State Fair!!!!

I'm so excited...this Friday our family goes to the fair! We have gone every year! We eat all day basically!

Food I have to eat at the State Fair:

Corn on the cob covered in real butter!

Country ham biscuit!

French fries and vinegar!

Mount Olive pickle!

Pizza!

Chocolate milk from the NCSU ag. stand!

Dinner Time!

Okay, so a co-worker gave me a delicious sounding recipe yesterday, so I decided to make it last night. It was madness, just like always!

I was going along cutting up my spices...sauteing my food...heating up the skillet in the oven, etc. I took the skillet out of the oven and then proceeded to grab it with my hand. I mean, right out of the oven! Needless to say I have huge blisters on my hand today! Anyways, the meal was delicious and Garrett was very grateful! He loved it! Since my hand was burning and soaking in ice, Garrett poured me some wine, told me to sit down, told me to change the tv channel with my right while he cleaned up everything!

Scarlett and Mason will be flying in from Texas in a few hours, so I've got some Cuban pork in the crock pot for tonight! Of course...I also will be having rice and snap peas...of course, but I did get some broccoli for Garrett and Mason! I can't wait to go to the airport!!!

Here is the recipe if you want to try it:

Tenderloin Steaks with Gorgonzola and Herbs and Roasted Garlic and Grape Tomato Pasta with Basil and Arugula

Ingredients

1/2 lb penne pasta

1 pint grape tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

Olive Oil

Salt + Pepper

1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

Parsley (small handful), chopped

6 Sage Leaves, finely chopped

1 green onion, chopped

2 beef tenderloins, about 1-inch thick

1 cup baby spinach

10 basil leaves, pulled apart into pieces

1/2 cup grated parm. regianno cheese

3/4 cup reserved pasta water

Preparation
1. Set oven to 425 degrees.

2. Boil water and cook pasta 2 minutes shy of being al dente (pasta will cook more later)

3. Meanwhile, put tomatoes and garlic in oven for 20 minutes.

4. Salt and pepper both sides of beef.

5. Combine Gorgonzola, parsley, sage and green onion in a small bowl and set aside.

6. When tomatoes/garlic are about 4 minutes from being done, heat an oven-proof skillet on
high heat. Sear the beef for 90 seconds on each side. Keep beef in pan and put Gorgonzola mixture on top.

7. Take tomatoes out of oven, turn oven off, and transfer pan of beef to the oven for 4 minutes.

8. Put the roasted garlic in a bowl large enough for the pasta and mash to make a paste. Add the reserved pasta water and the tomatoes and mash until a sauce forms. Add the pasta, spinach, basil, and cheese and let sit for a few minutes.

9. Serve!

Oktober Craziness Begins!

Okay, so everyone who knows my family knows that we always have something going on! October for some reason is always one of the busiest months!

What is today...the 8th? Well we have already managed to spend one weekend in the Nantahala Park in the mountains white water rafting! It was fabulous! There was 14 of us in an 8 person cabin. Yes, that would be me who made the cabin reservation, me who took us to a restaurant Saturday night where we got either burnt or cold steak, and me who took us to a restaurant on Sunday that was closed after driving for an hour and a half! I am no longer in charge of these things!!!

Anways..Saturday was perfect! There wasn't a cloud in the sky. It started out around 40 degrees that day, but ended up around a perfect 75. We started the day out eating breakfast overlooking the river. Beautiful. We had to rent two rafts to carry us all down river. Our raft was the best, even though Jason couldn't sit still and jumped from raft to raft. We would high five with our paddles after a good rapid...Yes..we are dorks, but we have fun! The other raft envied us...I could tell. My raft crew include Mary, Jason, Me, Garrett, and Mom. Garrett was the raft guide for PART of the time. CAPI-TAN GZ! During his time..we always seemed to go down the rapids backwards...huh..Coincidence? He was fired eventually. That was the first time my nephews had been rafting (they were in the other raft with their mom and dad and my dad.) They had a blast!!! About halfway down the river..when you we were all getting a little chilly and hungry...the aroma of Italian food hit us! There was a tiny old cabin on the side of the river. We stopped and ate pizza and boiled peanuts by a fire! It was great! We made it down the river in about three hours, I think. You finish rafting with the biggest rapid at the end. So much fun..and Mary almost fell out, but I caught her. I wish I wouldn't have so we could have laughed. Sorry, it was an instinct to reach for her! There are funny pictures of the last rapid that I will get from Mary and post! After changing into dry clothes, Garrett and I went and enjoyed a nice cold beer and watched other families come off of the last rapid of the river. I got to get my Sweet Water Blue...a beer I haven't been able to get since college! I savored it and later got myself a 6 pack!!! Which I am still savoring! Hehe!

We finished off our trip with a wonderful lunch at the Asheville Farmer's Market Moose Cafe! Our table overlooked the mountains and the Biltmore Estate. Wow! The food was so delicious! They gave you biscuits with molasses, which I haven't had since I was little. Then we all got fried chicken and meatloaf and dumplings...YUMMY! After that meal...we all got into our cars and I fell asleep immediately while Garrett drove me home! Even with all the craziness..it was great!

Stay tuned for more craziness...Scarlett and Mason fly in from Texas in two days!!!