Tulips, Dinner for 2 & Lemon Pudding Dessert

  Yesterday started with a bang.  A gun shot kind of bang.  It was Dale’s 30th birthday yesterday, and I had big plans to spend most of the day in the kitchen, making him a delicious Birthday supper. 

  I was just washing breakfast dishes and planning my agenda for the day, when I see a couple of my sweet lil’ pet chickens race by.

“Aw, they are so adorable,” I think to myself.  

  Next thing I know, they are racing back the opposite direction. That’s weird, they almost seem scared. 

Then I see him.  A FOX in my front yard chasing my pet chickens!!!!  

  Now call me a countrified city girl, but I sprung into action.  That sly old Fox was NOT going to eat my cute little feathered friends for his breakfast!!!!!  I raced out the front door in my bathrobe and slippers yelling at the top of my lungs for him to GET OUT OF HERE!  Whether it was my mean voice or the site of me flying after him in my bathrobe, he stopped chasing chickens, turned tail and ran for the hills.  That outta show him!  

   I call Dale and tell him what just occurred and in true Dale form he says: “Honey, get out the gun.” 

  He must have thought that through a bit, because the next thing he did was turn around and came back home to “help me find all the frightened chickens and lock them up for the rest of the day”.  How thoughtful!  Oh, and while he was home he gave me a refresher course in how to shoot a rifle. I aimed at some birds, but managed to clip the clothesline instead.  {This may have something to do with why he turned around to come home????}  😉 

    So ya better run Mr. Fox, I’ve got 15 bullets in this here gun, and I plan to use every single one of them until I learn to aim better! 

  Much to my relief, he didn’t return, and I didn’t have to use that big bad gun after all…..not today at least!

Or ever?  {Fingers crossed}

    After all this hullabaloo, it was already time to get Tylan from school, and I had not gotten one thing done in the kitchen, too late now.  Off we went to pick up big brother.

  A friend of ours from church, had offered for us to come cut some flowers in her backyard and I wanted some for our dinner table.  She has thousands of tulips in her backyard, it is just LOVELY!  Despite the kids not being dressed for photos, I grabbed my camera to snap a few shots before flower picking, then it was back home for a quick-lunch and nap.  This momma had work to do!!!

  During his photos, Paxton discovers grass is a bit tickly….

And that big white doggies have wet noses.

This dog was SO awesome!  Super sweet and gentle with the kids.

  As I thought about Dale’s 30th birthday in months past, I had much bigger ideas up my sleeve, like having a HUGE shin-dig half way between both our 30th birthday’s, (mine is in August) and throwing a themed party with live music, big white tent on the lawn, great food, and tons of friends. We have the yard for it, why not?!

  Oh wait, I remember why not:  there’s the fact that we have 4 kids and a mortgage and a shoestring budget these days, no room for “extra’s” right now.  So, I went for more of a “it’s the thought that counts” sort of event, and he LOVED it!  🙂  Yay for easy to please hubby’s!

  This is how it went down…….

Kids to Nana’s: Check.

Set up Dining for 2 on the screened in porch: Check.

Ipod playing “our” songs: Check.

Fresh flowers picked earlier today: Check.

  Appetizer: Pepper Pecan Brie from Pampered Chef (YUM) 

1/2 cup pecan halves

1 Jalapeno, stemmed and seeded

Heaping 1/4 cup Apricot Preserves

1 – 4 inch, 8 oz. round of Brie cheese, room temperature

1 loaf french bagette

Pre-heat oven to 425*.  Roughly chop pecans, set aside.  Finely chop jalapeno.  Mix jalapeno with apricot preserves.  Cut Brie in half, place cut side up on pizza stone.  Cover with half of the apricot mixture.  Sprinkle with half the pecan halves.  Stack second half of Brie, cut side on and cover with remaining apricot mixture.  Sprinkle with remaining pecan halves.

  Cut French Bagette loaf into bite sized pieces.  Spray with Olive oil and place around Brie on pizza stone.  Bake for 8-10 minutes until bread is golden brown and Brie is starting to get melty.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Serve warm for best results. 

  This was SO delicious!!!!

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Supper time:  Steak, Horseradish potatoes, steamed broccoli and homemade bread. 

(It was SO amaaaazing, Kasey! I must have that recipe ASAP!)

 

  Here is Dale reading his “card” (aka yesterday’s post printed off for him to read). “30 Reasons I Love Dale”.  He loved it!

And lastly, Dale’s birthday dessert of choice:

Lemon Pudding Dessert 

  I bet most of you have this recipe already, since it’s a church potluck favorite.  It can be made with any pudding flavor your heart desires, but here is the recipe, just in case you don’t have it.

1st layer: 1 stick butter melted.  Add 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup chopped pecans.  Mix butter and flour mixture, and press in the bottom of a 9×13 pan.  Bake at 350* for 15 minutes.  Cool for 15 more.

2nd layer:  8 oz cream cheese, softened mixed with 1 cup powdered sugar.  Mix well and stir in 1 cup cool whip from an 8 oz container.  Spread over cooled crust.

3rd layer:  2 pkgs. Instant lemon pudding blended with 3 cups milk.  Spread over cream cheese layer.

4th layer:  Top with remaining cool whip and sprinkle with pecans.  Let chill overnight or for a few hours before serving. 

Serves 12.

Updated photo: 2013

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  The idea was to have a leisurely dinner without kid interruptions, spills or requests for more of this or that.   It was peaceful and nice to talk like grown ups, but it wasn’t long before we got to missing our 4 little Ferguson’s, so we headed over to Nana’s to have dessert all as a family.  Destiny had practiced pecking out the notes to “Happy Birthday” on her pink keyboard so she could play her daddy a song, and each child had made a card for him, stating what they loved about him most.

  Destiny said he makes the best fish and drew a picture of him fishing at the lake.  Tylan’s card said thank you for taking me to school and for cooking me fish and a bagel.  Mmm, now there is a breakfast of champions!  Avery’s said: You are a good fisher.

    Can you tell daddy went fishing the other day and brought home 14 big ones?  That guy can fry up a mean pan of fish!

  All in all it was a great day, exhausting, (especially with Paxton being up all night the night before) but still great!!  So with that being said, I am headed to bed.  Good night!

Have a great weekend! Thank God It’s Friday!

~T