French Macaroons

Here is my Saturday creation: a French macaroon. These are raspberry flavor but they can be just about any flavor you can imagine. Mine aren't nearly as pretty as they are supposed to be:


I am still proud of them since they were kind of difficult to make and I think they taste pretty darn good.

Weekend Update.

A summary of our weekend:

-We saw Black Swan on Friday with Suzi, Jon, Kaitlyn and Rob. I was excited to see it since it has been nominated for so many awards. It's a dark film and had some scenes I had not expected. Natalie Portman does a very good acting job. I would suggest seeing it.

-Joe and I went to the Westside Market to wander about and get some fresh foods. We ended up bringing home some nuremberger bratwurst and pierogies for Saturday's dinner and a whole chicken for Sunday's chicken noodle soup. We had a good time and will be going back soon.

-Today, Sunday, we went to the Wayside Furniture store in attempt to get some more furniture in our still very empty home. We saw a few things we liked but didn't make any purchases. Slowly we will get this home filled.

Wake up!

This is not the reason we send her to day camp...

Kolaches

After quite a few weeks of being lazy, I am finally back into a rhythm of cooking on a regular basis. I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes but I just hadn't felt like doing much of it after we moved. I'm sure Joe is thankful that my passion is back!

This weekend I made kolaches. I had one from the Kolache Factory when I was in Houston and thought it would be fun to try. A kolache is a czech creation; it is a filled pastry that can either be sweet or savory. The one I tried was ham, egg and cheese filled. And although mine was a bit different than the one I had in Houston, I think they came out pretty well. We've been enjoying them for breakfast this week.

All Aboard!

Joe and I had a lovely Saturday afternoon watching the snow covered trees and the ice-laden river go by. We were on "The Grape Escape Wine Train" on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad with my parents. This was a two hour train ride where we got to taste 5 different wines paired with hors d'oeuvres. It was a fun way to warm up on a cold day. Next time we may try "Ales on the Rails."

School Fight.

We were informed yesterday that Bailey got in a scuffle with another dog at day camp. Bailey is a very vocal dog. Not just with barking, but with whining with excitement, whimpering when she is left out, and some growling when she is feeling protective. When she plays with her best friend, PJ, she frequently does a high pitch bark or a low growl. However, she made this growling noise to a dog just as it entered day camp. This dog did not appreciate the greeting and went after Bails. The end result was no injuries but two dogs put in time out.

Later on they both happily re-joined day camp.

Houston Recap.

Houston was awesome - mainly because of great friends, but the city was pretty nice too. We had poor weather for Houston's winter weather standards; 50's and overcast. There was a spot or two of sun and the rain didn't really start until Sunday morning when I was getting ready to head home. It was still like a warm vacation in comparison to the 20's temperatures in Cleveland.

In order to keep a concise post, I'll just go over the highlights of the weekend's adventures:

1. The Wild West Club: "Two-Steppin' & Longneckin' is their motto." We watched the Texans spin around the dance floor in cowboy boots and hats before we dabbled ourselves. I liked the line dances the most - although it was frustrating to finally catch on to the moves just as the song ended.

2. Galveston's Chili Quest and Beer Fest: This made for a great Saturday. The sun was out and the chili was tasty!

3. Howl at the Moon: This is a dueling piano bar which had a fun atmosphere. I love live music and this was no exception.

4. The food in general: I had some delicious meals over the weekend. Houston has some great restaurants.

5. Steelers Game: We got to catch the second half of the game against the Ravens. From what I hear, that was the better half to watch anyway. Go Steelers! (I know Holly's with me on that!)

Overall, a great weekend!

Houston

I just landed in Houston, TX for another Spain friend reunion. I am always impressed that we have kept these up! It's always a good time. Tara does Teach for America in Houston and we decided it would be fun to visit!

We will miss Ashley who is in Korea and Gracie - RIP.

We've been home from Florida since Thursday evening. Mrs. Patrick and I took the evening flight that landed in Pittsburgh at 10:30 - Joe, his dad and Bailey left at 5am to make the haul back to New Castle. Car v. Airplane - they won. They got home at 10:15 while it wasn't until 11:30 that we got home from the airport. I'm not complaining, I much prefer to fly.

Over the weekend, we took down Christmas decorations and settled back in. Suzi and Jon came over for dinner on Saturday - I was trying an Osso Buco recipe I found in a magazine. I think it was a successful meal! On Sunday I went with Suzi to a bridal show - all the bridezillas rushing around took me back to my days of wedding planning. It was fun to go - especially with the dozen or so cake samples they had out.

Floridian Dog

She loves it here - all of the walks and the new smells. She loves the porch and taking naps in the sun - she is in dog heaven!

Also, Happy New Year!