Husbands....

Let me preface this by saying that I have perhaps the most helpful and eager to please husband in the world. He cleans my kitchen and washes the dishes and runs to the store while I'm cooking to grab that last second ingredient that I must've forgotten without complaint or even hesitation. He will take a shopping list to the store and even drag a child or two along in order to save ME the hassle. Yes, I love him. He's definitely a keeper, which is probably why I've kept him around for 12 years.

That said...is my husband the only husband out there who can't seem to make it through the grocery store, no matter how short his list is, without calling to clarify something or another? Tonight, he said he wanted chili dogs for dinner...um...well, ok, I guess. Not having ANYTHING to make chili dogs in the house, I sent him to the store with the following list: hot dogs, canned chili, hot dog buns, and cheese (written just like that). My phone rings about 15 minutes later:

"Honey, they are all out of Tillamook 2 pound bricks..."
"Um, ok? So get something else..."
"But..."
"Then get 1 pound of Tillamook..."
"I guess I *could*..."
"Well, I don't see as you have much choice short of picking something else..."

Needless to say, he came home with a 1 pound brick of his favorite cheese. LOL!

But if it's not this, it's, "So, they have a 6 pack or an 8 pack of the item on your list...which do you want?" or "So I have a coupon for buy 2 get 1 free, but there are only two on the shelf..."

It is almost as though all of his grown-up judgment seeps out of his brain when he walks through the door of a grocery store...Someone tell me he's not the only husband that does this?

Work Smarter, Not Harder

First off--hello! This is me, knocking the cobwebs out of the corners of my all-but-abandoned blog. :) Lots has happened since I last posted, but for the most part, I've simply been slacking in the blogging department because it's just easier to cook without taking photos and notes about recipes. Sorry! Forgive me? ;)


Ok…so, it's no major secret that we eat a ton of fruit around here, and that pineapple is no exception to that. In fact, we almost always have a pineapple or two laying around waiting to be cut--we munch on it, I serve it with dinner, and I even incorporate it into lots of breakfast, dinner and dessert recipes.

All that said, it's such a pain in the butt…I often spend 10-15 minutes neurotically trimming one, only to watch it basically vanish in less time than it took me to cut it up. However, I had a lightbulb moment a few months ago! I have always used my teeny tiny little biscuit cutter to cut out the core after I've trimmed and sliced the pineapple. I am not sure why it never occurred to me before…but the larger biscuit cutters are perfect for trimming off the skin!

Simply slice the pineapple into 1/2-3/4 inch disks, choose the largest one that will fit inside the skin, and press (or pound) them through the pineapple!

So easy peasy--today I cut up 3 whole pineapples and it took me about 5 minutes total. :)

I haven't cooked much lately...

Sorry for the lack of posts over here. There has been so much going on that I just haven't cooked much lately. Thursday night, we went to a carnival, and had awesomely fattening carnival food for dinner. Friday we grabbed Subway and headed for a concert in the park. And yesterday (Saturday), we walked through the festival vendors in the park and hard by far the worst festival vendor food I have ever put in my mouth. Literally threw almost everything we purchased all day in the trash after 2 or 3 bites between us. So, after another concert in the park, we treated ourselves to a late lunch/early dinner out at one of the nicer places in our small town. We sat on the deck and I had an awesome salad and my husband had what looked like an amazing cheeseburger. We'd earned it after suffering through the overpriced crap from vendors in the park (We seriously should have just walked into the carnival and gotten food from the vendors there again). LOL!

My husband has to work today and tomorrow, so we are likely not going to do the huge BBQ we always do for Memorial Day this year. :( I may throw some steaks on the grill, but will probably just serve them with salad and garlic bread, so I'm not sure I'll post that.

I will be cooking again this week, though, I promise! I hope you are all having an amazing Memorial Day weekend!!!

I'm not afraid to admit...

that I fail in the kitchen! I burned 2 full trays of frozen shoestring french fries tonight! Oh, plus I almost burned the tray of waffle fries I made to compensate for the burnt shoestring fries! My kids are totally ridiculing me. #mommyfail

Come Join Our Party

This post has been moved to my music blog. Feel free to check it out! :)

Freezer Inventory

I'm so tired of things toppling out at me when I open my freezer door! Upon catching a round roast that I didn't even realize I had to the toe a bit ago, I thought I'd take a quick inventory.

6 1-lb bags Broccoli Florets
1 3-lb bag Broccoli Florets
2 1-lb bag SW Mix Veggies
1/2 of a 3-lb bag of Stir Fry Mix Veggies
1/2 of a 3-lb bag of Crinkle Cut French Fries
9 3/4-lb packages of Hamburger
5 1-lb packages of various Steaks
2 packages of 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 2 lb package of Stir Fry Cut Pork Strips
1 10-lb bag of Ice
4 haphazard Otter Pops from last summer
1 misplaced Fudgecicle from last summer
2 wayward Lemonade Fruit Bars from last summer
4 Totinos Pizzas
1 jar of Yeast
1 box of Baking Soda

(Oh, and the round roast went into my fridge for tomorrow's crockpot dinner!)

Is it any wonder why things jump out at me when I open the door? I NEEEEEED a chest freezer. No idea where I'd PUT one, and I fear for the things I'd lose in it...but....

Windows vs. Ford

So, I get loads of forwarded crap in my inbox every day, and most of it I don't even bother to read before trashing it...but this one caught my eye and I laughed out loud at how true it really is. Enjoy! :) For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on.  At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, 'If Ford had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon.'  In response to Bill's comments, Ford issued a press release stating:  If Ford had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):  1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash..........Twice a day.  2.. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.  3... Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.  4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.  5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.  6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single 'This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation' warning light.  I love the next one!!!  7. The airbag system would ask 'Are you sure?' before deploying.  8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.  9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.  10. You'd have to press the 'Start' button to turn the engine off.  PS - I 'd like to add that when all else fails, you could call 'customer service' in some foreign country and be instructed in some foreign language how to fix your car yourself!!!!

I'm *NOT* Microwave-Compatible!

I'd just like to say that it takes mad amounts of skill to blow up a cereal bowl with 2 sticks of butter in it....on 30% power....before the butter is even half melted....

Add this incident to the 3 microwaves I've ruined in the last year, and ya know, I'm beginning to think that I'm not microwave-compatible. I think maybe I should leave all future nuking tasks to my husband.

That is all.

This is why I don't blog...

It's been 2 1/2 weeks since I posted to this blog. I'm already slacking! haha! There hasn't been much going on around here worthy of blogging. I have taken photos of a few recipes, including one I totally bombed, but I haven't gotten around to uploading them from my memory card, though. Hopefully I'll have time to do that this week.

Meanwhile....you should totally check out these recipes:

Tiramisu on Give Peas a Chance
Penne a la Betsy on PW
Blueberry French Toast (baked)
Strawberry Whipped Sensation
Luscious Slush Punch
Homemade Snickers Bars
Cheesecake Brownies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies on Smitten Kitchen
Cranberry Cheesecake Pie
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Banana Bread on Half Assed Kitchen
BBQ Crackers on Patio Daddio
Waffles on Give Peas a Chance
Shepherd's Pie on Hillbilly Housewife
Soft Pretzels on Smitten Kitchen
Phyllo Cigars on Give Peas a Chance (seriously, try these, if you don't try anything else on this list!)
Cashew Chicken on Tasty Kitchen
Pig Candy on Patio Daddio


Ok, that should be enough to keep ya busy for a while! :) Hope everyone has a happy Easter!

My Favorite Blankie

So, I have this blanket. Affectionately known as "my pink blanket". My dad's aunt made it for me when I was 3 or 4, and it's been my favorite ever since. It's a hand-stitched lightweight linen quilt. Or, well, it was. Now, 25 yrs later, it's not much more than a rag, but it's still my favorite blankie. :)

The problem is, however, that my husband and my children ALSO love it. It's a favorite throughout the whole house. I almost never get to use it. It even went on deployment with my husband in 2003. And most other times his ship went out, for that matter. I brought it downstairs the other night to curl up with on the couch while my husband worked a late shift. The next day, I had my feet wrapped in it and my 5 year old demanded I pick my feet up and then flat-out stole it from me! That is how much it is loved around here.

Problem is, it's falling apart. Duh. But, every time I wash it, I find pieces of it in my lint trap. :( I really should have it professionally cleaned and put it away for safe keeping. But ya know what? I'd just miss it too much. Call me sentimental, but I can't bring myself to do it.