We love Ruthie!

Oh - it was so nice to visit Great Grandma Ruthie this weekend! Grandma, Jodi, Sarah, Tom, Sydney, and I traveled to Chicago to spend some quality time with our beloved Ruthie. Sydney's first plane ride was pretty uneventful with the exception of a really leaky diaper, which required us to strip her on the plane and wash the car seat cover at grandma's! Ruthie was in great spirits the entire visit, and I think we all agreed that she seems to be moving around better this time than the last time we saw her. She loved spending time with her great granddaughters, Sarah and Sydney! We even got to see the cousins at dinner on Friday night at Brett and Shelli's house. Overall, the trip was a success. I've posted some pictures below, but the rest are on the Picasa site.

The whole gang

Tom and Ruthie

Mom and Daughter

Julia, Sydney, and Ruthie

Four Generations

Crockpot Beef-and-Bean Burritos

Served this to the Bergemans tonight. Everyone seemed to enjoy it! It was pretty easy, so this will likely go into our regular rotation. In fact, I think I'll add a new Regular Rotation label.

1 (2-pound) London broil
1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
1 (16-ounce) can fat-free refried beans
12 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream

Trim fat from meat; rub seasoning mix over both sides of meat. Place meat in an electric slow cooker coated with cooking spray; add onion, vinegar, and green chiles. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting for 9 hours. Remove meat from slow cooker, reserving cooking liquid; shred meat with two forks. Combine meat and reserved cooking liquid; stir well.

Warm beans and tortillas according to package directions. Spread 2 tablespoons beans down the center of each tortilla. Spoon a heaping 1/3 cup meat mixture on top of beans. Top each with 2 tablespoons cheese, 2 tablespoons tomato, and 1 tablespoon sour cream; roll up.

Original source: Cooking Light

Tilapia Tacos

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 cup green salsa
Cooking spray
1 can mexicorn
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 can chopped jalapeño peppers
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup diced peeled avocado
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup packaged angel hair slaw
Lime wedges (optional)

Combine sour cream and salsa.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add corn, onion, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to pan; sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove mixture from pan; wipe pan clean with paper towels. Combine avocado and juice; toss gently. Stir avocado mixture into corn mixture.

Sprinkle fish evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish; dredge fish in cornmeal. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half of fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Carefully turn fish over; cook 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and fish.

Warm tortillas in the microwave. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons corn relish and about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream mixture. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.

Farm Fun

After Sydney's 18-month appointment, we headed over to Frying Pan Farm. Frying Pan Farm is a working farm located in Herndon. When I was little, mom used to take me and Lorraine to the farm to see all the animals and an occasional horse show. Anyway, Grandma and Grandpa met us there. We had loads of fun meeting all the animals, practicing making the sounds they make, learning about farm life, and taking a hay ride. Check out the pictures.

18-Month Appointment

This morning, Sydney had her 18-month appointment. Here are the vitals:

Weight: 22.6 lbs (25%)
Height: 33.5 inches (95%)
Head Circumference: 18.8 (85%)

Overall, it was a great appointment. Dr. Plescia confirmed that Sydney's runny nose is from teething and not from her cold last week. He was also pleased to hear that she met certain milestones, like combining words (good-girl, night-night, good-bye), running, walking backwards, and mimicing mommy. He said his take on the appointment was "meets or exceeds expectations." Syd's next appointment won't be until her second birthday, which is only 6 months away! Time flies!

Coleslaw

This is an incredibly easy coleslaw recipe. It's also very good! I serve it on top of the Carolina barbecue sandwiches. This is one of those recipes that gets better the longer it sits.

1 package of precut coleslaw mix (cabbage and carrots)
1 c mayonnaise
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1 t celery seed
1/4 c sugar
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients except for coleslaw mix. Add coleslaw and toss.

Carolina Barbecue

This is a fabulous Carolina barbecue recipe - especially if you like it spicy! Removing the fat from the meat can be tedious, but it's totally worth it. I'll post the cole slaw recipe that I serve with this momentarily. Stay tuned.

1 5-lb pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 T salt
Ground pepper
1 1/2 c cider vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1/2 T Tabasco
2 t cayenne pepper
2 t crushed red pepper

Place pork in crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Pour vinegar around pork. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove pork from crock pot. Remove bones and excess fat. Shred pork.

Strain liquid and reserve 2 cups. Toss the rest. Add sugar, Tabasco, cayenne, and red pepper to liquid. Add to meat (to your liking) and serve on sandwich rolls (I use potato rolls).

Fun at JW Tumbles

Today, Syd and I went to playgroup at JW Tumbles - a local gym for kids. She had a great time on the trampoline, parallel bars, slide, jungle gym, and ride-on toys. It was fun to take her to one of her first "gymnastics" classes. :)

Here are some more pictures - they're toward the end of the album.

Party at Bergemuda...

This past weekend, I decided that we hadn't spent enough time partying at Bergemuda this summer. So, at 6:55 am, I sent out this text message:

Party at Bergemuda today - be here!

I sent the message to Jodi, Lorraine, and both sets of parents. I added the parents on a fluke. I figured I'd call them later in the morning to ensure they received their text messages. However, to my suprise, both sets of parents immediately responded and said they'd be here! It turns out that our parents are quite the texters.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun, and it was nice to hang out at the pool once Sydney went to sleep. She's down to one nap, and this was the first party we'd hosted since the change from two naps to one. Turns out that one nap ends up giving mommy a lot more pool time. :)

Enjoy the pictures!

Spicy Beef Roast

This is a family favorite! I believe Jodi originally found the recipe, and it's something that appears on the dinner table many times during fall and winter!

3 lb rount tip roast
1 T peppercorn
1 1/2 t garlic
3 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T worchestire sauce
2 T dry mustard

Rub meat with peppercorn and garlic. Cut meat so that there are four slices about an inch deep each. Mix all other ingredients. Pour mixture over meat. Cook meat in crockpot 4 to 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

Original source: Jodi Bergeman

We *ARE* Ready For Some Football!

It's the happiest time of the year: the football season. Our Redskins are getting ready to start another great season, and we're getting ready to start a friendly competition. This year's fantasy football league is called Illegal Celebration. If you want in, let us know. Right now, it's several family members and friends. For first-time owners, here's some free advice for you:

What you need is a *really* good kicker!

Happy Birthday Papa!

If we're being technical, today is actually Papa's birthday eve, and tomorrow is his actual birthday. But we don't need to be technical to party, so went ahead and celebrated today. Steve and the girls were in town, so we headed over to Grandma and Papa's house for some barbecue and ice cream cake. It was a pretty low-key celebration, but very nice and lots of fun!

Beach Babes

Syd, Jodi, and I headed to Virginia Beach this week to visit one of my oldest and dearest friends, Kate Larsen, and her family. We had a lot of fun! We played in the sand, jumped waves, built sand castles, played on the beach playground, and ate seafood and Dairy Queen. My favorite day was definitely our last day there. We woke up early, ate breakfast at the hotel, enjoyed Starbucks on the beach, played with Kate and her girls, Vivienne and Georgia, and then ate a yummy seafood lunch before heading home. It was a very fun getaway, but waaaaaay too short!

Check out the pictures.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I hate making plain pancakes. Mostly, because no matter what I do, they don't taste like IHOP pancakes. So, I usually add something to my pancake mix: bananas, blueberries, or sweet potatoes. This morning, I had none of these mix-ins. So, I came up with apple cinnamon pancakes. I'm sure a similar recipe is somewhere on the Internet, but I figured I'd put this up so I have it the next time I want to make these pancakes.

1 cup pancake mix
1 cup applesauce (I used Sydney's unsweetened applesauce)
1 t cinnamon
Water

Combine ingredients and add water to desired consistency. Continue to make pancakes as usual. Enjoy!

Garlicky Spaghetti

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
5 ounces arugula leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Place pasta in a small bowl. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, tossing gently. Set aside, and keep warm.

Return pan to medium heat. Add oil, garlic, and pepper; cook 2 minutes or until garlic is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomatoes, and beans; cook 2 minutes. Add pasta; cook 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add reserved pasta water and arugula, tossing gently to combine. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and cheese. Serve immediately.

Original Source: Cooking Light

Bergemuda Car Rental Closes

For the first time in more than 2 years, we're down to three cars! Yes! Really, it's been pretty ridiculous. We joked that with only two licensed drivers and four cars, we could open our own car rental company. Many friends and family have enjoyed the ability to "rent" our vehicles while theirs were in the shop. That's not unlikely to change because we still have one extra car, but we sold the Miata last night, so things are a little more reasonable. We're already enjoying the simplified life!