How about some comfort food?

YUM! Welles and I often watch the Food Network on Saturday mornings, and get ideas about a big weekend meal. Recently we watched Tyler's Ultimate, and tried out the following recipe (minus the broccoli florets.) Not that we don't love broccoli, but the recipe seemed so perfect until he put broccoli into the potato. We tried it out, and this really is an incredible baked potato! Bon appetite!

TYLER's ULTIMATE STUFFED POTATO
Ingredients:
4 medium-sized Idaho potatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
About 2 cups, plus more for topping, shredded sharp white Cheddar
2 heads broccoli, florets, blanched in salty water
1/2 pound bacon, medium dice, cooked until crisp
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Begin by baking the potatoes, as this will take the longest. Place potatoes onto a baking sheet. Pierce with a fork, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Place into preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour.

While they are baking prepare the stuffing. Make a mornay sauce by combining the butter and flour over medium heat and then whisking in the milk. Fold in about 2 cups cheese and stir until melted. Once melted, remove from heat and fold in the cooked broccoli florets, crispy bacon bits, chopped chives and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the potatoes are done make a cut across the top and squeeze it from the bottom so a small pouch opens up and the bottom is squared off. Spoon the filling over the top of the potato, sprinkle with cheese, season with pepper, to taste, and then pop in the oven for 2 more minutes until golden brown and bubbly.

My favorite shopping sites

I hate to admit this, but I am a shop-a-holic...an online shop-a-holic to be specific. Below are some websites I visit frequently.

www.slickdeals.net - I have saved more money here. There are groupies that scout certain websites daily and provide the best deals along with coupon codes for free shipping or a percentage off the price of purchase. I LOVE, LOVE,LOVE this site! I have purchased a multi-function printer at $220 below original purchase price, bought a new winter coat that was originally $159 for $23 SHIPPED, 12 sets of 5 piece everyday Mikasa flatware for $60 shipped, and I could go on and on.

Speaking of coupon codes--if you are about to complete an online purchase, visit these two sites to see if there is a code that will save you some Moo-la!
http://www.wizardofcoupons.com/stores/coupons_by_store.asp
http://www.couponcabin.com/coupons/index.htm

www.amazon.com My very favorite online super-store is amazon.com. I have used the amazon.com business example in two of my class presentations for my MBA thus far, so I feel particularly connected with the company (I also made A's on each of those projects). I love how amazon.com posts reviews of products, and even if I am not purchasing from amazon.com I will look up product reviews. The company offers 2 day shipping at no charge (for Prime members) and has WONDERFUL customer service. CEO Jeff Bezos has a few mantras, "We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better." AND "That’s why Amazon.com ‘mantra’ has been ‘that we were going to obsess over our customers and not our competitors…the primary reason behind our growth and our ability to cope with that growth is our focus on customer experience." What a great way to do business!

If I think of any others, I will be sure to let you know!

Lemon Chicken Soup

I have been trying to replicate one of my favorite soups (Taziki's). Here is my version. This is a great recipe for a cold day or when someone you love has a cold:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 cup white rice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shake of red pepper flakes
1 Tb dried parsley

Boil 4 chicken breasts in 8 cups of water until cooked through. Remove the chicken breasts and chop; filter the remaining broth into a large bowl (you want to remove the stringy things that remain when boiling the chicken). Return the broth to the pot and add 2 cups of store-bought chicken broth. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper and rice and cook about 8 minutes over medium heat. Add the cubed chicken, parsley and red pepper flakes and cook for 3-5 minutes (go easy on the flakes--they can really spice it up).

Miami and Key West

Meghan planned a memorial service for Bob in February 2007. We arrived in Miami on a Thursday afternoon, and stayed with Meghan's friend Art (a former Miami Vice cop). Art took some of our group to the Annual Miami Boat Show where we got to ride on a multi-million dollar fast boat. It was amazing to see the city at night--the Miami skyline was beautiful!

We woke up Friday morning to the news that Britney Spears had shaved her head the night before! We drove to Key West, and because of a wreck, the trip that would normally take 3 hours took about 7. Key West is a beautiful place, and there is so much to do! Meghan planned a scavenger hunt called "Best of the Bars." It was a great opportunity to learn the layout of the city, and we learned some interesting history as well.

The following day, we had brunch at Alice's. It was rainy, but the weather quickly cleared up. We toured Hemingway's home and an art exhibit at the Key West Museum.

Taken from Hemingway's wrap-around second story porch

The art exhibit featured replicas of famous paintings. See below for a picture of Meghan in "Van Gogh's Bedroom."

That evening, Meghan planned a sunset cruise, and everyone shared memories of Bob. There were probably about 25 family members and friends that traveled to Key West for the memorial. We look forward to going back someday!

The group that traveled to Key West

Sunset Picture - Taken while we were "at sea" the evening of the Memorial for Bob

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We hope you get everything you are hoping for this Christmas and so much more!

Love,

Sherry, Welles and Missy Lou

The Missing Piece

On Sunday, Welles and I went to "Worship in the Chapel" at Dawson. Tim Simpson was standing in for Todd Harrington, and really preached an excellent sermon that I think we all can relate to this time of year. He started the sermon by handing out puzzle pieces to each person in the congregation. He talked about how the most exciting part of finishing a large puzzle is getting to the last few pieces, and inevitably, one piece is missing when it comes to the very end of the puzzle. However, in relation to our Christian walk, we need to recognize that Jesus offers the Peace that we may be missing in our lives. The sermon revolved around the following verses:

• Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
  
• Philippians 4:6-7 reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
  
• Romans 5:1 states, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Tim talked about how hard it can be to accept the Peace of God and to give thanks in times of trouble--when everything seems to be crumbling around you. He shared that there was a fire in his family home when he was a sophomore in high school, and even as his house burned to the ground, he was able to give thanks (that he and his family got out safely, that he was awakened as the fire started and able to wake his parents and sister, that the fire was not at his elderly neighbor's home as she would not have been able to get out easily, etc.) He talked about how in that time of trouble, he felt the Peace of God. God's peace is available to all of us, and he wants us to seek Him.

We did not send out Christmas Cards this year, but we would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas! May you experience God's Peace as you celebrate the birth of His Son.

Wayside Cross at Camp Winnataska

Missy Lou le Poo

I have been getting requests for Missy posts, so here we go! Missy has to be the friendliest dog I have ever known. It's a little annoying when she jumps up and barks at visitors (and we have tried every trick in the book to get her not to jump--any advice would be much appreciated). Still she is a loving, loyal, and happy dog.

Missy knows a lot of words. Several specific words get her fired up to go outside: "squirrel," "kitty-cat," "birdie," and "Who is it? Go Get 'em!" If we want her to come inside, we use one word, "CHEESE." We are assuming that nosey neighbors think we are crazy and wonder why we open our kitchen window, and yell out, "CHEESE!!!!!" However, it works everytime! She also loves to hear "Aunt Mary Anne and Uncle Russell." Aunt Mary Anne was my Grandmother's sister, and she and her husband live .6 miles from our door. They come to visit Missy every Tuesday to let her outside briefly, give her treats, and sing to her on the couch. More Missy stories and pictures/videos to come!