Archives for March 2007

Because I Am Nothing If Not A Servant Of The People

4 March 2007 by

All righty, y’all. Here’s how I make the butterbeans.

By the way, this post is also going to serve as my welcome post for the 5 Minutes For Mom blog party.

Why? Because I’m all lazy creative like that.

So welcome, blog party people. Sit down. Stay awhile. And have some, um, butterbeans.

(Oh, it’s the South. I’ll offer you butterbeans, you’ll tell me about your crazy Aunt Gertrude, I’ll tell you about my crazy Uncle Horace, we’ll bond and quote Harper Lee and become best friends forever and celebrate with a big ole fried apple tart. It’ll be fun.)

Now your ideal butterbean scenario is if you have beans fresh from the garden. If you don’t, then the next best thing is to use frozen baby lima beans, which is what we keep on hand around here.

So here’s what you do:

Pour a cup and a half of water in a medium saucepan. Add 2 beef bouillon cubes, 2 teaspoons canola oil, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire and 1 teaspoon salt.

Bring ingredients to a boil, add a 16 oz. bag of frozen baby lima beans (or the Fordhook lima beans, or plain ole butterbeans, if you prefer – I think the baby limas are best), stir, and return to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 30-45 minutes.

And if you’re thinking, “My, that’s a long time to cook a green vegetable. I can’t imagine that there’s any nutritional value left after cooking the butterbeans for that long,” why yes, you’re exactly right.

Deeeee-licious.

So. One more thing.

If you’re stopping by my blog for the first time, let me just say that I’d love to tell you that the content around here is usually better than a butterbean recipe.

I’d love to, but I can’t.

Because that would be a lie.

And butterbean recipes are really just par for the proverbial BooMama blogging course.

We’re shooting for the stars here, people.

(sidenote: I really want to extend the whole “shooting for the stars” metaphor right now, but doing so seems to exceed my figurative language capabilities, thus cementing my reputation as a beacon of mediocrity in the blogosphere. And oh LORDY did I just create another metaphor? With the whole beacon thing? After the golf thing and the stars thing? Somebody stop me BEFORE MY BRAIN EXPLODES.)

Okay, internets. Get back to your party. Or your butterbean cooking. Or whathaveyou.

I’m going to stay here and mix metaphors while you’re gone.

Filed Under: Cooking, The South

Six Houses And Four Hours Later

3 March 2007 by

Usually I head into Saturdays armed with a to-do list.

But today, I have been armed only with a remote and a seemingly unending supply of home improvement television programming.

Oh, and a super-soft down throw that pretty much reeks of snuggle-up goodness.

I’ve watched people flip houses, sell houses, redecorate houses and clean houses. I’ve watched people hammer and saw and paint and sheetrock and landscape and stage.

Frankly, after watching people work so hard, I’m just exhausted.

I’m also stifling the urge to refinish our kitchen cabinets while simultaneously installing granite tiles on our countertops. And, you know, completely reconfiguring our master bathroom.

I mean, if the shows I’ve been watching are any indication, I can be totally finished with all three projects within about twenty two minutes, flip our house in thirty seconds, then walk away with a significant PILE-O-CASH.

I’m all about setting some realistic goals, internets, so I guess I’ll be seeing y’all at the Home Depot.

But only if I can get off of this couch first. I’m terribly absorbed in a remodel going on in South Carolina, and I’m scared to death they’re not going to finish it by eight, when I’ll no doubt be engrossed by a flip on an abandoned house in Atlanta.

Also: I need to check in on the two guys on HGTV who were looking for a vacation home in Costa Rica.

In the meantime, if I manage to, you know, get a life, I’ll be sure to let y’all know.

Stay tuned, internets.

Stay tuned.

Filed Under: TV Is My Friend

So Here’s What’s Cookin’

2 March 2007 by

One of my favorite things about my friend Elise is that she loves to eat. Now I certainly don’t mean that she sits around stuffing her face with Cheetos all day, because if you want to know the truth of it all, girlfriend has got it goin’ on.

And besides, if anyone is going to be the Official Cheetos Face-Stuffer, I believe I have a lock on the title. 

However, Elise does enjoy some tasty Southern cuisine. And since Elise and her second-born are coming into town tonight, I’ve been thinking for the last couple of days about what I can fix for supper. After all, planning a meal is oftentimes just as fun as preparing it and eating it – especially if you love to cook like I do.

Those of you who only recently started reading my blog probably aren’t familiar with the tragedy that hit Elise’s family last July. Tonight will be the first time that I’ve seen my sweet friend since I left Paul’s funeral, and I can’t tell you how excited I am about being able to love on her a little bit by cooking supper for her and one of her little men.

And in the South, that can only mean one thing: I will be serving fried chicken. 

When we were in college, Elise and I both spent a substantial portion of our weekly allowances at Popeye’s, and as a result, my, um, posterior “portions” became significantly more, um, “substantial.” Elise somehow managed to stay cute and skinny, but I do not hold that against her unless you count the deep well of bitterness that resides in the pit of my stomach. Other than that I’m perfectly fine with all of her well-toned hotness.

Now if you are not familiar with Popeye’s, all I can tell you is how deeply sorry I am, because their fried chicken and homemade biscuits are so fine that it is nearly impossible to consume them without GIVING THANKS TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER FOR HIS DELICIOUS PROVISION. And while you may be thinking, “Well, I think KFC is pretty good,” I am here to tell you – in the most gentle way I know – that KFC AIN’T GOT NOTHIN’ ON THE POPEYE’S. 

As someone who has never met a piece of deep-fried poultry that I didn’t like, I know whereof I speak on this one, people. Trust me. 

Over the last few years, Elise – regrettably – has strayed from her Popeye’s fried chicken heritage and become a loyal Church’s Chicken customer. In fact, I believe that when the employees at the Church’s on Meadowbrook Road in Jackson, Mississippi see Elise’s SUV approaching their restaurant, they immediately begin to fill a bag with chicken tenders and jalapeno bombers because they know exactly what kind of fried food fix the lady in the Suburban needs.

All they ask is that she slows down her vehicle long enough for them to throw the food in her car and for her to throw some money at them in return. The obligatory exchange of pleasantries is no longer required.

But tonight, at my house, Popeye’s is once again going to rule the chicken roost. I’m going to pick up a bucket of deep fried goodness, cook us some butterbeans and maybe even some potato casserole, then whip up a little homemade chocolate pudding for dessert. I cannot wait to sit down at the table and break a little bread – in biscuit form, of course – with Elise.

I can’t wait to see her stinkin’ face. I can’t wait to hear her laugh. 

I mean, come on, y’all: eating Popeye’s chicken and spending time with an old friend? 

My cup, it runneth over.

Specifically, it runneth over with piping hot peanut oil.

And I am thankful.

Filed Under: My Friends Rock, The South

Calm Before The Storm

1 March 2007 by

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I snapped these pictures this afternoon right before today’s storms hit our area. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more eerie sky.

As it turned out, the worst of the weather missed our neck of the woods, but thanks so much to those of you who have emailed to check on us.

And please keep the families in Enterprise, Alabama in your prayers.

Filed Under: Other

In Which Much Linky Fun Was Had By All On Hand

1 March 2007 by

Links Ahoy!

1. Trista is hosting Tasty Thursday today – head over to her place and check it out.

2. To answer your funny comments and emails: my hair and I are fine, thank you. I should have a happenin’ new ‘do in a couple of weeks. And my friends assured me this past weekend that my current hairdo isn’t as severe a train wreck as I envision. However, the mirrors in Lifeway would disagree.

3. Two Oprah-related tidbits: first of all, the ABC special about her Leadership Academy in South Africa was unbelievably moving. I watched it late Monday night, then again last night with D. If you haven’t seen it, you can catch it this Saturday night, March 3rd, at 8 o’clock central time. You can absolutely watch with your kids.

And I don’t know if y’all saw Fantasia sing on Oprah yesterday, but I cried when I watched it the first time, and I cried again when I watched it this morning. She sang the same song that she performed on AI last week, but I didn’t see it, or I would’ve cried then, too. You can watch the clip here if you missed it.

(record usage of the word “watch” here in point #3, by the way)

4. I loved this post over at Shalee‘s today.

5. Don’t forget that The Ultimate Blog Party starts tomorrow – lots of fun and great prizes over at Janice and Susan’s place. Plus, it’s a great chance to increase your blog traffic and meet some new bloggy friends.

6. After tagging along while Melissa and Liz shopped this past weekend, I would like to make an announcement: Anthropologie has the cutest clothes known to man. It’s a shame that I can’t wear any of them because they’re so stinkin’ expensive and, you know, made for skinny people, but if I could shake some money off of a tree in our backyard, I would absolutely go buy one of these skirts.

Except it would have to be on big-time sale because I could never spend that much money on a cotton skirt. If I did, every single one of my daddy’s deceased relatives would not just roll over – they would twirl in their graves.

But their clothes are just so cute and girly and fun and don’t even get me started about their housewares or we’ll be here all day. And yes, it’s $18 for a dishtowel, and that’s totally ridiculous, and I would never spend $18 on a dishtowel, but do y’all see the chickens? They’re the cutest (embroidered) chickens I’ve ever seen.

And a word to the wise: if you’re looking through Anthropologie’s t-shirts, wondering where in the world all the extra larges are? You can stop looking. Because they don’t make extra larges. Which means that if I do ever own one of their adorable skirts, I will be shopping elsewhere (read: Target, Walmarts or Steinmarts) for a top.

Or, you know, walking around in one of their cute skirts and a br@.

Which I hear is a really hot look for spring.

Filed Under: Bloggity Fun
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