Pickled Watermelon Rinds & Quinoa

Pretty sure we Mom & I are attempting this today or tomorrow.  Not sure why, but I've always wanted to try it!
pickled-watermelon-rind recipe


It's an awfully long process.  These chefs on Food Network should tell you that no, that dish we just did in the 45 minute challenge can in no way be accomplished by normal humans in less that 48 hours. 


This morning I finally did something with Quinoa! So excited... It turned out really good, even though I did not have ricotta to top it. 
recipes/sweet-breakfast-quinoa


I was really very satisfied and Mom said "Well, color me proud" :). Kids sleep in too late for cooking breakfast & when I tried to give them some "eww, NO!, I'll have a Hot Pocket"  Nice huh?


And here's the gratuitous proud mom photo.  In addition to his regular boarding antics pictured here, Andres & I actually got to board double yesterday! No photos, but it was so fun, he crossed back and forth under my rope a few times, he's developed great control really fast.  

Dad cooks with Andres & plays guitar with Albert

Dad surprised us coming home early last night so he got to spend some time cooking with Andres in the kitchen instead of outside.  The made the French's Onion Chicken I linked to on the previous post.  I helped just a little to provide appropriate cookware, but other than that I just ate & took pictures.  The recipe couldn't be any easier and turned out great! I had bought pretty big chicken breasts so we had to cook quite a bit longer than was recommended, and I wish I'd been thinking of all the great things I could have added to this coating. All in all it gave you the feeling of fried chicken without all the frying... You can see below the boys are pretty serious about their chicken! After dinner Albert busted out the electric guitar & played the Green Day song he's been learning for his Dad & they spent the next couple of hours practicing and playing together.  It was fun to watch! Wish I could share, but Albert won't let me post the video.  I'll work on him though!

Also on the cooking front, Albert has finally started to show some interest in the kitchen, at least he is helping his brother make Ramen noodles.  

I had a terrific birthday with my guys, Cody even came to dinner with us.  The big birthday present is a trip to Disney World & I just can't wait! 


There will be more food posting soon, I got an app for kids cooking & Mimi (my Mom) arrived today for more fun in the kitchen! 

Wichita Falls & Fathers Day

Quick post today..


We visited Aunt Shannon, did some site seeing, swimming, gaming & just hanging out.  Shannon even taught Andres how to use a steamer to make the ONLY green choice on his menu. Edamame. 

For some reason Andres insisted that we get up before 7am and make breakfast for Dad on Fathers Day.  It was an early Sunday wake up for Dad but he really appreciated Grits & Eggs.  Fun morning! Afterwards Dad & Albert took off for a round of golf.  

Andres just saw a French's add for a chicken dish that he wants to make for dinner.  I'll give it a whirl with him if we get by the HEB today, if not later this week.
CRUNCHY ONION CHICKEN

Andres has another project this summer.  He is going to exploit the drought and impending Stage 3 water restrictions to make a little cash.  

Overrun by little boys!

We all think the celebration on Saturday was a success.  Billy set up an 8' screen in the back yard for gaming & one in the front for movies, sound systems were great and the picture was perfect.  There was tons of candy, pizza, popcorn & Albert says he drank at least 5 sodas after 9:30. It's really cool to see them with lots of friends who all seem to like & respect both boys.  One of Albert's friends is mildly Autistic and all the boys accepted him and treated him with great respect after Albert introduced him.  When his behavior seemed strange to some of them, Albert made sure they understood. The boys Mother seemed so grateful for how inclusive the group was.  I'm proud of my boys! Friday afternoon they took down the neighborhood bully for picking on little kids.  By "took down" I mean that Albert used a Judo move to break up the two boys & Andres faced down the bully telling him why it's not okay to pick on little kids.  I think I clearly worry too much about my boys social interactions.  Their background evidently gives them more skills, tolerance and adaptability than many kids with a regular family foundation.  Special thanks to some of the parents who stayed around to visit in the adult area and the neighbors who took care of our dogs, loaned us chairs & helped tear down at 1am.

Thanks to that help we were able to finish the clean up & tear down on Sunday morning in time for a short lake trip.  We decided to treat the dogs to a trip so no time behind the boat, but we took fun long rides and swam with the dogs.

Really cute pics of dogs & boys on the Lake


The boys and I are going to visit their Aunt Shannon for a few days this week.  Shannon is a real home cook with great skill on the traditional Texas cooking.  We'll see if we get time for a little cooking with Aunt Shannon.  Either way we are all excited to spend a little time with her!

The last week in dining & a short note about a lost friend

Pretty boring week of dining for the fam.  1 night of grilled pork loin with frozen veg & instant mash potatoes made by Andres, 1 night of fully cooked HEB pot roast (again with the instant mash potatoes, kids love those!). The kids advised me that they wanted grits, evidently something they enjoyed frequently with their foster family.  That was an easy breakfast to whip out and they were unusually pleased with it.  


Finally, last night we attended the memorial celebration for our good friend and the bass player for After Hours Band (www.afterhoursbandsa.com), Larry Stock who passed away a week ago.  Very generously hosted by RK group at the beautiful Sunset Station, funded by the band members and AVTS it was a lovely tribute to a man we all loved.  If you're interested there is a short video of his last gig with the boys on the band's Facebook page. Larry was not only an absolutely amazing singer, bass player & band mate, he was also a great Dad, his relationship with his two sons was so fun, but there was also discipline and respect evident.  He raised two great sons & I look at him as a role model parent.  I also met some really great people there, that I hope to spend time with again.  


Back to food; Andres voluntarily ate a raw carrot off the buffet last night! (I like to celebrate the small victories).  And more good news, my tiny neighborhood farmers market finally returned.  Wednesdays at Rainbow nursery on Thousand Oaks, it's usually only half a dozen vendors but that's good enough.  I picked up Kale, zucchini and bell peppers yesterday. So tonight I'll make garlicy kale with tomatoes  and Billy will grill some chicken breasts that Andres is going to Marinade.  


That'll be the last home cooked meal for the week.  Billy and I have likely made a decision we will regret by Sunday.  We are having over around a dozen little boys Saturday night for movies and video games projected on large screens indoor and out.  It's a summer kick off/schools out celebration for them, and it commemorates the 2 year anniversary of the day we met the Andres & Albert at the OC Schnabel park matching event.   I really can't believe it's only been 2 years! It seems like there was never a life without them. I'm just giving in to little boy favorites for this, $5 pizzas, popcorn, movie candy and sodas.  Albert keeps doing a little dance and singing"YAY, sodas after 9:30!!!!"  Wish me luck! This summer is starting out so much better than last year.  I'm starting to get the hang of this, keep 'em busy! We hit the zoo this morning early, with the membership Billy gave me for mother's day, we get admission as early as 7am.  It was so fun to watch the animals waking up! We really had a great time and were outta there before the heat & crowds arrived.  They even hit Sams with me for $1.50 lunch combos & shopping for party candy.  I didn't let 'em rest long, and got 'em to the pool at Shadow Cliff by 1pm, I'm not going to say they were worn out because that never  occurs, but they did return home for a quiet movie afternoon.  


We can't wait to get back to the lake this weekend! The kids amazing performance behind the boat last week has us really excited to see what they do next.  Check 'em out! Picture Album

And here's a little comparison, Nov 2009 Zoo trip and one from Today... Andres won't even fit under that statue anymore! It's amazing... 

2nd meal effort - Enchilada Casserole

I let the kid browse the recipes I had picked out and of course they picked the one that was meat, cheese & tortillas.  Shocker huh? At least it included beans.  The recipe was fine, except somehow we misread and ended up not figuring it out till too late.  Our sauce did not have enough water so it ended up a little dry.  I wanted to dump another can of just enchilada sauce on top before it hit the oven, but Andres has never liked the sauce.  It came out okay & at least they ate.  If I make it again, I'll skip the spice packet and just use the regular can of enchilada sauce.  I'll also add onions, spinach and/or other veggies to my half.  


I wish I had taken a photo of Albert's work for this meal.  I asked him to set the table during an episode of Wizards of Waverly Place and therefore did not get his best effort.  I had to laugh at him, he just tossed plates on the table around the backpacks and other assorted crap left on the table so he could quickly get back to Selena Gomez.  


Dad is grilling pork loin tonight.  I'll see what the kids will help with for sides & post something later.  The loin is a pre-seasoned & bacon wrapped from the HEB butcher.  YAY.  I love my HEB.


We had a great day at the lake yesterday.  I'll post some video/pics of the kids behind the boat later too. Suddenly they have figured out it's FUN back there! Andres went dare devil and started trying to jump while Albert was determined to get the knee board outside the wake.  So fun! I'm proud, so you'll definitely be seeing the evidence.



All Recipes, Enchilada Casserole

Haynie cooking Brigade's first meal

We started our cooking project off pretty simple.  Dad grilled steaks, Albert helped with the grocery shopping & set the table.  Andres not only actually touched veg, he even nibbled a little on a bell pepper.  Progress already! We just steamed zucchini, onions, bell peppers  in the microwave with a little olive oil, fresh lime juice and a little spice.  Billy & I thought it was really yummy, the boys enjoyed frozen tots that Andres handled baking.  Andres also cut up all the veg.  I made a honey, lime, garlic glaze that Billy just spooned on the steak the last minute it was on the grill.  I'm proud, and optimistic that the menu will eventually get a little more complicated.  I'm looking forward to the boys helping me choose recipes so the find out just how much they limit meals with the stupid picky eating.