Happy Martin Luther King Day!

Okay, it’s almost over now — at our house, MLK Day is also Sarah’s birthday — and I have a moment to write a bit about the past few days, which I spent (a) with my Sweetie, (b) and our kids, (c) and WITHOUT the computer.

Ah, the sheer bliss of it.  Four of us, in one room, the kids bouncing off the wall from the sheer excitement of an acre of water park just beneath us.

Craig attended Code Mash, and brought us along this year — the conference went so well, I’m hoping they’ll be able to do the same thing next year. They even had little events for the kids — brilliant!

Kalahari Resorts in Sandusky has added a couple of new water slides to the acreage, my favorite being the Tanzanian Twist, which is constructed a bit like a toilet bowl — you swirl around the outside rim, then drop through a hole into six feet of water. (I tried not to think about how many people wet themselves with fright as they fell through the hole into the pond below.)

Back at the room, kids ravenous and me unwilling to take out a second mortgage on our home to eat out every meal, I came up with a few easy meals to eat in the room. We had a small fridge and a microwave, plus a few basic utensils that easily fit into a crockpot.

Crockery Chili:  canned kidney beans, crushed tomatoes with garlic and peppers, packet chili seasoning, package of veggie crumbles. Crock and top with shredded cheddar — eat with corn chips.

Stuffed Tators:  Zap 4 large potatoes after slashing the skins. Stuff with cheese and leftover chili, or salsa (jar) and cheese.  If you just gotta have the meat, add a little canned chicken.

Chicken Rolls:  Spread tortillas with soft cream cheese (the kind you bring along to spread on bagels in the morning). Add a couple slices deli chicken, and roll around a pickle spear or green onion. Dunk in ranch of you want to — along with baby carrot sticks.

Broccoli Toss:  Zap a bag of frozen broccoli, slit open and dump in bowl along with a can of chicken and a jar of Pace’s spicy four-cheese sauce. Eat with chips.

All of these go really well with a Mike’s Hard Lemonade, which since no one is driving anywhere feels really good going down after a day in the noisy water park!  Later on, nibble on a bag of microwave corn — I like it with a dash of garlic powder and Parmesan cheese.

What’s your favorite Motel Cookery?