And...They're Off!!!

 
Yesterday was a bit of a cluster.....  

I wanted to re-sod the front and back lawns, 

Tom wanted to nurse his cold 

and the kids were bored... 

The only thing worse than a bored kid 

is a hungry kid...  

Actually, it's the same kind of pain 

since they bother you incessantly 

to either feed them junk 

or to play with them.  

Since neither of us was up for a game of hopscotch, 

things got a little miserable 

until I convinced Tom to ride to the park 

for some good old fashioned fresh air and jungle gyms.  

But today, I had a plan...  

A good, take-the-whole-day kind of plan... 

A plan that would be fun and cheap...imagine that!  

Periodically throughout the season, 

Arlington Park has Family Day... 

Tickets come with programs, kids are free 

and the meals for kids are a deal, too...  

There are kid activities, petting zoos and pony rides...  

The kids and I haven't been there before, 

so we loaded up the family truckster with snacks, 

blanket and lucky hopes 

and drove the 45 minutes to Arlington... 

If you haven't been there, 

Arlington Park is beautiful 

and it was a perfect day...  

As luck would have it, 

one of our good friends is a head chef on premises... 

Chef Ricardo (Ricky) DeLeon is one talented chef 

and a great guy... 

He reserved a table for us, under shade, 

so we didn't have to camp out Ravinia style.  

After a quick lunch, it was time to place our bets...  

Now let me preface this whole story by saying 

that in the morning when we told the kids 

about the plans for the day, 

Jack protested loudly that he DID NOT 

want to sit around watching horses run around a track....

BORING!  

He created a huge argument 

and dampened my excitement for the day...  

Fast forward and he is reading the odds 

on the horses and had his dad place his $2.00 bets...  

After betting for "Magic Bullet", 

he and Kate raced down to the rail like bullets to watch the action... 

Boring my a$$.......  

And when his horse won in the 4th race, 

earning him nineteen whole dollars, 

Arlington became the greatest place ever... 

"When are we coming back, Mom??"  

I may have created a monster....  

It truly was a fun day as a family 

and we were surprised to find out 

that Chef DeLeon comped our lunch, 

vodka lemonades and all....  

That was awesome and so kind.....  

Even if that hadn't happened, 

Arlington Park is a great way 

to have a terrific family day on a dime...

I knew I'd be too tired to cook when I got home 

so I made this casserole in the morning:

From Paula Deen & Friends, Living It Up, Southern Style;
Hot Chicken Salad

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked chicken breast meat, cubed
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar
• 2/3 cup crushed potato chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, celery, almonds, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and cheese. Place the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spread the crushed potato chips on top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.