Family News and Photos

We've been fighting the cold bug here for a couple weeks.  This week it was Nelly's turn.  Poor little buggie just didn't feel very good, and conked out on the floor one evening.

Lauren was feeling particularly sorry for Nelly.  I went upstairs to get her bed ready and found this get well/Valentine's note that Lauren had so carefully made for her (on toilet paper).  Hallmark is so over-rated! :-)

The 100th day of school is always a big deal.  This year the kindergarten class was required to wear a t-shirt with 100 things on it.  It didn't matter what they were, but the note said to try and put them in groups of 10.  So...Michael's came the rescue and we took the easy way out and got a t-shirt and some puffy fabric paint.  Owen was happy with the result.  He had a great time celebrating at school, too, and ultimately came home with an edible fruit loop necklace.  The joys of being 5!

I'm going out on a serious limb here with this next photo.  I'm assuming that "somewhere out there" there's another family like ours with a bathroom drawer that looks like this...and if yours doesn't then you can just pretend this one isn't mine, okay.  

Lots of really disgusting adjectives flew into my mind when I saw this.  Yes, that's my son's toothbrush with about 2 weeks of dried toothpaste caked on the bristles.  Maybe he's trying to be economical and get it all gooped up good the first time so it's all set to go every time he brushes.  We threw that one away.  I tried to clean it, but did you know that toothpaste actually turns into cement?  Luckily he had about 3 others to choose from in the same drawer.

Believe it or not, I have cleaned this drawer out before, but obviously there's a lack of organization to keep it neat and, er... sanitary.  

I finally broke down and bought a drawer organizer.  Unfortunately, I did not measure my drawer prior to my purchase.  I had intended on putting two of those things in one drawer, but it doesn't work out.  One will work for now.  Obviously we still have a toothpaste hoarding problem. *sigh*  Win some, lose some.

I am very excited about a recent purchase.  I bought my own saw and miter box!  I know that sounds strange, but I have been wanting to learn how to work with trim and I haven't touched a power saw since my shop class in high school.  I decided this might be a good way to ease back into things.

First on my list of projects are these mirrors.  These are the mirrors that came with the house as we chose not to upgrade.  Each of the 3 bathrooms has one identical except for size.  I decided to tackle the bathroom upstairs in the hallway first.

I wanted to go easy on myself, so I bought foam chair rail instead of using wood.  It looks the same, but it's (I'm assuming) much easier to cut by hand with a saw.  I bought two 8' pieces of this.

That amount would have been exactly right for someone who knew what they were doing.  It took me a couple extra pieces before I got it right.  At this point, I'm not ready to do a tutorial, but maybe by the time I work on the last mirror I will.  The end result is so much dressier, though.  Especially with the painter's tape, don't you think?  ;-)

Not bad for a first time do-it-yourselfer.  A would be $15 project, providing you already have the saw, calk, a little glue, spray paint, and mirror adhesive.  It took 2 days to complete with drying time (oh, and mistakes).

Emily surprised me this morning with what she called my Valentine breakfast.  She said she couldn't make me breakfast on Valentine's Day because it was a school day, so she opted for this morning since they had today off.  Brought a smile to my face.  :-)

And hers.  She was proud of herself.  :-)

Lauren loves Archie comics.  She also loves to draw.  Most of her drawings involve various types of princess, dancer or actor.  Lately, though, she's been incorporating Archie into her drawings.  I have the pleasure of finding random drawings left around the house on a regular basis.  I thought I'd share this one from earlier this week.  

Today's recipe comes from a website I've been checking more and more frequently lately.  You've probably already found it, but in case you haven't, here's the link to Iowa Girl Eats.  There are a lot of really yummy looking recipes there.  I stole this picture from her site, too.  I can never take food pictures that look this good.

This is what we're having for supper tonight.  It's Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Burgers.  We have some good friends who have raved about this recipe, so I wanted to give it a try.  I'll let you know if we liked it.  In the meantime, here's the recipe (right from her blog).
*Update:  We really liked the burgers.  I will admit to being the only one who would even try the bruschetta and balsamic vinegar.  It was delicious!  The only change I found I needed to make was in cooking time.  It took me a lot longer to cook these than she states in the recipe.  I think she used a panini griddle or something.  I just used a regular griddle on my stove and flipped them over every so often.  The burgers were thick, though, so it took a long time to cook them all the way through.  Also, my kids and hubby don't like vinegar so the smell of the balsamic vinegar glaze simmering drew a lot of complaints (and gags, and loud, inappropriate noises).  Overall, though, it was a very yummy recipe.  The burgers themselves would be great on the grill if you don't fix the fancy stuff to go with it.*

Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Ingredients (makes 4 burgers)

For the burger:

• 1 lb 99% lean ground turkey breast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

For the bruschetta mixture:

• 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced
• Salt & pepper, to taste

For the balsamic glaze:

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

Instructions

For the burgers:

• In a large bowl combine turkey, salt, pepper, basil and parmesan cheese. Divide mixture into 8 portions.
• Line a peanut butter jar lid with foil, then plastic wrap and press 1 portion of the turkey mixture into the lid. Heap 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese into the middle, then top with another portion of turkey. Press down to seal, then invert the patty onto a plate. Continue until you have 4 burger patties.
• Grill burgers for 3 to 3 1/2 minutes per side over medium heat.

For bruschetta mixture:

• combine all ingredients, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

For the balsamic glaze:

• Heat balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan over medium heat. Let simmer, and stir frequently, until the vinegar has reached the consistency of thin maple syrup.
• Top grilled burgers with Bruschetta mixture and drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Ta-Ta!  Have a good weekend!