Friday, May 28, 2010

A Bunch of Stuff...

Around here we have been experiencing some form of flu/cold. It so completely and thoroughly sucks to be sick for this long. I have dubbed it the Green Goo. Take it from me, you don't want it and you don't want to know why I call it that horrible name. It is a tenacious cold/flu strain that appears to never go away. Just when you think you are better, to quote Al Pacino, it "pulls you back in."


We are now entering week two. Tempers are short. People are weepy. Noses are chapped and sore. Kleenex is getting scarce. The wheels have most definitely come off the proverbial bus. Things just don't work well when Mommy is sick.

I have a few random things to share.




1. The measure of maternal devotion is whether or not your child has ever thrown up and or pooped into your hands and how you have reacted. There is a gross out factor to motherhood that no one warns you about. The long and short of it: you will come into contact with more bodily fluids, not your own, than an ER nurse. That is just the truth. Sorry no rainbows and lollipops, here. It ain't pretty, but by the time they actually puke or poo into your hands, you are so numb to it (at least I was) that it barely registers on your radar.



2. On Valentine's Day, Mr. Smith and I went out for a sweetheart breakfast. Unfortunately, the place was mobbed, I was really really hungry and we were seated at a tiny table so close to other diners, I could feel their hot breath and see their pores. The sweetheart breakfast disintegrated into an argument between Mr. Smith and myself that played out via iPhone text messaging so that our insanely close neighbors would not be able to hear our heated discussion about Mr. Smith emphatic insistence that we leave IMMEDIATELY! Everything was fine after we adjourned to a less crowded locale and got a booth for a family of 25. Talk about romance. We know how to capture the spirit of Valentine's Day.



3. I used to date a guy that told me, very seriously, to "stop making fun of me or you are going to give me a complexion." Can you fill in what happened next? He was the same guy that got the terms castration and circumcision mixed up...frequently. He has two sons now. True story.

4. I have never seen Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, most of the Star Wars saga, or any of the Matrix movies. Sorry big movie studio, big budget folks who make event films. I am just not your girl. Your event movies make me sleepy. Also, this is for you Keanu: do us all a favor and turn in your SAG card. Sorry dude, but seriously, it is awkward and uncomfortable to watch you "act."



5. When you are sick and you are under five, it makes you feel better to play Toy Story and Toy Story 2 on an endless loop for over a week. If you are sick and over five, however, it will make you feel like you are going to fly apart into a million pieces.

6. I have been baking up a yeasty storm over here using this book. It is just lovely to have the aroma of baking bread, that you made with your own hot little hands, wafting through the house. It is simple, elegant, and so tasty. There are dozens of recipes in it, not just for bread, that will strike your fancy. This one is perfect for anyone with a phobia of yeast recipes (Miss Amy, I am looking right at you!).




I mean, seriously people, how gorgeous is this? And this was my first loaf.

and the second loaf.

And here is what the wheat version looks like...


The book was worth every penny. We have had fresh bread each day this week and it is absolute bliss.

Here are some links for recipes I have made in the last few months.


Pioneer Woman's Monkey Bread. This one has no nutritional value whatsoever. I would advise you to make this if and only if you get the Green Goo. Otherwise, you will too be clear-headed to justify eating this one. I am ashamed to confess that I have made this twice. Forgive me.

Murphy's Hot Hamburger. This is not something for the Weight Watcher crowd, but it sure is yummy. I skip making my own fries (since I burnt them beyond all recognition the first time I made this) and use Trader Joe's Potato Wedges. It also makes this recipe so much quicker to whip up and serve.

Zesty Pasta Salad. This one is my last ditch attempt at some kind of redemption. This is actually pretty healthy and REALLY tasty. The perfect side dish for Memorial Day picnics.


Here's hoping none of you get this Green Goo! Have a great weekend!

5 comments:

Dewey said...

I think if you are going to make Mr. Smith watch BW movies you should have to watch an equal number of blockbluster movies.

vertigob said...

Just for record, I DO NOT make him watch BW movies. He won't watch them. Our's is a mixed marriage. Some things you just have to overlook when you are in love. We all have our crosses to bear in this life, don't we?

I never thought I would have to admit this, but I am actually married to a man that has never seen Citizen Kane. Weep for me!

momof3under12 said...

i must borrow your yeast book. I'm still skiddish!

VagabondHomeschoolMom said...

So my question is: Do you need a stand mixer to make these recipes? I don't have such fancy equipment in my kitchen. This book sounds like it could be the solution for my bread fear. I don't want to make Grandma Doty's huge bread recipe, but I also don't want to put forth all the effort for just one loaf.

vertigob said...

Honestly, the only thing I bought was a 6 quart plastic food storage container.

This book streamlines everything and makes it so easy.

They recommend baking it on a stone in the oven, but you don't have to if you don't have one.

The best part, you can bake one loaf at a time, or bake the whole batch, no big deal.