Yellowstone National Park!

"A thousand Yellowstone wonders are calling,

'Look up and down and round about you!'"

~ John Muir

Our National Parks, 1909

"Paint cannot touch it,

and words are wasted."

~Frederic Remington

Pony Tracks 1895

Lunch at Jenny Lake

Baquettes, cheese, fruit, a little chocolate

and this view...

A lovely lunch! :-)

Grand Tetons!

"Within this space

the Creator must have intended

to bring man in humility to his knees."

~ Margaret E. Murie

Grand Teton Official National Park Handbook, 1984

My first time to go to Grand Teton National Park!

Beautiful!

Jackson Hole

Flying Into a Special Place :-)

And now we're on the road ~ my preferred mode of travel! :-)

Come along with me...we're headed to Montana!!!

Peaches and Cream Pie

Peaches and Cream Pie

8 servings

6 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
1 recipe pie crust
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Place crust in pie pan and arrange peaches over crust. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt; stir in cream until smooth. Pour over peaches. Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until filling is almost set. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerate leftovers. Enjoy!

To ripen fruit quickly, place it in a brown paper bag.

Oregano Lemon Chicken

Oregano Lemon Chicken

4 servings

4 chicken breasts
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano

Place the chicken in a greased baking dish. Combine lemon juice, honey, oil, garlic and oregano; pour over chicken. Bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes or until done, basting occasionally with pan juices. Serve warm and enjoy!

"Most of the shadows of this life

are caused

by our standing in our own sunshine."

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com

"Morning Sunshine" by William Dufner

Daisy is 2 years old!

Happy birthday Daisy girl!

"Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with you wherever you journey."

~Tad Williams

illustration courtesy of www.allposters.com
"South Pasture" by David Marty

Supper Menus
August 3rd-8th

Monday
grilled steaks, grilled corn on the cob, twice baked potatoes, lettuce and tomato salad, chocolate cup cakes
Tuesday
oregano lemon chicken, fresh green beans, new potatoes, dinner rolls
Wednesday
spiral pasta salad, glazed fruit salad, sour dough bread
Thursday
philly cheese steak sandwiches, steak fries, peaches and cream pie
Friday
make your own pizza night
Saturday
out for supper

Big Mama's Chicken Cakes

Chicken Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

These were a big hit at my house!

After noticing that the recipe called for

Tony Chachere's seasoning,

I knew I had to give them a try.

The recipe comes from a very popular blogger called Big Mama.

You can find it here.

Thank you Big Mama! :-)

Mr. H. is back!

Mr. H. decided to take over the kitchen again tonight.

And as usual, the results were delicious. :-)

He explained that there are two camps
when it comes to Philly Cheese Steak preparation.

Some cooks use a white cheese, such as provolone.

And some use...Cheez Whiz! :-)

He wanted to try the Cheez Whiz variety -

and his sandwiches were very, very good!

What I had scheduled for tonight,

I'll be cooking for Sunday dinner tomorrow. :-)

Thank you Mr. H. ~ I always enjoy a night off!

Here Comes August!

Holiday

Home

"By home, we mean a place in which the mind can settle…

a refuge to which we flee

in the expectation of finding those calm pleasures,

those soothing kindnesses,

which are the sweetness of life."

~James Bean

Southwester Chicken Salad

Southwestern Chicken Salad

(From Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine)

6 servings

1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper jelly
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup cubed peeled mango
2/3 cup julienned sweet red pepper
2/3 cup julienned peeled jicama
4 green onions, chopped
3 cups fresh baby spinach
3 cups torn mixed salad greens
1/3 cup pepitas or salted pumpkin seeds

For dressing, in a small bowl, whisk the first seven ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, beans, mango, red pepper, jicama and onions. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Just before serving, toss chicken mixture with spinach and salad greens. Sprinkle with pepitas and enjoy!

This salad was very light and tasty! I had never bought a jicama (pronounced hick-a-ma) before. Inside it looked like a potato and kind of tasted like an apple.

Futbol!

Attending the final game

of the 2009 World Football Challenge

was a huge treat for my soccer loving family.

It was the first professional soccer game I had ever attended.

A great game pitted the English team "Chelsea FC" vs. Mexico's "Club America".

We were cheering for Chelsea

and they won the game 2-0 and the tournament.

I really enjoyed the game and so did my family.

But what is the real reason for this big grin?! ;-)
The game was held at the brand new Dallas Cowboys stadium! :-)
And I was super excited to be there and take home a family set of
2009 Inaugural Season Cowboys cups.
It's the little things... ;-)