Good Friends, Good Music, Good Times

This weekend was a good one. We were able to catch up with friends, see one of our favorite bands preform and eat ourselves silly at the Orange County Fair; yeah, it was pretty awesome!

On Saturday night we put June in the car, drove down to the Irvine Spectrum and met up with our friends Jim, Kevin, and Gigi's sister Kat to listen to one of our favorite bands, PawnShop Kings, perform. As always they put on a great show and since it was Kevin's first show, they found themselves a new fan.

and we got ice cream too....

On Sunday we went to the early church service and then met up with our friends Brian and Jana and their son Hunter to go to the fair. None of us are really all that excited about the rides so we just walked around, looked at the exhibits, ate ourselves silly, went to the pig races, played with Hunter, and just all around had a good time.

Jana braved the newest fair food - the Crispy Cream Chicken Sandwich

and Brian had to have the giant turkey leg.

Hunter wasn't totally sure at first.

But he quickly warmed up to the idea.

Gigi got caught up in the excitement and had to have some meat on a stick.

Then it was off to the pig races!

Rounding out the day with good times, carnival games and good friends

And now for obligatory "cute kid in hat that's too big" pictures...

Thank you everyone for such a great weekend! Let's do it again soon!!!

oh my gosh, are you okay?

we bought a small portion of a cow at costco last week. last night was going to be THE NIGHT we threw that sucker on the grill, however, i was well aware we'd likely cook it, eat a tiny peice of it, refrigerate it, and find it again, covered in not-cow-but-rather-fungus-of-some-sort about 3 weeks later.

no, that has never happened before.

i called my mom and sister to see if they wanted to help us put a bigger dent in it. granted, it was 6:15 and dinner would be ready by 7, but i thought i'd throw it out there. mom picked up the phone and told me she was about to start a mentor class at church, and couldn't make it. bummer, but fully expected. all good. mom asks me how things are going, then immediately tunes out as i start to respond, only to say to the woman in the background, "oh, we're starting?--baby, i gotta go. okay? okay. bye. bye. bye." -click- "um, okay. bye, mom."

instead of cow, we cooked chicken (in corona and lime) and macaroni and cheese (homemade, whaaaaaat!). it was DE-LICOUS.

mom calls me back at 9. "sweetie? hi. are, are, are you okay?" i answer that i'm fine, and ask her why. "i was just wondering if you'd eaten." BLESS HER HEART. um, yes, i'd eaten. i know i'm only a few years out of the house, and i know i call her now more often that i ever did in college, but she seemingly thought i might have panicked SO MUCH when she hung up on me that i just COULD NOT POSSIBLY EAT DINNER THAT NIGHT, and that she should check on me. :-) uhm, no, not the case, in fact, i married a man that has made me well aware he needs to eat. often. and not even being hung up on by my mom would stop us from dinner.

she always tells me i'll forever be her baby girl. she reminds me by caring so much. even when its so funny that it's cute. (love you, momma. xoxo)

sushi bro.

rolly's 32nd birthday found its way into 2010 last week :-) happy birthday bro!!!!

to celebrate, mom and dad thought rolly's favorite food would work to satisfy his birthday cravings. SUSHI!! however, in an effort to be creative and fun (good job, guys) we didn't GO to sushi, instead sushi came to us. the parentals worked and worked to prep all the fixins needed for a make-your-own-sushi party. (can i really get away calling them "fixins" when it is the farthest thing possible from hick food?? how about "supplies"? or "suprise!" my seuc cousins may get that reference... anywho...)

with seaweed, rice, halibut, tuna, tuna tar-tare, crab, salmon, eel, avocado, cream cheese, cucumber, mushrooms, and those little orange eggs on the menu, we went to town mashing, rolling, stomping, cutting, and eating our freshly made hand rolls. no, it wasn't the most classy effort i've ever seen, it was more... functional. how do i get all this stuff in my mouth at once? (...that's a great segway to a "that's what she said" joke, btw. ya know, just in case you needed some help catching that one...) some rolls were small, some rolls were large. some looked like burritos (dad...) and some looked like small baseballs... in any case, they all tasted DELICIOUS!! and, to ensure authenticity, a few sake swigs and sapporro gulps were fully welcomed...!

rolly's ready...

so is dad...

they're tired from eating...

yummmmmmmy!

i love those orange eggy things...

josh ate potstickers... "i don't like the texture of sushi..."

cheers, kat and rolly!

happy birthday to my rolly poly! i hope you had fun celebrating all weekend long! and thanks to mom and dad for all your hard work!

...lovers of starbucks

the entirely-too-computer-saavy-husband o' mine follows a ton of blogs, and one of his favorites, "deal news", has posted an awesome deal about free starbucks.

on thursday, april 15th, (yes, that's tax day, my friends), you can receive a free mug o' joe at starbucks, just by bringing in your own travel mug. if you don't believe me, you can click here for the proof.

just thought my fellow coffee lovers would want to know this big, big news :-) that, and i'm such a sucker for free stuff.

happy caffiening!!

favorite places: park bench cafe

it's not often that we get to enjoy the little gem in huntington beach called central park, as it's a good 35 minutes from home, and we don't spend all that much time in that area to begin with. every so often, though, we make it a point to grab the dog's leash, jump in the car, and head up the freeway to get a bite at one of our favorite places: park bench cafe.

this fully outdoor breakfast and lunch restaurant not only allows dogs, they actually encourage 4-legged friends to join for a treat of their own. the puppy menu ranges from hot dogs and ice cream scoops to kibble and dog bones. june's treat today--just a simple peanut butter dog-shaped treat. she decapitated it, ate the head, and left the rest of the treat for her furry squirrel friends that would clean up behind her.

i know what you're thinking--if they serve dog food, i'm sure the people food can't be that good. WRONG. it's definitely a greasy spoon type of restaurant, and a "white plate/cheap silverware" type of place, but the grub is good!!

today's trip was not quite as planned as usual--we happened to be in fountain valley running errands, and we happened to have the june bug with us because the weather was cool enough to leave her in the car for 20 minutes at a time. realizing we were just 10 minutes from park bench cafe, we headed up for lunch and a walk. june loved this afternoon, and so did we. the weather was gorgeous and the flowers were blooming--i'll take this weekend afternoon any day!

the results of last night's efforts

sweet and sour chicken and white rice :-)
soooooo yummy!!

...and how about that fire in the background, courtesy of my man! such a good monday night...

by the way, thanks for the many recipes i've already received! can't wait to cook 'em and share 'em again...

tonight... spaghetti... a johnson family recipe!!

lessons learned

8 months of married life and it's finally come time to start cooking at home more often, and going out to eat less often. i know, i know, it's tragic. i'll give you a moment to be sad :-(

okay, moment over.

in the past two weeks of this "cook-at-home-.........adventure.....", i've learned a few things--imagine that! saturday, i learned that i don't like dill weed. not only is that a much better nickname for an idiot than for a spice, but it just has an entirely overwhelming (not-so-great-in-large-quantities) taste. turns out josh doesn't really like it either. anyone need a jar of dill weed??? i've learned that you CAN indeed leave chicken in a crockpot for too long. it turns into chicken mush. no one likes their chicken mushy. no one. a few weeks ago i learned that parsley may be the most amazing green food i know of, after green peanut butter m&m's, of course (chimichurri sauce is a new favorite). oh, i also learned that although you can add garlic to just about anything to make it edible (in my mind), josh's taste buds don't work the same way as mine. who'd'a'thunk it?!

with these lessons learned, and others, i'm beginning to find the joy in cooking. obviously, cooking is more fun on the days the meals turn out good, but i think i could get used to this.

josh and i are planning to cook together tonight. YAY, YAY, YAY! cooking becomes 9 times as fun when it's with my guy. don't rub your eyes, you read right... NINE TIMES AS FUN! ;-) we've been blessed with a little "gem" of a kitchen. it's great cause for some incredible gymnastics. the maneuvers we pull to get around each other can often be entertainment to those watching (june). i'll duck, he'll grab the bowl, i'll stand and shut the cabinet (okay, okay, let's all be honest, i leave cabinet doors open--josh will probably be the one to shut it), he'll move his legs, i'll reach for the pan in the bottom drawer and pass it to him, i'll open the fridge, he'll grab the milk and pour it into the measuring cup i'm holding, etc. etc. it's all too much fun to be in a 4x6 space working together...........!

now...to determine who will clean..............

got any good recipes? please share!! email me :-)
bothjohnson@gmail.com

turkey day, turkey day, turkey day!

i must say, thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! it's a close second after christmas, but that's only because the christmas vacation is longer! this thanksgiving will require something new of me. although turkey dinner will be at mom'n'dad's, as usual, this year i'm SOLELY responsible for the appetizer goodies that our family and friends will feast on before endulging in the wonderful linner (we eat early...2pm. dinner? lunch? linner...? dunch...???). me. by myself. gigi. YIKES. i considered cooking a variety of amazing appetizers, but then realized i don't cook, and this would be the first time i'd be trying ANY of these new recipes. after slight consideration, i thought it cruel to use my family as guinea pigs for my appetizer-test-run...on thanksgiving! SO, i resort to tortilla chips and guacamole, an assorted variety of pre-cut cheese and tasty crackers, and pita chips with hummus. to my family - i'm sorry this will be such a boring menu of hors d'oeurves. maybe i'll work up some guts in the next 24 hours and decide to try something new, but i really can't make any guarantees. me? i'm an easy turkey day-er... i like turkey, gravy, and heaps and heaps and heaps and heaps of that classic green bean casserole dish. oh yeah, i almost forgot, i'm also obsessed with stuffing. my mom makes AMAZING stuffing. i can sense the inevitable coming, though...one year my mom is going to make me responsible for the whole dinner. i may freak. i know someone out there makes thanksgiving-TV-dinners... they have to! who knows, perhaps cooking will become a new passion of mine. eh, probably not..................
happy turkey day!

the wonderful world of partially prepared meals...

josh and i have a new favorite grocery store. you have to check out fresh & easy if you haven't yet! first off, they give away more coupons than i've ever seen (after bed, bath, and beyond) so there's no excuse to not try it. anyway, (so far) josh and i haven't spent time focusing on "cooking"...we are more the type of people that will take any opportunity to rationalize going to dinner instead of cooking ("since we don't have ALL the ingredients we need for that, we'll have to go to the store first, which takes gas...especially after you turn the car on twice, once to get there and once to get back...then the onion will be so big that no matter which house it stays at, it'll end up being thrown away because it won't get eaten before it goes bad, and since we haven't seen each other in a few days, we really need to catch up over a served-hot appetizer, and we should really do our part in trying to keep the economy strong...") so, in an effort to stay away from going out to eat so much, we'll often drag one another to the grocery store and throw things in each other's carts. but fresh and easy....well, we're having a fun with that one. so much pre-seasoned/flavored fun! i'm especially fond of the seemingly fresh cookie dough that needs to just be "popped in the oven", and josh so far likes the pre-wrapped burritos that only take 3 minutes in the microwave to cook.
doesn't our eating style sound just SOOOOO tasty?! everything from (not)scratch. i'm having a dinner party soon. who's in?

chewed up old, wooden desk and a can of lighter fluid...

that says it all, don't ya think!?
josh, jacqui (josh's sister), steve (jacqui's bf) and i cruised down to capo beach on sunday night with a trunkful of wood (josh's old desk and filing cabinet in 30 pieces), a few hot dogs, some wire hangers, and a lighter. we found a pit, set up shop, and hung out by the warmth of the fire for 3 hours. we topped the night off with some golden spoon, because what's a weekend without frozen yogurt?????? not a weekend...obviously....

"BREAKING NEWS--New Chef Cooks Without Flavor!!!"

Josh and I hit up The Beach House in Laguna for dinner on Saturday night. What did we talk about all night, you ask??? How AWFUL the food was. What a bust... :-( LUCKILY, Josh and I have a strange way of making just about ANYTHING so much stinkin fun, that 3 nasty bites and 4 grossed out faces later, we were having a blast with each other. I'm sure splitting a bottle of some random Cabernet-Shiraz blend didn't hurt our cause... :-)