Farmer’s Market Kinda Day…

I have to say that today’s meals were based around my farmer’s market finds from the weekend. J and I went to visit my parents this weekend, since it was my dad’s b-day. It was a relaxing and enjoyable time, just a good time to get away from everything. But it the best part were the farmer’s stands with produce. The corn that was featured in dinner tonight was fresh out of the field, the silks still sticky and the skins still damp. This was by far the best sweet corn of the year, and what better way to feature it than in a salad.

 

So good, it makes me almost want to have it again… Luckily for me, there still some left, which will make for a good lunch tomorrow! (My goodness, that looks like a lot of cheese, but I swear it’s just a little bit of the fine shredded stuff!)

As for me, I’m just catching up from the weekend, and watching part of the VMA’s, which I haven’t done in a long time, but glad I did. One of my favorite bands, MUSE is currently performing.

Oh My Gosh…

Has it been a week! I cannot believe that I have not posted since last weekend, I’m so sorry! I am actually ashamed.

But it was just a long and hard week. One of my coworkers is on leave from work, so my scope of responsibility has grown by leaps and bounds, so it’s has been a lot of long nights and phone calls. Hopefully, it won’t last super long..

The big thing that happened this week was that J and I celebrated 2 years together. I seriously cannot believe that it has been only 2 years, since it seems like it’s been much longer. To celebrate, we bought a new grill, since our old one was broken and never even made it over to our house in the move. To test it out, we went out and got some amazing boneless pork chops from The Fresh Market, which wasn’t cheap but much better than going out to eat!

Seriously, if you have never tried brining your meat before cooking it, you have to try (Biz, you know I thought of you when I was doing this). I happened to come across a book at Lowes that has simple instructions on brining, so together when 2 quarts of water, a 1/4 c salt, some garlic and peppercorns for an hour on the counter (Don’t worry, the pork was still cold when I pulled them out). Seasoned it simply with S&P and some garlic powder. They were literally chin dripping good, that is how juicy they were! We also grilled some zucchini and made some mashed taters made with Chobani. Definitely much better than a restaurant meal! After yesterday, I know there will be some more grilled eats going on soon.

Vroom, Vroom…

 

That would be how I spent my weekend. Two car shows, two very different vibes, and two totally fun days. Minus the fact that it was freezing on Saturday and we happened to be by Lake Michigan, it was definitely a fun one! Plus a lot of picture opportunities, which I took total advantage of, as you can see.

The eats, however, were not as photogenic. I wish that I could say that they were super healthy but realistically, the day involved some Pabst Blue Ribbon (the only beer that is acceptable to drink at these kinds of show, IMO) and some classic food. Thankfully, the classic cafe that we ate at had plenty of veggie options of the menu, which I took total advantage of. In fact, even J asked for a veggie meal on Sunday. So I took the easy way out:

Nothing beats a stuffed potato with tons of veggies. More amazingly, this meal used the end of a 5lb bag of frozen veggies that we bought a week and half ago. Pretty amazing for us, since I ate a majority of it!

Well, I’m off to relax with the boy for the night. We are heading out to see my uncle tomorrow so tonight is my night to chill!

ARRGGHH…

You know those weeks that just seem like they will never end? That is totally this week for me. Work is stressful, keeping up around the house is difficult and family life has just been nuts. I just found out my cousin was in the ER today, as he dislocated his shoulder and my uncle had sextuple coronary bypass surgery today (he’s okay!). My phone has been ringing off the hook lately!

 

Thankfully, there have been some amazing meals lately. Despite the fact that we barely had a summer this year, I still got to utilize some of my favorite ingredients: green beans and sweet corn. I was kinda bummed because the tomatoes around here have been icky this year, I guess the tomato rot hit a lot of local crops. But the best way to use sweet corn is in risotto, which with a touch of lemon complimented the lemony green beans that were paired with it.

J is all excited because there was leftover corn and he can make corny eggs. I haven’t heard of these before, so it will be interesting to try. The boy certainly loves his odd combinations.

 

The other favorite meal of the week… a simple stirfry, but super tasty. I think I’m trying to cram as many fresh veggies into my diet as possible, before having to switch over to frozen.

I’m not kidding when I say that I am so glad it’s the weekend, although most of my plans are dependent on the weather and the happenings of the fam. Hopefully, all will work out… Have anything fun planned for the weekend?

Stranger…

That would be me this week. Truthfully, it’s been a hell of a week and quite frankly, I’ve been a bitch lately and knew it would come through on the blog, so I just to spare you guys from my rants. But it’s the weekend, so that’s the best thing that’s happened lately!

-My new computer came and it’s been interesting to set up. I totally forgot that I had to load my photo software on here and could not figure out why I couldn’t get my pics uploaded! Oops. However, this computer came pre-loaded with Windows Live Writer, so I’ve gotta try it out since I’ve heard good things about it!

-This weather in August is ridiculous. 63 degrees in the middle of August is not acceptable. I just fear that means we will have a nasty winter.

-J and I bought a new to us car this week, which is great for us except the weather doesn’t allow us to use it to it’s full potential! We got a little convertible and it’s just been too rainy and cold to put the top down! Hopefully we’ll be able to get some use out of it before fall really hits!

-This weather has also pushed me to make some comfort foods that are definitely more on the fall-ish side.

Potato soup that I made totally differently than I normally do. No thickener, just mashed some of the potatoes up and left it a little soupier than usual. I think I like it better thickened, but it was still good.

The never fail to make J happy meal. Meatballs with veggies snuck into them and homemade mac and cheese with veggies in it. Gotta get those  greens in somehow!

Oh Boy…

It’s just been one of those weeks! Non stop for sure, all culminating with last night’s events. A good friend of ours turned 30 yesterday and he had rented out a club for everyone. Although J and I kept it pretty low key, it was definitely a good night! Lots of liquor flowing, although I stuck to one drink, an amazing mango martini that I couldn’t afford to have more than one! I tried taking pics, but it was just way too dark.

But I’ve got a review for you, solely because it was a product that completely surprised me! J and I went to the grocery store on Wednesday and he just wanted to get something quick and easy for dinner, and begged me for his favorite frozen pizza.

Honestly I was skeptical but gave in because it was pushing 8 pm. I was super surprised about it when I turned it over and looked at the ingredient list. There wasn’t an ingredient on that list that I didn’t know or couldn’t pronounce, and the pepperoni on the pizza was uncured and did not contain any added nitrates. Plus it tasted awesome. I guess I just thought that it was just another frozen pizza, not something special and I was totally wrong.

It was super yummy. My only complaint was that is was a little high in calories, but I just found out that they offer a thin crust, which helps on that front!

Well… I’ve got some cleaning to do and eventually making dinner! Have a great Saturday!

Finally…

It’s calmed down… This was a crazy weekend for sure! This weekend was the biggest local show that J and I go to, so needless to say that consumed most of our time! But it definitely it was an amazing time for sure (minus the icky sunburn I got! Wear your sunscreen!) We only got a couple pictures, but the coolest thing was that my car won second place in it’s class, which was nice since J wasn’t able to finish his car in time for the show. Oh well, hopefully soon… I have to say, this is by far my favorite pic of the weekend.

Yes, the cars were moving. Let’s just say it was an interesting pic to get on the highway. (we’re slightly crazy too!

Thankfully, J and I decided not to camp this year, which was a good idea since it was in the 90’s and really humid, but it also meant that we got to do breakfast together, which makes Sunday so much better! This was made around a mis-shipped loaf of bread, which can’t be sold so they send them home with us. I knew I wanted to make french toast with it, but baked it instead. Topped with honey and greek yogurt, it was a tasty breakfast!

Dinner was inspiried by our trip to Sam’s Club. We finally got around to getting a membership, which was an awesome idea. It worked out well, since J eats cereal like it’s no one’s business. Plus I got a huge bag of romaine for $3, which made me happy. But we got these natural lunchmeats (turkey and pastrami) which was the inspiration for the meal. Grilled turkey and provolone with onions and a side salad (of which I cannot find the pic!) This is seriously the best turkey sandwich ever!

It’s been a calm night around here for once, which is nice. J is actually home, which he hasn’t been around for a couple weeks now. I better not get used to it, since I know he still has work to do! He even helped me make dinner, which is something that doesn’t happen too often! We put the bag of romaine to use, and made taco salad. We topped it with the veggies we bought in massive quantities yesterday (yup, I went overboard with veggies yesterday!), chicken, and a little bit of cheese. Definitely a yummy taco salad! Good idea J!

Off to cuddle with the boy and find something to watch on TV together!

Emeril’s…

Over the weekend, I received a package from Foodbuzz featuring Emeril products. J was super excited that there was spicy mustard (because we need more, since 8 jars aren’t enough! ).

I broke into the Essence seasoning first off, since it was the most intriguing to me! I used it for baked french fries, since it was a way better option than fried ones!

I was surprised, as I wasn’t expecting for it to be as spicy as it was. (I thought of you Biz!) but it was awfully good! I honestly cannot wait until to try it on chicken, as well as the other products that were included!

I also ordered a new computer last night, and cannot wait for it to come! I’ve been having a super hard time uploading pictures, among other things. I cannot wait, since it will make blogging easier!

All Inclusive…

I don’t know why, but yesterday I got the bug to photograph all of my eats to share…

Well, except for a banana, but you guys know what that looks like. If not, check out yesterday’s post.

Brunch of Cinnamon French Toast. I had a craving for it, which is a rare thing for me!

With a side of strawberries

Snack of a Yoplait yogurt. This flavor screams summer to me!

Dinner was something different, and honestly something I probably wouldn’t have done in the past. I don’t know why, but I’ve had a fear of fat in the past, even though I know that there is good fat for you, and I preferred to get it from something other than oil.  Although it looks just like some pasta and veggies, it started with a bit of EVOO and garlic and topped with a little bit more as well. Nothing like garlic infused oil on pasta. I have to say that it was a pretty tasty meal, reminded me of a better for you version of Pasta-Roni!  Dessert was a decaf latte from Starbucks, which hit the spot!

I’m a “car widow”  again this week, I swear I haven’t see J since Saturday! He’s out working on his car again, which hopefully will be finished for the show that we are going to this weekend.  I’ll be glad when he’s done… maybe I’ll get to see him for more than ten minutes!

Ring, Ring, Ring…

Oh yes, the infamous banana phone… Here’s a story for you guys. J decided that it would be hilarious to attack me in bed with the banana phone and singing the song. I’m still surprised that I didn’t end up with mashed banana in the bed. At least it was a true banana phone.

Yup, I sometimes wonder about that boy… but it was a funny moment.

In other news, I have to say that the list of meals worked! J stayed home and declared that WE should make dinner. After consulting the list, I decided on my mom’s noodle casserole. I’ve changed it a lot from my mom’s recipe, adding veggies and less cheese, but it is still a comfort food for me. It actually made me miss my parent’s, which means I need to line up a visit soon!

We finally got internet installed in the house, so I no longer have to go somewhere for the internet, or use our friend’s (who graciously let us use it when we could get a signal! THANKS!). That’s why I haven’t been able to update recently. Thanks to J for setting it up. Now I’ll also be able to see what’s going on with TV too (although I’m sure it hasn’t been much of anything!)

***Meghann, my heart goes out to you on your loss of Abbie. It’s a horrible feeling, one I’ve been thorugh too many times, and I really hope that you are doing okay! ***