I'm in Love with My Car!

I bought a new car on Friday - hooray! As much as I loved the Malibu, it was time to retire her and move on to something better. I ended up getting a Nissan Altima - very similar in shape and size to the Malibu - so I feel comfortable driving it.

But, I must say, things have changed in the eight years since I've had a new car - this car features XM Radio, a port for my iPod, six-disc changer, the ability to sync with my garage door opener and blue-tooth, a moon roof, a video screen that turns on when the car is in reverse (very helpful for when I have to back into my teensy-tiny garage), leather seats, etc, etc, etc.

If all these features didn't make me fall in love - one of the first songs that played on my XM Radio was "For the Summer" by Ray LaMontagne - if that's not a good sign, I don't know what is. I've only had this car for four days - but so far, I'm in love with it!

Who's the Fair-est of them All?

Who (or what's) the fairest of them all -

Cotton Candy?

Cheese Curds and Mozzarella Sticks?

Blooming Onion?

Ice Cream Cones?

Lindsay, Chad and I tried them all at the Walworth County Fair. Oh, and we also saw the Beach Boys and rode a few carnival rides.

Good times had by all.

Labor Day Weekend

On Saturday, Otis and I took the Altima out for our maiden voyage - a trip to Wisconsin to see the fam for Labor Day weekend. I spent some quality time with Jenna & Adam (and Matt & Katie) - as well as time with Mom, Dad and Grandma.

Amazing how much stuff you need to pack just for two nights.....

Otis is excited for his first ride in the new car!

The kiddos in their tree house

Test driving.... (I told Jenna that maybe this could be her car in eight years!)

Adam's turn!

Monkey on the monkey bars!

Monkey number two!

On to being a peacock!

The kiddos liked their masks from New Orleans!

Cilantro Shrimp Dinner

I found a recipe for Spicy Cilantro Shrimp in one of my cooking magazines - I just had to try it! The dish started by stir-frying green onions, garlic and ginger in sesame oil. Then, I added shrimp and a mixture of soy sauce and sambal olek. Finally, this mixture was added to a generous portion of chopped cilantro. It was a wonderful combination of spice and fresh flavors.

I complimented this dish with Bell's Oberon (a summer ale) and a side salad of butter lettuce, figs, almonds and feta cheese.

Guilty Pleasure

As much as I love to cook meals from scratch - there is something wonderful, to me, about the flavors that come together when you mix dehydrated potato flakes, milk, water and butter.