Our Sunday Bike Ride
Our goal is to ride our bikes at least once a week around the neighborhood and once a week on some type of trail. I borrowed a demo Iphone from the store and downloaded an application called "The Bike". This application tracks where you biked, what your average speed was, what your fastest and slowest speeds were, the distance that you traveled and it will upload this information to their website so you can track your different courses! This is so fucking cool, I love it.
Our last bike ride was for 58 minutes and we went 3.4 miles... our average speed was 4mph and my fastest was 27 mph (down a hill in the parking lot). I actually remember seeing 3.8 miles when we stopped, so not sure what happened there (the batter was getting low, so maybe it stopped keeping track). The picture below shows where we went in red. There were a couple of times when we did the same little trail over, just because it was a good course.
I can't wait until the day when we can ride the entire trail! We haven't even ventured over to one side of the trails (it is on the left hand side in the picture). One day we'll get there!
Sun april 19 at EveryTrail
Map created by EveryTrail:GPS Geotagging
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Brush Recycling Center
Awhile back we trimmed all of our tree's in our yard but didn't do anything with the branches that we cut off. They have been sitting on the side of our house, which is the white trash way. We finally loaded up the truck with the branches and headed out to a recycling center in Round Rock. They take our branches and turn it into mulch. If you are a resident of Round Rock, then you can get FREE mulch as well as dropping off your branches. You do all of the work..... you take the branches out of your truck and throw them in the pile and you scoop up your own mulch, but it is worth it. Jim has taken our branches to the city dump before, and it cost more and isn't as good for the environment.
Information from Round Rocks website....
The Urban Forestry Division has recycled brush at the Brush Recycling Center since October 2000. The City of Round Rock Recycling Center is located at 310 Deepwood Drive, across the street from the Micki Krebsbach Swimming Pool and the Round Rock High School Practice Fields.
Hours of operation:Closed Sunday9 am - 6 pm Monday- Saturday
Accepted: tree trimmings, branches, limbs, and other parts of shrubs and trees.
Not accepted: leaves, grass, landscape waste (palm trees, cacti, compost), tree stumps, treated wood such as telephone poles, railroad ties, lumber, demolition debris, rock, concrete, hazardous waste, and household garbage.
Fee Information: (Residents must live inside Round Rock City limits and must prove residency to qualify for free drop off). . A cubic yard of brush is measured by multiplying height X width X length divided by 27. Height, width, and length are measured in feet (12 inches).
Load Size
Small Load (less than 2 cubic yards of brush)
Residents: No Charge
Non-Residents $15 per load
Medium Load (between 2 and 4 cubic yards of brush)
Residents: $20 per load
Non-Residents: $20 per load
Large Load (more than 4 cubic yards of brush
Residents: $40 per load
Non-Residents: $40 per load
Note: a cubic yard is measured by (height x width x length)/27. Height, width and length are measured in feet.
Residential Curbside Pick Up
Dropping off our branches
Mulch
Awhile back we trimmed all of our tree's in our yard but didn't do anything with the branches that we cut off. They have been sitting on the side of our house, which is the white trash way. We finally loaded up the truck with the branches and headed out to a recycling center in Round Rock. They take our branches and turn it into mulch. If you are a resident of Round Rock, then you can get FREE mulch as well as dropping off your branches. You do all of the work..... you take the branches out of your truck and throw them in the pile and you scoop up your own mulch, but it is worth it. Jim has taken our branches to the city dump before, and it cost more and isn't as good for the environment.
Information from Round Rocks website....
The Urban Forestry Division has recycled brush at the Brush Recycling Center since October 2000. The City of Round Rock Recycling Center is located at 310 Deepwood Drive, across the street from the Micki Krebsbach Swimming Pool and the Round Rock High School Practice Fields.
Hours of operation:Closed Sunday9 am - 6 pm Monday- Saturday
Accepted: tree trimmings, branches, limbs, and other parts of shrubs and trees.
Not accepted: leaves, grass, landscape waste (palm trees, cacti, compost), tree stumps, treated wood such as telephone poles, railroad ties, lumber, demolition debris, rock, concrete, hazardous waste, and household garbage.
Fee Information: (Residents must live inside Round Rock City limits and must prove residency to qualify for free drop off). . A cubic yard of brush is measured by multiplying height X width X length divided by 27. Height, width, and length are measured in feet (12 inches).
Load Size
Small Load (less than 2 cubic yards of brush)
Residents: No Charge
Non-Residents $15 per load
Medium Load (between 2 and 4 cubic yards of brush)
Residents: $20 per load
Non-Residents: $20 per load
Large Load (more than 4 cubic yards of brush
Residents: $40 per load
Non-Residents: $40 per load
Note: a cubic yard is measured by (height x width x length)/27. Height, width and length are measured in feet.
Residential Curbside Pick Up
Dropping off our branches
MulchThursday, April 16, 2009
Holy Bat Guano
As we were driving to Jim's softball game last night, I saw what I thought was smoke. Turns out it was a shitload of bats leaving their home that they made under a bridge on I-35. It was amazing to watch them fly away. I rolled the window down to take the pictures and was assaulted by the smell of bat poo-poo. Wow.. those little guys STINK! I will probably drive up there to get some pictures one of these days.
Here are some pictures I got while we were driving by..
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tax Day Deals
I found this on a local news website (kvue.com). I know it is a little late in the day, but if you are heading out to dinner or want some ice cream check out the restaurants below!!
Between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. today Maggie Moos is giving away a free single scoop of ice cream. (One per person no mix-ins.) They're calling it their "e-CONE-omic" stimulus package. I bet this sweet treat can help relieve some of the tax day stress. You'll find Maggie Moos in almost every state. To find a Maggie Moos near you here. There's only one in the Austin area, in Round Rock.
All of T.G.I. Fridays corporate locations are offering tax day deals. So if you head to the restaurant today, April 15th you can get $5 Bonus Bites card when you spend $15 to $25 dollars. You can get a $10 Bonus Bites Card when you spend $25 dollars or more. You will want to call the restaurant to make sure the location is a corporate run restaurant. I called here in Austin and the one on Cesar Chavez is not corporately run, but the restaurant in the Arboretum off 10000 Research Blvd. is corporately owned. To find the location nearest you go here.
• P.F. Chang's has a Tax Relief deal. The restaurant is offering to give all customers 15-percent off their bill tomorrow.
• From 5 to 8pm tomorrow Cinnabon is giving away free bites at participating mall store locations. And if you're really inspired, write up an essay about how those irresistible Cinnabon's saved your day and you could win a $100 gift card.
• McCormick and Schmick's is also having a Tax Relief Day promotion. Select menu items will cost you $10.40. And every tax payer will receive a $10.40 tax relief dinner certificate for a future visit.
• Papa John's is offering a large pizza with three toppings for only $10.40 through tomorrow. You've got to order online here (click on the link at the bottom left hand corner).
• Pizza Hut is offering its Panormous pizza for just $10.
Austin Area Kid Deals
Austin Family Deals doesn't just feature food deals it also features movie deals and lets you sort by day, by venue and by city.
KidzAustin.com/dealz.
I found this on a local news website (kvue.com). I know it is a little late in the day, but if you are heading out to dinner or want some ice cream check out the restaurants below!!
Between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. today Maggie Moos is giving away a free single scoop of ice cream. (One per person no mix-ins.) They're calling it their "e-CONE-omic" stimulus package. I bet this sweet treat can help relieve some of the tax day stress. You'll find Maggie Moos in almost every state. To find a Maggie Moos near you here. There's only one in the Austin area, in Round Rock.
All of T.G.I. Fridays corporate locations are offering tax day deals. So if you head to the restaurant today, April 15th you can get $5 Bonus Bites card when you spend $15 to $25 dollars. You can get a $10 Bonus Bites Card when you spend $25 dollars or more. You will want to call the restaurant to make sure the location is a corporate run restaurant. I called here in Austin and the one on Cesar Chavez is not corporately run, but the restaurant in the Arboretum off 10000 Research Blvd. is corporately owned. To find the location nearest you go here.
• P.F. Chang's has a Tax Relief deal. The restaurant is offering to give all customers 15-percent off their bill tomorrow.
• From 5 to 8pm tomorrow Cinnabon is giving away free bites at participating mall store locations. And if you're really inspired, write up an essay about how those irresistible Cinnabon's saved your day and you could win a $100 gift card.
• McCormick and Schmick's is also having a Tax Relief Day promotion. Select menu items will cost you $10.40. And every tax payer will receive a $10.40 tax relief dinner certificate for a future visit.
• Papa John's is offering a large pizza with three toppings for only $10.40 through tomorrow. You've got to order online here (click on the link at the bottom left hand corner).
• Pizza Hut is offering its Panormous pizza for just $10.
Austin Area Kid Deals
Austin Family Deals doesn't just feature food deals it also features movie deals and lets you sort by day, by venue and by city.
KidzAustin.com/dealz.
Monday, April 13, 2009
A weekend's worth of photos
We were only 3 rows back from the dugout at the game. We had two foul balls that were close to us... kind of scary every time a left hander came to bat
Saturday started with thunderstorms. It was so dark and dreary that I never thought they would go away... but after 11am the weather was completely different... sunny and nice
Poor poopa just wanted to take his Frisbee out and play when it was raining
Sunday Brunch! We originally wanted to go to Moonshine, but the line was way to long. So we headed over to Iron Cactus for brunch. They have decent food and $4.95 unlimited mimosa's. HOWEVER, after our 2nd glass they informed us that they ran out of champagne. Umm what the fuck? Really? It's only 1pm on Sunday. They tried to give us OJ and white wine, but it just isn't the same. I thought about raising a stink, but I wasn't in the mood.
Overall the food was decent... I stuck with breakfast food, but they also had prime rib, cheese enchilada's, some type of spicy chicken and pasta, chicken mole, salad's, soup and plenty of desserts. My favorite was the the huevo's ranchero's (in the picture it is on the bottom right, with the red salsa). It was a thick tortilla chip with a poached egg, topped with ranchero sauce... YUM!
Cinnamon buns... my other pictures of the desserts didn't show up. I was good and only grabbed a little dessert and took one bite.
I was given a free pair of tickets to the Round Rock Express game for Saturday night... they were AWESOME seats.
The Budweiser Clydesdale's were in the parking lot for all to see. They were huge.
This picture cracked me up a little bit..... My brothers name near a horses ass :o)
We were only 3 rows back from the dugout at the game. We had two foul balls that were close to us... kind of scary every time a left hander came to bat
Saturday started with thunderstorms. It was so dark and dreary that I never thought they would go away... but after 11am the weather was completely different... sunny and nice
Poor poopa just wanted to take his Frisbee out and play when it was raining
Sunday Brunch! We originally wanted to go to Moonshine, but the line was way to long. So we headed over to Iron Cactus for brunch. They have decent food and $4.95 unlimited mimosa's. HOWEVER, after our 2nd glass they informed us that they ran out of champagne. Umm what the fuck? Really? It's only 1pm on Sunday. They tried to give us OJ and white wine, but it just isn't the same. I thought about raising a stink, but I wasn't in the mood.
Overall the food was decent... I stuck with breakfast food, but they also had prime rib, cheese enchilada's, some type of spicy chicken and pasta, chicken mole, salad's, soup and plenty of desserts. My favorite was the the huevo's ranchero's (in the picture it is on the bottom right, with the red salsa). It was a thick tortilla chip with a poached egg, topped with ranchero sauce... YUM! 
Cinnamon buns... my other pictures of the desserts didn't show up. I was good and only grabbed a little dessert and took one bite.
We couldn't just sit around after that huge brunch, so after the food has digested we went on a bike ride. I wish I knew how far we went, but we rode for about an hour up and down big hills that had my thighs were burning
Self portrait of me!
Not a flattering picture... but look Ma, I wore my helmet
It was very hard to take pictures and ride, but I still tried. I only got a few off while riding.. the trail was bumpy and all types of branches and tree trunks were right along the trail.
That's Jim on hill waiting for me. I loved all of the trees back on the trail. If it was closer to the parking lot, this would be a GREAT area for family photos! :o) But it would probably be a 30 minute hike from the car.
Self portrait of me!
Not a flattering picture... but look Ma, I wore my helmetIt was very hard to take pictures and ride, but I still tried. I only got a few off while riding.. the trail was bumpy and all types of branches and tree trunks were right along the trail.That's Jim on hill waiting for me. I loved all of the trees back on the trail. If it was closer to the parking lot, this would be a GREAT area for family photos! :o) But it would probably be a 30 minute hike from the car. 
Sunday, April 12, 2009
What a fucking idiot
I'm not going to dwell on this, but dear lord, this lady is a moron. Why would a person jump into the polar bear exhibit? To pet the polar bears? To give them a hug? Let them gnaw on their tibia?
Most of the headlines read "Woman attacked by Polar Bears" . Ummm.. this bitch JUMPED into the polar bear enclosure... shouldn't it read something like "Polar Bears given a treat" or "Crazy lady disturbs polar bear family". I really hope that nothing bad happens to the polar bears.. it's not their fault crazy jumped into their home. I hope this bitch gets fined and charged for the therapy these guys will need after being attacked by a crazy bitch.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Yummy light pasta
I have not had pasta with a Carbonara sauce before and I think this recipe is slightly different than the traditional way of making the carbonara sauce. Mostly because I have heard that it has more calories and grams of fat than most people should eat in a day. I'm not saying the recipe below is low fat, but it doesn't seem to bad :o) I did add chopped red bell pepper and onion to the veggie mixture. I also added a handful of shrimp cause the hubby likes to have a protein with dinner.
Adding the raw egg into the hot pasta was a little scary. I didn't want to have scrambled eggs in my pasta or consume raw eggs!! But as soon as I added the egg, I mixed it up well, added in the veggies, grated Parmesean cheese, then stirred well again. The sauce was light and flavorful! if you don't have enough sauce then you can add a little of the pasta water to help thicken the sauce as well as give you a little more. I would only add about 2 tablespoons worth so you don't lose the flavor.
Springtime Carbonara
Springtime Carbonara
(Adapted from the New York Times)
Makes 2-3 servings
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed- forgot to thaw :o) it worked out okay, just need to cook a few more minutes than it states
8 ounces linguine
2 ounces asparagus, sliced
1-inch thick (1/2 cup) 5 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin- I didn't have any, so it was left out. I bet this adds a nice freshness to the dish
1 egg, whisked, at room temperature (I used one egg and one egg yolk... my egg was kind of small)
1 tablespoon whole milk - I used low fat
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish (2 ounces)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and set aside. Drain most of the fat from the pan. Return the pan with the rendered fat to the stove top for future use.Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until al dente.While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon fat in the sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peas and asparagus, and sauté for about 2-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil, and set aside.Whisk together the eggs and milk. Have the egg mixture, vegetables and bacon ready to toss with very hot pasta.Quickly drain the pasta and transfer immediately to a large serving bowl. Pour the eggs and cheese on top of the pasta, and toss vigorously to coat the strands and gently cook the eggs, forming a creamy sauce. Add the vegetables and bacon, and continue tossing to incorporate them. Season with salt and pepper to taste.Portion the spaghetti on plates and ladle any sauce left in the bowl over each serving. Grate additional cheese on top if you like.
Egg mixture into the noodles
Mixing Bowl
Serving Bowl
I have not had pasta with a Carbonara sauce before and I think this recipe is slightly different than the traditional way of making the carbonara sauce. Mostly because I have heard that it has more calories and grams of fat than most people should eat in a day. I'm not saying the recipe below is low fat, but it doesn't seem to bad :o) I did add chopped red bell pepper and onion to the veggie mixture. I also added a handful of shrimp cause the hubby likes to have a protein with dinner.
Adding the raw egg into the hot pasta was a little scary. I didn't want to have scrambled eggs in my pasta or consume raw eggs!! But as soon as I added the egg, I mixed it up well, added in the veggies, grated Parmesean cheese, then stirred well again. The sauce was light and flavorful! if you don't have enough sauce then you can add a little of the pasta water to help thicken the sauce as well as give you a little more. I would only add about 2 tablespoons worth so you don't lose the flavor.
Springtime Carbonara
Springtime Carbonara
(Adapted from the New York Times)
Makes 2-3 servings
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed- forgot to thaw :o) it worked out okay, just need to cook a few more minutes than it states
8 ounces linguine
2 ounces asparagus, sliced
1-inch thick (1/2 cup) 5 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin- I didn't have any, so it was left out. I bet this adds a nice freshness to the dish
1 egg, whisked, at room temperature (I used one egg and one egg yolk... my egg was kind of small)
1 tablespoon whole milk - I used low fat
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish (2 ounces)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon, cooking for about 5 minutes, until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel and set aside. Drain most of the fat from the pan. Return the pan with the rendered fat to the stove top for future use.Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 6-7 minutes, or until al dente.While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon fat in the sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peas and asparagus, and sauté for about 2-5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the basil, and set aside.Whisk together the eggs and milk. Have the egg mixture, vegetables and bacon ready to toss with very hot pasta.Quickly drain the pasta and transfer immediately to a large serving bowl. Pour the eggs and cheese on top of the pasta, and toss vigorously to coat the strands and gently cook the eggs, forming a creamy sauce. Add the vegetables and bacon, and continue tossing to incorporate them. Season with salt and pepper to taste.Portion the spaghetti on plates and ladle any sauce left in the bowl over each serving. Grate additional cheese on top if you like.
Egg mixture into the noodles
Mixing Bowl
Serving Bowl
Creepy Little Critter
As I pulled into our driveway tonight, I noticed two little beady eyes staring at me. Interesting. The first thought through my mind was.."do I have my camera with me?".. and yes I did. So I took a few pictures from inside my car, but I was unhappy with the quality. My windshield isn't the cleanest right now. I opened my car door slowly, and got out of the car slowly, and took a few pictures. The opossum didn't move... so I moved towards it... you know to get a better shot :o) I hid a little bit around the corner of the garage, so the creature didn't have a full view of me if it wanted to attack.
Jim told me that our neighbors dog chased the opossum up there and was now stalking him. Riggs (the neighbors dog) is a pointer and kept pointing at the opossum while looking at Jim.. as if to say... Hey Buddy... can you get that creature down here for me?
As I pulled into our driveway tonight, I noticed two little beady eyes staring at me. Interesting. The first thought through my mind was.."do I have my camera with me?".. and yes I did. So I took a few pictures from inside my car, but I was unhappy with the quality. My windshield isn't the cleanest right now. I opened my car door slowly, and got out of the car slowly, and took a few pictures. The opossum didn't move... so I moved towards it... you know to get a better shot :o) I hid a little bit around the corner of the garage, so the creature didn't have a full view of me if it wanted to attack.
Jim told me that our neighbors dog chased the opossum up there and was now stalking him. Riggs (the neighbors dog) is a pointer and kept pointing at the opossum while looking at Jim.. as if to say... Hey Buddy... can you get that creature down here for me?Thursday, April 09, 2009
DISASTER!!!
I attempted to make a blueberry coffee bundt cake last night, but my recipe failed me. I should have known better when there was no flour in the recipe but I made it anyway. It started off looking like it was going to be good, but the end result was a mushy blueberry mess. Jim did try it out and said it tasted good but I still dumped the mush. I'm going to attempt another blueberry coffee cake tonight... I hope I have better results!
I attempted to make a blueberry coffee bundt cake last night, but my recipe failed me. I should have known better when there was no flour in the recipe but I made it anyway. It started off looking like it was going to be good, but the end result was a mushy blueberry mess. Jim did try it out and said it tasted good but I still dumped the mush. I'm going to attempt another blueberry coffee cake tonight... I hope I have better results!
Not appropriate for my diet,,, but I don't care
I wanted to do some type of fish for dinner, and I knew I didn't want just plain fish.. I want to jazz it up!!! I started by going to Quality Seafood to pick up a couple flounder fillets. This was my first time going to that fish market/restaurant, and I can't wait to go back. They are slightly higher in price compared to HEB but the fish smelled fresh and looked good. They didn't appear to have as big of selection that Central Market does, but they still had a decent amount of fish. Their restaurant is on the other side of their store and it was pretty busy when I went yesterday at lunch time.
Ingredients
1 lb fish fillets preferable Filet of sole or flounder
salt and pepper
3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tbs butter
1 tbs capers
2 minced garlic cloves
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp parsley (didn't add this)
1. season fish with salt and pepper
2. heat oil in non stick pan over medium heat
3. add fish and cook on one side until brown
4. flip over once and brown on other side
5. start on sauce (read below between pictures)
Squeeze the juice out of one lemon into the pan with a tablespoon of butter. Let it heat up to a simmer.
I wanted to do some type of fish for dinner, and I knew I didn't want just plain fish.. I want to jazz it up!!! I started by going to Quality Seafood to pick up a couple flounder fillets. This was my first time going to that fish market/restaurant, and I can't wait to go back. They are slightly higher in price compared to HEB but the fish smelled fresh and looked good. They didn't appear to have as big of selection that Central Market does, but they still had a decent amount of fish. Their restaurant is on the other side of their store and it was pretty busy when I went yesterday at lunch time.
Ingredients
1 lb fish fillets preferable Filet of sole or flounder
salt and pepper
3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tbs butter
1 tbs capers
2 minced garlic cloves
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp parsley (didn't add this)
1. season fish with salt and pepper
2. heat oil in non stick pan over medium heat
3. add fish and cook on one side until brown
4. flip over once and brown on other side
5. start on sauce (read below between pictures)
Squeeze the juice out of one lemon into the pan with a tablespoon of butter. Let it heat up to a simmer.
These little suckers are really good! They are kind of like tangy little green olives. I need to find more recipes that use these
Once butter melts, add in the capers and minced garlic. Simmer for a few minutes, then add 3 tablespoons of butter. At this point, take the pan off of the heat and swirl around the butter to melt it. You don't want to put it back on the heat or it will change the consistency of the sauce (if left on the heat, it will become more oily).
Serve immediately over fish or chicken!!!
Once butter melts, add in the capers and minced garlic. Simmer for a few minutes, then add 3 tablespoons of butter. At this point, take the pan off of the heat and swirl around the butter to melt it. You don't want to put it back on the heat or it will change the consistency of the sauce (if left on the heat, it will become more oily).
Serve immediately over fish or chicken!!!
Yucca Plant
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