Real Men Wear Kilts

or so it says on my hubby's new t-shirt. We went to The Highland Games at Furman University on Saturday and it was fabulous! My handsome husband got to wear his kilt for the first time...hubba hubba! Now I like to fancy myself a pseudo Scot - a quasi lassie, as it were. For a time I actually did truly believe I had some Scottish roots on my maternal Grandfather's side. I considered myself part of the most esteemed of scottish clans - Clan MacDrunkard. Yoo Hoo! Unfortunately, my aspiration to be closer to my scottish kin folk led me to do some research on geneology online. Well drat! I found out I'm most likely Welsh. Not that there's anything particularly wrong with that (don't want to offend a segment of the UK out there!), but when was the last time you saw a Welsh festival anywhere? And to make matters worse, I found out my family's surname means literally, "a round, lumpish or stupid person." Nice.

So now I have to rely on my other two countries of origin, Czechoslovakia and Germany. We are a very hardy crew. Clearly I come from a background of stout peoples. No wonder I'm fighting with my muffin top.

Ok, from now on I'll just have to enjoy the highland games in celebration of my husband's nationality...but Octoberfest, here I come baby!

What's for Dinner?

Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

Shrimp:
28 large shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
Cooking spray

Salsa:
1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 1/4 cup pineapple preserves
1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°.
To prepare shrimp, peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails intact. Rinse shrimp in cold water; drain on paper towels until dry.
Combine cornstarch, salt, and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.
Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 10 minutes.
To prepare salsa, combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 7 shrimp and about 1/4 cup salsa)

Nutritional Information:
CALORIES 397(26% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 8.4g,mono 0.7g,poly 1g); PROTEIN 29.9g; CHOLESTEROL 194mg; CALCIUM 80mg; SODIUM 753mg; FIBER 2.2g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 45g

Porch Dreams

Some people sing "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas," however I'm actually dreaming of a white summer. We moved into our house a year ago and we've done absolutely nothing with the screened-in porch. It's a shame, too, because we have an absolutely fabulous back yard. So this summer, we are determined to get this porch up and running! It'll take a little elbow grease. It needs to be repainted and the doors and some of the screens need to be replaced. This is how I picture a small dining area to look like. My friend Julie, fabulous as she is, is giving us the furniture from her porch since she's getting some new pieces. I'm psyched! I have this fantasy going in my head that I'll recover the cushions in a cream fabric, hang sheer white panels along the outside edges of the screens and have a neutral rug. And we can't forget a crystal chandelier. Then realty sinks in...oh yeah, we have 2 kids and a 110 pound dog that loves to play in the mud. Drat! There goes my visions of white. Perhaps a reddish/brown would be better, to match the color of the NC dirt....

Trendy Tuesday

Yellow is such a big color this season. It's everywhere. But maybe you don't want to be draped in head to toe lemon. Just a touch of a "sun-kissed zinger" can make you look stylish, fun and cheerful. To the left is our yellow thermal tote. It actually comes in 7 other colors as well and can be monogrammed in 23 different colors and 8 different fonts. You can use it as a handbag, but it's actually thermal inside so it's great for the pool, beach, picnics or just for taking snacks in the car.

Me No Like Pee on the Tree

My husband had just gotten home from work. I was making dinner and the boys were playing outside. Suddenly, with shock and dismay I hear my husband say, "WHAT IS HE DOING?!" I looked out the window, and there IT is. Mr. Winky is out in all it's glory for all the neighbors to see. Our normally charming and well-mannered 5 year old is in our backyard peeing on a tree. Why? Apparently coming into the house was just far too cumbersome a task. Is there a sedative in the house?

Ooglie Booglie

Every morning my kids and I lay in bed together before we start the day. It's actually my favorite part of day. This morning we were playing monsters. I was the tickle monster and then the oh-so-dreaded kissy face monster. My 5 year old was the boogie monster (he pretended to blow boogie's on us while saying in a rumbly, grumbly voice, "boogie, boogie, boogie" - nice, huh?), so my 3 year old suddenly had an epiphany. He would be the "sharp teeth" monster and proceeded to bite me as hard as he could on the boob. Game over.

Watch Out Clinton Kelly - Your Job is in Jeopardy

Apparently my three year old is aspiring to be the next host of "What Not to Wear." I was cleaning the house today, so naturally I wasn't wearing stiletto heels and a little black dress. I think I looked somewhat presentable in black track pants, black t-shirt and hot pink flip flops. I was heading out to bible study when Campbell grabbed a skirt out of my closet and said, "Mama, you should wear dis...it looks bootiful on you." I said "Not tonight honey. Mommy doesn't feel like getting changed." He looked at me with what can only be described as revulsion and said "You gonna wear dat?!" He shook his head and walked away. I can't believe I'm on the 3 year old Glamour "Don't" list.