MISSION: Not Accomplished

The Mission: To not go to the grocery store for ONE week.



Why: To use up the food that we have been collecting in our pantry, freezer, and fridge for the past year.



And, of course, to save some money.



You see... I came across a challenge last Fall. A blogger "friend" of mine put out a challenge to see if it was possible to only spend $100 on food for a month. It was just her and her husband. (just like us) And they are extremely all natural/healthy eaters. ( not just like us) The challenge was to utilize the food that had been stockpiled in your pantry... and to budget out your dairy/fruits/veges that you may need over the four week period.



Sounds easy. Right?



WRONG!



I was absolutely unable to accept this challenge last Fall because:



1. I was cooking a different meal every day.

2. I was cooking very unhealthy.

3. I didn't feel like it.

4. I love to spend money.



But then came 2010. And Resolution #532 was to pay better attention to what we eat. What I spend. What I buy. To plan our meals around what ingredients I needed to buy - instead of making 7 completely different meals.



So, there was no better time like last week. We have had so much going on lately and I felt like so much food was getting wasted. Not to mention that the doors on our pantry could barely close.



Oh. And then there is the fact that I haven't really felt like going grocery shopping lately.



The week started off great. I literally stood at my freezer and pantry and planned my meals. Did you know that if you type a couple of ingredients in to Google - that it will pull up a recipe. Pretty cool - especially if you are running late and need to fix a meal in a matter of seconds.



Not that that has ever happened to me.



So, we started out great.



We finished off soups. Frozen veggies. Rice. We ate salad almost every night. I even made home made Caesar dressing because we were out of bottled dressing.



But then I got tired of having to sneak over the neighbor's fence to milk their goat so Kev would have some fresh milk for his cereal.



And vaseline does not work the same as conditioner. Hence my T-birds hairstyle from Grease.



The final straw was when I googled "squirrel recipes". Because squirrel was the only meat in my general vacinity. That just goes to show how desperate we had become for a normal meal with meat. And a normal meal that did not consist of 7 different kinds of pasta and a salad made of brown lettuce.



Geez. You would think that it had been longer than a week. The way I am carrying on. But it wasn't. We are just spoiled foodies that can't manage a grocery budget.



So, long story longer....



I broke down. I gave in. I gave up. And on Tuesday, I brought home this:









I hung my head in shame. For about a second.



And then I ate one of my favorite pizzas. Veggie lovers on thin crust. Thank you Pizza Hut.



But my splurge was not over.



Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day. Now if you recall, we went all out last year. I made a meal fit for a Irish person. We dressed as Leprechauns. We turned our pool green. ( If you don't remember - you can read about it in our archives from March 2009 - because I have NO idea how to link you to the original post. And I refuse to ask Kev - I can't let him know that I am computer illiterate)



This year: BORING! My creativity has been asleep lately. My days are starting to run together. And basically, I forgot to plan a celebratory meal. BECAUSE I WAS NOT GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE.



So, I drove up to Outback. And I ordered us the Queensland salad. Because salad, after all, is green. And that is about as much celebrating as I could handle.






( This salad also just happens to be one of my favorite salads of ALL times)





So, I scrimp and save and then BLOW it in a matter of two days.





And so I gave in and I just got back from the grocery store. We needed necessities. Like toothpaste. And milk. And toilet paper. (don't ask what we have been using)





And I am finally at peace.

Just a word of advice: Don't ever ask me for money management tips. Apparently, I think money grows on trees.

Welcome To The Blog World

I have some exciting news, folks!



My soon-to-be-sis, Laura has FINALLY joined the blogging world. Much to my delight.



Please check out her site: http://www.switzersheadnorth.blogspot.com/. It is titled "Misplaced Southerners: A New York Adventure"


You will be glad you did.



I may or may not have fist-pumped in the air a couple of times, cheered, and shed a tear or two.

Finding a new blog does that to me.... especially when it is family.

Less Than One Month Away.......

It is almost here.

The wedding of the Century.

Laura and Dave = True Love Forever.

In honor of the wedding... I hosted a shower last weekend. Shannon and Ashlynn helped with all of the food......



Ridiculous amounts of food. As always.

This was Laura's third shower.... and there is still one to go.

Getting married these days has a lot of benefits it seems. I may have to rethink my marital status to get in on some of the action.

You know that I am in the market for all new kitchen utensils/dishes/appliances.

I will have to remember to talk to Kev about that later.

So, until my next marriage/vow renewal/house warming..... I will live vicariously through Laura as there are some pretty amazing new kitchen items out there right now.

Collapsible measuring cups/spoons. Who knew?

Here is Laura (center) with her best friends from high school/bridesmaids. ( Wow... I sure am using the / symbol a lot in this post)



Notice my ladylike (?) pose in the background. I must have mis heard how to be a lady and assumed that my knees had to be touching at ALL times... not just when sitting down. And am I just sooo exhausted that I cannot stand up straight in the door way?? I must lean on the door frame because I'm so frail?

( I've got to pay better attention to when people are taking pics.... they always seem to capture some pretty interesting poses of mine)

It just so happened to be a beautiful day. The first one in months. And we loved having every one over to celebrate.

Especially Kev who hid out in the garage.



Counting down the days until April 10th.......

Sports and Love

Two things that you will never hear out of me in the same sentence. Unless it involves Michael Jordan.

I wonder what he is up to these days. I sure do miss him.

Anyway.... part of the reason that I have gotten so far behind on documenting our adventures is due to ......

The Olympics!

Only one of our MOST favorite things. We are obsessed and try to watch as much as possible every time these great games roll around.

The athletes. The stories. Their dedication. Their wins. Their determination.

ALL of it is so inspiring. And uplifting. And blows my mind.

I was able to watch the opening ceremonies in real time due to the snow (previous post) that forced me to go home early.

And we celebrated ( of course) with an Olympic ceremony meal.

I had a hard time coming up with what to do for this theme dinner. My initial ideas were Canada related. Moose steak. Maple syrup. Ice Wine. And then Kev added... canadian bacon.

We don't get out much.

So, since the idea of that meal didn't really blow my skirt up.... I decided to go American. I mean we were after all cheering on the U.S.A.

Hamburgers and Fries it was. But not just any ole burger and fries. I made sirloin burgers with CARAMELIZED ONIONS. My new favorite treat. I cooked them in my Dutch oven for three hours. And then ate most of them for a snack before I even served dinner.

They are officially my new favorite thing.

And as for the fries.... I made homemade sweet potato fries. Kev assumed they were out of a bag at first... because they just looked so darn professional. It seems my knife skills have come a long way.

The Olympics were amazing! As always. And as much as I cheered the USA on... I also cheered for so many other countries and their incredible athletes.

And I added one more thing to Kev's list of things he is not allowed to attempt to do.

Snowboarding. While it was one of my favorite things to watch... it literally had me holding my breath over the danger and scariness. ( GO SHAUN WHITE!)

And then we decided that we would LOVE to live in Vancouver. It is beautiful there.

But quickly remembered how miserable we were during this cold winter... and opted to stay put.

It just so happened this year that the Olympics premiere and Valentine's Day were the same weekend.

( Hence the "sports and love" title) ( I'm so clever sometimes)

I mentioned last year that we are NOT V-day celebrators. That is until I started cooking up a storm and creating theme meals every other day.

So, the day of food consisted of Santa Fe hashbrowns for breakfast - conformed to the shape of a heart. ( you will have to trust me.... I have no pic)

Then beef tenderloin/caramelized onion soup. Yes please!

And then there was the bread......


One of my resolutions for the year was to make home made Artisan bread. And as much as Lisa F. instructed, described, gave tips, supported me. MINE DID NOT TURN OUT.

Kim + Yeast = Enemies.

However, Lisa's bread was incredibly delicious. So, I know this book works. And I know it is possible to make delicious, yet healthy, bread.

Just not in my kitchen.

Fortunately, the day was not ruined.... because I accomplished another resolution. To become patient enough to bake. And not just bake anything.... but make a pound cake from scratch.

The Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pound Cake.

They serve this cake in Heaven. I'm sure of it.

It was PERFECT. And moist. And has officially become our yearly request for a birthday cake.

I worked very hard to remain patient. To follow the directions exactly. And to not freak out if it didn't turn out.

Luckily it did turn out... because I would have freaked out.

I also made HOME MADE whipped cream for the first time. And I must say that it is delightful. And my new requirement for desserts.

It was a great weekend. And a great couple of weeks watching the Olympics.

And now, we have a lot of catching up to do. Our DVR is about to explode. Not to mention my brain with all of the adventures I have yet to tell....

My Quest For Spring

It is March 11, 2010. I am sitting in my most comfortable position in my most comfortable seat in the house. Listening to rain. And cold. And gray gloom.

And yes. You can hear the sound of cold through my chattering teeth and the wailing of the wildlife outside. As for the gray gloom - just trust me on that. Because I don't know how to describe the sound.

But it is awful.

What a winter it has been. What a LONG winter. And before you get annoyed on the fact that ANOTHER person is complaining about the weather.... just know that I would have complained about it long ago with everyone else if I hadn't been so busy lately.

So, it is my time to complain. I hope you can forgive me.

When I was young, the idea of snow made me the happiest person on Earth. The sight of it made me even happier than the happiest person on Earth. It was unbelievable. Growing up in Alabama (yes, I wore overalls - it was a fashion statement. no, I did not date/kiss/marry any of my kin) snow was few and far between. So, when any Northerner happened to move in to town - I would gladly listen to their amazing stories of walking through the snow. With bare feet. For 20 miles. To get to school.

And then I would realize that it was my Dad in disguise trying to motivate me to walk to the end of the driveway to get on the bus without complaining.

My point is..... Snow= I loved it.

Fast forward to the present day. Snow= I hate it.

With the exception of it's beauty........

I hate being cold. And dreary. And driving cautiously. And wearing a coat.

Except for I don't own a coat. And I should probably always drive cautiously.

As you already know... we got snow this year. Every one got snow this year. Except for Hawaii.

I had to leave work early. And it took me 2 1/2 hours to get home. I've never experienced anything like it.

I think. My memory fails me often.

At one point, Kev was ready to "gear" up and come and find me. It would have been straight out of a movie. And wildly romantic. But, basically I was just stuck in between two pick up trucks while good Samaritans tried to pull them out of the snow and push them up the hill. I figured I was pretty safe... and had already decided that if a mountain man came out of the woods looking for a bride. I would probably go with him. Depending on what food he was willing to offer me.


It is survival of the fittest out here. And the fact that I refuse to miss a meal. Even if my life is in danger.

Luckily, I made it home safely. ( and remained faithful to Kev)

And was able to get some beautiful shots of the snow.....

I was hoping that by the time I had a moment to myself to catch up on this blog.... we would be in full blown Spring. And all of the cold weather would be the furthest thing from our minds.

But with the exception of one pretty day.... I am longing for Spring weather like I never have before.

I even wore a sundress to a meeting in Raleigh last week. With nothing on my legs. In the snow.

The tragedy of my fashion was not that I froze to death. It was that my legs should not EVER be in the light of day. In public. Especially this time of year.

You may or may not be seeing me soon on a TLC show called.... "An Abominable Snowman sighting"

Easter eggs, bunnies, sundresses, and marshmallow peeps are only weeks away.... and I have never wanted Spring weather more than I do this year.

Not to mention how much I miss my birds......

Hope you are staying warm!

Unfortunately, I Slept Through Football 101

That has to be the reason that I know NOTHING about football. Right?

I mean... Kev claims that all kids go through a football training class. At least.. that is what I asked him and he responded with a "yes".

So, technically, he made not have even heard me at all.

I specifically love to ask him questions during his watching of SciFi and Top Gear. That is when I get him to agree to the things that I want.

Like hiring a professional photographer to take "romantic" pictures of us in our front yard.

Haha!! That just makes me laugh out loud just thinking about it.

Anyway, my point is that I have absolutely NO understanding of football. And I am way too old to be taught. So, basically, I stare at the corner of the tv and daydream. And try to remember to clap or cheer at all the right times.

(I'm a basketball girl - through and through. Now that is some exciting stuff to watch! Especially back in the day when Michael Jordan used to play. He made the game amazing!)

I get the excitement of tailgating. But only if it is not raining or cold. And I know that sitting in the stadium can be a lot of fun. But don't expect to ever be able to have an intelligent conversation with me about what play was just made. Or which team has got the ball. Or what all those numbers on the field mean.

But I do LOVE me some Friday Night Lights! It is one of my favorite shows of all times.

Does that count for something?

So, anyway. The Super Bowl was last Sunday. And lucky for Kev... I NEVER miss a chance to celebrate. Even if I don't have a clue as to which teams are playing. Or WHO is the half time show.

(Haha... that was a lame joke.)

So, I followed Paula Deen's lead. And made us some Brisket Grilled Cheese sandwiches.

Um... YUM! I made them on fresh Sourdough bread with provolone cheese and horseradish mayo.

But it didn't stop there. Because Pioneer Woman says to never let your left over brisket go to waste.

So, I made Brisket Nachos.

Wow! These were divine! And I even used BAKED tostitos. Just to try and counteract all of the somewhat unhealthy stuff we were eating.

For the guacamole I added in an entire jalapeno pepper to ONE avocado. You know... just to make sure that little beads of sweat would pop out on the top of Kev's head.

( I'm sure that with my passion for hot sauce and hot peppers... my stomach lining is completely burned off. But it is just too good for me to give up!)

We had been eating so healthy for a couple of weeks.... so, this was a nice BUT FILLING treat.

And just in case you were wondering.... I did NOT make the brisket this time. I chose to keep it simple and picked some up from Hudson's BBQ. And it did not disappoint!

Not to mention ... that while I was waiting at the bar to pick up my brisket... I was flirted with. From a guy that was 60 plus and with a couple of other "older" guys. I will call that a simple pleasure. I haven't been flirted with since my boss at Little Caesar's asked me out on a date. So, who cares if the guy was old enough to be my Dad. Or the fact that WHO goes to a family BBQ restaurant in hopes of getting a date.

I have officially decided to stop by there every Friday night. In hopes of a repeat.

I will accept attention from whomever or wherever I can.

Practice Makes Perfect

We (me and Kev) have discovered our new calling as it pertains to quality entertainment.





And have decided to replicate these amazing and talented performers at our next family gathering. ( Including the vests and hair. Especially the hair.)





http://www.hulu.com/watch/126482/saturday-night-live-update-garth-and-kat








I predict us winning the top honors at family skit night. And wowing those in attendance at Dave's wedding.





We live to entertain you.





And now... if we can just get through the first three words without breaking down in extreme laughter. Laughter so hard that we cry. And have to separate ourselves from each other.





It will be brilliant.