Ugh!

This is currently kicking my ass. Love it!

Cacio E Pepe and the mother of all sides.

I'm trying to get away from all chicken without a bone. We'll see how it goes. This was a pretty good example, however, of how keeping the meat on the bone helps it stay moist and tender.

Chicken leg quarters (leg and thigh still connected) that I seared in a cast iron skillet and then finished in the oven. I served it simply with a green salad and casarecci cacio e pepe. I eat so much spicy food, jalapenos are laughable to me, and I put chilis in so many dishes that I forgot about the punch that fresh cracked black pepper can pack. This pasta reminded me.

Pork, my best friend. Seared pork chops over creamy polenta topped with some delicious mushrooms cooked in garlic and cream. I also roasted some asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Pretty, no?

...all of the balls

are belong to Malo.

Mange!

Pan seared cod with crispy fingerling potatoes and roasted broccoli. If you've never roasted broccoli, you should. It's really easy. I just toss mine in a bowl with olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and some red chili flakes. Then roast it in the oven at 400 degrees for 20(ish) minutes. If you rotate through the same vegetables a lot, like we do, then it pays to have a few preparation variations up your sleeve. This is also a delicious way to prepare asparagus.

Taco...Wednesday! Perfect.

I go back to work tomorrow. Excited? Meh. Looking forward to getting out of the house?

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiii.

Something New

I make curry dishes a lot. A lot.

Tonight I made something familiar yet different. Chicken with hot madras curry powder, chili powder, red onion, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, and lots of fresh Thai basil.

Oh! A habanero pepper.

On rice.

That's all.

It was pretty much amazing and you should make this or something like it.

Pygmy Goatopolis 2011: An Update.

So last night was interesting. Sadly, Charlie the adorable pygmy goat is no longer living with us. What happened was (I realize that I didn't really explain how the goat ended up in our suburban back yard) that Ricky had something about wanting to get me a baby chicken (!!) to his boss. His boss said, "No way! Get a goat!" and Ricky, knowing about my love of all things tiny and adorable and hooved, agreed. Knowing that our awesome HOA wouldn't let us keep him, Ricky and his boss agreed that we'd keep him for as long as we could, but probably for just a week, until I go back to work. He wanted me to have something to play with while I'm still stuck at home. How sweet!! While we were at an even that Ricky was working (a weird Jimmy Buffet show, live-streaming from Tampa to a huge screen at this massive party at Margartiaville on the beach here) his boss came by and dropped off Charlie the pygmy goat along with a bag of goat feed. When we got home, he wasn't actually in the yard, he had somehow escaped the Alcatraz of a backyard that we have dog-proofed and was two yards down. The women living at that house found him, and decided to put him in our neighbor's yard, because she had a fence. Weird, I know. Anyway, they were in their yard and yelled, "Do you have a little goat?" to which Ricky replied, "Yes."I was confused. We don't have a goat.Is there a goat on the loose in the neighborhood? Have they mistaken a dog or cat for a goat? I don't know, people are stupid.Is this some magical moment where I've somehow used my mind powers to will a goat into my life?Either way, it was awesome. For about three hours.As it turns out, we're not really set up for a goat. He alternated between head butting our dogs (hard), head butting our glass door (also very, very hard), and standing in the yard bleating as loud as his little lungs would allow. Adorable, yes. Practical? No. The only way he would be quiet was if I sat on the porch and he laid in my lap. Again, cuter than anything I've ever seen before, but I wasn't about to sleep sitting up on my porch.Actually, I was about to, but after a little thought I decided not to. Ricky called his boss and he came and took him back to the farm. I'm happy that he's with all the other goats, and he has a little goat house to live in, free of vicious Westies that want to eat him. I cried! I had him for three hours and it was like forever.Now I really want one. And that is the end of the goat story.

This was in my back yard when I got home tonight.

He is a pygmy goat and apparently his name is Charlie. Sadly, my home owner's association sucks at life and we cannot keep this AWESOME FREAKING ANIMAL. He's like a dog, and he's super affectionate and oh, did I mention, a tiny tiny goat.

At the end of the week he'll go back to his home on a farm belonging to Ricky's boss.

I'm sad because by then I'll be attached to him, but I'm more happy that I got to hang out with him for a few days.

...and that's good enough for me.

I love cookies. Most food, actually. These are my delicious no-roll vanilla bean sugar cookies with royal icing. And sprinkles...because it's always better with sprinkles. LIFE. Life is better with sprinkles.

There was actual food to be had as well. Arugula and spinach salad with red pepper, shaved Pecorino Romano, and a warm Meyer lemon and bacon vinaigrette.

Simple, delicious, quick. Strip steaks topped with sauteed mushrooms served with baked potatoes and that lovely salad. I could probably just eat bowls of sauteed mushrooms forever and be okay with it. I like fungi. A lot.

On an unrelated side note, why does Fox Ten News feel the need to interrupt Wheel of Fortune with updates on a thunderstorm? A thunderstorm. Seriously.

I take my game shows pretty darn seriously, and not my thunderstorms.

photo update

Smiling, happy, with brand new tatas!

(and a lovely new sweater from Loft)

♥

The joys of being coastal

My husband likes to fish, as does my neighbor, so pretty often we're having it for dinner. Last week Ricky brought home a pretty good-sized striped bass. Fish that fresh doesn't really need much, so I just rubbed it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little paprika. I served it with zucchini and yellow squash and rice pilaf with bell peppers.

Beautiful little organic bell peppers. I love these things, they make the best snacks too!

Then our neighbor brought us back some king mackerel from his latest fishing trip. I had never had mackerel, so coming up with something was tricky. I decided on tacos! This was also my first beer batter, and it was amazing! Bob (neighbor) said that they were the second best fish tacos he'd ever had, the first being his brother in law who has been making them for years. Quite the compliment, if I do say so myself.

Beer battered fried fish, crema (Cacique is a good brand), cabbage, jalapenos, radishes, all in a flour tortilla that I charred in a grill pan. So good that I want to have them every night.

I made up the beer batter, and was pretty pleased with the result

-Beer Batter-

1 cup All Purpose flour

2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

salt

Chipotle chile powder (to taste)

Garlic powder (to taste)

12 oz Mexican beer (I recommend Tecate or Negra Modelo)

-Combine all the dry ingredients with a whisk. Slowly add the beer, then let the mixture sit for about 20 minutes. Dip in your fish and fry it in canola oil heated to about 350 degrees for 5-6 minutes.

Yup!

It's not just about the bra straps and the back pain.

I'm still not working. I'm still stuck at home banging my little head against a wall out of boredom.

By banging my head against a wall I, sadly, mean watching reruns of America's Next Top model and meandering around my home doing random chores. Today I'm reorganizing my pantry.

I think I'm doing relatively well. My left breast is just dandy, healed up, no longer swollen, and from what I can tell right now it won't be scarring too badly. The right one, however, is a different story. Where two of my incisions met, I ended up with a hole. Hole! It's about the size of my little fingernail, and I don't have small fingers. You can see my (interior) stitches... no bueno. It's gross and I don't like looking at it, so of course I can't stop. I was the kid that would salt slugs and stand and watch them. I need therapy.

Soooooo I went to my Dr. and all he did was give me some Silver Sulfadiazine to slather on the (still open!) wound and told me to cover it with gauze. Thanks. Since the wound was infected he couldn't sew me up, much to my chagrin. My right breast is still swollen, the sulfadiazine burns, and I still hurt all the way into my upper arm on that side. Not cool. I feel much better though.

Before my surgery I was having a really hard time. I've had large breasts as long as I've had breasts, I went from my training bra to a 34C when I was 10. I've never owned an A or B cup bra. It was a strange transition. As I got older, they just kept getting bigger. I was up to a 34G, which is a 34DDDD. Absurd. Painful. Cartoon-ish. A year and a half ago I lost over 30 pounds in 3 months, and they didn't budge. I was up to nearly 160 lbs, and even after I was down to 127, they were still a G. I was so proud of my weight loss, but because of my breasts I still had to wear larger clothes than what the rest of my body needed. It was frustrating and depressing.

Aside from the physical detriment of having such a large chest, which I've talked about before, they were psychologically harmful. I cried nearly every time I got dressed in the morning. I would try on 4 or five tops, then just sit on my bed and cry. I felt fat, ugly, and trapped because of them. Men would stare at them, women too. I hated going to the beach because they looked ridiculous in a bathing suit. I hadn't worn a crew neck shirt in years...but I digress.

I'm so much happier. I can just put on any shirt that I want. I can finally wear a size 2-4 dress instead of buying a 2-8 and having it tailored. It's refreshing, and no matter what I'm dealing with right now, while I'm healing, I'm glad I made the decision and took control over something that was hurting me in so many ways.

happy pictures

My MaggieDoo! Isn't she the sweetest? How can I ever resist this face?

This is my mother, sister, and I at Disneyland, circa 199...3? My stepfather emailed this to me the other day, and I can't stop looking at it! Me being a ham, Potato being a ginger, and my mother looking chic as ever. Even on a spinning teacup.

Tasties

Chicken cordon bleu with green beans and potatoes mashed with mascarpone cheese. I used rosemary ham...it was fabulous.

Dismal day comfort food! Italian sausage, cannellini beans, tomatoes, red bell pepper, and spinach stewed away in a French oven, topped with toasted garlicky bread crumbs.

♥

Remover of Obstacles

Anthropologie, yes please.

serendipity.

I have been looking for this soda for months. Dry Soda Co. Lavender soda. Sure, maybe it would be gross, or taste like potpourri or soap, but I still really wanted to find it. After calling every store that the website listed as retailers (none of which had ever sold it) I decided I would just have to buy it online, which meant paying for shipping and hoping that it all got here undamaged. Until today! The TJMaxx in Pensacola is my lucky store. I never go in looking for anything specific, but every time I go in I find something that I've been looking everywhere for. It's magical.

Oh, and this soda doesn't taste like soap, it tastes like happy. Happy Lavender Joy-O Love in a bottle.

Check out Dry Soda here!

♥