Mocha Frappuccino

I'm back!  Did you miss me??  I spent most of the month of May without internet.  Then the beginning part of June, adjusting to Summer Vacation.  Today was a particularly hot day, so I decided to whip up a blender of Mocha Frappuccino's.

Mocha Frappuccino


2/3 cup strong coffee; chilled
1 cup milk
2 Tbls sugar
4 Tbls chocolate syrup

2 cups ice

Blend all ingredients except for ice.  Add ice and blend until smooth.  Pour in your favorite cup.  This step is crucial.  Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

You can substitute carmel, chocolate chips, or peppermint syrup to change the flavor!

Enjoy!

~M

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

I love this recipe because it doesn't involve a roux.  And it definitely beats the blue box!

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese


1 lb. elbow or shells pasta
1 Tbls butter or margarine
1 cup milk
1 8oz. block of cream cheese
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1/2 cup bread crumbs (if baking)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta al dente.  While pasta is cooking, prepare cheese sauce.  Over medium heat, melt butter.  Add milk and bring to a light boil.  Be careful because milk can boil over quickly!  Add cream cheese and stir until melted.  Turn off heat and add spices, parmesan cheese, and sharp cheddar cheese.  Pour cheese sauce over pasta.  At this point, you can serve as is.  Or pour into a 9x13 greased casserole dish; top with bread crumbs and maybe some more parmesan cheese and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.

Tips:  This recipe is very flexible.  Most of the time, I make mine with whole grain blend pasta.  I also usually use the 1/3 reduced fat cream cheese.  I've used anywhere between skim to 2% milk with success.

Enjoy!

~M

Egg Roll Soup

Egg Roll Soup


extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 lb. boneless chicken breast, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 - 15 oz. cans chicken broth
1 small head of cabbage, sliced

Drizzle a little olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.  Add onions and carrots and saute until they begin to soften.  Add chicken and continue sauteing until chicken is no longer pink.  Add garlic, ginger, pepper, soy sauce, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Once soup is at a boil, add cabbage, lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

~M

Sesame Noodles

Chris and I love chinese take out.  When we were living in TX the take out places around us didn't hold a candle to the Emerald Garden, so I started making my own.  And now we live in the middle of nowhere, so I have too!

Sesame Noodles

1 - 13.25 package of whole wheat blend thin spaghetti noodles

2 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbls sesame oil

1 1/2 tsp tabasco sauce

2 Tbls sesame seeds

4 green onions, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles al dente.  While noodles are cooking, prepare sauce.  I used to make this recipe by sauteing the garlic and oil in a skillet, then adding the remaining ingredients (except for sesame seeds and green onions) and bringing it to just before a boil.  Then one night I was in a hurry, so I added all the ingredients (except for sesame seeds and green onions) to a large pyrex measuring cup and microwaved it for 5 minutes (or however long your microwave takes to heat to just before a boil).  The taste was identical, so that's how I make it now.  Either way will work, though!  Pour sauce over noodles and top with green onions and sesame seeds.  I like to serve these noodles with stir fry.

Enjoy!

~M

Thanksgiving Meatloaf

Meatloaf gets a bad rap.  This one is delicious; I promise!

Thanksgiving Meatloaf


Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot, shredded
1 zucchini, shredded
2 celery stalks, finely diced
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 - 1.25 lb package lean ground turkey
1 - 5 oz. package stove top brand stuffing
1 egg
2 Tbls milk

Drizzle a little olive oil into a skillet.  Add veggies and cook until softened.  Add thyme, pepper, and garlic and allow to cool completely.  While veggies cool, preheat oven to 375.  Once veggies cool, mix all ingredients and form into a loaf.  Bake for 1 hour or until cooked through.  Serve with gravy.

Enjoy!

~M

Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Refried Beans

It wasn't until about a year or two ago that I actually liked refried beans.  To be fair, the first time I had them was on a Mexican pizza from Taco Bell!  Gross!!  That scared me for life.  Here's how I make mine:

Refried Beans

extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2 - 15 oz. cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp chicken bullion
2 tsp Fiesta brand pinto bean seasoning
2/3 - 1 cup water
black pepper
cilantro

Drizzle a little oil in a pan over medium heat and saute onion and garlic until they begin to soften.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer on low for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and use a potato masher to mash beans.  Before serving, add a couple dashes of pepper and cilantro, if desired.  You can also add some shredded cheese.

Skillet Chicken Fajitas

extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

pinch of sugar

shredded Mexican cheese

Drizzle olive oil in a extra large skillet and saute onion and peppers over medium heat until they begin to soften.  Add chicken and spices and lower heat.  Continue to saute until chicken is done.   Serve with shredded mexican cheese blend.

Yo No Quiero Taco Bell!

~M

French Onion Pasta

Do you love French Onion Soup!?  What about pasta!?  Then this recipe is for you!  When made with whole wheat pasta this is the perfect meatless main dish.  Or serve it as a side dish with a steak for a change from the usual meat & potatoes night.

French Onion Pasta

1 - 13.25 oz. box of whole wheat blend (such as barilla or ronzoni) penne pasta
3 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbls butter or margarine
3 white onions, sliced
2 glugs (about 2 Tbls) red wine
3/4 cup beef broth
3/4 tsp thyme
black pepper
garlic powder
shredded Swiss, Gruyere, or Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta al dente.  While pasta is cooking, melt butter and oil over medium heat in a extra large skillet.  Add onions and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Lower the heat to low and saute for another 10 minutes.  During this time the onions should begin to caramelize.

Add thyme, and a couple dashes of pepper and garlic powder.  Deglaze onions with red wine.  Reduce wine for 5 minutes.  Add beef broth and reduce again for 5 minutes.

Add pasta to skillet of onions and toss to coat.  Serve with shredded Swiss and Gruyere cheese (Sargento makes a blend) or Parmesan cheese.

 

 

Enjoy!

~M

Chili

Happy Spring!  Today is the first day of Spring, but it sure doesn't feel like it here!  After being in the 70's and even hitting 80 a few days last week, it was barely in the low 50's today.  I decided Chili sounded good for dinner.  Everyone has a Chili recipe; here's mine.

Chili

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, mined
1 - 1.25 lb. package of lean ground turkey
3 - 15 oz. cans of pinto beans
1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 Tbls chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp Tabasco sauce
Shredded sharp cheddar

Drizzle olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic until they begin to soften.  Add ground turkey.  When the turkey is browned and crumbled, add remaining ingredients.  Simmer on low.  This can be ready in as quickly as 30 minutes, but the longer it simmer the better it gets!  Serve with sharp cheddar cheese. 

Other optional toppings: green onions, sour cream, fritos, crackers, and tortilla chips.

This is a great base for a dip.  It is also good served over a baked potato!  Or over hot dogs for chili dogs!

Enjoy!

~M

Crockpot Sausage & Peppers

This recipe can be eaten with a knife and fork, on a roll, or over pasta.

Crock pot Sausage & Peppers

2 lb. mild or hot Italian sausage
2 medium onions, sliced
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 - 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 - 6 oz. can of tomato paste
1/2 cup of red wine
1 Tbls Italian seasoning
salt & pepper

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and peppers to the bottom of the crock pot.  Next add browned sausage.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

Tips:

1.  For easier clean-up, I always spray my crock pot with non-stick cooking spray.

2.  The wine is really what makes this recipe, but you can certainly substitute water or broth. 

3.  I usually mix the wine, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes in a bowl first, so it's easier to add to the crock pot. 

4.  This makes a lot and is perfect for a potluck or party.  Even if I am just making it just for us, I keep the recipe as is because then I get two meals out of it!  We had this a couple weeks ago, then I sliced the leftover sausages, froze them, and had the sauce over tortellini last night! 

Enjoy!

~M

Two thumbs up!

Hey Ang!  I hope your transition back to work is going well!!  I've made your "Parmesan Chicken" twice now - two thumbs up!  Tonight I made a variation, similar to a South Beach Diet recipe.

Low-Carb Chicken Parmesan

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup pine nuts, crushed
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup Italian shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 450.  In one shallow dish, beat egg.  In another shallow dish combine crushed pine nuts (I ran mine through a food processor), Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.  Dip chicken in egg then coat with pine nut/Parmesan mixture.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy.  Add spaghetti sauce and cheese to each piece of chicken and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. 

This was so good!   

~M

Spaghetti Carbonara

I was first introduced to Carbonara back in high school by our Italian Exchange students.  Immediately, I was hooked!  I made it for Chris when we were dating and he was living in Kentucky.  I think this dish is what made him want me to move there!  The kids love this too!  If we don't go out to eat at a restaurant on birthdays, this meal is almost always picked!

Spaghetti Carbonara

1 lb. spaghetti

extra virgin olive oil

1 - 12 oz. package of turkey bacon, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 eggs

1/4 cup of milk

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

black pepper

Italian seasoning

1 ladle of starchy cooking water from pasta

Bring a large stock pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti al dente.  While spaghetti is cooking, drizzle olive oil in a large skillet and cook bacon over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until crispy.  Add garlic.  It is important to not add the garlic until the bacon is cooked because it will burn and taste bitter.  While bacon is cooking, prepare egg mixture.  Beat eggs, milk, Parmesan cheese and a couple dashes of pepper and Italian seasoning.  Once pasta is cooked, add to skillet of bacon.  Pour egg mixture over pasta.  Stir to coat quickly, so the eggs do not scramble.  If pasta is too dry, add reserved cooking water.  Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Mangia!

~M

Be creative in the kitchen!

Did you know that just about everyday of the year is some sort of holiday?  It's true!!  Last month was National bagel, wine, margarita, and tortilla chip day to name a few.  January we celebrated National Spaghetti day and earlier this week National Peanut Butter lovers day!

Today was Dr. Suess's Birthday, so I made Green Eggs and Ham!

Have fun!

~M

Garlic Butter Shrimp

I made this last night- it is so simple and really good so I had to share! This is just as quick as heating up a microwave dinner so try this next time you need a super quick meal!

Garlic Butter Shrimp

1 Tbsp Butter or Margarine (I used Country Crock light and it worked fine)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup broccoli slaw
6 oz cooked shrimp (I used frozen)
1 cup brown rice

Heat Butter and Garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute (until butter is melted) Add Shrimp and heat for about another 2-3 minutes until shrimp begins to warm, stir often to incorporated shrimp with butter and garlic.  Add broccoli slaw and continue to stir often, cook until shrimp and broccoli slaw are completely heated through.  (Broccoli slaw will be slightly crunchy).  Serve over brown rice.  This made one generous serving!

Stuffed Peppers

You've got to try these stuffed peppers!

8 bell peppers (go for a variety of yellow, red and orange)
2 tbsp canola or olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
16 oz ground turkey
1- 16 oz jar of salsa
1 cup brown rice
1 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut peppers in half lengthwise (from stems to bottoms) Remove seeds and white ribs.  Place peppers in a shallow 13x9 inch baking dish.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil.  Cover, and place in oven for about 20 minutes, or until peppers begin to soften.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat remaining 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat.  Add onion and allow to soften (about 5 minutes) Add garlic and cook for another minute.  Add turkey, chili powder, cumin and cook, stirring often, until turkey in no longer pink.  Add salsa and brown rice and mix well.  Spoon mixture into the pepper halves and bake in oven for about 25 minutes, or until peppers are soft.  Add cheddar cheese to each pepper half and cook until cheese is melted. 

This recipe is a great twist on traditional stuffed peppers.  Here is the link for the original recipe. http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/kitchen-divas-energy-boosting-stuffed-bell-peppers (I make this recipe with 3 peppers for Jeremy and I, I keep the leftover filling on hand for a quick lunch I can reheat with some rice or veggies. )

Cilantro Lime Chicken With Black Bean Sauce

Cilantro Lime Chicken

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (3-4 pieces)
3/4 cup lime juice (4 limes)
2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Place all ingredients, except for the chicken in a food processor and puree.  (If you don't have a food processor, just finely chop the cilantro leaves and stir all the ingredients together.)  Pour over chicken and marinade for at least 2 hours.  You can also make this the night before and marinade it in the refrigerator overnight.  Grill for 10-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken.  This chicken by itself is very tender and flavorful, but I highly recommend continuing on and adding the sauce below.

Black Bean Sauce

Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
1 - 15 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 15 oz. can of chicken broth
1/2 a bunch of cilantro
Salt and Pepper

Drizzle a little olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic and saute until they begin to soften.  Add beans, broth, and cilantro.  Bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Puree in food processor.  If sauce is too thick, add a little water as you are pureeing.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon over top chicken and serve. 

This smelled and tasted so delicious that I scarfed it down before I could take a picture of the finished product!

Henry gives this dish 2 paws up!

 

Easy One Pot Turkey Chili

Did I get your attention? This is a great basic Turkey Chili Recipe.  This a South Beach Recipe and is super healthy and tasty!

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
1 pound lean ground turkey
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 can (15 ounce) beans, rinsed and drained (use your favorite)
1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, stirring often.  Add garlic and stir for about another minute.  Add turkey, chili powder, cumin, cook, stir often, until turkey is no longer pink and spices are well incorporated.  Add beans, tomatoes, broth, bring to boil.  Reduce to medium low heat, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Salt and pepper at the end to taste. 

This is the original recipe.  I use 1 tablespoon cumin, and I often add a can of corn or an extra can of beans.  I will also add a bell pepper if I have one on hand.  This doubles really well and is great for leftovers! Enjoy!

Faux Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli

Confession:  I love the all you can eat soup, salad, and bread stick lunches at Olive Garden!  The good news?  I figured out how to make one of the soups at home!

Pasta Fagioli

Extra virgin olive oil
1 - medium onion, diced
2 - celery stalks, diced
2 - carrots, diced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 - 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 - 15 oz. can of kidney beans
1 - 15 oz. can of white beans
2 cups of spaghetti sauce
1 - 15 oz. can of beef broth
1 Tbls Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
4 oz. small pasta, such as ditalini
Shredded Parmesan cheese 

In a large stockpot, saute onion, celery, and carrot in a little olive oil over medium heat until they begin to soften.  Add the ground beef.  Once the ground beef has browned and broken down, add the remaining ingredients, except pasta.  Stir, bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 30 minutes.  While soup is simmering, cook pasta al dente in a separate pot.  Add pasta to the soup just before serving.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tips:

1.  You can cook this in the crock pot.  I would just recommend browning the meat first and cooking the noodles separately.  I've never had luck cooking noodles in the crock pot.

2.  To make this "low carb" skip the pasta and add an extra can of white beans!

~M

Kansas City Rib Rub

This past Father's Day, Chris requested baby back ribs for dinner.  Since I had never made them before, I went searching the internet for a good recipe.  I searched through many and finally decided on one that met my criteria when it comes to recipes - no weird ingredients and lots of 5 star reviews!  After tweaking the recipe for what I had in my spice cabinet, this what I came up with.  They were really good ribs!  Since this rub makes around a cup of mixture, I had plenty leftover to try on other meats.  It's good on chicken, and even better on salmon!

Kansas City Rib Rub

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup lawry's seasoned salt
1 Tbls black pepper
1 Tbls chili powder
1 Tbls garlic powder
1 Tbls onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper

I store this in a small container in the freezer so the brown sugar stays fresh.

Let me know if you try this!

~M

Sausage and Cabbage

Sausage and Cabbage

2 Tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 - 14 oz. package of smoked sausage; sliced
1 - medium white onion; sliced
1 - head of cabbage; sliced
1/4 cup of chicken broth
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper

Drizzle 2 Tbls of olive oil in a extra large skillet over medium heat.  Add sausage and brown for 5 minutes.  Next add the onion and saute for another 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften and carmelize.  Add the cabbage, chicken broth, garlic powder, and pepper.  Stir.  Lower the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring again halfway through.

This recipes is so good that I often double it to ensure that their are enough leftovers for lunch the next day!  For a variation you can also serve this over egg noodles, add potatoes to this, or use different flavored sausages.  The chicken and apple sausages are really delicious with this!

~M

Cucumber Feta Rice

An easy side dish if you are looking for something different

Cucumber Feta Rice

4 cups of cooked brown rice (2 bags of Uncle Ben's Ready Rice), room temperature
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 and 1/2 cup roasted red pepper (buy the jarred, its easier), roughly chopped
1/2 to 3/4 cup of feta (to taste), crumbled
1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh parsley

Cook the brown rice but let it come to room temperature.  Toss all ingredients and serve! You can't screw this one up! Just go easy on the lemon juice.  Play around with this one, everything can be adjusted to your taste! You can substitute the rice for quinoa or add chickpeas to make it a meal.  you can serve at room temperature or chill for an hour for a cool summer salad.

Yay! We have Followers!

Missy and I started this blog as a way to share ideas and we are so glad you are stopping in to see what we are cooking! Missy is a very, very talented cook (her Thanksgiving dinner is the best ever!) I, however, lack her gift! What we do have in common is that we are both busy and are trying to find the easiest ways to get a nice dinner on the table! You'll find most of our "recipes" to be more like "ideas" and most can easily be modified to your taste.  Thanks for stopping by! ~A

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

So Easy and a nice alternative to breaded chicken! This one is low carb and gluten free!

Garlic Parmesan Chicken

4 small chicken breast
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the garlic and Parmesan together in a bowl.  Season Chicken with salt and pepper.  Coat the chicken in egg wash then coat with the garlic Parmesan mixture.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. 

Taco Tuesday

In the Wellman household, Tuesday is always Mexican night.  Tonight, we are having taco salad.  One of my favorite things to put on top of taco salad is pico de gallo.  This recipe, originated from the talented Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman.  I just changed the title!

531 Pico De Gallo

5 - Roma Tomatoes; chopped seeds and all
3 - Jalapeno Peppers; finely chopped
1 - Medium Onion; chopped
3 - TBLS Lime Juice
1/2 of bunch of cilantro; finely chopped

Tips:  

1.  Sometimes in the winter you will find that your tomatoes are a little "blah".  I like to add a little black pepper and garlic powder to "wake" them up.

2.  Generally, the smaller the jalapeno the hotter it will be and the larger the milder.  Most of the heat comes from the seeds and membrane, so keep that in mind as to whether you add it or not.  And don't forget to wash your hands!

3.  I find this is best served with a "hearty" tortilla chip.  My favorite are the Mission brand.

4.  In the rare chance that you have any of this leftover, it makes a fantastic start to a pot of chicken tortilla soup!  Recipe to follow at a time TBD!

Enjoy!

~M 

Pesto Chicken

Pesto Chicken (with the pear and walnut salad)
This dinner fills my two requirements...Its fast and has few ingredients
Pesto Chicken
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup pesto (jar or I use the Tastefully Simple Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto)
2 Chicken Breast
Salt and Pepper to taste

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Mix the pesto and ricotta cheese together and spoon over the chicken.  Bake 350 for about 30 minutes.  So Easy!! This is an easy weeknight dinner that spices up the ordinary chicken and salad night!

Wine- Boordy Vineyards Tango Peach- a nice, crisp white with fruit flavors is perfect with this!

New Favorite Salad

Pear and Walnut Salad
8 cups Mixed Greens or Romaine Lettuce
1/2 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles (to taste- a little more if you really love it!)
1/4 cup Walnuts (small pieces)
1 small pear, sliced thin
2-3 Tbsp Raspberry Walnut Dressing (2 is just enough, more if you really like heavy dressing, I like a little less dressing)

Toss all ingredients and serve.  Makes 2 meal sized portions or 4 smaller side portions. 
Everything can obviously be adjusted to taste... ~A

Magic

Hey Ang!  I thought since you have never been to my house in CA (hint, hint! ;>) that I would show you where the magic happens!  Try not to be too jealous of my 80's kitchen!

~M

Friday Night Dinner

Sometimes after a long week, Friday Night means a frozen pizza and snacks.  Fresh salsa -purchased pre-made from grocery store, Tortilla chips,  and some wine.  Since our "detox" starts on Tuesday, I thought I should indulge.  Today Mom and I are making a trip to Sam's Club so I will let you know what I find! -A

Day One

Looking for an easy way to share recipes and stories, Two Sisters, Angie (Freeland, MD) and Missy (Ft. Irwin, CA), have embarked on the adventure of blogging! If you've stumbled upon us, we hope you enjoy this site and we look forward to your comments! -A