EVEN THE TITLE EVOLVED

Originally, the title of this blog was going to be, “Oh evolve”, but we changed it to, “One idea evolves into another. . .”, which is more fitting.

We were thinking about how things are created, about how ideas are formed, and we started thinking about how one idea leads to another. With that concept in mind, we share our loaded potato bake, our fun dessert idea and a few other tips and tricks which came about because one idea leads into another, which leads into another, and so on, and so on . . .

LOADED POTATO BAKE

We are potato fans. One recent night, our favorite oven fries were on the menu, but we had just had them a few days ago. So we switched to roasted potatoes. Spuds were in short supply, so we added broccoli to bulk up the side dish, and topped it with cheddar cheese. At that point, we realized the dish was evolving into a deconstructed (sorry – pretentious but accurate!) stuffed potatoes. Going with that idea, we topped the dish with bacon and green onions. It turned out great and it is now one of our favorite potato recipes.

To make this you will need:

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 lb. bag frozen broccoli; 2 tablespoons canola oil; 1/2 teaspoon chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic herb mix (we use salt-free Mrs. Dash); 3/4 cup cheddar cheese; 2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled; 1/4 cup chopped scallions.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook the potatoes in water until they are fork tender; drain well. Put potatoes in oven-safe dish, add oil and seasonings, mix well. Top with cheese and bake 35 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and green onions. Serve with sour cream, ketchup (Kevin’s favorite) or condiment of your choice, if desired. (Hint: Loaded potatoes not your cup of tea? These potatoes are delicious baked with just the oil and seasonings, or use your favorite veggies to evolve this potato dish even further – we’d love to hear you’re ideas!)

TEDDY BEAR PUDDING CUP

One night, we were having sugar-free pudding cups for dessert. They are a quick and tasty dessert, but are sold in disposable plastic cups and are not very fancy, We transferred the pudding to ramikins and added some crumbled graham crackers and whipped cream. It was delicious, like a mini chocolate cream pie. Fake it ’til you make it!

This quick dessert evolved when we discovered Teddy Bear Graham Crackers. They have the same taste as graham crackers but they are more fun – and the box has A LOT of tasty bears, which are great for snacking. Plus, there are different flavors for different puddings.

QUICK PLANT STAND

A glass cake stand works perfectly to elevate this overgrown phylodendron plant. It does the job and adds great sparkle!

LIBRARY INSPIRATION

Our Rhode Island Public Library System is stellar and includes a great selection of arts and crafts books. We don’t always make the projects as written in the books we check out, but we do use them to inspire our own creative projects. Find your libraries – be inspired!

GARDEN UPDATE

Our seasonal flowers (marigolds. petunias, Impatiens) are doing well. The vibrant blue lobelia have been a pleasure all summer, but are now struggling. We’re hoping for one more comeback. We continue to harvest peppers, tomatoes and basil. A quick count has 100+ cherry tomatoes in various stages of ripeness. This week, we used the tomatoes in salad, and the peppers in “Sloppy Joes”.

A Favorite Tip: Add fresh vegetables to canned Sloppy Joe sauce to give it a homemade taste.

This weeks garden art (impressionist)!

JOKE OF THE WEEK

What do you get when you cross a thought with a light bulb? A bright idea!                     (Source:Jokes4us.com)

THE BEARS

The Bears are constantly coming up with new ideas!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

After being without power for 3 and 1/2 days, it has taken a while to get back in the groove with the blog and with life in general. We thought we should devote this post to fun! (Hey, why not?)

In this spirit, we offer our simple, make-in-a-bowl chicken tender recipe. Who doesn’t love chicken tenders? Plus, as seen above, the bears are trying to solve this week’s fun treasure hunt and, of course, we share our weekly garden update.

CRISPY CHICKEN TENDERS

These crispy chicken tenders are delicious and very easy to make. We simplified the breading process, so it all happens in one large bowl. How fun!!!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders, pieces cut in half.

1 beaten egg, 3 tablespoons flour, 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup grated parmesan,             1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash garlic herb mix.

How to prepare:

Place chicken pieces in a bowl, add flour and toss until coated. Add beaten egg to chicken and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, parmesan and spices. Coat chicken pieces with bread crumb mixture.

Place chicken pieces on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle any leftover bread crumb topping over chicken. Bake 15 minutes, turn chicken and bake an additional 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve with dipping sauces such as ketchup, honey mustard, barbecue sauce, cranberry sauce or whatever you like. This chicken comes out crispy – no frying involved!

TREASURE HUNT

We like to do fun, at-home scavenger hunts. This has evolved over the years, dating back to one of Kevin’s birthdays when Roy hid his gifts. On a whim, Roy wrote up clues for Kevin to find his presents. It was a lot of fun and we have been doing this sort of thing from time to time ever since. This idea is only limited by your imagination and your clue-making ability! Know your audience to keep the hunt fun!

Hide the “treasures”: Put the treasures (scratch tickets, gifts, etc.) in books, behind pictures, in drawers, wherever.

Write up the clues: Invent fun clues that aren’t too difficult, but be clever, if possible.

Number the clues: Each clue should be numbered in the order you want the recipient to find the treasures.

When time comes to guess the answers, don’t be too hard on the guesser. If they are having trouble, give them additional hints and help them find the items if necessary. This should be fun!!!

Here’s a recap of one of our recent scavenger hunts (the prize was scratch tickets):

Clue: “This silver friend treasures his reading material.”

Answer: The silver bear’s copy of Treasure Island. 

Clue: “You’re sure to fall in love with old …”  t-shirt (tough clue if not familiar with the song!)

Answer: Behind the framed Cape Cod T-Shirt

 Clue: “Bean Town Beanie “

Answer: Under the Red Sox hat (this one was hard because we have a lot of Red Sox hats!)

BUBBLES

What is more fun than bubbles? Here’s a link to show you some bubble how-to’s!

http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/activities-games-and-crafts/sshow-fun-bubble-ideas-for-a-sunny-day

GARDEN UPDATE

We planted sea grass a couple of years ago. We didn’t plant it this year, but we are pleased to see a few sprouts of it pop up in our garden. We decided not to pull them but let them grow and add some character and height to our patio garden.

Our basil is abundant! This week, we made this delicious pesto with basil from our garden.

whttp://www.food.com/recipe/basil-walnut-pesto-45348

Bears are on the case: The bears are in disguise for this week’s treasure hunt and looking to Sherlock Holmes for inspiration.

Enjoy!

Roy and Kevin

WHAT HAPPENED

This week, a major storm, called a macroburst, hit parts of RI and CT. With little warning, severe thunderstorms hit our state, Rhode Island, at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4th, with sustained winds of over 80 miles per hour. Trees were uprooted, telephone and electric poles toppled and power was interrupted for more than 100,000 people in Rhode Island alone. Our city, Warwick, was one of the hardest hit. Fortunately, no one in Warwick was seriously injured. Unfortunately, the storm caused us to lose power for 3 and 1/2 days. No ac, no lights, no hot water, no ability to cook (always wanted a gas stove!), and no refrigerator. In the office, we had to work without the computer, voicemail, lights and ac.

Here is a glimpse of what happened:

http://www.warwickonline.com/stories/We%20were%20slammed,104608

http://wnpr.org/post/thousands-lost-power-rhode-island-and-connecticut-following-fierce-storms#stream/0

WHAT WE DID

It’s unsettling when unexpected events like this happen. In our current home in Warwick, power outages have never lasted longer than a few hours, and we hoped that would be the case this time. As the severity of the situation became more apparent, we did a few things that were helpful.

GATHER THE LIGHTS

There are several flashlights in our home that we use all of the time, as well as a bunch of flameless candles and an Old Brooklyn Lantern (as seen on TV!). It was helpful to gather them all in one spot so they were available when needed.

RADIO

Other than in the car, we don’t listen to the radio that often. Our old battery-operated boombox has a radio. We dug it out of our storage space and managed to scrape up the six “C” batteries needed for the radio by pulling them out of other items. The radio helped to keep us informed and entertained throughout the week.

SHELF STABLE FOODS

Dinner the first night without power was tuna and some mayo, which was still cold and safe to eat. Dinner on Wednesday and Thursday came from restaurants. Crackers, peanut butter, soda, cereal and other shelf stable items (cookies!) were picked up for quick snacks and lunches.

EMERGENCY SUN TEA

Like many of us, Roy needs his coffee or tea in the morning to get going. With no electricity, that became a challenge. He put 8 teabags in a half-gallon pitcher of water and let the heat of the sun work its magic for only an hour. The tea was strong enough to get Roy moving and be less cranky. If it’s raining, use the same method indoors – it will give enough of a caffiene jolt to do the trick.

FOOD SAFETY

Unfortunately, we had to throw out a lot of our refrigerated foods. Here is a link with advice on what to keep and what to toss in the event of a power outage.

http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/refridg_food.html

PHONES

Before too long, our cell phones were out of juice. Kevin’s sister, Chris, suggested that we get a cell phone charger for the car, which was an unknown item to us. We were lucky there was still one left at our local Target store. It worked great and cost under 20 dollars. They also sell battery-operated radios with built-in cell phone chargers.

Our regular home phones are cordless, which means they don’t work in power outages. We used our classic Harley-Davidson motorcycle phone (pictured below) which plugs directly into the phone jack. (Sadly, the batteries for the “Vrooom Vrooom” ring tone were being used for our radio!)

GARDEN UPDATE

We lost Roy’s hand-painted flowerpot in the storm. This pot was made for the Mother’s Day blog post. All the other plants fared well! The tomatoes continue to be plentiful and we have a couple of new pansy blooms.

At least 60 tomatoes and 10 peppers were harvested this week. We made a shrimp and pasta dish using our garden veggies and basil Friday night to celebrate getting our power back.

Garden Art – Here is this week’s master work!

WHAT WE LEARNED

CASH Several of the banks in our area lost power for a couple of days, meaning ATM machines were down. If you can, have a kitty at home with some emergency cash when banks aren’t available. Power outages are expensive – lost food, eating out, buying batteries, etc.

EMERGENCY SHELF We had most of the supplies we needed, but they were not in one place. Now, we have a shelf in our linen closet designated for emergency supplies – batteries, flashlights and other light sources, first aid kit, battery-operated radio, wall phone, cell phone charger, non-Dixie brand paper plates and cups, etc. (The picture above was staged for your viewing pleasure!)

Here is a great website for emergency readiness information

http://www.ready.gov/

SAVOR THE MOMENTS

it was a tough few days, but we enjoyed some things as well. Going out to dinner midweek, which is something we don’t often do, was a treat. Gift cards came in handy! Another highlight was the last night without power, listening to top 40 radio, eating takeout food by the light of our Old Brooklyn Lantern. This has inspired us to have a weekly “unplugged” night – no TV, computer or cell phone. Board games, cards, music and re-connecting will be the focus.

THE BEARS

The bears helped lighten this week’s dark days!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

Welcome to our 40th blog post! This week, we share a recipe for black bean brownies, a craft project, a garden update and we see what’s up with the bear friends.

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

One of our goals is to eat more healthfully and we love to try new things. We heard about black bean brownies and decided to give them a shot. The black beans take the place of the eggs and oil in the recipe, resulting in brownies with less fat, more protein, iron, fiber and antioxidants. These brownies are very moist and tasty!

Ingredients: one boxed 18 oz. brownie mix, one 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed, one cup water, one cup chocolate chips and/or walnuts, 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves (optional). We used chocolate mint leaves from our garden in the mix and in the picture above.

To make: Blend beans and water until smooth. Add chopped mint (if using). Combine with brownie mix. Add chopped walnuts and/or chocolate chips to the mixture. Bake brownies in a 13x9x2 inch pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly and cut into squares. Source: Allrecipes.com

To find out more about the healthy benefits of black beans:

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/eating-black-beans-good-you-3605.html

PAINTING CRAFT

We had fun painting and decorating the “beachy” home decor items shown at the top of this blog. We used acrylic paints in aqua and white to paint the unfinished pieces, adding a seaside feel. For the beach house collage, we chose shells and mini wooden cutouts and used hot glue to attach them. On the treasure chest, we created a wavy pattern using the blue paint as a base and white for the waves. All materials were bought at a craft store. These were fun to do and are a great activity to enjoy with kids.

GARDEN UPDATE

The tomato plants continue to thrive (last week we counted 173 tomatoes) and harvesting has begun. Crazy good! The basil plants we grew from seed seemed a bit crowded in the window box into which they were transplanted and we feared that may have been inhibiting their growth. After transplanting about half the plants into other pots, they are growing robustly!

Sunny cherry tomatoes and shishito peppers! Some of this week’s crop!

BE COOL!

It’s been awfully hot lately. Here are some tips for staying cool this summer.

http://parentingsyrup.com/article/8-awesome-tips-that-help-keep-you-cool-in-the-summer

JOKE OF THE WEEK

How do you fix a broken tomato? With tomato paste! source: grandparents.com

THE BEARS

This week, the bears are chilling under the shade of the “tomato trees” while visiting the flamingo.

Thanks so much for following our blog!

Enjoy!

Roy & Kevin

We like to create a beach house atmosphere in our home to enjoy year round. In the summer, we expand on the beach theme with some fun, additional decorations. This mid-summer week, we share ideas for refreshing summertime drinks, a couple of easy crafts using shells, our garden update and more.

As the featured image shows, our library table has been transformed into a beach-themed summerfest. We love the lighted mini-palm tree shading two relaxing Santas and a lounging, swimsuit-clad lady. She was originally part of an ashtray belonging to Kevin’s grandfather, Gus. The ashtray broke years ago, but the lady endures! There is also on open Adirondack chair for unexpected guests. We started with a dollar-store rimmed tray and filled with “decorative stone granules from a craft store” (aka sand). For a closer look at any image, click on the photo.

FRESH AND FRUITY LEMONADE

A simple way to jazz up your lemonade is to add fruit!

We try to limit sugar, so we use a sugar-free lemonade mix, but use your favorite homemade, mix or bottled lemonade. The fruit adds a new dimension and is good for you!!!

For the blueberry lemonade: Use one-quarter cup of fresh blueberries per 16 oz. glass. Muddle (it means mash) half the blueberries and combine them with the whole blueberries and add to the lemonade.

The glass pictured above is rimmed with blueberry sugar that we received as a gift (thanks Chris and Bernard!). The sugar was bought at The Spice and Tea Exchange in Newport, RI (spiceandtea.com). Check out their website or look for flavored sugars at your local tea shop.

For the strawberry lemonade: Add two chopped medium strawberries into a 16-oz. glass of lemonade. Stir well, until the lemonade starts to turn pink. Garnish glass with a whole, split strawberry.

To make a pitcher of fruit-flavored lemonade, add a cup of fruit to a half-gallon of lemonade. For the blueberry version, use 1/2 cup mashed blueberries and 1/2 cup whole blueberries. For strawberry lemonade, chop the whole cup of strawberries and add to the lemonade.

Hint: Add sparkling water and white wine to make a refreshing wine/lemonade spritzer or vodka for a great summertime cocktail.

Hint II: Adding fruit to ice tea is a great idea, too!

A SHELL OF A GOOD CRAFT!    

Decorating with seashells is a great way to bring the shore through your front door. Shells can be used to make a variety of items for your home decor. In a previous blog, we used shells to decorate a picture frame. This week, we offer two additional shell crafts. To create the bathroom cup holder, glue shells onto a ramakin and spray with sealer. (Hand wash only!) Another inexpensive, easy way to bring seashells into your home is to glue them onto clothespins. Our “Life’s a Beach” sign is attached to the curtain with shell clothespins.            Both items are simple and useful!

GARDEN UPDATE

A lot of growth in the garden this week! The marigolds we planted from seed are doing well, and the basil looks good. The pansies, well we are hopeful, maybe a bloom or two by fall! It’s a learning experience for sure. The shishito peppers are growing like crazy (we’ve harvested 15 so far and there are 20 in various stages of growth on the plant!), and the fragrant chocolate mint requires daily pruning. We have picked five cherry tomatoes so far from our tomato plants. Roy just counted the tomatoes on the vine, and at this point, there are 173 ripening tomatoes on the two plants! WOW!!

A VIEW FROM OUR WINDOW

This is a view from our kitchen window. The hummingbird feeder, flowers and plants add a lot of beauty and color to our lives and help extend our living space.

SILLY PICTURE Here is a fun face picture we made using our home-grown peppers and tomatoes. Making veggies more fun!!!

JOKE OF THE WEEK                                                                                                                               What do frogs like to drink on a hot summer day? Croak-a-cola!                                            Source: Bestfamilyadvice.com

The Bears are enjoying a week at the beach!

Enjoy – but don’t forget the sunscreen!

Roy & Kevin