Disclaimer: Your checklist may vary. Any and all similarities to this checklist are purely serendipitous and obvioulsy evidence of your good taste. Void only if you have no sense of humor.
Baseball practices cancelled due to rain. check.
Pizza fondue heating in oven. check.
Roaring fire in fireplace courtesy of my two scouts. (fire extinguisher tucked discreetly in corner of room) check.
5pm, cold crisp of chardonnay in hand. check.
Ticket to Ride on the family game table
Take Home Chef at 7pm on TLC.
Crikey mate!!! Er uh... I mean....Double check!
Hughes family...your mission systems are fully operational and you are cleared to pahtay!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Super Supper Swap
In my never ending quest to simplify my life and give me more quality time to do things like...oh I don't know...SLEEP!
I organized a monthly supper swap with some gals in my neighborhood last fall and it has been a great source of fun socially. We rotate hostess duties, no kids or spouses allowed, to drink wine, eat yummy appy's and talk about EVERYTHING under the sun. I ask you....what's not to love about that scenario?
The premise is simple, we had all heard about those chains like Dream Dinners and Super Suppers and while they offered up the tantalizing gift of premade food, we decided it cost too darn much, the menus were not all that appealing and to add insult to injury...we had to drive (GASP...ACK) in the killer traffic to get there.
In short, good idea in theory, in practice, not so much.
So I got together with my chicka Robin and we decided that we'd put together a group of 5 gals, prepare 5 of our favorite dishes, freeze them and then bring it to our monthly gals night and trade.
Since September, I have had some amazing family heirloom recipes at my fingertips to provide once a week relief in the kitchen. Who knew it would also be a fantastic way to broaden our cultural/foodie horizons!
To break it down we have
1) a second generation Italian
2) a down home southern girl
3) a committed organic loving, kosher, vegetarian
4) and two artsy fartsy foodie moms
It sounds like an odd mix, but it works because we honor the kosher and the organic for the veggie mom, but since she is the only vegetarian in her family, we feel free to bring the meat! She uses our meals as dinners for nights that she is out of the house.
So what mouthwatering item am I bringing to the table this month you may ask?
WELL..... I'm contributing Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas and let me tell ya'll it is killer.
Of course I had to tweak it some (okay....A LOT!) by adding green chile salsa and some cumin and chili powder and oh I went the low fat sour cream route and used corn instead of flour tortillas and I did my chicken in the crockpot and shredded it, which gave me the added benefit of some delicious homemade broth for the recipe.to use in the dish.
All I'm saying is, give the recipe a try. It really does freeze amazingly well, so if you likey, the next time you make it, double it up and stash some in the freezer.
Serve with a cucumber/orange/jicama salad or a corn/black bean/tomato salad and you are good to go!
You will not be sorry!
I organized a monthly supper swap with some gals in my neighborhood last fall and it has been a great source of fun socially. We rotate hostess duties, no kids or spouses allowed, to drink wine, eat yummy appy's and talk about EVERYTHING under the sun. I ask you....what's not to love about that scenario?
The premise is simple, we had all heard about those chains like Dream Dinners and Super Suppers and while they offered up the tantalizing gift of premade food, we decided it cost too darn much, the menus were not all that appealing and to add insult to injury...we had to drive (GASP...ACK) in the killer traffic to get there.
In short, good idea in theory, in practice, not so much.
So I got together with my chicka Robin and we decided that we'd put together a group of 5 gals, prepare 5 of our favorite dishes, freeze them and then bring it to our monthly gals night and trade.
Since September, I have had some amazing family heirloom recipes at my fingertips to provide once a week relief in the kitchen. Who knew it would also be a fantastic way to broaden our cultural/foodie horizons!
To break it down we have
1) a second generation Italian
2) a down home southern girl
3) a committed organic loving, kosher, vegetarian
4) and two artsy fartsy foodie moms
It sounds like an odd mix, but it works because we honor the kosher and the organic for the veggie mom, but since she is the only vegetarian in her family, we feel free to bring the meat! She uses our meals as dinners for nights that she is out of the house.
So what mouthwatering item am I bringing to the table this month you may ask?
WELL..... I'm contributing Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas and let me tell ya'll it is killer.
Of course I had to tweak it some (okay....A LOT!) by adding green chile salsa and some cumin and chili powder and oh I went the low fat sour cream route and used corn instead of flour tortillas and I did my chicken in the crockpot and shredded it, which gave me the added benefit of some delicious homemade broth for the recipe.to use in the dish.
All I'm saying is, give the recipe a try. It really does freeze amazingly well, so if you likey, the next time you make it, double it up and stash some in the freezer.
Serve with a cucumber/orange/jicama salad or a corn/black bean/tomato salad and you are good to go!
You will not be sorry!
Monday, February 18, 2008
My Funny Valentine's
If someone had told me 20 years ago that I would be a completely besotted mother of two male version tweens, I would have laughed in their faces. And then laughed some more. And then gone shopping.
As fate would have it....I am a putty in their hands. That is until they try to scam me....then I am the "Meanest Mommy in the World...EVER!"
I wear that badge with pride....because really what it means is
"I'm smarter than I look"
"cuddling still rocks...."
"....as do late night readathons where Mommy gets her thespian groove on by playing the part of an 18th centruy male Scottish clansmen"
"I love you too much to let you make a mess of your lives...which means...I'm going to nag"
"DUHAYM...you are two fine lookin young men"
"I will love you forever"
Happy V-Day....my funny Valentines.
PS my bangs look weird. like Dorothy Parker weird. You don't know who DP is? Go Google. she was before my time but I STILL know who she is. geesh.
I'm calling my stylist tomorrow. Runs with scissors? No. Plays with scissors? Yes And I should be stopped immediately.
PSS. I need to learn how to dodge and burn. That halo near my head? ACK
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Laissez les bon temps rouler
So I am a day late and a dollar short...BUT three years ago we (and I do mean WE...as in my family unit, kids and all) were in NOLA for a family friendly Mardi Gras here
compliments of the uber cute chicka center front in pink here
and we ate
and the kids played in the streets...no really!! We got to say with a straight face and no threat of family services intervention "GO PLAY IN THE STREETS!!!"
and there were lots of asses...of the equine variety
and the tighty whitey variety
and the necessity variety (laugh if you will, a private potty is worth its weight in gold..or beads)
and SHINY things...bags and bags and bags and bags of shiny things!
In short
THE. MOST. PERFECT. week-end. EVER!
Thanks Co and family!
compliments of the uber cute chicka center front in pink here
and we ate
and the kids played in the streets...no really!! We got to say with a straight face and no threat of family services intervention "GO PLAY IN THE STREETS!!!"
and there were lots of asses...of the equine variety
and the tighty whitey variety
and the necessity variety (laugh if you will, a private potty is worth its weight in gold..or beads)
and SHINY things...bags and bags and bags and bags of shiny things!
In short
THE. MOST. PERFECT. week-end. EVER!
Thanks Co and family!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Saturday, February 02, 2008
I love you Mommy
And I KNOW you got a new toy and all...but you SERIOUSLY need to put the toy down and back away
uhhhhmmmmmm......like NOW!
Meanwhile...back at the ranch...Thumper chills. Camera...what camera? I am at level 21 and the universe is my oyster
NOTE: On MY crummy monitor, the sofa looks like something the dog left behind. GACK...blech....what color is THAT? Does that color even exist in nature??? It is mutant and purile and evvvvuuuhhhhhl.
shudder
BUT in reality.... it is a deep sage offset by rich golden yellow walls,accented with scarlet(in throws and pillows and the old bricks in our fireplace) and pumpkin (in the plaid fabrics strewn in pillows and table toppers) and teeninsy strokes of black. Oh and wood, lots of hardwood oak floors...and my great, great granny's rocker.
Very mellow, warm. It is our cocoon.
Stupid monitor.
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