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!