Foodie Friday - Hubster's At It Again!

In honor of the weekend (which means longer mornings with time to cook AND eat breakfast!) I bring to you * * ~ ~ HUBSTER!

He came up with yet another great way to use our frozen dough balls (love-love-love those things!). What do you think of a breakfast stromboli? Well. . . we may have to give it a better name than that. I mean, Hubster, after all, is the master-genius of some of the world's tastiest foods (or at least in our world). So let's see. . . what should we call it? How about just Darned Good Breakfast Stromboli? A little long? Then let's just call it Bromfastboli. Get it? The 'b' comes from 'break', then we toss the 'fast' in the middle. Enough of this ~

Tweakedly Obsessive

So I'm building a website. . . I've built a few (or more) over my time.  Some are personal, more have been for businesses.  Even built one several years ago that had a live shopping - cart.  That was a real challenge.  Won't do that again.  Sometimes you just have to learn the hard way.  I learned.  It was hard.

Yup.  Here I am, building yet another website.  And it's not as though I actually go out and look for this work - it just seems to find me.  Do I like building websites?  Yes. . . and no.

Quilting Through Hump Day

Bet you've been wondering how that quilt of mine is coming?  You'd think I'd be done by now, wouldn't you?  Yeah. . .well. . . guess what?  I'm not.  Sigh. . . . I was all gung-ho, then life got in the way, then my attentions were diverted, and then I just wasn't in the mood.  ACK!  I'm motivated now, though.  No worries!

Spring Anxiety Strikes. . . .

I just posted and sent out my monthly family newsletter and I realized something. . . we've been talking, making, and eating a lot of BBQ this past month.  It all rather culminated over the last couple of weeks. 

Our anxiety for spring finally overtook our logic and we had a BBQ this past weekend - pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, beer, and brownies. I told you we had it bad! Some friends came over and we had ourselves a real true-blue picnic. . . inside. It was winter cold and drizzly outside. . . . but the food and company sure made the sun shine! That, and we turned all the lights on.

Hubster and D most totally outdid themselves on smoking that pork! They truly put those pork butts in their place - and that place was smoky and delicious!  Each of the guys had their own Secret Recipe rubs and each butt got rubbed.  Tasty stuff! 

ACK! Taxing Taxes!

Sigh. . . . I *finally* was able to get all of my stuff together to take our taxes to the accountant today.  Was definitely a challenge this year. . . . forms didn't come like they were supposed to, several had to be corrected, and other information had to be dug up.  Bah.

I'm the number cruncher of the house.  I make sure everything gets paid, accounts get balanced, receipts get filed, and taxes get done.  That's how it's been for many-many years.  I'm good with numbers - don't like them, I obsessess over them, and they haunt me.  But I'm good with them.  Stretching that dollar, having control over where it goes and what it covers is a mind-bender for me.  I like making things fit, accounting is just that - making the dollar fit the need and lining up all those numbers in columns.  Problem is, rather like an artist, I just keep tweaking a bit here, adding a bit more there, wishing I could alter it over here. . . I want my ledgers to be picture perfect!

Food Friday - ksyardbird's Chicken Curry

Straight and to the point today. . . . and in the skillet and the bowl - yum.  How about some Chicken Curry?

There's this great restaurant in Lawrence, KS called Zen Zero where I had my first taste of the most heavenly curry. . . I have collected multiple recipes and been tweaking for a bit more than a year. . . Last night I took my notes on a total of three remaining recipes, combined them and (By Jove!) I think I got it!

I was so intent on the creation that I didn't take time to take any photos.  Please accept my apologies for that oversight. . . The only one I have is of the leftovers.  Truly.  I'm sorry.  Get over it.  Need some hand holding while trying out my recipe?  Call me - I'm here!   I only ask for some photos in return.  Deal?  Deal!

So ~ without further adieu:

Liquid Brain-o & The Lizard

Forgive me.

Writer's block. . . more like a clog.  So many things to say and talk about, it's got the plumbing from my brain to my fingers all clogged up.  Shake it out. . . .shake it out.

I've been thinking a lot lately about a recurring dream I used to have.  I thought about telling you about it today, but decided not.  I have a muffin recipe and photos to share.   And I just didn't feel like talking about about lizards today.  I decided that I would write it for, maybe, next week.  I go back to struggling with my writer's clog.

Then my beloved J-girl texts me and tells me she had a dream about me that made her wake up overwhelmingly, and inexplicably, sad.  I didn't die or anything - but it really affected her.  I knew just what she meant.  Made me think of my Lizard Dream.  That's what I call it.  My Lizard Dream.

Shrinking Those Mole Hills

Have you ever had so many things to do that you just weren't sure where to start?  Lots of little things that, individually, are no big deal and only take a minute or two to accomplish.  But, add all those little things up and you have a mountain to climb.  Overwhelming.  Sounds like a Monday, yes?

That's my day today (and it's NOT Monday). . . so many little details attacking me, screaming at me, just begging to be dealt with.  Each little task needing only a bit of time.  So just do it, right?

Aaaaah. . . Comfort Food. Yum.

Such a crazy weekend with all of us going in different directions on Saturday, and, together, going off the beaten path on Sunday, left us out of the kitchen for the entire time.  A rather unusual experience for us.

Monday came along and saved us - so glad for Presidents Washington and Lincoln - by giving us an extra day off.  We made up for the hectic 'no meals at home and together' kind of weekend with some good, old-fashioned comfort food.  And, regrettably, we were so incredibly focused on food - we forgot photos. . . mostly.

Gumbalaya - Everything But the Chicken Sink

Are you in for a special treat!  Theres' some Cajun slow-cooker Chef-ing going on in the kitchen today featuring (drum roll please). . . . . Hubster!

Come join us ~

It all started many years ago when we hosted  Louisiana Family-T in our Guest House.  It was our first real introduction to true Cajun, New Orleans style, cooking and we loved it!  We still keep in touch with Family-T (they came to visit us often during our Guest House days and we've gone to visit them) and think of them every time we decide to cook Cajun.  Or reverse that.  Either way - Cajun and Family-T go together.

Righting My Exercise

I know - a little late this morning.  I'm trying to make exercising my top priority in the mornings.  Operative word here is TRYING.

Why is exercise so freaking hard?  I mean, most of us run around getting to work, and to the store, and back and forth to the washing machine, and cleaning and whatever.  Yet- it's just not enough.

Keeping It Clean and Being Green

Do you ever wonder where all that dirty laundry comes from?  I know I sure as heck do.  I mean, there are three of us in this house - but you'd be hard pressed to guess that from our laundry load.  We do at least one load a day and average about 9-10 a week.  And these are BIG loads - so what's up with that?

We have established a routine that seems to work pretty well for us - though it seems about as odd as the amount of laundry we do a week.  We do a load every weekday and 'catch up' on the weekends.  Now, this is not set in stone - but it does help to keep the dirty laundry at bay.  Also makes it easier for everyone to help out.

Motivated Musings and Imagination Overload

Motivation - it's grabbed.  Inspiration has taken over.  Downright obsessed, some would say.  Imagination is oozing all over the place. . . What's the cause?  New gadgets for Baby. . . beautiful fabric, nifty rubber stamps, glue pad and (gasp!) glitter, pearls, scrapbook papers, paper punches, threads. . . oh my!

I was feeling a bit overwhelmed by the tediousness (is that a word?) of my quilt block piecing.   But. . . after an adventure to Tulsa, OK Friday - I'm so motivated is a little frightening!  I now have all of the most tedious-of-tedious piecing done (finally!!) and am ready to put on the block borders - hooray!  I'm wanting to get this project done - not only to see the end result - but so I can move on to the next big project. 

Avocado Seeds Don't Bounce ~

And how about those Saints?!  What a great game - and AWESOME food!

I took my guacamole to the Suerbowl party, and, as promised, the recipe will follow.   Funny - the seed from the second avocado I used yesterday tried to make a get away.  It slid out of my hand, 'sloooophed' right off my little orange cutting board, onto the tile floor, and left skid marks before coming to an ironic stop against the trash can where it was headed anyway.  I guess it was simply resigned to its fate as trash.  By the way, avocado seeds don't bounce.

Super Superbowl Foodie Friday

Haven't worked on the quilt in a couple days.  So disappointed.  Just seems so many other things in the way.

More wet. . . glad the snow didn't accumulate as much as it could have - that could have been, oh, I don't know, just bad.  Yeah - really bad.  But the kitties don't care. . . all snuggled in their heated kitty bed.  Just look at little Fritzie. . . . Ah, such is the feline life.  And actually, if we have to have snow - it's a beautiful one this morning with huge marshmallow-puff flakes.  Lovely.

So, It's Thursday. Let's Pay Bills.

Sigh. . . It's snowing again.  AGAIN!  Warmed up and rained overnight so much of the droppings from the last snow melted. . . and here it comes again.  Seriously?  Missing those beautiful sunrises and my morning walks with the dogs. 

Baking that chicken today - how would you season it?  I'm undecided at this point. 

Now. . . or Later?

Happy Wednesday!

The sun is thawing that frozen fog and it's going to be a good day!

It's always fun having company for dinner and last night was no exception. . . I just wish it would happen more often.  There were times, back in my Bed and Breakfast days that I just didn't think I could make one more meal. . . but now I really miss the variety and the motivation of having frequent guests at the table.  I do NOT miss making all those beds.   Well, not really, anyway.  Great guests made up for all of that work.  Gosh!  That seems like so long ago.

Easy Does It. . . .

Whew! Glad to have made it through Monday. . . was such a dreary day here - hard to stay motivated to get anything done. And Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning. . . let's just hope there's more sun during the next six weeks, than we've had the past six weeks.

Didn't work on the quilt last eve and it is time to get the brown and cream pieces attached to each other. This step will be quite the tedious job, I must admit. Oh! I did finally receive my long-awaited quilting foot with the attached fabric guide for Baby.

Marvelous Menu Monday

Soooo. . . how was the weekend?  What exciting and not-so-exciting things did you do?  C'mon now - really.  What'd you do?  What did I do?  Well. . . let's see here.

Watched it snow.  Yes, that's right folks.  Snow.  I know - it's not that unusual of a phenomenom, but. . . we've had more than our fair share in Southeast Kansas and it truly needs to cut out it.  Seriously.  I mean, look at it.