So much for frequent updates

My New Year's resolution didn't take long to break. I promised to update blogs more, and this family blog has sat idle since.

That doesn't mean we are not busy. We've been updating photos fairly regularly (OK, more in spurts) but some momentous occasions have been chronicled.

Here are some highlights, though click here for the full stream.

Sean's graduation from Cub Scouts



Sean's first Black Belt



And our Spring Break trip to Park Chalk Bluff



On the bright side, I have written a couple of entries for Technical Bent, though nothing to write home about :-(.

Table Scraps at Mills Talent Show

The Table Scraps played the Mills Talent show in may, 2008

Chicken and White Bean Chili

I don't have the reference for this recipe, unfortunately. It was some kind of dutch oven cookbook and uses that in the recipe, but I usually use a crockpot or stove pot.

Serves 8 to 10
2 tbs. olive oil
4 onions, chopped (I usually use less)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
4 (4 oz) cans chopped mild green chiles, drained
1 (12 oz) bottle regular (not dark) beer
2 cups chicken stock
3 tbl chili powder
2 tbl ground cumin
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and black pepper
6 boneless, skinless chiken thighs, but into 1-inch cubes (I used canned chix at campout for ease.)
1 (15.4 oz) cans white northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpease, rinsed and drained
1 (15.5 oz) can cream-style corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup lime juice

Optional toppings
Grated cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses
Sour cream
Chopped green onions
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced jalapenos
Tortilla chips

LIghtly coat a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven with nonstick cooking spray. Over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onions, garlic and cook until soft. Add the green chiles, beer, chicken stock, chili powder, cumin and red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to tase. Stir in the chicken. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, or until the mixture is nicely thickened and the chicken is cooked (I always cook the chicken first anyway.)

Stir in the northern beans, chickpeas and creamed corn. (I usually dump it all together in the beginning, to be honest.) Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Stir in cilandro and lime juice and mix very well. Serve in large bowls, garnished with the optional toppings.

Spring Break Tour, Reprise

In need to write a long post about our Spring Break trip, but I don't have time now, and I want to point out all to the photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/christian.mcdonald

Hiking in the New Year

We spent New Year's Day hiking the Lost Maples State Natural Area with the Reyes and Manceaux families. It was an awesome way to ring in the New Year!

Zilker Park Trail of Lights

We joined the Table for 19 at Zilker Park for the Trail of Lights. Our flexible dinner plans kept us out a little late at Matt's El Rancho.

Brian's Birthday

Brian celebrate his 11th birthday despite my efforts to make him 12. No matter how old he is, he still likes playing in the box as much as the gift. (Especially since I failed to buy a cord for his keyboard amplifier.) We actually went camping the day of his birthday, and I had planned on making a cake for him in a dutch oven, but the day was too jam-packed to do it. So the following day we joined the Table for 19 at the Roadhouse in Bastrop for a cake mom made. Cake was great.

Halloween 2007

Sean the zombie and Brian the, um, Death Eater? terrorize the neighborhood with their friends in search of candy.

Spring Break trip

We did this fantastic trip to West Texas over Spring Break with four other families. We have tons of photos and lots to write about, but I haven't gotten to it.

Fortunately, one of our fellow trippers wrote about it in the Den 13 Blog.