Friday Funny

 

Cooking Thursday

A few weeks ago, I needed to make a treat and came across this recipe. It was for boxed brownies but doctored up. They looked good so I made them - and yum!  Fudgy brownie, oreo, cream cheese and ganache - oh my goodness.  That being said, they are really rich!  I cut the pieces small, you wouldn't want to eat a lot. 
These would be good for a treat to bring away, cut into very small squares!

Oreo Truffle Brownies

1 box brownie mix (for 8x8 pan) and ingredients to make them
26 Oreos
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi sweet morsels

Prepare brownie mix as directed and bake in parchment lined 8x8 pan.  Allow to cool.
Crush Oreos finely and mix with softened cream cheese. Spread over cooled brownies.
Heat cream in microwave until just starting to boil. Pour over chocolate chips, let stand for about 2 minutes, then stir to mix. Spread ganache over Oreo and cream cheese mix and refrigerate.

Wordless Wednesday

 

The Winter Lake

I usually go to Lake Michigan at least once in the winter. It's beautiful in every season, and there is something about seeing all that ice that is awe inspiring.  However, I don't stay long!  It's so cold out there, walking on the icy pier with the winter wind blowing.

Here's some pics from my visit last week.

Walking along the pier, you see everything coated in ice.  When the wind blows, the waves wash over it and this is the result.

It was a cloudy day, but that's the usual look here in the winter.

Ice, as far as you can see.

This is called pancake ice and it covers the channel into Grand Haven.

It started snowing a little as I went further down the beach.

This little sea gull doesn't seem to be bothered by the wind or the cold.

Look at all the ice around the lighthouse!  

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One last view before I left.  Next time I come back, all this ice should be gone. I must admit, I prefer it in the summer.

Valentine/Birthday outing

I hope you all had a nice Valentines Day! Bob and I went out for supper the night before because I had other plans on Saturday.  It was Heather's birthday!  She doesn't get out without kids much these days, as Connor is still very much a Mama's boy and likes to keep her in his sight. But with her birthday falling on a Saturday,  Andrew was able to watch the kids, and we got to go out for some fun.

Before we left, I gave the kids some Valentine Treat bags which they loved.

We made our way to the cute town of Rockford where we walked around and did some shopping.

I love to go here because of the fun shops they have, like this one.  Old buildings that have been restored and are one of a kind places are the best.

Here's Heather and I.  We were at a place called The Toasted Pickle. It's a favorite lunch place.

This is inside the restaurant.  It's another old building that's been fixed up.

Here's our lunch.  We shared their famous grilled cheese sandwich with tomato juice shots, and truffle french fries. It was so good!

After lunch, we walked over to the river. I like seeing these cat tails next to the icy river.

We admired the dam before heading back to the shops.

One of the shops had this cozy spot out front with a fire and chairs with warm fur to sit in.

We both made some nice purchases.  Heather, in typical mom fashion bought some things for her kids, but also something for herself.

I got these two books.  One is a devotional about hymns, telling the story behind them with scriptures that go along with each hymn. The other is a book with fun places to visit in Michigan.  Bob and I plan to make use of those ideas.

I also got these cute decor pieces which I will use soon to add some Spring to house.
What a fun day!

Happy Valentines Day!

 I know I'm a day early, just posting this instead of my usual Friday Funny.
Comments are off. Hope you all have a great day!

Cooking Thursday

Last week I shared a recipe for steak bites. Today's recipe is for smashed potato slices that we had with the steak bites. This is something Bob saw and thought would be good, and he was right! It was a fun switch from the usual baked potatoes we have with steak.

Smashed Potatoes

3-4 small potatoes, (about golf ball size) scrubbed and halved
1 tablespoon olive oil
dried oregano
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar or colby jack cheese
crispy bacon, crumbled

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray or olive oil.
Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes or until just fork tender.
Drain potatoes and let cool for about 5 minutes. Place each potato skin side up on cookie sheet.
Smash each potato to about 1/2 inch thick.
Drizzle olive oil over each potato, then sprinkle with garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
Place in oven for 20-30 minutes until crispy and browned. 
Remove and turn off oven. Flip potatoes, then sprinkle cheese over them and then the crumbled bacon. Place back in oven with heat off and leave in for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve with ranch or sour cream.

Wordless Wednesday

 

It's carving time

I've shared my hubby's talent with woodworking quite often; in the last year he put on a deck in the back, built us a fireplace and put up a cute storage shed. He's also been working on more kitchen cabinets for our daughter Heather.  

Something else he does that I haven't shared lately are his woodcarvings.  He does caricature carvings and recently finished one for our Pastor and I thought I'd share it with you.

We had him and his family over for supper and they didn't have any idea what Bob had been working on.

Here he is opening it up.

and realizing what it is...

with Bob

and here's Pastor Doug with his carving.

Bob puts a tag on all his carvings that says the gift of being able to carve comes from God, which is why he uses the name 'By His Hands'. Every carving has a hand on it somewhere to signify God's handprint.

Here's the carving from above.

Here it is from the front.  The name of this carving is on the plaque in the front. It says "Preach The Word".  2 Timothy 4:2

Our Pastor was just thrilled with this, and you know what?  Bob was just as thrilled to do it and give it to him.  It was a very fun evening.

 

A trip to the Museum

Last week we had a fun outing with Cassie. She loves to go to the Museum and we thought it would be a good inside thing to do with the bad weather we've been having.

Cassie was happy to get inside and see that this "dinosaur" was still here. She remembered it from her last visit.  It's actually a mastadon that was found on a farm near Grand Rapids.

Cassie and Grandpa under the great whale skeleton

Our Museum has a fun area that is set up like Grand Rapids in the early 1920's. I love walking through it and feeling like I've stepped back in time.

This was a special exhibit that had rubberized tiny pellets that kids could dig in and pile up. If it was piled up, the lights made it look like mountains, and if you dug into it, it looked like rivers and lakes. Cassie had such fun with it.

There was a dress up section - here she's a bee.

Here she got to pedal this machine and help the bee fly to flowers to get nectar.

This is a giant Lego exhibit of Grand Rapids.  We could find familiar buildings, the Grand River, our famous Blue Bridge... It was incredible!

Look at the details!

The museum is built next to the Grand River so we could see it out some of the windows - and there is the real Blue Bridge.

Checking out the dinosaur exhibit.

Cassie and Grandma at the bug exhibit.

She was having fun trying to step in these big footsteps.

We had a fun time, and we met the rest of her family for supper. It was a good way to spend the afternoon.

Friday Funny

 

Cooking Thursday

Last week, in the middle of the big storm, I had to come up with something for supper as we were supposed to go out, but that wasn't happening. I found a recipe for steak bites and had a steak in the freezer, so I made that.  It was soooo good! (and easy too)  If you have an air fryer, you need to try this.  It's going to be a regular at our house.

Air Fryer Butter Steak Bites

1 large steak of your choice, trimmed of visible fat and cubed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons salted butter

Preheat air fryer to 400 degrees.
Place salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder in a large plastic bag and shake to mix. Add olive oil and mix. Then add the steak cubes and toss until evenly coated.
Arrange the steak cubes on the grill plate in the air fryer. Air fry for 4 minutes, then flip them and air fry for another 3 minutes.
Take the cooked pieces out of the fryer and remove the grill plate, leaving juices in the bottom of the basket.
Place the cooked steak bites back into the air fryer, along with the 2 tablespoons of salted butter, thinly sliced.  Air fry for another 1-2 minutes allowing the steak bites to absorb the flavors.
Season with additional salt and pepper as desired and serve with your favorite side dish.

Wordless Wednesday

 

A Day in my Life - February

We've made it to February!  The groundhog saw his shadow and we're in for more winter.  We're actually under another winter storm advisory here with more snow and icy roads.  But, I'm here to share the 1st day of the month with you.  Here's how February 1 went for me.

I was up early, went downstairs and was on the treadmill for 40 minutes.

Then I came upstairs and got things going in the crockpot so dinner would be ready when we came home from church. The bigger crockpot has grilled chicken breasts in it, the little one has green beans.

After that I got ready and had a boiled egg for breakfast.

Here we are, driving to church.  The roads are still snow covered, but the sky is blue.

Look at this, on the dashboard of Bob's truck.  The temperature was negative 8 degrees!

The frosty branches and the sun were beautiful though.

We got to church about 8:45. We have Sunday School before the service and that starts at 9.   I'm doing a class on Genesis, which Bob happens to be teaching.  This was before class, waiting for everyone to arrive.

That class gets done about 10, then our regular service starts at 10:15.
We had communion and a very good message from Romans 15.

We did some talking after church and didn't get home till about 12:15, and then enjoyed that meal from the crock pots.

 

 

After cleaning up lunch I did a little more walking.  I try to get about 14,000 steps in daily and I don't like to do it all on the treadmill.  I'll be so glad when it's nice and I can walk outside again.  For now, I do laps in the storage area in the basement - not pretty but it works!

Bob and I both took a short nap in the afternoon.  That's so nice!

The sun continued to shine.  I took this off our porch. You can see how the snow is hanging off the roof!

This is in the back yard. Bob had cleared the snow off the deck on Saturday, and the sun was helping it dry.

We had sloppy joes for supper.  We like the with American cheese added.

Then we had a quiet, relaxing evening!  We love British Crime shows and have recently started watching this one - Grantchester.
We also watched 'The Repair Shop' which I've shared before. (We learned about it from blog friend Terri of Your Friend from Florida.) It's also from England and is a show where people bring in cherished items that need repair.  It will make you feel good to watch it! The last show we watched was from France and is called The Beau Chateau.  Season 1 is on HGTV and we hear season 2 will be starting but right now we watch it on Youtube.  It's about a young couple that inherited a beautiful chateau and they are restoring it.  

Yes, it was a lovely day!  It was cold, but the sunshine was a treat, and we always enjoy seeing our church family.