I am not necessarily political, but seriously Republicans, get the fuck over yourselves. The Affordable Healthcare Act is a fucking LAW.
I have never been embarrassed to be an American until now. These fuckers that run our country have shut down our government (whilst getting paid their own salaries mind you) and 800,000 federal workers are either furloughed or being told they are going to work without pay.
Blows my fucking mind how obviously racist and classist this country still is.
Just see this, people. And do it if you can. The Bloggess puts it together so much more eloquently than I ever could.
On a personal note, went to visit my sister this weekend to celebrate what my niece claims is her 8th birthday, but you never know with this child, everything that comes out of her mouth I take with a grain of salt.
Don't trust those baby blue eyes
It was a good visit. It's been a good week, actually. Good to have one before the pre-op (boo!) stuff next week.
Oh, and we had a potluck at work, and I took the infamous pickle dip, and it went over like gangbusters, so here is the recipe. You can thank me afterwards.
8 oz cream cheese, softened
16 oz sour cream
1 tsp garlic salt
1 jar refrigerated pickle spears (preferably Claussen)
Whisk together room temp cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Roughly chop pickles (do not use a processor; hand chop into bite sized chunks). Add chopped pickles to sour cream/cream cheese mixture.
Refrigerate overnight; serve with sturdy plain potato chips. Stand back and prepare to be in awe.
Cheapest, best potluck recipe ever.
Until next time, here is my Mood Ring(tone) of the Day:
Even though my clients tend to be a little nicer, probably because I'm not so dim, and I will say: I had a client who said that ( company I work for) was determined to piss him off and he actually thanked me at the end of the call after I massaged his bruised ego.
Gyno procedure (officially called Colpol) is rescheduled for Tuesday because my god dang body is not cooperating and after three months of no period, suddenly I have a never ending one.
Other than that: no news. Watching college football. Roll Tide. But sometimes no news is good news. Oh, the Rottenator and I did visit a new restaurant in a premature celebration of my birthday last night and he ordered a Bento box:
As I ordered the Green Curry Chicken and let's just say: he downed a lot of wasabi and my heart grew just a little bit bigger that day.
Other than that, my stupid female parts are not cooperating with my gyno's schedule so I have had to move my appointment three times: here's hoping that Tuesday is the charm.
I leave you now with a most excellent and unhealthy recipe that went over quite well for our Gameday celebration; it is so simple, and so delicious and decadently unhealthy:
Ingredients: 16 ounce box Velveeta cheese 1 cups milk 2 teaspoons paprika 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper 15 ounce can Hormel Chili (No Beans) 4 teaspoons chili powder 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1. Cut the velveeta into cubes
2. Combine the cheese with remaining ingredients in medium saucepan over medium heat.
So, I'm cheating because I actually made this Friday night, but I haven't had a chance to share it before now because the Rottenator and I enjoyed a mini weekend-vacay which was much needed. And even though it wasn't without its occasional spats, it was still enjoyable.
But moving on...behold: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo (aka: 50 ways to clog your arteries):
Serves four (if you serve with a Caesar salad and garlic bread):
1 box fettuccine noodles, prepared according to directions
1/2 c butter (one stick)
8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp, cut into four pieces
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. garlic powder (or to taste)
black pepper, to taste
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 c. fresh broccoli florets
2 T. mayonnaise (or enough to coat chicken pieces)
Italian seasoning blend (like Ms. Dash)
Directions:
Boil pasta according to box directions (12-14 min for fettuccine noodles); in the last four minutes, add broccoli florets, drain, and set aside.
Heat skillet to medium.
In a small bowl, combine chicken pieces, Italian seasoning, and mayo, stir to coat. Add mixture to skillet and saute until chicken is well cooked and browned through; 8-10 min (the mayo keeps it moist).
Place chicken to the side and in the same skillet, melt your stick of butter; once melted, add your cream cheese slowly, incorporating it into the melted butter. Just stir around until the cream cheese is melted; it won't be a smooth sauce until:
You add the cream; keep stirring until this mixture gets smooth; you may want to use a whisk; I didn't have to, the sauce was smooth enough for us, and then I added the grated Parmesan cheese and stirred around until the cheese got melty.
And then I added the chicken pieces and made sure that everything was all mixed together.
And then that big pot that I originally cooked the noodles and broccoli in: I put the noodles and broccoli back into it, and poured the chicken alfredo sauce all over it and mixed until it was a delicious pile of cheesy buttery goodness.
And indeed, I did serve it with garlic bread and a simple salad. And the heavens rejoiced. It was pretty damn awesome.
I am still partial to David Tennant, sorry. Sometimes I just can't let go of the past, but I'm okay with that...which is why I'm going to DragonCon in a t-shirt that celebrates a show that has been off the air for ten years.
Normally I would not comment on things in the world that do not concern me, but I do feel a bit moved to express my opinions on a recent topic of interest:
Oh, I have such mixed feelings about Ms. Paula Dean. I loved her whole story when she first started: she had the whole agoraphobia, abusive husband, made her success on her own (which I still admire, btw) thing going for her, and sincerely, her recipes are the shit. As in, her food is fucking delicious, and I own many of her cookbooks...because I am Southern...and engaged to a very Southern boy...and I like my fried foods. And a lot of Paula's recipes satisfy that very comforting "food I grew up on" hole that occasionally needs to be filled. Sometimes you just crave peach cobbler with a gallon of butter, or a dinner of deep fried everything, you just do.
So I was torn when Mr. Tony Bourdain, who I have also LONG loved...(as in "have a huge crush on, and had Kitchen Confidential long before he became a Food Network/Travel Channel/CNN "star" yes, I am one of those "I knew them before" people) attacked her...via Twitter, no less (even though he was SO right, damn you Tony!)
But I understood. I mean, Paula was kinda shifty/shady when it came to the whole diabetes revelation thing. And Tony also reminds me of one of those angst-ridden "takes his craft so seriously everyone else is just a sell-out and I'm still edgy and holding on to my youth, man" people that I now, as a middle-aged ex-goth, want to punch in the face. Grow up. You are a sell-out. But at least I can admit that I admire you with no shame or embarassment.
Since moving back from the big city of Atlanta, back home, to my own Southern roots, and living with a VERY southern man, I've come to reevaluate a lot of things in my life. I'm not nearly as cosmopolitan as I used to be. I embrace biscuits and gravy, fried chicken, peach cobbler, all of that ultimately Southern "soul" food that would as soon stop your heart as look at you.
So Paula's recipes have come in quite handy. That, I appreciate.
This whole new thing that's happening with her. It is a mess. If it is true that she said the things that she said, it is wrong, and it is offensive, but the woman did not lie. The only difference between Paula Dean and a lot of southern women her age who live down here is that they are not in the public eye when they used that word. My own grandmother, who spent the last years of her life in a nursing home being tended to by the kindest, most generous attendants on the planet, referred to them with such the same word. Of course, she was in her 80s, and Paula is in her 60s, so is that an excuse? No. But it is a reality.
I agree that Paula should be called out for the things that she has said; she should know better. And it pains me to know that things like this still happen; actually, I am quite appalled. But not surprised.
Delving deeper into the whole affair, and reading Paula's transcripts, it is no better or worse than anything else you'd ever hear down here on a normal every day. Take that as you will.
All I can say is that she is of the old school. Not that that's any excuse, because there are also other people her age who were born and raised in the South who have realized the error of their ways, but then again, there are those that don't. But I also feel that prejudice exists everywhere. And it is not more predominant in the South; just a bit more reported.
But moving on:
I have mixed thoughts about Edward Snowden, and I my one wish in life is that I go out like James Gandolfini: good food, good wine, quick heart attack, boom, peace out. And it kind of freaks me out just a little that he was only 10 years older than me when he did check out.
This is in no way healthy, or low in calories, or in any way good for you, but ehrmagerd, it is sooo good!
It's a homemade version of the excellent Outback dish, and bonus, it will allow you to order a steak or the prime rib at Outback without wasting your money on a chicken dish...at a steakhouse. That is ridiculous in itself.
So, there are many versions of this recipe online, and I have combined a few to make my favorite...well, that's a lie. It's not really my favorite, because my favorite entails homemade honey mustard dressing, but this one is quick and easy, and thus, it has become my new favorite, especially during the week, when I am exhausted and time is of the essence.
Okay, that's also a lie, because you do kinda have to start this recipe the night before, but not too much prep, I promise.
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c. Worcestershire sauce
8 oz button mushrooms (or any mushrooms, really), sliced
8 slices of bacon
1 bottle honey-mustard dressing (I used Ken's, 16 oz)
8 oz Monterrey jack cheese
non-stick cooking spray
1 T. butter
The night before, place chicken breasts in a plastic Ziploc bag and pound the hell out of them until they're about 1" thick. Pour in Worcestershire sauce, and let the chicken marinate overnight.
The next day:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Get a 9x11 baking dish (glass or metal, whatever). Spray that bad boy down with the cooking spray. Set aside.
In a non-stick pan, melt butter and saute mushrooms until nice and soft, about 5 min. Set aside.
In same pan, fry 8 slices of bacon until crisp, set aside. When it's cooled down, crumble up into bacon-bit sized pieces. Let it remain...aside.
Next, pour off excess marinade from chicken and brown in same skillet where you just fried the bacon (told ya it wasn't healthy), 3-4 min each side.
Place chicken breasts in baking dish.
Pour honey mustard dressing over each breast. Next, add sauteed mushrooms. Next, add bacon. Next, cover with cheese.
Cover with tin-foil and bake about 25 min.
Ta-day! Deliciousness! Enjoy; we certainly did.
My Mood Ring(tone) of the Day:
God, how I love Angel...I mean Booth...I mean, David Boreanaz...well, not so much the last one.
Incidentally, this is "our" song; I'm talking about me and the Rottenator...although, he's probably not as sentimental about it as I am. I've been a bit irritated with him lately; I'd like to say it was because he was being an asshole, but it's more likely that I've just been in a bitchy mood.
The Rottenator does love his stew. And I welcomed the opportunity to cook something other than Hamburger Helper or Beans and Rice so today's meal of Beef Stew was a happy change of pace.
Behold...
My apologies to Riot Kitty; this one ain't for you ;-)
What you'll need:
2 lbs of stew meat
1 lb red potatoes, cubed, skins on
2 celery hearts, roughly chopped
1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 pt cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 pkg baby carrots, pre-washed and peeled
1 envelope Lipton's Onion Soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom and roasted garlic soup
2 T. flour
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. Dale's steak sauce
Seasonings to taste (I'm not giving measurements, because we are a family that loves salt, but really between the soup mix, sauces, and soup you really don't need anymore...but you can't be Southern and not add some Lawry's...)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
non-stick cooking spray (like Pam)
Heat 2 T. olive oil in a pan; sprinkle flour, Lawry's seasoned salt, pepper, and garlic powder over stew meat and toss to coat.
Lightly brown stew meat in pan for seriously, 2-3 min, just enough to seal in those delicious juices.
Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray, and throw that stew beef in there.
Chop veggies and throw them all in a big tupperware bowl, lightly salt and pepper and stir to mix them all up. Or pop a top on that bowl and turn it upside down and shake until they're all mixed up and pretty.
In another bowl, pour in worchestershire sauce and Dale's; add soup mix and whisk together. Next, add can of soup, whisk some more until it's smooth.
Throw half of the veggies into the crockpot on top of the stew meat. Add half of your soupy mixture.
Throw the remaining half of veggies into the crockpot, and the rest of the soup sludge.
Top on top of crockpot, cook 6-8 hours, depending on your crockpot. This is my first time trying out my sister's hand-me-down crockpot and she says it's a fast-cooking one, so I'm going for six. It actually took about 8 hours for the potatoes and carrots to get completely done...
Now, a lot of people love crockpots because you can just leave it. I like to check on it every two hours and give it another stir, but that's me. And that's why this meal is best made on a weekend.
Back to work tomorrow, blech! But it's a paycheck that brings me that much closer to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter so I will endure...
My Mood Ring(tone) Of The Day...and this one is dedicated to Riot Kitty because she recently reminded me of one of my favorite movies, and what it is like to grow old gracefully and fabulously.
Back from Easter vacation at Edisto Beach, SC, and am very sad to be back, I must say. I love the beach. The relaxation, the wind, the waves, the smells, the food...oh, yes the food...
There is no more appropriate place than the beach to enjoy a uniquely southern dish known as "Shrimp and Grits". And oh my God, if you've never had it, then you are missing out:
I decided to indulge this weekend, and had a taste test between two local restaurants (not that there are a lot to choose from on this humble island) and tried out the shrimp and grits at the Sea Cow and the Waterfront...which doesn't have a website, which is so stupid, because they are awesome. And they won this taste test.
Though both were amazeballs. You know what else is amazeballs? Pimento Cheese burgers. Those were enjoyed courtesy of McConkey's Jungle Shack.
So, tomorrow, the diet and the dreaded workweek start again, but in the meantime, I will share with you the best recipes I have ever found for Pimento Cheese and Shrimp and Grits and just a few pics of my lovely holiday weekend.
Pimento Cheese:
6 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Vermont extra sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
4 ounces pimientos (in a jar), chopped
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 dash hot sauce (or more!)
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1
Using a hand held mixer, beat cream cheese until soft.
2
Add the remaining ingredients and beat until creamy and combined.
3
Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
Ta-da! Then smother it on everything: burgers, fries, celery, crackers, your face, the possibilities are endless!
Bring chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat; stir
in grits. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until
thickened. Remove from heat; stir in salt and next 3 ingredients. Set
aside, and keep warm.
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon from pan.
Cook shrimp in same pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until
almost pink, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and next 4
ingredients, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in bacon.
Spoon grits onto individual plates or into shallow bowls; top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.
Trust me, you'll love them both. And if you ever happen to find yourself at Edisto Beach, if you find a shark's tooth while walking the shore at low tide, I hope you'll think of me...because I didn't find one this time around, dammit. I'm usually a pro at that sort of thing.
Happy Easter everyone! And despite whatever anyone else says, it IS all about the bunny...
And the Godiva truffles...thank you,Rottenator!
Meanwhile, the Nooge survived his first overnight alone. Although he did greet us like this at the door...
Obviously, he has very short term memory and forgot who we were for a few minutes. Oh, he was not happy with us being gone, and greeted us with fluffy tail and mohawk. The Rottenator says it's because it was he was prepared to protect the house against strangers. My thoughts are that he was so fucking pissed that he'd been abandoned he was ready to rip our throats out.
Nevertheless,all was forgiven. Never...leave...again...
They both had a hard weekend
I like this pic because it's kinda abstract
This let's you know that you've really arrived; famous decorated Edisto "tree"
This pic does not accurately show how fucking cold it was
2nd place winner in the Scrimp & Grits contest
Awesome pimento cheese burgers
Oak trees, wisteria and spanish moss...telltale signs you're hitting the low country
Improved service and awesome food...preview of my Tripadvisor review...
One way in...one way out..."THE" bridge onto the island
My Mood(ring) Tone of the Day:
Just to add, the main purpose of the trip was to put together
furniture for my mom's beach house. Whilst the Rottenator excelled at
this task...
He
put together two of these bad boys, plus two other chairs
lickety-split, whilst I was not so fortunate. My mother ordered a
microwave cabinet that was supposed to look like this...
And I gave her an end product that looked like this....
Needless to say, JC may have been a carpenter, but Kathleen definitely is not.
I did manage to make a low-maintenance meal in the mean time, and I highly recommend it: served with a side of mac and cheese.
BBQ Meatballs. Who woulda thunk it, but it is so easy and delicious and even I, who has an aversion to sweet meat, find these to be amaze-balls.
1 (32 ounce) bag frozen meatballs
1 (9 ounce) jar grape jelly
1 (18 ounce) bottle spicy barbecue sauce
Directions:
1. Combine the barbecue sauce and grape jelly into the slow cooker and then add the meatballs.
2. Cook the mixture on high for 2 – 2 ½ hours until completely cooked through.
Ta-dah! This way, you can still appear to be productive and provide a hot meal for your family whilst sitting on yourgluteus maximus and crying over the fact that you will never be as hot as Buffy and regretting the misspent years of your youth.
My Mood Ring(tone) Of The Day:
PS: I am going to the beach in a few weeks, and I cannot wait.
So, I would post a picture of this latest and greatest recipe, but my cell phone never does my food justice, so I won't. Let us just say I made a chicken soup in the crockpot tonight that was awesome. And, better yet, delish!
To start: everything is chopped up into bite-sized pieces, and this meal is very economical if your grocery store is having a sale on chicken breasts, and you feel up to deboning and skinning the breasts yourself...which I was:
4 lb. chicken breasts
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup with Garlic
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken with Herbs
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped
6 carrots, peeled, chopped
6 celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 c. chicken broth
Lawry's seasoning salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning mix, season to taste.
Throw everything into a crockpot and 6 hours later...ta dah! Yummy chicken soup. I served it with some of those Pillsbury frozen biscuits and it was a perfect effortless meal for a cold day.
Chicken soup: it's good for what ails you.
I've been using my crockpot more than usual because my oven is on the fritz.. I'm totally pissed about it because it's an older oven, and it seems the temperature is slightly off but I can't figure out if it's running too high or too low. My biscuits get burned, and my casseroles aren't cooked through so bottom line: I look like I don't know how to cook, which is a complete outrage. We're currently renting our house, so technically, it is our landlord's responsibility for having something like this fixed, but short of it breaking, or me taking a sledgehammer to it, I don't see the situation being remedied anytime soon, so I'll make do, I suppose.
You see, I am a really good cook. I mean, it's one of the few things I excel at, and enjoy. I find it relaxing and rewarding to lose myself in a recipe and forget about all life's other annoyances while I focus on combining ingredients in such a way that the end result is something that will bring enjoyment and pleasure to others.
I think I was an Italian grandmother in a former life.
It's one of the few things in my life that shouldn't feel like such a challenge. Work is challenging enough.
Haven I mentioned that I cannot wait until Feb. 1 which is the end of tax filing season?
Bottom line: what does this have to do with me going to Orlando to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? Not a damn thing.
I'm currently watching season 2 of American Horror Story (I highly recommend!) so:
I worked all day, came home, made chicken pepperoni for the Rottenator, and checked up on Facebook to see all of the exciting plans that my friends and family had for the evening and realized: this is going to be my life.
For good or for bad, this is it. I always get down after the holidays; this year is no different. I'm still sitting her, less than an hour until 2013, hoping that something will happen. The Rottenator will have tucked away a small surprise, gesture of love or affection, but as he stares transfixed at yet another football game, the likelihood of that happening lessens.
So tomorrow, I will get up, I will clean the house, make the traditional Southern Good Luck New Year meal of ham, collard greens (my first attempt at this hideous concoction), hoppin' john, and cornbread and go to sleep and prepare for another day of work.
Rinse and repeat.
This year, I am sober, relatively healthy, relatively comfortable, and still filled with an unshakable, nagging depression that just won't go away.
I hope it is the holiday blues, and I truly hope that this New Year brings everyone health, happiness, love and life.
So, I'm watching the Emmy's and realized that I no longer watch enough television to relate to the Emmy's or even really enjoy them anymore. I blame television programming more than I blame myself.
Even though I did take the advice of a friend and finally caught up on this show called "Episodes" on Showtime starring Matt LeBlanc from, ironically enough, Friends. Of course, it's on Showtime, so I guess all television is not bad...just network television.
Here's a clip from the episode I related to the most because it dealt
with LeBlanc's growing old and getting fat. Unfortunately, I couldn't
find a clip of the very end, where he's watching old footage of himself
while eating an entire cheesecake, but this was funny too.
This was my birthday weekend, and overall, it was a success. My sister did a particularly excellent job of celebrating the wonder that is me by providing a Pinterest worthy spread of Japanese food, including crab rangoon dip, pb & j sushi rolls, beef skewers with yum-yum sauce and a Hello Kitty cake!
As my brother-in-law said, "just what every adult needs". Indeed. I even shared my rings with my nieces...some of them.
Oh, and when I arrived back at Bella Cucina, I found two big boxes awaiting me and they contained these wondrous delights:
Purple retro diner barstools! They are totally awesome sauce, and expertly put together...by me...alone. Which is why they are put together correctly...unlike our new entertainment center...which is put together assbackwards...with unpainted particle boards staring out at me like ugly scars that haunt my nightmares. Yes, I'm looking at you, Rottenator. With your non-direction reading, no-patience having ass.
These chairs, however, are perfect and beautiful and I've made myself nauseous and almost barfed numerous times by spinning around in them and sitting up really high so I can pretend I'm tall. They're also Nooge-approved.
More angles from which to attack.
I also got two lovely cards; one from my niece, the Artist-Futurally-Known-As-Victoria:
And even the Rottenator showed he had a heart:
Though this doesn't make up for the fact that he also ate the leftovers of my birthday dinner behind my back and polished off the White Chocolate Reeses but left the empty bag in the candy drawer. WTF, doesn't he know me and my food issues by now?!!! Whatever.
I also bought myself some birthday goodies.
Finish date TBD
Shark Footie Pajamas!
Cute, right?
These are not, unfortunately, Nooge-approved.
Protective gear
And I'm finally joining the Smart-world; only 1 gig too late, but I'm still excited...
I'm purple, biatch!
So perhaps I'll soon be able to post pics with better quality than these:
Let me help you with that typo.
All in all, a successful birthday, so there's no reason to feel depressed and anxious...none at all...
Yes, today was the much anticipated family reunion that I have been looking forward to for weeks, and it was all that and a bag of chips. Or, more specifically, all that and a yummy bucket of Frogmore Stew, potato salad and entertaining relatives.
It couldn't have been nicer. It was in honor of my aunt's 75th birthday and her son hosted it at his gorgeous house and we all showed up looking our most gorgeous selves and it was SO much fun to reminisce, eat, laugh, reconnect, and catch up on what we've all been up to the past few decades.
I wish I had more pictures but my phone camera sucks, and I don't have a real camera, so I'll have to await pics posted by my sister before I can update and steal them, but in the meantime I will post two that I have stolen from my cousin...or should I say, my long lost sister.
My real sis, cousin-sister, and me!
See, that shorty in the middle is our cousin Miss Priss as she is affectionately known, and she's actually our double cousin because her mom is our mom's cousin, and her dad is our father's brother, so I guess it's safe to say our family tree doesn't branch out too far. Hey, we are Southern.
Don't we look beautiful though? This is only an example of the beauty present at the reunion. Here is the first generation, brothers and sisters from whom we have all inherited our good looks, our biting sarcasm, our wit and humor, our downright orneriness at times, and our excessive sweat glands and unruly hair.
The OG Originals
No, we are not perfect, and we have our foibles and faults, but I love these people with all my heart.
There were no wrinkles, no gray hairs, expanded waistlines, old standing feuds, or petty disagreements present. There was just...family. And it was beautiful.
I wish my crappy camera could have done justice to the beautiful flower arrangements on the tables, but you'll have to take my word that they were spectacular as well.
But alas, there was no tunafish gravy. But maybe next time. And as a promise to my uncle, I'll work a little harder to regain my Southern accent and stop sounding so much like a damn Yankee.
I hope everyone else had a good weekend. I'm off tomorrow on a business trip to the NJ/NYC area. The Rottenator and the Nooge will be left without supervision yet again...god help us all...more specifically, God help my house...and the Nooge. I hope it's not too much like Thunderdome.
My Mood Ring(tone) of the Day (in preparation for my trip):
Not yet, but today means Xmas is that much closer, so with that in mind, Happy 4th of July!!!
Today signifies an important event in our nation's history in that it marks the anniversary of when we declared independence from Rule Britannia and dropped the superlative "U's" from all of our words, such as colour, flavour, and favour and also ensured that I would spend extra dollars ($) versus pounds (£) on things such as Walker's Prawn Cocktail Crisps, McVitie's Jaffa Cakes, and copies of the NME. Alas, pip pip and whatnot.
Today also marks an anniversary of sorts for the Rottenator in that a year ago he made an important decision to get healthier, and has stuck with it, and for this, I am very proud of him. He's come a long way, baby. Hell, we both have, so pass the chips!
To celebrate, he bought himself some fancy new underwear:
Against my better judgement, and to the horror of fashion experts every where. Here he is showing them off while posing in his Coca-cola fancy pants (what else?)
Classic:
And dress blues:
Hey, you never know when you might be invited to dinner with the Queen, or the President even. It's important to always be prepared.
And because I am the most awesome of the awesomest people ever, I made him holiday chicken and dumplings. My gesture has nothing to do with the fact that I am now dieting due to returning from El Paso about 5 lbs (not British) heavier (which was lovingly pointed out by a caring family member, thanks, mom!) and hate c&d so therefore I won't be tempted to eat them, and everything to do with the fact that I'm just so damn sweet.
And because I'm sweet, I will share this crockpot recipe with you. It's very easy in that like most crockpot recipes, you throw everything in at the same time. Now, you will find other recipes that will tell you to add the biscuits in towards the end, but I always find that doing that leaves the dough raw and uncooked, so I put everything in at once. Might have something to do with the fact that our crockpot is a fast cooker (recipes that say 6 hours on low take 4 hours in ours, etc.) so all I can say is that this works for us, and the c&d connoisseur in our house says that it's one of the best, so take it as you will.
Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 half onion, chopped
Two 10.5oz cans condensed cream of chicken soup
Two 14.5oz cans chicken broth
1 small can (about 6) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (like Pillsbury Grands Jr), cut into bite sized pieces
salt & pepper to taste (I use a mix of salt, lemon pepper, garlic powder, and Lawry's seasoning salt)
Lightly grease crockpot with cooking spray (like Pam), add chicken and onions, and season with salt & pepper mix. Give it a good stir to coat everything.
Add in two cans of condensed cream of chicken soup and one can of chicken broth. Drop in torn biscuit pieces, then add second can of chicken broth. Carefully spoon liquid over dumplings to ensure that they are covered, then pop on the lid and set to low.
In our crockpot on low, this is usually done in about 6 hours, if on high, it's done in four.
Enjoy! Or, if you're like me, watch someone else enjoy while you passively-aggressively digest your Lean Cuisine.
So...more about my life with a 10 year old's tastebuds.
God knows I love the Rottenator. But God also knows that I love cooking. Hence the dilemma.
I adore cooking. I spend hours planning meals, grocery lists, scouring the internet and Pinterest for the best recipes that I lovingly prepare with my own little hands in Bella Cucina for our little family of two (soon to be three, but more on that later).
So imagine my dismay when I proudly present my latest masterpiece and it is met with a tepid response. Or, even worse, a visible shudder.
My delicate little heart is broken. Especially because the meals I research are not for me, oh, no, they are intended to delight a certain individual who, despite outward appearances, is a picky eater.
Oh, yes. The Rottenator does not have what I would call a refined palate, but he has a definite list of likes and dislikes.
Likes: chicken, cheese, bbq sauce, bread, with an occasional ground beef or pork chop thrown into the mix, and all-you-can-eat generic buffets.
Dislikes: everything that makes life worth living sour cream, cream cheese, Ranch dressing, mayo, soy sauce, anything healthy.
Therefore, my options are limited, and my creativity is stifled. And I feel frustrated and stabby instead of appreciated and cherished.
Fine. I'm making a decision and taking a stand. If I do continue to feel like cooking after my full-time employment begins, I will implement the following plan: K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple (for) Stupid.
Yes, I am a little bitter. That tends to happen when you steal someone's joy.
How I'm feeling today (yes, three videos, one for every letter in PMS):
