August 2012 - Pinterest Inspirations

Source: framedcooks.com via Erin on Pinterest

Beef Stroganoff Casserole - This was just okay. I thought it was way too tomato-y to be very stroganoff-y. Not bad, more like a creamy spaghetti; just not what I was after in terms of taste.

Source: thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com via Erin on Pinterest

Mexican Stuffed Shells - These were quite good, and not as fussy as I was afraid they might be. DH didn't care for the cream cheese in them, so I might try to tweak the recipe. Nice idea, though.

Source: deepsouthdish.com via Erin on Pinterest

Butter Steamed New Potatoes - I quartered my potatoes and left out the parsley, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. These were excellent! And they didn't fall apart like the russets did with the last butter stewed recipe I tried. Can't wait to make them again.

Source: plainchicken.com via Erin on Pinterest

Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin (technique) by Plain Chicken - I tried this technique, and it just made a huge mess in my oven and a ton of smoke. Had to open two doors and three windows to not set off my smoke detector. Not sure if I used too much oil or what. It was moist and good, but not worth the mess and smoke. I won't be trying this technique again.

Source: plainchicken.com via Erin on Pinterest

Easy Steak Marinade | Plain Chicken - This marinade was really good and easy. We used it on pork tenderloin instead of steak, but I think it would be very good on steak, too. Yum!

Source: wvurbanhippie.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Best Meatloaf Ever - Not sure about best ever, but this was quite good. It's missing a little something I can't quite put my finger on. The only changes I made were using half ground beef/half ground pork and sweating the onions in just a little olive oil before mixing them with the meat. Will probably keep this recipe and tweak it a bit (likely 1/3 pork and 2/3 beef next time).

Source: sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (Freezer Meal) - This was better than the stroganoff casserole we tried, but I thought this was a little bland. Needed some more flavor, but I'm not quite sure what was missing. Still looking for "the right one."

Source: forkinit.blogspot.com via Erin on Pinterest

Crock-pot Barbecue Chicken - This was okay. Prefer Kirkland pulled pork, but also looking for something healthier. Thought the vinegar was a little strong, so would probably not use as much next time. Also thought a full bottle of sauce for 4 chicken breasts was too much. Would use 1/2-2/3 next time.

Currently feeling: well pinned for another month

Promoted

DH is now a Bridge Design Group Leader! He interviewed for the position several weeks ago, but it was just announced yesterday. We've actually known for a couple of weeks, but we were asked not to say anything until it had been announced at the office. Turns out that there was a small reorganization also in the works, so they waited to officially announce his promotion in the office until the details of the reorg were hammered out (nothing major, just a little reshuffling of who reports to whom since they've had several promotions and new hires recently).

The group he is now leading is actually his own group. His current group leader is retiring at the end of this month. She is the only manager he has ever worked for, and we will miss her very much. Her husband, a Georgia Tech professor, retired a couple of years ago, so I know they will be off doing all kinds of fun things. I wish them both all the best!
Currently feeling: so proud

Wordless Wednesday - August 29, 2012

Currently feeling: all wet

2012 Project 365 Update

Sorry for the radio silence (other than Wordless Wednesday pictures). Just not much to say right now. Unless you want to hear about our dead microwave? Yeah, didn't think so (especially since we've already replaced it). School is.... going. Already tired of homework. ::sigh:: Still trying to settle in to a weekly routine, which isn't helped by the fact that we're trying to fit in some new activities, some of which haven't officially started yet, so "the routine" is still evolving. We should have at least two new activities in the next week or two, so that might generate some blog-worthy material.

In the meantime, I thought you might want to see some (other) pretty pictures. For those who do not follow my Project 365 blog, you used to see the mosaics of each month when I posted my monthly round ups. You know, the ones I haven't done since January, and now that August is nearly over, I'm not sure I'm going to even attempt to go back and make them up. We'll see. I've missed a few days, particularly at the end of May, but I've still taken enough photos to cover each day with something different. Generating the mosaics is fairly quick, so I whipped those up to give me something to blog about for you to see. I've only fiddled and twiddled with pictures through July (I am so behind on so many things!), and not even all of the individual photos for July are on the 365 blog yet, so you're getting a bit of a sneak peak at those. Each of these is clickable if you want to see a larger version. Hope you enjoy!

January:


February:


March:


April:


May:


June:


July:


Currently feeling: well photographed

Wordless Wednesday - August 22, 2012

Currently feeling: creepy-crawly

How about a nice game of chess?

So, this happened this evening in my dining room. I don't know why he's shown a sudden interest in chess. Maybe because they're promoting chess club at school? Anyway, he was very impressed when DH mentioned that we had a real chess board. It was actually a gift from me to DH for (I think) our first Christmas. Never in my wildest dreams when I purchased it did *this* scene cross my mind. Love!

Currently feeling: much better than global thermonuclear war

Wordless Wednesday - August 15, 2012

Currently feeling: floral