Watermelon Gone Wild!

Late last night I wanted a snack.  We were watching The Artist (fantastic!) and I just felt like eating something sweet, spicy, salty and oh yeah, maybe a little smokey (I have very specific cravings).

So, I thought to myself, "What about wedges of watermelon with a little sea salt sprinkled on?"

And, I answered myself, "Yes, that's a good start, but what about that spicy-smokey favor?  We need something smokey and spicy"  (We needs it! My precious!)

Then, I remembered that we have some really amazing, super-spicy and smokey chipotle powder from Penzeys.  Score!!!

Watermelon wedges, with a sprinkling of ground sea salt and a light dusting of chipotle powder equals perfection!

You should try it!

Hugs,

Melissa

Are You Achin for Some Bacon...Ice Cream?

Raise your hand if you like bacon.

Raise your hand if you like ice cream.

Raise your hand if you think that I like food waaaaay to much. Put your hand down.  I thought that we were friends.

What if you could take ice cream and bacon and mix them all up. Strange! You say? Yum! I say.

I made some homemade maple bacon ice cream this past weekend and it was amazing!  That smokey bacony goodness blended with sugary maple loveliness...

I will share the recipe with you, but first you have to take back that you think I am waaaay to into food.

Okay we're good and here's the recipe:

Take a quarter gallon of heavy cream, mix in one cup of pure maple syrup and one fourth cup of bacon grease. Put the mixture in your ice cream maker and mix per the manufacture's instructions.

Serve over homemade waffles or eat it by the spoonful.

This is a very rich, heavy ice cream so a little goes a long way. Enjoy!

Hugs,

Melissa

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Woo Hoo!  It's Friday!  I hope that you have a great weekend!  Do you have some fun plans?  Here at the Lehman Ranch we are all primed to chill out!

We may do this:

 And a lot of this:

 And definitely that:

Hugs,

Melissa

Holy Smokes!!! - 4 Rivers BBQ Rocks!!!

Our middle monkey and I had a couple of high school planning meetings to attend this week . Did I just say high school? Why, yes, yes I did. And now, please excuse me for a second while I scream into my pillow. I have told that boy a million times to stop growing up so fast, and he just won't listen to me. What's a mom to do?

Well, I will tell you what I did. After our meetings, I took that monkey boy out to lunch at 4 Rivers Smokehouse. Twice. And it was really yummy. Twice. And I was really full. Twice. Ah, 4 Rivers, I love you!

4 Rivers Smokehouse is hands down THE BEST BBQ joint that I have ever been to! If you have not tried it yet, you must (but call me first because I would love to go with you, okay?). There are three locations throughout Central Florida. Chef and owner, John Rivers is a culinary genius. Most importantly, though Mr. Rivers has a heart the size of Texas. Click here to see a video of how 4 Rivers Smokehouse came to be. It's a powerful story!

There is always a line at 4 Rivers Smokehouse, but don't let that deter you. The staff is super fast and friendly. And the food, well, it is definitely worth the wait.

Pulled Chicken Sandwich with Smoked Jalapeño Peppers and Bread Pudding

Porch-style dining

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fried Cheese Grits and Fried Pickles

The 4 Rivers Smokehouse in Winter Park has porch-style dining which makes it outdoorsy and rustic. Don't worry though, there's plenty of wet napkins and cool mist fans to keep you comfy. And if you are lucky, you might just meet a few new friends at the community style picnic tables.

Oh, and don't forget to save room for dessert. Two words - Fried. Oreos!!! 4 Rivers has its own in-house bakery, The Sweet Shop. From scrumptious bread pudding and homemade ice-cream to cupcakes on steroids and mile high cakes, there is something for every sweet tooth.

The only thing that would make 4 Rivers Smokehouse perfect would be a place for people to sleep off their food coma after they eat. Mr. Rivers, would you consider adding a sleeping porch onto each of your smokehouses?

Hugs,

Melissa

The Blessing Tree - A Unique Bridal or Baby Shower Idea

Tis the season for showers.  We recently hosted an afternoon tea bridal shower.  It was lovely.   I really enjoy hosting bridal and baby showers.  There are so many amazing ideas and themes to choose from.  

Here is a fun idea from a baby shower that we hosted:

THE BLESSING TREE

Step 1:  Go to your local plant nursery and purchase a small tree.  The ficus tree is a great choice. 

 Step 2:  Place the tree in a basket or pretty pot.

Step 3:  Decorate the tree with little baubles and trinkets.  With an ocean themed baby shower, I used little silver starfish and tiny capris shell rings to adorn the tree.  Clear fishing line worked well when securing the decorations to the branches.

 Step 4:  And now for the fun part.  Provide guests with small hanging note cards that they can write on.  Sentiments could include pieces of advice, quotes, verses, or special memories.   I used round, metal-lined labels tied with thin blue ribbons.  Make sure to provide a high quality fine felt tipped pen for guests to write with.

Step 5:  Secure sentiments to the tree.  The tree will be a work in progress throughout the party.

Now the mother-to-be (or even the bride-to-be) has a very special keepsake to remind her how much she is loved.

Hugs,

Melissa

Birthday Boy in the House!!!

Hello there friends!  I hope that your week is going very well.  Today is a special day here at the Lehman Hacienda!  Our middle monkey boy is turning 14!


Sniff, sniff, dabbing eyes...could this be bittersweet tears or is this an allergic reaction from the copious amount of Axe Body Spray that our boy has just sprayed on?

It seems like just yesterday that this little guy was toddling around here

getting boo-boos on his face and eating pizza.

And now?  Well, I guess some things have not changed.

He's still getting boo-boos on his face...

and he still likes pizza.

Photo credit

One thing that has changed though is our love for this boy.  It grows stronger and stronger with each passing moment.  And I might add that he gets more handsome and more amazing each day. 

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!  We love you so!

Hugs, 

From all of us

P.S.  Oh, and those tears, they are definitely not from the Axe Body Spray.

Under My Umbrella..Ella..Ella

Grab you paddles everyone, because I am pretty sure that if it doesn't stop raining soon here in Central Florida we are going have to start row, row, rowing our boats.

Every day when it rains my younger monkeys sing, "Rain, rain go away! Don't come back another day!"

The other day, I was singing some other "rainy day" songs with our little monkey.  Song like "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider"  So cute!  And, "It's Raining, It's Pouring!"  Um, not so cute! 

Just look at these lyrics:

It's raining, it's pouring

The old man is snoring

He went to bed and bumped his head

And he didn't get up in the morning.

And why didn't the old man get up?  I'll tell you why.  Because he died!  It just makes my mind race with questions. What happened to that poor old man?  Was it foul play?  Did the bump kill him or was it old age?  Wait, maybe his wife had heard one snore too many and...oh, dear did she just snap and clock him a good one on the noggin?  

You try singing that song to a little kid and not scarring them for life!  

There is one silver lining in the dark clouds above us.  Rain means you have to use umbrellas, and we have some umbrella loving monkeys around here.  Like this one:

If umbrella dancing was an Olympic sport, she would be the gold medal winner:

Hugs, 

Melissa