Multi-Tasking - 05.27.2009

My lunch - Ramen noodles kicked up a notch with cracked black pepper, ground cayenne pepper, and parmesan cheese.




Fixing dinner and a snack - at the same time. As I was preparing chicken, potatoes, and corn to go on the grill the kids decided that they wanted popcorn.




This is my awesome popcorn maker. I love this thing! I don't love it as much as I love my Dyson, my blackberry, my dog, or all of the world wide web, but I still love it a lot.




Marinated chicken, redskin potatoes, and corn on the cobb!




Look closely at the chicken in this picture and you will see a meat thermometer sticking out of one of the pieces. Why, you may ask? Because Tony is paranoid that I will serve him undercooked meat and I wanted to prove to him that the chicken was fully cooked. A meat thermometer is also the key to not over grilling your food.



Tony cuts his corn off of the cob before he eats it. Why? I have no idea.

David's 30th Birthday Party and A Big Box of Awesome! 05.23.2009

My sister, Stacey, threw her husband a 30th birthday party last weekend. It was a ton of fun. So much fun, in fact, that I forgot to take pictures of most of the food.



Here is his spectacular cake that Stacey made. It's one of her many trademarks.




In celebration of David's big 3-0, Tony and the kids and I gifted him with a "Big Box of Awesome"! The fancy wrapping job was courtesy of the kids and I.



And what exactly was in the Big Box of Awesome?



There were several treasures that I purchased at a community garage sale at First Community Church. There was a vintage and unused children's recorder.




There was a 500+ piece puzzle featuring images of Mary and Child and John the Apostle.




There was also a wooden bound book of cocktail recipes that looked like it was published in the 60's. It featured an entire chapter on highballs, Tom Collins, and Manhattans!



The final, and best, gift.... An old Star Wars Monopoly game!

*We also included a gift card to Starliner Diner. I didn't think that it would be very nice to give someone a Big Box of Awesome unless it contained at least one new item.*

Ian Packs His First Lunch! 05.22.2209

Ian is in half day kindergarten which means that he doesn't eat lunch at school. Friday was Field and Fun day for the kindergarten classes and all of the kids went to school for a full. To help with the transition in to first grade, the kids all ate in the cafeteria. I tried to get Ian to buy his lunch but he insisted on packing. He chose to pack Goldfish crackers, Gogurt, milk, and a Capri Sun.


I spent the day with Ian at school and helped with the morning Field Day activities. After a couple of hours of playing outside in 90 degree weather, it was lunch time. If Ian looks sweaty, dirty, and disheveled in this picture it's because he is! He went to school clean and well groomed but was a sweaty mess by lunch time.

Hell Freezes Over and Connor Eats a Hot Dog - 05.25.2009

We went over to our friend Bill's for a Memorial Day cookout on Monday. He makes an awesome homemade margarita and does a great job cooking on the grill.




At some point in the day, hell apparently froze over because Connor decided to eat a hot dog AND an ear of corn. There's no denying that my kids are picky eaters. Neither would normally go anywhere a hot dog or an ear of corn, so this was a shocking development on Connor's part. Ian had his pockets loaded with Pez so he had that to eat.




Later in the evening, Connor actually asked for more corn so I fired up the grill and roasted him a few ears.

The Best Day Ever - 05.21.2009

It was hot as balls last week so I rigged up the garden hose like a sprinkler for the kids. We actually have a sprinkler but I was too lazy to look for it. Ian felt that the sprinkler presented enough of a challenge that he needed to wear football pads and a helmet. According to both this, this was the best day ever!




I had a little time on my hands in the afternoon and evening so I roasted a turkey breast and made homemade mashed potatoes and stuffing. Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite meals ever and I usually end up cooking for our families when the holiday rolls around. It's important to keep your skills sharp, so I cook a full Thanksgiving meal every three months or so.

Michelle (Wo)Mans The Grill - 05.18.2009

I love grilling season. Monday was a beautiful day so I decided to go to the store for chicken, corn on the cob, and redskin potatoes - all perfect grilling foods!




Ian joined me on the trip to the store and, not surprisingly, picked out a baguette for himself. I asked him to wait until we got home to eat it, but he politely ignored me and dug right in as soon as we got in to the car.



Tony is totally capable of manning the grill, but my obsession with cooking as caused me to take over primary grilling duties. It can be a little tricky to prepare perfectly grilled meats and vegetables. The timing all has to be right and every thing needs to be taken off of the grill at exactly the right time. It's a challenge to sear chicken on the outside while keeping it moist on the inside and bringing the meat up to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. And I love a challenge.




Great success!

Benito's - 05.17.2009

We went to Benito's on Sunday for an all you can eat cookout. I don't think that grilling is Liz's (the owner) core competency. The food was fine, but not nearly as good as her pizza. We weren't really there for the food though. We were there for the ambiance. It was a nice day and Tony and the kids joined my Dad and I and we all sat on the patio. The adults drank beer and had burgers. The kids weren't hungry, so they just goofed off and had fun.




My dad and I were the first to arrive when Benito's opened. Liz told me that she was a little behind in the kitchen and asked if I could keep track of our bar tab and grab beers out of the cooler as needed. She also handed me $5 and asked me to select songs on the jukebox. She has a kick ass selection on the jukebox - tons of old Rolling Stones, Beatles, Johnny Cash, and Black Sabbath.



Two thumbs-up to Tony for joining us at Benito's and eating! I know that he was busy working around the house and wasn't confident in Liz's grilling skills but he showed up and had a good time. He even ate a hamburger!

Badass Carny Stunt - 05.16.2009

This is totally badass. This video is of 8 people riding motorcycles inside a spherical steel cage.

The Stewart Go To The Circus - 05.16.2009

We took the kids to see the Barnium & Bailey/ Ringling Brother's Circus this weekend at Nationwide Arena. The circus is a bit different than how I remember it from my childhood. There is no tent, the clowns are still creepy but seem less threatening, and there is a lot more acrobatics. As a matter of fact, the circus shows that we've seen over the past two years have been about 80% human tricks and 20% animal tricks.

Here's Ian with my sister and a $7.00 box of popcorn. Tony and Connor each also bought a $7.00 box of popcorn. Each of their sodas cost $6.00.


Here's my sister, looking ridiculously beautiful as always. She, Tony, and I shared a $4 bag of peanuts.


It was 3:30 PM and I hadn't had anything to eat yet, so I bought a cheddarwurst because there were not brats being sold. Silly me, I thought that a cheddarwurst would taste like a cheesy bratwurst. It actually tasted like a cheesy hot dog. Tony's hot dog was $4.00, the cheddardog was $4.75, and each beer was $7.50. Yes, they sell beer at the circus!


Here is Connor with a $9.00 snow cone in a plastic cup that looks a scary clown.



There were horses


And tigers


And elephants


And then towards the end, things started to get really crazy... If I didn't know better, I would have thought that I was on LSD.



Performers came out dressed as brightly colored flowers and the elephants were dressed as butterflies.


And then shiny confetti rained down from the heavens and the circus was over!

Tony Explains Why He Eats Pizza with a Fork and Other Mysteries Are Revealed - 05.15.2009

I give Tony a hard time about almost everything. Most recently, I've been teasing him about his annoying habit of eating pizza with a fork. Oh, and he doesn't just eat his pizza with any fork. He prefers to use a salad fork instead of a dinner fork. As a matter of fact, he prefers to eat everything with a salad fork instead of a dinner fork.




Tony was kind enough to pose for a picture with a plate of Iacono's pizza and his small fork last Friday. He then explained why he eats his pizza with a fork... He says that he only starts out with the fork when the pizza is too hot to hold. Once the pizza cools down, he will use his fingers to pick up the pizza... Okay - so the pizza is too hot to touch but not so hot that he can't eat it? Whatever, I will accept his explanation at face value. He has never offered an explanation as to why he prefers to eat everything with a salad fork though.




Here's the pizza!




And here's Olivia with her pasta. Iacono's makes their own pasta fresh every day and it's delicious.




Here's another thing that I don't get about Tony... He's recently aquired a taste for energy drinks. In general, I just don't get energy drinks. It seems like diet soda or coffee with a multi-vitamin would have a similiar effect without having to drink something that tastes like ass.

Employer of Choice - 05.15.2009

I love my job. The main reason that I love my job is because I like the work that I do. It's fun and it's creative. I also work with great people. There are other benefits to my job, like the fact that I mostly work from home. When I do have to go to our "corporate headquarters" for a meeting, I get to spend my time in a kick-ass office.



Exhibit A: A humongous wine refrigerator.



Exhibit B: A fridge that is usually stocked with Diet Coke and other goodies.



Exhibit C: A fully loaded pantry.



Exhibit D: My boss lets me bring my dog with me so long as we aren't entertaining clients.

Unfortunately we are not hiring at this time, so please do not post your resume in the comments section!