July 1, 2011- Sandwiches and Pancakes

We left Seattle at 12:30 today, driving to Redmond, OR, for the weekend.  We met up with Kate and Spencer, who were driving down separately, in Madras, OR, for dinner at the Black Bear Diner.  Other than a weird situation with a claustrophobic woman while waiting to be seated,  it was a pretty good meal.  I had a pulled pork sandwich with fries.  The barbecue sauce on my sandwich was a bit sweeter than I like it, but it was still very good.  Ben had a great tri-tip sandwich with fries.  Katie opted for breakfast and had chocolate chip pancakes, heavily dipped in syrup, with chocolate milk and fruit.  Spencer had a half rack of pork ribs with clam chowder, and Kate had the California Bacon Benedict.  

After dinner, we drove into Redmond and met Jennifer at Fred Meyer to pick up groceries for the weekend.  If we had driven straight to her house without the grocery store stop, we would have arrived in exactly 7.5 hours.  Not bad considering it included a bathroom stop, long dinner, and a construction zone where we had to drive pretty slow.  The worst part of the trip was that we got a long crack in our windshield when a rock hit our window in the construction zone. 

June 23, 2011- Tea Party

Tonight Katie and I attended the 3rd Annual Chancel Choir Ladies Tea Party.  This was the first time either of us have attended.  I tied a wide lilac colored ribbon onto my sun hat with a large bow.  Katie wore a pink an white beaded headband with a fun pink bow on it.  We took petite tuna fish sandwiches with dill pickles diced inside, a splash of lemon juice, and a few dashes of black pepper.  There was plenty of food to eat, although we didn't bring any sandwiches home with us:)  We enjoyed strawberries- deep in flavor and color, cornbread sandwiches with turkey inside, sandwiches with asparagus, cream cheese, and prosciutto inside, cookies with jam prints, orange cake, and much more.  What a delightful evening!  

Katie spent a lot of time following and "playing" with Gizmo, the resident dog.  She even got to take Gizmo on a walk with Gordy, the man of the house.  Gizmo was a very patient dog with Katie's attention.  When she was done with Katie, she retreated upstairs, must to Katie's dismay. 

Tuesday, 4/19/2011

Our PEPS group gathered at Barb, Tadd, and Ronan's house for dinner tonight.  Before we ate, we got to check out their new chickens.  Raccoons got a couple of their chickens; so, these were the replacements.  They were still small, but past the cute fluffy stage.  Katie DID NOT want to touch them.  She eventually stepped into the coupe with me, but never got up the courage to touch one.  

Barb made pulled pork sandwiches for the main dish.  We knew that there were more carbs in the sauce than we were allowed, but decided not to sweat it.  We avoided the buns (which we brought for the potluck) and skipped the salad croutons and dessert.  The nuts in the brownies made it pretty easy to resist the dessert temptation tonight.  Unless we are talking Reese's peanut butter cups, I find it rare to really like a dessert with nuts in it.

Sunday, 4/10/2011

We spent our last day in California shopping and browsing in Downtown Disney.  The first order of business was to take a few family photos.  The rest of our photos can be found here: http://www.ackersphotography.com/Travel/Disneyland-2011/16580396_QktbM

We ate lunch at the John Wayne airport. Our meals were big enough that we didn't need to eat dinner when we got home. Ben and I each had a french dip with fries. Katie and Jennifer shared a grilled cheese sandwich.

What an amazingly fun vacation! 

Thursday, 4/7/2011

We're on VACATION!!!  This morning we flew to California to spend four days at Disneyland.  We flew down with Ben's brother, Spencer, and met Spencer's fiance, Kate, and their mom, Jennifer, there.  We are going to be in the parks today through Saturday, and then spend Sunday morning shopping and playing in Downtown Disney.

Within a few minutes of passing through the Disneyland entrance gates, we found Snow White.  After a short wait, Katie went right up to Snow White with no obvious sign of fear.  We were worried she would be afraid of the characters, like she's been of Santa Claus the past two years. It was wonderful to see her interact with a princess, talking and hugging.  I hope she'll be at ease with the others too:) 

We had dinner at the River Belle Terrace, in Frontierland.  All of the adults in our group had the BBQ pork sandwiches.  I think they were as good as the pork sandwiches we make at home.  Katie had a peanut butter and jam sandwich with apple slices.  I'm glad she was hungry, because she ate well and didn't waste any time.

The best part of the meal was when Katie reached for a bottle of Diet Coke and ended up spilling it all over the table.  It took several seconds for us all to realize what had happened.  By the time we picked up the bottle of coke, it was pooled under each of our trays and took a lot of napkins to clean up.  What made it really funny to us, was that we had just talked about the following video.  Enjoy:)

Wednesday, 3/30/2011

I got a coupon online to get a pretty good discount on a haircut at my favorite salon, Gene Juarez.  Since today was the last day to get the discount, I made an appointment.  Ben met me at the salon after work, and took Katie out for dinner while I had my appointment.  After I finished, I met them at Gordon Biersch for dinner.  They were already done eating.  Katie polished off her chicken strips and carrots with gusto.  She was ready to leave when I got there.  Ben had a pasta dish with shrimp in it.  He ordered me garlic fries and a Southwest chicken sandwich-- a grilled chicken breast, pepper jack cheese, roasted red peppers, and a chipotle mayo.  

Ben and I didn't communicate very well about the timing of dinner.  I asked him to text me when they decided on a restaurant.  Then it took me a while to reply to his text.  I asked ask him to order me something yummy.  He thought that I meant I was on my way.  I only replied because it was a good time to text during my haircut.  I figured it would take a while for the waiter to stop to take the order and that it wouldn't be out right away.  And, I was okay with knowing it might be a bit cold.  Well, the reality is that waiter stopped to take my order as soon as Ben got my text, and then the food was to the table in a couple minutes, way before I arrived.  They ended up putting my plate under a heat lamp for a while and eventually remade it. I felt really guilty about the waste of food.  But, the waitress was kind and said it gave them something to eat:)  What great service! 

Tuesday, 3/15/2011

After very large lunches today, we had pretty small dinners.  Ben had a half a sandwich with corned beef, cheddar cheese, and mayo.  I had a slice of peanut butter toast. Katie had yogurt and applesauce and a bite of banana. 

Sunday, 12/26/2010

This afternoon we drove to Ben's Aunt Chris' house for the annual Ruegg family gift exchange.  It was nice to spend time with our extended family and catch up a bit.  We got to meet a new baby in the family and watch Katie play with her cousins.  Jennifer made cute little tuna sandwiches, and we took cinnamon roll cookies.  Since we snacked for three hours, we didn't need a big dinner.  We finished off the tuna sandwiches and ate more dessert.  

I must say, Katie has been a trooper.  We've been gone since Tuesday and her naps and bedtime have been anything but consistent.  She went to bed gladly and let the adults settle in for a movie. 

Tuesday, 12/21/2010

Whoo Hoo!  We're on vacation!!!  Our taxi arrived promptly at 5:30pm to take us to the airport.  The driver patiently waited while we installed the car seat and got our six bags, stroller, and selves into the car.  We got the car seat and one bag checked for our flight and sailed through security with no issues.  And, for those who are curious, we did not have to pass through the full-body scanner.  

We ate dinner at the Seattle Tap Room, past security at the entrance to Concourse B.  Katie and I shared a basket of fish and chips.  Ben had a grilled chicken and bacon sandwich.  We were starving by the time we got to eat.  So, we ended up eating too much.  Thankfully, Katie is now old enough that she is required to have her own seat on the plane.  I'm very glad she wasn't on my lap during the flight:)  

The plane departed relatively on time and landed in Spokane, where we will spend several days with my family.  Life is so very, very good.

Sunday, 12/19/2010

We had a very simple dinner tonight. We fixed ourselves tuna fish sandwiches. Katie and I like dill pickles on ours.  Ben would prefer that pickles not exist:) After Katie went to bed, Ben and I polished off the cake and ice cream. Thanks for having a birthday little girl!

Wednesday, 12/15/2010

I shredded some of the left over rotisserie chicken from Monday and made chicken burritos tonight.  Katie wasn't interested in a burrito and opted for a pb&j sandwich instead.  About halfway through her half sandwich, she declared that she wanted a cookie.  We told her she could have a cookie when she finished her sandwich.  It took AN HOUR for her to finish that half sandwich.  I think Ben and I finished eating in 10 minutes.  After a half hour, Ben left the table to get some other things done while I waited with Katie.  Finally, the sandwich was gone and she got her cookie.  You would think that she would eat it quickly given how long she had been sitting and waiting for it.  But no, it was another 25 minutes before she finished that dang sugar cookie. My goodness, that was a long and boring meal.

Friday, 11/26/2010

For the last three years, we have spent Thanksgiving in Portland with Ben's mom, brother and extended family.  Traditionally, we have enjoyed the turkey meal on Thursday and then shopped on NW 23rd Avenue on Friday.  Since Jennifer and Spencer were at our house this year, we decided to substitute University Village for NW 23rd.  We had a great day of shopping....and eating:) 

We started with breakfast sandwiches at Specialty's Cafe and Bakery.  The food was quite tasty, but the accuracy and timeliness of our orders could have been better.  It took us until 1:30pm to get hungry for lunch.  We then enjoyed great burgers and sandwiches at the Ram Restaurant and Brewery.  Sufficiently stuffed, we didn't really need dinner.  After putting Katie down for the night, Jennifer, Spencer, Ben, and I sat down at the table to play Banagrams and eat cheesecake.  What a great way to end the night!

Tuesday, 11/23/2010

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I didn't want to make anything for dinner which would create more left overs.  We will be creating plenty of those on Thursday:)  So, we made breakfast sandwiches.

I used some Jimmy Dean sage sausage, which was already open in the fridge, to make sausage patties. I fried them in a skillet on the stove top while I prepped toasted buns, sliced cheddar cheese, and fried eggs. Tonight, I used an egg ring to keep a round egg shape for our sandwiches. For breakfast sandwiches, Ben likes the yolk in eggs to be slightly runny. That is definitely not my preference. I always break the yolk when frying my eggs. One solid egg please:)

Katie wanted her own little sandwich. She nibbled on the bread and eventually just ate the egg and sausage.

Friday, 11/19/2010

Ben, Katie, his brother, Spencer, and I are driving down to Portland tonight.  A family friend is getting married tomorrow, and Ben and I are the photographers.  Leaving after work is always anti-climactic.  We just get out of town and have to stop for dinner.  The easiest place to stop is in Tukwilla, near the Southcenter Mall.  We chose Panera Bread for our meal on this trip.  The menu has a nice variety, and, it goes without saying, the bread is outstanding. 

I had half of a Bacon Turkey Bravo sandwich.  It's smoked turkey breast, bacon, and smoked Gouda on tomato, basil bread with a signature dressing.  I opt out of the lettuce and tomatoes that come standard on the sandwich.  For side dishes, I had macaroni and cheese and some chips.  Ben had the Asiago Roast Beef Sandwich, also with mac and cheese and chips.  The sandwich had oven-roasted beef, smoked cheddar, and creamy horseradish sauce on Asiago Cheese Demi bread.  After snacking on turkey from my sandwich, I got Katie her own small turkey and cheese sandwich.  She skipped the bread and cheese and only ate the turkey.  And then, she gobbled down the tube of strawberry yogurt that came with it.  I'm not sure what kind of sandwich Spencer had, but I know he had mac and cheese with it.  

It took us over four hours to get to Portland, but we made it with a happy toddler.  Not too shabby:)

Sunday, 11/14/2010

Katie is the only one in the house who ate dinner tonight.  We had our good friends Melissa, Dave and Lucia over for a big lunch after church.  It was so very nice to catch up with them.  The last time we saw each other was Easter weekend.  Yikes...that was a long time ago.  For lunch, we recreated the delicious bacon, chicken sandwiches we made a couple months ago.  We couldn't find the same marinade mix at the store, so we opted for a carne asada chipotle marinade.  It said it was good for beef, chicken, or pork.  Thankfully, it truly was good for chicken:)  We made a banana, mandarin orange, and mango fruit salad to go with the sandwiches.  

For dessert, we had butterscotch, orange oatmeal cookies in bar form.  The directions said to bake the bars for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.  Well, after 18 minutes, they were quite golden.  Unfortunately, they didn't set up very well.  Luckily, they still tasted delicious and held together better a day later than when relatively fresh out of the oven.  

Oh yes, dinner.  Ben and I just weren't hungry for dinner after such a large lunch.  We snacked a bit, but had nothing formal.  Katie was hungry around 5pm.  She had chicken nuggets, dipped in ketchup, of course;) After a quick Skype with my parents, we took her to bed.  Hopefully, an extra hour of sleep tonight will make up for the missed nap today. 

Saturday, 10/23/2010

Today was a good day, but nothing like we planned it would be.  We were going to go to a pumpkin patch with our PEPS group this afternoon.  When the weather looked like it would be unpleasant, we decided to cancel.  After Katie woke up from her nap at 3pm, Ben and I played a game of "I don't know...what do you want to do?"  We finally left the house at 4pm, heading to the mall to get him a new dress shirt.

After shopping, Katie got to run around in the mall's play area.  It was crazy and loud and crowded.  But, she ran right in there with all the kids and had fun.  I helped her climb up to slide down the leaf several times.  Here's a video of her doing it:)

At 5:30 we left the main mall in search of dinner.  I know it is silly, but we thought we might be able to get into the Olive Garden with only a small wait.  We did not.  It was going to be a 45 minute wait, so we decided to try someplace else.  We went to Joey, a pretty swanky restaurant.  Ben and I have been to the Bellevue location before, but never with Katie.  We were both a bit nervous that bringing a toddler in would be frowned upon.  We were pleasantly pleased that we were welcomed quite warmly. 

The hostess told us that we just "had" to have the macaroni and cheese.  She said she ate it all the time and loved it.  So, when we sat down we tried to find it on the menu.  It wasn't listed.  We asked our waitress for it and she said no problem, she'd have the kitchen make something up.  Hmmm....why would the hostess recommend something that wasn't on the menu?  The first dish brought to the table was chicken fettuccine alfredo that wasn't meant for us.  When Katie's dish did arrive, she wouldn't take one bite.    They used fettuccine noodles and then made up a creamy cheese sauce for it.  It was excellent for not being on the menu.  Ben and I both enjoyed some of it and ended up taking most of it home.  The best part was that they only charged us $1.99 for it:)

Ben ordered a Better Beef Dip-- thinly shaved beef, served with grainy mustard on an Italian bun with atomic horseradish served with red wine au jus and fries.  He said it was excellent.  I had an equally excellent chicken sandwich that included a grilled chicken breast, bacon, aged cheddar, and a spicy sauce.  I asked our waitress if it had anything else on it.  She said, "no."  Obviously, she doesn't know the dishes well, because it came with a tomato and greens on it.  Thankfully, they pulled off easily.  I just don't find that veggies add anything positive to a sandwich. 

The only things Katie would eat for dinner were our fries.  And, she was happy, quietly eating them while people watching.  It made for a pleasant meal for us.  Until...she choked on a fry.  She gagged and gagged and gagged some more.  We've started asking her to say "momma" or "daddy" when she gags, so that we know she has recovered.  This time she couldn't say anything.  It was noisy and dark in the restaurant, so we don't know how blue she got.  But, she ended up puking before she recovered.  It was quite scary for us.  Our waitress went above and beyond to help us clean everything up.  She ended up earning a nice tip.  Thanks waitress for not making us feel bad about our puky toddler.  Katie was wiped out by the ordeal, but stayed awake until we got home.  It was no surprise that she went to bed happy. 

Monday, 9/13/2010

This might be my easiest, quickest post yet.  Tonight we had the same chipotle chicken sandwich that we had last night.  The only difference was that we used cheddar cheese instead of provolone.  Katie still isn't interested in this chicken, so she had a hot dog dipped in ketchup and some grapes.

Sunday, 9/12/2010

Ok, if last night's chicken was great...tonight it was fan-frickin-tastic!  I mentioned in yesterday's post that the chipotle pepper marinated chicken was of pub sandwich quality.  So, tonight we made our very own pub sandwiches.  Here's how we made them:

Marinated chicken breast- We sliced one left over breast in half, making two thin-cut breasts.  After being reheated in the microwave, I topped each piece of chicken with a slice of provolone cheese. The heat from the chicken helped to melt the cheese. 

Bread-  We purchased heavenly Panino Rolls, made by The Essential Baking Company in Seattle.  We sliced two rolls in half, buttered them and broiled them until golden brown. After they were broiled, we spread Boar's Head Savory Remoulade, Cajun Style Mayonnaise, on one half of each roll.

Bacon-  The bacon just made this sandwich.  I pan fried four slices of thick cut bacon until crispy.  We used almost two slices each.  The remainder we shared with Katie and had as dessert;)

I am pleased to know that we have enough ingredients to make these sandwiches again this week--can't wait!

Sunday, 9/5/2010

Before I get there, I have to mention that we had a lovely brunch this morning with Matt, Jenna, Braelyn, and my Aunt Margie, Uncle Bill, and cousin Katie.  Margie brought a tasty french toast casserole, and we made a cheesy potato and ham casserole.  Sweet and savory!  It was also the perfect opportunity for family photos:)

Matt, Jenna, and Braelyn hit the road for Spokane around 11am.  We were able to put Katie down for a short nap before we went out to celebrate Spencer's birthday.  After a frantic 10 minutes at 1pm, we got out the door with a very sleepy Katie and headed to Pike Place Market, downtown Seattle.  We met Jennifer, Spencer, Karen, and Michel for a Savor Seattle food tour of Pike Place Market.  Yes, we did go on this tour when our friends Thad and Shannon visited last month.  It is that good:)  We stopped at the same places on the tour, but had a few different food items. Check out my previous post for descriptions and photos of most of the food.  Here are a few photos from today's tour.

Me and Katie sampling mini donuts at the market.

Waiting for our chowders.

Spencer, Jennifer, and Ben at the end of the food tour.

After the tour, we did a little shopping at the market and ended up at Mexico Cantina Y Cocina at Pacific Place Mall for dinner.  Ben and I shared a wonderful sandwich-- the Torta de Mexico.  It was a slow-roasted pork sandwich with smoky chorizo, melted provolone,and chipotle sauce.  It also came with a black bean spread which we ordered on the side so that Ben could use it.  The combination of the pulled pork and the chorizo patty was amazing!  We ordered a plate of fish and chips for Katie.  She didn't eat much, but I can honestly say I didn't expect to have such great fish and chips at a Mexican restaurant.  What a great day!  

Happy Birthday Spencer!!!

Friday, 8/13/2010

We drove down to Portland this evening with Ben's brother Spencer.  Their cousin's step-daughter is getting married tomorrow, and Ben and I are the wedding photographers.  We stopped in Tukwila to have dinner at Panera Bread. We all enjoyed the meals we chose. I had a Bacon, Turkey Bravo sandwich--smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, and dressing, on tomato basil bread.  The bread is super moist and yummy. Ben had the Frontega Chicken panini--smoked & pulled white meat chicken, mozzarella,chopped basil & chipotle mayonnaise, grilled hot on Focaccia.  Spencer had 1/2 a sandwich (can't remember which one) with macaroni and cheese.  Katie ate some of the turkey from my sandwich, a couple tiny bites of apple, and a few chips.  

We got one large chocolate chip cookie to share.  Katie certainly does like a chocolate "cooka".  It takes her a long time to eat a cookie.  Eventually, I had to take advantage of her love of "sharing" her food with us.  Usually, that means she shoves her food into our faces whether we want it or not.  Tonight, I asked her for a bite in order to get a move on.  Thankfully, she was in the mood to share--more cookie for me!