Acting like a housewife

Last Saturday, Kendall and I (and William) had a girls day out. Kendall needed a pair of dress shoes for an upcoming wedding and we decided to go have lunch before shopping. Kendall loves Cheeseburger In Paradise, mostly, I think, for the Virgin Coladas, and we hadn't been for a while, so I suprised her with her favorite restaurant. Well, we had a great lunch (my talapia was So Yummy, and what do they do to their brocolli?). Then came the bill. $50 big ones. For 2 people! I usually keep a close eye on what is being spent when we eat out, but I let loose and spent $50 on lunch!

Tim gasped in horror, but he's a great guy and that was the end of it. But the eating out must cease for the time being. So I have made a plan for meals for the week. Tonight we had Johnny Marzetti (which my dad, who is from Youngstown, OH calls Grigsley Koogsley), which in my family wasn't made with spaghetti sauce but canned or fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and a little salt and sugar (to counteract any bitterness of the tomato). It is simple and yummy and not overly spicy. William ate a whole bowl.


I have that mixer (really). I often make that face. I'm such a cool housewife!

The kids will be gone tomorrow, and I wanted to make risotto, but I'm having a difficult time finding short grain rice in Marysville. So I'll be making Coq Au Vin and Roasted Potatoes instead. It's easy to make in a slow crock pot, just put the veggies in the bottom (carrots, mushrooms, celery), the chicken on top of the veg, the herbs (thyme, rosemary, and sage - herbes de provence - and a bay leaf or two), the garlic, and the onion on top of that, add some chicken broth and wine et viola - crock pot Coq Au Vin. That being said, I am going all out and making it the old fashioned way (there is a great recipe here). With the old fashioned version, the wine sauce thickens nicely as the chicken is floured and braised. If you want a sauce with the crock pot version, you'll have to remove all of the chicken, etc, and thicken the juices. And lets face it; the stove top version just tastes better.

I'm also planning on making lasagna (which makes excellent left overs and can be whipped up ahead of time) and a turkey breast and corn pudding (a Collin favorite) at some point. We'll have a roast on a night when everyone is home (which are fewer and farther between), and I'll just have to wing the rest. I'm beginning to feel more and more like June Cleaver in tennis shoes!

All of this, and a mountain (literally) of laundry in the basement, a VERY busy baby to keep up with, and the Olympics! I am an Olympic junkie, and what a night last night! I'm probably one of 1 million people writing about the men's 4X100m freestyle relay - what an amazing race! I was a little concerned that Michael Phelps was going to have a stroke, but who can blame him! My husband and I both screamed and jumped up and down when the US won - the kids came running afraid that we'd been hurt! And I am so excited about Michael Phelps' medal prospects - the Greatest Olympian! - and the men's and women's gymnastics competitions. I was so disappointed when hometown hero Paul Hamm withdrew due to a broken hand, but then Raj Bhavsar got his spot on the Olympic team, and he is amazing! This is what I love about the Olympics; the great upsets, the looked over getting their chance to shine, and, of course, seeing the athletes do things that I couldn't do in my wildest dreams!



Well, the baby is melting down (it's his bedtime), so I must end my Sports Analysis (most likely the only one you will ever see on this blog). And I'm missing synchronized diving, which is amazingly unacceptable (or not). Some miscellaneous sites next post.