Today was one of those days weather-wise that you just WANTED to be outside. A simply perfect day … warm, but not too warm, with a slight breeze. Ahhh, I love days like this and we’ll look for any excuse to prolong our time outside.
After breakfast at McDonalds, where the lovebirds secured their own table away from their parents, we took Nicholas and The Girlfriend to a nearby farm so they could feed the animals and spend some time in the fresh air. I picked up a few herbs that I’m going to replant. I have far from a green thumb, but I’ve been doing okay with fresh herbs for the past few years … at least when someone else starts them for me! I grabbed some fresh basil, oregano, rosemary and chives. Mmmm, nothing beats the smell of fresh herbs.
Putting the fresh herbs to use right away, we had one of our favorite steak recipes tonight, Hanger Steak with Olive Oil and Fresh Herbs. I love the tenderness of this cut of steak, and the marinade is perfect. It’s distinctive without being overbearing. Coupled with a big bowl of fresh fruit, it was a perfect meal and coincides nicely as an entry for Kalyn’s Weekend Herb Blogging.
Since dinner was so easy to prepare, I took the extra time to get some of the office treats out of the way. Nicholas was a little behind on his strawberry eating, so I helped him out by baking a batch of Strawberry Bread. One of my favorite recipes to use strawberries, it’s very simple to make and comes out perfectly every time. One for us, and one to go into The Neighbors’ office. For my office, I had a request for Paula Deen’s Gorilla Bread. It’s a pimped up version of Monkey Bread, with a bit of cream cheese in every bite. Once that was done, I took the three overly ripe bananas we had and made a batch of Blueberry Banana Bread. This one was a new recipe and I haven’t tasted it yet, but will report back tomorrow. And lastly, I’ve been looking for a homemade granola recipe and spied one on Cooking Light’s web site, Maple-Almond Granola. I tried it when it came out of the oven, and well, it was okay, but the search is not over. I’m looking for one that’s crunchy that can be eaten as a snack by itself. This one is only slightly crunchy and is more geared towards being a yogurt topping or something similar, not a stand-alone.
Alright, before I leave you with the dogs, just a reminder for those participating in this weeks’ ARF/5-A-Day roundup – this week’s edition has a twist and your contribution must be using a recipe from a fellow blogger’s website. It can be any ARF, fruit or vegetable recipe. Can’t wait to see what you guys bring.
For those participating in my Weekend Dog Blogging event, you might want to join the Group Pool I started over at Flickr. You can join here. I’ll still be doing the round-up weekly as usual, this is just another way to show off your cute pups.
Until tomorrow…
Nicholasism for today: “I don’t want the cookie, it has sugar and I don’t want holes (aka cavities)” and he went and grabbed a green apple instead. Yay! He doesn’t really eat that much in the way of sweets, but when trying to steer him away from something sugary, I’ve been explaining about cavities. I love that he chose fruit over a cookie!
A year ago today… Mother’s Day Menu.
First up is our very own Eli. I got this shot of him on the way to the groomers last week. I thought it was cute with his eyes closed, almost as if he was winking.
A very content looking Simba from Up a Creek without a PatL:
Meet newcomer Mr. Woof (what an adorable face!) from Kitchen Wench:
The cutie from Ragus Pug stops by:
Stiva from Remarkable Palate comes back for a visit on his way to New Mexico:
The duo from La Mia Cucina:
The inquisitive Lulu from Why Travel to France:
Sophie from You Gonna Eat All That? in Virginia:
The dogs from Dispensing Happiness enjoy the weather:
Ziggy from Soul Fusion Kitchen strikes a pose:
The very sleepy Milo from Candied Quince:
And last, but not least, Lucky Buddy Bear is always on the job at Farmgirl Fare:
Hi, Cate, check out the King Arthur Flour website. I get their email newsletter and they just alerted me to a new recipe for Maple Granola that looks really, really good!