We Aren't Slacking! Well, maybe a little.

This has been our last few days:
         Friday:  Had some friends over for appetizers and drinks, walked to the Idaho 
             Steelheads hockey game (they won in overtime!), followed by going out downtown.  
             Too. Much. Fun.  
                   The food: For appetizers Chuck got a couple of pre-marinated pork roasts and   
                         slow cooked them for pulled pork sliders.  He also put together a veggie tray 
                         with some dip.  
                   I made these jalapeno poppers.  I strayed from the recipe by baking the empty 
                          jalapenos at 350 for 10 minutes before filling them and skipping the egg, just 
                          put the breadcrumbs on top.  They were a hit.  None left over, even for the 2 
                          people who showed up a little late.  
                   I also made some home made mac and cheese in cupcake liners for individual 
                          servings.  I'll post the recipe soon, once I make it and take pictures.  It was 
                          Chuck's recipe but I nailed it!
                   Lastly, I made Drunken Ginger cupcakes.  I got the idea from this site but, 
                          changed it up a little.  I just a box of spice cake mix, added a teaspoon of 
                          ground ginger, replaced the water it called for with rum, and for a little boost 
                          I added a package of dry instant vanilla pudding.  Topped them with cream 
                          cheese frosting. Delish!

         Saturday:  We headed up to McCall for a day of skiing at Brundage and a stay at Shore Lodge. It was a great little escape from town and we had a pizza for dinner that was topped with duck and ground venison.  We couldn't NOT order something like that!  It was great.

     
         Sunday:  Found a great little spot for breakfast called the Fogglifter.  Chuck literally inhaled his eggs benedict and my veggie breakfast burrito was one of the best I've ever had. 

After the drive back to Boise we made a quick stop at the grocery store and found a great deal on lobster.  It went onto the grill and topped the reworked gumbo pictured below.  Instead of rice, Chuck roasted some potatoes to put on top.  To avoid the shrimp getting chewy, he removed it from the gumbo before heating it up, cut the shrimp into smaller pieces and stirred it back in right before serving.

         Monday we had Tina's Taco Salad and it hit the spot.

         Tuesday we had something new! Homemade pizza.  This is usually one of our favorites but lately the crust hasn't been turning out quite right. Chuck's dad pointed us toward this one and we followed it exactly, other than going lighter on the oil than it called for.  Between not reworking the recipe and Chuck getting started before I was able to get to his house, I didn't write down the steps or take many pictures, but here's the link: Pizza Hut Pan Pizza Recipe.  We didn't make the sauce they have listed as Chuck has a go-to that he actually has his mom send since you can't buy it here.  We topped ours with pepperoni, sausage, and sauteed mushrooms.

        So, that's what we've been up to.  Chuck is gone tonight for work but I'm sure we'll be cooking up some great stuff again soon!  He has lots of ideas!