Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Lobster Rolls

The boy and I are not fond of mayonnaise, but I wanted a lobster roll really bad.  So, I found this recipe.  It is delicious. 
It is so easy.  You really need it all together to make it work.  The salad by itself is a little plain.  The garlic butter rolls are what puts it all together.

This is where I found the recipe and also where I snagged the photo.

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Lobster Rolls with Lemon Vinaigrette and Garlic Butter
Serves 6 (I think it made 6 so depending on your sides or appetite, it may not serve 6)
Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 50 min
Source: Gourmet magazine; July 2009

Ingredients:
4 (1 1/4- to 1 1/2-lb) live lobsters
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/4 cup finely chopped peeled celery
1/4 cup celery leaves
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, smashed
6 hot dog buns, preferably top-split

Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Directions: Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. (I simply put the buns under the broiler in the oven....instead of using a grill.) Plunge 2 lobsters headfirst into a large pot of salted boiling water and cook, partially covered, over medium-high heat 8 minutes (for 1 1/4-lb lobsters) to 9 minutes (for 1 1/2-lb lobsters) from time they enter water. Transfer with tongs to an ice bath and let stand until completely cooled. Return water to a boil and cook and cool remaining 2 lobsters. Remove meat from claws, joints, and tails. Save carcasses, shells, and any roe for another use (see "To Make Lobster Stock" and "To Make Lobster Oil"). Coarsely chop meat. Whisk together lemon juice, oil, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Whisk in scallions, celery, celery leaves, and parsley, then add lobster and gently toss. Season with salt. Melt butter with garlic in a small saucepan over low heat, mashing garlic with a spoon. Brush inside of buns with garlic butter. Grill, buttered side down, until golden, about 1 minute. Fill buns with lobster.

Cooks’ notes: Lobsters can be cooked 1 day ahead. Remove meat from shells and chill. Buns can be grilled in a lightly oiled hot 2-burner grill pan over medium heat or toasted in a 350ºF oven 5 to 7 minutes.

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Full disclosure, I bought the lobster meat already cooked.  It is probably better if you cook it yourself, but it was still good enough.  I did not grill but broiled my buns.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Movies Watched in July 2016









  • The BFG

  • Star Trek Beyond

  • Deadpool

  • The Good Dinosaur

  • Bad Moms



  • Very good month! Little Miss and I saw The BFG. She enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought it was ok. After a year of deciding if I was a big enough girl to watch Deadpool, I sucked it up and did it. It wasn't as violent as I thought. Plus, it was super funny. We won't talk about how much I cried in The Good Dinosaur. I thought it was underrated and super cute though even if it calls back many other Disney movies. Husband and I went to see Bad Moms, and we loved it. It is hilarious.


    Friday, September 9, 2016

    August 2016 Weekend Update

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    August was really busy!  The first weekend, Husband and I traveled to New Jersey for a wedding while the kids stayed home with the in-laws - and their cousins.  We hit the track on Friday night to lose a few bucks.  We had a nice dinner.  Then, the next day, we had a wedding to attend.  It was a beautiful wedding.  Between, we grabbed some drinks before going to the country club for a lot of eating and drinking.  We visited with some of the Husband's family before heading back on Sunday.
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    The next weekend, we took off for vacation with the in-laws.  The older nephew and Little Miss went up a day before.  We met them the next day.  It was a beautiful week of sun and sand.  We did a lot of eating.  The kids loved the water - both the ocean and the pool.  I still feel like I'm recovering.

    The kids really loved spending time with their cousins.  They little ones are really getting much better at playing together and interacting.  They still need to be watched because Captain can be kind of mean sometimes.  He's used to being the darling baby of the group, but he turns into such bully, not wanting to share any attention.  Then, sometimes, when you're not looking, the two of them play so nicely.

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    The last weekend, Husband and I went to La Tasca and had sangria and paella.  The sangria was delicious.  We definitely need to do that more often.  Then, we saw John Oliver!  It was amazing.  He's one of my favorite personalities/comedians.  After we saw a friend from college and her wife, and then we grabbed drinks with a former co-worker.  It was a lot of fun and full of adult, grown up things.

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    The next day was another wedding!  It was the last of the season.  The wedding was lovely.  We grabbed a drink after with another couple before we went to the reception where we had a blast.  After, we were like entirely different people and went to the after party until we shut the bar down.  I haven't done that in I don't know how long.

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    That said, we are definitely ready for the routine of school to start up again.  I think our busy summer was great - and fast - but there's sometime comforting in the routine of the Fall.  We have some plans we'd like to carry out in the Fall so it'll be something to look forward to. 
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    Tuesday, September 6, 2016

    Third Grade, Here We Come!

    I don't know how, but Little Miss is entering the third grade! This morning, she got up early, got ready on time, did her own hair for goodness' sake.  She was a little nervous, but I know she'll do great.  I can't wait to hear all about it.  It's still gratifying to see brand new school supplies - backpack, lunch bag, and water bottle all clean and shiny!

    Captain was not excited.  He sobbed as she left for school.  He's so adored her being with him all summer.  They love each other so much.
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    July 2016 Weekend Update

    July went by in a blur. We went to the pool again during the Fourth of July weekend. We did a day at my sister's pool and a day at my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's pool. The next weekend, we celebrated my nephew's birthday at the pool. The third weekend, we spent it at a friend's pool. We only got a good dip in before it started storming, but it was still fun.
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    The next weekend, my sister had a party. It turns out there was an issue with her marriage paperwork so they got married again (or for the first time). At the party, one of her bridesmaid and I wore our bridemaid dresses again as a little nod. The last weekend, the kids got their haircut and we met my parents for ice cream. Little Miss also went ice skating because that's what we do when it's a billion degrees. Throughout the month, Little Miss continued with her swimming lessons.
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    Monday, September 5, 2016

    June 2016 Weekend Update

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    June wasn't as busy. Except that first weekend. You know, that weekend my sister got married. It was such a great weekend. The kids were great. The rehearsal dinner ran late. It was fun except the kids stayed up to about midnight so it was rough for them. The day of the wedding, they were with my family so they got to take it easy. It was a really relaxing day. The weather was overcast, but it turned beautiful for the wedding itself. The mint green photographed so nice. The kids had a great time. Little Miss danced her tail off. Captain loved eating everything. The in-laws picked up Captain from the reception so he could get to sleep. Little Miss opted to stay the entire evening and spend the night with my family and her cousin. Captain was co-flower girl. He loved throwing the flower petals - and then he tried to pick them all up afterwards.
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    The second weekend in June, it was my birthday. On Friday, I had drinks with friends after work and then we went to see Me Before You. It wasn't the happiest birthday movie, but we enjoyed it. The next night, we did a big dinner with the in-laws as a belated Mother's Day/Father's Day celebration. On Sunday, we went to the pool where the kids were starting to enjoy the water. The swimming lessons Little Miss has been taking have started to pay off and Captain wasn't as afraid of the water.
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    The third weekend was a nice, relaxing one. We did nothing of note. I'm not even sure we did swimming lessons.
    The last weekend, we mostly just took walks and went to the library. Captain loves the activity cube there, and Little Miss picked out books and signed up for the summer reading program. She didn't really finish the program, but it's only because it's based on the number of books you read, not the number of pages. She chose this summer to get into the Harry Potter series which is a lot of reading, but it's not a lot of number of books. The last week in June, Little Miss and I also went to Barnes & Noble for a Harry Potter celebration. She wore her Hermione costume and participated in trivia. She talked me into buying her chocolate frogs. We also had a nice dinner together before heading home. It was nice to have some girl time with her, and Harry Potter has been bringing us together.
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    Sunday, September 4, 2016

    Swimming!

    Little Miss has started taking swimming lessons earlier this year.  A co-worker and friend taught swimming in a previous professional life, and she gets along really well with Little Miss.  There has been such progress in the last few months, it's been unbelievable.  Little Miss puts her face in the water and floats and does rudimentary swimming.
    A video posted by @princessapr on


    Captain, in his way of copying his sister, also has been trying to swim.  He loves the water.  I missed it, but allegedly, an older girl (of around 4 years of age) was inflating his ego before swimming away.  Big Captain decided to dive off the pool stairs and follow her, forgetting he did not know how to swim.  Husband had to pluck him out of the water and got side eye for the rest of the night for holding Captain back.  We'll look into getting him some lessons before next summer or at least visit our inside pool more in the off-season.
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    Friday, September 2, 2016

    May 2016 Weekend Update

    May seems like months ago - because it was. May and June were ridiculously busy for us (as was the rest of the summer honestly). The first weekend, we had our annual Kentucky Derby party. It was on the small side this year, but we still cooked about the same amount of food. We watched the race and then played Cards Against Humanity which was a lot of fun - good group. On Sunday, we had the in-laws over for a cook out. Our apartment added a few grills and gave us a proper patio so we tried that out for the first time.
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    The second weekend was our nephew's birthday. It was a lot of fun. Captain enjoyed the food, and Little Miss enjoyed ruling all the kids around her as the oldest. It was a day of fun and chaos as all children's birthday parties are. The next day was the Taste of Arlington. Captain tried a soba salad which I thought was a little too strong for me, but he loved it. The lotus root always creeps me out, but he ate it up. The wind took his plate which made him sob, but I bought him another. Little Miss mostly liked rock climbing and gathering as much free stuff as she could. She had swimming, and then we actually went back to the Taste of Arlington where we scored free food from some vendors.
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    The third weekend we did the Fun Fair at the elementary school. Little Miss loves being around her friends. She got her face painted, tried her hand at the cake walk (many times), and loved seeing her teachers outside of school hours. The next day, we did Truck & Bus Day. It rained, but that didn't stop Captain from freaking out all over the bus and trucks and other vehicles. Little Miss also really enjoys this event. After, I took the kids to book club and then we all went to get frozen yogurt and then ended up at my parents' for a jam packed weekend!
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    The last weekend of May, Memorial Day, we just ran errands, had more frozen yogurt, and went to the pool. It was a little chilly for the pool, but that didn't stop the kids from staying in until it started raining. All in all, it was a good month.
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    What We've Watched - 2020

    I forgot a bunch!  So, just to round out 2020, here we go. Let's see... I watched Enola Holmes on Netflix which I found adorable, and I...