Hollywood

Or, as my cousin put it and we'd already started to figure out, this is also known as Hollyweird! We got to town a little late compared to time schedules, but we made it nonetheless. We ended up driving into Hollywood. You know the glamor we all read about? Not the reality of Hollywood Blvd.!! We ran into hawkers, gawkers, homeless and down right sad cases of people. Did we see some stars? Maybe - but who would know! Definitely of the ImprovEverywhere type! We were sitting at Starbucks when out of nowhere there was loud Michael Jackson music (Beat It!), a group of people dancing near a fountain and then it was over! I've seen their work before, but never in real life! Was very cool! The plan is to meet up with my cousins tomorrow and spend some time getting to know them again. So, now we're sitting here just catching up, sitting down for a bit and needing to get some dinner (In and Out Burgers?) and some Starbucks for tomorrow morning and some swim trunks so Kent can indulge in some pool time, too!

See where we've been: HERE

Ahhh....VACATION!!!

Poor Coda has to stay home while we are off on a grand adventure. He and Jolyn will have a vacation of their own I'm sure! We are at a hotel near the airport and since we had a bit of time we decided to take the new Link Light Rail back into the city just to ride it. A bit of a pricey adventure, but it was so fun to see parts of town we've never really been in! Some of it I recognized from the Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon, but most of it begs to be explored further!! A fun way to start our vacation! Tomorrow bright and early we are off to join the stars!!!

Where to buy the tickets for the Light Rail

A very cool hanging sculture of a raindrop and its ensuing splash

Our ticket good for a round trip

Our train

Kent and Tiana checking out the view as we leave the station. It's a LONG ways down there!

Birthday Fun

After Bible Study, Big T and Little T celebrated their birthdays with everyone who was there. We had ice cream and Big T supplied the candles!

Little T's candles

Big T's candles

Happy Birthday to our baby!

14 years ago:

6lb. 2oz., 18½ inches long, 8:54am

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Long Time!

Well, since Mom's not getting around to updating this thing, I'll do it! It's been HOT!!! I can tell you that mom, dad and Sis find plenty to do outside when it is this warm and so I'm sure that is why you haven't heard from them! PLUS! Grandma and Grandpa and Pixie have been here. That Pixie's always trying to get me in trouble!! The cool thing is, I can usually freak her out! So, she won't come in the backyard with me because, well, I don't really know why, but Dad's put me on a LOOOONG leash so I can roam most of the front yard. Even though I really don't care about her, she FREAKS out when I'm in the front yard and she won't stay outside. Her loss!!!

Pixie avoiding the front yard and me!!

I think they leave today. Rumor has it mom, dad and sis are headed out of town, too! That makes me so sad, but happy at the same time because that means my best buddy Jolyn will come and stay with me!! WooHoo! I LOVE her!!!!

Anyway, I think that's about all that's going on. Will let you know more for sure later!

4th of July 5K and other fun!

Terrah and Tiana ready to go!

At the Start Line!

Heading toward the Finish!

Nice Form, Terrah!

It looks like a smile! Tiana finished with a respectable 40 minutes or so!

It was HOT!

And -- your laugh for the day! Mr. OXI-GENE! He's my favorite Parade Route Super-Hero!

The dog Izzy that was standing next to us at the Parade. She was begging for strawberries. Such a sweet girl!

Summer Recipes

It's been awhile since I've done any cooking at all, and definitely since I've posted any goodies here!

It is berry season here and I got a 2lb. clamshell of blueberries, the other day so decided to make the Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins that I found in last summer's Taste of Home healthy Cooking magazine. Of course, I can't leave well enough alone and I altered this recipe even more to make it even lower in calories. Tiana still has eaten quite a few, as has her friend Terrah. They are very tasty and may need to be made again! Oooh! And maybe with rhubarb, or raspberries, or blackberries, too!!

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. quick-cooking oats
½ c. packed (I didn't pack it!!) brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. salt½ tsp. cinnamon¼ tsp. baking soda¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 c. plain yogurt (I used fat free)¼ c. butter (melted) (I used 2 Tbs. + 2 Tbs. drained, unsweetened applesauce)
1 c. fresh blueberries

In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Combine the egg, yogurt and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries. Coat muffin cups with cooking spray or use paper liners. Fill 3/4 full with batter. Bake at 400º for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

Nutrition facts for regular recipe (my changes in parenthesis): Per Muffin
167 calories (138)
6 g fat (3)
31 mg cholesterol (23)
249 mg sodium (225)
26 g carbohydrates (24)
1 g fiber
4 g proteinAnother favorite of Tiana's is Buffalo Chicken Burgers. I like these best when I grind my own chicken breasts, but whatever these are good!

Buffalo Chicken Burgers with Tangy Slaw
Slaw:¼ c. thinly sliced celery¼ c. shredded apple
2 Tbs. prepared fat-free blue cheese salad dressing
1 tsp. finely chopped walnuts

Sauce:
3 Tbs. Lousiana-style hot sauce
2 tsp. ketchup
2 tsp. reduced-fat butter, melted

Burgers:
2 Tbs. chopped sweet red pepper
2 Tbs. + 4 tsp. thinly sliced green onions, divided
1 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce¼ tsp. salt¼ tsp. garlic salt¼ tsp. pepper
1 lb. ground chicken
4 lettuce leaves
4 hamburger buns

In a small bowl, combine celery, apple, salad dressing and walnuts. In another small bowl, combine the hot sauce, ketchup and butter; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the red pepper, 2 Tbs. green onions, applesauce, salt, garlic salt and pepper. Crumble chicken over mixture and mix well. (I often grind this all together for easy, complete distribution). Shape into 4 burgers. Broil 6" from the heat 5-7 minutes on each side or until meat thermometer reads 165º, basting occasionally with reserved sauce. Serve on lettuce-lined buns; top each with 2 Tbs. slaw and spinkle with remaining onions. If you grill these, make sure you REALLY coat the grill rack with plenty of spray so they don't stick! Extra sauce is always good if you like it spicy!!

1 Burger: 312 calories, 12 g fat, 78 mg cholesterol, 682 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 23 g protein