Meetup, Tennessee Style

The kids and I finally went to our first play date with the Meetup group here. It was at the public library, and we all had a lot of fun. It seems like a really nice group of moms/kids. It's kind of funny because at least three of us came from Alabama.

We were there about an hour and a half. The library is wonderful. It's huge. The children's section alone is probably the size of the entire Ft. Rucker library. The children's section is completely separate, and there is a large play area with puzzles, books, and toys.

Before we left, I applied for a library card. Bean Dip and Baby G each got their own as well. I'm pretty excited about having a nice library, even though it is about 20-30 minutes away, all the way downtown. But it is much more inviting than the Ft. Campbell library. And Bean Dip has been asking everyday since if we can go back.

Greek Pitas and Lebanese Couscous Salad

I recently made a delicious meal, and thought I'd share the recipes. Just to warn you, I used lots of raw garlic.

Greek-Style Chicken Pitas

2 split chicken breasts, bone-in and skin-on
Greek seasoning
Olive Oil

Season breasts with Greek Seasoning and olive oil, and bake in oven until done, about one hour at 350 degrees. I then removed the skin and sliced the meat off the bone.

Yogurt Sauce

1 container plain Greek yogurt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
ground cumin

Mix all together, adding a little vinegar and cumin at a time until it is the consistency/flavor you prefer

2 tomatoes
1 cucumber
salt and pepper

Chop up tomatoes and cucumber and season. You can also add red onion or feta cheese (or garlic!).

To make the pitas, toast pita bread, then fill with warm sliced chicken, tomato/cucumber mixture, and top with yogurt sauce.

Lebanese Couscous Salad

(Adapted from this recipe. I was looking for tabouli grains and couldn't find them, so I just used plain couscous.)

1 box couscous
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cucumber, chopped
3-4 sprigs of mint, leaves pulled off stems and sliced
1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
splash of soy sauce
salt and pepper

I think that's everything. Cook couscous according to the box. Meanwhile combine all ingredients in a bowl. You might have to add more lemon juice. I also accidentally added teriyaki sauce instead of soy, and it still tasted fine. Fluff the cooked couscous with a fork and add to veggies. Stir and check seasonings. It tastes better if it has a chance to marinate a bit.

This is a great summer recipe, if I do say so myself. I need to work on the yogurt sauce, though, because it's not quite right yet. Any suggestions? I'm trying to recreate the yogurt sauce they put on kebabs and falafel in Europe. Maybe it's more a tahini sauce? I'm not sure, I need to so some research.

Enjoy! I'd love to hear if anyone tries it.

Toddler Bed Time

Last week, I finally got Baby G's crib turned into a toddler bed. Lately, she's been playing "Goldilocks," by trying out every one's bed. I thought she might like to be able to climb into her own bed. And the only reason we hadn't done it sooner was that we needed to find two more screws to make it happen. So the kids and I went on a scavenger hunt to Lowe's to find the right ones.

She is still getting used to her freedom, but I think she's pretty happy with it. The first night she came in and slept with us, and ended up kicking Win out of bed (he ended up on the futon). But since then it's been better, of course the hardest part is bedtime. She keeps getting out of bed to play, or come find us upstairs, or annoy Bean Dip by turning the lamp off (she says, "bight off"). He likes the light on. She also likes to close the door. BD likes it open. But eventually, she calms down and goes to sleep.

We are one step closer to fulfilling our promise to BD that we will get them bunk beds.

Sushi

Last night, after an afternoon at the pool, we decided to try a sushi place someone had recommended to Win, Fugiyama in Clarksville. Bean Dip was actually quite excited about it, and even said he wanted sushi over burgers (our other idea for dinner).

The place is quite small, but intimate and very clean. We tried a variety of things (I'm not sure what we all got, the chefs made something special for Win, because he wanted something spicy).

However.

Our normally adventurous eaters decided to go on strike. Maybe it was because they were both tired from swimming, but neither one ate much of anything. BD at least tried a few things, but declared it all, "bad," and said it all looked like "poop." Baby G just flat out refused to try anything except the soup and the soy sauce. She wouldn't even eat the plain rice. And these are the kids who are eating sardines and always asking for tuna!

It was disappointing that they didn't like it, but we loved it. Maybe it will have to be a date night place instead of a family night out. And at least they had fun playing with the chopsticks.

Cedar-Plank Salmon

Tonight we tried grilling cedar-plank salmon for the first time. Well, I bought the salmon (from Kroger), but Win did the grilling. He just put lemon juice, salt and pepper, and some olive oil on it. He also grilled slices of zucchini and summer squash from the farm, also with salt and pepper and olive oil. I made some garlic-butter noodles, and dinner was served.

It was all delicious. The salmon was amazing; you can really taste the cedar. The kids enjoyed it, too. It's been so hot, fish is about the only protein that sounds appetizing.

Hot Summer Days

Three years, two moves and a baby later, I'm finally back on my bike. I bought my bike in Italy when Bean Dip was about a year old. We walked down to the bike shop in Grisignano, and I rode it home.

Now, we finally have a place to ride again, BD is on his own bike, and G is ready to ride in the baby seat. On Monday, we took our first ride around the neighborhood. A loop around the block ended up taking an hour. Bean Dip doesn't like going fast yet ... or going down hills ... or making turns. He's very cautious, and I know that's good. But it makes for a frustrating ride for me. But we did it, without tears, so it was a success. It was also very, very hot, so when we got home, we had Popsicles and played in the sprinkler.

A Visit from the Grandparents

This past weekend, my parents came to visit. They arrived late Friday night. Bean Dip and Baby G were in bed, but still awake. They got up to say hello, and boy, were they excited. BD was quite literally jumping up and down. G ran up and gave both of them hugs.

Saturday we explored downtown Clarksville. There is a farmers market in the morning, and I was happily surprised with it. There were a large number of vendors, selling everything from produce to grass-fed beef to homemade soap and pottery. We bought a few things (delicious tomatoes), then walked down to see the Cumberland River. On the way down, we missed the nice walkway, but found it a block down. There is a nice viewing platform of the river, and what looks like a nice park right on the river's banks. Then we walked back up the bluff (using the much easier-to-climb ramp) and back into town. We walked up Strawberry Alley (it's the road with all the shops/bars/restaurants on it, and found the Blackhorse Pub and Brewery. It is the place to eat/drink in Clarksville. Great place all around -- atmosphere, beer and food are all wonderful. And always packed. Bean Dip was most concerned about zombies and asked the waiter if there were any zombies in the restaurant. The waiter reassured him, and told him someone comes to get rid of them before they open. And on the way up the Alley, we even saw a van with a sticker saying "Zombie Response Team" on it. It was pretty funny.

We came home for a nap, then went out to dinner at our new favorite Mexican restaurant, El Bracero. Rich and Jessica, and two of their friends, joined us. Then Rich and Jessica came back over for beers and entertainment (i.e., the kids).

Sunday we stayed at home. Dad fixed my bike, and BD showed them how he can ride his. And G showed them how she rides her trike as well. Then after lunch and golf, they left for home. We went to the pool, then came home for more napping and women's soccer.

What's Making Me Happy: Music

My current favorite song ... the kids love dancing to it as well.

I'm Back

I took a little summer break from blogging ... but since my mom keeps asking me to post something, I'll start back up now. More to come later today ... after more coffee :)

Seven Years and No Itch

Eighteen months in ...still newly wed with one deployment under our belts.