Father’s Day 2016!

Hello everyone! I wanted to share our Father’s Day this year (I know it’s kinda late).  It’s just fun to look back on how we spent our day celebrating with the family. My Dad passed away 3 years ago (Happy Father’s day in Heaven Pa), so it’s just my Dad IL,and my brother(he’s in the Philippines though) who I get to celebrate Fathers day. We had a simple dinner at home for my DIL. My husband went to the asian market and got lots of goodies for his Dad! It’s dangerous if I send Hubs alone to get groceries because he doesn’t stick to my list and blows my grocery budget! My DIL wanted some clams and mussels, so we cooked some in butter and white wine, along with some crabs, some sushi (fresh geoduck and uni), and wagyu steak (so DECADENT and worth the price, IMO). It was a nice sunny Sunday afternoon too,so we had dinner out on our patio. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there (a belated one!).

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So GOOD!
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Hubs made watermelon juice too!so refreshing and perfect on a summer night!

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My crabbies! 
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FurBaby Riley!
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Happy Father’s day to my DIL!

Mac and Cheese

Hi friends! The hubs made this Ina Garten Mac and Cheese recipe a couple of months ago. This is one our favorite pasta recipes ( so decadent). Mac and Cheese is such a comfort food. We skipped the tomato part because I personally don’t like fresh tomatoes, but we did add bacon to our dish. I got the recipe from foodnetwork.com!

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The making of the cheese sauce!

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Yum

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cheesy goodness!

Ingredients:

kosher salt

vegetable oil

1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi

1 quart milk

1 stick of unsalted butter,divided

1/2 cup all purpose flour

12 ounce Gruyere cheese, grated (4 cups)

8 ounce extra sharp Cheddar,grated (2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small) * we skipped this part of the recipe

1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crust removed)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni/cavatappi and cook according to the directions on the package, 6-8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the gruyere,cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt,pepper,nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3 quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top (*we skipped this part). Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter,combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top.Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

 

In laws Bday celebration!

Hello everyone! We celebrated my  in-law’s bdays 2 weeks ago.  We decided to do a late celebration due to previous commitments and other Holidays (Mother’s day).  We ended up spending mother’s day this year with my husband’s grandmother. The b-day celebration dinner took place at a local steak house in our neighborhood (Jaks Grill) and my MIL requested that my husband bake her a chocolate cake for her bday. After dinner we had the cake and coffee at home, just hanging out and relaxing. Happy Birthday (belated one!) to my MIL and DIL, I’m so grateful for what they both do for our family.

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Steaks galore!

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Ina Garten recipe!
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My In laws!

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Auntie Puss and Riley Puss
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Mom In law Kathy and her havanese dog Lexi lulu!
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with our fur babies!