Christmas 2008

Christmas 2008

If any of you have been following us on Facebook, you undoubtedly know that not every part of our trip to KS was good. We had delays out of Austin and DFW on the way to KS and then one of our suitcases didn't arrive when we did. Then when we were both tired after a long day we had to drive over 2 hours in thick fog the whole way to Iola. Not fun!

However, once we got there, the trip went very well. We spent Christmas Eve with Michael's family. We had a nice visit with Diana, Bill, Michele, Chris, CJ and Lexi. Michele and Diana cooked a fabulous meal.

Christmas Day we spent with my family. It was fun to see how much Brent and Dani have grown since we were there in the summer. It was actually more fun to watch the two of them open their presents than it was to open our own. Well, it was also fun to watch Billy play with Brent's toys!

Nicole and Kay gave me a baby shower on Friday. Several people were out of town and couldn't attend, but we still had a good time. Thank you Nicki and Kay for a great afternoon!

Saturday we headed back to KC to catch our flight. We stopped off for a terrific lunch at Jack Stack BBQ. Once we finally got to the airport, our flight was delayed 3 hours, so we hung out in the Admirals Club. That at least made the wait more enjoyable (something to drink, clean bathrooms, and free Wi-Fi). When we finally got to DFW we discovered that our connecting flight to Austin had already left, so an AA rep was able to get us on a different flight. Unfortunately, it had already started boarding, so we were trying to run through the terminal to get to the gate on time. Well, I say run...that's a little hard to do when you're 7 months pregnant, so I just went as fast as I could.

Because we had such a short time in Dallas, our luggage didn't make it onto the same flight we did. We hung out at the airport, though, and they did eventually arrive.

We spent Sunday being lazy, catching up on laundry, and then having dinner with Tom and Stepho.

Overall, it was a good holiday. We enjoyed spending time with family and friends, and now we're happy to be home to catch our breath before final preparations for the baby.

We hope all of you had a Happy Christmas as well!

Roomba for Christmas 2008

I got Andrea a Roomba for Christmas, so we had to record it going around and around the on its inaugural run.

Warm Dressed Spinach Salad

Warm Dressed Spinach Salad

Among the other things I have been been staying busy with these past couple of months, I have also been taking a cooking series at Central Market. I've made several tasty dishes that I learned from the class, but when I made this I actually remembered to get a picture! Here is the recipe for Warm Dressed Spinach Salad and Cajun Grilled Shrimp. Enjoy!

Cajun Grilled Shrimp
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-4 tbsp Cajun spice
1/4 cup oil

Toss all together - use more spice mix for hotter flavor. Set aside in frig for 20-60 minutes. Place shrimp on skewers and grill until they are pink and curl into a "C" shape.


Warm Dressed Spinach Salad
8 oz baby spinach, rinsed and dried
1 med yellow bell pepper, diced
3-4 shallots, diced
3 garlic cloves, minces
4 tbsp EV olive oil, divided
2 tbsp raspberry or balsamic vinegar
15-20 red grape tomatoes, halved
1 tbsp stone-ground mustard
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 med avocado, sliced
feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Divide the spinach between 4 serving plates and top with the nuts. In a medium skillet, sauté the shallots in 2 tbsp of oil until they soften. Add the garlic and cook another minutes. Add the bell pepper and sauté another minute. Add vinegar, tomatoes and salt and pepper. Cook a few minutes until the tomatoes lose some liquid. Off the heat stir in the mustard and remaining oil. Let sit for a minutes, stir again, check for seasoning and spoon over the spinach. Top with feta cheese and avocado. Serve immediately.