Family Visit

My family came out during the first week of May. (My mom took the picture above so she's missing ) Normally it is just my parents that visit, which is only slightly stressful as far as cleaning things up. They stay in the upstairs guest room so we don't have to worry about the bottom floor. This time my brother's family was coming also. This meant that they would be staying in the guest room downstairs and that we had a lot of things to do! The last time they came to visit was about 2 years ago. Due to our schedule...the show, rehearsals, church, life, etc......we still had unfinished projects from their last visit. Oops! I still had a lot of boxes that we had gone through and stacked neatly a few years back...so now it was time to go through those again. We got rid of all of the boxes and gave away a ton of stuff. This included a sleep number bed, bread maker, sheet and comforter sets and much more. Our trash man probably hated us for those 2 weeks prior. Both weeks we filled our huge blue can, 2 green cans, stacked boxes next to those and also added to our neighbors cans.

Now, the cleaning and completing the guest room and guest bath was enough with our schedule, however, I had a fun conversation with my brother a week before they got here. He mentioned that his pond and my parents' were going great. (In my mind," We need to finish our pond before they get here. ( This has been ongoing since someone ruined ours. It hasn't been working for several years but it looked like we were finishing it by April. )) He then asked about the garden and I told him that we hadn't gotten around to planting it yet. (Need to at least clean up the grow boxes in time for their visit) THEN he says," I can't wait to watch movies in your theater room." AHHHHHH So, that is something we started when they were out here last time. Since then we had gotten the wood molding up but still needed to sand it,stain it, get a screen, a projector, blu-ray player and also get an electrician to help run a line to the room. AHHHHHH
We did finish it the day before they got here. Our seating is comprised of 2 futon couches (creating a place for my nephew to sleep) from when I lived in California and a couch that Chewie tagged a few years back. Other than that we have a bunch of floor pillows and a fuzzy rug. I will post pics of the room in a different blog. In addition to that room I also did a major job on my scrapbooking room. Tons of stress before they got here but I am so glad that it is all done now...for the most part.

We did a family photo shoot while they were out here. Unfortunately my other nephew couldn't make it. =( I will post pics from that shoot in another blog.
Kevin isn't taller than me...yet!He's getting close though Grrrrrr
That's our new pond. I will try to post pics of all the work that lead up to the finished product.

Double Rainbow!

On March 27th, 2010, I saw the coolest thing.....I double rainbow. A COMPLETE double rainbow. I was at Countrymart doing my grocery shopping on a rainy day. I was pulling out of my parking spot when I noticed a rainbow. I thought, "How pretty" and continued to pull out. I drove a few more yards and saw that it was a complete rainbow. VERY COOL. I normally just see a partial one but this was the entire arch. It was a warm day so, as per usual, I had no shoes on....I keep flip-flops in my car at all times. I saw that there weren't a lot of people so I pulled to the side of the store and hopped out with my camera. Because the rainbow was large I had to keep backing up. Now, you can imagine the looks I was getting as I was running barefoot in a parking lot...camera in hand. I STILL couldn't fit it all in so someone said to run up the aisle. I yelled back that my car was still running and he said he would watch it. SO....because I'm used to being out here, I run up the aisle to take a few shots. Two things popped into my head as I was doing this....1) WOAH! a DOUBLE FULL RAINBOW!!! I didn't notice until this point that there were now TWO rainbows. The sun came out a bit and lit up a second rainbow. 2) A stranger is watching my car, with the engine running, and I am running in the OPPOSITE direction away from my car. Ummm, yeah, that would never happen in California!

Time to start the garden again

It's time to get rid of the remnants of our garden. Every year we tend to forget about that step. Instead of removing everything at the end of the growing season, we let it just die and wait until the following year. In our defense, we were still getting tomatoes in the winter and then our Christmas Show started so.....no time!

This is what was left of those huge tomato vines from last year. After I cut the strings down I had quite the pile of dead vines. I had a blast squashing them!

The plan for this year ( gulp) is to plant everything from seed. YIKES! Soooo much easier starting with the plants.

St. Patrick's Day Kitty

I haven't posted in about 2 months so now it's time to play catch-up. =) Here's a little kitty torture for you. =)

Easy Whole Wheat Pizza Dough Recipe

A few people asked me for the Whole Wheat Pizza Dough recipe that I used last month so...here goes. =)

1 T honey
1 cup less 1 1/2 T lukewarm water
2 1/2 t active dry yeast ( or 1 package)
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour, divided
4 t vital wheat gluten
1 t salt
3 T olive oil, divided

In a large bowl, mix honey and 1/3 c water. Sprinkle yeast and let sit undisturbed until yeast is foamy.

Meanwhile, mix together 2 c flour, wheat gluten and salt in another large bowl.

Once yeast is foamy, add remaining water and 2 T olive oil to yeast mixture. Pour in flour mixture and gently fold in with a spatula or bowl scraper until just combined. This will form a wet ball. Coat the bottom of another bowl with remaining oil. Transfer dough to this bowl, rolling it a bit in the oil to coat it. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rise for 1 hour. Dough will be very soft and sticky.

Lightly dust counter with about 1/4 c flour. Transfer dough to counter and roll lightly in flour. Dust your hand with flour to prevent sticking. Gently knead the dough, using remaining flour as needed, for about 1 minute. Put back in bowl and cover again for 30 minutes.

Transfer dough back to floured surface....you can add more flour if needed. Split dough in half and form 2 balls. Lightly knead each for about 30 seconds and reform balls.

You can now make your pizza crust. Just roll it out and have fun. Don't forget to flip it over a few times and sprinkle with flour to prevent sticking. It also helps to poke holes in the dough with a fork, all over, so that it doesn't rise while baking. I usually leave the edges alone so that it will puff up there.

You can also wrap in plastic wrap and put in fridge for 24 hours or the freezer for a month.
Sprinkling corn meal on your pizza stone helps to prevent sticking while baking.

Broccoli and Bow tie Pasta

I'm posting this for Jessica, who wanted a broccoli recipe. It's something from the Barefoot Contessa, minus the pine nuts. This is the one I make all the time, though I haven't made it since my diet change. I will swap out the butter for olive oil and cut out the cheese when I make it next, but here is the recipe with butter and cheese. =)

Kosher salt
8 cups of broccoli florets ( approx. 4 heads)
1/2 lb bow tie pasta
2 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
1T minced garlic
1 lemon, zested
1/2 t ground pepper
1 T lemon juice
Parmesan Cheese

Cook broccoli 3 minutes in boiling, salted water. Remove from water with slotted spoon and place into bowl. Set aside.
In same water cook the pasta according to directions. Drain and add to broccoli.
Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, heat butter and oil and cook garlic and lemon zest over medium-low for 1 minute. Take off the heat. Add 2 t salt, pepper and lemon juice. Toss with broccoli and pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

Enjoy!

Easy Quinoa and Lentils Recipe

This is my new "go-to" recipe when I only have 25 minutes to make a quick meal. The texture is pretty similar to mashed potatoes because the lentils make this really creamy in texture. You can add as many extras as you want to make it to your taste.

1 cup Quinoa
1 cup red lentils
10 cloves of garlic, rough chopped ( I love garlic so I just do an entire bulb)
5 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of chopped veggies (optional)


REALLY SIMPLE. Throw everything into a medium sized pot on medium. Simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.DONE

If you don't feel like chopping any veggies you can always add frozen veggies. Today I didn't have time and happened to have some of those Steam Fresh Frozen veggies that you just nuke for 5 minutes.

This WILL be bland without seasoning so add whatever spices that you like. You can throw in dried herbs while it cooks or top with fresh when it's done. I like mine with nutritional yeast, soy sauce and a pinch of sea salt.

New Show in our Theatre this year!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

International sensation JEERK to perform in Branson, MO!

Rhythm Artist Group takes the stage at Hughes Brothers Theatre

Branson MO (Wednesday, February 24, 2010) JEERK, international sensation and Sweden’s top Rhythm Artists, kick off their action-packed show in Branson on March 22, 2010, at the Hughes Brothers Theatre. Known world-wide for their innovative and thrilling one-of-a-kind stage show, JEERK adds another exciting twist to the outstanding Branson show mix.

Jeff Topper, Director of Sales for the Hughes Brothers Theatre says, “From the Hughes Brothers Show to SIX and now JEERK our theatre is showcasing cutting edge entertainment. JEERK is a new breed of entertainment – versatile, unexpected, innovative and very hip.” The ingredients of the JEERK show include tap dance, percussion, singing and humour mixed together by five brilliant performers – Nikke, Reggie, Xet, Bobo, and Tymac. Swedish news Ystads has this to say, “These five young men can do anything that can be done on a stage, and they do it magnificently.”

The JEERK show is a world of rhythms where the performers transform anything into a musical instrument; a plastic barrel, a hockey stick, a walking chair…and mix this with playful humour. Topper adds, “JEERK’s personal touch is endearing to the audience. Their clever combinations of dance are fresh and versatile while reminiscent of the fun antics we’ve always enjoyed from the dance greats.” Lanstidningen County Chronicle says, “The incredible show with JEERK gets top grades. The late Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly must be happy in heaven when they see something like this.”

JEERK, finalist in the Big E Awards for Best Show, has stomped across the stages of Sweden as well as Istanbul, Frankfurt, Basel, Milan and Bucharest. Their TV credits include the opening ceremony of the European Athletics Championship, the Eurovision Song Contest and the popular dance show Dansez Pentru Tine in Romania. Their international success brought them to the United States for their first appearance last year. At Silver Dollar City JEERK discovered Branson and American fans discovered JEERK. Now fans will be able to see JEERK on the world-famous 76 Highway, fondly known as “the strip”. As Bobo says, “The crazy Swedes are back in Branson!”

For schedules, tickets, and other information call 800-422-0076, 417-334-0076 or visit http://www.hughes-brothers.com/ Learn more about JEERK at http://www.jeerk.com/

About JEERK
This award-winning Rhythm Artist Group brings a whole new twist to the Branson Show Scene. After sweeping Europe with their original brand of entertainment, JEERK brings their extraordinary mix of tap dance, percussion, singing, and humor to the Hughes Brothers Theatre. JEERK transforms anything into a musical instrument and sings, plays, taps, and drums it into a personal demonstration of impressive musicality. It’s an unexpected explosion of dance with a hip and modern twist, delighting visitors of all ages -- just like the fresh and versatile antics of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Jr., and other dance greats. As the County Chronicle said, “The incredible show with JEERK gets top grades. The late Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly must be happy in their heaven when they see something like this.” JEERK consist of five talented young men – Nikke, Reggie, Xet, Bobo, and Tymac. http://www.jeerk.com/

About the Hughes Brothers Theatre
Hughes Brothers Theatre located on Hwy 76 in Branson, Missouri features three unique and cutting-edge shows – JEERK, SIX, and the Hughes Brothers Show. Shows are performed February through December, 10:00am, 2:00pm, and 8:00pm. The 1,000 seat theatre also features a Bistro serving soup and sandwiches, as well as balcony dining in the theatre. The historical theatre (originally the first theatre in Branson owned by a national star) has recently been renovated and sits in the heart of Branson’s theatre district. http://www.hughesbrotherstheatre.com/