I am choosing to trust in Him
There is no other way to get through it
I am choosing to allow Him
To show us the way
I am choosing to see His love
I don't understand the journey ahead
He knows His ways
He is God and I am not

Little Taste of New Orleans

I had some short ribs in the freezer I bought on sale a few weeks back and was in search of the perfect recipe because they can be a tricky sort of cut to cook properly. And, along come the Neelys, with their easy recipe for short ribs.

I made a few modifications, based on what my time frame was and what I had on hand.

• 1/4 cup dry red cooking wine (instead of 2 cups)
• two fresh tomatoes, diced small (instead of a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes)
• no thyme
• lemon zest (instead of orange zest)

1. I seasoned the meat with salt and pepper on all sides, and seared in olive oil for just a few minutes. Then I placed it in the bottom of my crockpot.


2. My chopped veggie ingredients (carrots, celery, rough chopped onion, tomatoes) were then added to the pan where I seared the meat. I then added the other ingredients and liquids as directed by the original recipe. Then I finished with a little lemon zest on top and 1/2 lemon's worth of juice.


3. All the ingredients from the veggie sauce were added over top of the meat in the crockpot. Set on low for 10 hours.


When trying to decide on a side dish, I was thinking about the wonderfully large bag of fresh cornmeal I have from Georgia and thought I would attempt to make polenta for the first time. I used Giada's Basic Polenta Recipe. After making it in the saucepan, I spread it on a cookie sheet and refrigerated it until we came home. Then I cut it in rectangles and re-heated it, adding a little color on both sides, in the pan. Served it next to the short ribs with the vegetable ragout on top. DELISH!

Fire it Up

My pregnancy hormones were kicking in the other night and it was just too hot for me to heat up my kitchen while cooking dinner, so I prepared everything in such a way that Dave could cook it outside on the grill. Perfection - he is such a grill master, and we sat down to eat in a nice, cool dining room. Here is what we made:

Spice Rubbed Grilled Chicken
5 chicken drumsticks
Olive or vegetable oil
1/4 cup Back to the Basiks Original Blend Spice Rub

Slide fingers under skin to loosen it from meat, but do not remove it. Rub chicken all over with vegetable or olive oil. Season with 1/4 to 1/3 cup spice rub both under and over skin, patting in gently. Let rest for 15 - 30 minutes.

Heat grill to medium low. Oil grates; grill chicken, covered, turning frequently to prevent charring, about 20 to 30 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 175 degrees.

Grilled Potatoes with Onions and Peppers
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 packet Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Soup Mix
1.5 lbs. yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cup sliced mixed bell peppers
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped

Roughly chop potatoes and combine with oil and soup mix in a bowl. Mix well.

Create foil packet by folding a 4-ft. sheet of foil in half to make a double-layer sheet. Add the potatoes to the center. Add the peppers and onion, tossing gently. Form the packet, folding the foil over the vegetables and crimping the edges to seal.

Place on grill over medium heat, turning once, until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.

Here is the end result, and while it was a struggle for me to eat the chicken, it wasn't because of the flavoring or the grilling. I actually prefer chicken grilled to any other form of preparation; it's just hard for me to eat meat off the bone right now. David gave it rave reviews, though, and said it is definitely a staple recipe. The potatoes, onions and peppers were spot on for this pregnant girl, and I had heaping helpings of those.



I will also add that I bought the drumsticks on sale a while back, so the entire meat portion of our dinner was under $1.70 for the three of us, and we had leftovers.

Not My Ways, But Yours

As you all have heard (and perhaps seen the photos), David's truck was considered a total loss after an accident on June 27th. Prior to that, we had been trying to sell the car I drove so we could upgrade to a mini-van, or a "mothership", as some ladies I know call it. We had just finally decided to list the car on E-Bay the day before the accident for a 7-day auction. We had it for sale for a while, but given that we weren't willing to pay $40-$50 an ad to list it in various places, our exposure was limited.

Well, now that the whole insurance fiasco is finally over with, we can see how, while we would never choose for Dave and Drew to be in an accident, this was the Lord's way of providing for what our family needed. Our insurance settlement for Dave's truck was more than we could have ever sold our car for, and we were able to purchase a van for less than that amount.

I must admit, especially during the first week following the accident, my attitude was not the greatest in this regard. I was upset at the man who hit Dave's truck, at the insurance for taking their sweet time returning phone calls, at the financial hit I thought we were going to take for someone else's mistake, etc., etc., etc.

However, God's provision is always an interesting thing, and this experience has taught me that once more.

Drew's First Trip to Disney

Three weeks after our trip, I am posting about our trip to Disney. We took Andrew on David's birthday for Drew's first visit, and it was as magical an experience as we had hoped. I had found a book while wandering through the library one day that enabled me to plan our day to be as fun as it could be for a toddler, while being realistic about what can be done in one day. I highly recommend Kim Wright Wiley's Walt Disney World with Kids if you are planning on a trip to Disney.



Papa and Nana joined us on the trip, and were able to share in the experience of Drew's first visit, and all the excitement that goes with it. We shared a condo hotel, and were able to have lots of quality time together while we were there.



I didn't go on many rides, but here are Drew and I waiting in line together for the Peter Pan ride. We were getting our stink on with all the other folks in line, sweating up a storm. However, I must say, because we got to most of the rides for Drew in the morning, we didn't have to wait longer than 20 minutes for anything AND it wasn't in the late afternoon heat.



This was the moment that topped them all! We all waited in line for Drew to meet Mickey Mouse, to whom he affectionately refers as "Hot Dog" because of the Hot Dog song/dance Mickey sings on his show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The moment we walked into the room where Mickey and Minnie were, the unmistakable look of astonishment, amazement, unbelief, and pure joy came across Andrew's face. He could not believe he was looking at Hot Dog, for real! Hot Dog gave him a hug, visited with him, and even did the Hot Dog dance for him. Then we all got hugs and left with a very, very special memory.

The Summer is Slipping Away

Not sure who (ahem), but someone doesn't want us to get any of the projects done we've been trying to get to since the summer started.

We've had random events, one after the other, that have pushed our starting these things back further and further. This week, those events became Drew getting sick and now me. My poor husband is working his tail off to keep moving ahead, because time is getting away from us. He hasn't slept since Wednesday night (it's now Friday!).

However, I can't wait to post photos of all the amazing stuff he has done. Praise the Lord for a husband who is a "Git R Done" kind of man!

No Photos

I had all kinds of cute posts ready to go, and then realized I don't have any photos to go with them. Dave is gone on a fishing trip and has the camera with him. So, don't give up on me. I will get back to being a little more timely in my posting.

In the meantime, Drew and I are enjoying some special time together while Daddy is out on his man vacation. We look forward to him feeling very refreshed when he returns.