Still Alive 'n Kickin' and the Story of an Auction

I'm still here! For real.

My kitchen is still fully operational. We still eat.

Image by bsabarnowl via Flickr

Today I had a GREAT kitchen day since Festival Foods had their super duper excellent deal meat sale. I am SO STOCKED up! Months of meals in my freezer. Yeah! Well, I mean, I'm getting there. I'm sorta still at the point where I have the potential for months of meals in my freezer. It's mostly still on my counter. So... this will be a short post. To discourage the ecoli outbreak, etc.

I just wanted to spout a bit (which I've done on a personal level with loads of friends already, so if you are one of those, my apologies for redundancy) about the girls' school auction fund raiser. Let me preface this with, I TRULY did have a BLAST! This is the first year I've managed to actually USE the tickets I bought. So that's a bonus. And I dragged Candle Natzi (one of my BFF's) and her hubster along. So that was fun, too. (Bizy Pappa had to stay home and be Busy Pappa with the Minis in tow.)

So away I went and had starry twinkles in my eyes at the piles and piles of AWESOME goods to bid on. How fun!!! Except here's kinda how it went:

ME: ooooooooooooooooh, look at that awesome sauce cool thing I really want to win! But awwwwwwww, look at the poor little crappy auction next to it that doesn't have any bids but costs a billion dollars! Oh for sure someone will outbid me. Ok, I'll bid on the crap.



and later...

ME: Oh look! The awesome sauce is going for an incredibly great price! I could so bid and win that one! Hmmmm... The crap is still sitting there at my opening bid and therefore I cannot chance winning $6000 worth of stuff instead of just $3000. Too bad. Sigh.


At the end of the night it took Candle Nazi, Hubster AND me to carry all my crap to the car. Fun stuff.
So here's what I tell myself... good cause, Brandy, good cause.

And it was. We LOVE our school and we LOVE our girls. And the school raised over $40,000. So all good.

Now, off to eBay to unload...

My Kitchen and the Cobwebs

Wow - I've been a slacker here lately. Both blog-wise and kitchen-wise. It was one of those crazy busy weekends. You know the ones - as they are happening I look forward with much anticipation to the fact that my Minis are going to sleep like STONES (or stoners or like they are stoned) at the end of it. What I forget is that keeping THEM busy keeps MAMMA busy. And I have NOT the stamina and energy that they have. Why is that? Shouldn't the Mamma be given an infusion of energy when she procreates to keep up with the procreatee? (Is that a word? Pro-create-ee... hmmm, doesn't work with an extra "e" either). Google it.

At any rate, littlest Mini has a new phrase that might give you some insight into my kitchen as of late...
"Moobie?"  "Peet-za??" (for those who don't speak baby Japanese - that's pizza and a movie.)

That's about the size of it. And tonight I think we're looking at my version of hamburger (the venison version) helper-ish. Tomorrow back to life as we know it. Except, let's face it, movies, pizza, and deerburger helper IS life as WE know it.

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My Baby is TWO Today!

How did this even happen? I can remember with amazing clarity waking up at 2:30 in the morning wondering if these were contractions, or just indigestion. I remember heaving myself out of bed and coming downstairs to try and figure it out. I remember deciding it was "the real thing" and realizing I had to do some laundry, and dishes, and cleaning, and mopping, etc. I remember waking my husband up at 4:30 to let him know and telling him we had plenty of time (Mini #1 took her sweet time with 30+ hours of hard labor) and to go back to sleep. (Thank goodness he wasn't able to fall back to sleep.) I remember taking a shower to relax (a little too relaxing maybe) and calling my parents back again to tell them maybe there WAS a rush after all for them to come get Mini #1. Of course, how could I forget frantically packing the suitcase, which Pappa D promptly left at home, and the 90+mph trip to the hospital. I remember skipping the registration process and realizing the dreaded truth - too late for an epidural. No matter since Mini #2 arrived within minutes of making it into the delivery room, but still...

A couple of days later, we joyfully brought home our new family addition - a few hours after that we headed tearfully back to check her in for jaundice treatment. After that release we were home for good, thank God. I can hardly believe it has been two full years. Time surely does fly.





So today in my kitchen are all things toddler and celebratory. Breakfast was out with Grandma and Grandpa. Lunch was cotton candy at Summer Extravaganza Bonanza - gotta love Family Video for a timely celebration. (I know, BAD Mamma! but when was the last time you had FRESH cotton candy?)

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Dinner will be Pappa D grilling out skinless cheddar wieners from a local meat market. I'm also going to do some baked beans, so I'll let you know how those turn out. Yum! Grandma to the rescue with store bought mini bug birthday cakes (so cute! I'll take pics when they get here!!)

Overall, it's for the most part a day when Bizy Mamma gets the day OFF from her kitchen. If you ask me, that's fitting, since I had to do the hard work on this day two years ago.

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A J.A.M. and a Barbie Q

Last night was my final July J.A.M. and it was a hoot! Thanks so much to my girls Jen, Rae, and Linda for coming (and Jaz for recruiting Jen to double up on her meal-making so Jaz could get some, too, despite not being able to join us). We did GREAT conquering the kitchen and loaded their freezers up with Beef Stroganoff, Orange BBQ Chicken, Chicken Tacos, Cheesy Roasted Chicken, Cilantro Citrus Pineapple Chicken, and Hawaiian Pork. YUM. I'm already hungry as I'm writing this - I may have to take a break and eat something before I finish!

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So we had a blast and we actually got something accomplished besides. It was great to listen to the kids raise the roof upstairs, too. All this and everyone was done in time for dinner.

I had some ground venison thawed, so I decided (at Pappa D's request) to make some sloppy joes. He asked me to pick up a mix (since he planned to do it himself) but I declined since I have a FABULOUS recipe that I'm going to share with you instead. This recipe is a sweet version of sloppy joes that we usually call Barbie Q (can you tell I have all girls?)

• 1 lb of ground beef (or venison, pork, chicken, turkey, etc)
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped (I don't always have onion on hand, but I DO always add a scoop (Tbsp) of Grandma's Sunday Roast Seasoning and then the onion is actually superfluous)
• 8 oz ketchup
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 c water
• 1/2 tsp salt (which is not really necessary when you add the Sunday Roast Seasoning - maybe a dash at most)
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp paprika

Once you have your meat browned (and onion along with it if you got that route), add everything else and just let it simmer on low for a bit to get the flavors all nice and infused. You can serve it on bread, buns, or just eat it with a spoon.

Enjoy! And feel free to share your version! Off to eat my leftover Barbie Q...

Let's Fill Our Freezers!

I LOVE J.A.M. weekend! What? You don't know what a J.A.M. is? Well, I'll be happy to tell you.

I've mentioned in other posts that I like to use the zippered freezer bag method to get meals in my freezer for ease of preparation on days that I have too much to do (in other words, every day!) So here's how we do things at my house (and how I share that with others).

First of all, I definitely stock up when things are on sale - that seems fairly simple, right? Well, as long as you pay attention I guess. I find that meat is sometimes hard to find at a good price - and I guess when I say meat I'm talking about "protein" in general....so chicken, pork, beef, etc. We have a freezer full of venison, so that helps (except if you take into consideration the ACTUAL price per pound of that deer having to factor in all the hunting expenses... yikes... yet again, I digress!) But we can't, or rather, I don't want to, serve venison every single night. So I do have to keep my eyes open for other deals on chicken and pork especially. Another way to do it is try to buy in bulk from discount clubs, etc. Or maybe you are lucky enough to get in on purchasing a whole cow or something like that. Whatever the case, get your meat at the best deal possible.

Then, for me it's a matter of implementing the 4 Meals in 4 Minutes system that I found when I started using Homemade Gourmet products. I used the products for quite a few years first, and then just over a year ago became a consultant. That story is likely a post for another day. Today I want to focus on the freezer meal part of this.

So here's the deal-i-o. You need freezer storage bags, meat, seasoning, and other canned goods, etc. to get started. For me, it's sort of like getting your pantry and your freezer to work nicely together, rather than get on your nerves by arguing all day like a 2 year old and 5 year old. Oh wait... I think I'm getting sidetracked - maybe because I'm getting climbed all over.

FOCUS....
Start with your zippered freezer bag - make sure it's one that won't leak! I always test mine before my J.A.M.ers come over with my own meal. Can you imagine if I sent everyone home with a slew of leaky meat juice and condensed soup bags? Yuck. No more J.A.M. attendees either I bet! My personal favorite is definitely Ziploc brand freezer bags.

The great part is, it's SO EASY to get a bunch of meals quickly, efficiently, and (most important) cheaply into your freezer.

1. Label your bag with the name of your meal, date, and cooking options. A Sharpie black permanent marker works great for the labeling. When my J.A.M. attendees come over, I have pre-printed on 2x4 inch the meal options for them to just slap onto their bag. But when I do my own personal meals at home, I use a Sharpie.
2. Into your bag goes whatever the recipe calls for - for example, if you're doing Hawaiian Chicken (or pork if you prefer)...3-4 Tbsp of BLT Dip Seasoning, a 15 oz can of pineapple tidbits (or chunks, since I can only see BARELY a difference between the two), a Tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce, 2 Tbsp of honey, and 3 pounds of your choice of boneless, skinless chicken breast or pork chops
3. (The Minis' favorite part) SMOOSH it all together.
4. Throw (or gently set, your choice) it in the freezer. VOILA!

When you're ready to use your meal, you can thaw and bake, thaw and grill, or thaw just enough to slide it out of the bag (or if you're me, you simply cut the meal out of the bag) and put it into your crock pot. LOVE that. LOVE to stick one of my meals in the crock pot in the morning, head off to work, and come home to dinner. Done. Ready. Smellin' nummy.

Back to where we started, what is J.A.M.? Just. Add. Meat. Come on over, pick your meals, put them together in your Ziploc Gallon-size freezer bag. Then go home, and just add meat. Get it?

That's kinda the gist of it. Get to work!

I'd love to hear what YOU do to make life easier in the kitchen. And as always, if you have questions because (gasp) I didn't explain this in a way that makes sense to you, please feel free to ask away!

The Vicious Cycle

So do you have a coffee maker in your kitchen?
I do.
For me, it's an evil contraption. Instigator, author, and gatekeeper of a vicious caffeine cycle.
So here's what happens.
I have two minis, ages almost 2 and 5. They are beautiful, loving, amazing little creatures. I'd definitely jump in front of a bus for them. HOWEVER, it takes a TON of energy to keep on keepin' on with two minis, a nearly full time job outside of home, a biz of my own, and a Pappa D to look after. Not to mention upkeep of the abode that houses us all. Whew. Exhausts me just to think about it. BRB, I need a drink of coffee.
Every now and then I rely on a crutch. It looks BEAUTIFUL from the outside. Ahh, lovely caffeine. Can't you just see your favorite caffeinated beverage in its glorious outer packaging?
Now let me also set up the story this way. I have been nursing or pregnant or both since July of 2004. So I truly don't indulge in caffeine too terribly often these days... or these years ... nearly decades it seems. The between the lines there is the fact that it doesn't take much to get me zinging off the walls.
At any rate, yesterday I may have overdone it a bit. Zing zing.
Coffee in the morning. Yum. Just for that tiny little extra bit of zing. Zing. zing. Yawn. Then I had a bit of Dr. Pepper at lunch time. Just 32 oz or so. And only one refill. Of another 32 ounces. At about 2PM.
My usual cut-off for caffeine is around 10AM. Which only stands to reason since they say the peak of caffeine effects is about 8 hours in. And I usually hit the sack at about 8PM. No, really. I do. Not on purpose. But there's this thing that happens if I sit still for more than 10 or 15 minutes to watch TV, read, snuggle with a mini. Zonk. As opposed to zing.
So... I was up a good two thirds of the night last night. Because of too much caffeine. Which was administered to keep me from falling alseep during the day when I had too much to do. So.
This morning I am SO TIRED. I really need to get some good sleep tonight.
Meanwhile, I'll be okay after a cup of coffee.
Or two.