Auto Correct Hilarity

Bruce and I just had the most hysterical conversation:

I honestly can't even tell you what he was trying to say we were both hysterical at the fact that he couldn't even correct the correction because of auto correct.  I think I understand why my dad turned his off on his phone.

Dinner tonight:

Tonight's Salad:

• Mixed Greens
• Diced Tomatoes
• Diced Onions
• Croutons
• Black Beans, drained & rinsed
• Mexican Blend Cheese
• Honey Mustard Dressing

Honestly, keeping canned beans in my pantry, is such a salad lifesaver.  I love the quick and easy source of protein!

Oh myyyy that was good.

What is everyone up to on this Saturday night?  Probably something more interesting than laughing over auto correct.

Breathe.

Okay, I'm a wee bit stressed right now.

I did, however, take an hour break this afternoon to take a walk.  It was much-needed, although I came crashing back to reality as soon as I walked in the door.  I hate that!  How do you keep the zen?

Anyway, my garmin died less than a mile into the walk, but I walked about 50 minutes - soooo 3 miles perhaps?  I'm really happy that I forced myself to get out of the office - I need to do that more often.  Maybe I'll start bringing workout clothes to work so I can leave straight from there?

Bruce came through big time and stopped at the grocery store for some dinner fixin's - and then he cooked!  Wings + Salad - Yum.

Alright, I have a homily that isn't finished yet and I'm fading fast.  Time to buckle down.

Crazy Days And Tuesdays

Okay, today just got away from me.

<3 Wear a Dress Tuesday.

Rainey sent me this last week!  Don't you love this color?  I adore it and I adore it on her.

Lunch was eaten in between meetings and hospital visits.  Leftovers from last night - I didn't have any tomatoes though.  Bummer!

For dinner, I was craving comfort food:

I think Baked Ziti qualifies.

I don't have much of a recipe, because I wasn't thrilled with it.  But I used ricotta cheese AND mozzarella, which gave it amaaaaaazing flavor.

I am currently locking myself in my office so I can get some work done.

I am going to kick off my heels though.

I think I deserve it.

Odds are you deserve it too. :)

Happy Wear a Dress Tuesday!

Book Club Update

Yum.

Bruce was in the mood for salads for dinner so we both kind of did our own thing (we kind of have differing views on what you should put in a salad, ha!).

On my plate:

• Romaine Lettuce
• Tomatoes
• Pasta
• Kidney Beans
• Croutons
• Honey Mustard Creole Salad Dressing (<-- new and delicious!)

Hindsight - I should have added onions!

I went to book club tonight and we started to talk about The Help.  Oh man - y'all were right!  This book is amazing.  Not only do I think that the stories are ones that need to be told, but the book is also put together in a neat way.  It is easy to read and the characters lives intersect each other at critical points (which makes me never want to put it down!).  I can't wait to finish it and then go see the movie.

Time for me to go to bed - good night!

Pasta Night

Bruce did not want to cook tonight.  I did not want to go out for dinner tonight.  Therefore, I had to cook dinner tonight.

I still think I won in this compromise.  I had to go to the grocery store to pick up a few things and was able to pick up mousse while I was there.  Curly hair can now commence.

I cooked down some sliced onions and mushrooms on low heat in some butter.  I wasn't looking to caramelize anything (Bruce isn't a huge fan), I just wanted to soften them up and give them some flavor.  I seasoned with salt and pepper while they cooked, then added pasta sauce and seasoned that with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano and parsley.

Voila!

Oh - and garlic bread!  I bought a loaf of fresh Italian Bread ($0.99 on Fridays), sliced it on a diagonal, smothered the pieces with butter and garlic and cooked them at 350 degrees.

Bruce and I are heading out!

Making Leftovers Less Boring

I love cooking simple meals in bulk that can eaten for lunch and dinner all week.  It makes my life so much easier!  The only problem is that it tends to get boring to eat the same thing over and over again.  Agreed?

Bruce and I took yesterday's Mexi Blend Cheeseburger & Broccoli Pie, broke it up into small pieces, tossed it in a skillet with some olive oil and threw in some diced tomatoes at the end (just enough time to get them warm).  I topped mine with a little bit of cheese!

I won't be getting my own Food Network show any time soon, but it's nice to cook in bulk and not eat the exact same thing every single day.

I was home from my meeting in time for The Office!  Who else is watching?

Mexi Blend Cheeseburger & Broccoli Pie

Wow.  Today has been absolutely nuts.  Hence the no blogging until now - but it's a good one!

Bruce wanted to have Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie but we inadvertently switched some things around and I really liked the result!  The cooking technique is the same - ingredients a little different.  Enjoy!

Mexi Blend Cheeseburger & Broccoli Pie

step by step photos here

1 pound Ground Beef

1/2 large Sweet Onion, chopped

dash Salt

dash Pepper

1 cup Mexican Blend Cheese, shredded
3/4 cup Broccoli

1/2 cup Bisquick

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Saute beef, onions, salt and pepper. Drain.

Spread in greased pie plate. Cover in cheese.

Layer the top with broccoli.
Whisk together cheese, bisquick, milk and eggs. Pour into pie plate.

Bake for 25 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Enjoy!

Yum.  The raw tomatoes were a nice pairing.

We're watching last night's NCIS and I'm hoping to get to bed early.  Still trying to knock this sinus / head cold that I have.  I don't think I'm contagious, but I have been putting off my hospital visits just in case.  I have people I want to go see!

Smoked Slow Cooker Pork Ribs

Oh myyyyyyyy.

Bruce and I really have been trying to push ourselves to try new things in the kitchen lately so this morning (we both have Mondays off now!) we looked through our slow cooker cookbook and came across this recipe:

The recipe was called "Fall-Off-The-Bone Ribs" - we played around with a lot of the seasonings and spices to create a much more smoky flavor.  It was incredible!  Here's the recipe ...

Smoked Slow Cooker Pork Ribs

2 1/2 pounds Pork Baby Back Ribs, skinned

1/8 cup Paprika

1/8 cup Cumin

1/8 cup Seasoned Salt

1 tablespoon Salt

1 tablespoon Pepper

1 can (20 ounces) Beer

1 quart Barbeque Sauce

1/3 cup Honey

White Sesame Seeds & Sliced Chives (for garnish)

Start by combining all of your seasonings ... 

 Add the sugar and whisk everything together.

Rub both sides of the meat with the seasoning.

Now it's time to sear the meat!  We used the grill, but you could easily use a griddle on the stove.

3 minutes on both sides.

Once the meat comes off the grill, cut it into pieces with 3-4 ribs each.

This is done mostly so you can fit everything into the slow cooker. :)

Pour in your beer ... 

Cover and let cook on high for two hours.

Once the meat has cooked for two hours, combine your barbeque sauce and honey.

*Honey Tip! Pour hot water on the measuring cup before putting the honey into it. It won't stick to the sides.

Pour the mixture over the meat.

And let cook on high for another 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

The one thing we noticed when it was almost time to eat was that the sauce was very thin and runny - and we wanted something to drizzle over the meat!  So 15 minutes or so before you are ready to eat, pull some of the sauce out of the slow cooker and put it in a skillet on the stove.  Throw some cornstarch to thicken it up a little bit - and then add salt and pepper for flavor.

Your garnish ... 

Your sauce ... 

Perfection.

Yes.  Yes, please!

Bruce is already excited about taking leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  Amazing.  Enjoy!