Days 30 & 31

       Of course, I couldn't be expected to ACTUALLY write the last posts on time could I? Oh, well. My last two days were pretty uneventful. There was the fourth of July prep and then the day itself. Prep included cleaning the house and cooking.
       Cleaning the house with a two year old at my heels, that is. The cooking was just me. Colin is a very independent two year old who didn't give me any trouble while I cleaned except for one thing. I was cleaning the tub as I usually do, spraying scrubbing bubbles, sprinkling baking soda and scrubbing away and then turning on the shower to wash all the muck down. Colin came up and stuck his hand in the stream of water while I scrubbed the rest out and then he disappeared for a moment. By some muted instinct I knew what was coming next but did nothing to stop it. All of a sudden he was in the shower I was trying to clean, grinning at me through the water. The little booger. I merely had time to instruct that he was NOT to pee in my clean tub.
     
       The fourth was fun and fairly relaxing. We cooked, cleaned and decorated (a little) until a few friends arrived later. We played a lot of spoons, ate a lot of s'mores and then piled into the car and inched our way downtown to watch the fireworks.
       It was really beautiful, actually. Everyone in my family said it was the best display we've seen in Florida since we've moved. In our small town in New Jersey, we got the parade and fireworks and it was generally more organized. But here, we haven't found any good parades and the fireworks are hard to find and to get to. So this time we got a perfect spot at the edge of the lake and sat on top of the car to watch (with plenty of OFF handy). They were really great and I always say that the older I get the more I like fireworks. Plus, over the lake you not only see the local display, but also the ones way across. Basically, you're surrounded by fireworks. It's pretty beautiful.

       So, this marks the end of my 31 days. It's been fun to write, even if I'm not exactly the most consistent of bloggers. My next project on this blog will be 10 days of DIY Pinterest Projects. We'll see how that goes!    

Twenty-Nine

       Ugh . . . I am exhausted! That kind of exhausted where you know you ought to get rest but you still have things to do and you're hung up on the fact that you still have to get up at 7 AM tomorrow. UGH!

       And here I am writing but I'm SO CLOSE to 31, I can feel it. Well, today was nothing special but I'll write about it anyway. I woke up early (sob) dragged myself away from some dreams and kick started my day with a reeses. Wow, I have a serious problem. Oh well, if I'm living according to the great wisdom of "Friends" 'the diet starts tomorrow' anyway. Later, we took Colin to visit Devyn and go swimming and he informed me I should "always swim with a buddy". The kid could kill with his cuteness.
       We dropped bubba off on the way home (puke free, woo hoo!) and stopped to pick up groceries where I was NOT picked on by any creepy old guys. Look at that, things do get better. At home I made dinner, ate dinner, cleaned up from dinner and sat down to watch "Warm Bodies" with my family. It was the second time I've seen it and it's still a really great movie.
       Although it's summed up and looks rather boring written out, that was my day. It's always nice to have a busy day, I just hope I get a little downtime this weekend. I feel like I haven't stopped going for at least a week now. Tomorrow should be a little slower. Let's hope!    

Potatoes Au Gratin

     

       I found a cool food network article, 50 Things to Grill in Foil, and although I don't have a grill I thought a few would be yummy to adapt to an oven. Tonight I tried #41, Potatoes Au Gratin and the following is my adaptation. They turned out delicious for me, although you might call them upside down potatoes au gratin because the best, crispy ones are on the bottom!

Ingredients:
-1/4 C. Parmesan, gruyere and swiss cheese (or just add your favorite cheese!)
-4 Tbsp. melted butter
-4 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
-Salt and pepper to season
-1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
-1 Tbsp. or so of garlic (you can add more or less depending on how much you like garlic.)

You will also need:
-Tinfoil
-Medium size casserole dish

Oven:
Your oven will need to be preheated to 425 degrees. I usually do this when I think I'm 5-10 minutes from finishing the prep work.

Directions: 
       Peel and thinly slice your potatoes. I used a mandolin (God bless the mandolin) but as long as the slices are thin (seriously, thick slices = hard to cook through) it doesn't matter what you use.

            

       Grate your cheese, mince your garlic and melt your butter. In a large bowl combine the cheeses, potatoes, butter, salt and pepper and garlic. Time to get your hands messy; make sure the butter and cheese coats every potato!

       Line your casserole dish with plenty of tinfoil. I made the mistake of not sealing in the heat well enough and it took a lot longer to cook. Layer your potatoes into the foil-lined baking dish. 

       Pour the cream over the potatoes, making sure to coat each one. Now this is important: make sure to seal the potatoes into as much of a secure packet as you can. You don't want any heat escaping! 

       Place the baking dish into your preheated oven on the bottom rack and cook for 25-30 minutes. Mine took about 40, but as I said, I didn't seal them up well. After I adjusted the tinfoil they cooked much faster. When potatoes are tender enough for a fork to go cleanly through, they are finished. Pull out, open up the packet and serve!

       Enjoy!