The literal meaning of Yakisoba is "fried buckwheat" but more on that later:)
This last week my cousin Kasey came to visit our family. I am so thankful and blessed each and every time she comes all the way from Almost Mexico to be with us. She helps out with the boys, she plays, she talks, she does chores...she pretty much just does whatever I ask of her. She is a huge help when she visits and it doesn't hurt that the boys absolutely ADORE her and never want her to leave.
On this visit she had a few places that were a "must" to do. One of them was Braum's (sound familiar Andrea)? I think I drove her and the kids there 3-4 times during the week. Thankfully, Braum's doesn't tempt me so I had no issues with doing this. Another visit was to Bueno and yet another trip was Dink's. Dink's is a well known BBQ joint in the city of Bartlesville (about an hour north of Tulsa). We made the drive, invited all the family (my grandpa lives there) and headed up for a night of messy sauce, crispy onion straws, fried okra, and ribs. I may have just begun drooling again as I typed that...
So, back to the Yakisoba. Yakisoba in Japanese cultural is called "fried buckwheat". Here in the good ole' US of A, it's called noodles. On this visit, Kasey came with her Costco card. We just had a new Costco open up in Tulsa but I haven't been able to go since I don't have a membership. Problem solved! We loaded up and braved one of the most traffic filled streets in T town and headed to Costco. I really don't have anything bad to say about it, I just didn't see many differences from Sam's (where I am already a member). Owen...Owen LOVED Costco and literally ate every single sample (some 2 times) and climbed into freezer cases to buy the products. Yakisoba is one he grabbed. This massive box only lasted 2 1/2 days in this house. I can't keep these boys fed!
Problem...I still don't have a Costco card to replace said noodles. Problem solved...Sam's sells them. Bazinga!
Love you Kasey and thanks for the visit:)
Summer time has officially begun around here (3 weeks ago actually) and I am in full single mom mode. Some days are doable, some are tough, and some I just want to throw in the towel and go to bed at 6 (that was yesterday). Steven works ungodly hours this time of year and most days we don't see him at all unless you count 15 min here and there. Throw in the fact that we are building 2 houses at the exact same time and that my phone never stops ringing and dinging for work and you can see why I need a breather now and then.
We started off the summer with new do's. Summer hair do's are a must for me and the boys. They like their hair short because it requires less time to fix (they are boys ya know). We go to the pool a lot in the summer, even if it's just for an hour, and they love that their hair is now cut where the style takes just a few seconds to get ready:)
Another stop on our summer bucket list pretty much every year, is the berry farm. I love doing this! Note...if you are making plans to go to the berry farm, I HIGHLY recommend getting there as early as possible (they open at 7am). Just trust me...if you are there at 9 or later, you will DIE from heat. We arrived at 9:30 and I had sweat running into places that sweat should never be. But, our loot was so good and delicious it was worth every ounce of sweat. Blackberry cobblers and blueberry pancakes have both been consumed from this one trip and I STILL have a gallon sized bag of blackberries in the freezer.
To follow up berry picking, we have made several trips to local snow cone places to get filled up on more berry flavors. Our favorite choices so far this summer: silver fox, red velvet cake, cotton candy, spongebob (lime and banana), and peach cobbler. Of course, Rainbow, is always a staple with kids and I just don't get it. In a matter of minutes it melts to look like a black snow cone and I just think it tastes terrible. They don't seem to have a problem with it. HAPPY SUMMER!
Italy. Awe, Italy. I've wanted to go there for years. I dream about it, think about it, pray about it, and visualize what it will look and feel like once I step off that plane and onto Italian soil. Until then...I will go to Buca di Beppo.
Buca di Beppo translates into "Joe's Basement". If you've ever eaten at one before you will realize the basement feel as soon as you enter into a Buca. It kind of feels like a cave with low ceilings, no windows, with wall to wall pictures and frames that line the walls. It can be a bit claustrophobic, but the food MORE than makes up for it.
We have never eaten at the kitchen table before. I've always wanted to because I thought it looked fun. It was fun, but it was also loud, crowded, and HOT. Did I mention hot? Yep, you are literally inside the kitchen and while it is cool to see the action first hand, I found myself willingly walking the maze of the restaurant to take kids to the bathroom simply to feel the sweet breeze of the air conditioner.
The rest of our weekend was filled with the normal things most people do when they visit KC. We went to the Legends and shopped and ate and ate and ate. We visited Nebraska Furniture Mart. Envision if Mathis Brothers, Best Buy, Hahn, Garden Ridge, Amini's, and Lowe's had a baby. That would be Nebraska Furniture Mart. A store on steroids and not able to be fully shopped unless you had an entire day to spend inside.
Of course we did the Plaza as well. The Plaza is so beautiful with all the horse drawn carriages, hanging HUGE flower baskets, many many fountains, and coffee shops on every corner. The Plaza is hands down my favorite KC tradition that we make time for each visit.
I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday weekend!
This last week my cousin Kasey came to visit our family. I am so thankful and blessed each and every time she comes all the way from Almost Mexico to be with us. She helps out with the boys, she plays, she talks, she does chores...she pretty much just does whatever I ask of her. She is a huge help when she visits and it doesn't hurt that the boys absolutely ADORE her and never want her to leave.
On this visit she had a few places that were a "must" to do. One of them was Braum's (sound familiar Andrea)? I think I drove her and the kids there 3-4 times during the week. Thankfully, Braum's doesn't tempt me so I had no issues with doing this. Another visit was to Bueno and yet another trip was Dink's. Dink's is a well known BBQ joint in the city of Bartlesville (about an hour north of Tulsa). We made the drive, invited all the family (my grandpa lives there) and headed up for a night of messy sauce, crispy onion straws, fried okra, and ribs. I may have just begun drooling again as I typed that...
So, back to the Yakisoba. Yakisoba in Japanese cultural is called "fried buckwheat". Here in the good ole' US of A, it's called noodles. On this visit, Kasey came with her Costco card. We just had a new Costco open up in Tulsa but I haven't been able to go since I don't have a membership. Problem solved! We loaded up and braved one of the most traffic filled streets in T town and headed to Costco. I really don't have anything bad to say about it, I just didn't see many differences from Sam's (where I am already a member). Owen...Owen LOVED Costco and literally ate every single sample (some 2 times) and climbed into freezer cases to buy the products. Yakisoba is one he grabbed. This massive box only lasted 2 1/2 days in this house. I can't keep these boys fed!
