2 PART POST: PART 1- I'M NO RACHAEL RAY and PART 2-DID YOU SAY BLACKBIRDS?

PART ONE OF POST:

Today I tried a new recipe (using that expensive spice "cardamon" I previously mentioned). I made Chicken Shawarma with Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad.
I saw this recipe made on Rachael Ray on the Food Network show. On TV the recipe really looks soooo good and hey, it only took her 30 minutes to complete the main dish with a side. Now that sounds great because I don't want to be in the kitchen for over 30 minutes cooking. Right? Well, I will never be a Rachael Ray. I started preparing this dish and side dish at 4:00 PM.
Slathering the paste like spice mixture as called for on the recipe onto the chicken breasts. I then put the chicken on the grill.

While the chicken is grilling, I started to saute the onions and bell pepper with lemon juice and garlic.

I then grilled the eggplant and zucchini which was brushed with EVOO (as Rachael would say) salt and pepper.

I also cooked the couscous, which this is the first time I tried it. Sorry how the pic looks as I took it at night time and the light was not that great. I did not finish cooking until 6:00PM, yes, it took me 2 hrs to complete Rachael's 30 min meal. Needless to say, I will not be making this again. The chicken is then sliced and put into the pita pockets with the grilled onions and peppers and a dollop of greek yogurt, but I used sour cream with lemon juice instead. The grilled veggies were put on top of the couscous.

SECOND PART OF TODAYS POST:

Yesterday was DH 61st birthday. If you are ever in Houston you need to stop by the "Flying Saucer Pie Company". They have the most fabulous pies. During the Thanksgiving Holidays there usually is a line out the door. My MIL and SIL called and said they were coming over and when they arrived they had two pie boxes with them. Goody! Goody!

The first pie box held a cheese cake pie with strawberries on top and whipped cream. Wow! we are hitting this first.

Ok, now this is where it gets interesting. We open the second pie box and what do we see?

My first thought was that nursery rhyme something about "four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie, when the pie was opened the birds began to sing". I could just picture the birds singing and flying out of the pie. Well, what really happened is that it takes about 1 hr. from my MIL's house in Houston to our house here in Orchard. They got hungry and wanted to taste the blackberry pie and since they were given spoons with the pie, well, I guess you know what happened next.

Well, we had a good laugh after we saw the pie and then we ate some of the Banana Split Cake I made for his birthday and of course tasted the pies my MIL and SIL brought. This cake is so addicting and it seems to taste even better the next day (if there is any left, ha! ha!).

BANANA SPLIT CAKE

2 cups Cinnamon graham cracker crumbs

1 stick butter

2 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature

1 box powdered sugar

5 medium bananas

1 cup chopped pecans

1 can crushed pineapple, drained

1 large container cool whip

chocolate syrup

1 jar cherries

Melt butter and combine with the Cinnamon graham crumbs in 9 x 13 pan. Pat down for crust. In a medium bowl using hand mixer, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar. Then pour on top of graham crust. Slice bananas on top. Then spread the crushed pineapple on top of the bananas. Then spread the cool whip covering the bananas. Place cherries on top, drizzle chocolate syrup all over and sprinkle with pecans. Best if refrigerated overnight.

Hope you try this out, its really good.

Hugs :)

Irma

A BIRTHDAY PARTY, BIRTH, SURGERY, AND BIRTHDAY GIVE AWAY!!!!!

Well it was a wonderful birthday celebration on Saturday July 5th. We had a Garden Party at my parents home. This is my mom, sister and myself. My sister was making Appletinis and Mimosas... mmmm, very tasty. Wish I had one now.


My Dad looks good for having had surgery on Thursday. My sister and I are the bookends in our family, as I am the oldest and she is the youngest. I have four brothers in between.

Here are three of my four brothers, my youngest brother had to leave early before this picture was taken. He and his wife just had their first born baby in June (her actual due date was to have been in August). Baby Bella is still in the hospital as she is a premie. She weighed in at 2lbs and some ounces, not quite the 3lbs. ... but by the time I left San Antonio, she did weigh the 3lbs. Please keep her in prayer.

Here is a group picture of my sister, cousins, aunts and my mom. We played the "No, Know, Knows, Nose" game. My sister copied pictures of each guest when they were younger and put them on necklaces and they were handed to them as they arrived (you can see some of us are wearing them) If anyone mentioned the word "No, Know, Knows, Nose " the person who heard it then takes their necklace away. The person who aquires the most necklaces wins the game and a prize, as well as the person who never gave up their necklace. It was very funny trying to carry a conversation when people are trying to trick you into saying these words. After the game was over everyone took their own necklace with them as one of their party favors.

Being that our birthday party was a Garden Theme, we baked our own beehive birthday cakes and decorated with frosting to resemble honey and some candy bees (You can see a bee between the letters T and H).

We blew out our candles (of course it took me several trys to get my candles out). It was a great party, can't wait to plan for next years birthday party.

Here is what I am giving away for our "Birthday Giveaway".

A partiotic apron, soap bottle apron and a cookbook. I have a few other items also.

It's not to late to enter, just leave me a comment with your email on the previous Birthday Post or on this post. I will be drawing a name on July 11th and annouce the winner's name on Saturday.

BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY!!!!! YAHOO!!!

I'm soooo excited, I'm going on a birthday trip to San Antonio to celebrate my birthday on July 5th with my family and my sister Michelle. We both have the same birthday (no were not twins, as I am 20, yes ,20 years older than my little sister). It's kind of hard to lie about your age when there is a 20 yr. difference reminder always there. The bright side is she will soon get to the age where she will not want to reveal her age (I'm still waiting, LOL) the down side is as I get older I can never forget my birthday and how old I am. But what the heck your as old as you feel. Sometimes I feel older than my age. heh! heh!

Sooooo, to celebrate my birthday (our birthdays) I am having a "BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY" ( I will have to surprise you as I haven't decided what just yet, but when I return I will post a picture). I will draw a winner next Friday July 11th when I return. Leave me your email address with your comment so I can reach you.

Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe 4th of July!