A Nice Day Free Of Labor

I really do love my job. It keeps me on my toes and every day holds something challenging and different for me. So, I am never bored. But, I also really do love my days off. Hello Labor Day!! Wah-hoo! It is about 5:30pm and I am still in my pajamas! But, don't misunderstand me. I have not been completely unproductive. I cleaned out my closet today. Oh, what a task. This is a task that I have been putting off since the last time I cleaned it out which was about a year ago. I keep my house very clean, it is just my closet that I struggle with. But this time, I am determined to keep it clean and organized! Well, we will see how long that lasts but, it looks fantastic right now!!


Since I had an extra day off today, I slept in just a little. I did not sleep in too long because Ziggy woke me up chewing on the alarm clock cord (yes, I am a light sleeper). One of these days I will wake up to the aroma of fried kitty but fortunately today, I woke up to the wonderful aroma of coffee (I programed my coffee pot last night to have my coffee ready at 8:30am). I watched a bit of Rachel Ray, which inspired me to make breakfast. In my happy day off breakfast making state, I felt the need to capture it, step by step. :-)

Hacienda Nicholas Inn Blue Corn Waffles



Ingredients:


1 cup whole wheat flour




1 1/2 cups blue cornmeal (I used the cornmeal I picked up at the Santa Fe School of Cooking)




2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar




2 tablespoons baking powder





3/4 teaspoon baking soda





4 egg whites (I accidentally got a little yolk in there)





1 3/4 cups nonfat buttermilk





Now, I had a little problem. I did not have buttermilk. But, I remember my sister telling me that you can make your own butter milk. So that is what I did and here is how you do it:


It is super easy. You just need one tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to every cup of milk.


So, I poured the milk into a mason jar. Actually I used 1%milk and a bit of fat free 1/2 and 1/2





Added white vinegar





Then, you just wait 10 minutes and you have buttermilk!



Mix all your ingredients together and put on your waffle iron.






I topped the waffles with maple syrup, butter, and some berries. I also made jalapeno and sharp cheese scrambled eggs with garlic chives on top, and cooked up some turkey sausage. I wish I could eat like this every morning.





So...since I had so much fun making breakfast, I immediatley started planning dinner. Labor Day seems like a good day to grill so, that is what I did. I made Stubbs BBQ pork ribs, corn on the cob, and BBQ pinto beans.


Days off are fantastic. I wish there was one at least once a month



Next month we approach on October. There is not a national day off then (Halloween should be) but , there is a Lizzie few days off and I can't wait! ACL is just right around the corner! Eddie Vedder, here I come!

Cheers!

Birthday

Jeff is creeping closer to the big 3-0! He turned 29 on Saturday. My sister has been in town visiting and she got up early to decorate the table. I decorated the chalkboard as it only seemed fitting!

We grilled chicken with Stubbs marinade and Stubbs BBQ sauce. Oh, how we love Stubbs. If you are ever in Austin, you must, absolutely must stop by Stubbs. Hands down, the best BBQ anywhere! Stubbs is also a live music venue. So, really, you just can't beat a little BBQ and live music. We had BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, baked beans, and potato salad from Red Hot and Blue! Just like Stubbs has the best BBQ, Red Hot and Blue has the best potato salad.

I had the table all set and then,

It was time to eat!!!!

I also tried my hand at baking a very special cake. My mother grew up going over to a friends house and eating strawberry cake after school. It really is a cute little story! So, one day, after she was all married and grown up, she got that special strawberry cake recipe. There was lots of pressure to get this right because my mom has been making it ever since I can remember and when my sister grew up and had Violet, she started making it. So, it was my turn,

Might I say, that was a darn good cake!!



On Sunday, after all the festivities, Jeff and I did yard work.





I finally finished the kitchen window flower bed!

Before:




After:





I took an idea from Our Thyme Garden and put my old San Pellegrino bottles in the dirt as a border along with some tree branches.



I can't wait for the plants to start growing! I just recently planted jumbo jalapeno peppers and bell peppers. Yum!


I have a baby birdie update, they hatched! There are 2 of them. These are the biggest baby birdies I have ever seen! The mama bird is sitting next to them.




They are growing rather quickly and will leave the nest soon!


In other exciting news (for me anyway), I will be leaving for Santa Fe on Saturday!! Stay tuned for the first Santa Fe post of 2009!

Saturday Afternoon and Beer

Today I went to the Rhar & Son's Brewery. I highly recommend it as a fun thing to pass the time on a Saturday afternoon. For those of you with young ones, this place is even family friendly! I am not too much of a beer drinker, I do prefer my wine and rum but....I was pleasantly surprised! This beer is very good! I'm a light beer kinda girl so I went with the "Cats Eye" which is dedicated to the Fort Worth Cats, a local professional baseball team. I also like their blonde lager, it is nice and reminds me of the summer for some reason.








































Anyhoo, what you do is arrive to the brewery at about 1:00pm. Then get in line to pay five bucks and you get a nice pint glass (about 4 to choose from) and 3 beer tabs that you can cash in for beer! Five bucks for a glass and 3 beer refills is a nice price. It lasts until about 3pm and they provide food and live music. You may also run into a few people that you know much like I did. It really is a nice relaxed way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

When I got home after my afternoon of beer tasting, I made beer bread from a recipe off of the Rhar website. I am going to take to to a BBQ tonight at a friends house.

Cheers!!!! Happy Mother's Day!