Lillie Loves Mushrooms!

My kids are adventurous eaters but they still have their aversions. My proudest moment so far was when Lillie exclaimed, "I love mushrooms!"

Disney's Smoked Turkey Legs

Did you know that Disney sells 1.5 million turkey legs each year?! These 1.5 pound appendages weigh in at over 1000 calories and a days worth of fat content. Lillie has been begging to try one for a while now and today was her day.

I asked them for their best barbarian face and they did not disappoint. Look at those greasy fingers!

It was actually pretty tasty. We had a great day at Hollywood Studios and Lillie even agreed to go on Tower of Terror! Unfortunately, Sadie was a quarter inch too short...maybe next time Sadie!

BLAT: Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato Sandwich

The BLT. God's gift to sandwiches. Throw some avocado in there and go straight to heaven.

This sandwich has been a family favorite for a while now. The key is a crusty roll, crispy thick-cut bacon and fresh veggies.

The first step is to cook the bacon. I use Obi-John Cannoli's approach and bake my bacon in the oven. It cooks evenly, there's more of it and the cleanup is a piece of cake.

Drain bacon and pat dry with paper towels.

mmmm.....bacon!

Cut yourself some generous slices of beefsteak tomato and ripe avocado. Separate out the romaine lettuce leaves. Warm up the rolls in the oven for a few minutes.

Layer on a good mayo, romaine, tomato and celery salt on one side. The other sides gets mayo, bacon, avocado and cracked pepper.

Fold, slice and serve!

Butternut Squash Soup

Keri hooked me up with an immersion blender for my birthday and the first task was to whip up some butternut squash soup.

I picked the best ideas from a few cookbooks and it came out great - nice and light with some fresh herbs, lemon juice, and a little sour cream instead of heavy cream. The immersion blender whipped it up and made it velvety-smooth. I forgot how great that kitchen tool is! What else can I make with this thing?!

Sadie and I put a note in Lillie's lunchbox...

Herbed Roasted Turkey

Lillie is a turkey leg fiend!

I made an herb paste and bravely rubbed it under the skin of the turkey. It came out so flavorful and moist.

Waffle House

My first visit to a Waffle House was with Todd, Brian and Ryan after the Mofro/Galactic concert. Todd won the Customer of the Month award.

Brewing Champagne Vinegar

Happy New Year! I've wanted to make my own vinegar for some time now and the stars finally aligned. Take a recently uncorked bottle of Champagne. Lord knows we all have one of those sitting around this time of year!

Pour into a sterile container with water and the magic ingredient - a mother of vinegar.

The mother will slowly turns the alcohol into acetic acid and should produce a vinegar that is crisper and fresher tasting than a filtered, store-bought variety.

Cover with a cheese cloth and let it sit in a quiet, warm place for 2-4 months. Presto, fresh vinegar!

More to come...