Archive for August, 2009
This weekend I went up to DuPont State Forest to one of the Waterfall spots. Matt, Jay, and I took the dogs to hike and swim. It was very interesting. My two dogs have only been swimming maybe once or twice in their seven years of life. Natasha, my shar pei, was so entertaining! She swims like she has frog feet. All she wanted to do was be on land so as I was walking back to the rock she was behind me and hooked her two front paws in my back pockets so she wouldn’t have to swim. She had me laughing pretty good. This was a very beautiful area and great little waterfalls to play in.
So this weekend Matt and I went down to Atlanta, GA for the Red Bull Soapbox Races! It was really hot and there were a ton of people. This is the first year they have hosted this event in Atlanta. My friend Richard and some of his boys built a Soapbox car with the theme of The Hillbillies. They were great. All the different Soapbox cars were very creative and fun to watch crash on the course. My favorite skit was from the Furbus Boys. They danced and stripped off there cloth coveralls down to their yellow fur skivvies. Below is a picture of The Hillbillies.
I watched The Fall about a little girl that bonds with another man in the hospital in the 1920s. He tells a story and the little girl turns adds to it her fantasy side of the story. She gets very involved in the story and just keeps wanting more. I really liked this movie, a lot actually. It was different, yet fun, and curious. The little girl was my favorite. Her accent and character were easy to fall in love with. One of my favorite parts was when the little girl licked the ice.
I watched The Soloist tonight and it was a great movie. Robert Downey Jr is a wonderful actor. I have liked him in ALL his recent movies and look forward to the ones coming out. I also really enjoy Jamie Foxx as a musician in movies. He does an excellent job in this movie and especially in the movie Ray. I got frustrated every so often because of Jamie’s character. It’s like you want the best for him and accepting that this is as good as it gets is difficult. Overall I liked this movie and the message in it.
Every morning when I get on my computer I go to the Breast Cancer Site and click on the Click here to give it’s FREE. You can click daily and the sponsors of the page pay for a mammogram every time you click. They also have all kinds of breast cancer merchandise.
I decided to check out Race to Witch Mountain thinking it would be a fun relaxing movie to watch. It wasn’t too bad of a movie. Some parts were pretty cool; like the part where they go into the refrigerator. That was exciting. Overall out of 5 stars I would probably give it 2 1/2 stars.
Citrus Honey Grilled Chicken & Orange Scented Broccoli
Posted by: Frances
August 25th, 2009 >> Cooking
Citrus Honey Grilled Chicken & Orange Scented Broccoli
This was not too bad. I thought it had a lot of citrus flavor to it. You can definitely taste the orange in it. I loved the broccoli! The two together fit quite well. I will probably only make the broccoli again, not the chicken. It was great to try though! The other people who ate dinner with me said it was scrumptious.
Citrus Honey Grilled Chicken
Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cups of orange juice
1/4 cup of lime juice
1/4 cup of lemon juice
3 Tbl honey
2 Tbl olive oil
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 Tbl dried oregano
Directions:
Pound chicken breasts to equal thickness. In a medium zip lock bag mix together the juices, honey, olive oil, oregano, and hot sauce. Add chicken and let marinate in the frig for at least 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and boil the marinade on the stove for 10 minutes to baste the chicken with while it is grilling. Grill the chicken and baste it frequently for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
Orange Scented Broccoli
Ingredients:
Broccoli
1 navel orange, remove rind and save
salt and pepper
3 Tbl olive oil
2 shallots sliced thin
1/3 cups of orange juice
Directions:
Boil a few inches of water in a large skillet and add the broccoli, orange rind, and salt. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes. Drain the water and remove the rind. Return the pan to heat and add olive oil. Heat over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 3 minutes. Add broccoli and stir. Then, add orange juice and stir. Simmer for 1 minute. Serve and add salt and pepper to your desire.
Weekend at Lookout Mountain
Posted by: Frances
August 24th, 2009 >> Hang Gliding, Outdoor Activities
I had a blast this weekend at Lookout Mountain. Matt got his new U2 Hang Glider and flew all weekend. I got to learn a bunch of interesting things about hang gliders and their performance levels, as well as wind conditions to fly in, setting up for landings, and much more. The weather was gorgeous the entire time. So a bunch of pilots got some great air time in. I also met some really cool people while I was there that made very good impressions on me and I won’t forget. Below is a picture of Mike Barber about to launch! This is why I can’t wait to be a Glider Pilot. I want to do this! Click Here
Went to Olive Garden tonight for dinner and had the Chicken Alfredo with Gnocchi! Oh my gosh it is so delicious!
Then, off to see G.I. Joe!
That was an interesting movie. I thought it was too much CGI graphics for the action scenes and it was much more unrealistic than I expected it to be. I laughed during a few parts of the movie that I found to be entertaining, but overall it was not as exciting as I anticipated. Overall, I enjoyed it, but it is not one of my favorites this year.
Grilled Mahi Mahi with Orange & Sesame Asparagus
This is was a very light dish. Easy to cook too. Has great flavor and the oranges makes the Mahi Mahi taste wonderful. This is an appetizing dish that I will cook again.
Recipe:
1. 4 Mahi Mahi Filets
2. salt and pepper
3. 2 limes, juiced
4. 3 Tbl dark tamari soy sauce
5. 2 in of fresh ginger root, grated (1 1/2 Tbl)
6. 1 Tbl olive oil
Asparagus:
1. 1 to 1 1/4 pounds of thin asparagus spears
2. 2 naval oranges
3. 1 in fresh ginger root, grated
4. 2 Tbl toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Preheat grill pan to medium to high heat. Season Mahi Mahi fillets with salt and pepper. Combine the lime juice, dark soy, ginger and olive oil in a shallow dish. Turn the Mahi Mahi in the citrus soy marinade you just prepared and let it set for about 10 minutes to marinate. Grill on hot grill pan for 6 min/side for a 1 in fillet or until fish is cooked.
Take 1 spear of asparagus and hold it as each end and bend it until it snaps and breaks. Do the same to the other spears. Using a peeler, make thin long strips of orange zest from both oranges. Cut the ends off the zested oranges. Peel the orange and remove the pith. Then cut into slices (like you would a tomato). Take a skillet and cover 1 in of water and bring to a boil withthe zest of the oranges and grated ginger. Simmer 1 minute and add the asparagus and salt. Simmer 3 minutes and then drain. Remove ONLY the asparagus and assemble onto a plate over the orange slices. Sprinkle sesame seeds over it and then place the Mahi Mahi on top then serve.