Mutant Lettuce and Other Garden Pics

Mutant red leaf lettuce - yes those red bush like things are lettuce! And they grow back once you cut em too! A few rouge tomatoes plants from last year have also appeared next to the lettuce.

Wild cilantro

Cilantro & hot peppers

More Hot peppers

Cherry tomaters

Patio tomatoes

Melia Las Dunas Cuba July 9 - 16, 2010

We had a great time in Cuba - it was very hot, so constantly being sweaty was a downside. I ran out of clothes and had to hand wash stuff. We usually went to breakfast, then back to the room to change for the beach or pool and then changed again for the evening, so I really needed 2 outfits per day.

We had requested to be close to our friends, but instead were put at the farthest building from the main building. Our friends we slightly closer, but still a fair walk away. Luckily they had lil golf carts that drove you around. We used these often - I hated getting dressed for dinner then walking to the restaurant and getting all sweaty before we got there. Our rooms didn't have very good AC - our friend's rooms were much cooler.

Also our friend's son was to share a room with J, but because we were so far away, he stayed with his family. So J didn't want to stay alone, I had to room with him leaving K on his own next door.

Nice resort, clean rooms, decent food, friendly staff. We went to 3 a la carte restaurants. Pizzeria was ok, Romantico was air conditioned and had amazing food - I had the beef tenderloin. The italian Columbus restaurant was ok but not as good as the Romantico.

Most days we had breakfast at the buffet, they had a wide assortment of food so that there was something for everyone. There was a poolside snackbar that we ate lunch at a couple times. The Beach Ranchon buffet was nice for lunch a few days.

I burned the first day and had to spend most of my time in the shade after that. The adult pool was great with its' swim up bar. There was a family side to this resort with its own pool that we went to one day but it was very crowded and loud - we liked the adult side much better. The beach was nice but the ocean was actually hot so I didn't find it very refreshing to go into, the pool was cooler.

I would definitely go back just at a cooler time of year.

Ok lots of PHOTOS here - I hope you can access them alright. Click the 1st photo to view in slideshow format.

Malibu Hurricane - My Fav Summer Drink

I copied this from a drink I had at Red Lobster one time...

The only problem with this drink, is that it goes down FAR too easily and if you don't watch it...you will need to be carried in from the patio...not like I know that from experience or anything :P

Large glass
Ice
1.5 oz coconut rum
splash of grenedine
orange juice & pineapple juice almost to top of glass (I mix these together before hand in a large pitcher)
slash of Southern Comfort to top of drink
Pretty coloured straw (it's a summer drink - you MUST have a straw!)

Once you have the drink, use the straw to mix it up - so you don't get a mouthful of Southern Comfort and to make the the grenedine rise and make it look pretty :)

Hi my name is Kim and I am a procrastinator

I am a VERY good procrastinator. I often wonder why I am like this - once I actually tackle a task, and I realize how easy it is, I can't figure out why I put it off.

I don't drive...now you know why :)

I often browse food blogs and think, wow I should make THAT! I jot down the recipe and never think of it again. You know how many recipes I have scribbled all over the place?

Bananas usually go bad on me before I can eat them all (don't know why I don't buy less) and so I have a freezer full of dead bananas that I plan to turn into muffins one day. My family LOVES banana muffins - I could make them every week and no one would get sick of them...so why don't I?

I decided to get off my butt and make banana chocolate chip muffins today. And...here's the important part...

I also mixed up 3 more bags of the dry mix! Again, I don't know why I don't do this more often. I just lined uip 4 bowls on the counter and dished up the dry ingredients into each - then put 3 of them into ziplock bags.

Now whenever I have the urge (or lots of bananas) to make muffins, I just have to dump the dry mix into a bowl, add 1 egg, 2 Cups of fruit (banana or pumpkin), 1/3 C oil and some vanilla - and then pop them in the oven. A couple minutes worth of work (not like it takes much longer from scratch).

I think we will be having muffins way more often now :)

I used this recipe.

Updated garden Photos

My garden is doing very well this year. I cant figure out why blogger won't let me separate the photos and add captions today - but on the photo of the red leaf lettuce - we had already cut one head of lettuce off and a new one is growing from one of the remaining leaves - we have since cut off two more and they are rapidly returning - the ones I haven't cut are over a foot tall!

 J weeding the hosta patch

 

The patio tomatoes

 

New website & new food found

Ok so the website really isn't new, nor is the food - but they are new to me :P

The website is called Eating Bird Food and while the blogger is a vegetarian, she has lots of recipes that I would like to make.

The Overnight Oats is one that intriged me and that I had to try. I loved it!

I made mine with:
1/2 C old fashioned oats
1/2 C 1% milk
pinch of cinnamon

In fridge overnight

In morning added:
2 T chopped walnuts,
1/2 sliced banana
1 t honey

It was very yummy! You can pretty much add whatever you have or like.

And it was very filling, I didn't even think of food again until lunchtime.

Chicken breasts with Asparagus Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

Ya say that 5 times fast :P

Just a thrown together recipe I made one night that we all really liked.

I slice the chicken breast in half instead of poinding them flat - I always find if I pound them they still tend to shrink up too fat again.

Well seasoned flourSaute coated chicken breasts in oil until crispy & cooked through

Alfredo sauce - jar of sauce, add 1/2 C milk, 2 oz cream cheeze,
whatever seasonings I feel like, heat & stir until smooth

At some point I also put spaghettini on to cook.

Slice up some mushrooms

Some shallots

Some asparagus
Saute vegs in EVOO until asparagus is tenderish

Once pasta is cooked, drain and mix with alfredo sauce

Plate chicken, some pasta and top with veggie mix
(I didn't mix the veggies in because the kid is picky and
only eats the pasta with sauce), but you could mix them in.
Fresh chives from the garden chopped and sprinkled on top :)
Enjoy!

Funnies

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Plethera of Peanut