Indie Folk Band

I'm loving this band out of Fort Collins, Colorado!

Fierce Bad Rabbit

Letting Go

We dropped our second son off at college last week and it has been an adjustment for everyone.  He misses home and we miss him.  My husband and I disagree on what is the best way to help him through that tough first month.  Mike thinks he should be in constant communication with Luke through texting and calling through out the day.  I believe calling Luke at night to see how his day was, unless he calls us.  What do think?  Have you been through this experience with a child?

Harley-Davidson

    This weekend in Milwaukee is the Harley-Davidson 110th anniversary celebration.  They have one every 5 years and people come to Milwaukee from all over the world with their Harleys.  It got me thinking about how they are a marketing genius.  In the 70's, Harley-Davidson had an outlaw image.  For instance, Hells Angels rode Harleys.  The company almost went bankrupt in the late 70's .  In the 80's, the foreign motorcycles were popular.  Think of the movie Top Gun.  Tom Cruise was on a Kawasaki Ninja.  HD was bought by investors in the early 80's and they set out to improve the quality of the motorcycles and the image.  Today,  Harley is seen as the "cool" bike.  The company did a good job of branching into the clothing business and opening up stores in most cities.  Almost every rider is wearing the HD brand clothing.   Riders are every age.  From the girl in her 20's in a bikini top, to the grandma driving her own Harley.  I think Harley riders have a mystique to them.  When you observe them riding in big groups this weekend, it makes you want to be a Harley girl, if only for the weekend.

Obsolete Sounds

 

     On the radio the other day, I heard the host talking about sounds our children will never hear or remember hearing.  Here is a list of some of them-

Let's talk HAIR

     Do any of you out there with long hair have any secrets?

Picco de gallo

Homemade salsa is the best this time of year.  On Tuesday, I bought ingredients at our local farmers market.  When tomatoes are in season, picco de gallo tastes sooooo good.  Here is the recipe I use.

Start with tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime

Dice the tomato.  If I have a lot of time, I cut them small,  If not, they turn out a little chunkier.

Next, dice the onion and jalapeno (remove the seeds).  I add just enough onion and jalapeno to our taste.

To finish, add chopped cilantro, lime juice and salt.  Mix gently.

Use as a salsa with chips or as a topping on fish tacos.

Roasted green chiles

I grew up in the southwest. Homemade green chile was not hard to find.  The restaurants and cafes in my hometown always had homemade.  Now living in the midwest,  green chile is usually not on the menu.  Below are hatch green chiles that were on sale at a local grocery store.  Today, I'll show you how to prepare the chiles for recipes.

1.  Layout chiles on a cookie sheet.  Place them under a preheated broiler until the skin turns brown or black.  Then turn chiles over to brown the other side.

roasted green chiles

2.  After chiles are roasted, place them in a plastic bag and let them sit for at least 10 min.

chiles in plastic bag

3.   Remove from bag and peel outer skin off the chile.  If you are making chile rellenos, be careful not to tear the meat of the chile.

peeled green chiles

discarded skin

4.  The hard part is removing the seeds.  Cut the chile open and scrape the seeds out.  I usually rinse them under water to remove all the seeds.  If making chili rellenos, just try to slide the seeds out with your hands.  Don't cut the chile.

seeded green chile

5.  Now the chiles are ready to freeze or to use in your next recipe.

Paw Fest

     On Saturday, we attended Pawfest, a fundraiser for a rescue lab organization.  Riley and Skylar had a great time playing in the pond.  Skylar, who was a rescue lab, doesn't seem to know how to swim.  She'll go in the pond, but only up to her belly.  Below are pictures from the fest.

The swimming pool was a popular spot!

Have a nice weekend!

What are your plans for the weekend?  I am going to a dog fest fundraiser tomorrow with Skylar and Riley.  We adopted one of our labs from a lab rescue, so this "dog party" raises money for that organization.  On Sunday, the family is going to try white water rafting in Wisconsin.  My husband found a spot "Up North" that reminded him of Colorado.  Since he always listens to me say how much I miss Colorado, he thought I might enjoy rafting.  The trouble is I miss skiing and hiking, I've never tried white water rafting.  We'll see how it goes.  I'll  post some pictures next week.  Have a great weekend!

Kale Chips

Last summer I had kale chips at a restaurant in Chicago.  Now I've been making Kale Chips myself for about a month and my teenage boys love them.  They are very easy and full of nutrients.  I usually by organic red stem kale.

Cut off the red stems and wash.

Cut or tear into smaller pieces.  The Kale really shrinks after it cooks, so keep that in mind.  I air spin it and lay it out on paper towels to dry.  You want the Kale completely dry before cooking. 

After it is completely dry, mix the kale with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and a little salt.  I also add cayenne pepper, because we like food spicy.  Toss until all the leaves are coated.

Lay the kale on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees.  I usually cook it in 2 batches for about 9 min. a piece.

It should come out nice and crunchy.   ENJOY!

My next food post will be green chile.  It is chile season and mine are in the fridge waiting to be roasted.

Booties

Booties seem to be popular again for the fall/winter season.  Last week,  I went to the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania and booties were everywhere.  King of Prussia is the largest retail mall in America.  Mall of America, in Minnesota, has more square feet, but the amusement park is included.  Just a little info I learned on my trip.  Back to booties..........I've seen pictures of Gisele in some cute grey suede boots, but I have not been able to find any similar.  These are the booties I purchased this season to wear with my skinny jeans and cords.  The brand is Eclix.

Frye is my favorite boot company.  Below are my well worn Frye boots I've had for 7 years.

Do you plan on buying booties for the fall/winter season?  What is your favorite brand?