I went to the store for two things...

We've all been there.  You stop at the grocery store for one or two things and walk out with several bags which never seem to justify the total on the receipt.  Today was one of those days.  Even though I only needed two things I grabbed one of the small carts "just in case".  I don't know if your store has them but they hold just a smidge more than a basket but you can push it (obviously) instead of having to lug a basket around.  Friends, the grocery store is to me what Toys R Us is to a small child.  I become a cracked out food junkie and this time was no exception.  The wheels started turning.

It was around noon and I realized I hadn't gotten anything out of the freezer at home for dinner tonight and it's a sunny day so my brain whispered, almost ghost like, "Grill."  But I'm feeling lazy today and couldn't think of what I wanted to spend my time checking on periodically.  Then it hit me.  Pulled pork.  That takes almost no supervision.  But being a Yankee and lacking the fancy schmancy smokers you see on Food Network, I do mine a tad differently.  I start the pork in the crock pot until it's falling apart then I throw it on the grill for 1-2 hours with some wood chips to give it that awesome smoked flavor.  I haven't had any complaints yet.

So in addition to my two original items, I walked out with a pork roast (pork butt is my favorite for pulled pork), some beans because what's pulled pork without smokey baked beans on the side, BBQ sauce, and oh yeah, I needed charcoal plus various other unrelated items that apparently we can't live without.  By the time I got to the check out, my little cart was puffing like the Little Engine that Could.  Or it was in my mind at least.  Hey, I hear ghost-like voices telling me what to make for dinner so it's reasonable that my cart can make noises too.  The checker asked if I wanted a bigger cart because they don't allow the small ones outside.  This is where I mentally pull the mother card because after lugging around a super-sized toddler for a few years, I can carry more than my scrawny arms would lead you to believe. 

So out to the car I went with my two reusable bags (which hold the same at 3 plastic bags) draped over one arm and my 18 pound bag of charcoal resting on the opposite hip with my arm loving holding it close.  Just like holding a baby.  No, I didn't forget the wood chips.  I keep those on hand at home for these occasions.  My favorite for pork is apple wood.  Hopefully by around 6:00 tonight we will sit down to a yummily smoked pork roast...it's my blog and I can make up words if I want to...baked beans, and possibly some tater salad.  Can't go wrong with tater salad.  And I like to say tater salad.

Where I Have Been

I know I know. Why am I not cooking and writing about it? You poor neglected blog readers. It turns out I have dozens of magazines around the house that I need to recycle. Remember kids…recycle! I am a rabid recycler so if you need tips, let me know. Sorry, a little side note.

So I have all of these magazines and I know that there maybe a handful of recipes in each that I want to keep. I started going through them a few weeks ago but life is funny. It takes you in different directions and you get distracted. So these few dozen magazines have turned into piles of ‘gone through, tore out recipes, recycle’, ‘keep because there is too much to throw out’, and ‘still need to look through.’

I have learned much about myself through this process (besides knowing I’m a packrat). I’ve learned I have my comfort cooking, my light cooking, and the need to explore cooking. So my newest goal is to start cooking outside of not only my comfort level, but outside of the family’s taste level. More to come on that but…a funny thing happened with veggies…


I love having food brought to me. My office participates in Fruit My Cube. These wonderful souls bring fruit to any of us health lovers who want fruit but are too busy (o.k. lazy) to go to the store and buy it. Now that spring has sprung they have incorporated the Market Crate bringing fresh veggies to my office and inspiring me to make my dinner plate at least 50% veg. It also makes me think about interesting ways to bring veggies to the table. Keep in mind I live with a carnivore and a carbivore. Veggies are good to them but they like corn, peas, green beans, and broccoli. We need more options.


In my latest Market Crate, I received a head of cauliflower. I will eat cauliflower raw even without ranch…who doesn’t love ranch. But I wanted to challenge my family. Turns out those corn, peas, green beans, broccoli loving people love roasted cauliflower. And I have been asked to make it again. Gladly!


I could probably live happily as a sometimes vegetarian with a burger indulgence here and there but that doesn’t fit into my real life. So I cook meat, I devour carbs, and I work on bringing more veggies into my home. Right now I have more veggies than actually fit in the veg drawer of my fridge so they are nipped and, lovingly, tucked. I must find a way to serve them. I will. Happily. And let’s hope the new found cauliflower lovers in the house find that same appreciation for other veggies. Veg out!

Smell-o-Blog

Wouldn't that be nice?  It would be today anyway.  I would love to share with you the smells coming from my kitchen.  It's a long story but I am home from work unexpectedly so I thought why not start dinner at 11:00 a.m.  Seems natural right?  Actually, I had a dinner planned for the slow cooker and simply gave it a little boost. 

Right now I have bell peppers stuffed with turkey Italian sausage, minced garlic, diced onions, and diced zucchini cooking away in a tomato sauce.  It's my little riff on sausage and peppers.  If only I could pronounce it as I recall from watching 'The Godfather' - "sahsahge and pehppahs".  But alas, I am but a poor Midwesterner lacking any type of accent whatsoever.  Also, since I'm home, I threw ingredients in the bread machine for an Italian peasant loaf.  I love few smells more than that of baking bread.

An added bonus to my meal, is I'm utilizing tools that won't heat up the kitchen.  You see, it is an atypical 90 degrees in May and out of pure stubbornness, we are not yet using our air-conditioner.  It actually isn't even prepped for the season yet.  So instead of heating a pan on the stove top and using the oven, my kitchen will stay at a moderate temperature.  And I don't have to worry about sweating or looking as red as a tomato as I serve my family.  Oops, I'm a lady so I mean glistening.  We don't sweat, of course.

Considering, I have made neither of these items in this exact way before, I just hope dinner tastes as good as it smells.  For now, I'll just enjoy a good snnniiifffffffffffff