yummy | The Angel Forever

Category Archives yummy

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly – 10th Anniversary Edition

Posted on June 27, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As I have mentioned before, Friday was my 10th Anniversary with TechyDad. He went to work, NHL went to school for his last half day, and JSL and I stayed at home to do some cleaning. We had someone stopping by later in the day to check on a clogged bathroom sink. Thanks to this sink, we were forced to wash hands in the bathroom tub.

The day did not exactly go as planned. You see, thank goodness the plumber came early. He showed up at 11:30-ish instead of 2-3. I had to leave shortly after to pick NHL up from school. When he left, we knew we had some large issues. He said he would go to lunch, get supplies, and come back about an hour later to get to work. In the end, he was at our house until about 7:30 at night. Our initial plans were shot and even other items had to be changed. Still, we made the best of the situation.

The Good:

We went to my parent’s house to have cake with the boys before putting them to bed there. Thanks to fumes, we could not stay in our house. Here are the delicious cakes that we had

Once the kids were FINALLY into bed, TechyDad still wanted to head out to dinner. Since it was almost 9:30, we had limited choices. I recalled a new Sushi place not too far away, so off we went to Mr. Fuji Sushi. Our experience at Mr. Fuji’s was amazing. The food was delicious, the people there super nice, and the atmosphere wonderful. Since it was so late, we ordered two appetizers and three sushi rolls to share.

To start we had Age Tofu and Vegetable Tempura

Then we had a Philadelphia roll, Avocado Peanut roll, and Sweet Potato roll

Yes, I believe this is the best sushi I have had in a long time. We will definitely be heading back to Mr. Fuji again soon.

The Bad:

We thought that the plumbing issue would require snaking the pipes. When they tried to do this, the snake refused to go down and kept going up into the pipes instead. When JSL and I left to pick up NHL at school, they were debating a few options.

Try to go in the attic and snake things and it may last 1-2 years IF we are lucky.
Replace the old pipes in the section that appeared to be the root of the issue with PVC pipes.

I went to pick NHL up and bring the kids home for lunch.

The Ugly:

When they arrived back at our house, I saw them hauling a long section of PVC pipe. I knew it was the best thing, but I was paranoid and worried about things. As they started to work in the basement on cutting the pipe open, it started to get more complicated. They could not get to the top of the pipe from the basement. Suddenly, wall removal was needed. Yes, I think I aged several years in this afternoon from making big decisions on the fly and listening to the noises in my house. I knew that they were capable, but it was driving me batty.

The guys came back upstairs to give me the news and I immediately knew we made the right decision. You see, the pipe in the basement was nearly closed shut. The old material has basically closed itself shut. I never went to look in the basement until a while later. I gave permission to remove wall to get at the sink pipe within there. The hole got larger than this, but you get the point from this view:

After a lot of power tool noises and labor in the bathroom with the wall and pipe fighting, they finally got that sucker out. Check this bad boy out. Yes, this nasty object was pretty much what was happening down stairs in the basement as well. Here is our corroded galvanized pipe from within the wall:

It was not an easy job, but these guys were amazing. They dealt with my paranoia and got the work done and well. They even cleaned up the mess when the tiles on the wall next to the sink spontaneously fell off – no I am not joking. Apparently, they were not put on right by previous owners. This was good under the sink since nothing was ruined getting to the pipes behind the wall. I was too sick at the mess during that time to take a photo. I am also sparing you from photos of the basement pipes and sludge that came out of them. Let’s just say old toothpaste and soap are not pretty nor do they smell nice.

In the end, the pipe is fixed, a few more will need this down the road, and we need a massive bathroom rehab soon. More good news, the pipe works and we have a new faucet that is not leaking. Thanks to spray that was used during the cleaning process on the tiles/pipes, there are horrible fumes in our house. It has been a rough few days and we are so very lucky that my parents are here for us.

So there you have it, the good, the bad, and the ugly of our 10th Annversary!

Psssst. . . if you need a good person for home repairs in my area – just let me know. This work, along with the roof, and broken main water valve were done by the same person. Highly recommend.

Categories:
bad news decisions family food glorious food house messy nasty things photos TechyDad vent yummy

Golf, Food, Family, and Fun

Posted on June 20, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day around here are typically days that we try to do something fun and different with the kids to enjoy a day together. This year was no different. We opted not to go strawberry picking and took the boys to a local miniature golf location. They have the traditional outdoor one, but also a fun glow in the dark indoor one. Since it was beautiful outside, we did the outdoor one. For Father’s Day they were doing a pay for 18 holes and play all 36. It seemed like a good plan.

I opted not to play, instead I took photos, walked, helped the little guy (his first time playing), and whined. Yes, I was in a cranky mood. The boys were not listening, heat, and rough condition of the greens were making me wish we had gone to get strawberries. After a bit, I calmed down some and we muddled our way past 26 of the 36 holes. It was getting late and I knew the boys were getting antsy.

TechyDad picked a new place to try to lunch. We went to Saati Deli and Catering and had an absolutely delicious meal. The people were super friendly, the menu huge, and food amazing. TechyDad and I decided to split a big grilled cheese sandwich for the boys and get them a small french fry (they rarely have them). Then we split two sandwiches to try. I selected the Grilled Vegetable, Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto and Balsamic Glaze. TechyDad opted for the Feta Cheese, Fried Eggplant, Pesto, Lettuce and Tomato. Yum, yum, yum – we all loved the food we had. There is no doubt that we will be going back here again.

From here we splurged and went back to the ice cream place that Nana and Papa had taken us to a week ago. Since I was not a huge fan of the kind I had last time, I tried something new. OMG – I was in heaven. Seriously, check this bad boy out:

This has to be one of the best ice cream flavors I have ever had. It was Peanut Butter Caramel Cookie Dough. What is not to love about what combination?

We went to do a little shopping and then went home to grab some items to take to Nana and Papa’s house. While there the boys played, TechyDad took a nap, and I prepared the Asian Salad that my father requested. Here is a sneak peak of what was in that:

We had a wonderful dinner with my parents, fantastic new-to-me watermelon, and then came home to get the boys into bed. No, it may not have been exactly the day we planned, but it was a great day with our family.

What did you do to celebrate Father’s Day this year?

Categories:
family food glorious food holidays jl jsl my boys photos play time TechyDad weekend yummy

The Great Summer Ice Cream Debate

Posted on June 17, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The summer is here and most, if not all of the seasonal ice cream locations in our area are open. This often means people in our area debating which location has the best soft serve and/or hard homemade treats. The reality is that almost any ice cream is good in my book on a warm summer day.

The other day, we met Nana and Papa to do some shopping. Afterwards, they asked us to go with them to their favorite local ice cream location. We had not been there in quite some time, so that was our lunch for the day.

This special meal of sorts gave me the idea for today’s Aloha Friday question:

Do you prefer soft serve or hard ice cream in the summer time? Of course, I would also love to know your flavor preference and if you must have it in a cone or dish.

Pssst . . . be sure to stop by my Cars 2 giveaway to enter for a chance to win some great items.

____________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #156

Categories:
Aloha Friday family food glorious food jsl nhl photos summer TechyDad yummy

Favorite Flavors For Summer

Posted on May 27, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It’s hard to believe that I have not had my Keurig Machine for a year. I do believe that it may be my best small appliance friend. During the winter, it helped to keep me warm, get me going in the morning, soothe me after a rough day, gave me a caffeine boost, and allowed me to control my headaches. Here is my beloved machine and some of my K-Cup collection

Now that the warm, even hot weather is here (it reached close to 90 here in NY Thursday), coffee is ok in the morning. By the afternoon or early evening, it is just too warm. This weekend, I think I am going to work on making some ice to try some iced coffee. I think it may work, but not too sure how I will like it. Each morning, I will look forward to my cup of coffee along with one of my favorite add-ins.

Yes, I am a HUGE fan of Coffee-mate. Although I like the liquid ones, the powered ones are even better for me because they do not have to be used as quickly once open. It allows me more variety in a short amount of time.

So my question to you this week is:

What is your favorite coffee or iced coffee to have or make? If you do not like coffee, what summer drink do you prefer and why?

Pssst . . . stop by TechyDad’s Dinosaur Train Giveaway to enter for a chance to win some Dinosaur Poop and Hatchers.

____________________________________________________________________________

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.

Aloha #153

Categories:
Aloha Friday food glorious food me moments photos summer yummy

House of BBQ Event

Posted on May 23, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

The warm weather seems to be here. Thanks to this, people across the country will be getting their grills ready for some BBQ fun. Last Thursday evening, I was invited by Price Chopper to attend their House of BBQ cooking event sponsored by Certified Angus Beef. This event was right after Price Chopper announced the new voices of their House of BBQ commercials to replace the much loved Melvin Sparks after he passed away. Allan Harris and Lynn Sterling, two nationally known musical artists, will now be seen in the ads like this one below.

That’s right, we were not cooking Thursday night, we were learning about grilling. So with the catchy tune in my head, I made my way to The Century House in Latham, NY for the House of BBQ fun. Oh an FYI, this was not a blogger event. This is one of the cooking classes that Price Chopper sponsors throughout the year for members of the community to attend.

At our seats, we were given a bag of goodies. The recipes being prepared, some tip sheets, and extras were inside for everyone in attendance.

When it was time to begin, we decided to use the hashtag #HouseofBBQ on Twitter to live Tweet what we were learning.

First up was Chef Mike Tracy from Price Chopper. Sorry about the photo quality, the lighting at The Century House was tricky to work with.

Chef Mike was filling in for Executive Chef Dave Hamlin. He prepared the following items:

Grilled Carrots with a Maple Cumin Glaze
Grilled Shrimp and Avocado Salad
Grilled Corn on the Cob With Spring Herb Butter

Chef Mike really helped to explain that you should not be afraid of grilling vegetables. He did admit that corn on the cob grilled is not his favorite since it does not look too great when finished.

Next was Chef Michael Ollier from Certified Angus Beef. Chef Michael was tossing jokes out the entire time and keeping everyone on their toes. He was fantastic to watch and listen to. He made learning about different cuts of meats fun and enjoyable. Even this girl, who can not buy Certified Angus Beef (not kosher), knows this meat is the real deal. While Chef Michael showed us different cuts of meat, we referenced the chart below. Then, he demonstrated some grilling techniques and took questions from the audience.

When it was time to try some of the foods that were prepared, I had my camera out snapping shots. Chef Michael joked and asked if I was a blogger or something. Of course, I told him I was and had been live Tweeting the event with my friends. Yes, we even got some of Chef Michael’s jokes in there. You can also read more about the different cuts of beef that he talked about on the #HouseofBBQ hashtag on Twitter.

The final person to present to the group was Chef David Robinson. Chef David is the brilliant man behind Eat Your Mistakes. He has a video cooking series that shows people how to cook and eat your mistakes in the process. Chef David was high energy and talked about his recent trip to Las Vegas where he took local supplies from the Capital District to cook for dignitaries. Yes, I am the blogger that was taking photos of photos.

Chef David was showing us how to prepare some delicious goodies to end a grilling feast. He made Mom’s Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies (YUM!) and Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. Both of these items were fantastic and will be made and utilized for different events. I will admit, I have been craving more of the cookies since this event. I have seen Chef David on television before, but now his blog is in my feed reader to catch when it is updated.

When all was said and done, we were able to go to the back of the room to make a plate and try all of the foods that were prepared. Here is my plate and later on when Chef David delivered cookies fresh from the oven. Yes, being at the end of the line paid off since they ran out of cookies – so gooey fresh ones were a short baking cycle away.

Have you been to a Price Chopper cooking class? Please let me know if you have. I would love to know more about your experience. For those not in the area, what do you love to grill in the summer?

Thank you again to Price Chopper, Certified Angus Beef, The Century House, Chef Mike Tracy, Chef Michael Ollier, Chef David Robinson, and my blogging buddies for an amazing evening. I know I am looking forward to hearing when the next cooking/baking/grilling event will be held.

Disclosure: Price Chopper invited me to be a part of this event. I did not pay for this, nor was I paid to go. I was not asked to blog about this, but wanted to share my experience with my readers. The opinions expressed in this are my own. I was not compensated, but did receive the items shown above and a coupon for Price Chopper cereal after completing a survey about the event.