Grilled Zucchini for the 4th!

Happy Independence Day!

Do I have a treat for you!

I had a ton of zucchini from my garden so I decided to grill it up for a family 4th of July barbecue yesterday and boy am I glad I did!

Wow!

This really surprised me. Not only is this a healthy meal.... it is a vegetable and it is amazingly delicious! Grilling it just brought out the delicious flavors in the zucchini especially in the skin. Mmmm..... now I want some more.

So if you have a bunch of this:

You can make this:

Drooling yet?

Grilled Zucchini

Ingredients:

Zucchini

Italian Dressing

Slice up your zucchini so it is 1/2 - 3/4 inches thick and put it in a zip-lock baggie. Pour the Italian dressing over the zucchini. {I just bought a small bottle of Italian dressing and used the whole thing but I probably only needed half the bottle or about a 1/2 cup or so.} Seal the zip-lock and shake the bag to evenly coat the zucchini. Let it marinate for about 15-20 minutes while you are heating up and prepping your grill as necessary. 

With the grill on low-medium, place all the zucchini on the grill so it doesn't fall through the grates. Allow to cook for about 4-5 minutes then flip the zucchini over with tongs. Allow another 4-5 minutes to cook. The zucchini will be done when soft and somewhat bendy. I think it is best when it has softened slightly but not enough to become floppy. The longer you cook it, the softer and floppier it will get so cook to your liking. Serve and enjoy! Mmmm!

Happy Father's Day

Dear Dad,

Dads hold a special place in a daughter's heart.

....and they always will.

Just as I got excited when you came home from a long trip or came to pick me up at preschool,



 I still get excited when I get to see you.

Even though our lives have taken us on different adventures and I don't see you as much,
I still think of you often.

 

I frequently think about the great childhood memories you gave me like Midieval Times, going to the beach or building a tree house and being called Little Miss fix-it.



Thank you for always wanting the best for me.



Thank you for loving me whether a little awesome or a little off....
...the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. ;D

I will always be your little girl.

Happy Father's Day
I love you, Dad.

 

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Top o' the mornin' to ya!

Here is an easy Irish recipe for you to enjoy at your Irish feast on this jolly green day.

Salmon Chowder

3 Tbsp Butter

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery
6 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups diced potatoes

2 carrots, diced

2 cups chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp dill weed, fresh (can substitute dried)

3 fresh salmon fillets (I thawed the frozen fillets from costco)

12 oz can low-fat evaporated milk

15 oz can creamed corn

1.5-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in some water)

All of these portions are "approximates". Go ahead and throw in more of whatever you like or make substitutions.

You can prepare all the ingredients ahead of time and just throw them in at the right time and have this done in about 25 minutes.

Melt butter in large stockpot over medium heat. Saute the onion, celery and garlic until onions are tender and translucent (about 5 min). Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, pepper and dill. Drop in the whole fresh salmon fillets. They will break up as they cook and you stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low-med, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the evaporated milk, corn and cheese and cook until thoroughly heated. Enjoy with french bread for dipping or make some fries to go along with it. Yum!

{Adapted from Salmon Chowder recipe by Allrecipes: Kenulia}

Happy St.Patty's Day!!!

The best holiday of 'em all!

McLove

Nothing says "I Love You" like the McChallenge.

2 people....50 mcnuggets....one goal.

McLove is in the air.

Happy Valentine's Day

“Love is the only force that can erase the differences between people – that can bridge chasms of bitterness”

Stand a Little Taller – by President Gordon B Hinckley

4th of July or BUST!!

....ok it was a bust. I had a fun filled weekend planned only to have my back go out again and have to miss out on all the fun. :(
I made these awesome cupcakes for MJ's famous 3rd of July BBQ and Fireworks Celebration! I was all ready to go and then my back went out so I was very disappointed. I made Red Velvet Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting with blueberries and strawberries to accent the season!

They did end up being quite tasty at least. I shared them with the local fam.
On Saturday I was going to do the Centerville and Sandy parades with my band. I was actually looking forward to doing the Centerville one since it is my home town and I have never done it before so I was really disappointed for that too. Well, anyway. Hopefully next year I will have a bit better luck. I hope everyone had a great 4th of July!

Party Animal

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!

St. Patrick's Day!

Tuesday I worked and of course I had to host the St. Patrick's Day Feast at the Pharmacy that was oh-so popular last year.
The Menu?.... Well I thought you'd never ask!

Irish Bangers (Irish Sausage)
Dublin Coddle (Sausage, bacon, potato and onion stew)
Irish Pasta with Cheese [...or as I call it O' mac-n-cheese] (3 types of irish cheeses in pasta)
Corned Beef
Irish Soda Bread (my first ever bread-making experience)
Potato Rolls
Irish Handshakes (1 part Lime Sherbert: 2 parts Ginger Ale)
Shirley Temples
Scones and honey-butter
Mint Cake

Mmmm.....it was delicious. There were no leftovers thank goodness. Being the master chef that I am... the worst insult is to have lots of leftovers!

FYI: Do not try to use crescent dough to make scones....you get fried flakes instead.
(Steve is not a scone master apparently)

I unfortunately forgot my camera so no pictures this year...sorry. Last year's pictures will be in The Vault.

Hope you all had a jolly St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Yesterday, St. Patrick's Day, I had to work. So, I decided to bring the party with me. I brought a St. Patrick's Day Feast including Irish Bangers, Potato Salad, Potato Rolls and Irish Handshakes to drink. The Irish Handshake is made of 2 parts Ginger Ale to 1 part lime sherbet. I also made green apple taffy...which actually turned out to have more of a 'now-n-later' consistency. Here are some pictures from the festivities. It was a lot of fun...delicious too. Others brought Shamrock Cookies, Lucky Green Rice Krispie Treats, and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-Cream.


That's me! mmmm....tastes like leprechaun.

Our fabulous pharmacists partaking of the green 'Ale'.

Mmmm....Green Rice Krispie Treats.



The Menu...if you can read it.

Diabetes Spring Egg Hunt

Yesterday, we (Rho Chi) put on the annual Spring Egg Hunt for children with diabetes. It was a ton of fun and the kids had a blast. I am so glad that I have such wonderful opportunities like this at school. It's a ton of fun! I have posted the pictures so you can see the spoil! Enjoy.