I found some great news fro the Chef regarding his beloved Nascar!! Lifelock has recently announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement with Chicagoland Speedway and on the evening of Saturday, July 12, the LifeLock®.com 400 will mark the first ever Sprint Cup Series night race at Chicagoland Speedway. Not only is this exciting news for our area here in Illinois, but it makes a great birthday present for the Chef! I’m always looking for great ideas and sporting events to ‘gift’ him with, and this one will be one of the best.

We’ve all heard of lifelock and the seen the crazy commercials with the CEO giving out his Social Security number…it seems like a great company to have around these days with all of the ID theft going on. They are also looking for “A Few Good Men” and women to come to work for them. This would be a job I would love to look into–unfortunately, with four kids at home–I would have to telecommute, but hey, I would be more than happy to do so!

Whether it’s a great company to have on your side, or a great company to work for…Lifelock is hitting it big!

Tonight we took the kids to dinner. We used to go out quite a bit, but with my new budget we’ve really had to cut it back. This was my “birthday” dinner out, even though it was 2 weeks late. I was in the mood for Mexican food, and would have been happy with Chevy’s, but we found an On The Border restaurant a whole lot closer to home.

The kids all ordered their grilled chicken with a salad (healthy kids) and I ordered my usual ‘Chevy’ staple…a chimichanga–and honestly–it was AWESOME!! It nipped my tongue a little bit more than the Chevy Chimi, but it was so much better! And the bill came to $30 cheaper than a Chevy’s meal. The Chef enjoyed it better than Chevy’s as well. I think we found our new favorite spot!

The one thing Chevy’s does have over On The Border…the dough balls that they give the kids to play with like Play-doh. That has always been a sanity boost for our family—it will be missed!

A week or so ago I wrote a blog post regarding the Shangri La Botanical Garden, and how cool it looked. Well, my sister thought it looked so cool that last week took a trip to the garden in Orange, Texas. She loved it and shared some amazing photo’s of her trip. She had never been to that part of Texas before, and really only went to see the garden. Little did we know before hand that Orange, Texas is the home of the Stark Museum of Art. I’ve only seen it online, but found it amazingly cool that one of their current exhibits is about the Shangri La Botanical Garden that my sister just went to see. The collection with it’s birds and flowers looks as amazing as the garden itself.

Being from the West, I would be interested in the American Indian art collections. I remember we would go to summer camp and spend the day digging for arrow heads–how cool to be able to see so much in one place. The moccasins, quilts, baskets and pottery would be so cool to see up close and personal.

Take a look through the photo gallery from the ‘Media Center’ tab. The images are amazing. I think my favorite is the Grand Canyon on page 5 of the gallery. You really get to see the texture of the canyon walls as well as the never ending expanse of it–it’s just a beautiful photo.

Seeing all of this, I almost wish I would have made the trip with her to spend the day in the Garden and the Stark Museum. Who know Orange, Texas had so much to offer! Check it out for yourself!

How many of you out there get WGN? We get it with locals as well as with the national feed through the satellite. If you get the local feed, then check it out on Monday (Memorial Day) before the parade. Why?? Because the Chef and the kids will be on the morning news! How cool will that be! We aren’t sure it will make it to the national feed, and Nash Bridges is currently on tap for their time slot, but my mom in Utah will be tivo’ing the News at Noon to see if by chance there is a snipet of it there. So hey, if you are in the area…check it out–it should be really cool!

I just joined a great new recipe sharing and storing site online. Mind you–it’s right up my alley, what with cooking blogs galore! What I like the most about this site is that you can upload your own recipe, as I did below–add a photo, a description–and then add the recipe widget to your blog post. Take a look at my first attempt!!

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, for my new kid cooking blog that I’ve just unleashed upon the net! I was trying to get a fun way to add a photo, as well as a cute little recipe card with the recipe on it. This is even better! I will be using it for all of my recipes for this blog as well as for the new one. I love the format. I love how easy it is to customize. For anyone with a cooking blog, or anyone looking for a way to create and store an online recipe box…this is the site for you! For Cooking Printing and Sharing recipes, this has got to be the easiest format I’ve found. Head on over to keyingredient.com and check it out for yourself!

Tonight the Chef has decided it’s a good night to grill. I love the idea (aside from the happenings in the post three down) and plan to make the famous Onion Blossom recipe from a few months ago. Either that, or I will cut through the hard work, and head up to the Chili’s up the street and just order one to go!! I’m craving it, and with grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, it’s a perfect match.

There is a RS social that I’m supposed to go to later this evening, but with it being the Chef’s last day off of the week, I think I’ll skip it and stay home with the family. Or head off by myself to the movies–mmmmmmmmmm, theater popcorn!!

I mentioned several posts back about getting Grayson’s baptism invitations finished and out. I loved them, they were handmade and had a grid of pictures showing him in chronological order from birth until the age of 8. Melted my heart! As much fun as these cards were to get out to friends and family, they took a TON of time out of my life. My sister had her daughter’s baptism last Fall and she used Photo Cards for her announcements and invitations. Not only were they classy and cute, they were easy to get made and get mailed.

I’ve used this type of card for my Christmas cards every year, but I usually get the single sheet kind that require an additional heavy card as well. I didn’t realize that you could get a photo card as an actual card, and on top of that, get it fully customized as well. I would choose this card for our holiday cards–

I have too many kids with too many different attitudes to even try to get a group photo. So for the past few years I’ve only taken single shots and put them together on the card. I love it–and I love that I can edit the message on the inside to capture my Christmas thought for the year.

Who know someone so steeped in tradition, could be so excited to find something brand new!! I can’t wait to send them out!

For all of you barbecue lovers out there, the Chef’s restaurant will be featured in two different ways this coming week. First off, Chef Paul will be featured as the Chef Du Jour in the Daily Herald this week, and again on the Memorial Day special on WGN.

These types of media attention usually draw in the crowds which is kind of exciting, but it also means that we won’t be seeing the Chef around the homestead for a few weeks!! Good stuff!!

When I graduated from High School I went to work in the jewelry section of a local department store. I loved everything about jewelry, but my favorite had to be the watch section. I looked at cool watches all day long and in the end purchased a few. My favorite one had a pretty leather band, and a HUGE face. Ever since that time I’ve always been drawn to the large faced watches or ones with really unique shapes. Now that I’m a bit older, I’ve added the bracelet type bands to my likes.

I’ve been online looking for a Father’s Day gift for the Chef, and when I was looking at Movado watches for him, I found a few that I really like for me. What makes thewatchery.com so nice is that you literally get a free watch with most purchases. So I can get get his and mine for the price of one. If I were to choose, I would choose this luxury watch:

I love the band, I love the face, and I really love that it is both classy, yet casual. The Chef rarely has an opportunity to dress up, but when he does, this one covers both needs.

The price is right, and with the opportunity to get a second watch free, it fits most any budget! Dad’s and Grad’s both would love an item like this!

I got this in an email and I have to say, it fits this family to a T! Even the fact that the Chef is a BBQ man by day and night!! Let me know if you have this same kind of experience around your house! Enjoy!

BBQ RULES

We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh you memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it’s the only type of cooking that a ‘real’ man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion;

Routine…

1-The woman buys the food
2-The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
3-The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill-beverage in hand.

Here comes the important part:

4-THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine…

5-The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
6-The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beverage while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

7-THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF OF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine…

8-The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
9-After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

10-Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
11-The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ‘her night off’. And upon seeing her annoyed reation, concludes that there’s just no pleasing some women!

Is this not an exact recreation of this most cherished summer rituals? I thought it was very well written!