The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

I don't sing, (outside the privacy of my own car or a kareoke bar in Asia after a few Tiger beers or sake bombs) but I do like to spread cheer putting up Christmas lights outside!  I was able to get them up on a warm-ish November day and I am glad I did before the super cold arrived!

A new house, a new challenge with lights.  There is no outside plug, so I had to run a long extension cord from the side of the house to the front.  It is bright orange for now (since that is what we had), but I would like to look for a green one if I can snag it post-holiday for 50% off.

The set of two pre-lit trees I got at Target around mid November.  I saw in the weekly ad that they were on sale for $30 for the set and Steve had gotten a $5 gift card for buying body wash or something, so I got my two cute little trees for $25!  We placed them in my planter pots with dirt because I learned early on, they blow over really easily with the wind.  I had purchased some "old fashioned" bulb lights last year (you know, the orange, white, red, blue, green big glass bulb ones?  I love them because they take me back to our Christmas lights as a kid) and put those on our little holly bushes.

Looks pretty cute if I do say so!  In fact, our neighbors directly across the street must have thought so too because they bought the same pre-lit trees and put them on either side of their door last week!

Because I had the extra strands of lights and I thought it would be fun, I decorated two of our larger bushes in our backyard.  It is nice to look out and see some Christmas cheer as we sit in the family room every night.

The stockings were hung by the mantle with care...

I cannot express how happy I was to move into a house that had a fireplace and a great mantle!  It is already kind of full with all the stockings for our 20 Paws, so when June Bug is here next year, we will have to make some room!  The question will be...will it be a green stocking with a red cuff for a boy or a red stocking with green trim for a girl?  Hmm...

I found the glitter trees and "Be Merry" stand at a Hallmark near my work 50% off last post-Christmas sale and I just love them.  They are my new favorite piece of decor.

The glass jars on the right are what I had my gourds in for the fall.  I put some inexpensive bulbs from Target in them for the holidays to add some balance to the mantle.

Across from the fireplace is our couch.  I found the large red snowflake pillow and green reindeer pillows at Target and the long "Ho, Ho, Ho" pillow at Pier One this season.  Love them all!!  

I was lucky enough to inherit a some of a Christmas village that my dad had painted in ceramics nearly 20 years ago from my grandparents, as well as purchasing some of my own over the years.  However, having cats and putting these under the tree never worked out so well, so they have been in boxes for at least 5 years.  I was very excited to have room to display them this year and am looking forward to adding on with some post holiday deals this year.  Steve spotted a casino and beer garden and would like to add those to our "city".  Oh boy. :)

Christmas is here...our trees!

I had a weekend back in mid November where I had a ton of energy, didn't feel nauseous and was motivated to decorate.  So our decor has been up for about 3 weeks now and I have been really enjoying decorating our new place.

I had forgotten about some of the deals I had found post Christmas last year and was giddy with excitement going through my boxes this year.  We finally have a house big enough to put out all my stuff!  Well, except for the ornaments.  I need a bigger tree!

I had to make some decisions as to what was hung this year and what didn't make the rotation.   My parents have gotten me an ornament every year since I was born and on top of working at a Hallmark for 5 years of my teenage life, it equals a lot of ornaments.

We have two trees up this year.  Our main tree in the living room and a mini tree in the family room that has the 20 Paws ornaments...of course they all have their own!

I will post our trees today and other parts of the house this week.

Benny in his favorite spot...knock on wood, there has been no ornament casualties this year!

Close up of the top of our tree.

Tree with lights on

Tree without the lights on

The tree for the 20 Paws

Apologizing for the blogging hiatus but...

This little June Bug has been sucking all motivation to cook and do much around the house these days!

Yes, 20 Paws, 4 Feet will be gaining two more feet come early June 2011!  We are so very excited and I am anxious to get some motivation back to cook here in the 2nd trimester!  Grocery stores were not my friends for a few weeks and I am still having some meat aversions.  The house is decorated for the holidays, so I will get those pictures posted next week.

Fall House Decoration

The weather has turned here and I couldn't be happier!  I like summer when it is a nice 75-80 with no humidity and a nice storm every now and then.  We did not have that at all this past summer in Michigan, and I am loving snuggling up under blankets due to the cold air coming through the windows not because of the central air (which I am very grateful to have in this house).

As soon as that chill hits, I start envisioning fall decor.  Having a new house to decorate got me reinvigorated from the past year when I was burned out from the house and ready for the move.  So, here are some of my new favorite fall things I have put up or planted this month.

Flowering cabbage...my new outdoor fall obsession.

Sunflowers from Eastern Market...love the brown ones.

My stackable designer pumpkins from Eastern Market

Various gourds in glass containers and my Happy Halloween recycled cardboard garland from Etsy Seller CardboardSheek

New Place...2nd Floor

And finally the 2nd floor of our house, the "living quarters". :)

Our room...with Kiko getting in on the action

Guest room/Steve's xBox room

Our small little bathroom.

The office.  This is one room we might paint if we ever feel the need to :)  I am not one for white walls.

New Place - Living Room, Family Room, Kitchen

To continue the tour of our new place, here are some pictures of our first floor which is a living room, dining room, kitchen and family room.

View of the living room from the dining area

Our fireplace!  Can't wait to get some fires going this winter

From stairs looking over living room and into dining room

More living room looking into dining area

Dining area...love the corner built ins

View into the kitchen from dining room, looking into family room

Other view into the kitchen from family room

Part of the family room

Kind of dark view into family room.  Note Benny in his favorite spot at the patio door!

Our New Place...finally!

Certain people that haven't been over to see our new place since we moved in May have been asking for pictures, so today, when the sun was shining, the house was clean and new fall decor was put up, I decided to finally take some pictures.

We have been happy so far in our new place. The neighborhood is great, safe, quiet...all the things we were looking for. The animals have finally all settled in and have their new routines here. We think they are all very happy given all the windows to look out of (for the cats) and nice places to walk (for the dogs). There is also an abundance of pigeons and squirrels thanks to the neighbor that feeds both constantly. The dogs like to chase the squirrels and the cats like to eye ball the birds. We also have a resident chipmunk that has taken a liking to our yard and my flower pots. If I could trust my shot, the thing would be dead by now...but they are mighty little and mighty fast. Ahh, nature.

So here is our new home for at least the next couple of years. All of the paint colors were like this from the owners and we got pretty lucky in that regard! They worked well with our "stuff".  I am still waiting for my "dream" kitchen, but this is a great house for us for the next few years.

I will post outside pictures today, the rest will come during the week.

Backyard...we love the privacy fence!  You also can't see my flowers so well, but there are a lot.

View into the yard from the driveway

Back of the house (deck, sans grill and bench...getting ready for winter!)

White Chicken Lasagna

This is another recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. It was a winner! I have only made one other kind of lasagna before (Fiesta Lasagna), so I was eager to try out a different one. I love lasagna, but wish it was easy to make it for two...instead of 12! I did assemble this ahead of time and then baked it at another location...still turned out great.

9 lasagna noodles (I used the no bake kind)
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken meat
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (I used just 1)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese for topping

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse with cold water. (You can skip this step if you use no bake noodles)

2.Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion and garlic in the butter until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the flour and salt, and simmer until bubbly. Mix in the broth and milk, and boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Season with the basil, oregano, and ground black pepper. Remove from heat, and set aside.

3.Spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer with 1/3 of the noodles, the ricotta, and the chicken. Arrange 1/3 of the noodles over the chicken, and layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, spinach, and the remaining 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Arrange remaining noodles over cheese, and spread remaining sauce evenly over noodles. Sprinkle with parsley and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

4.Bake 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven.

Shrimp Francesca

This recipe was delivered to my inbox via All Recipes and we finally were able to try it last night.  I loved how quick it was for a weeknight meal.  It was very simple too!  We ate it with angel hair pasta and we will be making this one again.  One thing I would like to change is using fresh shrimp rather than frozen, pre-cooked.  The shrimp were a little tougher than I would like...but you buy what is on sale and use it, right?

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used frozen, cooked)
1 (8 ounce) can (8 to 10 count) artichoke hearts in water, drained
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I omitted because I didn't have)
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely shredded imported Romano cheese

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
2.Arrange the shrimp in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Gently squeeze any excess liquid from the artichoke hearts, break the hearts into quarters, and arrange in spaces between the shrimp. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and parsley over the shrimp and artichoke hearts; sprinkle lemon juice over the crumbs.
3.Melt butter with garlic in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; drizzle the butter mixture over the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the top with Romano cheese.
4.Bake in the preheated oven until the crumbs and cheese brown lightly and the shrimp turn opaque and orange-pink in color, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve hot.

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

I found this recipe in my Everyday Italian cookbook by Giada DeLaurentiis I was able to snag on clearance at Home Goods.  We both like brussel sprouts and we had some leftover pancetta from another recipe, so this seemed like a good fit for us.  It was really good and flavorful.  We will definitely be making this one again!

1pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 ounces paper-thin slices pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

Partially cook the Brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 10 minutes. Drain.  Place sprouts in a bowl of ice water to shock and stop the cooking.  Drain after they have completely cooled.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. 

Roasted Shrimp with Orzo

I have found my new "go-to" dish for a summer salad.  I think you all know how much I love Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa.  Ina didn't let me down with this recipe either.  It. Is. So. Good.

I am not one to toot my own horn when it comes to cooking, but this is in the top 5 of things I have made.  Ever. I made this for a little housewarming BBQ we had this past weekend and the guests gave it a thumbs up as well.

It is relatively easy to make, just a smidge time consuming with all the chopping and cleaning of the shrimp (if you buy them raw and uncleaned).  If there is one thing I really want to learn is how to cut up veggies and herbs really well...you know, like the Barefoot does.  I did make it the night before and it tasted great the next day.

This made a good amount for a party.  I would not make this for 2, unless you want to be eating it for a few days...which wouldn't be a bad thing.

Kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil, plus some to drizzle over the shrimp
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (for the roasted shrimp)

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.

Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well.

Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

New Discovery #2 - Motor City Wine Club

In my post about our new organic fruits and veggie delivery service, I mentioned how I wish I could find a place to deliver wine.  Lo and behold, Steve did!  We didn't have to look far, but we did find a place and I wanted to share it with you people out there.


Motor City Wine is located in downtown Detroit, upstairs from our favorite bar Foran's Grand Trunk Pub, on Woodward at Congress.  During the winter months, Foran's would host a supper club, which we would gladly partake in.  They paired fantastic food with a beer or wine for every course.  The wine was provided by Motor City Wine.  Each dinner, we would find a new wine that we liked and, of course, would proceed to buy the bottles.  Not only was the wine delicious, the staff was friendly and knowledgeable.   Furthermore, the wine was priced at a fantastic value.  We quickly became fans of Motor City Wine!


So, we were pleased to find out they were starting a wine club.  You can get delivery, but since we are so close, we just picked up this month's allotment.  We think it is a great value...6 bottles for $60.  We decided on the 3 red, 3 white option since I like white and Steve likes red.  They do have an all white or an all red option as well.


They pick the selections for you and since we always liked what they suggested, we figured they can't go wrong with this!  Plus, it will expand our wine horizons...trying different kinds we typically wouldn't try searching on our own.

From left to right (winery - location - type):

• Vina Alarba - Spain - Grenache
• Cristobal 1492 - Argentina - Cabernet Sauvignon
• Bokisch - California - Graciano
• Paso a Paso -  Spain - Verdejo
• Domaine du Trillol - France - Corbieres Blanc
• Morande Pionero - Chile- Sauvignon Blanc

The Sauvignon Blanc from Morande Pionero is what I had last night with my girlfriends and we all liked it!


I will be sure to keep posting which ones we have tried...who doesn't like great wine for around $10/bottle! We highly suggest you check out Motor City Wine...great people and great wine!


Prost!

Fingerling Potatoes

This is an easy side dish that whips up in a snap, plus it is delicious! What is even better about the recipe is that you don't have to measure a thing!  This is from the Barefoot Contessa's 1st cookbook.

I was able to use our fingerlings from our organic delivery and they were soooo good.  Creamy and so flavorful!

1/2 - 1 pound of fingerling potatoes (however many you think you will want)

salt

fresh ground pepper

Place the clean fingerlings into a medium sauce pot and cover with water. Put about a teaspoon of salt in the pan as well. Bring to a boil, then reduce down to simmer for around 15-20 minutes until tender.

Drain potatoes and leave in strainer. Cover with a kitchen towel for around 5-10 minutes to allow them to finish cooking.

When they are cool enough to handle, cut lengthwise and toss with olive oil, fresh cracked salt and pepper to taste.

Sherry Wine Sauce Chicken

A few of the girls on the Detroit Nest board were talking about a recipe very similar to this one and I thought it sounded pretty good.  However, I am a big recipe follower, I can't "wing it" with measurements like some people, so I searched around until I found a recipe that sounded similar that I could follow!

I modified this recipe from All Recipes.  It originally served 6, I made it for just 2.  We really liked this dish.  It had a lot of flavor and was kind of rich! I served it with rice and a side salad with our spinach from Door to Door Organics delivery.

This is my version for 2, not 6.  This was so easy.  You just mix it all together and bake!

2/3 can cream of chicken soup (I used cream of chicken with herbs because I had it on hand)
2/3 can cream of mushroom soup (I used Healthy Request)
1/3 cup cream of sherry
1/3 of a 16 oz. container of sour cream (I used reduced fat)
2 boneless chicken breasts
4 oz can sliced mushrooms (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
In a 8x8 dish, mix together all the ingredients.  Immerse the chicken in the mixture.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink.  Ours took around 50 minutes. 
Serve over rice.

We are back! New home, new discoveries!

The past few months have been a blur for us, so I apologize for the blogging hiatus.  We moved to a new home at the beginning of May and absolutely love it!  It is great to be able to walk to downtown Royal Oak, the Farmers Market and good friends are so very close. We are all settled in and getting in new routines, which is always an adjustment.  I really don't know my way around this side of town too well, but I am getting there.  Change is a good thing, right?

Our latest new routine we started was ordering organic fruits and veggies from Door to Door Organics.  We received our first "bitty" box today.  We are going to try out this size and a bi-weekly delivery for now and see how we like it.  One of my good friends does a crop share with some local farmers, which always sounded like a great idea to me, but she never had a say in what she got.  What was appealing about this service is you can change your menu up until the day before your delivery.  So we swapped out some things we might not like for things we wanted.  Great deal, right?

The price is really reasonable and how convenient!  Delivered right to your door!

Now, if we can just find a place to deliver wine...and this cucumber lime vodka a friend got me hooked on...

Here is our bounty from Door to Door we received today:

We receive a little over a pound of fingerling potatoes, 4 bananas, a large bunch of spinach, a pint of strawberries, about 8 Roma tomatoes, 2 apples, a mango, 2 cucumbers and 2 avocados.  The items we swapped out were oranges, red lettuce and carrots.

Fun Spring Find...Dry Daffodils!

My world tour has nearly come to an end...thank goodness.  Last week I was in Tokyo and Shanghai for work and I have never been happier to be home!  I did have a good trip, but nothing is better than your own home, husband and furry kids at the end of the day!

So, after I got home, we needed to go grocery shopping.  We decided to go to Trader Joe's for about our once every couple month trip there to stock up.  I absolutely love Trader Joe's floral section and this past Sunday was no exception.  I am so excited to share my find with you!

I saw daffodils all stacked up on top of each other not in water and thought it was a bit weird, so I read the sign a little more closely and it said "dry daffodils, place in water and they will bloom".  I was a tad skeptical, but for $1.49 per bunch, it was worth a shot.

I bought 2 bunches, brought them home, placed in water and they looked like this:

About 24 hours later, they started to open up!  I was amazed.  This picture was taken last night, so about 48 hours later...full bloom!

Not bad for $3.00!  Now, I have a touch of spring on my kitchen table :)

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

In honor of one of the greatest days of the year, St. Patrick's Day, I decided to attempt a recipe that a former Knottie friend of mine gave me.  I have also seen it pop up on a few other food blogs lately, so they must be popular this time of year!

I was also excited to use my new camera as an early birthday gift from Steve to take these pictures!  I was really excited to see it had a "gourmet food" setting. :)

These were fairly time consuming, but not overly complicated.  I made 19 cupcakes out of this recipe.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness beer
1 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
1-2 tsp. Irish whiskey (optional, I used a smidge less than 1 tsp. of Jameson per Steve's insistence)

Baileys Frosting
3 to 4 cups confectioners sugar (I used about 3 1/2)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3 - 4 Tbsp Baileys (or milk, or heavy cream or a combination thereof...I used a small airplane bottle size of Baileys~apx. 4 tsp. and a splash of heavy cream)

Make the cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Line cupcake cups with liners
3. Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer over medium heat
4. Add cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, Cool slightly
5. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt into a large bowl to blend
6. Using a mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend
7. Add Guinness/cocoa mixture to egg mixture and beat to just combine
8. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed
9. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined.
10. Divide batter among lined cupcake pan, filling them apx. 2/3-3/4 of the way.
11. Bake in preheated oven until tester comes out clean (recipe said 17 minutes, ours took apx. 22)
12. Cool cupcakes on rack completely.

Make the filling

1. Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heat proof bowl.  
2. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate, let sit for 1 minute over the chocolate
3. Stir until smooth
4. Add the butter and whiskey (if you choose) and stir until combine
5. Let ganache until cool until thick, but still soft enough to pipe into cupcakes

Fill the cupcakes

Using a 1" cookie cutter or a corer (I used a corer, it worked like a charm), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes.  You want to go most of the way down, but not all the way.  Aim for around 2/3.

Put the cooled ganache into a piping bag and fill the holes on each cupcake to the top.

Make the frosting

1. Whip the butter in the bowl for several minutes, you want it very light and fluffy
2. Slowly add the confectioners sugar, a few tablespoons at a time
3. When the frosting looks thick, drizzle in the Baileys (or milk or cream) and whip it until it is combined.
4. If the frosting got too thin (it shouldn't, but just in case), you can add a few more spoonfuls of confectioners sugar.

Decorate and enjoy!

RoTel's Southwest Chicken Skillet

This is yet another successful recipe we recipe we received from a guest at our wedding shower, which is hard to believe was nearly a year ago already.  Man, how time flies.  Thanks Aunt Lisa for the recipe!  We will definitely be adding this to the rotation.  We really liked the flavor and I liked the minimal dishes it required to make it!

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch chunks (I used 2 Costco sized ones)
1 cup uncooked rice
1 10 oz. can RoTel Diced tomatoes and green chilies
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup water
3 green onions thinly sliced, reserve 2 Tbsp. for garnish
sour cream (optional, but we think it added some good flavor)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat.  Cook chicken until no longer pink, stirring frequently.  Stir in rice, can of RoTel, can of tomato sauce, water, and green onions.  Bring to a boil, cover.

Reduce heat to low, cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.  Stir the mixture.  Top with shredded cheese and the reserved green onions.  Cover.  Cook 5 minutes more until cheese melts.

Serve with sour cream if desired.

Where in the world have we been?

Paris and Munich actually!  I apologize for my lack of posting, but it has been a very hectic month for us.  We listed our house on the market (and have our first offer to be approved, keeping fingers crossed) and work has been very busy.  I had to travel to Europe to visit some of my colleagues, and luckily, we had enough frequent flier miles for Steve to join me...so off we went!  It was definitely nice to have Steve to come home to every night after a long work day!  And I think he enjoyed exploring the cities a bit too.

Since I haven't been posting any new recipes, I thought I would share some pictures of the food we ate over the last week.  One thing I love about Europe is the amazing food to be had.

Steve with his first crepe...ham and cheese.

We survived on bread and cheese in Paris...so good.

French Onion Soup

Coq au Vin and Fondue

German Snack Plate

Bavaria at its finest...pretzels and beer

Beef soup

Spatzle...Delight

Prost!   Excuse my look of exhaustion, jet lag.

More cheese and pretzel

Another snack plate.

I discovered a new favorite beer...weiss (wheat) and lemon soda...so refreshing!

All in all, it was a good trip.  It is always good to be home, but fun to see new places and things.  Stay tuned for my trip to Asia in a few weeks...unfortunately Steve won't be joining me for that one!