Ice cream cake

It was so hot when I was in Michigan...abnormally hot and it's been that way there since mid June.  It made me think of the cake I made for Jon's birthday and wanted to share it with you guys.

Carla's Ice Cream Cake

This cake was first made by our friend Carla when we worked at Chrysler.  It quickly became a summer favorite!

Ice cream sandwiches (I used mini ones this time because it was just Jon and me)
Cool Whip (plain, strawberry, or chocolate flavor)
Heath toffee bits (found in the aisle with the baking chips)
Bottle of chocolate shell stuff (either chocolate or chocolate/peanut butter)

You will layer the ingredients twice in the order above.  The amount of each ingredient is based on the size platter/pan you use.  After you make it, let it harden in the freezer for a couple of hours before serving.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cool Whip

Toffee Bits

Chocolate Shell Stuff

And repeat!

It doesn't have to be perfect- that's the beauty of an ice cream cake!

I'm back!

I'm finally back!  I've been living out of a suitcase since July 12th and it feels so good to be home.

The purpose of my trip was for work, but because the company I work for is headquartered in Michigan, I was able to see family and friends while I was back!  Here's a little bit of what I did:

-went to our family cabin

-celebrated Jon's birthday with my parents

(Jon was able to come back for the first weekend I was there)

-met two of my cousins' newborn babies

-had dinner with friends from high school

-pedis with my mom

-cooking class with my mom and her friends

-went to a Tigers game (JV pitched & they won!)

-went to my best friend's brother's wedding

-had fresh walleye my dad caught

-took a ride in my dad's old mustang

-had JJ for lunch...twice!

And, I had to fit in work every day too!

It was such a good trip!  Exhausting, but well worth it!

Like the other half does...

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to take one of my company's

corporate planes back to Michigan (I have some meetings and training in our Michigan office). 

It was amazing!  If only I could travel like the other half does all of the time!

Sorry for the pictures being all messed up, but I'm using my phone to blog and I can't figure it out.

 

 The red carpet treatment when we landed in 

Grand Rapids...the only red carpet I'll ever walk on

 

Leaving Orange County...no security, no plane ticket...it was glorious!

 Lasagna for dinner?  Yes, please!  

On real china and with real silverware!

 Wine in the heaviest crystal glasses I've ever used.  Wait, those are the only

crystal glasses I've ever been privy to.

 Fresh salad to start dinner.

 I even got to ride in the cockpit for the landing!  See the runway lights ahead?

 The hangar where the plane stops is spotless!

 German chocolate cake for dessert!

Greek salad with chicken

Looking for a delicious summer salad?  Here you go!  Jon and I thought the chicken had great flavor and it was another quick meal!

Greek Salad with chicken
compliments of la chapstick fanatique


For the marinade:
1 c. plain Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes

For the dressing:
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
dried oregano, to taste
1/3 c. EVOO

For the salad:
romaine lettuce, chopped
tomato, chopped
green pepper, chopped
cucumber, chopped
feta, crumbled

Whisk together first five ingredients for marinade. Add chicken and mix to combine. Marinade for three hours.

Heat grill (or grill pan.) Thread chicken on skewers, making sure to wipe off excess yogurt. Grill until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Meanwhile, add first four ingredients for dressing in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in EVOO until blended.

Add romaine to plate. Top with tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, and feta. Top with chicken. Add dressing (you will have some leftover.) Serve with pita or flat bread.

Catalina Island trip!

Saturday we spent the day on Catalina Island to celebrate Jon's special day!

The Catalina Express offers free rides on your birthday so we took advantage of it!

On the way there we were in the Commodore Lounge...we felt pretty special with our

complimentary drinks and leather seats!  Ha!  Jon even got a birthday ribbon to wear!

We had a great day just relaxing and checking out the island.  We rented a tandem bike for a little bit...those hills are tough!  After that we felt like we had gotten our physical activity for the day and settled in for an afternoon of people watching and adult beverages.  

We even made it to church on the island!

We got home late, but it's never too late to sing Happy Birthday and have cake!

I made Jon an ice cream cake at his request (I'm so thankful that's what he asked for

because we had an issue with our stove and it's been out of commission since Monday).

Cheers to another year Jon!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Jonboy!

Cheers to a great day celebrating on Catalina Island!

Love you!

Wilma update

Wilma had a follow up appointment yesterday at the vet.  

They took her stitches out and said she was healing just as she should be!  

We celebrated by taking her for a walk on the beach this morning.  

She was pretty excited, but I don't think the birds were!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th!

If we can't be at my parent's cabin in northern Michigan,

Newport Beach will have to do!  

We're starting our day off with a pancake breakfast at

the American Legion just down the street...how American is that!?!?  Then, we plan

to head to the beach for the day and check out the parties all over the peninsula!

Enjoy and be safe!

Asparagus, goat cheese, & lemon pasta

Talk about a fresh, light summer pasta that's ready in a flash!  Jon and I both loved this.  We dove into our bowls so fast that I only had leftovers to take a picture of!

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta
compliments of smitten kitchen
serves 6

1 pound spiral-shaped pasta (I had shells on hand so we used those and they worked just fine)
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon plus more for garnish (didn't have this; didn't use it)
1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (the pre-crumbled stuff will not melt as well) (we used about 4 1/2-ounces)
Fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)

Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed. Season genersously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice if you feel it needs a little extra kick.

Weekend recap

Ok, how is it July already?!?!  We welcomed

 July with a weekend full of summertime activities.

Friday afternoon we played tennis.  It's been a while

since we've played and it was a good time.  The public

courts in NB are nice!  Of course Jon killed me, but we had fun. 

Friday evening we rode our bikes to the pier and 

had dinner and drinks at Newport Pier Grill and Sushi.  

The sunset was beautiful and there was a great band 

playing...everything from Bob Dylan to Jimmy Buffet to James Taylor.

After dinner we walked around the pier and the fishermen were catching sting rays.

Saturday and Sunday we spend the day at the beach.

The weather was perfect for it!

I enjoyed reading and Jon had a great time

playing in the waves with his new boogie board

(an early birthday present from my sister and her family).

I also got a mani for the 4th!!