Where were you?

Where were you on that fateful day?

Where were you when the world changed?

Where were you on 9/11/01?

If you were above the age of about five, I am sure you remember.

I sure do.

It was the second day on a new job, Big Girl was barely six months old and at a new day care.

I remember.

I remember being in my office and seeing all these people talking in the hallways. I remember seeing people gathering in conference rooms. I remember someone stopping by my office door to see if I’d heard.

I remember trying to get on the news websites – and all of them being so jammed with other people trying to do the same thing that they wouldn’t load.

I remember calling my mom, over four hours away, to have her tell me what was happening as they watched it on television.

I remember the disbelief. I remember the fear. I remember making the decision to go and get my baby and go home – that if we were under attack I wanted to have her in my arms regardless of what happened.

I remember sitting in my living room and watching the news in disbelief, words not coming to express what I was feeling. I remember wanting to call my family and friends to make sure they were all okay.

And I remember the weeks and months after – the shock, the sadness, the mourning of people I never even knew. I remember wondering if there would be more…

I remember the day that our world changed.

And I can’t help but remember and then think about the people in other parts of the world who deal with terrorism and uncertainty as a part of their daily lives. I can’t help but think that, without diminishing the horror of that day, that we are so lucky where we live that we have relative peace and safety on a daily basis.

And, so, as I remember today and pray for those who were left behind, I also think about and pray for those for whom terror and fear and war and bloodshed are a part of their every day lives.

Where were you?

Saturday Sweetness: Lunch Lady Peanut Butter Bars

I stumbled across these bar cookies on Pinterest. I decided they were going on my must-make list right away. So, on a Saturday afternoon a couple weeks ago, I made them.

All I can say to you is this – You need to make these.

Like now.

Go, get thee to the grocery store and get the ingredients if you don’t have them already.

Seriously.

These make great after-school and lunch snacks. And because you’ve made them yourself, you know they only have real food in them, not a bunch of artificial junk.

And they’re deliciously addictive. It is hard to eat just one.

You’ve been warned.

(here’s the link to the original recipe)

Lunch Lady Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
1¼ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Baking Soda
¾ C Butter
¾ C Sugar (I used Sucanat with Honey)
¾ C Brown Sugar (I used Sucanat)
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 C Creamy Peanut Butter (split – I ended up using a whole jar of Peanut Butter)
2 Eggs
1 ½ C Quick Oats

Frosting:

½ C Butter (1 stick)
3 ½ C Powdered Sugar
(I used Sucanat with Honey and just “powdered” it in my blender)
2 T Cocoa
¼ C Milk (I used 1%)
1 tsp. Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, sugars, 3/4 C peanut butter, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.
Gradually add dry ingredients, just until incorporated.
Then, stir in the oats.
Spread onto a greased 11 x 15 Jelly Roll Pan (cookie sheet). (I used my Silpat mat and it worked great)
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.
The frosting is a two step process.
First, whip the remaning ¾ C Creamy Peanut Butter until it becomes lighter colored and fluffy.
Carefully spread the whipped peanut butter over the pan cookie. (the cookie should still be warm so the PB will spread, but not melt)
Then, add butter to a small sauce pan and melt the butter.
Add the milk and cocoa.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat just until boiling.
Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Then, gradually add the powdered sugar. Stir until thickened.
Pour over the peanut butter and gently spread over the cookie.
Cool completely, and slice into bar cookies.

And devour them like you’re the Cookie Monster

Join up with our Saturday Sweetness Link Up!

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I’ve also linked up with the Country Cook Weekend Potluck.

August Roundup

I started earlier this year doing a monthly round up like Katie the Scrapbook Lady does. I loved the idea of a recap of what I did during the month – something that would make it easy to look back and see a highlight of the month all on one page.

It’s September, so it’s time for the August Roundup.

So, here we go!

What reading/learning did I do this month? (books, blogs, magazines, ebooks, podcasts, classes, etc.)

The Inn at Rose Harbor, by Debbie Macomber
Death of a Cozy Writer, by G.M. Malliet
various magazines

What entertainment did I watch/listen to this month?(movies, tv shows, plays, music, concerts, etc.)

I’m still hooked on Inspector Morse and Inspector Lewis on Masterpiece Mystery

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

The girls started school.
Cup of Joy started – my neighbor is going with me this year!
The girls and I (and our friend C) went to the Georgia Aquarium
made pesto with my friends

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

nothing this month

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

school supplies!
Fall clothes
more wheat and supplies for my homemade bread making

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

Overall, a healthy month. Trying to get back on track with my eating and exercise.
We’re all battling allergies now that the goldenrod is starting to bloom (Achoo!)

What were my accomplishments this month?

More healthy eating
Back on my menu planning and more eating at home

What were my disappointments this month?

work-related, but they’re temporary.

Overall, a busy but productive month!

I did my Round Up! (thoughtsalonglifeshighway.com)

Lions, Koalas and Bears, oh my!

On Labor Day, as we headed home from Mom’s house, we decided to take a detour and go to the zoo in Columbia, SC.

SuperMan and I hadn’t been to the Riverbanks Zoo in over ten years and we wanted the girls to experience it – it used to be one of our favorite day trips from Savannah.

It was a fun little excursion. We were rained on as we went through the park, but I was determined to see the animals in spite of the rain. Which made for quite the adventure. Apparently, the zoo animals are not as adventurous as I am – most of them went into their “barns” once the rain came.

We had fun regardless.

I loved watching the big cats. (they were hot – it was before the rainstorm)

And the koala bears were just adorable.

They were sound asleep (apparently, they sleep 20 hours a day – why wasn’t I born a koala?!?) and they looked like stuffed animals, not real creatures.

The giraffes were trying to get in out of the rain – Little Bit and I didn’t care.

And the gorillas were being anti-social. I can’t say as I blame them. Bunch of tourists gawking at them…

I love this picture of Little Bit’s reflection superimposed on the gorilla – purely accidental but it turned out great.

And her hand in the gorilla’s handprint.

Wet people preparing to go get in the car and dry off:

And then it was the three hour drive (in the rain) home.

Wordless Wednesday

It has to be a Wordless Wednesday.

I have no words.

Who is this woman-child?

I’m linking up with Wordless Wednesday over on Live and Love Out Loud.

Thanks for stopping by Thoughts Along Life’s Highway.

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Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day for my U.S. friends!

I hope you’re enjoying a day of fun and relaxation with your family and friends. That’s certainly what we will be doing today.

Right now, I’m the only one awake, so I’m sitting in my mom’s kitchen enjoying a cup of tea and listening to the tick, tick, tick, of her noisy clocks. Our plan today is to head back home with a little side trip, hopefully, but first everyone has to wake up! I guess they’re all pooped out – we’ve been doing a lot this weekend. Mostly, we’ve been shopping – one of my favorite past times. I think the girls are pretty much set for fall/winter clothes. Maybe a new coat and some more long sleeved shirts, but that is about it.

That had been my plan for the weekend, though, to get Mom’s help in getting their winter wardrobe.

Mission accomplished, I’d say.

We’ve also enjoyed some of our local favorite restaurants this weekend – lunch on Friday at Spanky’s (they have the best chicken fingers) and then SuperMan and the girls had lunch from here on Saturday

And of course, we have had all kinds of good food at Momma’s house – like these ribs

they were so good.

I haven’t got my menu for the week yet – maybe I will work on that while SuperMan drives us home today.

For right now, though, I am going to focus on my tea and the peace and quiet. I know it won’t last long!

I hope you all have a great day, enjoy and hug the people you love.

A little history

One of the things I want to do, a little at a time, is capture the stories of my life… things beyond photographs and scrapbook pages. Stories of our lives – you know, the stories that get passed down through the generations and are the ones you tell whenever the families get together.

I want to save them while they are fresh in my mind – save them for the girls to remember and for our grandkids and great-grands to have and enjoy one day, too.

I’ve started an 8.5×11 album (digital) that I’ll just jot down those stories in as I think of them. I’m not going to pressure myself into feeling like I have to have photographs on every page. It’s really about the story for this book, not the picture.

Here is my first page:

Here is the story:

When we were first married, I decided to be “Suzy Homemaker” one night and surprise Rob with some homemade stuffed bell peppers. I called Mom and Grandma (multiple times) and worked for hours making the recipe.

We hadn’t been married very long and I hadn’t been cooking for very long, either. It was quite the undertaking and I was so proud of myself for taking on the challenge. I couldn’t wait for Rob to get home from work and eat the yummy dinner I’d prepared.

When he got home, he sat down to eat a plate. I stood by waiting for his feedback…

And he quickly asked me if I’d cooked the rice.
WHAT!?!
Had I cooked the rice?!?
Of course I had.

Well, it turned out the rice was NOT finished, my feelings were VERY hurt and I grabbed his plate and the entire casserole dish and dumped it all in the garbage.

I ran upstairs crying and locked myself in our bedroom.

Poor Rob.
It was all right eventually, but, to this day, I’ve never made stuffed peppers again.

Which, Rob says, is perfectly fine with him.
I hope so.

Best-Ever Black Beans & Cuban Pork

Last Friday SuperMan and went to a Cuban restaurant for lunch. I hate to say it, but the food was less than what we’d hoped for. As a matter of fact, it really just left me with a hankering for some good Cuban food. I was rather disappointed.

So, we decided to make our own!

I bought a pork butt and marinated it over the weekend and then decided Monday was the day to cook it. It was really good, but what was even better were the black beans I cooked with it.

They were surprisingly good. Like, really, really good.

Almost exactly like I’ve had from some of the best Cuban restaurants I’ve eaten at in the past and exactly like what I think of when I think of Cuban black beans.

After raving about it on Facebook last night, I received many requests for the recipes so I decided to share with you here.

It may not be “officially” Cuban, but it sure was good. We devoured it.

(sorry for the blurry phone picture – didn’t have my glasses on and didn’t know it wasn’t focused!)

Pork Butt in the Crock Pott

4-5 pound pork butt

Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 bay leaf (or 2)
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp minced garlic (or more)
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin (or more)

Houston House Seasoning

In a large ziplock bag, add all of the marinade ingredients. Add the pork and refrigerate. Let it marinate from 8-24 hours.
Place marinade and pork butt in the crock pot and cook on high for the first hour and then on low for 6-7 hours.
Shred meat, and serve with juices from the crock pot as “gravy.”

Best-ever cuban black beans

2 cans black beans (do not drain)
1 finely diced onion
1 finely diced green bell pepper
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1-2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp minced onion

Add all ingredients to a small crock pot (I use my “baby” one)
Allow them to cook on low for 1-3 hours (no less than an hour)
Serve with cooked rice.
You can add some heat by adding some red pepper flakes if you desire.

eat and die of goodness. Smile

Friday Adventures & Menu Plan Monday ~ 27 Aug

Last Friday, SuperMan and I had a big adventure. It started out as a trip to the store where I buy my wheat berries & sucanat for baking. I mentioned I needed to stop by the grocery store and he suggested going to the international market. I was game, but then we realized that it was over an hour away from where we were and we decided that was just too far to go and try to make it back for carpool.

So, SuperMan said, “Leave it to me. I know where I’m going to take you.”

I sat back and enjoyed the ride…

and we ended up at a SuperH Mart. Have you ever been to one of these? It’s a Korean market and they had the coolest things. SuperMan was laughing at me as I snapped picture after picture with my phone. He said, “You’re not going to buy anything, just take pictures of it?”

I decided that pictures were safer than purchases –

This picture is titled “Things I’ll never eat”

But it was so much fun. (well, except for the overwhelming fish smell. me no likey raw fish smell)

And then we went to lunch at a Cuban restaurant. (grin)

A great time together – almost like a “date” although we were being productive at the same time.

This week, we’re looking forward to an early release day at school and the long holiday weekend. Seriously, we can’t wait. SO ready for a little fun with the family. It’s going to be busy, busy before we get to that holiday weekend. We have meetings and classes almost every night. That long weekend will be well-earned, for sure.

In preparation for the week, here’s what I have planned on the menu:

Monday: Cuban Pork, black beans & rice
Tuesday: Taco salads
Wednesday: Pesto chicken with pasta & parmesan
Thursday: leftovers

So, what’s on your menu plan for the weekend?

Menu Plan Monday ~ 20 August 12 (thoughtsalonglifeshighway.com)
Menu Plan Monday ~ August 20/12 (orgjunkie.com)

From my kitchen

Today is my crazy busy day – for work and for the girls. Both of them have dance class and I have an afternoon of back-to-back conference calls. It makes for one tired mommy in the evening, that’s for sure.

To combat that, I try to do a little prep work ahead of time in the morning – preparing something yummy & healthy for dinner and planning out whatever else I need to for the rest of the day. It just saves my sanity and helps me to enjoy being with my kids more rather than stressing out and being cranky.

Today, I changed up my planned dinner. Usually, Thursdays are leftover nights (because it is easier to warm things up than cook from scratch when you’re running back and forth between school & the dance studio. can I get an amen?)

But today, I was thinking about the jumbo pack of mini-sub rolls I got at the warehouse store the other day… the same mini-sub rolls I just knew the girls would love for cute little sandwiches for lunch. And the very same mini-sub rolls they most definitely do not like for their lunches – as evidenced by the returned, uneaten sandwiches two days this week. Sigh.

So, I was trying to figure out how I was going to use those rolls before they became a science experiment on my counter. I don’t eat (much) bread and SuperMan is trying to cut back… which leaves quite the dilemma. Until you start to think about things like… garlic bread!

So, once my mind went to garlic bread, I decided to try out this new recipe I’d found on Pinterest – it’s for a crock pot ravioli casserole. Perfect! And because I’m-a good-a little-a Italian girl, I have all the ingredients on hand. (wink, wink)

With dinner planned out, I decided to tackle another looming kitchen problem. Bread. I have gotten back on the wagon of making my own bread; partly to help Big Girl’s tummy issues and partly because it’s just so darn good. But the problem is that Little Bit doesn’t like it and SuperMan isn’t wild about it (he’ll eat it, but I think he only does it because he doesn’t want to hurt my feelings). They say it is too dense. Which, ironically, is what Big Girl and I love about it.

ANYWAY – I rummaged around and found an old bread recipe and decided to whip up another batch to see if I could make a lighter loaf.

I made one as a cinnamon raisin bread and the other plain. They’re cooling on the counter now, so we will see what the troops think when they return home tonight.

They sure SMELL GOOD – between the garlic and the bread, my house smells SO GOOD right now.

And speaking of garlic – here’s another fallen soldier:

I am going to have to start counting how many of these I go through in a year. I think I open a new one about every 2 months.

No vampire problems here, that’s for sure.

So, what’s going on in your kitchen this week?

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Lunch Lady Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients

Frosting:

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Pork Butt in the Crock Pott

Best-ever cuban black beans

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This picture is titled “Things I’ll never eat”

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