They say it is very dangerous to go grocery shopping when you are hungry.  

They are absolutely right.

So I am making a grocery list while Mike takes a nap.

I am hoping this will safeguard against crazy choices.

Oh, God, I am so hungry!!!

The list was the saving grace...we got what we needed and didn't go crazy.
I made delicious chicken tacos...and they were so easy.  I just used the taco seasoning mix you get at the store, and fresh onions, tomatoes and iceberg lettuce, shredded.
As much as I wanted sour cream, I passed on that.  Instead I used some mild Southwestern salsa which has yummy chunks of peppers, and corn, which I love!

We did soft tacos with flour tortillas warmed before being filled...Yum.

Mike is making his chicken egg rolls tomorrow...
I can't wait.

Right now, comfort food is my thing.  I am very worried about the fact that my son is making some really poor life choices.  He isn't working, and never knows from day to day where he is staying that night.

This is proving to heighten my anxiety tremendously on a daily basis.
I want to help him, but I have to let him learn things the hard way.

So, I find comfort where I can.
The diet is postponed indefinitely.
Don't judge me, I'm a mom.

Thoughts for Thursday

About a week ago, our computer monitor broke. I left a note on the desk for The Computer Monitor Fairy, but alas, she hasn't come.

Meanwhile, life goes on.

I love my job at the coffee shop, but I know it isn't my passion. I'm seriously considering nursing school. The local community college offers the CNA course, with fees and text book costs waived.

Our sweet puppies are doing great. Zip is now four months old and over 22 pounds, nearly triple her weight at six weeks. She is smart, feisty and a little shy.

Coco loves her little sister. When they wrestle, Coco, at four and a half pounds, hold her own.

Mike and I have struggled a bit with the schedule required during Zip's puppyhood, but hope that soon she will be a bit more self-sufficient.

I an really enjoying my guilty pleasure, Reality TV. Right now, I'm loving Big Brother. The return of some players from previous seasons makes for familiar drama with a new twist.

I'm also thrilled to see the return of Flipping Out, on Bravo. Jeff Lewis and the gang continue to bring laughter and winces, as the inappropriate and awkward moments are in abundance.

Tomorrow, I plan to spend some time with my son, Stephen. He is my only child, and although we live in the same city, we don't see each other enough.

And, on a sad note, another friend was lost to the unrelenting disease of addiction last night. Rest in peace, Emily-Anne. You are with the angels now.

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Roasted Shrimp with Feta = Delicious ♥

A few weeks ago, I was watching "The Barefoot Contessa" on the Food Network.
I saw this amazing dish and just had to try it!!

Ina Garten is awesome, and I love this dish because it is a one dish meal!!!
I am all about easy. Plus, it has shrimp in it!!!

I have a link to Ina's recipe below, but I thought I would tempt you first by showing how deelish
it looks, and - I guarantee it - tastes!!

I have never eaten fennel, which has a licorice taste to it.  When cooked, the flavor mellows and gives a nice crunch to this dish.  I sauteed the fennel in olive oil, and added some white wine and garlic.

Fennel, olive oil and garlic.

Then I added a can of cut tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Along with oregano, salt and pepper, it smells heavenly!

In a separate bowl, I combined bread crumbs, fresh parsley and lemon zest with olive oil
.

Bread crumb mixture with lemon zest and parsley, moistened with olive oil.

Once I added the tomatoes and paste and seasonings with the fennel mixture,
I laid the raw shrimp on top of that.
For presentation, it's nice to have the tails all facing the same way.

Before I added the feta cheese, I snapped this picture! YUM!!

 

 

 

Crumbled feta cheese went on top of the shrimp, followed by the amazing bread crumb mixture.
The dish then went into the oven for just fifteen minutes.

When it came out, it looked like this:

This dish is amazingly delicious!  I did not include the Pernod, which can be substituted with Ouzo.
The recipe calls for a very small amount, and I wasn't of the budget to purchase an entire bottle.

The recipe called for white bread brumbs ground in a food processor. I used Italian bread crumbs, so my flavors came out differently I am sure.  But it is an amazing dish, with about 15 minutes prep time and 45 minutes cooking time (including the oven time).

I squeezed lemon juice over the top of the dish - Awesome!!
Mike and I enjoyed it with garlic bread, but it would be just wonderful with french baguette or sourdough.

And, for the record, there were NO LEFTOVERS ♥

For Ina's recipe in its entirety, click here

And let me know how it turned out for you!!!

Curb Your Own Dog

Yesterday, my roomies and I were trying to cook in our more-than-ample kitchen.

The upstairs roomie had, per standard operating procedure, locked his dog out of his room, leaving the poor, sweet lonely girl wandering into our space.  

 

"W." claims to have a very well-behaved dog, but sadly she obeys him out of fear.  When we direct her, she listens, then goes right back to what she was doing within minutes.

 

 After all of us tripping over her, asking her to leave the kitchen, having her return, and then repeating this process again and again, an hour had passed.  Our patience was running thin.  I called up to "W.", asking if his dog had eaten.  He said yes, so I suggested that maybe she needed some attention.

 

He then came downstairs to tell me what I was supposed to do.

"You have to tell her 'Out' and then take her to the living room and tell her to 'Stay'.

 I explained that was what we were all doing for the last hour, and that is why we finally had to ask him to (do his fucking job as a dog owner) please give her some attention.

 

This jackass became irate, telling me, right in front of our landlord,

"I pay rent here so that (she) can have the run of the house and do whatever she pleases."

 

This was news to the landlord.

Our lovely conversation culminated in "W." telling me "Fuck you!"

 

Right now, I am practicing avoidance of this particularly high-maintenance roomie.

And I am feeling very sorry for his dog.

Not Very Inviting...

So today I received a text. It basically said, "Did you get the Save the Date card for the event? Cuz I didn't know if you weren't attending, or if you just didn't get the invite."

Is it me, or is that too little information to go on? I mean, I'm not super popular or anything, but I get invited to a lot of events. To make matters worse, when I asked for details, I was told I was e-mailed by someone I didn't know, so if I didn't receive it, could I please send my e mail address so the invite could be sent...(again?).

Seriously??? After much, too much, back and forth, this person finally admitted that she wanted to know if Mike and I had received invitations to her upcoming birthday party. But why couldn't she have just said that?

I guess she didn't want to admit that she had a big part in planning a party for herself. So what?

It was just a lot of frustration for nothing, and we are happy and honored to attend...

I just don't get it...but when I asked Mike, he had just three words for the situation, "High fucking maintenance."

Well, there you have it.

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