Potluck at Work

Tomorrow is International Food Day at Work. If you can't tell by the title, we have a lot of people from other companies who work at my office. Instead of having a Thanksgiving Celebration we have everyone bring something from their home country and I always bring something from TX!! Last year we had a flag for every country that was represented and I made them hang a TX flag!! People at work think I'm crazy, but everyone knows that I'm a Texan. Anyway, last year I made queso dip (yes I was as surprised as you to find that they sold Rotel here, it is in the ethnic isle, but still sold here). No one knew what it was!! I made 4 lbs of Velveeta cheese with 1 lb of sausage and 1 lb of ground beef and 3 cans of rotel. I brought Frito's to eat it with, but there was tortilla chips as well. I couldn't believe that no one knew what queso was, even the Hispanic girl who works at my office. Needless to say John and I ate queso dip for a week and still had to throw some of it out. I found out that day that queso is Tex Mex and not real Mexican food.
This year I'm making sopaipilla cheesecake. I figure it will go over better since it is a dessert. I have made this one other time for people in Chicago and no one knew what a sopaipilla was!! Needless to say John and I are teaching these people all about good southern food. Here is the recipe, its super easy and SO good. John likes it better right out of the oven, but I like it better cold.

Ingredients:
3 cans crescent rolls
2 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
3- 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1.5 t vanilla
1 stick melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix cream cheese, 1.5 C sugar and vanilla in large bowl. In a separate bowl combine cinnamon and 1/2 C sugar. Separate one can of crescent rolls and spread pieces on bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Spread half of cream cheese mixture. Top with second can of rolls. Pour half of melted butter over and sprinkle with half of cinnamon and sugar mix. Cover with remaining cream cheese mixture. Cover with third can of rolls. Pour remaining melted butter over rolls and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Bake 40-50 minutes. Let cool to form before serving. (If you want to serve it cold, I recommend letting it cool in fridge overnight).

Houston the beginning of November

John and I went to Houston for my Aunt Lynna and Uncle Terry's 25th Wedding Anniversary. It was so nice to see family and friends! While we were in Houston we also got to see one of John's good friends JR, his wife Sara, and their baby Hailey. Here are a list of my favorite things from the trip that we don't have in Chicago:
1. Family
2. Blue Bell
3. Drive in a car
4. Good 'Ol southern food
5. Nice Weather (I had to dig this short sleeve shirt out of a bin under my bed b/c we've been wearing long sleeves since the beginning of October)
6. See long time friends
7. sun light after 4:15 pm (this really only applies to November-January)
8. Open roads with nothing around

We are really looking forward to going to TX for Christmas.

Here are some pics:

My Uncle Terry is a cook!
Uncle Terry and Aunt Lynna
Emmy, Kerri, John and I

Uncle Stan, John, and Uncle Terry
John and I
Aunt Jeanne, Kerri, Mom, TooToo, Me, and Aunt Carol
Kerri, Mom and I
Baby Hailey

Kerri and Tootoo came to Chicago

Waiting for Rascall Flatts to start
We are at the bean
We are at the Millennium Park
On the Architecture Tour
Touching a piece of the Alamo.

Kerri and Tootoo came to Chicago. We did everything. Here are some pics.

Gimp

I sprained my ankle playing softball last Friday...this is why I have so much free time to update my blog. I've been working from home all week b/c I have to get it to where I can walk on it all day by Friday. I want to be able to show Kerri and Tootoo everything. The sad thing is I'm going to miss my beach volleyball game tonight ! Booooooo!

Pics of Visitors vol 1

Fireworks
John and I watching fireworks with Brian (he is taking the pic)
This is what 1 million people looks like. This is in the street in downtown after fireworks.
1 million dollars
John and Brian
Amanda with the skyline
MMMMMMMM Chicago hot dog!
Amanda at Millennium Park
John and Amanda at "The Bean"

Happy 4 Years

John and I celebrated our 4 year wedding Anniversary this year. It has gone by so fast I can't believe it! We went to Brazzaz, a Brazilian Steakhouse in Chicago. It was SSSSOOOOOOOO good! I definitely recommend it to anyone!

Sorry

Kirsten Amy and I in my condo.
Kirsten and Amy with the awesome gay guys we met.
All of us at the aquarium.
I'm to worst blogger I haven't posted anything in almost 2 months! Anyway there is a reason for that: we have had lots of visitors to entertain us. In June and July we have already had: Kirsten and Amy (the first week of June), Deana and Greg and Adam (the third week of June), Amanda (right after the other Tarver's left), Bryan (over July 4th), and now Kerri and my Aunt Tootoo will be here this Thursday. We have also seen Robert while he has been here for work. I haven't even put all the pics on the computer, so far I have some from when Kirsten and Amy came. I will update more with the other visitors to Hotel Tarver.