Date: November 25, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Not Exactly Thanksgiving Food
With all of the excitement and chaos of Thanksgiving, I completely forgot to take pictures of the huge meal I had worked so hard to prepare.Instead, you have a picture of the food I made after Thanksgiving (what was I thinking, right?). It was for work the next day.
Since there were just three of us scheduled to be in the office, we decided to have "football food" to snack on all day for the Iron Bowl. I made Rice Krispy Treats and Stuffed Sausage Croissants (filled with cream cheese, sausage, and jalapenos).
Date: November 24, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Creative Shelving
I don't know why anyone would want a side-by-side refrigerator and freezer. They aren't very large; you can't fit many items into either one. Nonetheless, I had to make all of my Thanksgiving food fit in the fridge. If you look closely, you can see cookie sheets between the dishes. Hey, it worked, and I thought it was clever.
Date: November 22, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Stuff the Pantry
With Thanksgiving coming up, there were many groceries to buy and many dishes to prepare. Today I bought all the groceries so that I could prepare the casseroles and side dishes ahead of time. It worked out well.After seeing this picture, I see that the pantry needs a fresh coat of paint. Maybe I can work on that soon.
Date: November 21, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Fortune
Don't we all wish the fortunes inside the cookies would come true, even if only once in a while?Lately I've been dreaming about Bella, Edward, and Jacob.... This is why I found this fortune to be so amusing.
Date: November 20, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Getting Ready
We are hosting Thanksgiving at our house. We will have only eleven guests, but that requires a lot of prep work for the house.
This is the dining room just after we set up one of the long tables. The other table was put in the kitchen to hold all the food.
I truly enjoy hosting holidays and family gatherings.
Date: November 14, 2010
Location: City Buffet
Northport, AL
The Familiar View
Since we were unable to have lunch with Billy and Chris today, we met them for dinner at City Buffet.
When leaving the restaurant, I saw a familiar view: the lights of Northport at night. I once saw these lights each night I went home. But since we've moved across the river, I've all but forgotten them.
Date: November 8, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Egg Nog
For me, there are many items that represent the holiday season.
One of my favorites is egg nog. I look forward to buying this carton every year. And I want Barber's, no other brand.I like it straight. I know it's common to mix it with alcohol, but I don't like to mess with the perfection of this concoction. To be honest, I like Barber's better than homemade (at least the one I've had).
Date: November 3, 2010
Location: Kobe
Tuscaloosa, AL
Dining out, Catching up
I love catching up with friends. I would rather that we not let so much time pass between visits. Nonetheless, I love the anticipation of finding out what's new and picking up where we left off.
Tonight, I met Shannon at Kobe for sushi. We shared our latest news, hers much more interesting than mine. She is finishing nursing school, preparing for a move out of town, and applying for jobs. It's all very exciting.
Any sushi outing means I order an extra roll and request a to-go box to take Justin samples of each one. He enjoys the occasional treat.
Date: October 26, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Another Food Shot, Again
Heads or Tails Double Stuff Oreo.
It's the perfect balance of creme filling, chocolate cookie and vanilla cookie. It blends together in your mouth so that the result is a creamy, smooth, rich flavor.
You almost don't need the milk. Almost.
Date: October 26, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Soul Food
I guess they call it soul food because it makes you warm on the inside and reminds you of where you come from.You are looking at one of my personal favorites: Southern cornbread. It is certified Southern, too: cooked in a cast iron skillet, not made from Jiffy mix, and served with peas.
Justin made it, and that makes me happy.
Date: October 20, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Another Food Shot
You are looking at mac-n-cheese and chicken parmigiana. This smelled absolutely delicious while cooking.As sad as it is, this was the highlight of my day.
Date: October 14, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Sweet Green Bean Bundles
I am doing something a little different today; I want to post a recipe. I made my famous green beans for a dinner we are attending tomorrow night.
The Recipe:3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole green beans, drained1 pound bacon, cut in half1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Lightly brown bacon; do not crisp.
3. Wrap 7 green beans with bacon and place in prepared dish. Repeat, using all the green beans and bacon.
4. In a saucepan over low heat, combine butter, water, and brown sugar. Pour over green bean bundles and sprinkle with garlic salt.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
Date: October 13, 2010
Location: My House
Tuscaloosa, AL
My Real Birthday
The day started with early morning phone calls to wish me a happy 26th birthday. At work, the girls brought me donuts from Krispy Kreme and caramel coffee from Starbucks. Throughout the day, my loyal Facebook friends kept my wall full of good wishes.
Things got better as the day progressed. At home, Justin grilled steaks (he started marinating them Tuesday morning), cooked potatoes, made a pretty salad, and baked my favorite wheat dinner rolls.
Date: October 9, 2010
Location: My House/Kobe
Tuscaloosa, AL
To have your cake...
Today, I give you two pictures.
Mom came to Tuscaloosa to celebrate my birthday with a ladies day out. We went shopping and out to lunch. She made me a pound cake. It was a good day.And eat it, too.
Lunch was mom's treat. She let me choose; I wanted Kobe. We sat directly in front of the tv, so we did get to watch the Bama game. I got to introduce yet another person to sushi. I wanted to start her out with something mild so I chose the California Roll. She loved it; in fact, she said it was "wonderful." Success!
Date: October 7, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
As keen as mustard
Much like the Q-tip, I am very attached to French's mustard. It just has a certain flavor that can't be replicated in the store brands. It's tangy, but not too strong; it's bitter, but just enough. And it stings the palate just right.
Maybe I'm a creature of habit, or maybe my taste buds are more keen than average. Either way, you'll find French's in my house.
Date: October 5, 2010
Location: Our Back Patio
Tuscaloosa, AL
Fire Up the Grill
Fall means dinners on the back patio. I love this weather, and this is just one of the reasons. Tonight we had kielbasa sausage and Southwestern rice. Simple, but very flavorful!
Date: October 4, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Friendship Bread
It's that time of year again! I get the sudden urge to make bread. One of my favorites is Friendship Bread. You know, the kind you feed for ten days then share with your friends. It's great and I can't wait until it's time to bake it.
Date: September 30, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Just Desserts
Justin asked me to make a dessert for him to take to school for First Friday. He requested that I make Nanny's Mousse. I did, with my own twist.
The original recipe calls for jello pudding and cool whip. I made mousse from scratch and fresh whipped cream. I still used the boxed brownies, though. You really can't beat them.
It was delicious!
Date: September 26, 2010
Location: Our House
Tuscaloosa, AL
Soup and Sandwich... from the microwave
Frozen meals are not my favorite. Usually they aren't even an option.
Buuuut, I was tired when we went grocery shopping, and I certainly didn't feel like cooking once we got home, unloaded the trunk, and put up the groceries. Ugh.
So Justin spotted these in the freezer aisle. They were good; a pleasant surprise. I thought that maybe I was just tired and hungry (in which case anything would have been good) so we tried them again. Still good. In case you're interested, they are Stouffer's Corner Bistro Stuffed Melts and Soups®. We've found three varieties.
Date: September 23, 2010
Location: The Condo
Northport, AL
Grocery Surprise
My grandmother, Big Mama, called me to tell me my cousin would be moving to Tuscaloosa from Arkansas. She wouldn't be able to welcome him to his new home personally, so she asked me to go grocery shopping for him.I had a blast! These are just the non-perishable items. The fridge and freezer are stocked, too. I
t feels a little strange to see my old place with a new resident. I hope Trey enjoys it as much as I did.
Date: November 25, 2010 
