onomatopoopa

This week Bart is going to a Translational Control conference in New York to present a poster entitled, "Nucleoside modifications modulate activation of RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR)." I'm sure you all know what that means. The picture below represents my mind (top) when I think about that title. The bottom picture probably represents Bart's mind.

Anyway, here's a link to the site where you can see Bart's name listed as a presenter:

http://meetings.cshl.edu/meetings/abstracts/2008transc_absstat.html

Good luck Bart!

From the looks of this picture, you probably think that I was born to be a swimmer. Well, that was very far from the truth until the past few weeks. Bart, my swim coach, has been teaching me how to swim like Michael Phelps. And, well, I don't like to brag, but I pretty much do. We've been having tons of fun going to the gym and swimming instead of working out on the usual treadmill or elliptical machine. Partly because we are slowly getting closer to thirty and it's better for our joints, but mainly because it's really fun. You guys should try it!!

P.S. In case you're wondering that shirt says "Sun Your Buns" and it was one of my favorites back in the day.

So it turns out that Katie is a really good voyeur, err, photographer . . . of insects! While on a nature walk the other day, Katie snapped this winner:


And then, as if that weren't scandalous enough, a few minutes later she upped the ante by finding this shocking scene:


She's not just a peeping Tom, though. More than I ever realized before, she has a great eye (and a nice camera) -- photography really is one of her hidden talents. Below are a few other shots she took that day. Enjoy!






P.S. If you click on the pictures you can see them in larger size, which will show off some of the amazing details she captured!

Two Saturdays ago we went to Tyler Arboretum for our weekly date. It was soooooo wonderful to be away from buildings and traffic and crazy people. The arboretum was having a tree house exhibit, so we had some fun exploring our little kid side. We also went hiking. Here are some pictures:

This is only the second recipe we have posted on our blog, but it was so delicious that we had to share it. Plus, we created it all by ourselves, so we thought Mindy would be extra impressed. It's a little something I like to call

Rotel Enchiladas.

1/2 lb ground beef
2-3 Tbsp taco seasoning
6 tortillas
1 can refried beans
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can Rotel (sometimes sold as diced tomatoes and green chilies--see picture of can above--it's the one on top of the pyramid)
1 cup salsa
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream (optional)
jalapenos (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground beef, drain excess grease, and add taco seasoning to flavor. Spray cooking spray on bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish. Spread a row of refried beans on each tortilla and line up the tortillas in the baking dish. (When all was said and done, 6 fatty enchiladas fit in our baking dish.) Meanwhile, mix cream of chicken soup, salsa, and Rotel. Set aside half of this mixture for later. Layer the other half of the mixture on top of the beans. Layer meat mixture and sprinkle cheese inside the tortillas. Roll up the enchiladas and pour the remaining sauce mixture on top--spread evenly so the tortillas don't dry out. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with sour cream and jalapenos if desired. Enjoy!

Accolades
Bart Anderson from Philadelphia says: "On a fast Sunday evening when I need to make something quick and delicious, I always turn to Rotel enchiladas."

Katie Anderson from Philadelphia says: "I served this at a dinner party, and my friends couldn't believe how fast and easy it was to make such an impressively tasty dish."