Monday, January 30, 2012

Happy Birthday party for Kennedy

Welcome to our newest Follower, Rex Kusler.  I checked out your blog, Rex, and found it an interesting read.  Rex is an author, and his current Las Vegas Mystery Series has two books published with the third in the series due out soon.  I love mysteries, and will be checking his out on Amazon.com.  He is currently writing his ninth novel.  Welcome aboard, Rex!  I'm glad you are following along with Katie and me! :)

On January 16, my eldest granddaughter had a birthday - she's 9!  The following Saturday was her Birthday Party, which was held at Dave and Busters.  If you don't know that place, it's kind of like a Chuckee Cheese, but for kids who are a bit older and adults.  I had never been there before, and had a great time.  We had a long table, food and drinks were brought out, and each child received a "credit card" that had a set amount of money on it to play all the games.

 Kennedy's beautiful chocolate cake.

 Waiting to blow out the candles - Make a Wish!

 Brother Gavin, enjoying the food and games!

 Brother Graydin, race car driver!
See the blur where his hands are?  He's driving fast!

Kennedy with Dad and Mom - Happy Birthday!

Everyone had a great time, the kids love those games and won tons of tickets which they turned in for prizes. I was tired and left to go back to tom's house and rest right after the cake was served, so I didn't see what the prizes were, but I'm sure they loved what they got.

Tomorrow I'm getting my old Escape SUV back to use while I'm here in Santee.  My son is bringing it down to the RV park, and I'll drive him back to work.  He has a car there he wants to bring home, so everyone will get what they need.  I have two medical appointments (annual checks) on Wednesday, so it will be nice to have a car to drive.

I am making a mystery dish in my slow cooker tonight.   This is the first time I've used this slow cooker.  I cut a filet mignon into three slices and seared them in the frying pan.  Then I put some olive oil in the bottom of the cooker, added the meat slices, put half an envelope of onion soup on top of that, poured in some Marsala wine, water, added marinated artichokes on top, and topped it all off with sliced apples.

I'm cooking it on high for 4 or 5 hours, then I'm going to add some sour cream to make a rich sauce, and put the whole thing over rice.

I think this might be delicious if the meat was chicken, but I didn't have any chicken defrosted, so I decided to use the meat.  This is a round filet mignon that was wrapped with bacon that was in a 3-pack from Costco.  I love filet mignon, but I didn't like this meat, so I decided to try something different.  Even if I don't like the meat, I figure the artichokes hearts and apple slices might be good side dishes, and hopefully I'll have a nice sauce for my rice.

I'll let you know if it was a HIT or a MISS.  Usually my mystery dishes are HITS, but I'm not betting on this one.

UPDATE:  I ate dinner before I published this post, and it was delicious - except the meat.  It was still tasteless and tough.  I won't be buying that at Costco again, but the apples and artichokes, in their thick wine/onion/sour cream sauce over rice was really, really good.  Second helpings good.  I think next time I'll try a chicken breast and throw in some baby carrots; that would complete the dish and give me a couple of leftover meals, too.

Yesterday afternoon, and then again in the early evening, Katie and I took a walk to the closest lake and walked along for a bit.  The sun was down, and the sky was so pretty.  The ducks were still swimming around, they seemed to be coming to the edge of the lake where they could sit by the reeds.  I wonder where they sleep?

 Sunset - Santee Lakes

 

The Palms at Santee Lakes

Time to get that second helping, and then take Katie out for our last walk of the day.  It's overcast this evening, no sunset shots today.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Monday evening, everyone!  :)

19 comments:

  1. You sound like your recovery is going well..glad to hear that...you have a beautiful family :) have a super week

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love putting stuff like that in the crock pot. Too bad the meat was not tasty - usually Costco meat is yummy. I think your chicken idea sounds good. Glad you got a car to get back and forth in for the time being . That will sure make it easier. Take care and hugs to Katie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Happy birthday to your 'granddaughter'..she is a cutie!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. So glad that you are doing so well. Getting stronger all the time. Bet Katie would help you with that meat.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So glad that you are doing so well. Getting stronger all the time. Bet Katie would help you with that meat.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a beautiful pic of your granddaughter and her parents.

    Love the pics of the Lake as well.

    Sounds like your recovery is coming along well ??

    ReplyDelete
  7. Although I've never returned meat to Costco, they will generally take back anything. As expensive as beef is, much less filet mignon, I think I would tell them at Customer Service how bad it was, and be sure to have your receipt. They might not give you anything back on it, but i think they might.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy Birthday to your Kennedy. Nice looking family you have.
    That so bad about the meat and I know it isn't cheap. Your recipe sounds delightful. I'll give it a try with chicken. Not a big beef eater.
    Sounds like you are doing well. Hope your Dr.s app go well.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Happy Birthday Kennedy - looks like you had a great party!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Glad to discover your blog on Hitch Itch out of that long list they feature on their site. I only follow 2 RV blogs so far. Yours looks interesting and I'm looking forward to reading it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a beautiful family you have.Boy oh boy, dad will be standing guard at the door when Kennedy becomes a teenager, how very pretty she is.
    No mystery dinners is what they served you in college....yours are culinary innovations.
    Sounds delicious

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm glad you are up and about. So nice to have a car to get around while you are nearby your family.

    I am looking for a class C so I can have a shower. May I ask what it is like using a little shower? Do you turn the water on and off to conserve what's in the holding tank? Is the water pressure adequate? Is it frustrating or not a big deal? I'm just a little curious about the activities of daily living that go into traveling in a smaller motorhome. I'm looking forward to finding my own roaming home soon!

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I too have never seen a sleeping duck. Where DO ducks sleep? That's one of lifes great mysteries I guess!

    Great pics. THANKS!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Happy Birthday wishes to Kennedy. Looked like a fun party. Nice being in town for those special times. Will have to give that recipe a try, sounds good. So nice to have a lake at your park.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Sounds like Kennedy had a great BD.

    Can you use your slow cooker when using solar, or is there too much draw?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy Belated Birthday to Kennedy! I'm glad to see that you are back in the Palms & recovering. RV's just make it sooo easy to recover in!! It sure made it easier for me when I had my surgery & stayed in mine. Dinner sounds good too.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow, this birthday party was very interesting. I am just in love with all the photos. I adore each and everything about this fun bash. I am also going to be a part of sweet 16th birthday party on upcoming weekend. The party would be held at the most beautiful New York Event Venues. Super excited for this!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Filet Mignon is a high end meat and should be cooked on high heat for short periods of time and should not be cooked in a crock pot as it will turn out exactly as you described. What does best, for beef, in crock pots are the cheaper cuts of meats that taste wonderful when cooked slowly. Filet Mignon and cuts like Tri-tip cook beautifully in air fryers. Love my air fryer!!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments - we LOVE them!