Wontons...

I love wantons, crispy on the outside, savory on the inside... I bought some wrappers and filled these with cream cheese and a couple slivers of onion, then threw them into the deep fryer... OMG they were so good...

 

 I made up some noodles to compliment them, but they totally stole the show...

Paula Let Me down...

I can't believe it... I love Paula Deen so much... her recipes are amazing... I have always had success when I use her methods... Well, not this time... She made Pulled Pork Egg Rolls on her show the other day and I was totally intrigued!

Cole slaw, and pulled pork mixed together with bbq sauce and sweet relish...

I rolled the mixture up tightly into egg roll wrappers and deep fried them nice and crisp.

They were horrible, absolutely disgusting... greasy and overly sweet... I will never, ever, make these again... ever...

Breakfast Delights...

I am really into breakfast lately... I have been eating toast with egg and sausage sandwiches for breakfast most days during the week... to cut back on the fat I use 1 whole egg plus one egg white, whole wheat Sarah lee 45 bread, nonfat butter spread and veggie sausage... still a savory treat in the morning...


I had a craving a few Sundays ago for egg in the hole which I fried up crisp in the skillet before church...


Also recently I saw the idea on Rachel Ray to use thick sliced ham as the base for a breakfast cupcake... these looked cool but were just a little strange for me...

Payton Robert...

Urgh I love this kid! A couple weeks ago we had Payton's first birthday party at Shell and Paul's house... it was a great time! I cannot believe how much kids grow in just one year... his personality is amazing... what an awesome little man, I can't wait to watch him grow up!

San Antonio...

I went to San Antonio, Texas for work over the summer... it was hot...

Beef Sandwich...

I saw an amazing beef sandwich on The Pioneer Woman's blog the other day and decided to make one of my own...

I started with some cheap, thin beef...

and some sliced mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion which I doused in Worcestershire sauce...

While the veggies marinated I sliced the beef into thin strips and soaked them in the same sauce...I violently threw the meat and veggies onto the grill before preparing my bread...

Mmmm the telera rolls I found at the market were absolutely gorgeous; crisp on the outside and soft in the center....

I split them open and buttered the inside before placing them on the flat top...

The completed sandwich was simply divine... I threw a couple pieces of white cheese over the hot meat before I placed the lid on top... truly a hearty little sandwich...

Fajitas...

I decided I wanted Fajitas the other day so I went to the store and bought some peppers, onion, chicken breast and seasoning...


I sliced everything into nice strips and threw it violently onto the grill with some oil...


The smell was DIVINE! so savory...

Carmen had tacos, Dad a pile of meat and veggies... I decided on an overexposed burrito with guacamole and crema Mexicana... so so good!

Pastoral Search Commitee?!

The head elder of the church called me this afternoon and wants me to be on the selection committee for our new associate pastor... What what!

A true honor... Praise be to God...Lord mold me into the man I need to be for this role...

The Set is Complete...

The roommate left and took his fridge with him... This one is more my style... and it completes my stainless steel appliance set...

Lunches...

I have been eating like a pig lately... with recently losing my roommate I need to cut back on crap food and the price tag that goes with it... I made these lunches the other night... A little fish, a little chicken, soup, veggies...

Christmas...

Uggh the drive back from Phoenix on Christmas Eve totally sucked... Lisa and I were both exhausted from the weeks events... We made it into town by 8pm and I crashed on the couch... I woke up just in time to make Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at church... it was so beautiful to celebrate our Savior's birth...

Christmas Day was the same as it always is... I do love traditions... Doug and I were in the kitchen making Latkes...

Dad was on biscuit duty...

The food came out great... and everyone really enjoyed the meal and company...

It was a little surreal being around so much family over the past few weeks... surreal but good... My sister and I are getting along better than we have in years... and my Pop and Ron are healthy... I couldn't ask for more right now... life it pretty much all good...

After the festivities I got to go hang out with Shelly and Payton... he is such an awesome little man... Who would have thought that Shelly would be such a great mom...

Mothers...

Ohh my Mom... we have had such a sorted relationship over the years... She basically abandoned my sister and I when we were infants... She disappeared for 4 years, came back, kidnapped my sister, then left for a few more years after the police returned Lisa. She really settled down about 20 years ago when she married my step dad, he seems to keep her in check...

So she had a heart attack the week before Christmas, then a quintuple bypass on Christmas Eve... It was pretty rough on my sister and I... You mildly care for someone for years until you almost lose them... the thought of her dying actually brought me to tears... surprising to me...

Lisa and I drove out to see her in and out of surgery, then back the following week to make sure she was OK...

I have spoken to her on the phone since and she sounds ok... Just ok... Not sure what to feel... I feel weird... a little scared and emotional... Anyway she is alive and recovering at home now... I guess I have to leave the situation in God's Hands...

I guess a bonus to being in the Phoenix area twice in a month is we got to spend a lot of time with my cousins and their beautiful kids...

Chicken and Fries... with a Little Sandwich...

I love fried chicken fingers with fries... greasy delicious crispness...

The other day I made these and decided I wanted a little sandwich as well... it was crunchy and juicy...

Tacos...

So as Carmen and I discussed what we should eat this week tacos came up yet again... I thought good old fashioned ground beef sounded good...

I fried mine up crunchy...
She wanted hers on soft corn tortillas...

Both were delicious!

Busted...

Big time bummer: Someone busted into my truck and took my briefcase... I lost a lot of stuff...

Office Christmas Party...

This year we went to a posh restaurant down in Laguna for our office Christmas Party... it was SO BORING... mindless conversation, boring people, gross food... I left early to hang out with my friends... At least I had Mimi and Mrs. Sanders to pass the time with...

Noodles...

I am not a pasta fan... I don't know why... just too heavy and starchy...

I do however love chow mien... greasy, salty, full of vegetables... oh my mouth is watering just thinking about it... I made this batch with bok choy, sprouts, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, serrano peppers and lots of soy sauce...

I chopped up the vegetables and threw them violently onto the grill with a pound of chicken and shrimp and a couple scrambled eggs...

After drowning the entire pile in a bottle of soy sauce and tons of oil I got the shine and taste I was craving... I tossed it all together with some noodle and rounded out the plate with little frozen egg rolls... A true Asian delight...

Reflections of Thankfulness...

My family loves me... and I sure love them... this year for Thanksgiving Mom and Jim came out and I had a lovely time with them... We went all over town shopping, cooking, eating out, watching movies, visiting Grandma and Grandpa Bowman's grave site... it was truly a meaningful time as they both age into their golden years... Thanksgiving was amazing... Lisa was really nice to me, the food came out perfect (except the slightly dry fried turkey)... I have so much to be thankful for... when I am sad, overwhelmed at work, or just plain mad at the word I should reflect on the beautiful family the Lord has blessed me with... I really should...

Dinner was topped off with Paulie proposing to Shel, baby in arms... it was a perfect day...

Gosh I love my Pop and sister... they mean the world to me... I would be lost without these two...

Quesadilla...

I was dreaming of a nice chicken quesadilla so I made this one packed with good stuff...

I chopped up a ton of bell peppers, tomatoes and onions, nice and chunky. I grilled them on the flat top in a ton of butter until they were sweet and tender...

Meanwhile I had two nice chicken breasts frying up to a golden brown... Those I shredded into small pieces...

When all the ingredients were done I threw them together on the grill for a nice melting...

Talk about savory! The sweet peppers with the juicy chicken and spicy salsa... ohh so good...