Hey All,
I heard that Satan called, and he wants his weather
back! Holy balls it has been hot
out there and it shows no signs of letting up. Back at the beginning of June, we moved into our new house
we are renting. I was extremely
excited because we have (had) our own lawn. The owner of our home was nice enough to leave us a lawn
mower and I was looking forward to getting out and mowing our beautiful green
grass throughout the summer. Well,
as you know, unless you have been living on the moon for the past month, it has
been 100 degrees every day with no rain.
Our beautiful green lawn is now the same consistency of our front door
welcome mat. I mowed the lawn two
times and you could argue that the second time was not necessary. A little rain would be greatly
appreciated.
As is usually
(always) the case, we have been pretty busy lately. Last weekend we went up to Port Washington for a surprise
graduation party for one of Gina’s good friends and former classmate
Katie. She had been told that she
was going to an engagement party for one of her other friends so she was nice
enough to make an appetizer and bring a gift…she was definitely surprised.
This coming weekend we are hosting a party at our home. We needed to get a few things done like
painting a bedroom that had green carpet and pink walls. We also made a few pit stops on the way
home from Port Washington and picked up a couple new toys. I was able to finally get a full sized
Weber grill!!! We also picked up 6
new patio chairs so our guests have a place to sit during the party. Buying the chairs turned out to be less
than fun. Well, I should clarify,
the actual purchasing of the chairs was fairly simple…swipe the ol’
visa…done. However, what I did not
take into account was the fact that the chairs were too big to get into the
back seat or trunk of Gina’s car.
Lucky for me we only live about a half mile from Home Depot and I had
the pleasure of loading the chairs up over my head and carrying them home. May I remind you that it has been 100
degrees for the past who knows…throw six chairs on your head and you have
yourself a 350 degree oven. Not to
mention, I’m sure all the cars driving by thought I looked awesome.
Needless to say, when I got home, the grill was assembled,
food was cooked and the glasses of sangria were filled (not in that
order). Our inaugural meal was
Moroccan Zucchini Boats on the grill and they were awesome.
You can find the recipe here: http://fastpaleo.com/moroccan-zucchini-boats/
You will notice in my photos that we bought a chimney to light the coals in. If you don't have one of these, you better get up and get one. all you do is stuff some paper in the bottom, put the coals in the top, light the paper and let it go. No lighter fluid needed!
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| Papa's new toy - notice new chairs and firepit |
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| Moroccan Zucchini Boats finishing on the grill |
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| No Grilling session is complete without PBR |
Yesterday we celebrated the 4th of July. For the most part we used the day to
relax. I was mixing Margaritas
from scratch in the afternoon and we had two or five. Margaritas, music, tossing washers and ultimately chillaxin’
make for a great 4th.
For dinner I got to fire up my new toy again and grilled a tenderized
round steak we still had in the freezer from our last CSA share. I normally take pride in my grilling
skills, but I have to admit, I let the round steak sit a bit too long. I think my internal clock was running a
bit slow after a few of those margaritas.
I also noticed we were the only people in the neighborhood enjoying the
gorgeous 100 degree day outside. Once
the sun started to set we hopped in the car and headed a few miles south to
Libertyville to watch their fireworks.
For the record, I had not consumed a margarita for a couple hours before
we went to the fireworks. Overall,
it was a good show and we left with minimal mosquito bites, and for me, I think
I had the start of only a mild hangover.
It had been a couple years since we were last able to watch fireworks on
the 4th so I was really happy we were able to take part this time.
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| Derek's Muy Bueno Margaritas |
As a side note, I recently read the book Wheat Belly
by Dr William Davis a cardiologist from the Milwaukee area. It has rocketed up towards the top of
my recommended reading list.
It is a quick read and full of great information. I know I have a few friends and family
members who are dealing with issues like idiopathic (unknown origin) GI issues,
diabetes, or simply general inflammation/pain/arthritis issues as well as
weight struggles. If you fall into
one of these categories, or even if you don’t, I highly suggest you get to the
library and check it out. You will
be happy you did.
That is about it for now. As I stated earlier, we have a party coming up this weekend
so I am sure I will have plenty of stories to share next week. That is, if the sun doesn’t cook us all
first. I have to remind myself
that during the Wisconsin winters I pray every day for weather like this…I guess
you have to be careful what you wish for.
Cheers!
Favorite song this week: Feel So Close by
Calvin Harris
Beer of the Week: Milwaukee Brewing Co’s “Admiral” Stache
http://mkebrewing.com/beer/baltic-porter/
This is a Baltic Porter and the best way I can describe this
beer is a back massage in a bottle!
Go get some…what are you waiting for.
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