Linky Interwebby Awesomeness 01.26.09

26 January 2010 by

Lots-o-musical goodness today. And some writer-y goodness, too.

Tuesday, you delight me.

– My all-time favorite singer/songwriter, the talented Mr. Dave Barnes, released a new single today. It’s called “God Gave Me You” – and oh, come on now. So good.

– Speaking of Mr. Barnes, he’s doing a live online concert tonight with Matt Wertz and Brandon Heath. It’ll cost you a whole $1.50 to watch. All the proceeds will go to providing clean water for our brothers and sisters in Africa. And I imagine there will be all manner of laughs during the musical proceedings. I’m totally watching. 8 pm central. You can register now and login later. Big fun in store.

– My friend and Uganda trip buddy Carlos Whittaker released an EP today, and I am so excited for him. You can download it on iTunes (only $1.98). I’m such a fan of the song “Rain It Down” – I can’t even tell you. You can also listen to full versions of the songs on lala (fancy!).

– Sweet Lisa McKay, another bloggy friend, has a book coming out next week. It’s called You Can Still Wear Cute Shoes…And Other Great Advice From An Unlikely Preacher’s Wife. Isn’t that a great title? Anyway, there’s a fun contest going on in conjunction with the book release – and I just thought you might like to know that.

– Loved this post from Susanna. LOVED. IT. And the song at the end of the post? Come on, now. That’s a good word.

On The Wings Of Love,
Me

Filed Under: Daily Awesome

These

26 January 2010 by

I have never been a candy / mint / gum person. It’s just never been my thing. I mean, I love me some chocolate and all, but I’ve never really made a habit of surrounding myself with all manner of Starburst and Altoids and Extra and whathaveyou.

Brownies? Yes.

Oatmeal cookies? Sure.

Sweet Tarts? Not so much.

However.

A couple of years ago I discovered the best gum with the worst name: Stride. And while I’m never going to be somebody who chews gum all day long, I developed a fondness for the dark blue Stride. It’s not anything I carry in my purse at all times, but it’s definitely my gum of choice.

Even still, I really didn’t understand why some people would leave the grocery store with 12 packs of gum or 4 bags of gummy worms or 14 tins of Altoids. The appeal of the candy aisle was sort of lost on me.

For the record, the appeal of the potato chips aisle was never, ever lost on me. Oh no ma’am. Not for one second.

Just rest in the peace of knowing that.

But one day this past fall – when I was in an airport, I think – an impulse purchase at a newspaper stand changed my life forever.

DO YOU HEAR ME?

FOR-EV-ER.

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

I don’t know what it is. I don’t know why the Icebreakers have a hold on me in a way that Altoids never did. I don’t know why I start to feel anxious when my stash runs low and WHAT IF I RUN OUT? I don’t know why their minty freshness delights me. I don’t know what “flavor crystals” are.

But one thing I know for sure: the Icebreakers and I are in this thing for the long haul. Apparently there was a mint-sized hole in my heart that only they could fill. And now – AND NOW – my life is complete. At least as far as candy is concerned. Which, granted, is probably the least important area of personal fulfillment. But still.

So, people of the interweb – what’s your “long haul” candy? Do you have a favorite?

Filed Under: Out Of Control

McBeal

25 January 2010 by

Back when we were young and rested and wrinkle-free and living in Baton Rouge, we bought our first little house on a tree-lined street in the middle of town. The kitchen floor sloped, the hallway was about four inches wide and the living room walls were a deep, Pepto Bismol-ish mauve. But we loved it. That little house was mighty good to us.

We’d been living in our house for about nine months when David went home for lunch one day and found a very skinny, very pregnant dog lying in our neighbors’ flower bed. They said they didn’t know where she came from, but they did know that they had no interest in keeping her. D felt sorry for the puppy dog and fixed her some water and some food, and when I got home a few hours later, she had moved to the flower bed in front of our house. She was covered in fleas, so I took her inside and gave her a bath. She never made a sound.

We decided that night that we’d take care of her until her puppies arrived, and then we’d find her a good home. When the puppies arrived, we found people for all of them, but the dog – who we’d since christened Ally McBeal because, well, she looked like she could use a good steak dinner – showed no signs of wanting to leave. We talked about it and made a decision to keep her, but she was going to have to be an outside dog. Plain and simple. The end.

But then one night D was out of town, and it was raining, and I felt a little sorry for Ally the Skinny Dog who was in our backyard. So I put a towel on the floor of our bedroom, called her inside, and she curled up on that towel like it was the world’s finest dog bed. She never made a sound – but her sweet little eyes told me that she was grateful.

I think it took her about six months to bark in our presence, by the way.

So now it’s almost ten years later, and while we have no idea how old Ally was when she came to us, we tell ourselves that she was one. Because if she was, say, five or six, then that would make her a Really Old Dog at this point. And we don’t want for her to be a Really Old Dog. We want for her to stay with us forever. It’s where she belongs.

When our human child was born, Ally didn’t really know what to make of him. But now that he’s old enough to play with her and walk her and feed her and tell her 48 times a day that she’s “such a sweet girl,” she’s a devoted fan of the six year-old. And her favorite thing in the whole wide world – MORE THAN BACON, EVEN – is to go along for the ride when D takes Alex to school in the mornings. Even though Ally is 11 or 14 or 17 these days and spends a great deal of her time relaxing and also sleeping, nothing makes her shake a tailfeather like an invitation to ride in the truck.

She sits right next to A in the backseat and never makes a sound. She just wags her tail.

We’re so glad she found us.

And we love her a whole bunch.

But you’ve probably figured that out by now.

Filed Under: Family Fun

We’re Now The Official Paper Supplier Of The NFL

21 January 2010 by

It’s been so long since the last episode of “The Office” that I can barely remember who’s who. A boss named Michael Something-or-Other? A cute couple named Tim and Jan? A banjo-playing a cappella singer named Randy?

I have no idea.

I don’t even remember what the last episode was about, honestly, so I’m just gonna pick up with this one like it’s a brand new day and roll with it.

I can hardly wait to see Reed!

1) “Michael is Dunder-Mifflin’s highest ranking employee. So that’s where we are.”

2) “For the record? Not on board with fake Stanley. But I get it.”

3) “I wear many hats. The one I’m wearing currently is that of gracious host.”

4) “SAVE BANDIT!” (one of my all-time favorite moments, by the way)

5) “That’s what she said.”

6) “I don’t know how I’m going to get through this. I don’t want to lie. And I DON’T want to tell the truth.”

7) “HR Puffnstuff”

8) “Jim has got it bad for Pam.” // “Which one is Pam?”

9) “Computron experiencing emotion.”

10) “Sittin’ in my office with a plate of grilled bacon!”

So apparently tonight was some sort of clips show. I was not expecting to only see six whole minutes of new material, so color me disappointed.

My verdict? Old stuff: funny. New stuff: not-so-funny. Except for that rap at the end. Because that part made me laugh.

What did y’all think?

Filed Under: TV Is My Friend

Linky Interwebby Awesomeness 01.21.10

21 January 2010 by

– There’s an an awesome benefit for Haiti in the works. And if you’re a blogger (or a Facebooker or a Twitterer), you can help. It’s gonna be SO GREAT, y’all.

– Totally dropped the ball this week on linking to the Radical Experiment. But here’s this week’s Family Worship Guide.

– I’ve been way behind on “American Idol,” but last night I watched the Orlando auditions. And at the very end there was a guy named Matt Lawrence who just blew me away. Loved his story, loved his voice – I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him.

– If you’re like me and have absolutely no plans for next Tuesday night (the 26th), you might want to check out a little online concert by three of my very favorite musicians: Brandon Heath, Matt Wertz and Dave Barnes. This video has all the details. It also has some laughs. (link via Annie)

– Have you ever seen a product and wished that you’d invented it? That’s how I feel about these stay-put baby sock thingies. GENIUS. And if you have a little one, there’s a giveaway at the end of the post.

– “The Office” is back tonight! No link. Just happiness.

Hope y’all have a great Thursday!

Filed Under: Daily Awesome

That Meat I Cook

20 January 2010 by

This afternoon Alex went to the park with a friend, so I sat down on the couch to write a blog post and promptly fell asleep. FELL ASLEEP. WHILE SITTING ON THE COUCH. I woke up about 40 minutes later after some vivid, technicolor dreams and had no idea where I was or how I got there. But I took advantage of my last few minutes of free time by watching an episode of “Murder, She Wrote” while drinking my prune juice and popping some wheelies in my HoverRound.

Anyway, I cooked supper and cleaned up the kitchen and watched a little election coverage on CNN (remember: I have FoxNews issues. I know many of you think that’s unpatriotic, but in my opinion they need to SIMMER DOWN WITH THE GRAPHICS, and yes, I appreciate the irony of my wanting a news organization to tone it down when I am in fact a person who likes to CAPITALIZE A LOT OF WORDS).

So now I’m back on the computer again so that I can finish what I started before I was overcome with a touch of the narcolepsy this afternoon.

You’re welcome for all that completely unnecessary backstory, by the way.

About six months ago David decided that he didn’t really like chicken anymore. He didn’t make a big proclamation or anything, but I noticed that whenever I’d make anything with chicken in it, he’d sort of load up on side dishes and push the chicken-related main course around his plate. Not to mention that the leftovers would sit in our refrigerator until they grew old and lonely and finally hobbled off the shelf in search of a home where they’d be appreciated and lo, even loved. By diggity.

Well. One day I was making a grocery list, and I decided to find out once and for all what was going on with him and poultry. I asked him what he’d like to eat that week, and he rattled off a list that did not include a single item containing chicken – except for Melanie’s chicken cakes. So I said, “What’s going on with you and chicken? Are y’all on the outs?” And he confessed that he and chicken, they were done. Over. Tarred and – say it with me – FEATHERED.

Now obviously D’s anti-chicken stance had an immediate impact on the menu-planning and cooking around our house. But since I don’t really love chicken unless it’s battered, deep fried and in a box that says POPEYE’S on the side, I realized that I was okay with a chicken hiatus and just needed to figure out more ways to cook beef and pork. On a budget. Without buying steak very much at all ever.

Easy breezy!

At some point I ran across a recipe for flank steak in Cooking Light, and we really liked it, but then our grill quit working and flank steak can be pricey and oh my word am I really devoting this much energy to writing about meat? SWEET MERCY I’M ANCIENT.

Is the HoverRound charged yet? Mamaw here needs to run some errands.

Anyway, here is my current favorite recipe for meat-that’s-not-chicken. It’s London broil. Alex actually calls it “that good meat you cook, Mama,” and whenever I make it he practically claps his hands.

All righty. Cast of characters.

Except that you don’t need the little teacup of Kosher salt. I forgot to move it. But since you have soy sauce for your marinade, you’re well-covered in the salt department. Just FYI.

(See? I haven’t even gotten past the first picture, and I’ve already failed terribly. I don’t know why you people bother with me.)

(By the way: that photograph is STUNNING, isn’t it? Notice how you can’t really read any of the words on the ingredients. Completely intentional on my part. Along with failing to get all the ingredients within the frame of the picture. Artistic license, you understand.)

(And if you think I managed to capture some sort of step-by-step tutorial on how to make this delicious meal, then clearly you are way overestimating my efficiency and follow-through.)

So. Mix together this stuff.

1/3 cup lite soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey (or brown sugar works great, too)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (we like LOTS of pepper, but by all means stay in your pepper comfort zone)
1 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced – I was fresh out of fresh garlic – BADABING!)

Mix well. Reserve a couple of tablespoons that you’ll use later to cook broccoli. Pour over the London broil in a Ziploc bag, then seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Or overnight. Totally your call.

Now go read some blogs or paint your nails or catch up on the DVR while the marinade does its magic.

After meat has marinated, pull it out of the refrigerator and let it rest on the countertop while you make the yogurt sauce:

1 small container plain yogurt
1/4 cup Feta cheese
2 teaspoons dried dill (1 tablespoon of chopped fresh dill would work great)
fresh lemon juice to taste
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped (if it’s in season – cucumbers didn’t look great at the store yesterday)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl (double the recipe if you’re cooking for more than 4), and you’ll end up with this:

Be still my heart.

Make sure you preheat your oven to 450, then turn on your stove fan and get ready to sizzle.

The London broil I used yesterday was only about a pound and a half, so obviously cooking times will vary a little if yours is bigger or smaller. But using my cast-iron grill skillet, I followed the same basic procedure as Ree’s steak how-to: turn up the heat on the stove to medium high, let the skillet get hot, rub some butter on the skillet, then let that meat get good and seared on both sides.

I probably cooked the London broil two minutes on each side (1 minute, rotate 90 degrees, another minute, flip, 1 minute, rotate, another minute, then sling it in the oven).

Once you put the meat in the oven, let it cook on 450 for about 10 minutes or until it’s done just like you like it (if it’s an extra-thick cut, be careful and check it with a meat thermometer – it will take longer to cook all the way through). Yesterday I wrapped mine in foil after I took it out of the oven so that it would cook a little more without getting dry. Whether you wrap it in foil or not, be sure to let the meat rest about 10 minutes before you slice it.

When you’re ready to eat, slice the meat very thinly across the grain (if you slice with the grain, the meat will be chewy). Ours was a perfect medium – our favorite.

Then I grilled some onions and sauteed some broccoli in those two tablespoons of reserved marinade. We made stuffed pita sandwiches with the meat, broccoli, grilled onions and yogurt sauce, and MY MY MY – so delicious. I also love to do grilled squash for the pitas, but the squash in the store yesterday looked very pale and fragile. So I let them be.

Tonight we used the leftover London broil for fajitas. I grilled more onions, warmed up some tortillas, put some cheese, salsa and sour cream on the table, and we were good to go.

So there you have it. That good meat I cook. It’s versatile, tasty and pretty economical considering that we always get several meals out of it.

Okay. I’m all done now. I think you’ve endured enough at this point.

I’ll be sleeping while sitting straight up in my HoverRound if you need to find me.

Filed Under: Cooking
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