50 Weeks and Counting

Disney is: Carrying 50 pound kids out of the parks at midnight. Come up with an exercise routine to stay in shape and stick to it. Help your secret service pal do the same.

Aaron has a goal chart he is using to help motivate him to exercise as well as include us with his family workouts. We ran another 5k this week. Even Kyrie ran the full 5k.

Click here to see Aaron's goals

51 Weeks and Counting

Disney is: Clean. Pick a room in your home and clean it to make room for Disney planning supplies.

This week, to emulate Disney, we detail cleaned one of the rooms of our house. Aaron deserves most of the credit, but the ladies also cleaned their bedroom.

 

 

52 Weeks and Counting

Disney is: Pictures at the Partners Statue EVERY trip. Visit one of your favorite local spots and take a picture. Write about it in your journal and include the picture. Don't stop using the journal. Write about your life and experiences getting ready for the trip this year.

For week 52, the master packer planner assigned us to do something as a family and take a picture at our favorite location. Aaron and I ran a 5k "Running with Angels" on Saturday, May 18th, and went to Buffalo Wild Wings after for lunch (one of our family's favorite places).

Hawaii $20 Bill

I came across a rare bill through work this week, and thought I'd post the wikipedia article about the Hawaii $20 bill. The story is on facebook.

Hawaii $20 Bill Link

Creamy Pineapple Coleslaw

Creamy Pineapple Coleslaw is what I made with some of my cabbage this week. Aaron also made his Portuguese soup with some of the cabbage, but I still have a head of cabbage to use up. Anyone have ideas for using cabbage?

Red Bell Pepper Recipe

I found this recipe on foodnetwork.com when I was looking for an idea for what to do with my red bell peppers, since I'm the only one in my house who likes peppers.

Crudite with Roasted Garlic and Red Bell Pepper Dip

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2002

Prep Time:

30 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 15 min

Cook Time:

10 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

about 2 cups dip

Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup Roasted Garlic, recipe follows
• 1/2 pound feta cheese, drained
• 1/4 cup, plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, garnish

Crudite:

• Zucchini batons
• Jicama sticks
• Mushrooms
• Baby carrots
• Sliced European cucumbers
• Blanched asparagus spears
• Sliced fennel

Directions

For the peppers: Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, 7 to 10 minutes. Place in a plastic or paper bag, and cool for about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and stems, and discard. Coarsely chop the peppers.

Transfer the peppers and garlic to a food processor and process until smooth. Add the cheese and process until smooth. With the machine running, add 1/4 cup of the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice in a steady stream through the feed tube. Add the basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and process until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Transfer to a decorative bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour. Before serving, drizzle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve cool or at room temperature, with assorted crudite for dipping.

Roasted Garlic:

2 heads garlic, upper quarter removed

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub 1 teaspoon of oil into the top of each head. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and place, cut side down, on the baking sheet. Bake until the cloves are soft and golden, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit until cool enough to handle. Squeeze each head of garlic to expel the cloves into a bowl. Mash into a paste. Set aside until needed.

Note: Each head of garlic makes approximately 2 tablespoons of roasted garlic.

Yield: 1/4 cup

Homemade Lemonade!

So we got our bountiful basket today and I made lemonade from scratch for the first time ever (I've always used the country time mixes). It's so yummy!

Recipe:

Make a simple syrup (1 cup water + 1 cup sugar) by combining the sugar and water and boiling until the sugar is dissolved (I did it in a microwave in a glass measuring cup to save time).

Squeeze 1 cup lemon juice (about 4-6 lemons)

Add 4 cups ice cold water to the above ingredients and stir, then serve.

I am planning on probably doing some sort of lemon chicken recipe later this week, using the 2 other lemons I have in my fridge.