A Little Bit 'o Kansas City!

We're having friends over tomorrow night to celebrate D's 34th birthday and in honour of the hot weather and sunny days we've been having, it's all about the barbecue. What's on the menu?

For starters...

Guacamole with Fire-Roasted Vegetables

For the main...

Kansas City-Style Baby Back Ribs

Beer-Can Chicken

Killer Coleslaw

Potato Salad

Spicy Maple Baked Beans

Corn-on-the-Cob

And for dessert? Well, that's still undecided but I'm hoping to come up with a hit tomorrow.

4 of the recipes are brand new so I'm hoping they'll be a hit! Looking forward to sharing some recipes! Mmmmm...

Hello?

I've been MIA. Between the typical day-to-day and an insane mini project at work, I've had no time for blogging! I will be back... hopefully tonight once Mr. M has gone to bed.

Good News!

I may be less fat than originally thought! I weighed M using our scale a few weeks ago and found him to be around 29.5lbs. At the doctor's office today, he weighed in at 27lbs. Does that mean I'm actually 2.5lbs lighter than my scale is telling me?!

I've done nothing since my run last Monday. I did two good runs in a row and then the insane heat & humidity hit, which basically landed me on the couch. I might get out tonight but M had his 15 month shots today and I don't like leaving him in case of a reaction. It's really not an excuse! I swear!

Back to M... He's a good weight at 27lbs and likely still a bit behind from when he lost a few lbs back in April when he had rotavirus. He just got over a case of hand/foot/mouth and I'm pretty sure the open sores in his mouth didn't encourage good eating. He's standing super tall at 34" and is generally hitting all of his milestones though he's a bit behind on his verbal skills. No need to panic yet because he is becoming more verbal and we're actively working on it.

Vaccinations aside, it was a doctor's visit filled with good news for both of us!

PS...

Ran 7km this morning but also ate 2 pieces of trillion chocolate layer cheesecake today.

Who Knew?!

Delicious corn-on-the-cob recipe!

Chili-Lime Spiced Corn-on-the-Cob

In a small bowl, mix the following ingredients and let sit for an hour or so to blend:

3 tablespoons of softened butter

2 teaspoons lime zest

1 teaspoon chili pepper (or chipotle chili pepper)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Now, you have two options:

1. If your corn is still in the husk, soak the corn (husk and all) in a bowl of water for a good 45 minutes. Grill (husk and all) until it's blackened. Remove the husks, place back on the grill and brush with the above MELTED mixture until grill marks appear. Serve!

2. If your corn has been husked, boil the corn the traditional way before transferring to the grill. Baste the corn with the MELTED mixture until grill marks appear. Serve!

Bookworm

I love reading. Always have and always will. I'm very particular about my books. My preference are trade paperbacks though I will read hardcover but never mass market. I love Canadian Literature and anything that involves strong heroines. I have read but don't love typical "chick lit" unless I'm craving pure fluff. I've worked my way through the classics but I prefer to read in the here & now (or recent 50 years or so). I don't lend books unless it's to someone who reads the way I do (leaving behind a book that looks untouched when done) and I rarely borrow. If I take a book from someone, I typically buy my own copy and pass theirs back when I'm done reading my own. Weird & anal, I know.

I was on hiatus from reading for pleasure for too long (you know, having a baby and all can do that to you) but now that I'm taking the TTC to & from work, I've rediscovered & embraced my love. It's like I've become this obsessed & voracious reader once again and I can't get enough. I love it!

I get a lot of book suggestions from my BFF. Without her, I'd probably never have read Tim O'Brien and more recently, Curtis Sittenfeld. I powered through two Sittenfeld books (Prep & American Wife... LOVED them!) and realized I had a copy of Ami McKay's The Birth House that I had not yet read so I'm working my way through that right now. Save for suggestions from my BFF, I browse the bookstore and pick up whatever tickles my fancy. I am that person who in fact judges a book by its cover. I will wander the bookstore and if the cover is too cheesy or just plain bad, I won't read it.

So, long blog short, I need some suggestions. Anyone got any must reads for me?

Happy Canada Day!

Once again, I haven't done a thing and I've basically eaten nothing of nutritional value. Today was Canada Day so we enjoyed a lazy family day and are capping the evening off with DQ Blizzards. Definitely not part of the diet but D is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to snacks! Of course, I don't put up much of a fight. On a good (sort of) note, I'm holding steady at 138.4lbs so at least I'm not gaining.

Tomorrow is Friday and I'm off work at 1pm. I'm going to do a big run that ends at M's daycare and we'll stroller the 2km home as a cool down. It's in my head & calendar so I'm fully committed to it!