Friday afternoon, with the whole weekend before me, the cravings are getting stronger. Should I make more brownies and enjoy them, regardless of the massive amounts of weight I'll gain?

New Series

Welcome to March! It is the beginning of a new month, so why not start something new. The beginning is always my favorite time to start a new series. I have several ideas floating around of things I could write about and I will eventually get to all of them, but I'm saving some of them for later in the year. Right now, I decided I would write about some of my favorite things. Sometimes, I look around my house and see things that I really love. They might be normal, ordinary things and they might be super special things. Either way, I love them. I love the way they work or what they do and I am happy to have them. So, I thought it would be fun to share them with you too. There are a lot of things in my house, but I'm going to pick 20 of my current favorites. And, since Bill has his camera back, I can include good pictures. I think its fun to see the things that people like around their house, but more importantly to hear the reasons why...so I'll include my reasons too! This topic may seem boring to some people, but I think it will be fun and it will help me write more often. So, starting tomorrow, I will show you some of My Favorite Things (in NO particular order). Right now, I'm going to eat the brownies that I made, fresh from the oven (so incredibly good)!!!

And The Winner Is...

After a week of exciting polls, the votes are in. And the winner is...Taco Pizza. That's right, you voted and we listened (Taco Pizza = 6; Meat Lovers Pizza = 5; Pepperoni Pizza = 2). So, last night we had Saturday Night Pizza with Taco Pizza. I even experimented and used a new crust recipe. In the end, we had a wonderful pizza. It was really much tastier than I expected it to be. We might even make it again sometime, it was that good. But, next week, we plan to make the #2 choice. It was a close vote and Meat Lovers Pizza lost by just one. So, we'll be loving meat next for Saturday Night Pizza.

throwing the crust in the air, just like a real Italian

a layer of refried beans mixed with salsa
a layer of tomato paste with taco seasoning

a layer of taco seasoned hamburger

a layer of cheese

all the pretty layers

fresh from the oven

adding a layer of lettuce

and a layer of tomatoes

and another layer of cheese

looks just like a taco, doesn't it? (so yummy)

and Rachael made brownies

so delicious, I want more!

Baking Frenzy

Today was one of my co-worker's birthday. We decided to plan a big celebration because he turned 50. So, since I'm the most qualified baker in my office, I had a lot of work to do. We invited quite a few people, from other offices, so I had to prepare for more than my usual birthday crowd. That meant that last night I was baking up a storm. (Not literally, although right now it is storming outside...rain and lightning and thunder, oh my.) My office really is spoiled...I enjoy baking so they enjoy the results! Included in today's birthday extravaganza:

-->Chocolate Cupcakes
-->Brownies
-->Chocolate Chip Cookies
-->Banana Bread
-->Chips & Salsa (for something salty instead of sweet)

My apartment smelled so yummy...like fresh baked cookies. My co-worker asked for "something chocolate" so that's what he got...and that's what my apartment still smells like! Here is a taste of what I did last night.


Tomorrow we're off to Milan for a 3-day weekend. Oh, by the way, Bill is here...YAY! He arrived yesterday and we couldn't be happier. When I come back, I'll write my first post about traveling, because until now this blog has been only about "tasting" and not about "traveling." I'm looking forward to sharing our trip with you and rounding out my blog title.

Have a good weekend!