God Bless the USA

I want to give a big THANK YOU to all of those men and women who are currently serving our country and to all those who served in the past. Your work to keep the US of A safe is never forgotten. I’m appreciating this day a little more this year after spending a few months out of the country – there really is no place like America!

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God Bless the USA!

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Workout

My first outdoor run since getting back. I thought the humidity was bad in the gym – whoa – getting out there on the streets really kicked my butt!

I ran just under 3 miles but was able to keep a pace right over 8 min/mile so that is improvement!

Breakfast

I figured why not start the new week off with the same popular breakfast from last week?

One fried egg, cheddar cheese and turkey bacon on an English muffin. Delish!

I have a busy day ahead of me and from the looks of it my little buddy isn’t going to make it an easy one.

Since last night, Trouble seems to be his new name.

Yep, that would be Daddy’s hat that he found and claimed as his own. I’ll let this one slide though since I know he misses him!

Question:

Do you know any military men or women? Have you thanked them today? Give them an extra one from me too please!

Food Truck Cookout

This afternoon my mom, dad and I headed to my aunt’s house for a Memorial Day cookout. When we arrived, I was surprised to see my cousin’s husband in the driveway with his new BBQ food truck up and running, serving food to the party guests.

Kommie Pig serves BBQ pork and spicy chicken in both sandwiches and platters, smoked ribs, and hotdogs with a variety of sides to boot.

I opted for a BBQ pork sandwich and tried out the potato salad and coleslaw on the side.

The sandwich was great, a little spicy but nothing I couldn’t handle, and the sides were AMAZING. Both were really, really good but the potato salad with egg, dill and cucumber (?) in the mix was my favorite of the two.

If you live in the Baltimore area, keep your eyes peeled for the Kommie Pig truck and definitely treat yourself to some tasty barbecue if you come across it. Word on the street is they frequent Towson in the late night hours for all of those bar-goers heading home for the night.

Drunk college students + barbecue sandwiches and french fries = sure sale at 2:00 a.m.!

That’s some pretty smart businessmen if you ask me.

Pair the delicious BBQ with some pasta dishes and salad from my aunt along with a variety of cupcakes from a second cousin and homemade Italian cookies from a great-aunt and we had one heck of a Memorial Day cookout.

There really is nothing like an afternoon with family, friends and yummy food!

Question:

Do you like BBQ?

Do you visit food trucks often?

First Trip Back

Friday night I made my first trip back to Camden Yards to watch an Orioles game in person and to catch up with many of my old coworkers that I miss dearly. It was definitely strange to be back and to be on the “fan” side of things. Instead of running around like a crazy woman on game night, I was able to enjoy a few beers and really just take in the atmosphere.

It was so nice to be back in an American baseball stadium with announcers I could understand, names on the back of uniforms that I could actually read and a National Anthem that I could hum along to. Not to mention the familiar faces all around really made the night perfect.

The only thing that I would say is better in a Korean baseball stadium – beer is $2.00 instead of $10.00! 🙂

Workout

I spent much of yesterday sleeping or laying on the couch basically in a sleep like trance so waking up this morning and getting a run in first thing felt amazing.

It wasn’t much (the humidity here is still kicking my butt) but 3 miles are under my belt and I’m ready to start the day now!

Breakfast

During my couch time yesterday, I did my fair share of catching up on blogs that I have been missing lately and came across Julie’s recipe for Banana Vanilla Protein Pancakes. I made a mental note to try them soon and this morning seemed like soon enough for me.

I didn’t have cottage cheese on hand so I subbed fat-free plain Green yogurt for that and used a food processor in place of the immersion blender that I don’t own.

Aside from the two slight changes, the pancake batter was still smooth and creamy and the final product was delicious.

Next time I’ll add my peanut butter protein syrup on top instead of regular maple syrup though! 🙂

I’m off to get some things done around the house before heading to church and a Memorial Day barbecue with family. It will be so good to see some of the extended family that I haven’t seen since before I left for Korea.

Question:

What are your Memorial Day plans?

Afternoon Baking

My sister is traveling to Philadelphia this weekend for a Memorial Day party with her in-laws and volunteered to bring a dessert to add to the party spread. However, somewhere between her volunteering and Wednesday night, I guess she decided that she really wasn’t in the mood for baking because I received this text message from her:

Lucky for her, she knows that I am always up for baking and gladly agreed to help her out.

The only problem came this morning when I realized I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to make and I wasn’t sure what ingredients I had in the kitchen to even use. After some surveying of the situation, she will now be stocked with three separate desserts when she gets to PA tonight!

First up was some no-bake Reese’s Dessert Bars that I had the mix for in the pantry, just waiting to be put together.

They were a piece of cake to make since everything needed except butter and water was in the box and ready to go.

Next up I grabbed the lone box of cake mix in the pantry and made some pretty awesome cookies which are the main attraction in this afternoon’s post.

And last but not least, some of Chocolate Covered Katie’s peanut butter sandwich bread. I made this bread in Korea and Brian and I both instantly fell in love with it – Especially served warm with vanilla ice cream or frozen with vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two half pieces. A-ma-zing!

The only differences that I made this go-round is that I added chocolate chips to the bread and a sprinkle of halved peanuts on top for a decorative touch.

Someone isn’t going to her party empty-handed!

Strawberry Oatmeal White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box strawberry cake mix
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup raw original oats

Directions:

Combine cake mix with oil and eggs and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips and oats. Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes – until slightly browned on top. Cool and serve!

I may have gotten a little carried away in the kitchen this afternoon but hopefully everyone at the party enjoys the outcome of it! 🙂

Question:

Are you going to a Memorial Day party this weekend? What are you taking to share with the crowd?