what's for dinner?

last night we had a delicious dinner. traci informed me that london broil was BOGO (grocery lingo) this week at the giant. so, i got two chunks of meat, about a pound each, for $7. i went on to www.recipes.com to find a marinade recipe. and this is what i ended up making.

Marinated London Broil

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) can cola soft drink
1 (10-ounce) bottle teriyaki sauce
1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) London broil
Preparation
Combine cola and teriyaki sauce in a shallow dish or large zip-top plastic freezer bag; add London broil. Cover or seal, and chill 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove London broil from marinade, discarding marinade.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) 12 to 15 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes; cut diagonally into thin slices across the grain.


it turned out very well. for sides, we grilled some pineapple (a matt specialty). and then i also made this recipe that i got from anya. i don't usually like broccoli, but this is a new favorite.


1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped salted cashews( i use Almonds)


DIRECTIONS
Place the broccoli into a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Drain, and arrange broccoli on a serving platter.
While the broccoli is cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Mix in the cashews, and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.


i think i will make this marinade for next week.

yum-o.

fun in the sun.

i had a ridiculously fabulous weekend.
on friday, mom and i went into the city to shop and walk around. anything that includes shopping, jim's steaks, bubble tea, 70 degree weather, and mom makes for a very fun day.

i got to spend all day saturday with my dear friend heidi. we also tag teamed it and watched the russell's for a few hours. i got some of my favorite photos of them. here is one of micah that i love. he is such a model.


levi's eyes melt my heart.


silas broke his arm last week and he is even cuter with that green cast.



on sunday i spent the afternoon with my dear littler sister. we went shopping, which we seem to do often, and got auntie anne's and starbucks. it's tradition.

and then yesterday, mom and i went back into the city to get our hair did.

meanwhile, matt had this small house project he was working on. our family room and office had carpet in it that needed to be replaced, so we decided to put laminate hardwood floors in instead. so, matt and his crew (joe and isaac for two hours) spent a good day in a half installing them. the good news-they look amazing. the bad news-they installed them differently in the family room than in the office and the way they were put into the office looks a lot better (according to matt). so, matt has decided to redo the whole thing. oh my. i am glad i have weddings the next three saturdays :) here is what they sorta look like.


it makes the room 10 times nicer. it's a little sparse right now and needs some tlc. but, it will be super nice when it's all done.

in other news, the covfel bucks (team 1) are undefeated and in first place. they are hot. and so are those phils!! that game last night was incredible.

i would also like to thank reenie for making pg tips sun tea today. thank you.

ok. that is all.

opening day.

mom has asked for a new blog post. she would like to see something other than my beaut of a rug. ok.


you might remember all of these dudes from last summer. 2008 FESL softball champions, the covfel bucks. well, today marks the start of defending their title. yes, it is softball opening day. matt says they are going to be even better than last year. we shall see. covenant also has two teams this year. sarah and i are very sad that mike and matt aren't on the same team. but, i pray for good things for team 2. it'll be fun when they play each other too.

other happy happenings at home hayes...
-the house is coming along. we bought some more furniture this past weekend thanks to some very nice sales at pottery barn outlet. so, we're getting there furniture wise, but not as much decorating wise. wise oh wise? ha...that was for you sharpie.
-we have had 3 close friends of ours get engaged in the past week or so. very happy.
-um, i just heard harry kalas died. that is not happy.
-we went to our first phillies game of the season with the smith's. and matt got to go to the game where they got their world champion rings. and what a game that was.
-we had a nice easter with both of our families. and i made an incredible handmade easter basket for matt. update: here is the picture. it has ears and please notice it says, 'hopppy easter!'

-i was also very happy to see my dear abby for a few minutes yesterday.
-i felt my little niece kick for the first time!!
-this weekend is my first wedding of the year! i have 10 weddings booked from april-september. and i am helping kel with a few also (sisterhood of the traveling cameras, as i like to call it). i am amazed at God's blessing on my very small and young photography business.
-and the happiest of all, matt has picked the guitar back up. i was serenaded with 'lady in red' at 11:45pm friday night and a few more times since. but, my all time favorite is when he sings 'ancient of days.' he is very serious about his guitar practicing. i really love him.

go bucks!