The End of an Era

Many of you saw on Facebook that Pete and I had been dating for ten years on Thursday.  This picture is from almost a year after our first date, but it shows how young we were.  (we were college graduates, it wasn't like we were high school sweethearts, but still, - look at that fresh pink skin!!)

Our "official" first date was dinner at Rincon, then Chicago at the movie theater.  Rincon is across the street from where I used to work so we go there all the time.  Even though I no longer work at John's we still meet our good friends Joanne and Jerry there for dinner on many a Friday night.  Our favorite waiter was always Louis.  Louis was a runner in the community so he and Pete used to talk about their Bluegrass 10K times, discuss half marathons, etc.  One evening we gave Louis a hard time about wearing a button-up shirt and tie instead of the regular Rincon polo.  He explained to us it was because he was no longer a waiter, he was the manager.

We first took Ellie when she was three weeks old. 

When Pete was out of town for Ellie's first birthday, Joanne and Jerry didn't want us to be alone for dinner, so we went to Rincon. 

Last Friday (3/15) we went to Rincon for dinner (typical), and were talking with Louis about work, his kids, etc., when he told us that he was leaving Rincon!!!!  His wife's family owns another Mexican restaurant in town, and he was going to go work for them.  Saturday (3/23) was his last day.  So we went for dinner, of course. 

 

Both Joanne and I were teary-eyed as we said our goodbyes.  No, he's not moving out of town, but we tend to frequent restaurants in our neck of the woods (Rincon, Oasis, Puccini's, Bangkok House), and his wife's restaurant is on the other side of town.  We will miss his great service, and conversations, but mostly his friendly face.  Good Luck Louis!  It was a great ten years!!

We taught Ellie a new song today.

Don't get it?

Here's a little help.....

Still don't get it??

What about this......

or this:

Friday Phone Dump

1. north lime coffee and donuts
2. carson's 2nd birthday party
3. no-pants nesting cups
4. first beater-licking
5. "read books together, Daddy"
6. chop chop chop
7. bangs
8. 2 bites in one day
9. big girl
  

MORE Success!

Fair readers:  tonight's dinner resulted in a big smooch from the hubs and compliments on making such a good dinner.  This does not happen every night at my house.  So basically I would recommend you all make it the next time you want a rich, warm, filling soup for dinner.  Unlike the minestrone I made last week, this soup is not particularly healthy, in that it contains half-and-half, butter, and Parmesan cheese. 

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

via Pinterest

 

linked from Pinterest: http://www.pinfoody.com/tomato-basil-parmesan-soup-in-the-crockpot/

This did take some prep work to get everything in the crock pot, then you need to allow yourself another 45 min before you want to serve to make the roux and add the cheese, etc.  After eating, we both thought it could be even better (and more decadent) with some lobster or crab meat added before serving.

THEN, after dinner and a walk, we ate dessert:

No Bake Nutella Cheesecake

 

via Pinterest

linked from Pinterest: http://andyandbelle.blogspot.com/2012/05/no-bake-nutella-cheesecake.html 

I didn't have Oreos on hand, so I used some other cookies for the crust.  I also didn't use Nutella, but Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter (which is pretty much organic Nutella).  And I forgot to add the vanilla.  But it turned out just fine - was quite rich and fun to eat out of jars.

My adorable assistant:

Some Pinterest Successes

I've made a few Pinterest recipes over the past few weeks that have turned out really well, so I thought I would share them. 

It is VERY hard to get out the door on the mornings I work and have Ellie ready, her bag ready with her lunch and milk in it, my lunch packed, clothes on, etc.  I also tend to do better if I have more protein in the mornings - keeps me going strong and all that.  Cassidy posted something about these egg muffins to Instagram so I got the recipe from her board.  Here's the link to the recipe:
http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/10/egg-muffins-revisited-again.html

and the pic from pinterest: 

 

I made my first batch last Sunday and ate the last one this morning as I was driving Ellie to daycare.  I made the second this evening - so now I'm ready for the week ahead!  Mine don't look as good as the picture, but I don't have silicon muffin cups.  My first batch used green onions, but I was out of those so this week I just used some Rotel (all things are better with Rotel, right?)

I also made these last week:  No Bake Energy Bites

 

The pin doesn't link to a recipe, but the ingredients are listed as: 1 cup (dry) oatmeal, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup ground flaxseed, 1/3 cup honey, 1 tsp. vanilla.  So I just mixed all the ingredients together, rolled them into balls using my tablespoon measure as a scoop, and popped them in the refrigerator.  These are very tasty I put 2 of them in my lunch bag as a late afternoon snack or pick-me-up between clients.

The last recipe I made was this evening:  Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

 

Here's the link to the tutorial:  http://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/guaranteed-crispy-sweet-potato-fries-sriracha-mayo-dip/

These were just okay, not very crispy.  I didn't really care because I love sweet potatoes whether they are crispy or not, I'm not sure these were any any better than the roasted sweet potato wedges I make regularly, and it required a few extra steps.  

My favorite thing that I made recently was not from Pinterest but from ATK's Slow-Cooker Revolution:  The Garden Minestrone - so, so delicious! I planned ahead and froze three 2-cup containers after Pete and I had it for dinner last week, and have since eaten them all for lunch over the last five days.  America's Test Kitchen for the win...again.  

I've got two more Pinterest recipes to try tomorrow- I will report back. :)

Also, since I know the real reason you all read my blog, a picture of Ellie:

 

She chose this outfit on Saturday.  Must've known it was warming up for a couple of days.  Sorry it's in motion, but that's how she rolls. 

She's at the Post!!

Sunday we had plans to go to Louisville to see our friends Carden and Courtney (and their kiddos Clark and Campbell).  However, the potluck for their farm wasn't until four, so we called Aunt Audrey and Uncle Andrew to see if they'd like a little Ellie time first.

Ellie does best when she is in a place where she can run around a little.  We think she is still a little young for the Louisville Science Center, so Pete suggested we take her to The Derby Museum.  It was a great idea!  There were a ton of places she could run free, and she got to ride on and see some of her beloved "Hee-Haws."

We all got in on the Dress Like a Jockey exhibit (which is something I had already planned for Ellie's birthday party), and enjoyed the walking tour around the paddock and grandstand area.  Our cute little tour guide couldn't get over how fast Ellie was as she ran all over Churchill Downs.  Luckily, we had Pete to chase her.

The arrow shows Pete, running after Ellie, who had escaped into the grand stands.

Then we went to the Place on Earth CSA farm potlock  and got to meet baby Campbell and see Clark again.  Ellie was shy for about 2.5 seconds before she showed Clark that she too was an enthusiastic hugger and could run all.over.all.the.time.  Their fathers couldn't have been more proud :-)