You know the drill- it's Friday, we feel good, there are fragments, visit our lovely hostesses with the mostesses.
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It's a very French Feel Good Friday morning at our house!! I made cinnamon french toast for the kids and made myself a cup of delicious Dunkin' Donuts coffee using my french press. It was my first time using the french press and I am very pleased with the results! Mmmmmmm. The kids loved the french toast with real maple syrup from Saturday's Farmer's Market, too.
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Yesterday, amidst all my cleaning, I cooked beets for the first time ever. I've never been a fan of beets because I've really only ever tried the kind that come on the salad bar- cold and pickled. Blergh. Never been a fan. But I happened to get some in my Farm Fresh Delivery bin (I forgot to customize my bin this week) so I had to try them.
They rocked my world. I trimmed the ends, I peeled them, I quartered them. I put them in a glass baking dish. I sprinkled (generously) lemon pepper olive oil all over. Then I added fresh herbs from my garden- lemon balm and hot and spicy basil. Covered with foil and into the 425 oven for 30 minutes.
Awesomeness. So much awesomeness that I'm getting 2 more bunches next week.
Here's the beautiful beets before I cooked them:
I'd show you an after pic... but I didn't take one because I gobbled them up. Zach had a bite, too. He wouldn't take a second bite but he didn't spit out the bite he took so that's a level of approval!
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I went to my first ever social networking event last night- a Tweet Up! It was a special event hosted by Scotty's Brewhouse. There was free food (fried pickles and 7 tidals buffalo chicken dip) and oodles of sampling of wine and beer. There was a room for just the beverage sampling and there were easily 1 dozen wines to try and 3 dozen beers. I'm not a beer drinker but I did sample and even found a couple that I liked (summer wheats). None of the wines knocked my socks off but were generally ok.
Best of all, I met up with 2 of the friends I've made online. Both read my blog and both are women I've gotten to know through blogging and Twitter and Facebook. Deneshay and Emily. Deneshay I first met through an online mom community. Emily I met through Fit City, in a roundabout kind of way. Both are awesome women and I loved spending time getting to know them better. Deneshay has an energy that is absolutely infectious and you just know that there is so much more to her than what you get in the small dose of a short meet up. Her life and experience is vastly different from mine but we still had enough in common that we laughed a lot and the talk never really died down. Emily and I have oodles in common. To the point that it gets downright weird that we keep saying "Me too!" to everything. She's a mom, a runner, she works, her husband is a gamer. She and I stayed until the very end of the gathering, talking and talking.
Love getting connected to people like that!
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Trying to decide how to spend the weekend ahead... it's the end of vacation and I want to be sure we have some fun.
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I've got major blog reading to catch up on, too. I've hardly been able to stop by any blogs this week!
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Yesterday, I really bared my soul and stepped out of my comfort zone by posting pics of the messes in my house- and the after pics. That was seriously scary for me to do. But you guys were so supportive and encouraging! I love that the post yesterday got so many of you talking. We picked up a second shoe cubby and Jeff put it all together for me so I now have no loose shoes hanging out at the bottom of the steps. Jeff also helped out by taking out trash and doing dishes this morning and doing laundry! Yay for a team effort! Today, I tackle the living room.
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Any advice on managing a mouth fetish in a 5 year old? Teagan has taken to putting everything in her mouth- worse than having a new crawler in the house! Fingernails, toes, toys, whatever random thing ends up in her hand eventually seems to end up in her mouth. I don't get it!
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I need to do a garden update soon- my tomato plants, beans, and squash plants are doing awesome! I'm starting to see jalapenos growing. My tomato plants are growing very tall above the cages since we got some really good rain overnight, too.
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Enjoy your weekend!! Share any plans you have!
13 comments:
Oh my goodness, I am SO jealous of the french toast breakfast!
Here is my Feel Good Friday!
Had a good time at the Tweet Up? Me too!! LOL
It was great to finally meet you and catch up, real time. One of these days- we will accomplish the running together thing.
Enjoy your last bit of vacation this weekend!
The mouth thing...best of luck. Aid did this, and being child #4 I was perplexed at the habit. It sadly turned into nail biting, and for a short bit toe nail biting, which totally makes my cheeks green! Thanksfully he stopped that, and now the only thing he is mouthing is his fingernails =S
The accountability of photos is awesome. As you know, I've done this from time to time over on my simplify group and it really helps keep me on track. I REALLY want to show my friends that I did the work, and so it makes me stay focused on my goals. I may post closet pics today. It's a mad house in there!
I too have not ever tried to like beets. I am going to have to try your recipe!
The Tewwt-up sounds like a good time. Maye someday I will get that involved in my social networking to try something like that!
Have a productive day, Liz!
I have a bunch of people I met online coming over for a BBQ and DVD watching night tomorrow. It's been a while since we did a Browncoats get together so it will be nice to see everyone and it's been even longer since we watched any Firefly together so that's on the cards too.
I like cold pickled beetroot, here in Australia a hamburger isn't complete without a slice or two ;-) My first time having fresh beets was Mothers Day this year when Adam cooked them for lunch, they were a bit bland. Next time I'll have to get him to try using flavoured oil and herbs like you did, it sounds delicious!
Oh la la to your french morning! My dad has a French Press and he lives for that cup fo coffee!!!
I get to meet 3 bloggers next week and I am so excited. It is weird to meet in person, but weird is good. I think I am exactly like how I write so they won't be surprised! I hope!
I LOVE beets!
Mix them with some cabbage, toasted walnuts and some feta cheese and it's DIVINE!
Glad you had fun at the Tweet Up. I'm going to go to one...one of these days!
I love our french press. I’ll never go back to a coffee maker. Your tweet party sounds like fun. One of the biggest reasons I’m sad to miss BlogHer is that I’m not going to get to meet some of the cool bloggers I’ve “met” online. As for this weekend, it’s supposed to rain on Saturday. I get a day off from watering my plants and a good excuse to hit the mall.
That frech toast does sound yummy especially with REAL syrup. :-)
French toast is awesome! I will have to make some maybe tomorrow morning and get some "real" maple syrup at our local farmer's market!
Love the beet idea. I have been told that eating beets can help you not get some sort of cancer or something, they are super good for you.
I will have to try your recipe.
I. Love. Beets. Hubby says they taste like the bottom of a dusty shoe, but I love their hue, their texture, their earthiness...I like 'em fresh, boiled or roasted. I like 'em out of a can with salt and pepper, or on a salad. I've even boiled an egg and "pickled" it in the beet juice. Love 'em.
You make me actually want to try beets and that is a feat in itself. I am also a big coffee fan so I might try the french press, especially since the girl says her dad is a big fan of french press too.
Just doing some catch-up reading...and went back to see some "after" pictures I'd missed from Thursday. Now I'm gonna go through our Goodwill pile in the closet, and get it gone! Thanks!
I love fresh beets. I scrub them and then steam them and the skin comes off easily once they are cooked. I wonder if it would work to add your seasonings after cooking and skinning.
Have your best week ever.
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