Most Delicious Meal Ever?

I may have just made one of the most delicious meals I've made in a long time. Yesterday morning the Food Network was on and it was Guy's Big Bite. He was making flank steak and these potatoes that looked to die for. So I surveyed the ingredients and realized that all I was really lacking was the flank steak and that could be easily solved with a quick trip to the grocer. So I went for it.

So today we had my version of this meal.

Flank steak with a balsamic "wine" reduction. I surveyed online and came up with a good flavor substitution for the Cabernet Sauvignon. And these potatoes really were to die for. Let's just say that you cook the bacon and onions to get all the bacon fat out, then you fry the potatoes in the bacon fat and garnish with the bacon, onions and some Parmesan cheese. Definitely not healthy but quite delicious.


I'm glad Sunday is drawing to a close. We had to speak today in our new ward today and I am ever so glad to have that out of the way for a while. I so wish I had Quinn's gift for public speaking. Now I can settle in and watch hours of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Quinn has been waiting for this for a long time.

Inmates Getting Down

1,500 plus inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu, Philippines at practice!

I thought this was hilarious and just had to share.

Discussion

Let's discuss. I finished it earlier today. I read it in two sittings as I had to give Quinn some attention yesterday. Quinn even teased me that I was going to sleep with it under my pillow. Don't worry I didn't. On to the important things, let the discussion begin.

SPOILER ALERT!! DO NOT CLICK ON COMMENTS UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE BOOK!!!

For those of you who load comments on the same page I'm leaving white space to help prevent spoiling.

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I hope that works.

Dumb Laws

Somehow Quinn and I got on a discussion of stupid state laws. He had seemed to remember that it was illegal to drink milk in Utah. I just could not understand why this would be. So obviously, we googled weird state laws and came across the following website: Dumb Laws. Turns out it is actually illegal to not drink milk. I guess I was breaking the laws for years and didn't even know it since I can't stand to drink milk.

Some of our favorites are:

Utah:
A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence.

It is illegal to cause a catastrophe.

Virginia:
It is illegal to tickle women.

Texas:
A recently passed anti-crime law requires criminals to give their victims 24 hours notice, either orally or in writing, and to explain the nature of the crime to be committed.

Seriously? Elected officials actually spent time on that??

The Parentals

My parents flew in for the weekend. I picked them up from the airport on Friday afternoon. That evening we met one of my mom's friends from grade school for dinner. It was very nice to meet her.

This morning we headed downtown and visited the Sixth Floor Museum and other JFK sites. The Taste of Dallas was also going on this weekend so we walked along and did some shopping in all the fun booths they had set up. Below is a picture of my mom and Quinn with the Gator set up at the booth serving friend alligator.


We then headed over to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. See how happy my parent's are waiting for their cheesecake?

Afterwards, we all went and watched Transformers. Quinn said he liked it even more the 2nd time.

We ended the night with a trip to get some gelato and then out to see the Dallas Temple. It looked very beautiful all lit up at night.

We dropped my parents back at the hotel because everyone was exhausted after a long day. Tomorrow we get to go to church with them and then who knows what. Should be fun.

A Potter Summer

We just saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I thought we were going to see Transformers again, but Quinn surprised me with HP. I didn't even know it came out today.

Quinn said it left him a little wanting. He said he thought it lacked a mystery which is what he enjoys about the other movies especially 1 and 2. But he said to be fair, he probably felt this way because he isn't a huge fan.

I, on the other hand, really enjoyed it. But I'm sure that is because I'm a fan and read the books. I did forget how much I disliked Harry in book 5. He is moody and at times annoying. But I find this to be true to life. Who wouldn't be after dealing with the things he has been for the past 4 years. Thankfully, the movie doesn't harp too long of this side of Harry. Dolores Umbridge was delightfully devilish and Ralph Fiennes as Voldermort is fantastic again. The final showdown of the movie was exciting and left me wanting more. I can't wait to start reading book 6 tonight so I can be totally prepared for the release of 7.

Only 9 days and 11 hours left!!!

Announcing...

The New Seven Wonders of the World

I think all in all a pretty good sampling from across the world. I have to say though that Christ the Redeemer surprised me a bit by making the list. I would have liked to see maybe Easter Island or Angkor Wat take the place of that. Something a bit more ancient with a bit more history behind it, something more than just a statue.

What do you think?

A Weekend Getaway

We just got back from a really fun but really quick trip to LA. The fun started Friday with a trip to see Transformers. Quinn obviously loved the movie. Below is our family photo with Optimus Prime.

Afterwards we did the Hollywood tourist thing and I spotted the one star I really wanted to see.

Later that night, my SIL Heather put together a fabulous BBQ complete with a chocolate fountain.

Saturday all the ladies headed off to see Wicked and it was fabulous. Loved it so much!!

Then what trip would be complete without a trip to the La Brea Tar Pits?

The night was finished off by meeting Quinn's Uncle, Aunt and two cousins (whom I had never met) for dinner. It was a lot of fun.

Quinn and I left Sunday afternoon. I got the privilege of sitting next to a little boy who really liked my SIL's cookies. He even was so bold as to ask if he could have all of them. Oh, yeah, and he asked if my wedding ring was real and when I said yes, he called me spoiled. Let's just say he was a little odd.

Now back to the grind. Quinn started his 3rd term at the Guildhall today. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. My parents are coming on Friday and I'm very excited to see them. This last weekend reminded me how great it is to be around family.

Clay Video

Let's see if this works.

Our 4th of July

We woke up at a ridiculously early hour and headed off to our Ward flag raising and breakfast. It was a great way to start the day.

The rest of the day was spent doing mundane tasks like laundry.

We ended up getting some last minute tickets to the Frisco Freedom Fest. So we headed out in the early evening to partake in the festivities.

First up, was the soccer game. FC (Futbol Club) Dallas vs. Chivas USA. FC Dallas dominated 2-0. Apparently, they have the best record in the MLS. Who knew? But for my first major league soccer game it was quite fun.

Next there was a 30 minute intermission while they cleared the field for the Clay Aiken concert. Below is a picture of Quinn amongst all the Claymates clamouring to get close to the stage. Can you find him?

This next pic is both of us eagerly awaiting Clay's arrival to the stage.

The man himself.

Let me just say this. Clay busted out a medley of what he called "American Classics" He started off by singing "Baby Got Back" and "Like a Virgin." Unfortunately, I was caught off guard so I don't have it on video. However, I did manage to snag footage of him sing "O.P.P" and other delights. I'm just trying to figure out how to post it to the blog. So to all you Clay fans out their, patience please. This is priceless footage.

The concert was followed up by what was billed as the biggest fireworks show in North Texas. It was a lot of fun.

The night was capped off by sitting in traffic for 90+ minutes. Not so fun.

I Love This Man

Let me tell you why.

1. Last night we used the last of my cash to buy a cherry limeade at Sonic. I need cash to pay for parking downtown. There isn't a WaMu ATM anywhere nearby the office. Quinn told me he would run by the ATM on his way home from picking up his friend from the airport last night while I was at home sleeping. So this morning, in my rush to get out the door, I went back in to the bedroom to wake Quinn up and asked him if he had remembered to get cash. He said "It's in your wallet." So thorough. Why did I doubt?


2. When I got in my car this morning to begin my hellish commute downtown, he had set the CD player to start playing We Built This City by (Jefferson) Starship. This helped to bring a huge smile to my face. I love this song. In fact, I know practically every word to this song and have since I was very young. I have a distinct memory of recording this song off of the radio when I was about 7 years old and rewinding the tape over and over again as I wrote down all the lyrics. As a side note, We Built This City tops the list of Blender's magazine "50 Worst Songs Ever." I respectfully disagree.

A New Discovery

Redbox. Whoever invented this little contraption needs to win an award. I think I'm late coming to the party, but I am now a full on convert. I need never step foot in a video rental store again. We had our first experience with Redbox (actually a knock-off version at our grocery store) this weekend. It has a great selection and is most convenient. And you can't beat the price. A buck for a new release. Plus, no hassle of going to the video store which I have always hated. When I want to really see a movie I would rather buy it at Walmart than go to the video store to rent it and sign away your rights to your first born.

This last week we have also been on a Thai cuisine kick. My obsession started a few years back when Elise and I took a Thai cooking class together. It was so much fun and we got some great recipes out of it. This last week I've just been making up my own recipes and so far they have all turned out quite well. This weekend we even made a trip to an Asian grocery store so I could re-stock some of the essentials like fish sauce, oyster sauce, and Thai spices. I even found a recipe online to help recreate Jeweled Beef from Thaifoon. We tried it last night and it was pretty tasty. I think tonight I'll make a similar creation but use chicken instead of beef and see how that turns out. Should be fun.