Spring Break . . . Chicago Style! :)

For Roland's Spring Break this year we decided to go down to Chicago for a three day weekend! :) Roland picked me up from work this morning and we hit the road! After what seemed like a few minutes to me, because I was sleeping on the way down, we arrived in Chicago! After having lunch at Moondoggies and checking into the hotel, we were off to the Chicago Temple! I love going to the temple with my sweetheart! It was the PERFECT way to start out our weekend! :)

After a lovely afternoon in the temple, we headed down to the train stop where we could park the car. Then on to the train we went . . . to go to the Willis Tower (formally named the Sears Tower)! :) The trip on the train was a lot of fun and much more economically smart to use! Walking from the train stop to the tower: very cold! Going up and seeing the sights to see: unbelievably breath taking! We timed it so we would be up at the top of Chicago at sunset! It defiantly was one of the best sunsets that I have ever seen! :)

Roland took a video up at the top of the tower, showing some of the sights and the sunset and even takes us out onto the ledge! Check it out! It's kind of funny, but then hey, what do you expect it's coming from Roland! :) Oh, and yes, he has a funny looking beard! Roland and I are going to be in the Nauvoo Pageant this summer, he is just growing his bread out. He started early because he wanted to make sure he had enough length on it by July to look the historical part, after all he has never grown out his beard before! :)

Roland and I at the top of the Willis Tower! :)

Sunset from the top of the Willis Tower! :)

Our Very First House Guest! :)

The other day Roland and I had our very first house guest, my beautiful little sister, Vicki! :) She came over in the afternoon on one Saturday so we could hang out and have some sister time while Roland was as work. Well, it was getting kind of late, and we wanted to make some Strawberry Nut Bread, but we needed more eggs and vegetable oil. So, we ran to Target to pick some up. While at Target we saw my very favorite, ever so very handsome Target worker, Roland! :) Roland suggested that if it was okay with Mom and Dad that Vicki could spend the night camped out in our living room on our air mattress. Well, Mom and Dad said sure, so thus Vicki became our very first house guest! :)

Vicki come to church with us on Sunday wearing one of my beautiful dresses that she loves to steal when she can and gave her Sunday school teacher a hard time as directed my Dad (Roland was her Sunday school teacher, so she wasn't too bad!) hehehe  After church, Roland made up some of his secret Spaghetti sauce recipe for lunch, and then we sent her on her way! :)

What a very fun little adventure it was to have a guest in the house (apartment)! :)

Cooking with the Fullers

"As a child my family's menu consisted of two choices:  take it or leave it."  ~Buddy Hackett

Roland and I have been making some pretty yummy things for dinner! I just thought that I would share our recipes, and invited everyone over for dinner at our house! Of course, if your coming, let us know, then we will set out a place for you! :)

I have been cooking up Chicken Cordon Bleu with Golden Cream Sauce! Sound good? Maybe enough for your dinner tonight? :)

Ingredients:

• 3 whole boneless chicken breast (about 2 1/2 pounds) halved and lightly pounded
• 6 slices of Swiss cheese
• 6 slices of cooked ham
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmag
• 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper
• 1 envelope of onion soup mix
• 2 cups (1 pint) of light cream or half & half
• 1/4 cup water
• Hot cooked noodles
• Hot cooked broccoli
• Wooden toothpicks

Directions:

1. Top each chicken breast half with a slice of cheese and ham; roll up and secure with wooden toothpicks.
2. In large skillet, melt butter and brown chicken over medium heat; drain. 
3. Blend the onion soup mix and cream and water; set aside.
4. Add nutmag and pepper to chicken in skillet, then add golden onion recipe soup mix blended with cream and water.
5. Bring just to the boiling point, then simmer covered for about twenty minutes or until chicken is done.  
6. To serve arrange chicken and sauce over hot noodles with broccoli on the side.

This recipe makes about 6 servings! :) Enjoy!

Not what you have in mind for dinner tonight? Lets see if what Roland cooked up for me is what makes your mouth water! :) He made for me Manicotti! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup graded Parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 
• Salt to taste
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 1 (16 ounce) jar Spaghetti sauce (Roland made his own "secret" recipe spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage meat chunks)
• 5 1/2 ounces Manicotti pasta

Directions:

1. Cook Manicotti in boiling water until done. Drain, and rine with cold water.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
3. In large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.
4. Pour 1/2 cup sauce into a 11x17 inch backing dish. Fill each Manicotti shell with 3 tablespoons of cheese mixture, and arrange over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over top, and sprinckle the rest of the parmesan cheese.
5. Back for 45 minutes, or until bubbly.

This recipe makes about 4 servings. :) This was scrumdiliumcious!

If neither of these tickle your taste buds, then I guess you're on your own! :) Good luck!

Lost and Found

"My roommate got a pet elephant. Then it got lost. It's in the apartment somewhere." ~ Steven Wright

Very funny story! You're going to laugh! This is such a Christi thing to do! :)

So, here it is! The other day I was driving quick to the store to pick up some eggs or something like that that we needed for dinner. Since we hadn't went down and picked up the mail yet, I grabbed the mail key. I was driving around a curve and the mail key fell down somewhere in the car . . . yep, I had lost the stupid mail key, the only one we have, and I hadn't even picked up the mail yet! And the only thought I had was, man, my pay stub is in there, now how am I going to figure out how much to pay for Tithing! :)

Lucky for me, Roland knows how to find things that I have lost! The next morning he was down looking around the car, and he found it . . . on the passenger side seat! How blind could I have been! :)

On a happy note, I did find something that I had lost . . . I had somehow misplaced the CD of Wedding pictures that Heidi had given to me of the ones that she had taken of Roland and I . . . now I had searched high and low in our little apartment and was to the point of asking Heidi for a new copy the next time I saw her . . . and what do you know, when I was cleaning up some of Roland's school papers in the backseat of the car, there they were . . . in my car the whole time!

Maybe the moral of the story is that I need to keep my car spotless, then I will never lose things in it! :)

Delicious French Toast

Yesterday I came home from work feeling very productive, so I made my sweetheart something yummy to start his day off with! This doesn't happen very often do to the fact that I work from 11:00 at night to 7:00 in the morning. But on days that I do feel in the mood to spoil him, and he don't have to have hard crunchy cereal, I try to go the extra mile. So I made Strawberry Stuffed French Toast! :)

Now, anyone who knows me and my great skill in the kitchen, will know that this must be a fairly simple and easy to make meal, and they would be right! :) Lucky for me and Roland, I do know how to follow a recipe, so most things that I make do turn out to taste on the good side! So, I know that you are just dieing to find out what is in this recipe of mine, so here we go! :)

Chocolate and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

• 4-8 slices of your favorite bread (I go with whole wheat)
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) semisweet chocolate chips (Optional)
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) strawberry jam
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) milk
• 2 tbsp. (30 mL) granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. (5 mL) vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp. (15 mL) butter
• powdered sugar for dusting
• maple syrup and fresh strawberries as accompaniment 

Cooking Instructions

1.  Mix the cream cheese and strawberry jam together in a bowl. To make it easier to mix, heat it up for about 30-45 seconds in the microwave.
2. Take two slices of bread and lay them open like you're making a sandwich. Spread one slice of bread with some of the cream cheese and strawberry jam mixture. If you want to use chocolate chips, sprinkle some on the top of the sauce before closing the sandwich. Repeat the proses until you have enough for each person. (Usually makes about four sandwiches.) If desired you can save some of the sauce and use it as your syrup.
3. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla. Dip the stuffed bread sandwiches into the egg mixture, turning to soak both sides evenly. (Do this one at a time, then cook them or you will make a mess of the egg mixture!)
4. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the stuffed bread to the pan and cook, turning each slice over several times to let it brown evenly and allow the heat to penetrate and melt the chocolate -- about 5 or 6 minutes total. Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve with powdered sliced fresh strawberries and maple syrup. 
5. With the extra egg mixture you can make into scrambled eggs to create a nice side.

 I chose to spread some of the extra cream cheese sauce on top, were Roland enjoyed his with the homemade maple syrup he had made last week. This recipe serves about two people with enough for two sandwiches each. I hope you enjoy this simply delicious spin on french toast! :)

This is a picture of how mine turned out. We had some charry chocolates so I added them on the side to add a little somethin' somethin'! :)

The Phantom of the Opera

"A painter paints pictures on canvas.  But musicians paint their pictures on silence."  ~Leopold Stokowski

A couple weeks ago Roland and I had the great opportunity to go watch "The Phantom of the Opera" put on by Wausau West High School. It was to say the least, AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so impressed by the raw talent that these young high school students had! I have always loved the music to Andrew Lloyd Weber's "The Phantom of the Opera", especially the song: Masquerade. I can't wait until next year to see what they will be putting on so I can go again! :)

 Masquerade from The Phantom of the Opera

Andre:(Spoken)
Monsieur Firmin!

Firmin:(Spoken)
Monsieur Andre!

Firmin:
Dear Andre, what a splendid party

Andre:
The prologue to a bright new year

Firmin:
Quite a night, I'm impressed

Andre:
Well, one does one's best

Andre and Firmin:
Here's to us

Andre:
A toast to all the city

Firmin:
I must say all the same it is a shame that phantom fellow isn't here!

Chorus/Crowd:
Maquerade! Paper faces on parade
Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you
Masquerade! Every face a different shade
Masquerade! Look around, there's another mask behind you.

Flash of mauve
Splash of puce
Fool and king
Ghoul and goose
Green and black
Queen and priest
Trace of rouge
Face of beast
Faces!
Take your turn, take a ride
On the merry-go-round
in an inhuman race
Eye of gold
Thigh of blue
True is false
Who is who?
Curl of lip
Swirl of gown
Ace of hearts
Face of clown
Faces! Drink it in, drink it up
Till you've drowned
In the light
In the sound
But who can name the face?

Masquerade! Grinning yellows, spinning reds
Masquerade! Take your fill, let the spectacle astound you
Masquerade! Burning glances, turning heads
Masquerade! Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you
Masquerade! Seething shadows breathing lies
Masquerade! You can fool any friend who ever knew you
Masquerade! Leering satyrs, peering eyes
Masquerade! Run and hide, but a face will still pursue you.

Madame Giry:
What a night!

Firmin/Andre:
What a crowd!
Makes you glad
Makes you proud
All the creme
De la creme

Carlotta:
Watching us, watching them

Meg:
All our fears are in the past

Firmin/Andre:
Three months

Piangi:
Of relief!

Carlotta:
Of delight!

Andre/Firmin:
Of Elysian peace!
And we can breathe at last.

Carlotta:
No more notes

Piangi:
No more ghosts

Madame Giry:
Here's a health

Andre/Firmin:
Here's a toast
To a prosperous year
To our friends who are here

Piangi and Carlotta:
May the splendour never fade!

Firmin/Andre:
What a blessed release!

Madame Giry:
And what a masquerade

Christine:
Think of it
(Spoken)
Our secret engagement.
Look, your future bride.
Just think of it.

Raoul:(Spoken)
Why is it secret? What have we to hide?
You promised me.

Christine:(Spoken)
No, Raoul, please don't, they'll see.

Raoul:(Spoken)
Well then let them see.
It's an engagement, not a crime.
(Sung)
Christine, what are you afraid of?

Christine(and Raoul in parenthesis):
Let's not argue(Let's not argue)
Please pretend (I can only hope)
You will understand in time (I'll understand in time)

Chorus/Crowd:
Masquerade!
Paper faces on padade
Masquerade! Hide your face so the world will never find you
Masquerade! Every face a different shade
Masquerade! Look around, there's another mask behind you
Masquerade! Buring glances,turning heads
Masquerade! Stop and stare at the sea of smiles around you
Masquerade! Grinnning yellows, Spinning reds
Masquerade! Take your fill, let the spectacle astound you.

Frozen or Canned

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." ~Jim Davis

What is better frozen or canned veggies? I love eating fresh vegetables but sometimes you can't eat them before they go bad, so you have to make a choice weather to buy frozen or canned veggies. What is your fix?

Me personally, I think that it is a mixture of both. For example: green beans are better canned than frozen, while peas are better frozen than canned. It seems that somehow when being frozen some veggies, like green beans, seem to loose their flavor and texture; and that while being canned some vegges, like peas, get all mushy! :) Why is that?

And then, are there some veggies that don't taste good either way: fresh, frozen, or canned? Like beets? :) (Sorry, when I think of beets all I can think of is the pickled beets that we would serve everyone every night for dinner at the nursing home!)

I was reading about frozen and canned veggies, and this is what I found . . . it is always better for you to eat fresh veggies, but if you can't have them fresh (due to not eating them fast enough or too expensive or not enough storage or whatever) it is better to go with frozen. The store-bought frozen veggies are usually frozen at the peek of their ripeness, while store-bought canned veggies usually have extra sugar and salt. Oh, and the other hand, canned veggies take up less room in the freeze! :)

I suppose it depends on what you are looking for in buying veggies . . . taste, health, price, space  . . . or a combination of everything. In the end, I don't think it really matters where you get your veggies (fresh, organic, frozen, canned, home grown) as long as you try to have a healthy balanced diet and that you enjoy it! Food is something to fuel our bodies, and we shouldn't have to be gagging at every bite we take! :)