Perfectly Round Burgers

I love tips and tricks. Don't you? Why would you not love something that makes your life easier and more simple?? Right? I knew you'd agree.

I learned a new tip yesterday that will transform homemade future burgers in this house. Yes. It is THAT life changing!

My friend at Dear Lauren, Love Mom blogged about an amazing Frto Pie Burger her husband makes. She gave this tip in the post. I'm almost certian that I am going to use this trick when I make that burger. Try two awesome things out at once! Why not, man!?

So, the trick?

Take a lid. Any size lid. Small one for sliders. A bigger one for a bigger burger.

Put a piece of saran wrap on top of the underside of the lid.

Press your ground meat into the lid.

Take the burger out by lifting the saran wrap.

Viola! Perfectly round burgers! Don't believe me or need to actually see it? Go here: Perfectly Round Burgers!

I want a burger!

Until nect time,
Reb

Coconut Shrimp

Ever had a recipe that you wanted to make over and over b/c not only was it so easy, but delicious?! That is this recipe. You cannot mess it up. It's always tasty. It's not loaded in fat. It's always a hit with everyone.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of  sweetened shredded coconut (if you don't use sweetened coconut add 3/4 tsp of sugar to step 3)
1 tbsp. cooking oil
 1 lb. raw, deviened shrimp; patted REALLY dry
2 tbsp. butter
4 green onions; cut into 2 in lengths
1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
3 tbsp. Rum ( you can use cognac or brandy, but I use Rum b/c it's not as strong. I sometimes use Coconut Rum.)
generous pinch of Sea Salt (I use Ocean's Flavor Low Sodium Sea Salt)
Angel hair pasta (You could also use another pasta or rice if you wanted. Or you can put it on a salad. Oooo!! A salad...I'm gonna have to try that!)

Some of the best cooking advice I ever recieved was Mise en place. It means to prep everything before you start cooking. Have it all out and ready. I LOVE this and it has changed my cooking for the better. I'm never hurried or rushed to get to the next ingredient. Love it.

 In a wok or frying pan add coconut and toast. Usually takes 4-5 minutes. Don't leave it and keep stirring. Watch it carefully. It can burn FAST! Once toasted, remove from pan and plate to cool.

Toasted coconut!



Start a pot of boiling water for the angel hair pasta. Salt water.

Wipe the wok/pan you used for the coconut clean. Set on high heat. When you add a bead of water & it instantly sizzles and evaporates, add oil & shrimp. Keep shrimp in a single layer. Flip and cook other side of shrimp. Cook thoroughly. If they're 100% defrosted, it takes about 5 minutes. Remove and plate.



Is your water boiling? If so, add pasta.

 Back to the same pan, turn heat to medium. Add butter and when it boils add onion and garlic. Cook until fragrant; about 30 seconds. Add Rum, salt and sugar if you did not buy sweetened coconut.



Stir and return shrimp to wok. Let it bubble and thicken just a bit. The sauce should cover the shrimp in a light coat.



Check pasta. When al dente, drain and plate a portion. Add shrimp mixture. Sprinle on toasted coconut.

I added red pepper flakes and shredded parmesan cheese. You can add anything you like or eat it as is. It's amazing either way.

This recipe is adapted from The Steamy Kitchen cookbook by Jaden Hair. I love this cookbook. She says if there was just ONE recipe you could cook from her book- it should be this one. If you make it you'll taste why.

Until next time,
Reb

Our summer

This has been a very busy summer. It's been a very fun summer, too. It started with us taking a vacation to the northeast. My youngest son and his baseball team went to Cooperstown, NY to play in the Little League Baseball Hall of Fame. We didn't want to rush to NY for the baseball tournament, so we took our time and enjoyed getting there. We drove about 4 or 5 hours and would stop to see different attractions. I really like doing that. Who wants to be in the car with 3 kids for hours on end with no ending in sight? Not me. And not the kids.

We left a week prior to the tournament to take in a Reds game and to go to Canada to see Niagra Falls for a few days. I LOVED the Falls. What a beautiful area. Canada was much different than our expectations, in a wonderful way. We've talked about going back to visit for longer.

On the Canadian side, looking to the American Falls.

My husband and I have a goal of seeing a game in every baseball stadium. We wanted to check a few off of our list with this trip. On our way to Canada we went through Ohio and saw the Reds play. THAT is one gorgeous stadium. Most definitely in my top 5 faves.

The Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH.

After a week of taking a baseball game and enjoying Canada (night time is even more beautiful), we drove on to NY for the baseball tournament.

Cooperstown is a whole post in itself. I could write for hours about the week. I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend a week with these kids & coaches and their families.

After a very hard, tiring week at Cooperstown we went up to New Jersey to have some sweets!! What better place than the Cake Boss' bakery!!!! I can still taste the fruit tart. Mmmmmm!!!!

They don't look thrilled do they? They were. Really. They just hate mom taking a hundred pictures for everything we do.



The infamous Chocolate Chip Cannolis. They were AMAZING!

 Everyone needs a cupcake to try, of course! Kaitlyn tried a pretty yellow cake with a purple flower. Braylin tried the Chocolate cake with Chocolate Sprinkles, Ethan tried the Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese icing, Adam and I tried the Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese icing. When I saw the fruit tart, I had to try it. It was the best I have ever tasted. Seriously amazing.

Next up- NYC!!!!!!!!! What a busy place! Holy cow. Whatever you have heard, or seen on TV does not do the city justice. That place is PACKED! We loved it. Not the busyness of it, but the uniquiness, the charm, the people, the culture. It works so well together and it's a place everyone needs to visit. And night time is a whole other story. NYC at night is simply cool. The lights, the stores, the food, the party is non stop. I could see us all going back and staying there for a while. With all that said, it is nice to get back to the quiet country. It makes you appreciate the beauty of where we live all that more.

Look at all the people!

We were able to do so much in New York: Times Square at night, The M&M Factory, The 9/11 Memorial (such a solem, yet beautiful memorial), The Statue of Liberty, The Hudson River, Yankee Stadium (THE coliseum of baseball stadiums!!!!), The Mets Stadium (Citi Field- check that baseball field off the list!), ate REAL NYC pizza...I had a Chicken Parmigiana Pizza. No, I did not eat it all...not even half.

I have so many pictures of our vacation...a few of my favorites....

Ending ceremonies.

At The Hudson River with NY in the background...on the Jersey side. Stretching is important.

Watching the ships pass in The Hudson River.

Me...ready for the Mets game.

I swear I can never get a serious picture of these two. Braylin is ecstatic that he's almost as tall as his bigger brother, Ethan. Ethan just thinks he's goofy.

Daddy & Kaitlyn at the Mets game.

Us *love*

Dancing with the Statue of Liberty.

The North Side 9/11 Memorial

Lego land!!!

NYC at night!!! Times Square.

Adam successfully navigated his way through the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel & NYC traffic. That IS an accomplishment!!  

 
Citi Field (Mets)


After NY we headed to PA. We saw were those dreaded Phillies play. The Liberty Bell, Ben Franklin's grave, and we ate at the legendary Geno's Steaks...




Then on to Washington DC. We toured The White House, The Lincoln Memorial, The Capitol, Smithsonian Historical, Space & Flight and Science Museums..

And then we headed to Myrtle Beach for a few days in the sun before heading home.

It was an amazing, unforgettable vacation. These pictures are just the tip of the iceberg. I need to get on to scrapbooking them all!

Fun family times.

Just this last 2 weeks we have had the pleasure of having family visit us. Adam's step mom and step sister visited for a few days. Of course they have to see the World's Largest Aquarium!!!

And of course, you have to have a smores night during the summer!!

You have to have Apple Pie when you're coming from Mexico to the USA, right??

And then a day after they left we had Adam's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew visit. This kid is absolutely adorable. And such a sweet boy!!!! I am in love with him.

So, needless to say, it has been a packed summer....we finished up baseball with districts, we have officially started football & cheerleading season, we got in a few White Water trips, finally finished the painting, and Adam has walls up in his warehouse! I would say this has been a very productive summer. Now for some rest....school starts August 20th, but maybe September!!!!!!!

Until next time,
Reb





My Love!!

I just adore my husband. I am so very thankful for him and the man he is. I feel like I say this all the time, but it's so true. He is always doing stuff like this, so how can I not talk of his praise constantly?

I opened my Household Planner. I see this. "Your my favorite person" and on the far side, "I love you!" How can one not get to cleaning with a smile on their face after this?? The orange post-it note was from months back. I keep his notes. They make me smile. He makes me smile. I love you, Adam!!!!!

Until next time,
Reb

Lemon Tartlets

I'll be brief today. Go here: With a Grateful Prayer and a Thankful Heart and make these Lemon Tartlets. They're only 90 calories. Easy recipe and perfect lemon flavor.

Until next time,

Reb

Herbed Tomato-Chive Tarts

I have never made a tart. I am scared of them. I don't really know why. I think it's the dough. But thanks to some of my cooking buddies, I am feeling a little braver than a few months ago. So, I am challenging myself and diving deep into tart land. The first one up is from the Back In The Day Bakery cookbook. You need to get this book. It's got some of the best recipes I've ever made and it's adorable.

When most think of a tart they think sweet. Or at least I do. So, I wanted to really do something that was different from my thinking. As I looked through my cookbooks this recipe was the first one that caught my eye. It sounds delicious and super easy.

So far, it's been a breeze. It's in the oven baking now so I'll update you on the delicious part later.

It's a cornmeal crust. I have never made anything with cornmeal. Ever. Is that weird?

Now, I know that the crust is ugly. I could have rolled it out and made it prettier, but it's going to covered up soon so why?

I thought this was so pretty. For the filling; tomatoes and chives.

Heavy cream with egg yolks, fresh thyme and pepper. Again, part of the filling.

While the dough is baking I'm waiting to fill the dough with the rest of the yummy-ness....

Ready for the oven. Bake at 325* for 40 minutes. It's topped with fresh nutmeg.

I am sooooo hungry!

Ok, so drizzle with oil & vinegar. Wait 5-10 minutes for it to cool....

So pretty and it smells amazing!!!

Delicious!! Seriously scrumptious!! 

Scared of tarts? Who me? Never!

This will be made again and again. Next up is a Rustic Peach-Blueberry Tart from this same book.

Until next time,

Reb