Week 24

Sunday January 24, 2010

Pirate Stew, Chocolate Popcorn

Today was a "Go sailing or bust", which ended up turning into "Go sailing and Bust!" We hadn't been in a very long time. JJ was chomping at the bit-- and with all the rainy, stormy weather that week, getting out on the lake sounded nice. We decided to take the day off and go as a family. The wind forecast was pretty dismal and we expected at best we would proabably end up motoring around.

It started with getting the boat out of our yard. After the torrential rains, the dirt underneath the rock was extremly soft and JJ made a mess getting the boat through the gravel and onto the road. The kids and I were inside packing up the lunches and starting dinner. I wondered what took so long since he had gotten everything ready Saturday night. It turned out he was battling the mud for over an hour!

As for dinner, not only was the name fitting, but the type of meal as well. We usually come home exhausted after a day of sailing. The idea of walking into the house with the smell of a precooked dinner wafting through our nostrils sounded perfect.

Isabel opened the cans, while Laney peeled the carrots

And Jordan...

He contributed by finishing his breakfast.

by 10-10:30 am. We were packed, breakfased, dinner was in the crock pot and we were on the road. Everyone was excited! by 11:30 we got to the lake and made ready. By about 12:15 we were in the water at the dock. It took us longer since we were out of practice. Sailing is definitely not for the faint of heart. It does require a lot of work, But it usually pays off when we are out on the water with the wind in our hair enjoying nature...

This time we got out on the water. Ready for wind in the hair.... yah..., not so much. Turns out weather forecasts can be pretty accurate. No problem, we could just motor around right? Appearantly not. Since it had been several months since we had gone sailing our motor was flooded and wouldn't start.

Trying to start the motor


This is what JJ did for about a half hour. He's got patience and perserverence, Unfortunately they didn't pay off this time. The motor never started.

But we did manage to "sail" out of the dock with the small breeze we did have. I am not sure if you can call it "sailing" it was more like "floating with direction." Actually it did provide a great time for the kids to take turns sailing while moves weren't critical.

Showing Jordan the Ropes

Feeding the Seagulls and ducks

Video of us as "the dead animal"

Every time Jordan took the helm, JJ needed to remind him to look to where we were headed. We couldn't figure out why he kept looking backwards. It wasn't until the end of the day that we realized he thought the back of the boat was the front.

Despite the dissapointment of measley winds, I did enjoy practicing without the pressure of a heeling boat making me nervous.

She loves the water!

After a few hours on the lake "sailing back and forth by the dock (and out a little) We packed up and headed home. Not wanting to tackle mud again, we left the boat at JJ's work and by the time we walked in the door around 6:30, I was extremely grateful I had thought ahead about dinner. As predicted, it was wonderful to come home to the aroma of a home cooked stew.

Enjoying the Pirate Stew. It really hit the spot.

I knew we needed a simple dessert for this night. JJ's sister Vanessa gave us a Whirley Pop pan for Christmas. We've enjoyed using it to make our own popcorn. We decided to try a recipe our of the whirley pop cook book using a favorite.

Using our Whirley Pop-- thanks Ness!

Video of Isabel's Laughing Fit.

I can't remember what it was about, but she was definitely loopy

I completely spaced the photos of our finished products....ooops.

Pirate Stew (we doubled everything but the meat)

3/4 c diced onion

1 lb ground beed

1/4 cup uncooked rice ( we added more rice and extra water accordingly)

3 cups diced potatoes

1 cup diced celery

2 cups canned kidney beans ( we added black beans too)

1 tsp. salt

pepper

1/4 tsp. chili powder ( I think the author is afraid of flavor, we put in at least 1-2 tsp.)

1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce ( we put in a tbsp or 2)

1 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup water (we added more veggies)

Directions: Brown meat and onions. Stir ingredients into crockpot. Cook on low 6 hours. Serve with chips and cheese.

Review

This turned out really tastey as long with a good amount of salt and pepper. I think I may have forgotten to add the salt it called for. The addition of rice was a welcome change from our normal chili. The kids gobbled this up, which usually means success.

Chocolate Popcorn

(I have been looking and looking and I can't figure out where I put the little Whirley recipe book. I will have to add this recipe later when I find the book. This is why I am desperately trying to catch up on my posts. Hopefully I will be caught up in the next couple of weeks. )

Review

As for the Popcorn. The crushed oreo mixture was a good idea in theory if it weren't for gravity. The chocolate topping sank to the bottom of the bowl without sticking well to the popcorn. I am not going to deny, I still ate it addictively-- after all who can resist the dynamic duo, Salty and Sweet? But, it wasn't worth the calories. I would of been better off downing a row of Oreos with milk!