"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11

Sunday, June 28, 2009

The Wingler Gourmet Kitchen

Cody and I enjoy cooking, when we have the time. We especially enjoy cooking in the summer with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. This weekend we had a chance to make some of our favorite summertime recipes--chicken saute with island salsa, blueberry lemonade, and strawberry peach dutch babies. Yummy!


Chicken Saute with Island Salsa
Chicken Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter
1 t. finely chopped fresh garlic
4 (4 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salsa Ingredients:
1 tbsp. butter
1/3 c. chopped bell pepper
1 tbsp. sliced green onion
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 t. freshly grated lime peel
1 mango, peeled, cubed
1/2 c. fresh raspberries
2 tbsp. firmly packed brown sugar
Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a 10-inch skillet until sizzling; stir in garlic. Add chicken. Cook over medium heat, turning once, until chicken is golden brown (12-15 minutes). Remove chicken; keep warm.
Melt 1 tbsp. butter in same skillet until sizzling; add bell pepper, green onion, cilantro, and lime peel. Cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are tender crisp (2-3 minutes). Add mango, raaspberries, and brown sugar. Continue cooking, stirring occassionally, until heated through (2-3 minutes).
Serve chicken on a bed of rice, topped with the salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Bluberry Lemonade Base
1 1/2 c. plus 2 tbsp. sugar
2 c. water
1 pint fresh blueberries
freshly squeezed lemon juice from 10 lemons (including the pulp, but not the seeds)
Make a simple syrup by combining 1 1/2 c. sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the mixture boils. Lower the heat an dallow the syrup to simmer for another minute. Remove from heat and let cool. In a blender, puree the blueberries with 2 tbsp sugar. In a pitcher, combine the cooled syrup, lemon juice, and blueberry puree.
To serve, pour 1/4 to 1/3 c. of base into a glass and fill with water. Makes base for 12 servings.
Strawberry Peach Dutch Babies
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/3 c. milk
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 t. baking powder
1 pint strawberries
2-3 ripe peaches
honey
confectioners sugar
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Generously coat 4 10-oz. custard cups with oil. Place cups on a rimmed baking sheet; place in oven for 6 minutes to heat up while making the batter.
In blender, puree eggs, flour, milk, and baking powder until batter is smooth.
Remove baking sheet from oven; carefully pour 1/4 c. batter into each hot cup. Bake 10 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake 6 minutes or until puffed and golden, and centers are firm.
Meanwhile, cut up strawberries and peaches. Fill centers of the dutch babies with fruit and top with honey and confectioners sugar. Serve immediately.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Hershey's Eye Check-up

Hershey went back to his regular vet today for a check-up on his eye. She did pretty much the same stuff as the emergency vet did, but she was much more thorough. She didn't seem quite as concerned as the emergency vet, even though she did note that this could be caused by a wide variety of things. He is still eating normal and has the same amount of energy. (He uses most of his energy sleeping on the couch.) We are going to continue his eyedrops for another week and hopefully he will be better by then. If it doesn't get better, then we might check his tear flow to make sure he doesn't have dry eyes.

He has been such a good boy at the vet these past few weeks, going through all these tests and having to get drops put in his eye twice a day, so Mommy bought him a special treat at the grocery store for dessert--Frosty Paws peanut butter flavored doggie ice cream!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Hershey's Eye

Poor Hershey! After we got back from our relaxing trip to the spa on Saturday, we noticed that Hershey's eye was red and that he couldn't get it open completely. Part of his eye was staying shut--I not sure what the technical name for it is, but we call it his third eyelid. Since it was Saturday, we knew our regular vet would not be open, so Cody called the emergency vet. They said it would be at least $100 for him just to be seen; this didn't include the costs of any tests they may do, or any medicine he may need. (This is the time when you wish you knew someone who was a vet!) But we were concerned parents, so of course we took him right away!

They did several tests, and he doesn't have any current scratches or glaucoma. He was such a good boy when they were doing all those tests! They said it could be caused by any number of things, some more serious than others. Right now, he seems completely normal, other than his eye, of course, so we really don't think it is anything serious. More than likely, he scratched his eye somehow, and this is just part of the healing process. We will just have to keep an eye (no pun intended) on him to see if we notice any other symptoms that could mean anything more serious. For now, the treatment is a steroid eyedrop twice a day for two weeks. We will take him for a follow up appointment with his regular vet next week to make sure it is healing properly. His eye already looks better, so that's good news!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Ahhhh.....Spa!

Cody and I will be celebrating our 3rd anniversary on Wednesday, so we decided to go the spa today as our gift to each other. It was amazing! We went to The Spa at Merle Norman to get a massage, manicure, and a trip through the Grotto. We started the day off by settling into a nice cozy robe and slippers and getting our manicures. (Cody got his nails painted orange! Just picking! He steered clear from ANY of the nail polishes.) Then we went to get our massages....ahhhhh. They never seem to last long enough. Then we changed into our swimsuits and went to the Grotto. The Grotto is a really neat experience--the setting is a cave-like structure with four different areas. First, you get painted with a sea kelp body masque. Then you sit in the desert heat (sauna), followed by a monsoon rain to wash off the masque (shower area). You finish it all off by going through the cool mist. In between all the services, we got to sit in a tranquil lounging area, where snacks and beverages are provided. (They even serve cucumber water....it was kind of nasty.) It was definitely a relaxing day, and it reminded us of our honeymoon, where we also went to the spa. Even though this experience cannot compare to the beach-front spa in Aruba, it was nonetheless a relaxing and enjoyable day spent with one another.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Krispy Kreme Goodness

Krispy Kreme has been doing special, seasonal flavors of doughtnuts. I first noticed this around Christmas. They had cinnamon iced, mint iced, and snowman creme-filled doughnuts.

Cody and I stopped at Krispy Kreme last night to try the limited summer edition doughnuts. They have strawberry iced, blueberry iced, and strawberries and cream filled doughnuts. We tried the blueberry and strawberry iced. They were both good, but blueberry was our favorite! Try them! Yummy!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

STAWberries (as Jake would say)

We went STAWberry picking with Mark, Elizabeth, and Jake this weekend. We picked about 5 lbs of strawberries....it sounds like a lot, but it gave me an excuse to make something with them.
This was our second time picking strawberries this season, and unfortunately our last time since the season seems to be coming to an end. Last time we got strawberries, I made strawberry bread, strawberry smoothies, and strawberry shortcakes. Of course, Hershey got his share of "baby berries." He is so spoiled! (He loves strawberries, and will sit there staring at you with pleading eyes until you give him a strawberry. Once he realizes you are giving him one, he goes crazy with excitement!) This time, Hershey once again got to eat some "baby berries" and I also made another batch of strawberry bread to freeze.
The rest of the strawberries went towards making strawberry jam. It was just the recipe from the gelatin box, so hopefully it will taste good. Either way, Cody and I had fun making it! We got 12 half pints from the batch.
You might be wondering about the strawberry plants we planted in our garden....they are still alive! They look pretty healthy and are producing some fruit. Cody picked our first strawberry today--very small and a little tart, but good nonetheless. I have a feeling we won't be getting any big berries, and I'm going to have to figure out a way to keep the fruit from rotting before it ripens (maybe some sort of plastic, like at the strawberry patch???). For our first year growing strawberries, I guess they are doing ok. While we are on the subject of the garden, the rest of the plants are looking pretty healthy as well. Everything is growing and getting tall and very green--thanks to Cody's consistent watering! We have one tomato that is still green, but it is getting bigger. The pepper plants and cantelope plant have blooms, so we should be expecting some more produce soon, hopefully! I'll post some pictures once we have a little more to see....

Graduation Pops!

Yummy...Graduation pops!



Cody and I made these cute Graduation Pops out of Reese cups, chocolate squares, Airheads sour belts, and candy sprinkles for our high school graduates in our youth Sunday School class. The idea came from Bakerella....ours aren't quite as cute as hers, but they came pretty close! They were very easy to make, but a little time consuming, but that's ok, because we got to eat some candy while we were busy making them!



Congratulations Josh, Hannah, Stacey, Taylor, and Lily! We are proud of you guys!