Desert Drivel

Justin in training

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:13:00 +0000

Yes, even in the off-season Justin is working on his football skills. He goes to a trainer 4x/week and concentrates on specific skills to help his game. This video shows Justin and some of his teammates working on their mad skills.

Video by Optimal Performance Training

February Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:16:00 +0000

Justin quit lacrosse. That is the big news here. He is not a "quitter" and the decision came neither easily nor quickly. He had several reasons but the biggest is that he felt his goals with football were more important than his lacrosse goals. By goals, of course I mean those things you write down and try to accomplish - not the physical act of propelling a ball into a box or between some uprights. Anyway, the team is really missing him and the organization is missing Terry and I as well, since we were the BOD VP and Secretary respectively, but of course are no longer. Well this gives us the ability to concentrate on football as well - since we are the BOD VP and Treasurer respectively LOL.

We have a new football coach and Justin wants to dedicate himself to that sport with the hopes of playing in college and possibly getting a scholarship. This new guy has been coaching since before I was born, so he knows a thing or two. I love him as a person - he is very old-fashioned and I personally believe the world could use an extra dose of old-fashioned once in a while.

We were also glad to see Eric finish his AIT (Advanced Infantry Training) and fly off to Ft. Benning, Georgia to begin JUMPING OUT OF AIRPLANES. Yes, my son is going to be doing this, probably within a week. I am hoping he tells me about it only afterwards and does not cause me to worry by telling me the day before his first jump. I truly believe that he is in the safest environment possible to learn this, and he's in the most capable hands of his instructors, but still... it's hard to think that your son is going to be doing something like this. I am trying to keep out of my mind that eventually he will most likely be doing these things on foreign soil.

Oh, and he turned 21 this month. OMG I guess that means I'm the mother of an adult! Well, I guess when he turned 18 he was technically an adult, but he was still a teenager then, and certainly didn't act like an adult. He sure does now - the Army has caused him to mature by leaps and bounds - but he fortunately hasn't lost any of his wonderful personality.

On his actual birthday he was still in training and not allowed to leave his HQ at all, so he didn't get to celebrate it until last weekend when he got to Georgia. He ended up going to Red Lobster with one or two of his Army buddies and getting a meal that came to about $34, probably the most he's ever spent on a meal for himself. He'd never had lobster before so he got some sort of combo with chicken, shrimp and a lobster tail, which he devoured. Also he ordered some sort of fruity daquiri - the first time he's ever been able to drink (legally) in a restaurant. I teased him about picking such a girly drink and he said, "Hell, I carry around a machine gun all day, if anyone has a problem with me drinking a girly drink then f*** them! In fact, I'm going to walk around in my combat uniform with my daquiri and machine gun, just to see how people react."

Did I ever tell you about the time he rode his bicycle around wearing a banana costume?

We are still getting settled in our new home, which we love. We've been making small improvements here and there - the latest ones are the addition of some pretty curtains in the living room which replaces some horrid aluminum blinds that were probably older than the home itself. There's another window that has some yellowed (formerly white) wooden blinds that I nearly had an asthma attack removing from all the dust - and I don't have asthma. Unfortunately for me, things never are as easy as you think they will be, and I made the unfortunate assumption that both windows were the same width. So I guess later I will have to go to Home Depot and get the next size rod :( Hopefully all this work will pay off - it should look fabulous when I'm done. I've also added some pops of color to our living room by painting our metal side tables. Both were previously a bronze color - now one is silver and one is blue. We're going to eventually put a nice (and probably huge) flat panel TV on the wall and then I can add some shelves next to it. I'm also planning to sew up some colorful throws, cover some pillows and possibly refinish the coffee table. I will have some before & after pics to share once it's all done but don't hold your breath as it could be several months.

I've also been working on the kitchen a bit - I added some window valances in the bay window and removed some disgusting blinds. I've also decided to tackle a big project that I think will make a big impact - adding a tile backsplash. Another big-impact thing we're hoping to do soon is taking out the sticky and annoyingly loud sliding door and replacing it with some French doors.

In Arizona we recently had a long spell of very cold weather which killed a lot of our smaller plants and shrubs. We aren't crying over this, because what was here was only "meh" and we were planning on putting something else in anyway. But we have to wait until it gets a bit warmer before we can think about that, so maybe in another month?

This month I also went to San Diego on a business trip - which was OK - but I was able to get some really nice photos at least.

As much as things seem to change with us lately, there are some things that do remain constant...

...and thank goodness for that!

January Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 02:28:00 +0000

We began the month by continuing to enjoy having our oldest son Eric home from the Army. On his last day home, he decided to take advantage of the free meal being offered by Joe's Real BBQ to all military who wear their uniforms. He had to wear it for his flight anyway, so what the heck? I snapped this photo with my iPhone of all things - Eric and his good buddy Joey.

We've been having cold and wet weather! It's kind of nice to have once in a while but this is getting ridiculous. We live in Arizona! One of the worst parts about it is that the firewood I got is soaked so we can't even enjoy any nice fires in the outdoor fireplace, that is, even if we wanted to hang out outdoors.

Now that our holiday guests are all gone, I'm hoping to get some sewing done. I have a quilt for our bedroom that I'm trying to complete, and then once that's done I need to quick-sew a comforter cover for the down duvet we have now, which we'll be giving to Justin. At this rate, he might get it by summertime!

Not much else happened this month, other than a business trip I had to San Diego - I'll share some photos in the next post.

Highlights for the rest of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 18:37:00 +0000

Wow - was May really the last time I posted? As you can see I've taken some time off from the blog. Apparently monthly updates were too much to handle! At any rate, here's what we've had going on for the remainder of 2012...

June

Football pre-season started. This is from a scrimmage. Justin is the whitest kid that ever lived!

I started working on a quilt but then had to postpone for a bit. Hoping to pick it up again in January.

July

Took a cake decorating class at Michael's. This was my final project.

August

Hoover Dam bypass bridge

Terry and I went to Las Vegas to see Toby Keith in concert and have a mini-getaway. On the way back we stopped at the Hoover Dam and took some photos. Pretty interesting.

September

Goodbye Eric! We said farewell to our oldest who went on to bigger and brighter things. He joined the Army and left for Basic Training in September. It was hard to let go, but we are so proud of him!

In September, we also moved! Our new house is a one-story with a much better floor plan and overall it's just 'nicer'. We were able to stay in the same general area and Justin is still going to the same school. Oddly enough, I don't really have any photos of the new house to post right now. I will do that sometime soon though!

October

Getting ready for homecoming. Maybe someday Justin will learn how to tie a tie

With or without the sunglasses? For heaven's sake Austin, tuck in your shirt!

Football season also continued. Justin is #21. He was on Varsity but only played in a few games. He did play JV quite a bit and in one game even got FIVE touchdowns! Great season for him, and we're looking forward to a very successful 2013 season for Justin and the rest of the team as well.

November

In the end of November we went to see Eric graduate from Basic Training. What a phenomenal trip! Here we are at the Ft. Sill Artillery Museum.

Fort Sill, Oklahoma

Eric in his ASUs - with proud brother Justin. We enjoyed breakfast and hearing from Eric about his BCT experiences.

PV2 Eric Merkel, Gilbert, Arizona

December

Merry Christmas! Left to right: Me/Jen, Mom/Darlene, Eric, Dave, Justin, Suzie, Terry
Mom and Dave came for a visit over Christmas and we were lucky to have Eric home on leave as well. We had a nice time with family and honestly can't believe it's over already! The season went by so quickly.

Yes, there were a lot more things that happened over the past few months but I don't want to bore you with too many details. We had a good 2012 and are hopeful that 2013 will be even better.

Best wishes to you and yours for a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2013!

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:04:00 +0000

I first tasted these little guys a few years back at an event. The hotel where I was having a meeting served them on the buffet as a vegetarian option for our large vegan population, and I instantly fell in love. After searching for a similar recipe I nearly gave up - these babies aren't something you see everywhere, yet I don't understand why? I finally just happened to be watching Food Network one day and saw Sunny Anderson making them - I was so happy! I made her recipe but tweaked it a bit here and there to suit my taste and the ingredients I prefer to use.

This recipe is easy, uses basic ingredients and is super delicious! You can bake them ahead of time and serve them at room temp - they will be just as good. You can easily transport them to a picnic or potluck and the recipe works great when doubled or tripled (or halved to serve two!).

Enjoy!

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
by Jen Merkel

Notes: Figure on about two tomato halves per person if serving as a side dish or one per person if planning them as an appetizer - you can purchase the number of tomatoes you need based on the number of people you are feeding, then adjust the other ingredients accordingly.

Ingredients:

4 vine-ripe tomatoes
Kosher salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs
3 teaspoons minced garlic from a jar (or use equivalent fresh garlic)
1 tablespoon dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Italian cheese blend (with Asiago & Parmesan)*
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Additional cheese blend for topping

*You can substitute 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan for the cheese blend

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet, set aside.

Prepare tomatoes: Cut each tomato in half so that stems are on the bottom of each half. Using a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works great!) scoop out the seeds and inner membrane of the tomato. It is OK if you leave a bit of the membrane on the sides. Sprinkle each half generously with sea salt and turn upside down onto a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath to catch the drippings. Let drain for about 15 minutes.

While you are waiting for the tomatoes, prepare the stuffing. In a small mixing bowl stir together the bread crumbs, garlic, basil, pepper, cheese and olive oil.

When the tomatoes have sufficiently drained, rinse and dry the cookie sheet (or use a different one - I like to reuse dishes as much as possible) and line with aluminum foil. Place each tomato half on the cookie sheet, insides facing up (If you are multiplying the recipe you may need to use more than one cookie sheet - don't crowd them too much).

With a standard tablespoon, spoon the stuffing into the tomato halves, taking care not to pack them down. They will cook better if they are somewhat loose. Once all the stuffing has been used, sprinkle each tomato with additional cheese.

Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes. Check them at 15 minutes to make sure they aren't burning. When done, your tomatoes and stuffing should be slightly browned as shown in the above picture.

Serve immediately or let cool and serve at room temperature. Leftovers don't keep well, but you won't likely have any so don't worry about it!

May Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:49:00 +0000

Well it's been downright hot here in Arizona. I know it's supposed to be like that at this time of year, but it seems like summer came earlier than usual. Then we had a bit of a 'cold snap' for a day or two, then hot again. I think we probably won't see any more of those cooler days until at least October now. September if we're lucky. At least the nights are still beautiful - we have about a month left of that before they too become unbearable.

Aside from the insane heat, we had a lot going on this month as usual. We started off the month by celebrating Terry's birthday with good friends at our favorite dive bar. We also learned that cab fare home is only $15, and made a pact with our friends to go there more often. They have live country music and dancing on weekends, but with no food to speak of dinner for me on those nights usually, and very sadly, consists of cheese balls and pretzels. And beer of course.

Justin, Suzie and Eric

Of course we also celebrated Mother's Day. Unfortunately we are not really able to bring Terry's mom to our house anymore so we have had to resolve to visits to her facility. On Mother's Day we brought the boys and Skyped with some of Terry's brothers. It's absolutely wonderful that Skype is now available on the iPhone. Even though Suzie isn't really capable of having a conversation, it's good for her to see her kids and grandkids and at least have some interaction (and good for the kids & grandkids too).

Football has been heating up, of course now that lacrosse is done. We had a father/son game a few weeks ago and I think Terry is still sore from it. Terry and I think this year will be a great season for our team - we have some new (and pretty awesome) coaches, a great though we still have some challenges to deal with, one of which is the fact that our school numbers are shrinking while others in the area are growing. This is mostly attributed to the housing market crash, but hopefully next year we will be able to drop down by a division (from I to II) which should help us - especially Justin since he will be on Varsity for the next 2 years.

We wasted no time getting into "summer mode" over Memorial Day weekend. We basically ate, drank and hung out at the pool all four days (including Friday evening of course). What we should have been doing is cleaning and doing chores, but that's tough to do when your friends entice you with the promise of barbecue and beer.

Clockwise from upper left - Albert with dad Sean; Albert with mom Alison; Albert with Todd and Terry; Albert with blow-up froggy pool chair.

I also cooked and baked (and ate!) some of my favorite dishes for our multiple parties:

Black Bean and Corn Salad

"Watermelon" Cut-Out Cookies

Red, White and Blue Cake from
Buttermilk White Cake recipe

Among others, including and especially one of my very favorites, Baked Stuffed Tomatoes. Somehow I didn't get a photo of that one, so I guess I'll just have to make them again! Seriously, I'll be posting the recipe soon.

And I can't believe school is out for the summer! Justin is keeping busy with early morning football training four days a week, playing video games, napping and watching Ridiculousness. Between us we have quite a few short trips coming up, including a business trip for Terry (to the cool respite of Lake Tahoe), a family reunion in Ohio and something I'm super excited about - a weekend jaunt to Las Vegas for Terry and I to see Toby Keith in concert!

Coming up in June:

More football!
Father's Day
Summertime fun

Black Bean and Corn Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Mon, 28 May 2012 15:15:00 +0000

A deli nearby has a terrific black bean and corn salad and I've been searching for a recipe that comes close. I found one courtesy of Rachael Ray at Food Network, and below have adapted it to bring it closer to the deli's version. It is simply delicious, and a great addition to a summer picnic or barbecue. Enjoy!

Black Bean and Corn Salad
by Jen Merkel (adapted from Rachael Ray @ Food Network)

Ingredients
1 can (14 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 package frozen corn kernels, about 2 cups (not thawed)
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into very small pieces
1/2 red onion, chopped into very small pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot sauce (your choice - I used Frank's Red Hot but Chalula works well too)
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
Cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve. The corn will also place a quick-chill on this easy side-salad as it defrosts.

Makes 12 side servings - great for a potluck or barbecue!

My favorite apps for iPhone and iPad

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:29:00 +0000

Within the past few months I've been fortunate enough to upgrade my personal technology to and iPhone and an iPad. I'm no expert on these devices, but I've found some pretty cool apps I wanted to share with you. By the way, they are all FREE.

Flipboard
Excellent way to quickly read through your subscribed feeds in just about any social network. I most often use it for Facebook, Google Reader and Instagram, but you can also connect Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, Tumblr and a whole bunch of others I've never heard of. You can even customize a section (I've got one for my own Flickr photo feeds) or read everything all bundled together. Flipboard also suggests feeds for you if you like - but if you don't want them they are easy to delete. Photos in this reader appear absolutely stunning on the iPad, in a format that makes you feel like you're reading an e-magazine customized to your interests. Flipboard works on the smaller-screened iPhone too, but it's kept pared down to single stories rather than multiples on a page.

Instagram
A fun way to share photos with friends. Sort of a combination of Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and Flickr, all dumbed down into one app. Oh, and it syncs with all of those apps as well. Simply take a photo, enhance it using one of the included easy-to-use filters (optional, and super fun!), and then post it to any or all of your favorite networking sites (including Instagram itself). Because the app uses hashtags (the same way Twitter does), you can also easily search for fun photos of your favorite subjects. Instagram posts weekend hashtag ideas too - so you can participate in a community photo-sharing project (for instance, my recent - and lame - #alightinthedark entry). You can view my Instagram feed in the left sidebar - click to view any of the photos full size or to view more than six. Oh, and feel free to follow me on Instagram and I'll follow you back!

Skype
Now finally available for the iPhone and iPad! I find that if I'm at home, it's easiest and best to use Skype on my iPad with wifi, but if I'm out and about, I can also use it on my iPhone (though it's a little laggy, especially on big Skyping occasions like Mother's day). For all you out there who use Skype on mobile devices, please be considerate of the people you are chatting with and use some sort of easel or holder to keep your device still. I found a cheap, nifty little foldable iPhone stand on eBay - I carry it around in my purse's phone pocket so it's ready to whip out anytime I might need it.

Happy Mother's Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Sun, 13 May 2012 22:09:00 +0000

Wishing moms everywhere a day filled with love and laughter!

March/April Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:57:00 +0000

This post will probably be short and sweet - as usual, we were immersed in lacrosse and now we're gearing up for football season too. Apparently I didn't take any photos of anything other than lacrosse (which I won't bore you with this month) and these two shots...

Yes, that's Justin eating a super sized sub sandwich. Actually it looks more like a full size loaf of Italian bread with some lettuce and lunch meat thrown inside. The kid eats. He eats a lot. It's not news, but he's growing. I'm officially the shortest person in the household now - soon Terry might be as well.

This is us at Easter. We had a pretty low-key holiday this year. I made a scrumptious Beef Wellington but believe it or not Eric had to work! I can remember the days when retail outlets were actually closed on Easter, Thanksgiving and all other holidays. How soon before they're open on Christmas Day as well? Then again, I suppose back in the 'old days' they didn't have 24-hour shopping via the Internet. I guess they have to do what they can to compete.

Coming up next month...

Mother's Day <3
Father/Son football game
School's out for the summer!
3-day weekend over Memorial Day

January/February Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:21:00 +0000

Besides our usual enjoyment of the beautiful Arizona weather, participation in Justin's football and lacrosse activities, and "Saturdays with Suzie", not much has happened in our little world over the past two months.

Eric and I enjoyed one of our little hikes - something we don't do often enough. This time we went to up Fountain Hills which is an affluent little foothill community that is known for its huge fountain. The trail wasn't anything to speak of, and it was really tough to find, but the real payoff of the day was spending time with my son (and pooch).

Once an hour, the fountain sprays up 562 feet into the air and can be seen from miles away.
I've even seen it from an airplane!

Eric and Duke resting at the peak.

I also got the opportunity to use "old blue" (aka my awesome new KitchenAid Stand Mixer) to make some pizza dough from scratch. We each designed our own personal pizza - I cooked them on the grill and they were to die for. Seriously, one of my best meals EVAH! It was still a lot of effort (though totally worth it) but I learned from the experience and next time maybe it will be easier.

Nom-nom-nom...

And as if I don't get there enough, I enjoyed yet another trip to Austin. This time it was business for about 5 days, but then I extended for a few and enjoyed time with my sisters and niece/nephews. We did pretty much all our usual things (which oddly enough revolve around my favorite Austin food stops - Bacon, Cool Haus, Gordoughs...) and a few new things too.

One day Allison and I went up to Mt. Bonnell, a scenic overlook. And by scenic, I mean you can see all the mega-mansions on the river.

My sister Allison

Just after, we stopped at Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve. It being February and all, there wasn't much in bloom. Actually, nothing was in bloom at all. Except the peacocks!

My sister Danielle took me to an outlet center in San Marcos where we drooled over Coach handbags and Vera Bradley designs, then we headed to the Zilker Botanical Gardens to practice some photographic techniques.

I love Austin - it's such a unique city, filled with all kinds of creative people and has a personality all its own. Probably one of the best things is that you can 'be yourself' and do your own thing without getting any weird looks - they're used to weird! This attitude really helped me get over my shyness with the camera and I got some pretty good street shots that capture the city's personality. Maybe one day I'll work my way up to taking photos of people instead of inanimate objects?

The following shots are just a few in the collection - you can view the rest by clicking here.

The iconic Austin Motel

Dia de los Muertos decor in a shop window on Congress

Any how can you resist a smile at Cheer Up Charlies?

Coming up for March:

Lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse

Easy Baked Meatballs

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:54:00 +0000

Make-ahead cooking is wonderful in theory. The flaw (for me anyway) is that it assumes you have a block of time to make these things in the first place. Since I'm more of a deadline-driven gal, I was forced to use up 2 lbs. of ground beef I thoughtfully removed from the freezer a few days ago, I decided to make a batch of meatballs and freeze them for use later in the week/month.

I found this recipe a few years ago when I used to get Kraft Foods monthly magazine for free, which I loved! But alas, they don't offer it as a free subscription anymore, I guess because their recipes are so readily available online. But I don't go to their website regularly so I think their theory is flawed. Anyway I have made these a few times and they are really tasty.

Enough of my ramblings - here is a wonderful and easy recipe for baked meatballs!

Easy Baked Meatballs
Recipe By: Kraft Foods

Ingredients
2 pounds Lean ground beef
1 package Stove Top Stuffing mix (120g)
1 cup water
2 eggs

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 large pans with foil. Spray pan and rack (if using) with cooking oil.

Mix together all ingredients, and form into 32, 1-1/2" balls. 3Place meatballs on the pan (or rack if using) and bake for 16 - 18 minutes, or until done.

I use my cookie scoop to make these meatballs and it yields 70 meatballs.

Tip: Make ahead and freeze. When you need an easy weeknight meal, drop the desired amount of frozen meatballs into a pot and add a jar of spaghetti sauce. Heat to boiling, then turn down and simmer for about 10 minutes. The meatballs will defrost while the sauce simmers!

Photos from August trip to Europe - Part 2: Palma de Mallorca

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:04:00 +0000

After Naples, we had a day at sea followed by a full day in Palma de Mallorca, a very small Mediterranean island off the southeastern coast of Spain. I was fortunate to have a morning off so as soon as we got into port I disembarked and went walking into town. It was early so there weren't many people milling about.

Palma de Mallorca, Spain

The Passeig de Born is one of the city's squares where they have a few boutiques, offices and residences. Being so early in the morning there was nobody - and I mean nobody - around. Mind you, it was probably 8:30 or so, but for Europeans that is early - especially on a Saturday. Normally the place would be bustling with people on bikes, on foot, motos (the Spanish word for motorbikes), etc.

Passeig de Born, Palma de Mallorca

Armed with a sub-par tourist map I meandered through the streets and stumbled upon some beautiful architecture.

A local businessman waiting for handsome cab customers
Catedral de Mallorca, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Catedral de Mallorca, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

St. Nicolau Church, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Ancient Mills of el Jonquet, Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Let me tell you, getting lost in a foreign city sucks. And getting lost on foot really sucks. But sometimes getting lost brings you to places off the beaten path that you wouldn't have normally seen. The windmills above are one example. The mega-yachts below are another.

Palma Marina is a playground for the rich!

I did eventually make my way back to the ship and relieved my coworkers so they could enjoy the afternoon ashore. This marked the end to our cruise, since the next morning we were to dock in Barcelona for our final departure. My overall thoughts of the cruise were that it was OK, but I don't think I'd ever want to do it on my own. There was too much time spent on-board and not enough opportunities for people to really experience the ports of call.

Here are a few other interesting cruise-related images to remind me of the trip....

Huge ferry docked next to our ship - unloading cars and even semi trucks!

Our ship, the Norwegian Epic
I could never get a full shot of it because the thing was so huge!

Towel animals courtesy of my cabin steward - the sunglasses on the bunny were a

nice touch, and the monkey scared the cr*p out of me when I opened my cabin door!

Next stop - Barcelona!

December highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:57:00 +0000

Merry Christmas!
Clockwise from top left - Terry, Sue, Eric, Duke, Justin and me

Justin made chocolate covered pretzels which are destined
to be a new regular addition to our annual cookie tray.

Such a busy month for us! As you know from my previous post, I went to Austin and had a blast with my sisters. I also had my annual cookie exchange which was a lot of fun as usual. I made Brown Eyed Baker's Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars for the exchange and I got some awesome cookies in return too. Terry loved the peanut butter
ones so I made a second batch just for us using my beautiful new Kitchenaid Stand Mixer that Santa brought me! My Christmas baking also included my traditional rum cake, cake balls (red velvet with blue coating to match my color scheme), chocolate covered pretzels by Justin and some other goodies.

Red Velvet Cake Balls

We enjoyed our usual Costco prime rib roast on Christmas Day, but must make a mental note for future years to get it earlier and freeze it. We made the mistake of buying it late in the afternoon when all the smaller ones were gone - so ours was a whopping 11 lbs! Even though there were just the five of us this year, I don't mind the size (though it took seven hours to roast) but the price was considerably higher. Needless to say we enjoyed prime rib sandwiches for a few days and I even stuck some in the freezer.

My beautiful and functional Christmas gift!

Decorating cookies on Christmas Eve

Christmas can be exhausting.

"Noel" glass block decoration

I got my "craft" on this month by making some lighted glass block holiday decorations - mostly for gifts but I did make one for myself too. I was pretty happy with how they came out - I made one in blue for my Mom like the one you see here, and also a red one and a green one for a couple of friends. I'm considering making one that is Valentine's Day themed, but not sure where I would find the white-string lights at this time of year - they were hard enough to find during the Christmas season.

Eric is still dealing with bureaucracy from the Navy. He is hoping it gets cleared up by early January so he can formulate his plan for the service. He's still working part-time in retail but he really wants to get his life in gear - the waiting is hard on all of us but we are trying to be patient.

Justin was busy with lacrosse - he attended a 2-hour clinic at Arizona State University early in the month. Even more valuable was the ASU clinic he attended at a nearby High School that spanned over 3 half-days - he got some great tips and learned techniques from the college coaches and players. Now he has to go practice those things with the lacrosse goal Santa brought him.

New Year's Eve was pretty low key - we went to a friend's house for a small party but were home by about 12:45. For New Year's Day (today!) we are having 'fun food' for dinner while we watch the Giants (hopefully) kick some Cowboy butt. On the menu is sushi, cheese fondue (with bread, steak and broccoli), homemade pizza (reference Austin post below) with homemade dough (made with "old blue" and baked on my pizza stone) and for dessert we have strawberries dipped in mascarpone and brown sugar and cannolis.

Best wishes to all for a very happy and healthy 2012!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:28:00 +0000

May 2012 bring you peace, love and prosperity!

December trip to Austin

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Allison and Ethan

This month I went to Austin and spent a few days with my sisters. Funny thing about my trips to Austin - our activities so often center around food. Maybe it's because Austin has about a bazillion awesome and unique restaurants. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for a cool food truck. Or maybe it's because we just love to eat. This trip took my palate to many new and different places.

Eating with my sister Allison and her family: We made pumpkin spice cupcakes as the finale for a delicious home cooked pot roast she prepared in the slow cooker.

Ethan using the mixer

I spent the next day with Danielle, who showed me how to make pizza. We looked up a pizza dough recipe on YouTube I've been wanting to try, and used her Kitchenaid Mixer which definitely made the work easier, as well has her pizza stone which I'm sure made the crust tastier. The result was delicious - we enjoyed a traditional (Italian-style, not CPK-style) Margherita and a fig, caramelized onion, Gorgonzola and arugula pizza. Both were excellent, and I've been inspired to make my own at home.

While the dough was rising, we took a break and went to a nearby dog park with Stella. Sadly, these were the best shots I got from that event, partly because I apparently haven't mastered the autofocus on my camera yet and partly because of the lighting conditions at dusk.

Danielle and Stella

Stella the moving target. I have about a dozen photos of this area 'empty' because
she and her friend were like lightning bolts dashing around the area.

Danielle, Allison and me

Me, Allison, Danielle and Al's friend Brenda

The next day we went ATVing with a Groupon I found (don't you just LOVE Groupon?). None of us had ever been before, and it turned out to be a great time. I did hit a tree (just a little bit on the bottom) but none of us managed to fall off (though Allison almost lost it once).

Allison, me, Danielle at the Grist Mill, Gruene, TX

After that adventure (which was a blast) we went to nearby Gruene where we enjoyed lunch at the Grist Mill and walked around in some little shops.

Gruene's water tower

One of our mornings was spent at the Austin Farmer's Market - I saw a comment on Foursquare that said "This market has more meat than produce - Texas." I think that's probably accurate. It was kind of chilly that morning so we were bundled up - Allison brought the kids and Ethan burned his tongue on some hot chocolate (which explains some of these photos).

Danielle and Stella at the Farmer's Market

Ethan at the Farmer's Market

Lucy in Disguise costume shop

No trip to Austin is complete without going to Big Top Candy Shop

Big Top Candy Shop: Avery, Allison, Ethan and Caleb

Danielle in Big Top. Yes please, I will have the sensory overload
to go with my sugar high.

Food Truck site near Big Top

Stella meets a mule

Ethan and Danielle in front of
Wurst Tex Food Truck

Avery and Danielle

We also went to lunch at a place called Bacon. As you might guess, everything on the menu has bacon. They have breakfast food, sandwiches and desserts. My favorite dish was the Bacon fries. YUM!

French fries + sour cream + melted cheddar + bacon + chives = Bacon Fries!

Bacon!

Where else but Austin would you find a VW Bug with a mustache?

Hi, how are you? Near UT

One other awesome thing we did which wasn't documented with photos was going to the Alamo Draft House - a movie theater with tables and complete dinner service. Food was good and it was fun! We saw New Year's Eve which was predictable and so-so, but the best part was spending time with my sisters.

Overall a fantastic trip - and I get to go again in February! Wonder what sort of fun things we can look forward to then?

Easy Oven Brunch Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 15:11:00 +0000

This recipe has grown into a family tradition. Being easy and having to be prepared the day before baking, I usually serve it the morning we are going to have a big meal or celebration (Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc.). I can't recall exactly where I got the original recipe from but it's been adapted over the years and trust me, it will satisfy even the heartiest of appetites.

One thing I love about this recipe is its adaptability. You can use any cooked meat in place of the ham and bacon - sausage, beef, chicken... even hot dog if you wanted to! Add or subtract veggies as desired - though keep in mind that the green and red peppers add a beautiful color pop to the dish so taking either away might subtract from the visual appeal a bit.

Easy Oven Brunch Bake

Ingredients
4 Eggs
2 cups Milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 cups French bread ; cubed
8 ounce Cheddar cheese ; shredded
1 cup Mushrooms ; chopped
1 cup Red bell pepper ; chopped
1/2 cup Green onion ; chopped
1/4 cup Bacon bits
1/4 cup Ham ; chopped

Instructions
Beat eggs, milk and mustard in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Add remaining ingredients; stir gently to mix well.

Pour into lightly greased 12x8 inch baking dish, cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Uncover baking dish. Bake 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Sweet Potato Pie with Easy Pat-in-Pan Crust

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:56:00 +0000

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe, so why not? This is an awesome pie - I'm not a big fan of the pumpkin - this is a delicious alternative (and I don't even like sweet potatoes!).

Sweet Potato Pie

-= Ingredients =-
1 (1 pound) sweet potato
1/2 cup butter; softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoon Lemon juice
2 tablespoon Flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust (try the pat-in-pan crust below - easy & delicious)

-= Instructions =-

Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.
Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Remove strings. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, lemon juice, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools.

Adapted from www.allrecipes.com.

Easy "Pat in Pan" Pie Crust

-= Ingredients =-
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cold milk

-= Instructions =-
Place flour, sugar and salt in a pie pan. Mix with fork until blended. In another bowl, add the vegetable oil and milk. Beat with a fork until creamy. Pour oil mixture over the flour mixture. Mix with the fork until moistened. With your fingers, pat the dough across the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.

For a filled pie, add filling to crust and bake according to instructions in the pie recipe.

For a pre-baked crust bake at 425°F for 10 to 15 minutes. If using a glass pan, decrease oven temperature to 400°.

November highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:48:00 +0000

Now that football is over - on to lacrosse! Justin had two indoor scrimmages to kick off practices this month. He did well - he's got a rare talent for his age which is the ability to easily switch right to left. If he spends more time developing that skill (and others) he is destined to be a force to be reckoned with!

Before his practices started, Justin helped out on the Junior High team
by giving the new players some pointers.

Terry's brother Todd came all the way from New York to visit us for Thanksgiving. I made all the usual stuff - turkey & gravy, mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potato pie and other goodies. My friend Kathy made green bean casserole and the best stuffing (dressing?) you have ever tasted.

Suzie, Duke and Todd - Thanksgiving

Terry carving the turkey - with Duke always nearby.
And Justin waiting patiently for supper to start.

Thanksgiving with family and friends (who are like family!)
Clockwise from bottom left: Todd D., Suzie, Todd M., Jen/me, Terry, Jim,
Kathy, Justin, Eric and Barbara

While Todd was here, we also went hiking at San Tan Mountain Park and took Duke to visit Suzie at her Memory Care home.

Left to right: Todd, Jen (me), Duke and Terry

Left to right: Duke, Todd, Jen (me), Suzie and Terry

Finally! Photos from August trip to Europe - Part 1: Naples

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:42:00 +0000

My trip was up and down - the work part had a lot of challenges and I was super glad when it was over, but when I had free time I made the most of it. Here are a few of my favorite parts of the trip...

It was my first time on a cruise! Once I got over the mind-boggling notion of 155K+ tons of steel impossibly floating over a mile-deep body of water, I was able to enjoy it for the most part. All our cabins had balconies so I was able to get some good shots right from the boat...

But my favoritest one was this - the sun rising over Mount Vesuvius. Pretty awesome, huh?

On this same stop (Naples) I was able to stretch my legs a bit. Came across a beautiful shopping center.

Galleria Umberto

Inlaid mosaic tiles throughout the Galleria.
This was the Aquarius portion of the Zodiac wheel
which was in the center of the building.

But one of the absolute BEST parts of the entire trip was this...

Caprese and margherita - Trattoria Medina, Naples, Italy

Aren't you jealous? If not, you should be! Real margherita pizza - from the city where pizza was invented! Accompanied by a caprese salad and Italian red wine - what could possibly be better than that??? I think if I was on death row this would be my last meal. But it would have to be from Italy, not just some Podunk Americanized pizza shop. Even Trader Joe's Italian imported pizza does not match up.

Speaking of food, and Naples for that matter, take a look at the humongous lemons they grow in those parts! Limoncello was also invented here.

Lovely lemons! And HUGE too!

Limoncello in various flavors, shapes and sizes

To be continued...

In the mean time, if you want to view the entire set click here or for a slideshow click here.

October highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 01:56:00 +0000

Hopefully this is not what I'm turning into... one of those people who writes on their blog only bi-monthly. I have so much to share, but so little time! Yet, I find that when I post updates there's little variance from month to month as far as what we have going on. What is wrong with this picture?

Anyway, in October we were busy finishing up football and working on sign-ups for lacrosse. Justin's poor team had a horrible record - I don't even want to repeat it here in writing. He played well, though, especially in the last game. Hoping that next year in JV will be better for him because hopefully the coaches will be able to weed out some of the more lackadaisical players on the team. Here are some awesome shots of him by the team's photographer... In case you can't tell, he's #21.

Justin (#21) and some of his teammates

Eric got a job at Old Navy and loves it. He loves making money, and doesn't mind that he's one of only about 2 male store employees (hmmm... I wonder why that is?). His room still looks like a tornado went through it but if you look in the closet his T-shirts are neatly and uniformly folded. Well, at least that's one thing he'll be pre-trained for in the Service. Speaking of the Navy, he's finalizing some paperwork and we're hoping he will wrap that all up soon so we know when he will be shipping out to boot camp (or whatever the Navy calls it).

October was Halloween! I went to "Spooky BUNCO" dressed as a Beverly Hills Housewife. Here I am with my friend Barbara, who was our ZUMBA instructor...

Chanel purse-check! Über high heel platform pumps-check!
Starbucks-check! Purse puppy-check! Sunglasses-check!
In this photo you couldn't see, but I also had various designer-store
shopping bags. This was a fun costume.

Left to right: Kimberly/Witch1, Monica/Katy Perry; Garden Gnome; Julie/Blackmail;
Barbara/ZUMBA; Kathy/Pink Lady; Kristin/Nerd Girl; Witch2; Stacey/Ladybug;
Jen (me)/Beverly Hills Housewife; Michelle/Little Miss Muffet

September highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:04:00 +0000

Not a whole lot to report for the month of September. We have been busy with football and lacrosse of course, but other than that, not a whole lot has happened in all honesty.

Justin enjoyed playing football against his friend Danny at a rival school but with about 2 minutes left in the first half Justin was returning a kickoff and got slammed by a couple guys. As a result, he suffered a concussion which we later learned (that is, after a CT scan and multiple evaluations) that it was only minor, thank goodness. But that kept him out of the rest of that game, plus the following week's game when he would have played three of his buddies from a rival school. He's fine now, so I guess we'll just have to wait til next year to play those guys again.

On the 17th the football team had a golf tournament fundraiser which I helped out with. My job was to sell $5 at the 18th hole - the object was that if you got a hole in one, you would win $1000. Guess what - someone DID get a hole in one! It was so exciting! BUT he didn't purchase the ticket! So no thousand bucks for him! Crazy. Bet his girlfriend was mad.

The month still kept us busy as always - seems every night was a meeting for either football or lacrosse, or a game, or a work thing.... Schedules won't ease up at least until football is over at the end of October - but then lacrosse practices start a few weeks later!

Oh, and we got a new mattress - a foam one that is really nice and should last a long time. Guess who gets the most use out of it???

Never forget

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 16:48:00 +0000

I have no desire to turn this post into a super-long diatribe about what's wrong (or even what's right) in our country. I simply want to reflect on some of the things I remembered from that fateful day ten years ago.

Turning on the TV before work and seeing Tower 1 smoking. Though at this point a lot of people thought it was a strange accident, my first thought was an attack by Iraq.

Driving to work and hearing on the radio about the second tower. Beginning to realize the scope of the tragedy, calling my husband (waking him up) and telling him to turn on the TV. "Which station?" he asked. "It doesn't matter," I said.

Speaking to my Mom and being relieved that my sister, who had been in New York City for a short vacation, had returned safely home the night before.

Watching news coverage with my colleagues and realizing that a good portion of my clients were actually IN the towers of the World Trade Center. My territory was Northeastern US, Finance and Insurance.

Imagining the unimaginable, as so many Americans did. How horrifying it must have been for those victimized by this tragedy. Seeing news coverage of people running for their lives and realizing there is so much more the cameras won't show because it was just too terrifying for the American public to see. Those cameramen and women most likely witnessed horrific sights and they spared us from seeing them ourselves.

Over the following days came more realizations. This was a tragedy that hit all Americans in one way or another. Everyone knows someone who was directly affected by the attacks. In my case, it was Todd Pelino, who I went to school with in Junior and Senior High. Through the simple circumstance of the alphabet, he sat in front of me in High School homeroom for three years. Now he was just gone. Though I never saw him after High School, and never met his wife, I still felt sadness for her. She not only lost her husband, the father of their 9-month-old baby, but also her sister, who worked at Cantor Fitzgerald with him.

Our usually-noisy neighborhood fell quiet. No longer did we have the small prop planes and helicopters flying overhead from the nearby small airport which housed a handful of flight schools. We had been accustomed to hearing them every 15-20 minutes or so on the weekend, but now... simply silence. For what seemed like an eternity.

We learned that one of the terrorist pilots actually trained at one of those schools. That he may have been flying over our house only a few weeks before during a training exercise.

Upon returning to work, noticing the skies were silent from commercial jets as well. There was nothing but blue sky, the sun, and some billowy white clouds. This may seem 'normal' to you, but to someone who was accustomed to seeing five, six or more planes constantly streaming through the air, their absence was certainly noticeable.

No, I will never forget all these things. I will never forget the feelings associated with them. But I will also always remember the way America came together through the tragedy. How people were no longer hesitant about mentioning their faith in God. They seemed to sing "God Bless America" everywhere, and I'm so glad this is still a tradition at major sporting events.

I pray that we have learned from this. That our lives have not simply become more inconvenienced at the airport and group events, and that the precautions that are being taken will truly prevent another attack.

I pray that our leaderswill make decisions that will protect the American people without letting party politics or personal agendas getting in the way.

I pray that the people of America, the people of the world, learned something and will never forget how they felt that day.

They say that time heals all wounds, but this is one that should never be healed, lest we forget the pain that it caused.

Friday silliness

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 14:30:00 +0000

August highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Jen Merkel) — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 04:20:00 +0000

Busy August for us! Here's what we had going on...

Started out the month with football of course - Justin put in a lot of effort with practice and training and it has been paying off. He's built great muscle tone on his arms and legs, and is in super shape! He's growing a lot too, still on the small side of average for his age at 5'3" but we know he is continuing to grow. He had his first game at the end of the month - unfortunately they didn't do too well. His school is not one of the "big football" schools in the area, and sadly their team usually reflects this. Some of the better 9th grade players are on the Varsity team, so that obviously takes away from our team (which I suppose is understandable). The Freshman team is also hurting for coaches and that surely does not help the situation.

Terry and I have been busy with lacrosse, believe it or not! We are both on the Board of Directors for the team that Justin plays on. They are no longer just one school, so this year we got a new name, the East Valley Scorpions. I'm the Communications Director and one of my jobs is the website - check it out: www.evslax.com.

Nothing new with Eric. Nothing at all. Same stuff, different day. Wish I had more to report!

The only other big thing that happened in August was my trip to Europe (for work). It was very tough - we had a lot of problems, no fault of our own. But I don't think, in my 20+ years of event planning, that I have ever had a program with so many troubles! Glad it's over and glad to be home. I will post some details and pics sometime later this month.

What's in store for September...

More football, of course! This month, Justin plays a few of his former teammates!
a swap party
???