Lentils

I made this recipe recently. It was delicious!

Did you know that one serving of lentils has 10 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiber? Yup, it's true! So eat your lentils people!

Salmon On a Bed of Lentils

2 1/4 cup water
1 cup brown lentils
Salt and ground black pepper
4 piece (about 6 ounces each) salmon fillet , with skin
1 (to 2) navel oranges
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh parsley leaves, chopped

DirectionsPreheat oven to 400 degrees F. In 2-quart saucepan, combine water, lentils, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain.

Meanwhile, spray 13" by 9" glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange salmon in prepared dish, skin side down. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast salmon 15 to 20 minutes or just until opaque throughout.

While salmon is roasting, prepare orange-basil dressing: From oranges, grate 1 teaspoon peel and squeeze 1/3 cup juice. In small bowl, whisk orange peel and juice with mustard, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in basil.

In nonstick 10-inch skillet, heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in lentils. Remove skillet from heat; stir in parsley and half of dressing (about 1/4 cup). Spread lentil mixture on platter. Arrange salmon on top of lentils and drizzle with remaining dressing.

A Big Announcement !!!!!

Our Inspiration House

We finally did it! After several weeks of deep thought, help from the neighbors and family and numerous trips to the store for paint samples, WE HAVE CHOSEN A COLOR FOR OUR HOUSE! Actually, we chose three colors. One for the walls, one for the accent and one for the trim.

We thought this would be an easy decision, but were we WRONG!

The whole process started with our painter dropping off a "few" paint samples for us. The "few" samples ended up being a large box with numerous books containing thousands of colors. Yes, thousands. Our neighbor, and personal consultant of colors, helped us search for the ultimate color for the walls. He was a great help until he realized that he could use these color samples to pick out colors for his future guitars (he has a slight obsession with ordering custom-made guitars). After that, we were on our own.

We started looking at greens because our house is currently green (as in Fannie May Meltaway green), but we wanted something darker, more updated. We found a color that we thought would be perfect, headed to the paint store for a sample, came home and painted a section of the garage with the paint. It turned out that the color was exactly the same as the one currently on the house!!! The sample in the book looked so much darker - I swear!

So.....back to the books... and several car trips around Valpo and Crown Point searching for the perfect colors.

Crown Point is full of old homes, including Queen Anne Victorians like ours. We found a few houses painted blue (not green) with different accent colors. Vibrant blues. They were beautiful, but maybe a little too bright for our corner-lot house (we would stand out like a sore thumb... just like the purple house kitty corner from us and we don't want to become "that house").

We eventually found the color we were looking for on an old home in downtown Crown Point. Blue, but not too bold. Brian went up to the house and started matching up our fan of paint samples with the wall of the house. I yelled at him that he better ring the doorbell before someone called the police. He rang the bell, stood on the porch talking to someone I presumed was the owner, and then disappeared into the house!

Meanwhile, I am sitting in our car with Claudia and William. They entertained themselves by engaging in a vigorous slapfest, periodically taking time out to claim extreme dehydration or beg for Daddy's return. As this was taking place, Brian was (as we found out later) taking a leisurely tour of the house while discussing paint selections and the merits of historical homes and stained glass windows with the owner (who happened to be the mother of one of my former students)! After what seemed like 4 hours, he emerged with a tri-fold of Benjamin Moore paint samples and the exact colors of the house! I graciously thanked him for abandoning me and leaving me trapped with our two angelic children.....

That said, the only way we could hope to survive the 35 minute trip home was to succumb to the children's demands for Dairy Queen.......

After our DQ treat, we drove home and picked up some samples to match the Benjamin Moore colors. We painted a section of the garage and then stared in disbelief. Instead of a blue, it looked more like a battleship gray.
"There's no way possible that it's the same color of the Crown Point house!" I insisted. "You must not have heard her correctly!"

So...... back to the paint store again, tri-fold in hand, with a request for more colors. By this time our garage was starting to look like an advertisement for Benjamin Moore!

The following weekend, we made another trip to Crown Point for one last look at "the house." As soon as we approached, I knew that I was wrong. The color was not the light blue I recalled, but more of a gray blue (Knoxville Gray to be exact)......as in, the exact color that the two foot swath of our garage currently was!

The lady was correct, Brian was correct, the paint sample was correct. I was wrong!

So we have decided that our house is going to be Knoxville Gray, Monroe Bisque and Garrison Red. This decision better be the right one. If not, we are looking at one expensive mistake!

Happy Birthday Captain William

William,

You had an awesome 5th birthday! Your pirate party was a week before your real birthday. Everyone had a great time celebrating with you. You received wonderful gifts too... a Lionel train, a family pass to the Field Museum, a Bomber jacket, dinosaurs and lots of pirate Lego's!

On your real birthday weekend, we went to swim class and then went to the Field Museum to see giant dinosaur skeletons and the Pirate exhibit. You took lots of pictures with your new camera. After the museum, we played in the grassy area by Lake Michigan. You and Claudia had loads of fun rolling down the big hills!

On Sunday, we stayed home and celebrated your big day. You requested pasta and meatballs for supper and cupcakes (which Daddy helped you make... a first for Daddy) and spumoni for dessert. What a great day!

Happy Birthday Little Guy!!!!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

A few pictures from William's birthday party.....

Treasure !!!

William and Mommy

Our Favorite Neighbor


Pirate Claudia


Captain William