I picked up Hannah late Saturday afternoon to head to my Mom’s for a Momma Day sleepover Saturday night.  It’s kind of weird when you see your kids after they have moved out.  I think it’s been about a month since I’d seen her?

We got to my Mom’s house and we decided it would be easier to go out Saturday night then on actual Mother’s Day.  I actually hate going out on Mother’s Day.  It’s crowded, over priced and I always feel like I am being rushed because they want to turn as many tables as possible.

We headed to downtown La Grange, which I’d never been to before. 

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They had a super cute down town that was about four blocks long.  So many shops and restaurants!

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It was a bit chilly though, we probably could have used heavier coats!  I like this picture because I was able to focus on my Mom and make the background blurry.
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We ended up eating at Thipi Thai.   We all love Thai food.  And you know I love spicy shit!

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The food was excellent, however our server was soooooo  sssssllllooowww.  Luckily we weren’t in a hurry, but it was crazeballs.  We split appetizers of chicken satay and potstickers.  I got Kung Pao Chicken with noodles:

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There were so many hidden thai chilis in this dish that it was almost too spicy, almost. Open-mouthed smile  After dinner we got some coffee at Starbuck’s and walked around the down town area.  When we got home, we sipped some wine and watched Silver Lining Playbook, completely not what I thought the movie was going to be about, but it was good.

Hannah and I stayed up until about 12:30 and then slept in my Mom’s guest bedroom.  The only problem with her guest bedroom is that it is super bright in the morning.  Tony and I sleep with black curtains so our bedroom is always pitch black no matter what time of day.  I was wide awake by 7:30.  Hannah slept until 8:00.

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I brought flowers for my Mom – hydrangeas (SP?!) – which I didn’t even know are one of her favorite flowers – she’s going to plant them in her back yard.

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Hannah got me a wine glass with a bottle of wine, some salsas and tea.  Thanks Hannah! 

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My Mom had choir rehearsal before church so Hannah and I went to Panera for a bit.  Coffee and a pumpkin muffie, which is like a muffin top.

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We had time to kill so I made Hannah a walking dead person!  God I love that app!

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After church it was back to Mom’s for brunch.  I made a classic sausage casserole:

  • 1 package of Jimmy Dean’s sage sausage, cooked
  • 12 ounces of stale bread, cubed
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • 1.5 cups milk of choice (I used 2%)
  • 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
  • salt and pepper

This is best if you make it the night before and let the bread soak overnight.  Heat oven to 375.  Spray your pan with Pam.  Layer 1/2 of the bread on the bottom, sprinkle with half the sausage, then half the cheese.  Whip the eggs, egg whites, milk and salt and pepper together.  Pour half the egg mixture over the sausage, bread and cheese, then repeat with the final layer of bread, sausage and cheese.  Bake until the eggs are set – between 45 and 60 minutes.  Mine took closer to 60 minutes because it went from fridge to oven.

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The sage sausage gives this so much flavor.  We nearly finished the whole thing between the three of us!  

And then what Momma Day would be complete without a visit to the local thrift store?!

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I got some cute shirts for vacation.  Still need a couple more pairs of shorts, may have to run to the Good will by me one night this week.  It was great hanging out with my Mom and Hannah! Open-mouthed smile

And when I got home, Tony prepared a delicious dinner for me.  He’d marinated a pot roast overnight – mine had chili oil, crushed red pepper, garlic and sriracha.  His simply had salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Mine was better!

We’ve learned the secret over the years to perfectly grilled meat.  We almost always grill our meat on a cookie sheet, above a cast iron skillet off the heat.  We cook the meat for about 15 minutes with the top slightly off on the grill to feed the coals with oxygen to get a nice sear, then close up the top, leave the top grate open and finish cooking that way.  125 degrees is the magic number to take the meat off the grill for medium rare.

Tony had a great idea to put smoked bacon on the top.  It became almost like butter when it was done cooking.

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The skillet catches any dripped fat so the coals stay perfect.  No flare ups.

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He made potatoes and carrots with rosemary on the side.

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OMG.  So flavorful, tender, absolutely delicious.  Of course at only 1/3 of this meat, but it will be put to good use as a leftover.  Thanks for a delicious Momma Day dinner Tony! 

And to cap it off, when I went to go to the bathroom Tony left me this picture.

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I am sure there are plenty of Michael Buble fans out there, I am just not one of them!  And Tony likes turn up a song if we are driving in the car too!

I am utterly unprepared food wise for this week, mostly because I want to use up stuff we have before going on vacation.  Should be interesting!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend – make it a great day!