Entries Tagged as 'grill'

Polynesian Grilled Chicken Revisited With Waist-High Basil

August 12th, 2008 · 2 Comments

Back in 2004 I tried a Polynesian grilled chicken dish. I remember liking it but never made it again. I don’t know why. The other day I was thinking about it because I had fresh herbs, chicken, peppers and onions so I decided to make it again. Dallas made rice (he always makes the rice) and we ate them together. He loved it. Recipe here.

The salad I made with dinner is a pretty standard one for us. Lettuce, mandarin oranges, toasted almonds, edamame, watercress, green onion. I had some mushrooms that day so I threw them in too. For dressing, we either make our own using Dallas’ mom’s secret recipe or we also love Olde Cape Cod toasted sesame, soy, and ginger dressing (all natural and fat free!).

This is our out of control basil that I used in the recipe. It’s almost waist high!

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Jewelry Project

August 6th, 2008 · 2 Comments

On Monday it was raining so Stephanie helped me with a jewelry project I wanted to do. Basically, the top of the dresser and back of the door was a giant mess and the way that my jewelry stored was hideous. No one really goes in our bedroom, so I didn’t need a fashion statement.. but the way things were just thrown on the dresser, or overflowing in a small dish, or hung 5-deep on the hook made it difficult to find anything. I don’t have lots of nice jewelry, but I could never remember what I had when I tried to get dressed and match things up in the morning. I needed a solution that would allow me to easily see everything.

Before:

Many months ago I ripped this organization article from Real Simple magazine but then I never did anything with it. This was a project I wanted to finish this summer, so a couple weeks ago I finally purchased the things I needed to get organized. Basically, I just got pearl-topped pins from Jo-Ann Fabric and linen pinboards from Pottery Barn. Then Monday, the rain, perfect opportunity to finally finish the project.

We took everything down and out of the room and dusted the bedroom. I was kind of nervous about mounting the pinboards because I tend to be impatient about hanging things and then have to do it a few times and it messed the wall up. Plus, this was something I would have to interact with so it had to be solid. Luckily, Pottery Barn provided detailed hanging instructions and templates for putting anchors in the wall correctly. I was able to hang the pinboards solidly on the first try. yay!

While watching TV, Stephanie and I also went through all of the jewelry and organized it and cleaned it with cleaning clothes. There were several pieces that I didn’t wear any more or weren’t my style any more that Steph liked, so she made out on helping. I had some cool belts that didn’t fit that were good for her too. Finally, I hung everything up on the pinboards and only put belts and my robe on the back of the door. I know a few more things will collect there, but we don’t need to have 20 hoodies and sweaters hanging back there at all times.

After:

After the jewelry project Stephanie and I had lunch at home. I was getting a little stir crazy so we went out and browsed around some of the little stores on Roscoe. It was overcast and wet, but not raining. Then we went into the last store and came out and all of a sudden it was sunny and beautiful. We quick ran over to the pool to see what the hours were, but it was only going to be open for 45 more minutes. We decided to pick up a few things at the grocery store. Since Steph had never been to Whole Foods, we walked over there. We also rented a movie from Blockbuster, something I haven’t done for years! I had to apply for a whole new card, but luckily that only took a minute.

For dinner we grilled turkey burgers and corn on the cob. Dallas teased us because we were looking at GrilledCornOnTheCob.com for proper instructions. Later on we were watching the movie we rented, Penelope, when all the storms rolled in. Steph and I were upstairs and it got so scary up there that we ran downstairs and finished watching the movie in the bedroom. Luckily, we’d just cleaned it that morning!

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More From the Nature Center

August 3rd, 2008 · 2 Comments


Stephanie, Amanda, Jessica :: Notebaert Nature Museum, Lincoln Park, Chicago


Jessica :: Notebaert Nature Museum, Lincoln Park, Chicago


Dad, Stephanie :: Notebaert Nature Museum, Lincoln Park, Chicago


Jessica, Dad, Stephanie :: Notebaert Nature Museum, Lincoln Park, Chicago

These were taken outside the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum when we visited last Friday. It was hard to believe we were still in Chicago while walking out on the piers and being surrounded by all sorts of fish, ducks and water fowl.

After the museum Amanda and I ran to the supermarket and then we grilled out sausages. Dallas came home from work and we had dinner. Then Jess wanted a treat so I gave her a bowl of cherries. We were all watching some challenge on the Food Network and she must have eaten about 25 cherries or more while we were all sitting there. Amanda, Jessica and my dad headed back to Wisconsin but Stephanie stayed here. She’ll be visiting us until Thursday.

At night Dallas, Stephanie and I played Rock Band. Steph and Dallas switched off on drums and guitar. I had to sing the whole time.

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Bartholomew Fair, New Jersey

July 19th, 2008 · No Comments

After driving from Cape Cod to Hoboken, Julie dropped Jess and I off at Jess’s apartment. We got pedicures and manicures (the beach is horrible to your hands and feet), went for a walk by the waterfront, watched a play, and then met up with Stephanie for dinner.


Bartholomew Fair, New Jersey :: Hoboken, NJ

The play was something we just stumbled upon while walking through Frank Sinatra Park (Sinatra was born in Hoboken). It was called “Bartholomew Fair, NJ” and was to start in a few minutes, so we bought something to drink at a nearby cafe and took a seat. There were 5 actors, but maybe like 20 different characters, so you can imagine the quick costume changes and different voices and accents used. Everything in the play rhymed. It was like reading a rhyming poem. “Bartholomew” wasn’t the best production I’ve ever seen, but it was amusing and free and had a great view of New York’s skyline and was a good way to pass a nice afternoon in Hoboken. There were about 40 people gathered to watch, including several families with kids. I thought it was a good informal way to expose young children to the arts. The only complaint I had was that the cafe that was right behind us continued to play Bob Marley’s Legend album loud for the entire length of the play, which was distracting.

After the play we met Stephanie for dinner at a newer sushi restaurant in Hoboken called Teak on the Hudson. The architecture and styling of the restaurant is really over the top. Impressive, but maybe a bit much. We thought the sushi was good and fresh, but expensive. I guess you’re paying for all the decorations. After dinner we got some fat-free soft serve and walked around Hoboken a bit.

The next morning I flew home. Dallas made me a nice dinner of grilled sweet potatoes, grilled onions, and jalepeno and honey pork chops.


Grilled pork chops and sweet potatoes, Roscoe Village, Chicago

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Joe’s Birthday Dinner

July 10th, 2008 · 1 Comment


Caprese Salad, South Yarmouth, Cape Cod


Joe, Jessica, Jane :: South Yarmouth, Cape Cod

Last week was Joe, Jessica’s dad’s birthday. This week he and Jessica’s mom, Jane, are visiting on the Cape, so one night we invited them to our house for dinner. Jess, Julie and I served a homemade cucumber, yogurt, dill dip with vegetables, hummus and a cheese plate for appetizers. Then we made turkey burgers like we had the other night, grilled vegetables, corn on the cob, and grilled chicken for dinner. Julie made a caprese salad with fresh basil we got from Jess’s uncle, fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. Jane also brought a tasty potato salad – secret ingredient: bacon. Everything was delicious. For birthday dessert we had a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. YUM.

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