Sunday Summary

Monday:  I had a short morning job with an economist.  Good times.  Jake had to take the MARTA to the airport.  I’m not too broken up about that.

Tuesday and Wednesday:  I worked all day.  I hate when that happens.

Wednesday is weigh-in day and I’m sorry to report that there was no loss this week.  But never fear.  I am one of those crazies that get on the scale every day; so I know there was some fluctuation down the past couple of days.   I am not ready to trade in Candice Kumai just yet.

Thursday:  My first day off in 12 days.  There’s nothing like drinking a latte on my own couch.  The rest of the day is a blur; it took the whole day to recover from Tuesday and Wednesday.

Friday:  I had a 1:00 downtown at the courthouse.  You know what that means?  That means a latte two days in a row.

I made this Kale and Fennel Caesar from Cook Yourself Sexy.

Yeah.  It was pretty gross.  I’m not a fan of Caesar salads to begin with.  I can tell you right off that that sardine was only on the plate for the picture.  I like to think I’m culinarily adventurous, but I just couldn’t do it.  Maybe I should have chopped it up.

I finally watched The Blind Side.  It only took three years for it to get to the top of my Netflix queue.   I didn’t actually cry, but it was touching for sure.

Saturday:  I went to World Market today.  I feel that I should go to some sort of meeting and confess that I bought some Christmas ornaments.

I also made some Faux Peanut Butter-Banana Ice Cream from — guess where — Cook Yourself Sexy, which I always want to call Crazy Sexy Cool.

This is faux because it’s made with frozen bananas and a little bit of almond milk.  Fine by me.

I also watched My Week with Marilyn.  It was good, but I was more intrigued by the Vivien Leigh portion.

Sunday:  I went on the hunt for dried rose petals today.  Williams-Sonoma?  Nope.  Fresh Market?  Nada.  Whole Foods?  None.  Trader Joe’s?  Negatory.  BUT the guy at the check-out suggested an Asian market.  Uh, maybe like the International Farmers Market right down the street from my house.

Good Deed of the Week:  Be kind to yourself.  Seriously?  When are these deeds going to start to be challenging?  My whole existence is predicated on being kind to myself.  If it makes me sound any better I usually encourage other people to do the same for themselves.

Eat Well and Savor.

Sunday Summary

Monday:  What a beautiful day!  I ran some errands.  The top was off the Jeep, it was 90 degrees outside, and Green Day was blaring on the stereo.

I picked up this frame at Bed, Bath & Beyond for around $5.  It was on sale and of course I had a coupon.

Those beautiful little noggins did not come with the frame.  They are my friend Avery’s six-month-old twins.

And I dehydrated some tomatoes.

Tuesday:  The highlight of my day was a trip to The Fresh Market.  I love that place.  They really have the best produce selection.

Wednesday:  I was supposed to go to dinner with my long-lost cousin, but we both kind of canceled on each other.    Other than that, my job was in Buckhead and there was a great view from the Terminus building.  Sorry I didn’t snap a picture.  Bad blogger, bad.

Thursday:  I spent the day in LaGrange.   I’m not bragging.

Friday:  Today’s deposition was scheduled from 10:00 until 5:00.  We were on the record for 15 minutes.  Again, I’m not bragging.  Just as well since yesterday was an expedite; so now you know how I spent the rest of the day.

Saturday:  More work and another exciting trip to The Fresh Market.  It rained all day.

Sunday:  I just don’t know where the time goes.  It’s been a pretty uneventful week.  I’m going to end it with the Emmys.

And I’ll leave you with a little puppy love.

Good Deed of the Week:  Talk about what you’re grateful for.  This was easy.  If there’s one thing I can do it’s talk.  Of course the obvious Thanksgiving answers are friends, family, job, food, not necessarily in that order.  Here in America we like to talk about freedom too.  I think we might take some things for granted, though.  One of the interesting things about being a court reporter is that your witness often comes from many different facets of life.  Like the guy that works at the paper company that makes the carrier for your six-pack, the lady that drives the conductors to the train so they can transport goods, and the guy that puts your car together.  You can extend that to all the employees that keep your electricity going, for example.  I could go on and on.  I hope you see the point.  I mean, Laura Ingalls didn’t have this luxury.  Maybe we should be nicer to each other when we’re on the street.

Ironically, the biggest thing that I’m grateful for is that I’ve never been a party to a lawsuit.  Please knock on wood for me.

Eat Well and Savor.

 

 

Sunday Summary

Monday:   I made these Peanut Butter Nanaimo Bars to take to the office today to celebrate my three-year anniversary.

I saw these on Brown Eyed Baker and I had to have them.   I will note that the recipe said to cut the 9×13 pan into 24 bars.  I actually cut them into 36, and when I got to the office my manager cut those in half because they were so rich she didn’t want people getting lethargic, i.e., slowing them down.  I’ve been eating a sliver every day since then and highly recommend you give them a try.

Tuesday:  I didn’t have to work until 5:00 p.m. today, so I made a nice little brunch:  Bacon-Banana Pancakes with Buttery Bourbon Maple Syrup.

These are basically pancakes that you put a little bacon on after you pour the batter on the griddle.  Seriously?  Is this the most amazing idea?  Where has it been all my life?  Actually, I’ve seen it done with fruit, but I plan to try it with sausage some day.

Wednesday:  Another easy day; 3:00 to 5:00.  I can’t complain.  I had time to make these Steamed Green Beans with Tomato-Garlic Vinaigrette from Cooking Light’s The Food Lover’s Healthy Habits Cookbook.  Man, that is a mouthful.

This picture was actually taken when I made these back in February for Jake; they totally passed his test.  This week I made them with beans from my garden and it was a much smaller serving.

I also finished reading The Things I Do For You by Mary Carter.  Her books are always so much fun.  This one left me wanting more, which made me realize that I just didn’t want it to end.

Thursday:  I  made these Red, White and ‘Ol Blue treats for Phoebe from The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook.  They have strawberries, and blueberries, and cinnamon in them and smell way better than they look.   Full disclosure:   by Saturday we were at the vet with an allergic reaction.  I’m not convinced it’s the treats, but, as the vet said, it’s suspicious.  She’s been off her amazing homemade diet since January and in the last few weeks I’ve incorporated a few different treats.   Live and learn.

btw – my witness today was a female plumber.  I was very impressed.   She started as a file clerk and worked her way up.  She now owns the firm with 42 employees.

Friday:   I had to work again today!  It was a pretty easy doctor, which is unusual,  but it lasted until 3:00 p.m.  I tossed together this little shrimp and pasta with pesto and an heirloom tomato.  The only thing missing is some toasted pine nuts.

Saturday:  Marnie came over for lunch today!  I sent her packing with some leftovers:

I am so proud of my retro Tupperware.  I feel like my Gramma.  You’ll have to wait until tomorrow to see what’s inside.

That evening I went for the old appetizer for dinner:  Blueberry Chutney over Brie from the Fresh Market’s Cooking in Season.  Yeah,  I’ve looked at it 100 times and finally had to buy it.  I’m a sucker for a seasonal cookbook.  What can I say?

Sunday:  I made this Puffed Peach Omelet from Kelly Alexander’s Peaches.

I’m here to tell you that this picture doesn’t do it justice.  In my opinion, it’s more like a soufflé.  Just one peach and a couple of eggs, so good.

Today was my favorite kind of Sunday:  I did some work and some laundry and treated myself to a second glass of wine, which means Phoebe got a second treat, hypoallergenic, of course.

Eat Well and Savor.

Sunday Summary

Monday:  Thankfully, I had today off.  I decided to take a trip to IKEA.  Am I the only one who finds that place overwhelming?  I was looking for some rectangular planters and they didn’t have them.  Of course that didn’t stop me from picking up a few bargains.  And when I say bargains you should know that I bought five items and my total bill was $8.91.

I also made some Peach Iced Tea.  In case you’re wondering, the peach has currently replaced cherries in my house.  I got the recipe from Kelly Alexander’s book, Peaches.  Honestly, the tea flavor wasn’t very strong and neither was the peach flavor.

Tuesday:  I was home from work by 1:00 today.  I didn’t really accomplish too much, unless you count this ice cream.

Peach Cobbler Ice Cream from Cooking Light:  Cool Whip, sweetened condensed milk, and peach schnapps?  Count me in.  Don’t forget the Bourbon-Caramel Sauce.

Wednesday:  I had to do some top-secret transcription this morning and then I was lucky enough to drive home in the pouring rain.  I did manage to snag this awesome tray at Williams-Sonoma, though.   On sale and another 20% off.

And I made these Butter-Roasted Carrots from Cooking Light’s Pick Fresh Cookbook.

Just roast in the oven for 15 minutes at 425.

Thursday:  Happy Independence Day!  Jake wanted me to make sure to pass along that the 4th of July is just the date.  And he recommends that you read the Declaration of Independence.

I recommend that you make your own Barbecue Potato Chips.

I followed the recipe in Edible DIY by Lucy Baker.  I’ve made baked chips before and been unimpressed.   These were deep-fried, amazing, and worth every minute of prep, but it’s something I won’t repeat on a regular basis; frying in batches is time-consuming.  Still, two potatoes made a lot.  And I had some of the barbecue mixture leftover, so I coated a strip steak with it for Jake’s dinner.  I think the little bit of brown sugar in it made a nice caramelization resulting in a crust that Jake was over the moon about.

Friday:  Look what came today.

That’s right.  I got a dehydrator with the Amazon card I won from Pioneer Woman.  Thanks again, PW.  I haven’t used it yet.  Honestly, I’m a little intimidated.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

Cooking Light’s Crave! is quickly becoming a Friday night fave.  Hmm, I feel like I’ve made this rhyme before.

Anyway, Apricot and Prosciutto Thin-Crust Pizza was a hit with my non-fruit-loving husband.  I suppose the prosciutto had a little something to do with it.

Saturday:  Jake and I were going to go to the movies today.  He was unmotivated by my choice of the Lone Ranger and I was unmotivated by the extremely rainy weather.   We went to Costco instead.  I can’t help but think that the movie would have been cheaper.

Here’s the Drink of the Week:

Cherry Pucker:  2 ounces cherry brandy, 1 ounce vodka, 1 ounce amaretto, and 2 ounces of cranberry juice.  I’m so happy I found something tasty to use up those little jars of cherry brandy leftover from my Brandied Cherries.

Sunday:  I made whoopie pies today.  What’s the occasion you ask.  Well, me, of course.  I love to celebrate me.  Today is my three-year anniversary at my job and I’m going to take treats to the office tomorrow.  I made the Classic Chocolate Whoopie and the Coconut Cream filling from Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell.

They’re not so pretty once they’re wrapped up, but it is necessary to keep the obscene amount of filling that I put in there from oozing out.

Eat Well and Savor.