My Favorite Things

Here I am. Did you miss me? It has almost been a week since I last posted. And before my last post... I had pretty much posted every day. Which is insane for me... and probably insane for those of you who only read once a week and had a lot of catching up to do.


I'm better in small doses. At least that is what my family tells me.

And most strangers.

However, I can't seem to do ANYTHING in small doses. Except for sleep and exercise.

But enough about that.... because I have some fabulous "favorites" to tell you about and I can't waste another minute!



CRANBERRIES.


Are you familiar with how incredible these little guys are.....


First of all. They are a berry. And let's be honest here. Who doesn't love a berry? A sweet, tart, juicy red berry.



They also help to cure bladder infections. (But I won't go in to detail on how I know that)



Unfortunately, I know someone who doesn't love berries. Or bladder infections. In fact, he pretty much despises them. They make his tongue curl, his lips pucker, his eyes roll back in to his head and his kidneys ache.



I won't name any names..... but planting trees is his favorite hobby.




Anyway. The point that I'm trying to make is this: even if you do not normally like berries (you are weird)... you will LOVE these berries and you will LOVE the recipes that I put them in. And you will be thankful that you have had the pleasure of eating these tiny delicacies.



And Kev is living proof of this statement.



You see... I got an AMAZING recipe for tuna fish. Plain ole canned tuna. Like this....

( Yes, that picture was taken of a shelf in my pantry. Don't look around too much. It is rude. )

Now let me just stop right there and tell you about my issue. Ok.... "our" issue of eating tuna fish from a public place. It will never happen. Because that is a rule that I have set for this household.

It is all because of something that happened when I was 15. And yes, there was a time when I was wrinkle free, mustache free, and stress free. It was when I was born. I've pretty much looked the same since my 1st birthday. So, don't try to imagine me otherwise.

So, I'm 15. I get my first job. And it is at Subway. You know... "the 5 Dollar Fooooooot loooong" place. So, my job was to make the tuna. In a super large tub. With MY HANDS. WITHOUT WEARING ANY GLOVES. (We also made all of our sandwiches without gloves. Because it was the 70's and no one cared about germs back then. Or grooming their eyebrows. But that is another story) If you just threw up a little in your mouth... I understand. I did too. Every night that I worked that job. And I swore off tuna from a restaurant. For life.

And the day that I met Kev.... I told him that my only stipulation in our relationship was that he was never to eat tuna unless I made it.

And he said "what the heck" because that is a pretty easy rule to follow. Especially if it is the only one.

So, I make tuna fish every now and again. And Kev says "thanks for remembering to feed him" and we spend our non-exciting meal exchanging pleasantries and handshakes.

But then I read this blog: http://cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.blogspot.com/ and she created the most incredible tuna fish recipe ever.

You mix it with mayo, red onions, relish, almonds, and cranberries. And then you pass out from the anticipation of the delight that is about to touch your tongue. I am telling you right now that cranberries mixed with tuna makes for an awesome sandwich.



We will never be able to eat tuna any other way.

I encourage you to check out her site. But only if you are prepared to be amazed by some wonderful recipes.

And just for the record. I made the same recipe minus relish and almonds plus pecans and rotisserie chicken. And it was almost as good. Definitely a "make again" meal.

I wonder what I will throw a cranberry in to next.....


FEBREZE.

Ok. I have an addiction. I've told you this before. You should not be surprised.

I LOVE this stuff. And I LOVE that they keep coming out with new scents. Limited Edition scents. I buy every single thing that I see that says "Limited Edition". Because that means it is special and might be worth some money in the future.

Collector's Febreze.

That is how I will retire.

The new scents for the summer are..... "Summerfruit" and "Pomegranate and Sparkle".

I never knew what "sparkle" smelled like. But now I know that I love it.

And last but certainly not least is....

MOOSE MUNCH.

I. have. officially. found. the. most. incredible. treat/snack. ever. created. For real folks.

Have you ever heard of Harry and David? They make the yummiest stuff. They are mainly mail order but some bigger cities have stores. I was fortunate enough to receive a gift basket from them for Christmas one year. And I haven't been the same since. So, you can imagine my delight when I went to Barnes and Noble to buy a book and saw a small selection of their confections at the check out counter.

Unfortunately, I started hyperventilating. Slipped on a banana peel. And fell on my back.

The associate was only able to help me after deciphering my eye blinks. And this is what I requested.....


Moose Munch. Caramel popcorn with cashews and almonds. OH. MY. GOODNESS. All I have to say is that I better see this stuff in my stocking this year. It is worthy of a Christmas morning surprise.

On the back of the box it says.... "pour out some of this delicious popcorn confection and watch the Moosterious effects. The mood lightens. People frolic. Mirth happens. That's the power of the moose."

I couldn't make that description up if I tried. And my mood did lighten. And I did frolic. And I don't know what mirth is.... but I'm sure I did it. And all was well with the world that day.

I tried to save Kev a bite. I really really tried. But the box was empty when I got home. I'm not sure how that happened.

And every single bite was worth it.