all in on the whole teen years thing

C did in fact become an actual teenager this summer, let's just say the entire "teen angst thing" is part amusing and part annoying as hell. We'll go with amusing on this next story, kiddo had been allowed to indulge in the video gaming nonsense for a good part of the summer to the extent that some days we see him at feeding time only. Saturday evening around 10ish, 10ish p.m.that is I hollered a 30 minute warning to him, I was asked when dinner would be ready?  When I got home around 7:30 after a very busy day of working David had a full meal prepared, ready and waiting for me. The kid was genuinely pissed off that no one had thought to let him know dinner was ready. I asked him if he had been hungry or had considered asking someone or even venturing into the kitchen himself to investigate the food situation, nope not the point apparently.....

ramen noodles should be their own food group

I am sure they are horrible for you, quite honestly I don't look at the nutrional values on it because I really just don't want to know exactly how much sodium I am consuming, but they are super cheap, super easy and sometimes they just hit the spot

the funniest thing you have ever said to me

"do your parents eat Indian food"
alright if you don't know my folks maybe it is not nearly as hysterical as I may think but my Dad is a fairly strict meat & potatoes kind of menu sort and Indian food is so completely out of the realm of possibility so when David asked me this I thought it the funniest thing I had ever heard.

they might make a Southerner out of me yet

I am going to attempt fried green tomatoes with dinner tonight

file under things my mom never cooked

sloppy joe's and I love them as an adult!

does this kid ever get full?

David happened to get kiddo duty the other evening picked C up after cross country, grabbed him dinner & took him home. As I sat down to homework around 7 or so C bopped into the kitchen looking for a snack of some sort because "well I didn't have dinner" the meal a meat & two side was served to him around 4:30.....clearly much to early to have been actual dinner

last meal

a few years ago I seem to remember the last meal nonsense was the trendy thing of the moment and while I have no plans (hopefully) for a last meal anytime soon I would have to pick leftovers.....yes leftover chicken parmesan may be my favorite dish of all times why on earth is l;eftover Italian food so damn good?

is okra a food group?

somehow or another I made it 30 odd years or so before being introduced to the goodness that is fried okra..somehow?! oh wait yeah I am a northerner I don't think I had even heard of it growing up..but I love the stuff now and just recently I discovered that at the Walmart there is a deli area a deli area that sells hot food stuffs including yup you guessed it fried okra and yes yes indeed I did stop and get some after class this morning

from the are you kidding me files

-why did you not buy mayo?
because we still have mayo
-but it's the end of the jar
yes but there is still mayo and it's fine
-but it's the end of the jar
yes I understand but I used it just Monday and did not get salmonella
-but
but nothing the expiration date is several months away and we still have mayo
-but...

pasta wars

C and I are at odds he is firmly ensconced in the penne camp and I am in the rotini camp.
I am to the point where I alternate to keep the peace. Tonight is a penne night...

Haz-mat? really?

for chicken wing sauce? kind of make think twice about ordering buffalo wings

file under questionable

sir you may be the nicest man on the planet and the meat you are selling from a cooler strapped into the back of your pick up truck might just be the best damn meat in town, but I am not purchasing meat from a man I don't know from a cooler strapped to the bed of a pick up truck.

alfredo ala mickey d's

nuggets alfredo? alfredo mcnuggets? golden arches alfredo? mcalfredo?
Many many years ago I had arthroscopic knee surgery that left me on crutches & not driving for 8 very long weeks. David was having to do everything including all of the shopping & cooking. One night after a long day of chauffeuring me around to my job & physical therapy as well as a full shift at his own job he served up a lovely alfredo dish made with yes McDonald's chicken mcnuggets. This was back before the frozen dinners included the chicken and he didn't have time to swing by the store buy chicken then cook it so he cut out the middleman and swung by Mickey D's for a couple of orders of mcnuggets. It was a source of food that evening, edible but far from incredible and thankfully never repeated.

must try of the day

eggnog yogurt from Target! it is very good and the crasin granola is a nice mix in as well. I need to pick up some more of this stuff and soon as I suspect it'll just be seasonal.

rain rain and more rain

bleech I feel like a drowned rat and my house smells of wet dog. I am sick of standing water on the roads & in parking lots, my clothes being damp and looking at my yard full of muddy nasty puddles... I was going to say well at least it isn't snow but looking at the forecast it might be snow tonight. I hope we have enough bread, milk, eggs & toilet paper 'cause I am not going near a grocery store this afternoon! A snow day might be nice but I wonder if I should bake my 8 dozen cookies for the PTA for tomorrow? If I don't it'll stay rainy but if I do school will be closed tomorrow and I will have 8 dozen cookies at the house..maybe I should get more milk

peanut butter

if I had only known the ridiculous amounts of peanut butter that would be consumed in this household I would have bought stock in a peanut farm. Personally I can't stand the stuff I'll eat it maybe once a year by choice or by necessity if I haven't been shopping. The boys on the other hand have been know to eat the stuff by the spoonful, C has it each & every day for lunch and it is a frequent breakfast ingredient as well hence the need for the 20 gallon jug of pb. Even oscar loves the stuff! After watching a program on sandwich shops this weekend the boys are all about Peanut butter & Co. A little pricey but luckily available at local supermarkets, it'll be be a treat and not everyday pb and most certainly not offered to the dog! The dark chocolate & cinnamon raisin swirl have been huge hits so far selection has been limited so we may have to order the maple, honey & spicy kinds online. Maybe Santa will bring some...

we set & it forgot it

here is our lovely leg of lamb cooked to yummy goodness in our Ron Popeil Showtime Rotisserie. I made fun of David to no end when he first ordered this after a bout of insomnia back in the old days before we had a computer and he called one of the many operators standing by....however this was one of his genius purchases this thing is great and we honestly don't use it often enough now that is resides in the garage so I have forgotten how little muss & fuss is involved in preparing dinner.

food prep

I probably should have started some of this last night but where is the fun in all that? Deserts are finished and most of the sides are prepared and awaiting oven time. C is the official family brownie maker, he does a good job with very little help from me. The lamb is the main course but quite frankly and even if I do say so myself I make kick a** side dishes. The usual suspects corn casserole, creamed spinach, rice dish, green bean casserole and this year I am trying my hand at the southern staple of mac & cheese. No no real mac & cheese not the out of the box stuff I grew up on & usually prepare. It looks good and I used my cute turkey shaped pasta I'll let you know how it turns out...

Dear Mr Pillsbury

or can I call you doughboy?
I have a problem, I can not find your microwave biscuits in any of my local grocers any longer, did you stop making them? I am a Northerner(read as never learned how to make biscuits from scratch) so your biscuits are a hit in my household. The regular frozen biscuits are great & do taste better but they involve cooking. Have you ever tried managing that at 6 in the morning while trying to get yourself ready for work and your 8 year old to the bus by 6.50? 30 seconds vs. 16 minutes? Microwaving does not involve opening eyes to get the correct temperature on the oven set, forgetting to remove the cookie sheet from the oven when it is already hot, waiting for preheat to finish, remembering to put the biscuits in the oven to cook, doing simple math so you can tell when the biscuits will be finished, I am not a morning person these are not simple tasks while sleepwalking!

the impossible assignment

checked C's agenda on Monday to find a writing assignment that he had 40 minutes to work had not been finished in class and was being sent home so he could finish that evening. My gut reaction was oh hell no this s**t was not starting again what would the punishment be? I was relived to discover the assignment had been how I prepare a turkey for thanksgiving or some such nonsense...
Quite honestly how in the hell would he know? We never have turkey for thanksgiving! I am not sure when or why but David & I usually have a rib roast or leg of lamb for the holidays and I might throw a small ham into the mix if we are having a crowd but never turkey. I reminded C of some preparations that happen at Grammy & Grandpa's house for Thanksgiving but in retrospect I should have just pushed him to write what we actually prepare.