I’m a burger girl…In a burger world!

(Again, I apologize for the very crappy picture. I’m slowly learning.)

I’m not lying. I love burgers. I crave burgers. Bad news. Burgers aren’t so good for you. So sad. In order to make myself feel a little better about my love for burgers, I decided to start making turkey burgers. We’ve been using ground turkey in place of ground beef, so this was an obvious choice. Turkey burgers are a good option for us when we are craving something “bad”. Now, don’t get me wrong, they still aren’t healthy, but they are pretty tasty and better than the alternative.

I love Kraftrecipes.com. They have lots of simple, quick and yummy recipes that use common ingredients we normally have on hand. This is where I found the turkey burger recipe. However, since we don’t have a gas grill, I use our cast iron skillet and oven and they are delicious!

Turkey Burgers adapted from Kraft Foods

1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s honey BBQ)

2 whole  Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained, finely chopped (I omit because I don’t normally have them on hand, but they are a delicious addition if you have them).

1/2 cup Fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 lb.  Ground turkey

1/2 cup Dry bread crumbs

Salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste

4   whole grain sandwich buns, toasted

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Also heat cast iron skillet over a medium flame until hot. Combine first six ingredients and form into 4 patties. Place patties in skillet and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Place in oven and cook on each side for three more minutes each. Serve on toasted buns with condiments of your choice!

German Chocolate Cake

I am surrounded by men who are obsessed with German chocolate cake. My husband, nephew and father are all smitten with it. But, I have a secret. I don’t like German chocolate cake. So, when my nephew and father both requested one for their birthday (they are a day apart), I knew I had to make one…and make it good. Because I don’t eat it, I have to assume that good means it has lots of ingredients and requires lots of time. According to the eaters of the cake today, my assumption was right.

It took about 3 hours to make and I have a mean mess to clean in my kitchen, but it was worth it to see how happy my family were while eating it. It brings me joy to see how baked goods make people happy…I would love to have a bakery one day and experience that joy as my job.

Anyway, I still haven’t mastered getting a four layer cake to be level. Yes, I have a cake leveler, but I haven’t mastered that either. This cake didn’t disappoint in the crooked category. I also was in a hurry to finish decorating it and my frosting tip came out of my plastic bag. Once that happened, there was no turning back. So, while it wasn’t the prettiest cake, it apparently was very delicious.

I would suggest a few changes: I used German chocolate in the cake batter as opposed to the bittersweet/un-sweet that the recipe suggests. I just didn’t feel right making a German chocolate cake without GERMAN chocolate. I forgot to add the vanilla extract  in the batter and also didn’t have any dark rum for the syrup. So, I just used vanilla in the syrup instead. I’m sure the rum would add a great flavor, but I didn’t have any and didn’t want to go buy a bottle for 2 ozs. I also didn’t feel like the recipe made enough filling. It doesn’t need to be doubled, but just needs a little more. I barely had enough for the top layer and I know I didn’t over fill the rest of the layers. EDIT: So as I’m typing this, Lane gave me his honest opinion about the cake. While he said it was delicious, he also said that it wasn’t what he thinks of when he thinks of a GCC. He suggested that instead of icing the sides with the ganache, I should used the filling. He said it needed more of that flavor. So, maybe double the filling recipe and use it to ice the sides. You can still decorate the top with the ganache because it’s delicious!

German Chocolate Cake adapted from David Lebovitz

For the cake:
2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped (I used German Chocolate instead.)
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

(I used German Chocolate instead.)
6 tablespoons water
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 ¼ cup + ¼ cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
3 ounces butter (6 T), cut into small pieces
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1 1/3 cups unsweetened coconut, toasted

For the syrup:
1 cup water
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum

For the chocolate icing:
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used a bag of Ghirardelli

2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 ½ (3 T)ounces unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

1. Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temperature.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer (I used my stand mixer), or by hand, beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.

4. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

5. Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.

6. In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.

7. Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there's no trace of egg white visible.

8. Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool cake layers completely.

While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling, syrup, and icing.

To make the filling:

1. Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.

2. Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)

3. Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)

To make the syrup:

1. In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum.

To make the icing:

1. Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and 1 ½ ounces of butter.

2. Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife.
Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.

Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.

Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.

Side note: I can’t believe my nephew is 12! I know its cliché to say, but I remember when he was born. I remember his first steps. I remember picking him up from day care. I remember holding him in the hospital when he had RSV. He’s a wonderful boy (he’s not a teenager yet, darn it!) and I am so thankful that God has blessed my life with him.

Seared Scallops with a Pan Glaze

Scallops are one of my favorite seafood dishes. They aren’t fishy at all, but are buttery and smooth and delicious!  They are super easy to cook and are fast for a weeknight dinner. They run about $12 a pound for sea scallops at our local grocery store, so I don’t do them too often, but when I do, go big or go home!

I knew I wanted to serve the scallops with a wedge salad. It’s one of our favorites and is really easy to make (lettuce, blue cheese dressing, blue cheese crumbles, red onion, tomatoes and bacon.) So, I decided to go all out for these scallops…no calories were spared in the making of this dish!  The sweetness of the glaze pairs so well with the scallops. It’s delicious!

Seared Scallops with a Pan Glaze

(Serves 2)

4 strips thick cut bacon

¾ lb Sea Scallops (I just asked for 8 large at the counter)

Sea salt and pepper

¼ c. balsamic vinegar

¼ c. chicken broth

Remove scallops from packaging. Layer on paper towels so that the water is absorbed. Salt and pepper the scallops.

In a large skillet, cook bacon for salad and set aside. When finished, use a paper towel to soak up a little of the grease, but not all. Heat skillet with bacon grease over medium high heat. Once grease is hot, add the scallops, making sure they do not touch one another. Once you set them in the pan, don’t move them. This will ensure they get a good sear. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side. Meanwhile, turn your oven on warm. Once the scallops are seared on both sides, place on an oven safe plate and put in the oven to keep warm.

Add the vinegar and broth to your skillet. Simmer and let reduce to about ¼ of the original amount. It should form a glaze. Use a whisk to occasionally stir and get all of the goodness from the bottom of the pan. You could add some shallots here if you’d like.

Plate the scallops with the wedge and spoon the glaze over them. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Snickerdoodledoo! Wahooo!

Snickerdoodles are my FAVORITE cookies. They are just so good. They aren’t plain like a sugar cookie, but aren’t too complicated like a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. They are perfect. I don’t normally make cookies, but wanted to send Lane to a party with something that was easy to travel with and we all know how I drive when there are cupcakes in the car…so, snickerdoodles were the answer! I searched for a while trying to find a recipe that didn’t use shortening. It’s just really, really bad for you and I really, really wanted to eat a lot of cookies! So, I came across this recipe from the amazing Annie’s Eats. I haven’t made anything of hers yet that isn’t amazing. (If you have an ice cream maker, you should also try her strawberry ice cream!!)

These cookies are the perfect snickerdoodle (despite what the fuzzy picture shows..) They have a bit of a crunchy exterior and a super soft interior. They are fluffy and buttery and melt in your mouth!

Snickerdoodles

2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 c. sugar, divided
2 large eggs
4-5 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Put butter and 1 1/2 c. sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about three minutes. Mix in eggs.

Reduce speed to low and gradually incorporate flour mixture.

In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1/4 c. sugar and cinnamon to preferred ratio. Shape dough into 1 3/4 in. balls (you should have about 20). Roll in cinnamon sugar and place three inches apart on baking sheets lines with parchment paper.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, twelve to 15 minutes. Let cool on wire racks.  ENJOY!!

Nutella Stuffed French Toast

 

Hold on while I lick the plate……

Lane and I had Nutella stuffed french toast on our honeymoon, and ever since I told my mom about it (she loves nutella) she’s wanted to try it. Finally, over July 4th weekend, we did! I just googled a recipe and came across this one. This was so rich and delicious! The perfect bite included french toast smothered in syrup with a slice of strawberry. It’s certainly NOT weight watchers approved, but it sure was tummy approved!  Give it a shot next time you are in a french toast mood…it doesn’t disappoint!

Nutella Stuffed French Toast, adapted from Nook and Pantry

Note: I doubled the recipe to serve 4 of us and had PLENTY batter left over.

1 egg
3/4 C milk (I used whole…when in Rome!)
3 Tbsp AP flour
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (and more for frying)
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Half loaf of french bread; cut into 3/4 inch slices on the diagonal
Nutella, slathered it on
Powdered sugar, syrup and strawberries for serving

Whisk the egg, milk, melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, and vanilla together until a smooth, thin batter is formed. (Stir occasionally so four doesn’t settle at the bottom)
Spread some Nutella on a slice of bread and then top with a second slice. Continue until all bread is used. (Ours made 6 “sandwiches”. Heat a non stick skillet to medium heat. Add butter right before adding bread. Dip nutella sandwiches in batter and immediately fry. Fry the French toasts until crisp and brown, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on the first side, flip then fry the second side until crisp and brown also, another minute or so. Continue until all pieces are cooked
Serve with powdered sugar, syrup and strawberries.

Homemade Hibiscus

One night, before attending a play at Dallas’ new Winspear Opera House, we decided to try Hibiscus. We had heard how great it was from friends and for a wedding shower gift, we were given a $50 gift certificate, so we decided to give it a try.

Let me just say, if I could make babies with Hibiscus…I would. It’s that good. It is one of the best meals we have ever eaten, and well, we eat a lot of meals. Everything we had was unbelievable. We had a lump crab appetizer, we each had salads (I had the bungalow, Lane had the wedge), for our entrees I had the short ribs and Lane had a filet. (He says it’s in the top four best steaks he’s ever had.) We shared their famous macaroni and cheese and had their sour cream apple pie with lavender ice cream for dessert. It’s making me salivate just thinking about it.

The only problem with Hibiscus is that it’s really expensive. Let’s just say that our $50 gift certificate didn’t even cover the tip. It was really worth it, but now we have to save up to go. So, instead of dropping lots of moola on dinner there, I decided to re-create our dinner here at home. I went to Central Market and got everything I needed and literally spent the rest of the day in the kitchen. Side note: I am currently reading Laura Bush’s “Spoken from the Heart” book and she remembers her mother spending all day in the kitchen…from 5:30 a.m. to after dinner. I have so much more respect for my great grandmother, whose reality was very much similar to that of Mrs. Bush’s mother’s. Lane’s mom also spends a lot of her time cooking when we come visit and I am so thankful. That’s hard work!

So, the menu for our homemade Hibiscus dinner was:

Appetizer: Crab meat with Avocado, Fresh Horseradish and cocktail sauce

Salad: Hibiscus Bungalow salad with Iceberg Lettuce, Tomatoes, Candied Pecans, Smoked Bacon, Avocado, Blue Cheese and Lite Honey Mustard

Entree: Filet Mignon

Side: Gourmet Mac and Cheese

Dessert: Sour Cream Apple Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Recipes:

Crab Meat with Avocado, Fresh Horseradish and Cocktail Sauce

Holy crustacean! Do you know how expensive lump crab meat is! Central Market only offered it in 1 lb. containers. Your options were jumbo lump ($26/lb), lump ($16/lb) or claw meat at ($8/lb). I was blow away. I knew we didn’t need a whole pound of crab, and didn’t really want to pay that much for it, so I decided to come up with something else. Well, long story short, I had a craving for crab, so I went to the Whole Foods down the street where I got 1/2 lb of claw meat for $7. Darn it! I should have gotten it at CM. Oh well. In retrospect, I should have just sprung for the lump or jumbo lump. While it was still delicious, it would have been a little better with the better quality meat.

1 avocado, split in half with the seed removed

1/2 lb. crab meat (spring for jumbo lump if you can)

Fresh horseradish, grated

Juice of half of a lime

Cocktail sauce, to taste

Split the avocado in half and place each half on a serving plate. Fill top of avocado with 1/4 lb. crab meat. Top with fresh grated horseradish and a squeeze of lime. Serve with cocktail sauce. Serves 2. Enjoy!

Bungalow Salad

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, torn

1 large tomato, diced

4 slices Applewood smoke bacon, cooked

Pecans, toasted in butter and brown sugar

Blue cheese, to taste

Honey Mustard Dressing, to taste (the Hibiscus salad is served with a mustard vinaigrette, which I couldn’t find. I should have just made one considering the lite honey mustard dressing I used was very watery.)

Assemble all ingredients and mix. Serves 2.

Filet Mignon (From previous Blog Entry)

Gourmet Mac and Cheese (adapted from Epicurious)

Hibiscus has amazing mac and cheese. It’s just really good. My friend Tamara is also and fan and when she asked for the recipe, they would only tell her the types of cheese needed. So she passed that information along to me and tried to figure it out. Well, while it was good, I forgot to add the cream cheese, so it was missing a creamy factor. Lane loved it and it had a very mild flavor. I think I’ll keep trying (or just get takeout mac and cheese from Hibiscus!)

3/4 pound elbow macaroni

For topping

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 cups coarse dry bread crumbs

1 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (about 4 ounces)

For cheese sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 3/4 cups whole milk

3/4 cups heavy cream

4 cups coarsely grated cheese (about 1 pound)

(I used about a 1/2 cup each of Port Salut, Parmesean and Mozzarella. For the rest, I used extra sharp cheddar. I should have also used about 4 oz. of cream cheese.)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. and butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish (13x9 casserole). Fill a 6-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for macaroni.

Make topping:
Melt butter and in a bowl stir together with bread crumbs and Cheddar until combined well. Topping may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Make sauce:
In a 5-quart heavy saucepan melt butter over moderately low heat and stir in flour. Cook roux, stirring, 3 minutes and whisk in milk. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in cream, cheeses, mustard, salt, and pepper. Remove pan from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper (put wax paper directly on the cheese sauce surface).

Cook macaroni in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain macaroni in colander. In a large bowl stir together macaroni, reserved cooking water, and sauce. Transfer mixture to baking dish.

Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Sour Cream Apple Pie from Simple Recipes

This is pretty tasty. The crust wasn’t my favorite…it kind of tastes like pop tart crust, but you don’t taste too much of it because the flavor of the pie is pretty strong.

1 cup sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
3 cups peeled, sliced tart apples (about 1 1/4 pounds of slices)
1 9" unbaked pie shell, frozen or chilled in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (see pâte brisée recipe)

Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix together all ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Chill until needed in the recipe.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Beat together sour cream, sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and egg (can beat by hand). Add apples, mixing carefully to coat well.

Put filling into a pie shell and bake at 400 degrees initially for 25 min.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with Cinnamon Crumb Topping. Bake for and additional 20 more minutes.

Let cool for a hour before serving. Serves 8.

Lane was a happy man, post dinner!

Destin or Bust!

This past weekend, I had the honor of going to Destin with my best friend, Mary C., and her precious family. It was a last minute thing and I was going to help out with her two girls, and,  since I don’t work in the summers it’s easy for me to get up and go!

I was so excited about the trip. I had never been to Destin before and was looking forward to spending time with their family. Little did I know how much I would learn about motherhood and what a difficult job it is…(More to come on that.)

Mary C’s in laws were very generous and allowed us to fly on their private plane. This was wonderful because we could fly right into Destin, and it makes flying with an active 2 1/2 year old really easy. I’ll be honest and say I was a little nervous to fly privately. I hear all too often about accidents and just was unsure. Don’t worry that I researched every aspect of this plane and it calmed my fears (along with a lot of prayer!). The plane had two pilots and really was designed for safety. Our flights there and back were wonderful and I definitely think I could get used to it!!

As we were driving from the airport to the condo, we were talking to the driver about the effects of the  recent oil spill on Destin. While the oil hasn’t reached the white sand beaches of Destin yet, they have still felt the effects. Our driver said their business was down by 50% and that everyone was being affected. Everyone who relied on tourism for their income was experiencing negativity. It breaks my heart for places like Destin that wouldn’t survive without visitors. Apparently they can submit paperwork to BP claiming their losses, but none seemed too hopeful about reclaiming their money. What a horrible event that has caused so much damage to so many aspects of our lives.

Anyway, we were able to stay in a condo in Sandestin that was just off the water. It was BEAUTIFUL. You forget that you are in the United States, let alone the Gulf of Mexico, with its white sand beaches and crystal clear water. Well…crystal clear water after the 20 feet of green booger sea weed (as seen in the picture below)! I was able to swim out to a sand bar with Mary C. (only after downing a few cocktails since we would be swimming through an area known for housing sharks) and once we got back, I pulled GLOBS of this sea weed from my bathing suit. It was kind of comical. I think I created a spectacle on the beach as I was digging in my suit pulling out massive amounts of green goo .

The best part about this weekend was that I got to spend lots of time with Mary C’s daughters, Caroline (2 1/2) and Maidie (12 weeks). I loved every single second of it. Most of the time, I stayed in the condo with Maidie while Bill and Mary C. took Caroline to the beach or the pool. Then, Maidie and I would meet them for lunch or they would come back and we’d all take naps. I learned so many things in the past 5 days. I started to make a list on my trip:

1. Kids don’t travel lightly. They require lots of stuff. MC always had a bag of goodies for both girls and was always prepared. I wonder if her brain hurts sometimes from having to think so far in advance.

2. Diapers need to be changed..frequently. I felt like I was either always changing Maidie’s diaper, feeding her or snuggling her to sleep. It was a constant 3 hour circuit, but one that I absolutely loved. She is the PERFECT baby and to see her gummy smile all day just makes my heart happy. At one point, she fell asleep on my chest and I didn’t know if I could be any happier. We are best friends.  

3. The guy from Blues Clues, Joe, is creepy. His rendition of Little Red Riding Hood still haunts me. Good thing it kept Caroline entertained.

4. Speaking of Caroline, I learned that 2 1/2 year olds are awesome. She is so sassy and funny and sweet and amazing. She never stopped cracking me up. I learned a lot about discipline and how to choose your battles. I learned that you can easily prevent a meltdown by pulling “surprises” out of your purse. I learned that she is really, really smart and doesn’t forget things. One night while MC and Bill were at dinner, Kiwi (her nickname) and I were watching a movie. She said she wanted some milk. So, I, not being her mother, also offered her a snickerdoodle cookie that I made. It was a massive cookie and she was so excited. Well, the next night, we were in the same situation. She said she wanted some milk. So I got up to get her some and as I was walking into the kitchen she also, conveniently said, “And I need a cookie too.” Who am I to argue?? This time her cookie wasn’t as big, it still cracked me up. I created a monster..a cookie monster.

5. I learned how to swaddle and also learned that I’m bad at it. I just couldn’t get Maidie tight enough in her little burrito. She would somehow always get her arms out. I did really love to swaddle her though. It was like a new trick I learned and I like doing it. I am really tempted to try to swaddle Knox right now..although he might not appreciate it as much.

6. I learned that I am OK with tee-tee and poo-poo. It doesn’t bother me. But, I am NOT OK with spit up. The smell of vomit, even though it came from the cutest baby on earth, does not bode well with my stomach. I had to immediately change myself and Maidie. I think I’m going to have to get over this some day!

7. Finally, I learned that being a mom is not easy. Mary C. amazed me. She is incredible. I told her that I would have to take lessons from her when it was my time to have kids. She seems to stay calm in all situations and has unending patience. She knows the right times to discipline and the right times to let it go. After these five days, I am even more in love with this family, but I am especially in awe of my own mom and all the moms out there who successfully raised children. I have a new respect for you. I understand now that you probably never got much sleep or ever truly enjoyed a meal when your kids were around. I understand that you sacrificed your desires so that your kids would get what they wanted. I understand that your second child probably spent more time in their bouncy seat or swing than your first, and that’s ok. I understand that just looking at them warms your heart and seeing them grow and learn is daily and it’s amazing. I understand that a smile from an infant or a hug from a toddler can completely change your mood. I will forever be grateful for this trip.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the trip:

Caroline’s lollipop lipstick application provided sticky cheeks!

Happy girl, getting ready to fly!

My new best friend, Maidie!

  Such a beach girl!

 

One of many times we rode the merry-go-round!

 

The whole family.

Merry-go-round..round 2.

We spent a lot of our time in the Village of Baytowne Wharf.

 

Such a good girl, sharing her ice cream.

My amazing family for the week!

I love them so much!