Training Camp 2014

Tonight, we had a pep band gig. It was an open practice at the stadium, and we performed for the crowds lined up to enter the stadium.

It wasn't our best performance as a group, with a bunch of new people who were sight-reading and a bunch of music books that didn't have all the music, but we did just fine.

Happy 20th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary, Tom! And can you believe that it's been twenty years? When I realized that fact, I was astounded. To celebrate the event, Tom and I went to dinner at Fogo de Chao in Baltimore.

It was, of course, delicious, and I ate until I felt like I would throw up, then I ate dessert. Afterwards, we walked around the Inner Harbor for a little bit, and that's where I saw this memorial for the first time.

It commemorates Maryland's fallen from 9-11. It was a beautiful evening!

Crispy Chicken Legs & Brussel Sprouts

I found this recipe on Thursday, and had hoped to make it that night, but I was on call at the restaurant and ended up having to work. I had time to make dinner tonight, so, of one of the three options from Thursday night, Tom chose this one.

One-Pan Crispy Chicken Legs & Brussels Sprouts {Gluten-Free & Paleo}

Ingredients

• 2 whole chicken legs (skin on & bone in)
• 1 stalk of Brussels sprouts, stemmed and chopped
• 1 generous tbs of coconut oil
• salt, pepper & granulated garlic
• 1 tbs olive oil, for sprouts
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• Pecorino or Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash, prep, de-stem and halve all of your Brussels sprouts.
3. Toss them in a bowl with your olive oil and a pinch or two of salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Season to your taste.
4. Wash your chicken legs and pat them dry.
5. Liberally season both sides of your legs with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Set aside.
6. Heat up your coconut oil in your cast iron skillet until hot. To test, flick a drop of water into the oil. It should hiss and sizzle.
7. Once your oil is heated up, add your chicken legs to the pan face down.
8. Allow them to sit there and get crispy. This will take several minutes. Don't move them, even if you are tempted. Mine crisped up in 6-8 minutes.
9. Once the first side is crispy, flip your chicken legs over and crisp up the other side.
10. When both sides of the chicken are crisped up, add in your Brussels sprouts to the pan along with your chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir.
11. Place your pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
12. Garnish with some freshly grated Pecornio or Parmesan cheese and serve. If you are eating Paleo this step can be skipped, and it will still be super tasty.
13. Enjoy!

Now, I used what I could get - a pack of three chicken legs, a pack of four chicken thighs, 1 pound of brussel sprouts, 1 tablespoon of reconstituted lemon juice, and olive oil instead of coconut oil - and I thought it turned out pretty well. I over-seasoned the chicken with Paula Deen's House Seasoning, but both Tom and I both agreed that the chicken was delicious. The Brussel sprouts were a different matter. I enjoyed them, but Tom didn't - but at least he tried them.

A Journal of Nature's Blessings

Thanks to Wanda, I've joined my first swap in ages.

It's called A Journal of Nature's Blessings, and I think it'll be super cool. I only have to create 6 full pages (front and back), by September 20 - that should be doable.

Baltimore’s Marching Ravens Seeks 160 Full-Time Band Members « CBS Baltimore

Baltimore’s Marching Ravens Seeks 160 Full-Time Band Members « CBS Baltimore

WJZ Recruitment Gig

This morning, I had a Pep Band gig at the Stadium. It was to film a promotional spot for recruitment for the band. We played a couple of tunes, which Miss Carol (the camera-person) filmed, then Gigi Barnett interviewed the Pep Band as a whole, and whoever felt like answering the question would speak up. We also played in the background while she was taped talking about the band and how to join it. She said the spot should air tonight and this weekend - I'm excited to see how many new members we get from this.

Terry's Baby Shower

I would count this event as a success. Terry said he suspected something when he was told that he was needed in the Break Room, but he seemed very pleased. He was very complimentary of the diaper cake, and noticed right away that it matched the colors and theme of his nursery - what new dad does that? For this breakfast, it was planned as just a doughnuts and pastries thing, but since a couple of co-workers are doing the low-carb diet, and another needs gluten-free, JoAnne and I decided to bring items in for those eaters. My idea was Breakfast Kabobs.

For my kabobs, I cooked up a pack of thick-cut bacon, a package of 8 sausage patties, a ham steak, and baked some scrambled eggs in muffin tins (6 eggs, scrambled and portioned out into 8 muffin cups, baked at 350F for 15 minutes). I cut each sausage patty and egg muffin in half, the ham into 16 pieces, and each slice of bacon into thirds. Then, I started putting them on skewers (or long sandwich picks since I couldn't find my bamboo skewers) - one piece of ham, sausage, and egg each, and the bacon was two to three pieces each. Low-carb and gluten-free, mission accomplished!

Terry's Diaper Cake

Terry and his wife are having a baby, and for this celebration, and because of the short notice for this baby shower, I decided to make a diaper cake. Linda and JoAnne (co-workers) said they'd go in on it with me, and Linda saw an idea that she really liked on Etsy, so I tried to replicate it.

The colors are based upon Terry's nursery décor, Babies 'R Us' Lambs & Ivy Echo, which has a woodland theme. I had a lot of fun with it, and Tom even lent his ingenuity to the project.

Grilled Honey Tarragon Chicken

So, for dinner tonight, I had to do something with chicken, so I found this recipe on the Pillsbury website.

Grilled Honey-Tarragon Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
• Dash salt
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Steps

1. Heat grill. In small bowl, combine parsley, tarragon, dash salt, honey and lemon juice; blend well.
2. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper; brush with honey mixture.
3. When ready to grill, place chicken on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium coals. Cook 8 to 12 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear, turning once and brushing with remaining honey mixture.

Now, I didn't grill it, I cooked it in a skillet, which accounts for the caramelization (cooking-speak for burning sugary foods). Despite that, Tom loved it! I also think it had a really good flavor, but it was just a tad too sweet for me.

HdG Parade 2014

Today completed the 2014 Baltimore's Marching Ravens July Fourth Extravaganza! We marched in our fourth and final parade for the holiday, and it went well. As has become my tradition, I had a pocket full of candy that I threw out to people I know - which makes the parade extra fun for me. Afterwards, Tom met me, and we staked out a place in the park to hang out at until sundown. We also took walk on the promenade, and later stood in line for funnel cakes. The fireworks were nice, even though our view was slightly obscured by a tree.

What a nice, relaxing day!

Dundalk Celebrates America At 80th Annual Fourth Of July Parade « CBS Baltimore

Woo hoo, check us out! I could even find myself as I passed right in front of the camera - the end of the third row (:56), the blonde being the end of the first row (:54).

Dundalk Celebrates America At 80th Annual Fourth Of July Parade « CBS Baltimore

Happy Fourth of July

And I'll say it once again, "Happy Fourth of July!" Today, as is tradition, I marched in three parades with Baltimore's Marching Ravens.

We started in Dundalk, then went to Towson, and ended with Catonsville. We played three different songs: The Ravens Fight Song, Washington Post, and Strike Up the Band. The weather was the best it's been in my ump-teen years in the band, not the usual hot and humid, but warm and breezy. I think that if I wasn't wearing brand new shoes, I could've marched in another parade with no problem - that definitely cannot be said for previous years.
Well, there's only one more parade left, and that's in Havre de Grace tomorrow. See you there!