Sunday Fun...Food Cravings

Okay, so I have decided that blogging is a worthwhile Sunday activity for the following reasons:

1. It replaces journal writing-which I have never been good at anyways.

2. It replaces family/friends contact-Since I am terrible about calling people on a regular basis, I figure this is a guilt free way to maintain some dignity.

3. It helps to bring a peaceful spirit to my home-or at least, it prevents me from nagging Justin the whole day to go on a walk with me...there is something about husbands and Sunday walks that don't mix...husbands and Sunday naps, YES...even husbands and Sunday sundaes.

...but not walks...hmmm? Anyways...moving on...

Although I have wonderfully spiritual Sundays, most often I think about delicious food. I know I should be thinking about "holy matters," but usually Sunday afternoon finds my mind contemplating the wonders of mashed potatoes and gravy or the intricacies of a darn good bowl of macaroni and cheese. Don't get me wrong, I have sophisticated tastes as well...I like a well cooked fillet mignon as much as the next person, but on Sunday I really crave that good ole' home cooking. So, in the spirit of praising food, the following is my top 10 list of my favorite Sunday foods:

#10 A bowl of Fruity Pebbles-as a kid this was contraband as we only ate colon healthy cereal...which I still like the Wheaties and Raisin Bran...but I wouldn't really consider them craving-worthy foods.

#9 The Boston Market salisbury steak frozen dinner-again childhood contraband so of course I crave it!

#8 Grandpa's shrimp chop suey with Grandma's potato salad-oh man! what great memories of chowing this stuff down; even at the innocent age of 8 or 9 I can remember eating at least 3 servings of each...really made fast Sunday worthwhile...ahhh, good times.

#7 Aunt Minae's homemade rolls-I know every homemaker has their roll recipe they whip out to impress company (trust me, not all rolls are equal!), but Aunt Minae's were the best; they were always hot, fresh out of the oven and had that sweet, doughy smell that could make the most ardent "low-carbber" break their vows of low-carbhood.

#6 A fresh summer-time green salad-this is perhaps one of my favorite meals (I know..from the foods above people must think I have an aversion to "real" food, but trust me I LOVE VEGETABLES!)...of course there must be plenty of onions!

(To prove how much I love salads I have an interesting story about the first time Justin and I officially met. It goes something like this...Lunchtime...Boy meets girl. Girl meets boy. Boy eats a turkey sandwich with a side of yogurt...Girl eats a 1 gallon size bowl of onion dominated salad with side of garlic dressing...Boy likes girl but is sceptical about onion/garlic addiction...Girl thinks boy is cute...Boy avoids lunchtime conversation, eats sandwich fast, and makes a quick get-a-way...Girl thinks boy is in a hurry but totally digs her "unconventional" meal...Boy discusses the "weird" girl in his work truck with co-worker...Girl makes a note to find way to talk to boy again and perhaps show off her domestic skills by making him "the best salad ever"...)

At home in KCMO there is an Italian restaurant called Osteria Il Centro which has the following statement branded across their front window: "Garlic is the ketsup of intellectuals." To that I would like to add..."Garlic and onions are the ketsup of cool people."

#5 Aunt Jeanne's whole wheat cinnamon rolls-the whole wheat part may sound odd, but trust me, the wheat is where it is at baby! I don't have much of a real sweet, sweet tooth, so I like my desserts only slightly sweet...and these cinnamon rolls always did the trick. Here's to a great treat for your mouth and your colon!

#4 It's getting down to the line now and I have to give some credit to the mashed potatoes-really, while other foods are best if made by a certain individual in my family, mashed potatoes ALWAYS taste good; you really can't go wrong with boiled potato guts and lots of butter...ummm!

#3 Macaroni and cheese-unlike the food mentioned above, there is an art to mac-and-cheese...I don't know what it is, but I definitely recognize that there is a difference between a $0.29 box of plastic, cheese imitation gunk and the stuff that just slides down your throat like karo syrup because it is sooo good!

More cheese, please!

#2 Cheesecake-did I say I wasn't much of a sweet tooth? Oh yeah, I guess I forgot about cheesecake...maybe subconsciously I placed it in a category all its own because, oh yeah...IT IS LIKE TOTALLY ABOVE ALL OTHER DESSERTS! (did I emphasize that enough?!) Now I have to specify which kind. Cheesecake is best in its purest state. That's right. No fruity toppings (although occasionally I can go for cherry cheesecake), no fudge ripple, candy chunk, caramel encrusted cheesecake. Just good old cheese and cake.

Here we go...drum roll please...

#1 My favorite Sunday craving....duhn..da..duhn...well, actually it is anything my own Mom makes-(how could I make a list of best foods and include everyone and their dog in it but not my own mother?!) I know everyone thinks their mom's cooking is the best, but for reals, my mom IS the best cook. It doesn't matter what she makes, it is always good. I can remember mom making the tastiest meals out of nothing. And, she NEVER used a recipe. Mom not only has a photographic memory for academic information, but also for the culinary info. I don't know where she gets her talent from (if it's genetic, it must skip a generation :-), but it may have something to do with the fact that my mother reads cookbooks like novels. Julia Child, Wolfgang Puck, the CIA (Culinary Art Institute of course), Betty Crocker-you name it and I am pretty sure my mom has read their book. Besides, I think there is some comforting, nostalgic feeling that is unearthed when one eats their mother's cooking. Psychologists may have some theory about that feeling and say it has something to do with returning to the "womb" or maybe some other Freudian craziness. Either way, MOM'S COOKING IS SUPREME!

Says...Adri too!

Remember me?

I have a confession...I could probably be on the list of the world's top 10 least enthusiastic bloggers. I know, it has been ages since my last blog. Thanks to all the family and friends who have been checking up on me via blog...I promise I am not dead, I haven't moved, and (just for those who are curious) I am not pregnant. I have found that my blogs are about as frequent as my as my haircuts--once a year just to ensure manageability. Hopefully, (fingers crossed) my blogging defunct stage has passed.

Justin and I are doing pretty good. The worst of the winter has passed (I say that because winter is not officially over here as there is always some freak snow storm in April or May) and my optimism is finally returning. We have been putting a good number of miles on our bikes in the last few weeks, and I have got a little hiking in as well. Although I can still feel my annual gut flub, I think this past winter has been considerably more favorable to health than last. I know this because not once during the term of this winter did I HAVE wear my husband's pants...last year was another story.

Below Aunt R and me at one of our latest winter hikes...Say CHEESE!

While writing this blog I am reminded of all of my failed attempts to consistently write in my journal. It seems I always have the natural urge to try to recap 6 months worth of time in a single journal entry. Well, since I know I can't do that, I am going to skip the time I have been defunct and dive into blogging about the present past...and I am going to start next blog....A

My Little Pony...

Hello again everyone. I am back in the world of blogging. The past few months have been very busy. J and I moved from our little cabin to an old adobe house in town. We really like our house and I really like having running water (we had an issue up at the cabin with our pipes constantly freezing no matter how many methods we tried to keep them running)! We are in a new ward and J is the 2nd counselor for the YM presidency and I teach Sunday school to the kids who are 14 and 15 years old. So far so good.These pictures are of Buttons. However, Buttons is really a miniature horse and not a pony, and actually, she is not mine but I wish she was! She is so darn cute! Buttons belongs to friend of ours up the street and sometimes when her real owner is gone we take care of her and the other animals at his house. I know animals like Buttons are really just for show and of little work value, but really, she just makes you say, "AWWW!!" and puts a smile on your face. If that's not what pets are for then what is? Okay, so I want a miniaure horse just for fun...moving on.

Well, I am also in charge of the hiking enrichment group in Relief Society. We had our first hike a few weeks ago and had a blast. Those who stayed for both the easy and hard hike ending up doing 9 miles. Wow, was I sore the next day! But it was great to get some fresh air and get my winter bum into shape. Aunt R and I scoped out next month's hike last Saturday and really had a fun time. We hiked about 8 miles total. Part of the hike was next to a lovely mountian stream and the other portion climbed up the mountain next to a small canyon. It was very scenic and we even got snowed on for a little bit! J an I also got a small kayak from a friend at work. We took it out on one of the local lakes and had a great time.

Well, it getting late so toodles for now!