Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Spring is in the Air....

Spring is in the Air.....loving the early morning birds sing.
(I think? you can hear the tweets over the tv in the background!!)

I am not a gardener....but my Mom has been visiting for a few days and
she has my yard ready to GROW!
Now if ATX will get a little rain....I will be set until the 100 degree days of summer!
 Mom (and my brother) are both great gardeners....
Rob and I joke....even our house plants bloom when Mom is here?!?!
It is amazing what she can do with plants....she is anxious to get to her summer home
in Ruidoso, New Mexico to play in the garden!

Our pink old-fashioned rose....it is all over the fence!
 
My favorite flower....Gerber Daisies...
I am partial to pink ones...
but these yellow ones are beautiful!
 Love my new polka dot planter.....the begonia has doubled in size!
Lola turned 1 year old on March 11, 2011!!
Our sweet mini long-haired dappled dachshund....
Hopefully, she is now potty trained......no accidents since her birthday!
Humphrey "Bogart" enjoys the outdoors....he usually doesn't look at the camera...
this is an unusual face shot of Bogart! He is a mighty sweet 5 year old dachshund, too!
My yard is ready for SPRING....
I am excited to see the heat-resistant geraniums my brother has bought for me.
I am going to San Antonio this weekend to lounge by his pool and pick up my new plants!
Thank you, Mom (and Matthew) ~ I love your green thumbs!!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Dinner Club ~ March

Vicki and David hosted Dinner Club
Greek Menu

Appetizer
Greek Meatballs
Salad Course 
SALATA HORIATIKI(Greek Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese and Olives)
Main Course
Lemon Chicken and Orzo
Dessert
Brandied Sugared Strawberries over Frozen Yogurt

(I think I had too many glasses of wine and forgot to take a picture of dessert!
Next Dinner Club -- I promise to be a better photographer!)


 Diana and Vicki chat as Diana cooks the meatballs.
Keftedes
(Meatballs with Ouzo and Mint)


2 slices day old bread, crust removed, 3 T. Ouzo(whoever brings this dish, bring the rest of the OUZO), ½ med onion, finely chopped, ¼ c extra virgin olive oil, more if needed, 1 lb ground beef(85% lean), 1 large egg plus 2 egg yolks, lightly beaten, 2 T capers, rinsed and finely chopped, 1 small garlic clove, minced, 3 T finely chopped fresh mint, 1 ½ tsp dried oregano, 1 ¼ tsp coarse salt, fresh ground pepper, 1 lemon

Tear bread into bite-sized pieces and place in a small bowl. Add ouzo and let stand for 10 minutes. Squeeze excess and transfer bread into a medium bowl.

Cook onion on medium heat in 2 T oil until soft( about 6 minutes) Add onion to bowl. Add beef to bowl and break up with your hands. Stir in eggs and yolks, capers, garlic, mint and oregano and salt. Season with pepper.

Knead mixture until combined then stir with spoon until smooth. With moist finger tips. Shape into 1 inch meatballs and put on a platter-cover and chill for 1 hr.
Rob was the salad chef....and it was delicious!
Many THANKS to my awesome husband for being the main cook at our house!!

SALATA HORIATIKI
(Greek Tomato Salad with Feta Cheese and Olives)

4 firm cucumbers, peeled and cut in half length wise, cut into bite sized chunks
8 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into bite sized slices
2 large peppers(I use one red and one green), seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
2 small red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
8-12 ounces feta cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

Combine all the above and dress with the following:
2 tsp, fresh chopped oregano, salt, pepper, 1/3rd cup white balsamic vinegar, 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, whisk together and pour half over salad, reserving the rest for the table. Let salad marinate in fridge for 1 hr then let sit and serve at room temp.

 Michael stirred and stirred the risotto. It was amazing, too!!
Joanie and I...are so thankful for our cooking husbands!!

Joanie's Husband was the dessert chef.....
FRAOULES ME KONIAK
Brandied Strawberries with Yogurt


1 lbs of fresh strawberries

4 T. of Metaxa or other brandy

6 T of brown sugar

4 cups of lowfat Greek Yogurt(I suggest we substitute frozen vanilla yogurt in this case)

Clean the strawberries, remove stems and cut into quarters. Toss with sugar and brandy and refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours.

In each serving bowl, place ½ cup frozen yogurt and top with 4-5 spoonfuls of the berries and 2 spoonfuls of the sugared sauce.

We had a wonderful evening with friends and GREAT FOOD!!
Many thanks to David and Vicki for being the first host....
We look forward to Dinner Club at the Sparkman's house next time for Italian Food!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Sneaks and Cleats Tourney

The OCC's annual Sneaks and Cleats Tournament
Sneaks = Tennis (3 sets alternating partners)
Cleats = Golf (9 hole scramble)
Our team was called The Naylor Nine Irons.
The tennis players were...
 "My PGA Man" ~ Rob
 Captian Naylor ~ Matt
 Karen and Diana
 The Tennis Guys ~ Rob and Matt
The Tennis Gals ~ Karen and Diana
The tennis team won 4 out of 6 points!
Way to Go, Naylor's Nine Irons!!
The Golf Team (plus Diana)
Me, Rob, Matt, and Pauly
Let the golf tourney began....


Matt and Diana
Pauly and Karen
Me and Rob on the beverage cart.
Our team shot -4, so we were the BIG WINNERS
of the 2001 SNEAKS and CLEATS Tournament!
Woohoo ~ Naylor's Nine Irons are AWESOME!

Then...the fun began....a few more beverages from the cart girl,
Flip-Flop/Barefoot golfing (ROB!!), and cigars!
There were almost 10 in our group..playing the 2nd nine!
Not great OCC golf course etiquette..but it was WAY FUN!
DJ and Jule...ready to go??
We all started out playing golf..then the girls slowly started enjoying
the beverages MORE..and just watched and laughed.


 Karen and Julie
 Janet and Marissa

A self portrait.....we were "HAPPY"...driving the golf cart like Mad Women!!
I will ride with Diana anytime.....tons of adventure!
 The GOLFING GUYS!!  We heart Pauly....:)
 Watch for Rob in his flip flops and bare feet..the FUN BEGINS!
Pauly loved using my pink ball...he will find it in his bag next time he golfs!
Diana took this picture of Rob taking my picture putting....
even though it is blurry...it is one of my FAVORITES!!
Barb and Perry joined our group for the last two holes.
Then the after party begins at Serranos.....champagne, margaritas and Tex-Mex!
An Amazing Day with GREAT FRIENDS!
Can't wait for the 2012 Onion Creek Club Sneaks and Cleats Tourney!

A B C's of ME!

Today - you get My A to Z's
Everyone else is doing it..


A.  Age ~ a little past the mid 40s!
B.  Bed ~ king size
C.  Chore(s) You Dislike ~ folding clothes  and emptying the dishwasher
D.  Dogs ~ "Lola" the long hair mini -dachshund and "Bogart" the dachshund
E.  Essential Start to your Day ~ COFFEE!
F.  Favorite Color ~ pink and green
G.  Gold or Silver? ~ White Gold/Silver
H.  Height ~ 5'3"
I.  Instruments You Have Played ~ flute and piano (haven't played either in YEARS!)
J.  Job Title ~ Kindergarten Teacher
K. Kids ~ No...I teach kindergarten..enjoy my quiet in the evenings.
L.  Live ~ Austin, Texas "ATX"
M.  Mom's Name ~ Olna Lee
N.  Nicknames ~ Mamie
O.  Overnight Stays in the Hospital ~ None
P.  Pet Peeves ~ people smacking and chomping on ice (especially in movie theaters)
Q.  Quote from a Movie ~ "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!" Clark Gable - Gone With the Wind
R.  Righty or Lefty? ~ Righty
S.  Siblings ~ two brothers Matthew and Jon Mark (both younger then me!!)
T.  Time You Wake Up ~ 5:45 am
U.  Underwear ~ YES
V.  Vegetables You Dislike ~ Cilantro  (ICK!!)
W.  What Makes You Run Late? ~  if I have to go back home to see if I unplugged my Chi.
X.  Xrays You Have Had?  foot and finger
Y.  Yummy Food You Make ~ Chocolate Sheath Cake and My Famous Bean Dip
and
Z.  Zoo Animal Favorites ~ Bears

Friday, March 25, 2011

Emily ~ "The Zombie"

Emily's dance club performed to Michael Jackson's Thriller at the
Buda Elementary Talent Show!
Some warming up before the performance...
 The HAPPY Zombie
"Zombies are not supposed to smile..take another picture!"
Check out the scar under her neck....pretty scary!
 Patiently waiting....they are up next!
 Something was mighty funny!
Emily is a dancer...even while sitting down.
A "Cute Little Em Dance" while the BES choir was singning!

 A few still shots of the dancer!
We had a BLAST watching the BES Zombies Dance!
Buda Bulldogs ROCK!