Deal or No Deal

Russell spent the weekend trying out for the game show Deal or No Deal. If you've not seen it, you should watch. He received a call back and he had to bring his team of supporters to the call back for a video try out. There was myself, Sara, Caitlin, Erica and Trevor. It was actually more fun than I thought it would be. It was really easy to get yourself excited about winning large sums of money. There goes the idea that I am not easily swayed by material wealth. Here is what we decided we would do with the money if we won any.

1. Have fun, no matter if we won or not.
2. Take all the kids on vacation to Cozemel.
3. Russell and I would go to the Seychelles (If you don't know where they are, look them up. You are online...)
4. Pay off our debt
5. Save the rest for education/retirement.

It's really nice to dream. First we have to make the cut with the directors, then the executives, then we would fly to LA for the show. Huge hurdles to overcome. But is was fun.

Pumpkin Cognac Creme Brule

For a non alcoholic version of this dish, simply leave out the cognac; you'll lose depth of flavor, but the custard will cook the same. Do not substitute pie filling for the canned pumpkin and spices.

Makes: 8 servings

Prep: 15 Minutes

Bake: 45 minutes

Chill: 3 hours or overnight

3 cups whipping cream

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons canned pumpkin

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons cognac

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees farenheit. Place 8 six ounce ramekins or custard cups in a heavy duty roasting pan.

2. Heat whipping cream to just under a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat.

3. Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl, whisking together just until smooth. Gradually whisk in hot cream. Pour mixture through a wire-mesh strainer into a pitcher.

4. Divide custard evenly among ramekins. Fill pan with hot water to a depth of 1 inch. Cover with aluminum foil, crimping around edges of pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until custard is barely set and juggles when shaken Remove ramekins from water bath, let cool and chill 3 hours or up to three days.

5. Remove from refrigerator. Sprinkle surface with 1 scant tablespoon sugar. Caramelize sugar with a kitchen blowtorch, moving quickly back and forth across custard. Let cool 2-3 minutes before serving.

Note: If you don't have a kitchen blowtorch, broil 3 inches from heat for 2 to 3 minutes until sugar caramelizes.

Thanksgiving --We have lots to be thankful for this year.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday this year. We had so much to be thankful for. Trevor is home safe and sound. Matt, Connor, Ben and Haven are growing and learning fast. We are all healthy and reasonably happy. Dinner was lovely. Our guests included Mom, Dad, Sara, Trevor, Haven, Ben, Caitlin, Dan, Erica, Matt and Connor. The turkey was cooked to perfection and I made Pumpkin Cognac Creme Brule for dessert. We haven't mentioned Ben before. He is Trevor's son and Sara's stepson. He calls us Gigi and Papa too.

We put out tree up this weekend and have the pictures to prove it. We received a phone call from Russell's cousin David Hedges while we where putting up the decorations. So we want to send out a shout to our cousin David and his lovely wife Shirley in Madeira, Portugal. We are looking forward to your proposed visit. (While everyone may want to visit Madeira, not many people want to visit Minne-snow-da--especially in the winter with arctic temperatures and several feet of snow!

We had a dusting of snow for Thanksgiving so the boys took advantage of it and got outside to play. They made snow angels and you could see the grass when they were done. It was adorable. Speaking of adorable we have a new puppy--Ace. He is a black lab. He and Annie are having so much fun. He's already house broken and has a sweet disposition.

Perfect Autumn Afternoon

Matt and Connor raked leaves today with the sole purpose of jumping in them. What a gorgeous day!

We are all aflutter. Trevor is coming home. His welcome home ceremony is on Monday at 1:00 in Woodbury at an elementary school. We are very proud of him. More pictures to follow.

Russell is returned from Chicago. As evidenced by the Bears hat Matthew is wearing. He didn't get much time to explore, but he did get downtown and into Chinatown. He was searching for a bento box for me, but alas, did not find one.

We went to Aamodt's apple orchard. It was a golden day with some lovely rosy apples and fresh baked goods. They have a hay mountain and a hay bale maze that kids can play in. They were covered in hay, itchy and prickly and tired when we took them home. Aamodt's has a vineyard too that would be fun to tour, and then drink the wine. We can save that trip for another time.

Photos

Grandpa and his girl

Trevor and Russell in their "Man Dresses."

Autumn is here! Leaves are changing and the air is crisp.

Fall is my favorite season. Winter isn't far behind. Russell really likes winter. He loves the snow, except for the shoveling. I really like fall. I like crisp apples, rustling leaves, sweaters, the clean air and the return to routine. We went walking today in the cool morning air. About 1/2 way into our walk it started to rain. We kept right on walking. When we got home, we were drenched and chilled, but nothing that a hot shower and a cup of cocoa won't fix.

The Vikings suck. I tried to think of a more eloquent way to put it, but all the elegant phrases don't sum up the suckiness of the Vikings. We lost to the Packers--of all teams. It's like Palace losing to Millwall or Brighton. I am having some serious thoughts about supporting the Bears.

I've started a new blog called "Tea Bag Wisdom." It's just reflections that I have while drinking my tea. I hope you stop by and take a look. I'll attach a link.

I35W Bridge Collapse

How horrifying is this? No one that we know was on the bridge, thank God! But Caitlin was on her way to a Twins Game and heard the rumble and saw the smoke from several blocks away. I went all cold, and the hair on my arms stood on end when I realized that she was on her way downtown. It took me several minutes to reach her. I was shaking so hard. We are praying for the families and the victims.

Matt just finished his summer school. He loves school and has been bugging me to go to school year 'round. There is a school in Mahtomedi that goes year round. The kids finish two years early and then go to Century College for the last two years. I'm not ready to give up my summers yet.

Trevor arrives tomorrow from Iraq. I've got a lovely camel steak in the fridge just for him. That should make him feel right at home...

I hope that you and yours are safe. Keep the victims of the the I35 W Bridge Collapse in your thoughts.

Summer's half over

And I am not ready for the school year to begin. We haven't had time to go to the beach, we have only gone for icecream a couple times. It seems like we just started the baseball season and it ended today!

When I was young, summer days stretched out before me like a string of blue and green jewels. It was so long, I couldn't see the end of it. Now, there are a couple weeks of baseball, some really steaming hot days and then the new shoes and school supplies are in Target.

We are expecting our son-in-law, Trevor, home from Iraq in the next 14-20 days. We are really looking forward to feeding him up! Sara and Haven have missed him terribly. He's earned some relaxation time with his family. I hope that the politicians pull the plug on the war. It's not doing anything to help our economy and it certainly is not solving any of the problems Iraq is facing.

Happy summer!

The Horstead Family

The Horstead/Mikish Kids
Haven's 1st Birthday
Pool rats!
The Boys at the top of the stairs in Stillwater
Matthew as a 5 year old Blue Belt in Taekwondo.

Happy July 4th, or maybe not...

Every July we have the same running banter. I wish Russell Happy 4th and he tells me to go forth and multiply. Obviously it's because he's bitter that the British lost the war...

This year the weather is lovely, we have family coming over for a bar-b- que, and then we are heading down to the St. Croix River for the fireworks.

What's that? We haven't introduced ourselves? Sorry. I am Carriann, mother, wife, daughter, friend, etc. My husband, Russell, and I have five children and one grandchild. We live in Stillwater Minnesota. We are in a mixed marriage--we don't like to talk about it. Russell supports the Packers and I support the Vikings. Russell is British, but we won't hold that against him. He might like it too much...

Sara, our oldest, is married to Trevor and we let them parent our granddaughter, Haven. She is so sweet. Many pictures to follow.

Caitlin just finished a cosmotology program and is now working for a local salon. She is the parent to a very crazy dog--Hunter. Many pictures to follow.

Erica is 18 going on 30. She is the typical "knows everything" teen. She works at BWW and hangs with her "peeps." We love her, but she tests our patience. Many pictures to follow.

Matthew is 7 and the size of a 10 year old. He plays soccer, baseball, basketball and is a purple belt in Tae kwon do. He likes to read, play video games and ride his bike. Many pictures to follow.

Connor is 4 and has a cute dimple. He likes to play at the park and works really had to keep up to Matt and his friends. He has a "personality", if you know what I mean. Many pictures to follow.

Haven, our granddaughter, is 15 months and we love to babysit her. She is the best thing since sliced white bread! Many pictures to follow.

Oh, I almost forgot Annie. She is our yellow lab. She has a gentle personality and came with a dozen tricks. She likes to take walks and chases a golf ball. Only a golf ball. Many pictures to follow.

Happy 4th of July, or not...