What's For Dinner?

Comfort food. That's what we want.

Sunday: leftover tacos and black beans

Monday: shrimp, pasta w/ spinach, tomatoes, olives, feta, and pesto, whole wheat bread

Tuesday: flank steak w/ blue cheese sauce, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, tomatoes

Wednesday: bacon, ranch, and chicken mac & cheese, spinach salad, whole wheat bread

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

Saturday: out

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday. I made tacos, black beans, pico de gallo, and guacamole. I'm loving the whole casual menu theme for company. Hamburgers, pizza, tacos...it's easy, fast, everyone likes it, and it sets a relaxed feel to the evening. Add some beers and background music and you are set.

We had enough leftover so I don't have to cook Sunday. Score.

Monday's meal is inspired by this. It's my current favorite pasta dish.

Tuesday's entire meal comes from the pages of this cookbook. I have her first and love it. I don't think this follow-up will disappoint.

Wednesday is a reschedule. You can find the link in last week's menu.

I never got around to baking last week. I have a coffee cake and some oatmeal cookies that are calling my name...I'm determined to get to one of them.

What's slated for supper at your house?

Good Things Come In Small Packages

Look what recently arrived in my mailbox:

This little sketch.

An amazing card, handcrafted with fabric and stitching.

A set of five notecards and envelopes, all made by hand from repurposed paper.

Here's a close up. Nice.

Even the enclosed card is cool. Love the colors.

All of these items are from the talented Mandy Gerth. Her blog is a daily read. She takes very simple pictures that capture the moment. And as you can see, she's got mad skillz.

She had a giveaway. And I won.

Go me.

Thank you, Mandy, for the loot. It's quite lovely.

If you want some fine loot of your own, Mandy has an Etsy shop. I'm sure she would be more than happy to send some your way.

I Dig This...

Getting me through the week...

*Miles Kurosky.

Lead singer/songwriter of the band Beulah. He is releasing his first solo album on March 9th. I'm a lucky gal and have been listening to it for the past week. Because I know people in high places, yo.

When it's released...get it.

It has owned my iPod.


*The Potholder Swap 2010.

I learned about it here. She is "in the know".

There are so many beautiful creations. Much too pretty to grab a casserole out of the oven.

I've bought the yarn. I have the pattern.

I've started...I've got five to finish.


*Gorilla Munch.

Addictive.

Personally, I think it's better dry than with milk. Which makes it dangerous. Too easy to grab a handful. And another. Then another.

I'm sure I eat a bowl and a half while getting dressed in the morning.


*Goat's milk feta.

It really is better.

Much of the feta sold at supermarkets is actually made from cow's milk. Look for feta that specifically says "goat's milk".

I'm sure many of you have already been doing this. I'm late to the game, but glad I've caught up.

*The Girl's lunch sacks.

She takes her lunch in a lunchbox, but her mid-morning snack has to be packed separately. Enter the classic lunch sack.

The Girl likes to fancy hers up a bit.


*Wearing dresses with my jeans.

I briefly mentioned it here.

Granted, to pull it off it has to be the right kind of dress. The ones I have been wearing are tunic-like and hit just above or at my knee.

I like feeling dressed up and comfortable at the same time. It's my version of girly.


*The Harry Potter series.

Why did I avoid these books for so long? Did I think I was too cool? Was it too popular?

I'm over all that now. I'm reading one right after another...with a break here and there so they last longer.

It's magical wizardry has sucked me in.

*Running.

I'm back at it. I had to. I needed a stress reliever. A way to clear my head.

It's working. I can really tell a difference in my mood.

And that's something my whole family digs.


*Running socks.

These are new to me.

I was wearing flip-flops when I bought my running shoes. These were the extra socks they let you use. I could instantly tell a difference.

They aren't cheap. I only bought two pairs.

Meh. Some days I'll just wear stinky socks.


*Blog Land friendships.

Many don't understand this one. It's understandable. I have never met most of you.

But I consider you real friends. I know if I was traveling through your town we could grab a cup of tea and hit it off without skipping a beat. I think it's because we share such personal aspects of our lives. We share what's truly meaningful, however simple it may be.

Some of you are "regulars". Some of you I'm just getting to know. And I'm sure there are some silent readers out there. I appreciate all of you for taking the time to read these words and look at these images.

Thanks peeps, for making me smile.

A Change In Plans

The menu said that we would be having flank steak for dinner this evening.

Those plans changed when the freezing rain started to fall. Snow-grilling isn't my thing.

I was met with eager requests for pancakes.

And eggs.

And cantaloupe.

Requests granted.

I even made some baby pancakes a la Visty. Apparently, those taste the best.

The Boy helped set the table. We used the Melmac.

I ate dinner off the Melmac plates every night while growing up. My dad picked them up when he and my mom returned from their honeymoon.

Now they are mine and there is good karma attached.

Finally, the brood was called to the table...

...and got their feast on.

Sometimes a change in plans is nice. I did not hear "how many more bites" even once.

The Boy informed me that I should go work at Le Peep. He added that he would come visit me on the weekend for more pancakes.

Good to know I have a Plan B.

Butt Board

This is Butt Board.

Sit.

Push off.

Balance.

Steady.

Zoom.

Halt.

Celebrate.

Peer pressure.

Oh...

to be a kid again.

What's For Dinner?

Sounding good this week...

Sunday: leftover pizza and salad from Saturday

Monday: spaghetti, squash & zucchini, whole wheat bread

Tuesday: grilled flank steak, black beans, guacamole, tomatoes

Wednesday: bacon, ranch, and chicken macaroni & cheese, spinach salad, whole wheat bread

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

Saturday: out

I mentioned last week that I wanted to make a coffee cake. I didn't. I'm still looking for a recipe that appeals to me. While on the search, I did stumble upon something else...something I will share later in the coming days.

The weather is getting warmer down here. I'm beginning to look forward to those tastes of spring.

It won't be long...

I Know Beautiful When I See It...

Some of the beautiful things that have brightened my days...

The sun finally came out.

Fresh baked bread on my favorite platter.

A bowl of fresh strawberries for dessert.

Sharing a snack.

A thrifted treasure from the college days.

Instead of pink or purple, she chose orange...my favorite.

After a long day, this is beautiful.

Eaten by the handful.

The Girl hides sticky-note drawings all over my classroom. They are a treasure to find.

What's been adding shine to your days?

Ten Years Ago...

Who meets their Mr. at a Slobberbone show?

Me, that's who.

Ten years ago tonight.

I'm normally not one to remember such things. But oddly enough, I'm more sentimental about this date.

In my mind, I've always considered this our "real" anniversary. Maybe it's because we dated such a short period of time. Maybe it's because it was all such a whirlwind. Maybe it's because we eloped. Maybe it's because that was just a formality.

I don't know.

Or maybe it's because I was meant to meet my Mr. upstairs in a bar at a smoky rock show.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Simple Napkins

I've wanted some cloth napkins for a while.

I just didn't want to make the cloth napkins.

I don't know why I have such a slacker attitude when it comes to stitching some napkins. It's not like it's hard.

But it is boring. And of all the things I want to make, something boring, like napkins, isn't one of them.

One day while looking at flickr, I came across a picture of some pretty, newly sewn napkins. Someone made a comment under said picture stating that her family used napkins that were simply cut with pinking shears.

Pinking shears. Brilliant.

So that's what I did. I took a piece of fabric and cut large squares with a rotary cutter. Then I took my pinking shears and trimmed all the edges.

I had a pile of napkins in less than 15 minutes.

These napkins have since been washed and I'll warn you that although they have been "pinked" they will fray a bit. Some strings will need to be trimmed. But just like cut-off jeans, that will lessen with each subsequent wash.

Next time I make a batch of napkins I will cut them larger and use a thicker fabric. They are fine for me and The Offspring, but The Mr. thinks they are a little on the "dainty" side.

*eye roll*

So, unless you are eating ribs bathed in BBQ sauce, they serve their purpose just fine and don't require the threading of a needle.

XXOO

I am not romantic. At all, really.

The Mr. secretly appreciates this fact. The pressure put upon him is considerably less. Especially on those love-fest holidays like Valentine's.

Cupid's cohorts, known as my parents, kept The Offspring for the weekend. That meant me and The Mr. had all day to run around sans children.

I even wore some red.

Our stops included such romantic locales as Starbucks, the shoe store, the bookstore, and Target.

When we returned home, I laid out my outfit for later.

I bought it special for the evening. One should feel beautiful on Valentine's Day, romantic or not.

We exchanged cards.

Allison at Field Wonderful posted a link for this card tutorial.

Perfect.

I've mentioned I make The Mr.'s cards, and this was something different.

I chose black paper with skulls on it. Because that's my brand of romance.


As the sun set, we got all dolled up for an evening out.

I put on my new dress. With jeans...because it's the only way I wear dresses now.

And my red Danskos. It was Valentine's after all.

We went to my favorite spot for dinner. We sat, talked, ate, talked, drank, talked...

And then we headed home to sit on the couch. He read his magazine, I perused my new cookbooks, all while music played in the background.

I even managed to talk him into taking a picture together, just the two of us, because there are only 3 in existence.

Make that four.

The next morning I got up and made some Valentine "sparkle cookies" for The Offspring's return.

They aren't very Valentines-ey either. They just want sugar.

And there you have it.

A romantic Valentine's Day, our way.

Thumbs up, Cupid.