Savory Butternut Squash

I usually don't make my own recipes, but this one actually turned out so good that I wanted to share it! Most butternut squash recipes are sweet like a pumpkin pie, but I wanted this one to be savory... so if you're looking for pumpkin pie type squash, this isn't the recipe.

1 large butternut squash peeled and cubed

1 medium onion diced

1 tbsp. fresh minced garlic (I buy the jar pre-minced)

2-3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. seasoning salt

pinch of black pepper

pinch of red pepper

3/4 can of vegetable broth

Add olive oil and garlic to a soup pot and saute until garlic is starting to brown. Add in the onions and saute until they start to get soft. Add in the squash and saute for about 5 minutes stirring every minute or so. Add in the vegetable broth and seasonings. You can adjust the seasoning to taste. I like to taste the broth and add a little more at a time. Let the broth boil down until the squash is tender when you poke it with a fork.

There will be a bit of sauce in the bottom of the pan that makes a really good vegetarian gravy! I put it over mashed potatoes and it's awesome!

1st Dan Testing & Candle Ceremony

Cameron tested for his 1st Dan Black Belt on Friday. This will probably be his last testing for a while as more training, hours and new weapon skills are required for each additional dan.

After the testing, they had a traditional candle ceremony for the new 1st dan and probationary black belts. It was really neat. Each person lit a different color candle and read a little passage about the color.

After the candle ceremony, Master Lee prepared another ceremony where Master and student share Sake (apple juice for the little ones) and the student takes an oath of respect and dedication.

Master Lee pouring Sake (apple juice) for Cameron.

Master Lee drinking the Sake Cameron poured for him.

Cameron giving up his probationary Black Belt.

Master Lee giving Cameron his 1st Dan Black Belt.

His new belt. I find it funny that they embroidered his name as "Cam" instead of Cameron. When I named him, everyone told me that he could go by Cam when he was older. I remember telling them that he would go by Cameron because that's what I named him. I suppose the truth is, kids will go by whatever they want. In this case, it's Cam.

Cameron and his two role models, Johnny and Johnny. They are both very talented young men.

Cameron and Master Lee.

Joe's B-day, Memorial Weekend and other random pics...

As you already know from my last post, Joe and I went to NYC for his birthday! The pictures are from his birthday party when I told him about the trip... exactly one week before the trip. :)

Since it was over a week before his birthday, Joe thought I invited our families out to eat for Mother's Day. Little did he know, everyone was in the plan except him. We went to Carrabba's, ate, drank, talked and the whole time no one said a word about NYC until...

... they brought the cake out. Unfortunately, I did NOT take any pics of this cake before bringing it to the restaurant, several hours before they opened, and of course I forgot my camera. :( Gina had her camera, but from her seat, all she could get was the backside of the cake and all the glasses around it.

Joe had no clue what was going on and was VERY surprised that I could keep this trip a secret for so long! He was even more shocked that I was able to make this cake over the course of several days without him ever catching on! Of course I had the help of my BFF, Rachel. :)

For Memorial Day weekend, we went to visit some of my family, who I haven't seen in many, many years!

This is my cousin Michele's little girl, Isabella. She is just too cute!


Joey making some mud pies!

He really enjoyed that mud!

Then we took all the kids to the pool to cool off!

My cousins, Michele and Richie and myself.

There really is no good way to take a picture of 4 children and a dog. From left to right we have Isabella, my cousin Richie's son Robert, Cameron and the escaping Joey. Robert and Cameron really hit it off and Cameron is way to excited to see him again. This was the first time all the cousins were together!

Now for the random pics. This one was from Thanksgiving. Joey wasn't too interested in eating with us, so he decided to just lounge in his highchair... feet on the table and all!

Cameron in front of a Delorean. I'm not sure if this is the actual one from Back to the Future, but that seems to be the theme of the car show... cars from the movies, as you can see below.

This is the actual Batmobile used in the Keaton Batman movies!

And lastly, Cameron in a fire jacket. He might not actually need the pants, just boots!

NYC!!

Joe and I got back from our trip to NYC last night and although we had a blast, there's nothing quite like sleeping in your own bed and waking up to the sounds of your kids laughing in the next room.

We loved NYC and we can't wait to go back! I hope next time we'll get to see the beautiful Christmas tree and ice skate at Rockefeller Center!

I took, literally, hundreds of pictures, so I'll keep them to a minimum and give you the highlights. :)

We stayed at St. Giles Hotel on E. 39th and Lexington Ave. This is the living room of our suite.

The bedroom

The beautiful Chrysler Building.

The gargoyles

Grand Central Terminal is a beautiful building complete with chandeliers and ceiling murals. It is, still to this day, the largest train station in the world.

This celestial mural, painted in 1912, was once completely obscured by tobacco smoke. It was restored to its original state in 1998.

One of the many chandeliers that hangs in the terminal.

The New Year ball. It actually stays up year round.

Time Square

You are being watched!

Joe in Time Square.

Statue of George Cohan "the father of Broadway".

Now that's what I call a candy shop!

There's not a whole lot of greenery in the city, so I though this would be a cool shot with the trees against the buildings.

Radio City

Rockefeller Center

Atlas

The beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral

This is a beautiful and enormous church! I wanted to take tons of pictures, but they were getting ready for mass, so we didn't have much time. On top of the time restriction, I didn't have a tripod and the church is quite dark. It's really hard to hold still long enough to get a decent picture in such a dark church, but we got a few. This is one of my favorites of the beautiful ceiling!

LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana.

NYPD presence is definitely felt in the city. They are everywhere you look and practically the concierge of the city.

This McDonald's looked so fun even I wanted to go in!

The Brooklyn Bridge

Manhattan from the Staten Island Ferry. It was pretty foggy out, so I couldn't get the pictures I wanted, but it was still a great view of the city!

Passing another ferry.

Lady Liberty

The Sphere once sat in the plaza in front of the Twin Towers as a tribute to world peace. It now stands in Battery Park as a memorial to those lives lost in the tragedy of 9-11.

Joe in Battery Park.

Trinity Church

The New York Stock Exchange.

Musicians in the subway.

In the subway station.

Uptown from Central Park.

This picture was taken about mid-way through a 10K bike ride in jeans. This was not the best thought out plan!

John Lennon memorial.

The Dakota - site of the John Lennon assassination. Yoko Ono still lives in this building.

The Eldorado

So, all in all, we had a great time. We went to the King Tut exhibit, but there was no photography allowed, so there are no pictures. :(
I learned lots of new things while in NYC, some of them being...

1. When the walk signal comes up on the crosswalk, you WALK and you walk fast!

2. When on the escalator, you are also expected to walk.

3. Lanes are just suggestions on where to drive. You are in no way expected to stay in them.

4. When you think the train is full, you're wrong. At least 10 more people can fit on there!

5. Honking is a way of life!

6. You don't block the coffee pot!

7. Central Park is actually a NYC beach.

8. Don't go to Canal Street... just don't.

9. You can get lost in Macy's... and not in a good way!

10. And last, but not least! Knock before entering any co-ed bathrooms! Just trust me on this one!