Family Hike

Last year around this time, I decided I wanted to start getting healthy and the way I was going to do that was that I was going to hike.  For those of you who don’t watch Sex and the City, I’m here to inform you that hiking is walking.

I started taking Jake to the park on the weekends and we’d “hike” meaning we’d walk the trails and he’d look for the little colored circles on the poles to tell us which path we were on.

This year, the bug hit me again.  The minute it was warm enough to spend more than 5 minutes outside, I knew it was time to start hiking again.  Plus I needed to get some “off day exercise” in.  I joined Orangetheory Fitness a while back (more on that later) and find that I need to take every third or fourth day off so I don’t get burnt out.  But I’m also on this “closing my Move Ring” kick, so I knew I wanted to get outside today and get moving.  I asked the boys if they wanted to join me and off we went.

Originally I had intended to go back to our old standby park for our hike, but on a whim I decided to google walking trails near me.  I found another park that was right across from the soccer field Jake plays on sometimes, so we decided to check it out.

We gave Jake the option of doing ½ a mile, 1 mile, or 1 ½ miles.  He said 1 ½ miles with no hesitation and went clomping into the woods in his boots.

It wasn’t long before we came upon the creek Jake’s school is named after, so of course we had to explore.

It was such a beautiful day and really not even that chilly.  It was in the upper 40s and, when we were in the woods, there was very little wind.  Jeff kept commenting on how quiet it was even though we were inside the city.  It was very calming and peaceful.

I think Jake thoroughly enjoyed himself today.

Especially when I asked if he wanted to go on a “treasure hunt” (geocaching).  I loaded up the app and we started walking.  Before we knew it, we got the alert that we were getting close!  In fact, we passed the location up before we knew it and had to double back.  After looking around for a minute, we spotted something in the tree.

Jake was SO EXCITED when we found the cache!  He was even more excited when I told him he could take a small toy from the container.  Not knowing we would be geocaching, I hadn’t brought anything with me to replace in the container but, Daddy to the rescue!, he put in a quarter.  Who doesn’t like finding money??

A little further along, we stumbled on this:

It was breathtaking.  Now, I’m all about the ocean and the beach, but there’s something soothing about a creek with trees and rocks, even if it is during the yucky cold season when everything seems dead.  I can’t wait to come back here when it’s all green and gorgeous outside!

Jeff and I never have pictures of us together since we are always the ones taking the pictures.  Since Jake is 6 now, I thought he was old enough to be responsible and not break my phone.  I set up the picture for him and told him what to do.

The result:

Not bad!  The ones he took after that weren’t terrible, but mommy didn’t feel particularly flattered by the angle he used so we’ll just pretend they don’t exist.

I’ve been meaning to take pictures of Jake in his 2030 t-shirt while he was in Kindergarten so we have them to compare with when he’s a senior.  I think we might end up coming back here for that photo shoot!

It was an awesome way to spend some quality time with my family on Saturday and I can’t wait to do it again!

Ribs in the Smoker or Instant Pot

After nearly a year without a blog post, I started getting that itch again.  That itch to be creative and share with the world.  So here I am…sitting quietly on a Saturday morning, coffee in hand, contemplating what my newest blog post should be…if I were to start back up again.

No one get your hopes up.  It could be like last year when I posted a handful of new things and then went dark again.

The problem is you never know how busy you’re going to be or how much energy you’ll have.  One of the biggest tips every blogger or youtuber will tell you is consistency is key. That’s why I had originally decided to post on Tuesdays and Fridays.  But, honestly, it was so much better when I FIRST started my blog.  I posted when I felt like it.  And it seemed more authentic.  I wasn’t posting things just to stay on a schedule.  I posted things I actually wanted to share with the world.

I mean, you don’t schedule Facebook or IG posts, right?  You post things in the moment when you have something you want to share with people!  So maybe that’s the key?  Who knows.  All I know is that I have something I want to share today and I don’t care about consistency and schedules anymore.

So this may be the only blog post for 2018 or it may be the start of something great.  I guess only time will tell!  So…on to the ribs!

Whenever I meal plan for the week, I typically ask the boys if they want anything special for dinner.  Normally I don’t get an answer, but last week Jeff asked for ribs!  Perfect timing as one of the days I was planning for was Super Bowl Sunday!  I had originally planned to cook them in the Instant Pot (turns out amazing btw), but when he said he wanted to smoke them, I obliged.  And guys…they were out of this world!!

Smoked Spare Ribs
1 rack of spare ribs, trimmed*
Steak seasoning (I prefer the one from DLM, but any mesquite or steak seasoning will do)
Foil pans that fit in your smoker
1 bottle bbq sauce

Trim the ribs of most of the excess fat and remove the membrane if you desire.  The membrane is that silvery thin skin looking piece that’s on the bone side of the ribs.  I have difficulty doing this sometimes and the membrane doesn’t really bother me, so I don’t always remove it.  Season ribs liberally with steak seasoning.  Let ribs come to room temperature for about 30 minutes while your smoker reaches the internal temp of 225*.

Place seasoned ribs in the foil pans.  I used two 8″ square pans and had to cut my ribs in half to fit.  You can also put the ribs directly on the racks in the smoker, but I’m lazy and don’t like to clean, so I left them in the pans.

Smoke ribs for at least 6 hours or until the internal temperature of your ribs reach 190* so they fall apart.  We ran out of time and the ribs were about 170*.  They were still amazing, just a little bit chewy at this temperature.  You definitely want to reach 145* so they are completely cooked through.

Add wood chips to your smoker every 1-2 hours.  The more wood chips you add, the smokier your food will taste.

Some people suggest covering the ribs in foil after 2 hours so your ribs don’t take on that much smoke, but we left them uncovered and liked how smokey they were.  I guess it’s a matter of preference.

Once your ribs are cooked through, remove them from the smoker and cover them with bbq sauce.  I like to broil my ribs after I’ve sauced them, but it’s not necessary.  If you want to do this step, broil your ribs in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the sauce gets a little caramelized.

This night I served them with Flo Lum’s smashed potato skins, which were equally as amazing and so easy!!!

*It was just Jeff and I eating the ribs, but obviously you can use as many racks as your smoker can hold.  Also, we got our ribs at Aldi for $8!  That’s the cheapest I’ve seen ribs and, guys, they were tasty!

 

If you want a great recipe for Instant Pot ribs, check out this guy!  His recipe works wonderfully!

 

Speaking of Instant Pot recipes, would you be interested in seeing videos of the different recipes I’ve made in the IP?  I’ve thought about filming some of them.  Have a great weekend!

A Little Slice of Summer

I don’t know about you, but I’m dying for it to warm up!  For the last few weeks it has been downright frigid outside!  I’m talking in the negatives, y’all!  (BTW…since when have I started saying “y’all”?  Going back to my TN roots I guess…)

My mom came to visit a few weeks ago and announced one day she was going to make ribs.  Ribs? In winter?  Uh…OK…

She swore they were just as good as being on the grill.  I was a bit skeptical, but I sat back and let her rule the kitchen.

You guys.  Yum.  Seriously.  These ribs are not quick, but they are soooooooo worth it.

Trust me on this one.

Oven Ribs

1-2 racks of boneless baby back ribs
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce*
1/4 cup liquid smoke*
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, peeled crushed
Steak seasoning
Salt and pepper if needed
Extra wide aluminum foil

*You can vary the amounts of these ingredients as long as they make up roughly 1/2 cup.

Preheat  your oven to 250°.  Working over a large baking sheet, tear off a few sheets of aluminum foil.  You’re going to make a package out of the aluminum foil to slow cook your ribs in.

Put the ribs on the foil.  Trim off any excess fat you don’t want.  Sprinkle your ribs with the steak seasoning, salt, and pepper (if needed).  I prefer the Dorothy Lane Market Grilling and Seasoning Rub, but it’s your choice.

Layer the onions over the ribs and scatter the garlic over the ribs as well.  Pour the liquid over the ribs.  Grab the longer sides of the foil, bring them together over the ribs, and roll until the foil is just touching the ribs.  Then roll up each of the two sides.  You want to leave a little bit of space for the steam inside the package to circulate.

Put in the oven and let cook at 250° for at least 5 hours.  The longer you cook them, the more tender they are.  One hour prior to dinner time, remove the ribs from the oven, open the package, and spread the ribs with your favorite BBQ sauce.  Put them back in the oven for the last hour, uncovered, and let the BBQ sauce cook into the ribs.

These ribs come out so tender, juicy, and flavorful it’s unbelievable.  You can literally pull the bones right out.  This method is perfect for making a rib sandwich!

Oh yeah…and they’re toddler approved.

Birthday Weekend

My birthday was last Wednesday.  I requested to have the following weekend off to celebrate with my boys.  And celebrate we did!

Jake and I started the morning off by hanging out at home while Daddy ran some errands and stopped by at work.  It was a gorgeous weekend so we had the doors and windows opened the whole time!  We waved bye to Daddy through the screen.  Daddy, don’t go!

Little man is standing all by himself (supported by various inanimate objects of course)!

Such a cutie pie!

This was one of the first weekends I’ve had off that I haven’t had somewhere to go and some place to be!  Jake and I hung out all weekend long!

We played with a big diaper box!  He looked under it,

tasted it,

but ultimately decided it was best for riding.

Then Jake helped Mommy with the laundry.

I couldn’t ask for a better helper!  After our chores were done and Daddy came home, we all took a trip to a local park.  What fun we had!  Daddy and Jake played on the swings.

And Daddy took Jake around on the playscape.  I think Jake liked being up high!

Playing is serious business.

He lightened up eventually though!

I’m thinking he didn’t know what to think!

Then it was Mommy’s turn to carry him around.  Cheese for the camera!

Baby’s first slide! Wheeeeeeeeeee!

As we were leaving, we saw the cutest little chocolate lab puppy!  Don’t get any ideas, Jake…

It was a great weekend!

Birthdays, Berries, and Babies

Birthday parties, especially baby birthday parties, are so much fun!  I think my favorite part is seeing one-year-olds tasting sweets for the first time.  One of Jeff’s friends from high school has a little girl who will be one later this month.  They decided to have her birthday party this past Saturday and invited us over.

They made burgers and hot dogs, had chips, fruit, various salads, and cupcakes along with the little one’s birthday smash cake as well.  We took Jake and let him interact with the birthday girl and one other little boy who was about 9 months old.  I think he really liked watching the other two.

After little miss had her fill (well…almost…she could have kept going!) of birthday goodness, we were all sitting around on the carpet talking.  I sat Jake in front of me and let go, not thinking.  I fully expected him to topple over as is customary, but he just sat there for a little bit.  He was bent over, but he didn’t lean side to side at all!  I think we might have achieved another milestone today!

(Not the best quality picture but oh well…)

The birthday girl’s mom gave the little boys gift bags for attending (how cute!) so Jake scored some little puffs and finger foods.  We can’t wait to try them later this month after he starts eating real food!  Soon after presents were over, Jake started getting tired and fussy, plus I had another engagement, so we packed up and went home.

For the first time in…oh…probably six years, I had the weekend of the Troy Strawberry Festival OFF!  My sister-in-law asked me if I wanted to head up there and I was able to say yes!  Originally we had planned to take Jake, but Jeff offered to watch him and I took him up on it.  Truth be told, I was a little hesitant of maneuvering Jake around a crowd like that.  I am not the calmest person when it comes to crowds.

We left home around 2P and got to Troy within 45 minutes or so, dodging two near death accidents on the way.  OK, maybe not near death, but we definitely were paying more attention to others than they were to us!  I guess our luck paid off when we found a parking spot less than a block from the festival!

The three of us (me, my SIL, and our other friend) slowly meandered down the aisles of the festival, checking out the different booths and food options.  I hadn’t eaten a whole ton of food at the birthday party and was still pretty hungry.  I wanted something savory, but opted for the strawberry shortcake because the only stand I had seen was at the end of the line and I figured we wouldn’t have the option to get it again once we made our way back to the front.

It was pretty good, though the strawberries weren’t as sweet as some of the ones I had gotten at Dorothy Lane a few weeks ago.  It was still yummy.

We kept walking, stopping at a couple booths to look at the handmade gifts before coming upon a very intriguing booth.

(source)

Wine frappe.  In other words, fun slushy for adults!  They had samples so we all tried the strawberry daiquiri and the pomegranate flavors.

They. Were. Delicious.

I ended up buying the pomegranate and cranberry acai flavors.  Heads up, Peggy, we will be trying these in September when you come.  If I can wait that long.

After searching for the chocolate dipped strawberries and striking out, we decided to head home, making a quick stop at Trader Joes.
We needed wine…

Once home, I played with Jake till he fell asleep then threw together some grilled chicken and single serve loaded baked potatoes (recipe to come).  It was a great, fun-filled day, but man, was I beat!

(“Strawberry” fountain in the square)

Sunday, Jake, Jeff, and I had a playdate with fellow blogger Joanna and her family.  We went over around 12:30p and spent a few hours talking and playing with our little ones.  She was lovely enough to cook us lunch.  We dined on jerk chicken, broccoli rice, roasted asparagus, watermelon, and almond flour donuts.  Everything was delicious!

The babies spent lunch napping (how about that?) and even though her crazy dog “The Destroyer” was barking up a storm, neither boy woke up.  They must really have needed some sleep!

After lunch, Jake woke and spent a bit of time making funny faces at The Husband.

After a bit, we decided it was time to go, packed up our stuff, and headed home.  Jake ended up going to bed around 5p and didn’t wake up until 10:30p for a quick but hefty feeding (9 ounces!) and then immediately went back to bed.  Jeff and I took advantage of this time to sit outside on our gorgeous patio, drink Skinnygirl margaritas, and enjoy each others company.

It was a great weekend and made me appreciate the time I got to spend with both boys.  I hope I get to spend more weekends with them in the future!