I'm BAAACKK!

For anybody who is still reading my blog, I must apologize for being on blogging hiatus for so long. I have no excuse other than laziness and that I had company. I have many things to post about and will try to get them all done in the next few days!

The whole reason I have a blog is to document my life. I often do things and forget to take a picture, and then I feel like I can't post about them (posts without pictures are boring, right?). Well, here are some recent events that I DO have pictures of, and I want to post about them so I can move on!

The entrance to my neighborhood

One of the reasons I love my neighborhood is that they have several community events throughout the year. We always have an Easter Festival in the neighborhood park. This year, I was one of the women in charge of coordinating the Easter Egg Hunt. We had to stuff about 2500 eggs. Fortunately, it only took 6 women 2 hours to do this.

We had 2 bounce houses, three egg hunts divided up by age, the Easter Bunny, cookies and juice, and activities including face painting, a bean bag toss and a craft table. It is a major undertaking but the kids in the neighborhood love it. I think the fact that we have these events are part of what makes my neighborhood charming.

Me, The Easter Bunny, Jodi (one of my partners in crime), and
some kid who ran into our picture

It's a good thing that I enjoy these events because during the festival, the President of our HOA asked me if I would be the chairperson in charge of planning the Festival next year. What have I gotten myself roped into? I agreed because I want these events to stick around so Addyson can enjoy them in a few years.

On a totally unrelated note, I tried this recipe recently and LOVED IT! It was so different and so yummy. Even The Pickiest Eater in the World (aka Brandon) liked it, so that's saying somethin'.

South African Curried Beef

(Recipe from Essential Mormon Celebrations Cookbook)

2 lbs. beef stew meat

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped

2 (10 oz.) cans beef consomme soup (or just use beef broth)

1 tsp. salt ( I left this out)

2 Tbsp. mild curry powder

1/2 c. flour

1 c. water

1/4 c. ketchup

1 recipe Chutney Sauce

Rice for 8

Condiments: coconut, peanuts, cubed bananas, chopped green onions

In skillet, brown beef in olive oil and saute onions. (Don't cook beef all the way through, just brown the outside.) Remove from skillet and place in crock pot. Add tomatoes, beef consomme, and salt. Cook on low for 5-6 hours until beef is tender. Remove from crock pot and put back in large skillet over medium heat. Stir in curry powder. In a bowl, whisk together flour and water, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to simmering meat mixture to make gravy; stir until thickened. Add ketchup. Serve beef over rice. Place bowls of condiments on the table and let each person top with condiments. Top with one or two spoonfuls of Chutney Sauce per serving. Makes 6-8 servings.

Chutney Sauce:

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. apricot preserves

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves.

I know it sounds wierd, but trust me, it is delicious. The toppings (coconut, banana, etc.) are what make it. It is really exotic looking and tropical tasting and just out of the ordinary! The beef gets so tender and juicy in the crock pot. One warning, though--the curry powder will turn your wooden or plastic spoon yellow!

And, to conclude this random post, here's a picture I'm posting just because I like it. It is my blog.