Julie & Julia

I just have to say I give this movie 2 thumbs up! LOVED it. =)

Grilled Watermelon (Yes, you really grill it!) Salad

Okay so on a whim I tried this recipe last night and it was so good! Caleb and I both loved this, you might not like watermelon (neither of us do) and you might think this sounds weird, but we were pleasantly surprised so I had to share.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/claire-robinson/grilled-watermelon-salad-recipe/index.html

Minor Setbacks

I know everyone always says that home improvement projects always take longer than expected. But for some reason I thought we were immune from this curse. Turns out everyone is right and I'm wrong. =) I think deep inside I knew they were right but didn't want to admit it.

Last Wednesday night, as you saw from an earlier post, Caleb and my grandpa started the demo process on our kitchen. Our "plan" was to get the granite in on Saturday & Sunday (yes, of last week). So, today is Friday, over a week later, and my kitchen is still torn apart. They have made progress though, by getting everything on the countertop prepped and ready to go. All they have to do is to actually lay the tile. All of the cuts are already made, which is nice. Another great thing that they got done this week? My new sink is installed, as well as my new faucet, which I just have to say.......I love both of them so much! This sink is awesome, it's so deep and huge which is opposite from my other sink. And the faucet is just really cool looking. I'll post pictures this weekend if my camera cooperates.

The biggest set back of the week was Caleb throwing out his back. I wish he could say it was from something cool, but it wasn't. He was putting a sheet away at work. Yes, as in a bed sheet. And couldn't move after that. Moving just the slightest wrong way can do damage. So, since this happened at work, of course workers comp and doctors are now involved. So, Wednesday morning was when he hurt himself. He called me at 9:30 while I was of course at work and needed me to come pick him up. So I picked up my crippled husband who was sitting patiently in a wheelchair (which his nurse coworkers teasing him for), got his perscriptions filled, and took him home. The hospital at first said for him not go come back to work 'till Monday. But then he had to go to a doctor dealing with workers comp stuff and that doctor said don't go to work Monday, you're too bad, instead you need to come back and see me next Tuesday. So......now I have a partially completed kitchen and a crippled husband. Poor guy. =(

I'm so thankful for our AWESOME friends & family who have completely stepped up to the plate lately to help and support us with our home improvements! Ryan, Jeremy, Phil, Grandpa, Dad, Jim, and various others. We are so thankful for all of it! Today Caleb has a friend coming over to start laying some of the granite tiles, and more family/friends tomorrow and I think if that goes as planned (knock on wood) then the granite should be finished this weekend.

We're hoping to get the flooring installed next weekend, or at least started. I know I can't have too high of hopes now.....but Caleb starts school the end of August and once he starts school, there will be no time for projects like this. That's why we are pushing to get the big stuff done!

So that's kind of been our week......check back for more updates.....and hopefully you'll see a finished kitchen!

(of course, we still have to re-finish/paint our cabinets but that will have to wait....)

Guest Bathroom & Kitchen Lighting

Caleb has been working so hard! He put the finishing touches on the kitchen ceiling, a HUGE improvement!

And I've been working hard on putting the finishing touches on our guest bathroom. I bought accessories and finished up the painting. If you remember the before pics, this should be a big change from before. I love it! Now I just have to decorate the rest of the house!

I think the only thing left is to get a switch plate cover and we want to paint the medicine cabinet white....

Kitchen

Okay so this weekend our granite is going in! Yay! However, this is what comes first.....

I can't wait for my cabinets to be re-finished and the granite to be fully installed!

Flooring

It's here! I can't wait for it to be installed :-)

French Chicken Burger

This is another super fast, healthy, yummy recipe that has become a "repeat" recipe in my house. Caleb approves - which is the most important thing - and it's a great alternative to a beef or turkey burger. I don't think a lot of people think of using ground chicken for a burger. I honestly didn't even know ground chicken existed until a few years ago when I tried this recipe. The only thing with it is since it's so lean you really have to flavor it up just right or else it'll be bland. So here's a good way to use it!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb ground skinless chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons dried plain bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (BECKY'S NOTE: I've never used this in all the times I've made this recipe so you'll be fine if you don't want to buy it)
• 1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence (BECKY'S NOTE: Until a month ago I didn't use this because I didn't want to spend the money on it. I just threw in dried rosemary or whatever else sounded good. I finally bought it and it does make them yummy but it's not necessary. Just make sure you substitute with other herb flavorings if you leave it out)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine chicken, bread crumbs, mustard, shallot, any dried herbs you are using, and salt/pepper. Mix well. (BECKY'S NOTE: Yes the ground chicken mixture will seem slimey and not what you're used to with beef or turkey. It's okay, don't worry) Form into 4 patties (I've stretched it into 5 before). TIP: Wet your fingers before forming patties. It'll help them not to stick.

Now, the recipe calls for you to put it on the broiler rack but I've done it in a skillet as well. Both turn out just fine. Either way, make sure to use non stick spray because the chicken doesn't have much fat in it and it will stick to the pan. They cook quick, about 3-5 minutes per side. A little less on the 2nd side I've found.

As far as buns - you can use any kind you like. The recipe calls for a drizzle of olive oil on the bread and to rub a little garlic on it and then put it under the broiler for a minute. I've used garlic powder and it's just as good. Whatever you like. :-)

For toppings , this isn't traditional with ketchup and mustard. I have found that we love to use sour cream (balances well with the chicken), tomatoes, lettuce, and even a little basil and chives adds a great fresh herb flavor. Just play with it and find what is good for you!

I took a picture of the finished product but my camera is not cooperating and didn't load it. So you'll have to make it and see for yourself! :-)

Walnut & Dried Cherry Bars

So Caleb loves granola bars and each week when I go grocery shopping he asks for some - but man are they expensive! And most of them have a lot of unhealthy crap in them that kind of defeats the purpose of eating a "healthy snack". I am venturing into the world of baking and found this awesome recipe by Ellie Krieger on the Food Network. I made it today and they are so yummy! They are a great snack, or something easy to grab in the morning that is good for you and quick. Some of the ingredients you might not have on hand, but you don't use a lot of what actually comes in the package you buy, so you get a lot for your money because you can re-use the ingredients! Especially the whole wheat flour, or the oats.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 egg, beaten to mix
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup dried tart cherries
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• Cooking Spray
• 1/4 cup "Fruit Only" Apricot preserves

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the dried cherries & walnuts.

Coat an 8x8 pan with cooking spray. Spread mixture into prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes. In the meantime, put the preserves in a saucepan and bring to a boil. (BECKY'S NOTE: I didn't even notice that step about boiling the preserves until just now. I didn't boil it and it turned out just fine) As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush with the preserves.

Cool completely and cut into 12 bars.

Overall these are quick, easy, healthy and if you add it up, cheaper than buying store granola bars. Caleb gave them his stamp of approval, we each sampled one and love them. So, here's a picture right when I was putting them away.

Sliding Door Installation, Part I

So, Caleb ended up with the day off........I get home from work and this is what I find! If I didn't know any better I'd think some crazy guy was trying to break our window. Thankfully, it was just my husband, cutting into the first layer (stucco) of our house for our sliding door installation. Phew!

Why are his arms so huge?

So here is what is done for the day. Doesn't look like a lot, but it took a while. He cut into it, then started to try to knock out peices of it.

Oh yeah! And look what I found while watering tonight. A tomato! Pretty soon it'll be ripe and ready to eat, I can't wait :)

Fun Spring Stuff

Here are even more pics that I haven't uploaded yet :)


This is "Oh" (yes that is her name). She is from Thailand and came to visit - she is the sweetest girl!

Nani!!! (Leinani is her full name) This is Celia's baby girl, she is adorable. She was posing for me! We were trying to get her to roll over and she literally stayed like that until I got a picture.

Caleb & I went to Avila one Sunday afternoon when it was so warm out!


Caleb, fixing our sprinkler. I'm so proud of him :)

It works now :) I'm sure he's thrilled I take pics of all this.

A bloom on my lilac tree! The previous owners said it never bloomed in 10 years. I'm so glad it did for me :)

My good hubby mowing the lawn :)