There's a Reason I'm Not a Food Blogger

I am terrible at taking pictures of my food.  (And I'm still learning to cook, but that's just a small detail.)

Look back at my food posts.  Most of them do not have pictures of food because I forget to take them.  My thoughts just don't run that way when I'm cooking dinner.  They run more like, "Oh my goodness, how is it 7:30 already?  What is the dog doing?  Ooh, that needs to be stirred.  Ahhh!  The rice is going to burn!  Get it off the heat!  Why won't the dog stay out of the trash?  Okay, plates.  Why won't the dog stop chasing the cat?  Where is Mr. 31?  Didn't I tell him to come eat dinner?  Why is the dog in the trash again??  Oh my word.  Ok, food on the plates.  Here, just take your food because I have to get that dish rag out of the dog's mouth."

After we've eaten dinner is when the thought pops in, "Hey, I really should have taken a picture of that."  And I end up not posting recipes that are good because I totally blanked on taking a picture.  So, my apologies, but I never promised you a food blog.

So, here's a recipe, sans picture, of a meatloaf recipe I tried the other day.  It was super easy and really good.

Easy Meatloaf

Adapted from Easy Meal Ideas For Moms-On-The-Go

1 (10 1/2 oz) can cream of mushroom soup

1 lb. ground beef

1 pouch dry onion soup mix

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg

1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl mix 1/2 of the cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup, ground beef, bread crumbs, and egg. 

In an 11x8 pan, form meat mixture into a 7x4 loaf.  Bake at 350 for 75 minutes.

Spoon off 2 T. of drippings and mix with remaining soup and water in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Thin the sauce with additional water if desired.   Serve over the meatloaf.

Happy New Year!!

I have to admit - I really don't like New Year's Eve.  I'm not one to go out and be with a ton of people with noise makers and glasses formed from the numbers of the new year.  You'd be more likely to find me on my couch with my husband, watching Dick Clark, and eating finger foods that we don't normally eat.

BUT.  I love making New Year's resolutions.  The idea of a new start, of saying, "Okay, no more messing about.  Today's the day I become the person I've always wanted to be" is, to me, the mental equivalent of taking a big deep breath and letting it out.  I'm raring to go.  Ready to attack the new year.

And then reality sets in.  Or, rather, I let that mental energy, that "rah, rah, sis-boom-bah" attitude, slip away into oblivion.  It all seems too much.

And I think I've figured out why.  I make too many darn resolutions.  I have a list a mile long.  It's like I feel the great need to be the perfect person RIGHT NOW.  I want to be healthier, a better wife and carer of my home, be better with finances, be better at work, be a better Christian... All of which are worthy goals, but I bog myself down with not being able to do it all right now, that I let it all drop, which isn't the right attitude either. 

So.  I'm going to make three resolutions this year.  They are specific, yet general enough to be applied to any number of situations.  Which will hopefully make me a better - not perfect - person.  And they are - drum roll please:

1.  Stop procrastinating.  I am was a terrible procrastinator.  Like really bad.  Like I got married five years ago and haven't legally changed my name.  And not for any feminist reason.  So, yeah.  I should really stop doing that.  And I should really change my name.

2.  Be more diligent.  Many of the scriptures I've had on my heart recently have dealt with this (2 Peter 1:3-8, Hebrews 11:6).  So, I will be more mindful of my actions (or inaction, if that is the case!) and be diligent about seeking God and about things in my life.

3.  Stop worrying.  I've talked about this before.  It has seemed to rear it's ugly head more and more lately, so I am addressing that.  I say I trust God, but sometimes my mental state does not reflect that!  Although, I must say Resolution 1 will also help with some of that.  I can stop worrying about things because I'll actually have done them!

What are your resolutions?  Do you have a list a mile long or a just a few?

Menu Plan Monday...on Tuesday

Again.

I spent my Columbus Day Monday doing absolutely nothing.  And it was glorious.

Although I did manage to throw dinner in the crockpot, so that counts as something.

Here's the plan for the week, including yesterday.

Monday: French Onion chicken in the slow cooker, butter noodles

Tuesday:  Leftovers from impromptu Mexican feast on Sunday

Wednesday: Chicago Style Pizza Pot Pie, chicken wings, salad

Thursday: The man is on his own.  I'm working

Friday:  Chicken in slow cooker, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans

I'll be linking up with Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Garlic Lime Shrimp

Note: these are not my shrimp.  These shrimp are someone else's from a free photo site.  My shrimp didn't get photographed due to a mental block in remembering to take photographs.

On last week's meal plan, I was supposed to make shrimp sauteed with garlic on Wednesday.  Then Pinterest struck, and I found a recipe for Garlic Lime Shrimp.  So I made that instead.  Close enough.

I made some changes to the recipe according to what I already had in the house, but it turned out great and was super simple!  Will definitely be making this again!

Garlic Lime Shrimp

Adapted from the Recipe Girl

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons lime juice

2 1/2 teaspoons white wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of chili powder

1 lb. medium shrimp

1 tablespoon dried parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat.  Mix in next 4 ingredients.  Saute for 30 seconds.  Add shrimp and saute until opaque in the center, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes.  Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper.

I'll be linking up to:

Tasty Tuesday at Blessed with Grace

Tuesdays at the Table at All the Small Stuff

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage
Hookin Up with HOH - House of Hepworths

Menu Plan Monday...on Tuesday

Because that's how I'm rolling this week.

So, last week went really well with menu planning.  The only hitch (which wasn't really a hitch) was the unexpected invitation to meet an astronaut.  So, that bumped some meals back, which means some will happen this week instead.

So here we go:

Tuesday: Ox Roast Sandwiches, sweet potato fries, salad

Wednesday: Leftover pasta bake, salad

Thursday: Sort-of-roast slow cooker meal from last week, mashed potatoes, rolls

Friday:  slow cooker chicken w. broccoli and cheese rice bake

Saturday:  homemade pizza, salad (really into salad this week)

I'm linking up with Menu Plan Monday.



So I Met an Astronaut...

Picture from nasa.gov

Earlier this week, my husband emailed me to say that he had been asked to go to a dinner for work involving an astronaut or something....  I didn't really pay attention to the details.  Then he said that I had also been invited to attend.  So I figured:

1.  I got to spend the evening with my husband.

2.  Free dinner (even if it would be bad chicken cordon bleu, a dry twice baked potato, and cold green beans).

3.  Maybe I'd get to say that I shook an astronaut's hand.  You know, for all those times when you get asked the frequently asked, all-important "Have you ever shaken an astronaut's hand?" question.

So, last night we went to the meet & greet/dinner and met Col. Mike Fincke.

First, let me say that he is one of the nicest, most down-to-earth (no bad pun intended) people that I've ever met.  He and my husband bonded over their love of some 80s movie called Space Camp and he autographed a picture for The Padawan with a really nice message.  So I was really happy and impressed with him as a person.

But he was truly inspiring during his speech at the dinner.  Col. Fincke was on the Endeavour for the last space shuttle flight.  He also has spent more time in space than any other American (over 380 days, I think.  Should have read the fact card more carefully before giving it to The Padawan).  But what was more impressive than that was his attitude and passion for his job.

Between the way he spoke about his job and the pictures and video he showed us, you could tell this man really, really loves what he does.  He is passionate about it.  There is no question that, when he goes to work, he is totally sold out for what he is doing.

I also loved the way that he and his colleagues on the Endeavour took such joy from their mission.  Watching video of them "flying" through the International Space Station, having what looked like a race to eat floating M&Ms, and playing with water droplets in the no-gravity environment, it was obvious that they are just fascinated by what they do and truly enjoy it.

Now, don't get me wrong.  These are some brilliant men who did very intricate, highly technical work while they were on their mission.  But in the midst of doing the serious stuff, they could still take immense joy in their work.

How many of us can say that we take such enjoyment in our work?  Maybe most days you find fulfillment, but have you taken the time to kindle the joy and the passion that should infuse our daily lives?  Col. Fincke may get to do his work in space, and we may be in cubicles, or fast food restaurants, or some other seemingly less glorious work environment, but we should be able to find fulfillment and enjoyment just as he has.

It is my prayer that everyone can find the work in life, their purpose, that gives them that joy and inspires such passion, if you have not already found it.  If you have found your purpose, I pray that you continue to experience that passion and that joy that the men on the Endeavour displayed so clearly.

My New Addiction

I got a fever and the only prescription is more Pinterest.

(10 points for anyone who can tell me what that's referencing!)

For anyone not familiar with Pinterest, (in their words):  "Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

In my words:  it is ridiculous awesomeness in its purest form.

I don't know about you, but I'm constantly inspired by things I see in blogs or other websites, whether that be recipes or home ideas or books I want to read, even how-to instructions for projects I want to try.  Before Pinterest, I had a mishmash of email folders and documents trying to organize it all.  No more, my friends!  Now I have Pinterest.

I also love it because I can see what others are pinning on their boards.  Sometimes I don't even have to go on outside websites to get inspired because there are such great things getting pinned every minute by other people.

Picture from tinywhitedaisies.tumblr.com.  But found on Pinterest, of course.

So, yeah, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest.  But I will say that I have done some projects that were inspired by things I saw on Pinterest or with ideas that I pinned myself that were easily organized on Pinterest.

To join, you have to ask to be invited or get an existing member to invite you.  I asked to be invited and it took less than a week to get accepted and up and running.

If you are already a member, you can follow me if you'd like.  I would love to see what all of you are pinning!!