Roger's Farm Haunted Maize

October 22, 2010 - After work, the Alpha-1 gang (and a few significant others...well two anyways...) met up for dinner at The Fat Tuscan.  The Fat Tuscan restaurant is in a quaint, little house close to the Thomas Center.  The atmosphere was great!  We sat outside under strings of lights and listened to an acoustic performance while we ate.  We felt like the food was a little overpriced for what we got, but I think everything is homemade right there....which is pretty cool.  The pumpkin cheesecake was delicious.

After dinner we headed to Roger's Farm to check out the spooky trail and haunted corn maize.  Eric and I had gone last year with some friend's and thought it was something fun and different to do...so we returned!  The set up was pretty much the same as last year except there was this really cool jumping thing for the kids.  Tonight and Saturday night are the last days to go, so if you have the time I think it is an event worth checking out.  Here are some pictures from our "spooky" night out.

Spook Trail

This scarecrow was real!

 Making a friend with my scary looking neck

Geoff loved the haunted corn maize

Alpha-1 Gang

Wedding Pictures/Video!

Hello everyone!

As you may know, Eric and I got married in August and our pictures/wedding highlight video are finally done!  Yay! 

To watch the wedding highlight video by Michael Dalton (it's awesome!) CLICK HERE

Jimmy Ho (our wedding photographer) posted a good selection of our photos on his blog CLICK HERE

If you want to check out all our photos (that's a lot of photos!) you can check them out here CLICK HERE.

Our wedding day was perfect!  Thanks again to everyone that was apart of it!  :)

Paula Deen's Spinach Stuffed Zucchini

Looking for a good side to go with your meal?  I made Paula Deen's Spinach Stuffed Zucchini the other day and it was delicious.  I used zucchini instead of yellow squash, but I think they are interchangeable.  The zucchini was a little hard for me to get out of the skin, but I think a grapefruit spoon or some spoon with edges would make the task a whole lot easier (to bad I don't have any now that I don't live with Kristina!).  It's easy to make, the only downfall is that the steps take a while.  I also halved the recipe because it yielded to much for just Eric and me.  Hope you enjoy!

My Spinach Stuffed Zucchini

Gator Homecoming and Cedar Key Seafood Festival

October 16, 2010:  Eric, Mr. Reggy, Christina, Kevin, and I went to the Gator Homecoming game vs. Mississippi State this past weekend.  Sadly, the Gators did not win (nor did the Jaguars Monday...come on ya'll!).  :(   I still had a good time and will keep routing for my Gators every game!  It was Christina's first college game, so I had a fun time explaining some of the rules to her!  Hee, hee.

Eric and his dad

Christina and I

Gator Cheerleaders

October 17, 2010:  Sunday, I was on Facebook and saw that Krystin's status mentioned a seafood festival in Cedar Key that day.  Eric and I looked at it and said, "That sounds fun.  Let's go!"...and we were off!  

Lunch was awesome (food was yummy and we got to listen to live bluegrass music)!  Boiled clams, potatoes, sausages, and corn.  

 

Clam Fritters

Eric showing off his clam find

Cedar  Key, Florida

Strawberry Shortcake for dessert

Oyster Grill Out and Mr. Reggy's B-Day

October 9, 2010:  Oyster Grill Out at the Saucedo's!
I love getting to hang out with both mine and Eric's family.  Saturday we (Eric & I) got to relax, watch another disappointing gator game, have a bon fire, and eat grilled oysters with Sheldon, Brittney, & Selena.  And yes...I was the party pooper who could not stay up late to play games, so Eric tried drawing a mustache on my face with permanent marker (sorry, no pictures available).  When I came back from the bathroom, where I removed said mustache, everyone was hiding outside because they were scared of me.  Serves them right!  lol.

Sheldon getting the fire started

 

Bye, bye picture frame

Shucking the Oysters

10/10/10:  Mr. Reggy's B-Day!
After 12/12/12 there will no longer be any more months, days, years like this in my lifetime!  Pretty crazy to think about.  So, if you just so happen to have your birthday on one of these days...I'd say you are pretty lucky!  :)  For Mr. Reggy's birthday, Eric made chicken and rice and Brittney made corn fritters (yum!).  We also got to eat delicious oreo pie while we watched the Jaguars win another game.  I'd say it was a pretty good day.

Present Time

Happy Birthday Mr. Reggy!

Someone's been getting into the chocolate!

 

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Eric LOVES him some banana bread, but he is particular about it.  Once I tried making it with chocolate chips (which sounds really great to me), but he didn't like the chocolate/banana combo....he said it wasn't like BANANA bread.  So, I was a little hesitant to make peanut butter banana bread...who knows if he would like it?!  I found the recipe on the cover of my first issue of the magazine Cooking Light.  It looked and sounded absolutely delicious...and turned out well (despite my burning the top because our oven does not work properly, but I just cut the big burn parts off the top)!  Eric loved the combination.  He said it is like a peanut butter banana sandwich in your mouth.  Here's the recipe and some pictures...

Cooking Light's Peanut Butter Banana Bread:
Peanut butter is whipped into the basic recipe for a moist banana bread with a hint of nutty flavor. A small amount of chopped roasted peanuts offers delightfully surprising crunch.

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients:

Bread:
1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana
1/3  cup  plain fat-free yogurt
1/3  cup  creamy peanut butter
3  tablespoons  butter, melted
2  large eggs
1/2  cup  granulated sugar
1/2  cup  packed brown sugar
6.75  ounces  all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4  cup  ground flaxseed
3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
1/8  teaspoon  ground allspice
2  tablespoons  chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Cooking spray

Glaze:
1/3  cup  powdered sugar
1  tablespoon  1% low-fat milk
1  tablespoon  creamy peanut butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.
4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Maureen Callahan, Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2010

 

The Parting by Beverly Lewis

So...I've jumped on the bandwagon of reading Amish romance novels (fiction).  That just sounds so cheesy and wrong to me.  I had been wanting to read "The Secret" by Beverly Lewis because I've always been interested in Amish people and her books were on the bestseller list.  When Eric and I went to Chamblin Bookmine to sell some of our old books, I went looking for "The Secret", but couldn't find it.  I did find another one of her books "The Parting (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher, #1)" and ended up buying it.  The book follows the story of a young Amish girl, Nellie Mae Fisher, after her sisters untimely death.

I really enjoyed the book and am reading the second one right now.  

Captured by Grace by Dr. David Jeremiah

Captured by Grace is a nonfiction book about...well you could probably guess...grace!  lol.  Dr. Jeremiah follows the life of John Newton (famous for penning the hymn "Amazing Grace") and Saul/Paul of the Bible to show the effect God's grace had on them.  He really takes a good look at grace; the purpose, where it appears in the Bible, and what it means for us.

This book had a lot of good content, but it was hard for me to get through.  I wish he would have gone further into the story of John Newton.  I did enjoy the comparisons of his life and Paul's and how while their situations were different they were alike in many ways.

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com <http://BookSneeze.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”"

MIA

September 24-26, 2010:  MIA.  Last Friday I left work and got on a bus routed for Miami to visit my friend Namrata (I also got to see Krystal and Phillip as well!).   The six hour bus ride actually wasn't too bad, despite bad weather on both ends of my trip.  Saturday, I had lunch with Namrata, Krystal, and Phillip at Smoket.  I got a pulled pork sandwich and it was very tasty.  After lunch, we headed over to see Phillip and Krystal's dog, Blue.  He is really big, but such a sweety.

Blue and I

Saturday, Namrata and I ventured out to South Beach.  The weather was beautiful and the water was crystal clear.

After hanging out at the beach for a while we ate lunch at the Fox Cafe.  I would not go there again...the food and drinks were way over priced, considering the quality.  After lunch, I of course had to scope out DASH Miami...being a big Kardashian fan and all.  I had read bad reviews about it before we went, so my hopes weren't too high on it being anything great.  The store had a small amount of expensive clothing and jewelry (I hope no one really pays $100 for a cotton tank top), water bottles with the sisters faces on them, and the belly bandit (which Kourtney wore after her pregnancy to get back in shape).  The people working there weren't rude like the other reviewers had said (they said hi when people entered), but we didn't speak to them to find out either.  Maybe the store is just a front for their show.  I don't know.  I still like them though.  lol.
 

In front of DASH Miami

Before heading back to Namrata's to get ready for my return trip, we went to visit the Miami Holocaust Memorial.

"The Sculpture of Love and Anguish"

When I returned home, my wonderful husband had a beautiful bouquet of lilies waiting for me.  :)  He had went camping with his friends over the weekend, but got home before me.  I told him he needs to write about his trip, but he isn't too keen on blogging.  lol.  Maybe I'll get him to write something later (fat chance).

 Pink Lilies from Eric

Oh--and for all of those people that check this out today-- Walgreens is offering a free 8x10" collage print through October 1st on their website.  Use the code FBColl at checkout.  For more information check out this link from slickdeals.net: Walgreens Free Photo Collage.

Also--- If you are into looking for deals online a good site to check is Dealighted.

Alright, well I hope everyone has a great weekend!  I hope the Gators beat Alabama Saturday!  Ahh!  Go Gators!  :)