Random food post

My husband doesn't like eggplant. A lot of people don't...and I knew that as I prepared our dinner this evening. Nevertheless, I was determined to make the pasta sauce so delicious he wouldn't notice the eggplant. In that feat, I failed. BUT the sauce was STILL AMAZING!!!! Even he admitted it as he asked to swap the eggplant for something else like spicy sausage or whatever.  Got my recipe from Cuisine magazine and it was phenomenal. Plenty for 2 more servings!!! Be jealous :)

Apple Sauce- very delish!

Happy Sunday Morning!!!!! Just wanted to share a little yummy Apple Sauce Recipe I found online at http://www.simplyrecipes.com/. It was very easy and tastes fantastic!!!!

This is the most time consuming a toughest part...and messiest!

Easy easy...

Smells so yummy!

Mash Mash Mash!!!!!

I added extra cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg for presentation.

Frozen and labeled!- keeps up to 1 year frozen

Enjoy!

Stolen: Organic Peach Pie

Pre-Oven...I sprinkled brown sugar before adding the top crust!

Got this recipe from the lovely Jenni at Story of My Life.  I made it to celebrate Ben coming home after 5 days away. Yes, this might sound a liiiitle over dramatic since we spent 10 months apart (Sept.11-June12), but whatever. Judge away! Absence makes the heart grow fonder. (and the house grow cleaner)

Organic Peach Pie
*organic peaches are not necessary, but they are the one fruit I almost exclusively buy in organic due to the high pesticide content.

Pillsbury package of 2 crusts
4-6 cups sliced peaches - about 6-8 medium ones (no need to peel them)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp lemon or lime juice
1 TBS butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 425. Place bottom pastry crust in pan. Mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in peaches and lemon or lime juice. Turn into pie crust, and dot with butter. Cover with top pastry. Seal, flute, and cut a couple slits in the center. Cover edges with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown, and fruit mixture is starting to bubble. Cool on wire rack. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and enjoy!

She also has the following delicious recipes on her site. Seriously the french toast is out of this world!!!!

http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/most-delicious-salmon-recipe-in-world.html

http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-delicious-and-freezable-shepherds.html

http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/lets-just-call-it-euphoric-stage-french.html

http://storyofmylifetheblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/more-noms.html

And no post of mine is EVER complete without some kitty love...so here you go!

SO pretty! :)

Sums it up...if only the kitties were here! :(

Leo: "Play With me!" Lulu: "Are you kidding me?"

Oh Happy Day.....

Oh, this “happy” day. This day known to all love-sick people as “Valentine’s Day”. Quite frankly, all the companies that make money for marketing such a ridiculous tradition should be ninja-bitch-kicked in the face. The condom companies, wine stores, lingerie stores, candy stores, jewelry stores and worst of all- Hallmark. Yes, I said it. Hallmark should be ninja-bitch-kicked. While all the lovers in the world, married, engaged, dating, or ‘talking’ celebrate this day with joy, we single folks are left out. How fair is that? I’m pretty sure St. Valentine never intended to leave the single population of the world out of his celebration of love and happiness. I mean, how Christian is that?

As a child, my teachers encourage everyone to bring Valentines for the whole class. That way no one felt left out. Plus it was a great way for the teachers to get away with not having a lesson planned. They would sugar us up with cookies and soda, pass out Valentines so that we all truly believe that we are a “Q T Pie”, and send us buzzing home to our unsuspecting parents to deal with. If only our 8 year old brains could see in to the future and know that this sort of happiness won’t accompany every Valentine’s Day.

In my middle school days, I had a long standing crush on a boy. He asked me to be his girlfriend on a misspelled, handwritten note and I happily obliged…only to be brutally dumped a few days later by the words “you’re out” in front of all his friends as they laughed hysterically in that pre-teen way that still makes my skin crawl 15 years later. I was crushed. Then, a few weeks later our asshole teachers planned a little Valentine Mixer complete with music and food. So while I sat in the corner, dying for 2:30 to roll around so I could go cry in my mother’s classroom, I saw him having a great time laughing and dancing with an 8^th grade girl. This girl went through boyfriends like a stripper goes through outfits. Eventually, I got over it. And by “got over it” I mean I began liking his cousin. It didn’t exactly work out between us either, but that’s ok. Their family turned out to be bat-shit-crazy, and super white trash. But my prepubescent little mind didn’t think about how things like that can make life miserable later.

By the time I got to high school, I’d officially decided I HATE Valentine’s Day and everything it stood for. The sick-to-my stomach sugar buzz and lack of secret admirers while other little girls in my class had lots just made me feel bad about myself. As if having braces, knobby knees, and frizzy hair wasn’t enough. Each year, the sophomore class sold red carnations as a fund raiser. Since it wasn’t mandatory to include everyone as we did in grade school, I only received flowers from my girlfriends. No boys. As I write this little satire, 12 years later it’s simply comical. But for a 14 year old, it’s devastating.  You’d think that since it was a Catholic high school, people would have had a more giving, loving attitude. Yeah. Not so much. Apparently not everyone was worth the $1 that each carnation cost. I’m pretty sure St. Valentine was disappointed.

It wasn’t until my Junior year that I had an actual plan for Valentine’s Day. A long time secret crush I had asked me to go to a dance with him. Finally! He and I are going to be on a date. He’s going to see what an awesome person I am and maybe even want a 2^nd and 3^rd date!!! I was stoked. I did my hair all fancy, bought a new dress and waited excitedly for him to arrive. An hour before he was supposed to pick me up, he called to tell me I was going to have to pay for ½ my ticket ($25). No biggie, right? This should have been a huge red flag as to how the evening was going to progress…but I kept a positive attitude. This was a mistake. A futile mistake. When we arrived, he refused to take pictures with me, and completely ditched me to go get drunk in the bathroom with his friends from the flasks they’d snuck in, concealed in their jacket pockets. Since it was a public dance that all high school students could attend, I attempted to pick up my dignity and go mingle with other people. Later, I was mid-conversation with a mildly attractive guy when I noticed that he was acting a little strange. As he began to vomit in his hands, sitting inches from me, I realized it was time to go home. I found someone with a phone and called for a ride home… and never spoke to my date again.

In college, I had a steady beau for 3 years. Our first Valentine’s Day as a new couple- he spoiled me with a Hawaiian lei made of real flowers that he’d ordered online. I was born in Honolulu and spent my first 3 years of my life there, so naturally I was floored at his gesture. Then he took a romantic sushi dinner at our favorite place and we topped it off making out on his couch. It was hot. That was the last nice Valentine’s Day I had. I was 19. The next few Valentine’s Days that we shared were less than mediocre. I spent my last on as a college student with my parents having a cozy dinner at Applebees. After that, I had another mediocre one with a boyfriend of 3 months. His dad was in town, so we spent most of the day with him at the Naval Air Museum (not sooo bad considering I love that place), having a lunch of fried seafood, and then finally got some alone time that night…the boyfriend’s idea of romance? Ordering takeout, watching hockey, and going to bed. I know what you’re thinking. “He must have made it up with some really good sex, right?” Yeah. Right. You’d think that would have been his plan of action, so I didn’t completely get upset that we didn’t do anything cool. Apparently not. As I’m sure you can guess, we are no longer together either. Darn.

Last year, I cleaned out my refrigerator and made myself homemade sushi while watching SATC reruns. And this year… I’m working. Although I did decorate the office with lots of Valentine paraphernalia, despite my deep-seated genuine loathing of this day. This day that once again reminds me that I do not have a special someone missing me at home and planning a make-up-valentine surprise for me. No flowers, no jewelry, no candy, no wine, no slutty lingerie, and no obligatory ‘Valentine’s Day Booty’ (similar to birthday booty).

At this point, you probably think I’m an extremely bitter, senile old spinster at the ripe age of 26. Oh contraire, my friends. Oh contraire. My time of being a “we” will come. But I’m not ready. Honestly, the idea of sharing a living space such as an apartment or a home with a man I plan to keep around for longer than a few months scares the absolute “bejesus” out of me. Why? Well, read my SSB series and you’ll see. But one day, some unsuspecting guy will meet me and realize he can’t live without me, because I am just that fabulous. Right now, though, I am taking the advice of all my married friends and just enjoying my freedom. I have found peace in my independence and I will not measure myself by the things I lack. Besides, a girl can never have too many pairs of shoes. Ever.

Moo

During my time overseas, the only good thing to eat on a regular basis was cake. This lead to creating what I like to call "The Fatty List". I really don't need to explain this...at least I hope not.

1.1. …You love cake

2.2 …You have a whole plate of spaghetti and a huge piece of cake and you get called out on the blow pop in your pocket.

3.3. …You’re licking the icing off the plate from your SECOND piece of cake after lunch.

4.4. …You eat a light lunch JUST TO SAVE room for dessert.

5.5. …Fatties brag about the candy they scarfed down for breakfast..

6.6. …Fatties utilize the pockets in their shirts to hold ice cream cups.

7.7. …Fatties greet other fatties with a cheerful “Moo”…usually because they’re on a sugar buzz.

8.8. …You bend the bar for the swing on the playground.

9.9. …you can be heard coming to meet another fatty before she sees you.

10.10. …you have a whole drawer in your desk solely devoted to snacks.

11.11. …you bring a fellow fatty a delicious Starbucks beverage only to realize they’ve already gotten themselves one. Silly you- fatties think alike!

12.12. …You steal cake from a cook walking through the pway with an uncovered Halloween cake. Silly CS3 Furst- didn’t he know he was in Fattyville? Uncovered yummy treats WILL be requisitioned!

13.13. …You almost choke on an MnM that goes down your throat as you dump an entire snack-sized bag of MnM’s in your mouth.

14.14. …you’re busted for inhaling too many MnM’s not because of your chocolate breath, but because your tongue and lips have turned a different color.

15.15. …you know that life is infinitely better with a sugar buzz.

16.16. …the circles at the top of this slide make you want MnM’s.

17.17. …you eat TWO pieces of your own birthday cake because it’s just that good!

18.18. ….mid chicken nugget you see a cookie that you have been craving and suddenly the nugget is no longer needed….or remembered.

19.19. ...you sit down in your chair first thing in the morning only to find the torn off corner of an MnM bag from the day before…or was it two days before?

20.20. …when you use the reference “throwing in the spoon” instead of “throwing in the towel” at Marble Slab when the HUGE ice cream you ordered completely kicks your ass. 

21. …the waitress at the Japanese restaurant gives you a judgmental look when you give her your order then ask to keep the menu in case you want one more order of sushi.

22. …you get so excited at the sight of a Krispy Kreme that you almost crawl out of the window of the cab at the next stoplight.

23. …you invent the “little fat girl dance” and perform it as you excitedly bounce through the door of the Marble Slab.

24. …you have morning moo-hair, also known as a cowlick.

25. …you’re scarfing down a delicious cookie from the Wardroom as ‘breakfast’ and starting to feel guilty about the less-than-healthy choice, when you spot a sailor across the mess decks standing near the ice cream machines while scarfing down a 3 Musketeers bar with the same excited-yet-feeling-slightly-guilty look on his face that you have. Who cares that it’s 0840? We all know that life is better with a sugar buzz J

26. …you celebrate great news with fellow fatties by announcing “Celebratory MnM’s for ALL!!!” as you whip out your huge variety bag of snack-sized MnM bags!!!!

27. …you select the Oreos closest to the bottom of the vending machine because it’s less likely that they’ll break once they fall down for you to enjoy.

28. …you find a way to include “moo” into your daily lingo.

29. …making someone else’s birthday cake is going to benefit yourself more than the birthday boy.

30. …you cause ‘dessert envy’ among fellow shipmates due to the enormous brownie you scored from the Galley that you’ve now added to the ‘cookies and cream’ ice cream that was put out at dinner.

31. …you invite yourself to someone else’s reenlistment and swear to know them just to get some of their yummy cake!

32. …you can now be deemed a “reenlistment crasher” J

33. …stealing chocolate from people is no longer a game; it’s a mission.

34. …you realize that Ney Inspectors deserve cake, which means the crew will get cake, which means YOU will get cake. YAY! On the mess decks you find an enormous cake and excitedly moo to a fellow fatty about this cake- first by email, then by phone from the mess decks. Then, after snapping some photos of this delicious looking cake you realize that you’re grazing about the cake is drawing attention. So you quickly dart back into your office to find out the exact time of the cake cutting so you can be ready and moo-ing J

35. …you have more pictures of cakes on your phone than you do of people, let alone your own husband. HA!

36. …the word “MOO” suddenly replaces any adjectives related to fooooood.

37. …you can “name that chocolate” by description of the package.

38. …you unknowingly write “moo” on notes to other people, and a fellow fatty busts you! Ha!

39. …the highlight of your day is sending and receiving pictures of fat people…fatter than you!

40. …you are thirsty from the Monster Express you downed during the snoozer of a RAS brief. So you brave the “gorilla’s ass smell” radiating from the ice cream room and head in there in search of bottled water. As you fling open the refer door, eyes stinging, there you see it. Not the delicious chilled water you were looking for. No no, you found that. You see the boxes of candy bars and tubs of ice cream. Before you die from the smell, you quickly grab a Kit Kat with your water and dart out of the room. After all, you deserve a treat for braving that smell! 41. …LCDR’s drop off entire boxes of s’more flavored poptarts in your office and then just leave. No explanation- just generous donation J

42. …“It tastes like cake?? I like cake”

43. …Fatties trip on knee knockers on the way to PT…fail!

44. …Fatties have a pastry in line while dishing up their dinner…

45. …True Fatties wish they hadn’t eaten that snickers for breakfast and instead saved it for dessert…oh well, I’ll go get another one!

46. …Fatties have to police themselves to eat all their food when they know all they really want is that chocolate cake at the end….MMMM  CAAAKE!

47. ..Fatties hit up starbucks within an hour of a workout…and then salivate at the kit kat bar CS1 McDavis is eating.

48. …Fatties get called out at zone inspection

49. …Fatties would rather nap then workout.

50. …Fatties use candy stores as landmarks to navigate shopping malls.

51. …Old fatties reminisce about eating play-doh

52. …Fatties think that play-doh looks like cake frosting…mmmm…caaaakke!

53. …My chocolate lip gloss and peppermint gum tastes like my favorite Girl Scout cookie…without the fat. Fatties take precaution.

54. …Fatties have ESP, wanting to bring each other Starbucks drinks, but then realize that the other Fattie has already acquired a delicious fattening cup of liquid heaven.

55. …Fat Kids are startled by the thought of working out while indulging in ice cream.

56. …This fatty can’t wait to see my 1 year anniversary to eat the rest of my wedding cake….MMM CAKE!

57. …The Fattest Fatties know that with a simple switch of 2 letters “good afternoon” becomes “Good ‘Fat’ernoon”!

58. …Sweet tooth Fatties don’t care if the Reese’s Cup is melted. All they really want is the peanut butter.

59. …Fatties must QA all desserts for the Wardroom…

60. …Sometimes Fatties test out their lazy fatty skills and send a “Go-fer” to the wardroom to get them ice cream during meal hours. Only to find that another fellow fatty was eating dinner….what a surprise.

 

61. …Fatties find Reeses Cup wrappers stuck to their PT towels as they pull one out on their way to PT. =D

62. …Normal people flaunt their shiny new cars and diamond rings…Fatties flaunt a big bag of the latest Pretzel M&M’s

63. …Fatties watch college football, cheer loudly, and have a celebratory Kit Kat when their team wins- because the wrapper is a team color, and because they want chocolate

64. …Unfortunately Sweet tooth fatties will do anything for a sugar fix; even mix up some Blue Raspberry Hydroxycut in a bottle. I know it TOTALLY goes against what we believe in; but I needed some sugar.

65. …Fatties think of other fatties instantly when they see the Re-Enlistment cake for the month.

66. …“I don’t see anyone” – “Don’t worry, you will hear her before you see her” LMAO!! Fatty!!!!

67. …you send Moo messages via man toy.

68. …you say things like, “blueberry muffins…Better than blueberry pancakes”

69. …you lick the top of a cake just because someone else wanted it.

70. …you skip over to the dessert table with a fork in hand already.

71. …you finish half your cake before you even dish up your dinner J

72. …you give a shout out to a CS for baking delicious cakes BEFORE you compliment her shoes, while you’re hosting TRUMAN Idol.

73. …another fatty catches you chewing gum in formation while you’re waiting to get your ESWS pin because the pinning ceremony occurred when you should have been feeding, however, you must ignore those pangs of hunger and focus on the task at hand.

74. …your Boat Husband brings you a stuffed cow because he knows how much you like them and they remind you of your fellow Moo friends.

75. …you are looking at pictures of your friend’s wedding from last year and realize there’s more pictures of the food and the name of the restaurant than of the bride and groom.

76. …your lunch partners are based solely on who is going the soonest.

77. …you happily devour two desserts at Thanksgiving dinner without batting an eyelash.

78. …you fight about who will be baking the dessert at your family’s “Little Christmas” dinner. Of course YOU will make the dessert!!! You’re the resident expert on the perfect moistness of a cake, and the creaminess of frosting. Silly Grandma and her thoughts that she would make dessert!

79. …you keep asking a fellow Fatty when her re-enlistment is. It’s been too long since you’ve had a delicious piece of Re-Enlistment cake and that problem MUST be solved ASAP!!!!!

80. …You are 2 months away from your own promotion and are already planning out the menu for your little reception.

81. …You put the Fit Boss in charge of getting you a piece of cake because you’re far too busy to stand in line. As you come back into the office, he is there inhaling his cake and there’s none for you. So you just walk over, and start eating the icing he’s ignoring. Finally he gives up and hands you the last bite of the cake and the rest of the icing. Fit Boss 0 – Fatty 1 J

82. …you check the Green Sheet, not for the day’s schedule, but for the exact time of cake cutting. Then you email your fellow Fatties and click “High Importance” on the email before sending it. Of course it’s important. Cake is a priority. Always.

83. …your breakfast consists of noodles in a cup and then gets interrupted by a delicious looking doughnut. Lunch is a bag of chips 3 chocolate chip cookies and dinner is in an hour…hmmm I wonder what is for dinner.

 

3 Days Before Christmas

My first hour back in the United States was glorious. After spending over 1/2 a year overseas, I learned to appreciate the smaller, more simple things about life. For example- 3 ply toilet paper, orange juice at any moment in the day, Dunkin Donuts coffee, alcohol, something other-than-chicken for every meal...you get my jist. I was excited beyond words as I walked down the brow in a complete daze, leaving the ship far behind me. Had there not been a crowd of hundreds of families, plus several news cameras, I probably would have done a little dance mixed in with obscene hand gestures. However, I maintained my bearing and simply walked down the pier towards the parking lot. As I walked, all these people were smiling, crying, wildly waving their marker and glitter covered posters, waving little American flags, and shouting "thank you!" and "welcome home!" It was surreal. At some point before I got to the end of the pier, I started to have an out of body experience. I turned and looked up at the ship, my home for last year, and felt like I was doing something wrong by leaving. however...since my 'give-a-shit' fell overboard back in May, I just kept walking. That brief flash of guilt was washed away knowing I would be in my cozy apartment in less than an hour.
What I was not ready for was the stellar event that was coming at me- my first trip to McDonalds since April. Ok, let's rephrase that. I was ready- but McDonalds was not. After discovering that my phone would call anyone OTHER than my ride home, I borrowed a phone and told him to meet me at McDonalds. I cheerfully repositioned my belongings and began my victory march toward those golden arches. Through the parkinglot I strode, briskly weaving in between cars, beaming my plastered-on-smile. As I walked up the steps, I could almost smell the coffee and taste the biscuits. I went in, dropped my things, and got in line. Much to my horror, the cashier flipped the menu and announced that breakfast was over. No juice, no buttery biscuits with eggs and cheese, no hashbrowns in a grease soaked wrapper. Suffice to say, I was crushed. Quickly, I thought that I'd be ok with a burger, fries, and coke. At least it wasn't chicken. Another line opened up, and I stepped over to place my order for a high-calorie-yet-much-missed-American staple meal. Unfortunately an older, round couple made it to the counter first. Yes, they were round and clearly fast food was a staple of their large existence. No big deal, or so I thought. My dreams of a quick snack while waiting were slowly destroyed as the woman placed an order for at least 10 meals, all with specific instructions that resembled Meg Ryan's character out of "When Harry Met Sally". During that time, as my rage built up, I realized that McDonalds was out of soda and only had blue powerade and water to drink. Blue powerade will never enter my body again. Not after a 12 week diet of it at one point in my life. This was it. Before I screamed at the woman and ordered her into the galley to make the fucking food herself, I walked away. I had to. My rage was about to spill over and she would be the lucky recipient of a bountiful helping. I gave up and just stifled my hunger induced rage to go sit down and wait for the roommate. We will now refer to him as RM. Finally he showed up and the one thing that salvaged my day was not the sight of someone familiar, it was driving his brand spanking new Mercedes complete with seat heaters all the way home.
Yay America!