It's official! Celebrating with Asian Beef Skewers

What a great day. Let the Sabbatical begin! Rollie worked until 11:30, went to a celebration lunch with his co-workers, and was home by 2:30 :) Tonight we (Rollie did the grilling - it is his specialty) made Christine's Asian Beef Skewers, corn on the cob, our favorite balsalmic mushrooms, and rice. After dinner we took the kids to SanTan Mall (a nice outdoor mall near us) and let the kids play at the sweet playground there. Since it was dark out by then it was only 96 degrees... We came home and had ice cream and quickly got the kids in bed by 8pm.

The beef was every bit as good as I had hoped it to be. Rollie loved it. I've wanted to try this recipe for a year since some friends of mine did a recipe exchange to spice up our menus. I was told they were excellent, and were they ever. So glad we have some left-overs!

Asian Beef Skewers (courtesy of Christine)

1 1/2 lb flank steak
skewers (wood, and soak for 30 minutes before using)
3 T rice vinegar
3 T hoisin sauce
1/4 c soy sauce
1 t. bbq sauce
2 green onions
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 T fresh grated ginger

Mix all marinade ingredients. Cut flank steak across the grain and on the diagonal, making 1/4 inch thick slices. Place steak and marinade in a baggie and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Grill on high heat for 3 minutes per side (I don't think Rollie cooked it quite that long, since the steak is so thin). It was perfect.

Here are some pics of the kids from tonight:

We taught Lydia to eat her corn in rows tonight.

And yes, those are some special stickers :) I forgot she had them on

until some people at the mall were looking at her oddly.

Ben's "camera face".  Every kid has one!

Our big eater is pickier than we would like... We made the best meat ever and all he ate was rice and green beans (and it took a long time before he would touch the green beans. Then he devoured them.)

Tomorrow I'm taking the kids to pick up donuts and iced coffee and meet an old friend and her 2 kids at a park to play. Then we'll pick up our Bountiful Basket there (food co-op with great prices and great produce. A huge laundry basket of fruit and veggies for about $15! Tomorrow we're getting some of their good bread too.) Excited to see Marti, Dash, and Madison. I babysat Dash for a year, when he and Lydia were about 9 months old until we had Ben when Lydia was 22 months.

Rollie and I have a date tomorrow night, dinner and a movie! I bought a Groupon to a great wing place and Rollie got free movie tickets from work. And our friend Bekah is coming to watch the kids. They just love her.  It's been a long time since we've seen a movie in the theatre. We're either going to see the Debt or Cowboys and Aliens. Why aren't we seeing the Help, you ask? I think I'll save that until I can go with my mom or a girlfriend on sabbatical :) Plus I just started the book and need to finish it first. 

Well, it's 10pm on a Friday night. Must be my bedtime :)