Fired Up and Ready to Go!

Friday and Saturday at our house this last weekend was a whirlwind. We were out and about in the evening Friday night and were go, go, go all day Saturday but come Sunday, we lounged about the house; each battling colds with rolls of tissue paper and zero energy levels. Peyton and Troy are both on the upswing of things, but my pesky cold decided to take a detour and travel into my lungs. Yuck. That's what happens when your immune system is already being heavily taxed from creating and growing new life!

Since we did so much over the span of two days, I'll be doling out our adventures a little at a time over the next few days {just in time to start all over again with what we did Easter weekend next Monday!}.

Friday night, Troy and I had to help out at our church BBQ since we are on the Activities Committee for it. It's funny that this was our one and only activity to help implement with this ward before we move to our permanent home and church in Rowlett; but we were happy to do what we could. There was a minor snafu with the grills not working at first, but some handy people figured things out and we were finally good to go and not a moment too soon! Once they got the grill situation figured out, they fired them up and grilled nearly 200 hamburgers and nearly as many hot dogs which were enjoyed by all. There were also plenty of delicious side dishes and desserts that stretched down the long table under the pavilion.

I didn't take a single picture of the BBQ, but it was a flawlessly beautiful spring day; robins egg blue sky, spring green trees and the lake we were near was rippling in the soft cool breeze. I had to take Peyton home shortly after we ate because he wanted to climb on all of the dangerous parts of the jungle gym nearby and kept trying to run for the lake. The poor little guy was so tuckered out when we got home that after I had bathed him a few minutes and had washed his hair and body, he pulled the drain on the tub himself and told me, "Out!"

After I put him in pajamas and brushed his teeth, he climbed into bed all by himself {we've taken down the front part of his crib creating a make shift toddler bed} and proceeded to ask for his water and his blanket and he was done! Considering that all of us were laid up on Sunday sneezing and fighting for snuggle room on our bed, I'm sure that some of Friday's crankiness was a general 'not-feeling-well-ness'.

I did try out a new recipe for Friday's BBQ that came out pretty tasty that I thought I'd share. It's nothing special, just a fruit salad; but the flavors combined made it one delicious concoction. I found it in my new cookbook: The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cusine by Chef John D. Folse. I actually purchased the book as a birthday gift for my Aunt Chris, but after reading all of the reviews about it, I bought a copy for us as well. This is the second recipe I've ventured with and so far, so good! Everything has been very tasty. The recipe I made is called Pecan Ambrosia. Give it a try sometime!

Pecan Ambrosia

COMMENTS:
Flavored fruit salads have many variations throughout the country. Often they simply call for only one or, at the most, two main ingredients. In Louisiana, we tend to use all that is at hand to create an ambrosia unlike any other.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 -20 ounce can sliced peaches
• 1 -20 ounce can crushed pineapple
• 6 mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned*
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 diced red apple
• 1 diced green apple
• 1 -3 1/2 ounce can flaked coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced maraschino cherries
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 -8 ounce carton Cool Whip

METHOD:
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the strawberries and Cool Whip. Toss the ingredients well to ensure that they are thoroughly mixed. Cover with clear wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of four hours, allowing ingredients to marinate. Immediately prior to serving, fold in the sliced strawberries and the Cool Whip. Blend until the fruit is well-coated with the "dressing".

*I actually used a large can of mandarin oranges {drained} since I was pressed on time. I also didn't have time to let it 'marinate' for four hours and it was still just as tasty, I'm sure. I decided to cut up the peach slices so that there was a better distribution throughout the salad. And if you find flaked coconut in a can, tell me where you found it! I've never even seen coconut in a can before; I just used shredded coconut from a bag. As far as additions go, I was thinking it would be yummy to add some miniature marshmallows to this too! I'll have to try that next time.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting pictures of Peyton's first ever Easter Egg Hunt so check back in when you get a chance. There are some cute ones I'll be posting.