Texas Fried Steak...

My Grandma Bowman was a dear woman... crude, rude, hilarious! She came to visit often when I was a kid and we would sit around playing poker while listening to stories about Chicago in the 1930s - needless to say her stories were very colorful... Just as rich as her stories was her Texas Fried Steak... crunchy and tender, coated with gravy... I have fond memories of her standing over a sizzling frying pan...

I decided to whip up the steak for Carmen on Saturday... I started with flour, salt & pepper...

Then I sliced thin strips of cubed steak and tossed them in...

The next important step was to make the gravy... I made the rue out of chopped up hamburger patties and a whole lotta grease!

A little salt, pepper, water and some more flour and the gravy was just perfect...

I threw some instant mashed potatoes together (another childhood favorite)

and lunch was served! Crunchy Texas Fried Steak, mashed potatoes and home made beef gravy... it was so good!

Concert in the Park...

Ahh you know summer is here when its time for concerts in the park... Monday was country music and the J family met us at the park for some pizza and fun! The kids wanted to go to the big playground so we went across the street...

Even Sheri and I got some swinging in...

The country music was good; we danced for quite a while... As the sun went all the way down the temperature dropped and everyone was a little chilly...

We still all had a good time!

Disney with Sheri and the kids...

Sunday after church Sheri picked me up and we all went to Disneyland... the J family has been out of town most of the summer so I was great to see my dear friends... Today was a big day for Bryce, he was finally tall enough to ride Indiana Jones!!! The gal at the front congratulated him and even gave us a pass so we could bypass the line and walk right onto the ride! It was totally awesome... He liked the ride by clutched me pretty tight in the dark parts... good job little buddy!

When we traded Paige off so Catherine and Sheri could go on Indy, we explored the tree house... I don't remember it being so high... hmmmm

We rode some more rides, had a nice little dinner and really enjoyed hanging out...

The last ride of the night was Autotopia... Paige and Bryce drove me...

Catherine drove her Mom...

Lets just say the kids need some more driving practice... it was a wild ride!

Good weather, great friends.... awesome time! Gosh I am gonna miss these guys...

Carnitas...

I recently came into a huge can of diced green chiles from work. I decided to pour the entire thing over a large chunk of cheap pork in the crock pot... 10 hours later I had the most tender carnitas... cant wait to gobble these up...

Happy Birthday Justin & Morgan...

So Saturday the guys had a joint birthday party around the pool... it was an awesome mellow time...
everyone relaxed in the shade talking and drinking...

As the afternoon wore on everyone ended up in the pool to cool off... it was a great time... Justin pulled out the bounce house which apparently was not made to hold two full sized adults...

In the Heights!

This week we had tickets to see In the Heights at the Pantages downtown... it was probably one of the best shows I have ever seen! So good!


Mimi and I stopped at Philipe on the way into LA... we got our usual beef and pork dips, potato salad and of course coconut cream pie with coffee...


We were in a rush so we had to gobble down and run!

A lovely night!

Tacos...Again...

I just love tacos... it probably has a lot to do with growing up in an area of heavy Mexican influence... I could eat them crunchy or soft, beef or chicken, I even love the cheap 2 for $1 tacos from Jack in the Box...


Anyway I decided to whip some up for Carmen on Saturday... The usual suspects were present...

Mrs. Sander's favorite chips:

Salsa, Crema, y Guacamole:

Ohh I love my guacamole... why can't restaurants make it like I do?

The meat of choice today was some savory carne asada... they came out just wonderful...

Fried Mozzarella Sticks...

Does The Pioneer Woman tell you things? Does she make you do things that are out of your control? Am I crazy? Hmmm... well the other day Carmen was telling me how much she loves fried mozzarella sticks... then a day or so later The Pioneer Woman tells me to make them... coincidence? I think not!

So I bought a bunch of string cheese...

Cut them up into little sticks...

And set out my dredging assembly... flour, egg, and seasoned bread crumbs...

I rolled up tray after tray of these little beauties and fried them in small batches... they were AMAZING... I typically don't order fried cheese in restaurants, but these I would totally make again... so good!

Green Chile Burger...

I just love green chiles... a touch of spice with a lovely texture...

the other night after work I was starving for something greasy and satisfying, so I threw a couple patties on the grill next to a soft, fresh bun...

Once the bun got warm and crispy I slathered it with some cool creamy mayonnaise...

I hit each patty with a slice of American cheese and a grilled green chile... it was a true delight...

Vegas Getaway...

Early on Monday Mimi and I hit the road for a couple days in Vegas... we have both been totally bogged down at work and needed some time off... We got a nice room at the Luxor and made no plans, except to drink, relax, and eat...

I whipped up a quick breakfast of hash browns and toast before we left... apparently the eggs had expired... opps!

When we got into town we were famished so we stopped off at the cafe in the Luxor for a delightful chocolate mousse and a turkey sandwich...

The weather was beautiful... clear and hot, about 104 degrees! After our lunch we hit the pool and laid in the sun for the rest of the day... the water was so cool and refreshing so we got into a cycle of sunbathing and dipping in the pool...

After we were nice and crispy we got showered and changed. We headed down to the casino for a little gambling and a nice dinner...

The next day we hit the pool early, but this time decided to go for a cabana instead... they were much nicer padded chairs with umbrellas to block the harsh sun... it was a much more enjoyable experience...

We got our drink on and really had a nice time watching the people go by, reading our books, and chatting...

of course we had to take breaks to dip in the pool... it was cooler at 100 degrees this day...

we rounded out the day with multiple trips to the all you can eat, all day long buffet and some relaxing in the room...

The next morning it was time to pack up and get ready to go, so we decided to check out the new Aria resort before leaving town... it was huge and very modern...

They had an upscale dessert bar just off the casino and we couldn't resist stopping for a treat...

we indulged in the "Opera" which was complete with gold leafing on the top... it was truly an amazing dessert...

We hit the road for home with a nice tan and a totally relaxed spirit... it was a great little getaway...