Did you say Satay?

So I tried a new recipe and it was a hit. We had grilled Chicken Satay a couple of nights ago and WOW, we all loved it! Ben ate three skewers of chicken and he rarely eats three of anything so we considered it a success. I enjoy trying new recipes and sharing them too.

I should have taken a picture when the plate was full but you have to watch yourself when you're feeding hungry boys!

I looked up several recipes for this dish but couldn't find one that I liked so I have combined several and modified them to fit our taste.

Chicken Satay with Peanut dipping Sauce:

1 to 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs (I used thighs)

1 bottle - Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing/marinade

Chopped green onions (optional)

Chopped cilantro(optional)

Wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for at least 20 minutes.

Cut chicken breasts or thighs into strips and place in large plastic bag. Pour marinade into bag with chicken and marinate in the refridgerator 3 to 5 hours. Reserve 1/2 a cup of the marinade. Thread chicken strips onto skewers. Grill skewers over medium heat approximately 8 to 10 minutes on each side, brushing occasionally with reserved marinade. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions.

Peanut Dipping Sauce:

1/2 C peanut butter

1 TBS brown sugar

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 TBS soy sauce

1/4 C rice wine vinegar

red chile flakes ( to taste )

Combine all ingredients and blend well. Serve with chicken skewers.

I served the Satay with yellow Saffron rice and green beans. If you decide to try it, be sure to let me know how it turns out!

Easter Schtuff

We had a great time celebrating Easter 2008. The Easter Bunny was really good to Ben. We've had several discussions about E. Bunny and what he looks like, talks like, etc. Good stuff. Ben's got quite the imagination.

We had Easter dinner and the Egg Hunt at Grandma & Grandpa Judd's house, complete with the traditional Bunny cake.

Ben hunted eggs like he was looking for diamonds. I've never seen such determination on his face.

My Boys

Ummm hello? Can I get a ball here people?

All in all, we had a wonderful day. It was great to see cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. We're so grateful for our family and for the Resurrection of our Loving Savior.

Easter Eggs

We colored Easter eggs last night and I am proud to say that not a drop of dye hit the floor. Ben really had a great time. He was trying to be so careful not to crack any eggs but we ended up with about three casualties.
I can't wait for him to see his Easter basket in the morning. We're visiting Grandma & Grandpa Judd all day tomorrow so he'll hunt for eggs at their home. He's pretty darn excited!

Bring on the Spring

The weather has been GORGEOUS! Sean assembled a new playset for Ben last Saturday and I don't know who loves it more. :) Ben has been playing nonstop and asks to have his snacks outside at his picnic bench.

Before:

After:

What a great Dad! He worked from sunrise to sunset and was never frustrated. Not once! Who are you and what have you done with my husband? We'll be laying sod and pavers soon and I'll be so happy when the dirt isn't being tracked in every 5 minutes!

We're really looking forward to Easter Sunday and will be spending it with my family in St. David. Ben will be dying some eggs tonight to contribute to the great hunt. I love watching the youngest of my nieces and nephews hunt for eggs. I'll expect some serious "chucking" from Allison, Sammy, and Owen! My sister, Cindy, is due to have her baby any minute now. I think it would be fabulous to have an Easter baby!

If I don't post again before Sunday, HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

Dad & Ben day

On Saturday, I helped my sister pack her kitchen because she and her husband ARE MOVING AGAIN! She called me, crying and moaning and begging. :) Just kidding Janelle! I'm such a great sister!
Sooooooo, while I did that, Sean took Ben to Bedrocks to go bowling. He loved it and was really digging the shoes. After one game, he was ready to move on to a little dancing....

After riding the pony......It was time to go eat lunch at McDonald's.

On the way home they stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few things. I love it when I don't have to go grocery shopping! After a much needed bath, Sean helped Ben make a yummy pizza! Lot's of cheese and pepperoni....

It's soooo hard to wait...

I guess Daddy and Ben were too hungry to take pictures of the final result! What a fun day for Ben & his Daddy. I just wish I could have been there!

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

Sick. Again. Much coughing....and mouth-breathing so my lips hurt real bad.

Napoleon Dynamite Napolean Dynomite But My lips hurt real bad

Getting there...

The Ardry house is getting back to normal. Sean and I both have a bit of a lingering cough and Ben is still hacking up a lung but he's getting there. One good thing has come from this illness and that is the fact that our 4 year old son goes to bed without argument, stalling, or negotiation! Who are you and what have you done with my Ben?!

In other news.....We are in the midst of a pretty serious Pirate phase. I am confident in saying that this was brought on by a recent gathering of small, giggly swashbucklers high on sugar! We now spend our days searching for buried treasure and hijacking unsuspecting sea vessels. I draw the line at a parrot. P.S. Pirates don't see their dentists on a regular basis.

I will now leave you with a video that will have you making extremely funny noises out of your face. Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for the wetting of pants, the spitting of beverages on computer monitors, or any type of choking due to watching this video while eating snacks.

Bronchitis is in the Hiz-ouse

In terms of illness this winter, we've been rather fortunate. However, we are all feeling pretty cruddy at the moment. Sean is finishing a round of anitbiotics and Ben & I are beginning ours. I've been disinfecting the house pretty regularly and we're all pretty good about washing our hands but this is a pretty strong bug! Needless to say, we'll be laying low for a bit.

What a Christmas!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is over! So much preparation and anticipation. I'm so grateful for my family and Sean's family. I'm especially grateful for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We saw several Nativity scenes this season and it was great to discuss the significance with Ben. I think he gets it.

We left cookies for Santa and carrots for his motorcade. Because we have no chimney, we left a special "Key" out for Santa. Benjamin didn't think Mr. Claus would fit down a chimney anyway.

Among his favorite gifts is a remote control T-Rex from Grandma & Grandpa Burris. He now puts it in his back pack and takes it wherever he goes. He also loves his Hungry Hippos game and his remote control racetrack. We received two snow sleds from Grandma & Grandpa Judd and can't wait to hit Mt. Lemmon to try them out!

It was really great to get together with my siblings and their kids at my parents' home. It was cold and windy but that didn't stop us from burning up the ping pong table. Jace and Randy were talking some trash and I think Janelle let them both have some humble pie.

This little guy had a really great nap on his Mama's lap and is such a delight.

It was fun watching my nieces playing. It definitely brought back memories of my dolls and dressing up.

I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful Christmas. We're looking forward to the New Year and all it will bring.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!

Benjamin is 4 today and is so excited for his party tonight! He's having a big family party and chose spaghetti for the meal. His Dad had so much fun birthday shopping (thanks Hon). He got to have one of his gifts this morning before Sean left for work. Lincoln Logs! The real ones, not plastic. This set even came with a couple of cowboys, horses and a long horn steer. Pretty cool.

I'll post more pictures after the party. Happy Birthday baby boy!

New Blogaroonie

I've decided to create a separate blog for family stuff. That way, those who do not wish to see or hear about my crafting obsession ( I know! Who wouldn't?!) will be spared the horror.
Can you believe Christmas is upon us?! I still have Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge! Just kiddin'. Sean & I set a goal this year to SIMPLIFY. I know it's possible. We want Ben to know the true meaning of the season and to develop his spirit of GIVING and not just receiving. My personal goal is to refrain from entering any malls, stores, or post offices this year. Any necessary shipping will be done from home with my printer and free package pick-up. I will be giving many hand-crafted items this year and those that aren't homemade will be ordered online. Thank you Internet!
Because of the fact that I have 6 siblings, (with spouses and offspring) our family draws names each year. Sean and I have Randy and Kristen this year. Part of my gift to Randy will be a huge apology for all of the beatings I gave him when we were kids. I will, however, remind him of the time I saved his life. He was stuck in a drainage tunnel in a field by our house and was crying. I was outside playing and, thanks to my supersonic hearing, was able to locate him and alert my mother. No Randy, no thanks necessary.