J Has a Favorite Child (bet you can't guess who)

     Tomorrow J and I will be heading to NOLA for a few days to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary.  I'm excited to get away for a few days, and I'm excited because this is the first time we've actually been able to celebrate our anniversary.  The few years he has been home for the occasion he's come home the day before, so we were still celebrating his return more so than our anniversary.  This year it'll be about both of us.  From a haunted tour of New Orleans (J's choice) to a Jazz brunch at A Court of Two Sisters (my idea), we'll both be getting a little of what we want.

     In the mean time Monkey will be spending her first weekend away from Mommy and Daddy.  She's going to stay at her Nanny's house where she'll be able to play with her cousin until her heart's content. I'm not going to lie, I'm secretly freaking out.  My sister is more than capable of handling my little ball of spunk (after all I swear Monkey gets much of her spunk from her Nanny), but I'm still a bit nervous simply because she's never been away from home but once.  And that was for one night, and she was five minutes down the street!  I know she'll be okay, but I may cry when we leave tomorrow, and I know I'll never hear the end of it from my husband.

    And last, but not least (as you'll see in a moment) our loving mutt, Roux is going to be staying at my mom's house so she can play with her favorite buddy.  My mom has a very energetic Australian shepherd that my dog loves to put in his place, so I'm not even batting an eye at the thought of dropping her off.  My husband, apparently, isn't so steady in this department.

    Earlier, I asked J to bathe said mutt in preparation for her visit tomorrow.  As he did, I went about cleaning and packing.  When I came upstairs to grab a few clothes, I could hear this one-sided conversation coming from the bathroom, "Now, if you have any problems, you just give me a call, and Mommy and I will come get you, and we'll bring you to our hotel with us.  Okay?  Now, close your eyes.  Close your eyes!"  That's when I opened the door in time to see my husband attempting to rinse the soap off of our dog's face, with her eyes open of course, and I hear J say, "I told you to close your eyes, stubborn mutt," before he turns around, noticing me with a guilty look on his face.

    "Really?"  I said.

    "Excuse you!  We're having a private conversation here!"  He exclaimed, slightly ruffled.

     I couldn't do anything but shut the door and walk away.

     But, really?

    No; I mean it.  Really?

    I expected to see Monkey in the tub, not my albeit lovable, but still not human mutt!

     Don't get me wrong, I love my dog.  I would be heartbroken if anything ever happened to her.  She really is the best dog I've ever had, but I still understand she's a dog.  I know there are people out there who personify their pets to an extreme; I just didn't realize I married one!  My husband makes a complete fool out of himself over that dog sometimes.  It's sweet; it's endearing; it's a little creepy sometimes, but hey, he's mine, so what am I gonna do?   I'm just relieved he's not seriously thinking about bring the dog to New Orleans with us.  At least I hope he isn't O.o

     In honor of my lovable husband (in all his glorious quirkiness), here is one of his favorite dinners, Pork Chops with Herbed Cream Sauce, Pasta Veggie Medley (both from The Best of Country Cooking), and Roasted Okra from my garden.

Pork Chops with Herbed Cream Sauce
4 pork chops (1/2 inch thick)
2 TBS vegetable oil
1 TBS all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp beef bouillon granules
1 TBS minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp dried basil, thyme, or tarragon
2/3 cup milk or half-and-half cream
2 TBS water
1/8 or 1/4 tsp pepper

In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook pork chops in oil until the juices run clear (about 4 minutes per side).  Remove and keep warm; drain the pan.  Add flour, bouillon, parsley, and basil to the skillet.  Gradually stir in milk, water and pepper until smooth.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly.  Spoon over chops.

Pasta Veggie Medley
1 package (8 oz) medium tube pasta
1 medium onion, chopped
2 TBS vegetable oil
2 small zucchini, julienned
2 medium carrot, julienned
2 TBS Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onion in oil until tender.  Add zucchini and carrots; stir-fry until carrots are render.  Drain pasta; place in a serving bowl.  Add vegetables and toss gently.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Roasted Okra
18 medium sized okra, sliced
1 TBS olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and preheat the oven to 425.  Lay okra out on the baking sheet; drizzle with oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stirring to coat.  Bake 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy :-)

Never Wrestle with Two Dogs in a Parking Lot

   Well today was quite eventful.  I had a job interview this morning at a credit union, and although I feel it went well, I won't have a definite answer for about 2-3 weeks.  So breathe easy people!  There will be nothing standing in between me and my daily posts about yummy recipes and the randomness that is my life ;-)  Not until my husband comes home, at any rate, but then again I may need this blog to get away from him after the initial "honeymoon" period is over.  That should last all of......the car ride home o.O

   In the mean time, I do have a yummy recipe for y'all tonight, but first let me fill you in on a few more fun facts about my day.  After the job interview, I picked Monkey up from the daycare, and we headed off in search of groceries.  I don't quite know what had me so frazzled, but I swear I went up and down each isle twice because I passed up what I needed the first time.  Then I finally get to the check-out line, and I can't find my coupons.  They were in my wallet.   Of course, I couldn't find them!!!  I mean, who puts their coupons in their wallet???  I usually have them pinned to my list.  Well then, I forgot to get cash back whenever I paid, so I was scrambling to gather up all of my quarters so that I had a tip for the sweet old gentleman who followed me out into the crazy heat to load up my groceries.  Then I couldn't find my keys.  They were in my purse!  That is NOT where they belong!!!  They are supposed to be hooked onto the side of my purse.  (And, yes, there is a difference.)

   I finally made it home, fed the monkey, and put the groceries away.  Then it was time to take Roux to the vet.  I don't think I've mentioned this before but my aptly nick-named "mangy mutt", does in fact have mange.  It's not the contagious kind, but she's looking all too scraggly with those two dozen furless patches all down her back.  She's been on the medicine for two weeks now, and my instructions were to bring her back today.  Since Tessua started her new job yesterday (yay!) she asked if I could bring her newest addition (remember when we vowed not to let each other get a pet?) to the vet for a booster.  Figuring that two dogs couldn't be that much harder than one, I agreed.

   So off we went, Monkey, Roux and I, to pick up Athena.  After collecting her we headed to the vet, and halfway there someone started stinking up my car!  "Athena!!!!" I yelled, as I hurried to roll down her window.  The rest of the trip there was a fun game of "roll the window down before I gag, and roll the window up before we all break out into a sweat".  Finally we get to the vet's office (the one in PetSmart), and I load Roux and Ryleigh into a buggy like always.  Then I toss Athena's stinky self in there too, and we head off.  Well Athena, being the ringleader that she is, decided she did not like the buggy.  Out she hopped while I was pushing the buggy past a truck who obviously was not paying attention to where he was backing up!  I had to hurry up and catch her leash, all while maneuvering my child and mutt out of the way of the idiot driver.  Then my darling Roux, who never has an original thought, and is always behind the times, finally realizes that "Hey, I can jump out of here too".  Out she hops too.  Thankfully I still had her leash in my hand.

   Somehow I manage to wrestle the two mutts into PetSmart, not without a few giggles from passersby, and I explain to the lady that I have my dog, and a friend's dog, and she's looking extremely confused. "Is your friend going to be here for the exam?"  "Um, no; that's why I just single-handedly wrestled two dogs in the middle of your parking lot!" (Okay, I didn't really say that, but my snarky side wanted to.)  Still looking a little put out, the lady finally weighed them both, and then we waited.  And waited.   And waited.   Meanwhile I'm getting dirty looks every time Athena lets one rip, because apparently the smell is invading everyone's nostrils, and they all think it's me.  Finally, it's our turn.  We get into the room and away from the staring people who are judging me for my non-exsistent gas, and the nurse can't seem to figure out why I've brought in my dog who's only been on the mange medicine for two weeks.  Go figure, the vet we saw last time was not in today, and evidently this other vet had no clue why the original vet told me to come in, and I'm just standing there going "WTH did I just drag two dogs here for?"  So then they take Athena and give her her shot and get her heartworm meds.  Then they come back to explain to me that they typically don't re-check for mange until the medicine has been administered for a month.  So basically, I need to keep up with the exact same crap I've been doing.  So then we get out, and it's time to pay. Then we leave, and I'm told to bring them both back in two-three weeks, and I'm thinking "yeah, cause that's gonna happen".

   We get back to Tessua's house, I put Athena and the meds up, and get back into my car to head home. I'm halfway home when Roux lets one out, and I just glare at her.  So I'm sorry Tessua, for judging your dog for her non-exsistent gas.  Lesson learned....

  So I hope you've all had a good laugh at my expense.  If not, would it help to tell you that the whole time I was wrestling the two mutts I was in a frieakin' dress???  I thought it might.

  So on to better things.  Like food.

  Tonight I attempted to make Beef and Broccoli, and let me just say that it was a total success.  I got the recipe from here. I really like this blog, and I plan to try a few more of her recipes soon.

Beef and Broccoli


1 lb boneless beef sirloin steak
4 T cornstarch
28 oz beef broth
5 t soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c fresh broccoli florets
Cooked white rice


  Slice beef into small strips.  In a medium bowl mix cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, and garlic.  In large skillet, brown beef over medium heat.  Add broccoli and broth mixture.  Stirring frequently, bring to a boil, and boil until it thickens.  


  Simple yet delicious.  Monkey even asked for seconds (not a rare occurrence, but note-worthy).  If I would change anything, it *might* be to add more soy sauce, but I'm a bit of a soy addict.  (And for those of you worrying about my sodium levels, need I remind you about my theory on what women eat???)  


   Oh, and here's a few drool-worthy pictures that I'm rather proud of.