Life or Something Like It

Back At The Ranch

2010-06-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Newly weds are home from their honeymoon and while we were gone the yard took over.

My lamb's ear got really scary looking and the grass grew about 2 feet.

It was crazy how bad it looked.

And when we got back my wonderful husband built me a raised garden bed.

Building!

I worked on weeding and edging while the hubster built the garden.

We borrowed our friends truck and got a load of manure

We didn't finish until almost 9pm.

I now have tomatoes growing. Pictures to come.

I also restarted my cooking project. This week was:

Guinea

Poulet Yassa

Ingredients

Chicken, cut into serving pieces -- 2-3 pounds

Onions, thinly sliced -- 4-6

Hot chile pepper, minced -- 1-3

Lemons, juice only -- 4-5

Dijon mustard (optional) -- 2 tablespoons

Peanut or vegetable oil -- 1/4 cup

Salt and pepper -- to season

Oil -- 2-3 tablespoon

Method

Add all the ingredients except for the oil to a large bowl and mix together. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. I put mine in a pyrex dish overnight.

Remove the chicken pieces, wipe dry, and brown them. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium flame. Remove the onions from the marinade and add them to the pot. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until they are well wilted and starting to brown.

Add the rest of the marinade and the browned chicken pieces to the onions, reduce heat to medium-low heat and simmer until cooked through and tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Adjust seasoning and serve with rice, fufu or couscous. I chose to to serve it with a asparagus and pea risotto and some naan.

The First Vacation as Mr. and Mrs. Part 2 Half Moon Cay and Grand Turk...plus Marc's 30th bday!

2010-06-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the second group of our fabulous vacation pics! These first ones are from the Island Of
Half Moon Cay Bahama's:

The area where the cruise dropped us off.

Check out that view. That's our boat!

Cute little paths covered the island.

We took a kyack tour of the lagoon at Half Moon Cay! Marc and I don't paddle well together but I love him to death!!!

Hey the water comes up to my knees. Better wear my safety vest!

One Size does NOT fit all.

The beautiful lagoon.

Isn't it neat out here!

This is Melman! I caught him all by myself!

Isn't he neat! I released him!

Sometimes you just get a little grumpy but it fades fast!

These grew all over the Island

Another shot of the boat!

The Beach area was really fun!

Walking away from Marc. He was spending too much time taking pictures.

The Meekers!

So Very HAPPY!!!

Marc in the water!

View from our beach chairs.

Toes in the sand! Best thing in the world!

Got myself a beer and proudly displaying my SC heritage.

Gotta head back to the boat. Half Moon Cay you were fun!!!

Grand Turk, Turks and Caiscos, BWI

Here we got off of the boat and went on a bike and snorkel tour of the Island. It was a little disappointing since they are still rebuilding from the Hurricane damage in 2008. Here are some pics from the bike tour.

Hello Grand Turk!

Walking up to the Island from the boat.

Bike Tour

The Island wasn't that pretty.

Taking a break on the beach.

The Salt Ponds. The sat industry is one of the main economic staples of the island.

The clock tower at the center of town.

There were wild horses on the island.

They knew to look both ways before crossing the street.

Paying attention to the sign.

Breaking the rules!

The cemetery at St. Anglican church. Some of these graves were 200 years old.

We tied the knot again at the church.

There were also wild cows wandering the streets.

Looking bad but having a great time. Margarita after a long bike ride tastes so good!

Smiling Husband! So happy!

Back on the Boat! Time to celebrate Marc's 30th B-day!

This guy stowed away in my swim suit. Totally freaked me out when I found him. So GROSS!!!

Waiting for the Hubster to get ready for dinner.

I love this man! Happy Birthday!

Married Man!!!!

What was left of Marc's Birthday cake. It was a great surprise and it was really good too.

Back of the boat.

He's happy and I am happy. The joke of the trip was Happy Wife Happy Life. But I think a happy husband is important too.

The First Vacation as Mr. And Mrs. Part 1...the party and Nassau

2010-06-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

Our ceremony was beautiful and our reception included some great food. So....Now that we are Mr. And Mrs. Meeker it's time to PARTY!!!! Here are some great photos from the after party!

Aly and Matt on the Hammock Swing

Richie! So Glad he came!

Pat...of course!

Stephanie Ripperton

Frank (finally having fun) and Blaire

The Bride enjoying her beer!

Blaire with Matt and Pat

My Beautiful Sister in Law Paula and her hubby, enjoying a much needed night out!

Talking to Paula

Party People!!! Nick, Creech, Amanda, Stephanie and Keith

And of course Jason and Christi!

My husband was there (i promise) and was having a great time. Not sure why he wasn't in any of these pics, but I know he took the one of Jason and Christi.

The next morning we went to breakfast...where Jason and Christi (the most thoughtful people on earth) had a surprise for Marc and Nick. A birthday cake...which they had to serve Nick in the toilet! So wrong...yet so funny!

Then Marc and I loaded up and left for Charleston, SC to get on the cruise and head to the Caribbean.

We sailed away from Charleston, SC on the Carnival Fantasy. It was a wonderfully large floating city and we had a BLAST! This is a view from the window in our room on our first night at sea.

I also love that every night there is a cute little towel creature on your bed! The cruise really cares about it's guest and wants them to feel comfortable and pampered.

Our First stop was in beautiful Nassau, Bahamas. We had a blast here! Marc and I were one of the first people off the boat that morning, having learned the awesomeness of ROOM SERVICE! Someone bringing you your coffee before you have officially opened your eyes is HEAVEN! Once we stepped onto the beautiful Island we met Joan who for $25 each would give us a tour of Nassau. It was a 2 hour tour and since many of the restaurants and shops weren't set to open for a few more hours we decided that it would be worth it. And boy was it EVER!!!
We began our tour by being taken to Paradise Island so that we could visit Atlantis. Here are some pictures from Atlantis:

Well that hallway right behind Marc and I...well it turns out that it is a $50 per person aquarium. Not knowing this I just walked in going "OOOOOHHHHHH Fishies! Marc look at the fishies". We walked through the whole entire Aquarium getting some amazing pics:

Well once we exited from the front of the Aquarium we found out from one of the girls that was on our tour that we were supposed to pay. Oh well...they weren't open yet and no one told us to get out so we got the tour for FREE!!!!

Here are a few more pics from Atlantis:

Then we hopped back in the van to go on a tour of Nassau. We got to see where the rich live, where the poor live, where they clean the conchs that come out of the ocean, and the fort. We learned alot about the economy and the government to. Here are some pics from the tour:

After touring one side of the Island we made our way back to the port. Marc and I wandered the streets...stopping to take a few pics and grab a quick bite of conch fritters before we boarded the bus to Compass Point.

It was really fun taking the bus with the locals. Watching them flag the bus down and jump on and off...it was really neat. So we headed over to the other side of the Island to Compass point resort. A place that I have been dying to see since Marc sent me a picture the first time he stayed there. We got a beer and he and I were given a full tour of the resort and were even offered access to the private beach and pool. I so hope my husband takes me there again!

Then Marc took me across the street to Compass Point Studios where he has done work in the past. I liked the chance to see where my hubby has been when he is away from me. Compass point was really neat and it was great to meet Terry!

After this we walked down the street to Traveler's Rest. This is definitely on my top 10 favorite restaurants list! WOW!!! Here is the view from where we were sitting! I really wanted to sit in the shade. :)

Then we went and waited for the bus to come get us. What a bus stop!!!!

After this we headed back to the boat. It was a great and busy day! Nassau was a definite win!

I Do...I Will...Whatever...We Are Married...Here's What Really Happened!

2010-06-06T20:25:00.000-07:00

May 22 2010 was the day that I became Mrs. Meeker. Well after I threw up my breakfast at Stacey's (hair place) and Jason (my something borrowed...gotta borrow your friends hubby) bought me a bottle of Pepto.
The day was filled with a few great moments and funny things that I would like to share. It is after all my life and I love to laugh at all of the things that go awry and make a day more memorable and down right FUN! Welcome to your insider view of the Owens Meeker wedding. :)

Stephanie was the stylist. First she did Nicole's hair and then she did my mothers hair...LOOK AT THE PROFILE MATCH! WOW!!!!

Then she did Addison's hair. His other Big Sis Blaire was not going to have him looking ragged. :) Note the concentration on Stephanie's technique.

Did I mention I love Blaire! The Best MOH and Sister you could have!!!

All the while Keith was playing outside. Wish I could have heard it, but I heard from everyone that he was fabulous.

AND NOW A MOMENT FROM OUR SPONSOR!!! If you are from SC, then you are aware that you could strap a saddle on the mosquitoes and ride them to work. The Owens Meeker Wedding is brought to you by CUTTER in conjunction with Deep Woods OFF. Because Hell...the skeeters here can VOTE. :)

Yep that's right the bride is getting OFFed. Or OFTed as we said all weekend. Thanks Blaire!

So many personal touches...like the Hello Kitty Band Aide's that held the Six Pence on my flip flops. :)

Then we put the 900 pound dress on...don't be fooled by the light and airy look...that sucker was hot and HEAVY!

And I do mean HOT! Stephanie had to hold it up near the fan so that I could get cool. See....she loves me sometimes! And note the fabulous Mimosa in my hand. Thanks again Blaire...I bow down to your greatness!

Then we lined up to go out...here we are waiting to hear the Gong Bowl.

But it took awhile because poor Christi didn't get the tutorial on how to use it.

And the men waited. And waited And WAITED!!

Then everyone files out...and HERE COMES THE BRIDE...

And My wonderful Uncle John begins the ceremony.

HE WILL!

I do...I will...YES!! What do I say again?

You may kiss your WIFE!!!

Then Uncle John tells everyone how to become rich. Just kidding. BUT look at the audience captivated by him. Well in their defense he was telling them where the food was located. :)

The food was being blessed but Liam was thinking this party was lame and he wanted to go play.

Inside the house...did I mention the dress was HOT!

Brothers Hang out!

Then everyone arrives to eat the food.

Here was my gorgeous cake. Thanks Diane Ammons for a Beautiful and Delicious gift! Love you!!!

And the masses swarm the buffet. :)

Logan shares with me the scar on his finger and the story of how in our youth I slammed a door on it. Sounds like something I would have done and probably gotten away with! Sorry for your finger Logan...but love you dearly! And your fiance Crystal is gorgeous and sweet.

I put on the apron that I had made for myself and the Bridesmaids. HELLO...we were having BBQ...can someone say Brilliant!!!

And Marc got one too! Mom...I'm a Married Man...Mooommmm....OK!

Many of my Mother's Best Friends only had boys...so for some of them it is like they are seeing their own daughter get married. I love you Renee.

And Thankfully Miss Irene (My Mema's BFF) came to see me get married. I love you so much Miss Irene!!

Then we cut the Best Wedding Cake....EVER!!!!

I fed it to him nicely...but I could only be sweet for so long. So I rubbed icing on his face.

She would kill me for this, but since she isn't computer savvy I am NOT worried. Check out my Mom eating. This is where I get those silly faces and crazy eyes when I am trying to be funny. :)

The garter goes to Creech. (On purpose)

And the Bouquet goes to Blaire! (ON PURPOSE!!)

Sign the papers WOMAN!!!

The Girls in their finest 1950's attire.

Of course the true nature of mine and Steph's relationship came out in the end. I love you little sis!

Finally we all made it to the beach for some portraits.

There was of course some problems picking me up...note the bouquet falling apart as they lift me.

Because These Are The Ones You NEVER Get To See...The Rest Of These Need No Caption...They Sort Of Show Our Humor and Personalities...Just Enjoy!!!!

AND NOW WE PARTY!!!

Life Before The Big Bang (or sounding of the gong)

2010-06-06T09:45:00.000-07:00

Now a happily married woman I wanted to share a few of the funny events that happened right before the wedding. The much needed stress relievers that help us get over ourselves and the ridiculousness of the wedding.

The first one happened the night of my bachlorette party. My wonderful MOH Blaire made me a beautiful sash and veil to wear out, and she along with Alyssa and Nicole took me out to Bovine's for dinner. (Yummy) The evening was going splendidly, we enjoyed a wonderful glass of wine and amazing food. Kim and Jessica joined us later that evening. Since it was a weeknight in the inlet and a little late for that matter we ended up at Dagwoods in Surfside to continue the libation consumption. It was here on fabulous outdoor swinging tables that my last Bridezilla moment would occur. Blaire, Kim and I were sitting talking when a random (not at all sober) guy walked up to the table and asked Blaire if the beer in front of her was indeed her beer. She replied "YES" but with confusion. Then this guy reached across the table, picked up her beer, and proceeded to walk away drinking it. Needless to say we were stunned. A few minutes later we were joined by Jessica and upon me telling her the story the guy came back up to the table because he heard me talking about him. Well suffice it to say, I used my Bridezilla powers to scream at him until he gave Blaire $10 and went away. :) Of course once Rob and Craig arrived (yes they are one of the girls :)) all got quiet!

The next day consisted of getting our nails done and our fancy Bridal Luncheon that consisted of me and the MaOH and the MOH having Chic-Fil-A on picnic table outside of the church. Pure CLASS!!!!

And with the flood in Nashville we thought it would be appropriate to take our picture on the Arc. :)

We then went inside where the Mother's decided that Frank should be the only participant in a wet t-shirt contest.

First they made a huge carafe of tea and upon putting it in the fridge the door hit the nozzle spilling tea all over the floor and inside the fridge. Then if that wasn't enough as soon as the groom and groomsmen were done cleaning that up...my mother put the lemonade into the dispenser....which leaked.....so this time Nance had to clean it up. :)

Wedding chaos is so fun!!!

We got the church decorated despite all of the madness. Thank you all so much! This could not have happened without Chad and Tina Randolph, Paula Marez, Nance Meeker, Gwen Owens, Matt Creech, Frank Grimmer (sorry about my mom), Nicole Dunn and Blaire Cartwright! Marc and I are so lucky to have you!!!

Paula with the help of the other girls made these amazing centerpieces. I had the idea, but she took it to a new height! Wow! I am so lucky to be surrounded by such amazingly creative people!!

Then we headed to Casa de Owens to set-up chairs and decorate the house!

Here is when the men provided NO help! All four of them went on a 45 minute run to get 1 can of bug spray and once they returned they all four had to go back to the store to get some pillow cases to decorate with. All of the chair lifting, placing, and heavy plant moving was done by the women.

Here was the final project! All ready for a wedding!!

And back to the thought of reincarnation...I think that my Mema came down to say hello to me....just to let me know that she was going to be a part of the decorating process!

Then the rehearsal happened. This picture was hilarious because we had Paula standing in for Stephanie. (she wanted to be gangster Stephanie but we wouldn't let her) And I love the look on Blaire's face...she is scowling at Marc making sure he does everything right. And poor Frank...he was bored to tears!

We then proceeded to get pretty and take over River City cafe. The night air got thick with love and some amazing moments would happen. We really didn't want the night of our rehearsal to end. All of our best friends in the same place at the same time was AMAZING!!!

My favorite girls!! Fridge Replacement Photo + Blaire!

How amazing to get all of these people in the same space!!!

Priceless Moments Captured!!

Best Buddies Hugged!!!

Marc gets a captive audience to talk about his favorite goat. (Note Jason laughing really hard-since this is an insider with the Partch's)

Dinner time with all of your best friends is awesome!!!

Then you have to get a few shots with the parents!!

A Picture with your new Sister in Law!

A group shot of The Meeker/Marez Men! (Liam was not going to look at Christi)

And of course a sampling of the greatest people you will ever meet!!!

Oh wait I am sorry!!! I meant these people...minus Christi who was taking the picture.

WE LOVE YOU ALL!!! SEE YOU TOMORROW FOR THE BIG I DO's!!!

The Next Chapter...But How Did It All Begin?

2010-06-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

It all seems like it just happened yesterday, but with the fuzzy uncertainty that comes with trying to recall events from 15 years ago. Wow...15 years! Where has the time gone? It all began here at good old Socastee High School. Marc and I were 14 years old and entering our Freshman year of HS. I had seen him in the hall and thought not only is this guy cute, but he seems really interesting...like he has a depth and quality about him that was lacking in all of our fellow classmates, and if I throw up the mirror...myself included.
For all the things that one particular friend has done wrong in his life, he could be the reason that I am wearing a wedding ring today. Pat McCarthy was in my homeroom, and he was also Marc's friend and next door neighbor. I told Pat that I thought Marc was cute, and in the official telephone style of gossip, it reached Marc's ears before lunch. He quickly proceeded to make me his girlfriend before the end of the day. Talk about efficiency!!! This relationship lasted the predicted time of 2 weeks when he dumped me because I was grounded and on phone restriction. But we never totally let go...somehow we were going to be in each others lives!

Fast Forward to sophomore year when our friendship had blossomed into best friend status. I went to Marc with every thought and problem I had. We talked for hours and hours night after night about our future, how ridiculous our parents were, our siblings, our goals and most importantly our dreams. While I am positive that these conversations were lacking in the mature structure that adults have, they were powerful nonetheless. We were completely engrossed in each other and in May of 1996 we officially became BF/GF again. Those few months of my life were the most intense. I have never in my life been so in love and in such a deep relationship. To tell you the truth it scared me to death so I did what any normal person would do...I ran like hell! I broke his heart and mine in the process, and looking back on it now...it was the best thing I could have done for the both of us.
We finished out HS remaining friends, but only talking when we had class together. I missed him so much, but I needed to keep him out of my life. The fear of getting married right out of hs and never experiencing life outside of Myrtle Beach was way too scary for me.
After HS ALOT of life happened to us both: college, new friends, new towns, new jobs, new relationships, loss of grandparents (and my Dad), hard times, easy times, fun times and times we would love to forget. We shaped ourselves into the adults you know today, and I think (at least for me) took the long hard road to get there.
It was August 2006...roughly 10 years after our break-up that I checked my email and saw that Marc had found me through a social network site, but I did not immediately reply. Life was happening to me...and not in a good way. In October I would lose my father to cancer and settle in for the hardest round of Winter holidays of my life. Finally in late January 2007 I made the effort. I gave him my phone number so that I could share with him the sad news of my father's passing and the bittersweet acceptance of a marriage proposal by my current boyfriend Mike. It took Marc exactly 3 hours to call me, and with that first Hello came a flood of emotions and that butterfly feeling that I had not felt since my youth.
After 3 weeks of secret calls we decided that we had to meet. I was willing and ready to gamble my entire future with Mike just to sort out my feelings for Marc. I loved him! I never stopped loving him and I needed to see if I was making the right or wrong decision.
In February 2007 I arrived at the house of Bill and Nance Meeker...a home I had not been inside for almost 12 years. I knocked on the door and looked through the glass at Marc, smiling to myself and knowing that this was about to be one intense reunion. Have you ever had that love sick butterfly feeling so strongly that you feel like you are going to vomit? Well that about sums up my feelings of that reunion.
The weekend was a romantic blur after which we decided that we WERE going to be together and make it work. I left him and went back home to Reston, VA and proceeded to destroy everything I had built there. I quit the best job I had ever had, hugged my very best friends goodbye and gave Mike everything. The ring, the house...everything! I just wanted freedom.
It was one week later that I was in my new home in Nashville, TN. The beginning was tough as I spent most days morning the loss of my old life, but over time our love has gotten stronger and we have grown. We have made friends with some amazing people, bought a home and new cars, adopted fur children and become established. It has been a crazy and beautiful whirlwind and I feel so blessed to be with the man that I fell in love with all those years ago. Nothing beats the comfort of home, and Marc is my life, my heart and my home.

Here we are now in May 2010 and I have married the boy that captured my heart 15 years ago, and held on for dear life!

The Princess is Married and I am NEXT!

2010-04-30T20:26:00.000-07:00

Well here we are May 1...21 days until I become Mrs. William Marcus Meeker. I wanted to share with you all the craziness that has been my life lately...

To begin here is a picture of my BEAUTIFUL cousin Stephanie. The new Mrs. Jeremy Burleson. I am so happy for her, but I have to say I am a tad jealous. She looks like she just stepped out of the Perfect Southern section of a Bridal Magazine.I mean...really...she clearly got a huge chunk of the "pretty" genes.

Now here is a shot of all of everyone. Do you see the chunky girl? The one in the dress with straps? That's me! I never thought that I would be a heavy bride...and have considered calling this wedding off until I can reach a stunning 110 pounds (I'm really short so this is attainable) but is that likely to happen? Probably not!

I have recently become a vegetarian (well mostly-I did eat meat at the wedding...Marc calls this Flexitarian) and I am strictly sticking to a workout plan. I am better looking today than I have been in years. Heck, my Grandfather said I didn't look like myself. This is good news...well until my other family members (the ones very closely related to the Princess) reminded me that I was fat. They even told me that I should eat better and work out. They told a vegetarian gym rat to eat better and work out. Something here is extremely off. Then they suggested I get my thyroid checked. I, just like ever other woman on earth would love to be able to blame my weight on my thyroid but I know it isn't true. I spent too many years doing horrible things to my body and what I see in the mirror today is a direct result of poor eating and drinking choices. I am proud of my progress but like everyone else would happily welcome acceleration to the goal!

I have searched for a few pictures to illustrate what I mean about the fact that I look better.

High School: I figured I would start with Senior Prom. Look! I am thin and very cute! Weight 125 lbs.

Early 20's: See here I am still cute, vivacious and adorable. But what's that in my hand? It is one of the things that caused my downward spiral. I do have to say that this is by far one of my favorite pictures of myself.Weight: 115
In this picture I am just shy of 22...this was taken about one month before I met Mike.

Mid 20's The Decline: It still blows my mind to this day that 1 year of dating Mike I went from the picture above to this. I am appalled that I spent so much time as a spectator in life. Letting go of control over the things you like to do will quickly make one look like this. When he and I were together all we ever seemed to do was sit in a bar watching sports or playing trivia. Couple a few beers with bar food daily and this is what you get. This picture was taken a few months after my 23 birthday. An interesting indicator of how fast you can start to spiral down.Weight: 165 (i think)

The Up Side of Rock Bottom: This picture was taken right after I made the leap of faith to be with the man that I will be marrying in three weeks. All that time that I spent sad and feeling hopeless about my future really shows. I had lost my Grandmother and my Father and was spending all of my time feeling sorry for myself. It really shows in your skin and of course in your jeans. WOW!!! Weight here: 179. Yep that's right...179 pounds! Pretty Darn Scary!

This was taken two years ago. Noticeably healthier looking but still heavy. It was a quick but gradual change that took me from a svelte early 20 something to the chunky soon to be 30 year old that you see today, but I am proud of the rise and excited for the future. Weight here 165 again.

Here is me today! I have really commited to my new lifestyle. This is an example of all the stuff I take with me daily. My water bottle, my purse, my gym bag and my food bag. Plus I am looking much better...at least I think I do! Weight: 157 and dropping!!!

So what if I am a heavy bride. I am turning 30 this year...and I am having the best year of my life. I am checking off the goals I set for myself January 1 one by one! I am healthy, energetic and best of all HAPPY. So what's a few extra pounds on my wedding day? Those extra LB's will just be around to bear witness to a woman who is getting and becoming more than she ever dreamed of. Maybe a congratulatory bikini shot could be in the works for my 30th?

I would also like to share a little bit of insight that I had this past weekend. I firmly believe that one of the secrets to a great life involve the Inlet Breeze, A Hammock chair, and Your very Best Friends.

The Busy Bride Takes Time Out to Freak Out, Lose Her Mind, Vent, and Break Down!!!!

2010-04-09T12:03:00.001-07:00

I have always thought myself to be quite intelligent, but lately the odd bouts of anxiety surrounding my wedding day make me think that I got the wrong message my whole life. To begin let’s look at the classic movies that I grew up loving and watching daily. We will start with my favorite Alice in Wonderland. Alice was so sick of the way the normal world was that she wanted her own world where everything was different. "If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” Oh the wisdom that girl had. She wasn’t a princess and could care less about a “prince”…she just didn’t want to listen to her history lesson. Then of course there is the OCD rabbit who, just like me, is obsessed with the time. But no worry about princesses or weddings, just silliness and a good lesson in getting somewhere on time.

Then there was Ariel from the Little Mermaid. Ariel never really wanted to be a bride…she just wanted to walk on land. And who can blame her…that fish smell had to be getting to her. And her best friend was a crab! Lame! I hope she walked right to a bath tub and got to scrubbing. J

Then of course there is Dorothy from the Wizard of OZ…she just wanted to get home. No princes in this one. And Heidi the little girl that lived on the mountain, she just wanted to see her Grandfather again.

I always thought that the skexies from Dark Crystal were awesome! I mean...come on...check him out!

I also loved Jem and the Holograms...Jem was the coolest role model ever! For those of you who didn’t watch this show…think animated Hannah Montana…only Jem could switch herself by touching her earrings. Jem was just a really cool girl…yeah she had a boyfriend but he could be ditched at anytime. Girl Power was very evident in all of these Disney movies. Well the ones I watched anyway.

Now let’s get to the movie that apparently that has made girls suffer from Bridal Retardation for years…our Dear friend Cinderella. Apparently I missed the message of this movie. Out of this one I figured out that a goal and hard work (even when people treat you bad) will get you what you want. Cinderella didn’t want to go to the ball to meet the prince…the girl was just wanting to get out of the house and have a good time. She wanted to have a drink and dance and talk to a human…hey mice are great company but sometimes human interaction just can’t be beat. Besides the wedding scene only accounts for the last minute of the movie. The girl to the left here is the Cinderella I liked!

So why are all the girls in the world so obsessed with being a bride? Or was it the movie Princess Bride? This one I never saw until I was 22 years old and was highly disappointed. The princess was a weak pathetic character…why would anyone want to be like her? I don’t know…is it the dress? The need to have the world revolve around you for a day? I just can’t understand why girls like weddings so much.

I sit here this morning freaked out because my wedding day is fast approaching. Nothing about this day seems pleasing…that is until it’s over and I get to drink wine with all of my best friends. I have no idea how I can stand in front of hundreds of people and give a speech or talk to random strangers everyday with no feelings of stress or discomfort…but this….OMG how will I get through this. I have thought of a million things that I would rather do. Tattoo Marc’s name on my forehead is up there. I really really really am dreading my wedding day. Everything about it seems unnatural and forced. I do NOT want to walk past and then stand in front of my family, friends and worst of all strangers and make such an emotional and sacred vow. I truly feel that this is private thing and should be treated as such…why are we parading it in front of everyone. The spotlight of this makes me feel as though I am making a date to have everyone we know watch us have sex. I just can’t get past the fact that none of the people who will attend the wedding will be a part of our marriage. It is just Marc and I! So why does there have to be so much pomp and circumstance?

……………door bell rings………………Oh my wedding dress just arrived!…………open box…..it’s pretty……………try it on………….NNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! It is hideous. Well it is 4 sizes too big and looks like a prom dress from Lane Bryant. Ok I am overreacting and it will probably be beautiful once it is altered to fit one person instead of two! And before anyone says it…I did already think about gaining weight to make it fit. Sadly my metabolism is too good and there isn’t enough junk food in the world to make me that big that fast.

Today just isn’t my day…at least when it comes to wedding stuff. So I am going to head off to work now and hope that the rest of my day improves. Thanks for letting me vent! J

The Busy Bride is a Garden Bee, Eating Well, Trying Stuff and Enjoying Life!!!

2010-04-05T20:09:00.000-07:00

I regret to tell you all that the International cooking project has been put on hold at least for a few weeks. With the ramping up for the wedding (diet) and with our friends (the lucky SOB's that they are) who were in Hawaii for two weeks, I find that it is best that I hold off on the added craziness of International Night. Not to mention that I have a bunch of other projects going on right now!

Recently Jason and Christi took us to McKay's (the holy mecca of used books/dvd/cd's) and I purchased a huge cart full of cookbooks. The interesting part is that I also purchased a how to become vegetarian book and a vegetarian cookbook. This book has been amazing. It has some of the coolest recipes. I am enjoying taking the time to learn to cook vegetarian.

The thought of becoming a full time vegetarian is hard to commit to because I don't think I can give up my yearly oysters at Christmas or not eat southern turkey dressing at Thanksgiving. Other than a handful of times I found that meat is really not that important to me and I could probably get away with being an occasional meat eater. Of course I do not agree with the way the beef/pork/poultry industry is raising animals (and if you watch Food Inc you will too) but I think the idea of not having the option to eat meat makes it hard so I do not want to give it up altogether. So I am flirting with the idea of eating less meat...at least for now. As of today I have not had meat since March 17...that's almost three weeks! I haven't really missed it, nor have I craved it. I am making some pretty cool stuff too. Here are the two meals I made recently. Not bad huh?

This one was a wonderful risotto with peas and asparagus. It was amazing! And I paired it with a confetti salad. (Both recipes are in the book...but the salad I added some extras)

And a Mushroom, Kale and Leek soup. This one turned out to be weird since after it looks like this you throw it in the food processor, but it was very tasty.

I have also been out in the yard working my booty off! I have been digging out flower beds and preparing to plant the garden and all of the flowers that BETTER win me the freaking Yard of the Month! If the people down the street with 400 lawn ornaments can win it than I should be a shoe in with tasteful gardens! Here is the before and afters of my progress so far:

I dug out a flower bed around the phone wires. I really hate the phone pole and I am trying to disguise it.

Then I planted some Iris here that are transplants from Christi's garden. I can't wait until they bloom.

Hideous right? In an attempt to hide this hideous silk fencing that stands at the edge of our property I dug out another bed. This is ridiculously hard when you have to dig grass out of clay...and did I mention the rocks? Unearthing rocks is pretty tough...but a great workout.

I filled this one with Red Canna's (another transplant from Christi's garden) and some White Azalea's. This is going to look awesome when these finally get big and bloom.

I also dug out flower beds around all of the trees in the back yard. i have an assortment of Blue Hydrangea, Caladiums, Forget Me Not's, Dahlia's and other cute little flowers. I can't wait to see them bloom. And for those of you who have tried to dig in Tennessee know what a feat this is. :)

And around this Large tree I have Red and Purple Zinnia's. This will look awesome when they bloom.

I also made myself an herb garden which contains: Rosemary, Dill, Oregano, Sage, Basil, and Cilantro. I know that it just looks like a pot with dirt in it, but I think it will be adorable when they sprout up.

I have also started all of my seeds for my garden. I am doing: strawberries, spinach, bell peppers, banana peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupe, Swiss chard and zucchini. Plus I am going to get a transplant of raspberries from Christi. :)

Plus at the Farmer's Market today I bought a Granny Smith Apple tree. I really can't wait until this little guy starts giving me some apples. Granny's are my absolute favorite!!!

I also added some Primrose, Dianthus, and Stargazer lilies to this bed. Really excited that my Japanese Toad lily and Easter lily are sprouting up. Even though my Easter lily is running a little behind this year. :)

And of course there is my front flower bed...the Hosta is peaking out, but I am still stuck on what to plant this year. This and digging out the veggie garden are the only two large projects left. Well that and trying to grow some decent grass. :)

Other than the current food venture and of course all of the yard work I am also eyeball deep in wedding planning, day dreaming about the cruise, and preparing for Stephanie's wedding. We leave for the beach in 15 days. AHHHHH! And just in case I don't have enough on my plate I am working on another blog called "Lauren Tried It". It is a place where I can share products and experiences that I have tried and loved. Maybe that one will be a fun paid blog. :) I am putting the finishing touches on one about my favorite doggy shampoo and I am in the process of trying a skin care line from Avon.

Upcoming events:

This Thursday April 8 I will be volunteering at the Special Olympics. I hope that I can share a wonderful story once it is over. :) I am really excited.

I Had No Idea This Much Went Into a Wedding...

2010-03-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

I know that my writing is getting a little sparse and that I am regretfully not cooking right now, but I would like you to know that this is because I am swamped with wedding details. Honestly when did this stuff get so complicated? Back in the pre-civil war times a couple would just have their families present in the fancy room of the house, have a small ceremony and then eat and dance until the sun came up! This idea is great, but I am sure that they did not spend anywhere near the amount of money that American's today do. Where did we as American's lose our minds and think that we have to spend thousands of dollars on an exaggerated version of this same event?
I am thankful that I do not have to wear a dress that looks like this...or the undergarments that bind you into it.Plus it looks itchy!

I find that I am up to my eyeballs in guest list, invitations, dress measurements, hotel calling and other crazy things that accompany ones wedding preparation. So I apologize for the lack in my writing but all of my writing seems to be going into emails and the planner. So I will give a brief summary of what Marc and I have been up to.

To begin I joined a new gym. We decided last month that it would be best for us to quit the YMCA since we were never going. Now before you question why we would join another gym let me explain why we never went to the YMCA. First of all the hours stink! Of course they work for some people, but the Y's intention to work around church schedules does not help me fit in a work out. Plus the peak times made it impossible. Now for those of you who do not know I work second shift in a mental health facility. This means that I go in at 3 and get off at 11:30. So how do I find time to work out in the non-peak times. I can get up at 430am to be at the gym by 5am when they opened. This won't work bc I don't get home until midnight. 6-8am are peak times where everyone comes in before work. So 8am sounds good right? Wrong! The nursery opens at 8am so the Mom Army comes in and takes over the entire gym and fills up all the classes. This goes on until about 11am when I would normally go, but this time never worked either because I felt rushed and I really hated that I got to work out just because I was fast enough to beat the feeble old man to the treadmill. And of course I could work out after work....oh wait no I can't because the YMCA closes at 8pm. Plus did I mention that there was always a chance that you would be accosted by one of the heathen children that run rampant around there? So we quit!

This was a huge blow to me because I could (at least sometimes) brave the insanity and attempt to workout between screaming babies and waiting in line for a machine. But now I don't have to! Marc and I joined Anytime Fitness. A 24 gym that only allows people over 16 to work out! And since it is 24 hours I can work out at midnight. On Tuesday night I went for the first time and fell in love! There was no one in there so I could pull out the bands, balls, bosu ball, mats, and weights that I needed and take up the whole floor! No one was there to make me feel uncomfortable or insecure. It was just me and a room full of machines. It was amazing and I had the best workout of my life! I got to jump around from machine to machine and not have to reset anything! However, this did cause some down time because I have never had the freedom to use whatever I wanted whenever I wanted!

I am not only working out for my health and of course to fit into my bikini for the honeymoon, but I am also going to run a 5k at the end of the month.It is the Running To Beat The Blues 5k here in Nashville. I know that I will not win or even place, but it is for a good cause and a great way to get myself involved and in shape!

Marc has entered into the world of photography by purchasing a fancy new camera. Thank goodness Beau is a natural model and can (and will) pose for the camera for hours on end. Sadie and I however feel like we have the paparazzi chasing us and we don't like it.

We Do have some pretty fun things on the calendar:

This weekend we are going to the spaghetti dinner benefit for our neighbor who has been diagnosed with ALS. Neva is amazing and her smile through all of this is not only contagious but truly inspirational! We are truly blown away by the outpouring of love and support that this amazing woman is getting! Hopefully we can set up even more events and raise awareness about this disease. Maybe another 5k?

The same night at the 5k March 27th we are going to a wine tasting at the Hilton here in town. With 50 plus wines and food, it promises to be a fun night. I just hope that my buddy Cole and her man David will join us!

We also have Tin Pan South going on here in Nashville the following weekend. It is a huge song writers festival that I have been trying to get Marc to every year...and this year we are going out at least one night of it! :) This is also open to anyone who wants to tag along with us!

I also have some Red Canna and Blue Iris that Christi gave me to plant. I am excited to see my yard this summer when it is in full bloom with tons of gorgeous flowers! The veggie garden I fear may not happen this summer...or night just be a pot of tomatoes and a patio herb garden. Hopefully I can do it all, but I fear that I will burn out!

I plan to start the dinner party back up this coming Wednesday! The country for the week is Sudan! Thanks for being patient on my hiatus!

The Potato Bomb is Not My Only Reason For Procrastination!

2010-03-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

As with any project of this magnitude one is bound to have a miss here and there, I just didn't think that it would be with this country. Lithuanian seemed like it would be a slam dunk! How could two recipes consisting of potatoes, minced meat, bacon, butter, sour cream and eggs be bad? This just sounded to me like the makings of one amazing loaded baked potato...I think my over-confidence in this one is what did me in.

Do these look like ingredients that will make a bad meal?

So I peeled an entire bag of potatoes...this I am positive is someone's eternal damnation in hell...because it sucks!

Then you grate the potatoes. This made more complicated by my food processors decision to not work using the grating attachment.

RECIPES

KUGELI

10 large potatoes grated
1/2 lb. bacon
1 stick butter
2 large onions chopped
4 eggs
1 cup hot milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Brown bacon, dry, and dice into pieces.

Brown onions in butter.

Add to grated potatoes.

Stir in salt, pepper and milk.

Add beaten eggs in last, stir well.

Set oven at 350 degrees.

Grease one large pan (10 x 13 inches) or two small (8 x 8 inches) pans. Bake for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hour.

This came out looking like hashbrowns...but tasted like something that came out the back side of a chicken. :( A total MISS!!!

I also attempted to make potato dumplings...but whoever came up with this recipe OBVIOUSLY left out some very important parts....

Cepelinai

Ingredients:

Dumpling Mixture:
8 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and finely grated
2 large Idaho potatoes, peeled, boiled and riced
1 medium onion, peeled and finely grated
1 teaspoon salt, more or less to taste .
Meat Mixture:
1 pound ground pork or 1/3 pound pork, 1/3 pound beef, 1/3 pound veal
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large beaten egg
Gravy:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 large chopped onion
1 cup sour cream
Black pepper to taste

This is what it ended up being....a weird potato soup. SOOOOOO Wrong!

So I tried to save it by frying them....also did not work.

I ended up with an ugly and pretty gross dish.

So we fixed it by ordering this!!!!

Yes it was one of those nights...but great friends and a pizza back-up make any night good! This week I am foregoing International night so that we can take Jason and Christi to Arrington Vineyards for a wine tasting! Have a great week!

And so you all know.... The Potato Bomb is Not My Only Reason For Procrastination, I am also doing quite a bit of wedding planning and that has taken my mind away from the culinary world. Not to mention I am back on South Beach as the wedding countdown has begun. Only 79 more days until I am Mrs. Meeker.

Top This Tapas

2010-02-20T10:44:00.000-08:00

Marc's best friend Frank has finally come to visit, and instead of my normal way of choosing the country of the week I asked him if there was any particular country he would like for me to cook. He chose Spain since he had spent quite a bit of time there and really enjoyed the food. Well Spain of course is Tapas. So in honor of his visit and the country of Spain I took on a 7 course meal. Actually I am not that crazy, so I assigned Christi the salad (because I thought she had all of the stuff...but she was ok with a trip to the store) and the dessert as usual.

Surprisingly, either I am becoming a really good cook, or I got lucky because there were no crazy mishaps...and no part of this meal was hard. So here is my Tapas Dinner...the recipes in order of how they were served.

To begin you will first need to make Alioli unless you are lucky enough to find it in the store. You will be using this for two of these recipes listed below.

Mayonnaise Aioli

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
6 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste (I used very little salt but a decent amount of pepper)

Method

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients.

Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.

Appetizer Plate

I began this meal with an appetizer platter that consisted of Manchego cheese, Cheddar cheese (for a little extra something), Serrano Ham, Olives, and Chorizo (which ended up being a huge hit). Served next to a plate of sliced Baguettes and Garlic Bread.

As it turn out I purchased chorizo that was not in the sausage casing so it had the consistency of slop…but once I cooked it…then microwaved it to make sure it was cooked…It was a hit. It was SO good!

Plus that Manchego cheese was delicious!

The next course was the salad that I had assigned to Christi. Here is the recipe that she used:

Red Onion and Orange Salad

Ingredients

4 medium oranges, peeled

1 small red onion, sliced fine

2 tbsp raspberry vinegar

6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 tbsp golden raisins, covered for 20 minutes in hot water, then drained

20 black olives, pitted

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

2 tbsp almonds, blanched and chopped fine

Sprigs of fresh mint, to garnish

Method

Remove the white pith from the oranges and cut the fruit crosswise into 1/4 inch slices.

Arrange on a serving platter and scatter over the sliced red onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Spoon this dressing over the onion and oranges.

Sprinkle with the raisins, olives, sunflower seeds, and almonds.

Garnish with mint sprigs and serve chilled.

This salad was surprisingly delicious. The flavors really catch you off guard.

The next course that was served was my favorite of the night!

Bread with Mushrooms and Alioli

Ingredients

5 ounces mushrooms remove stems slice thin

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

A pinch of sea salt

1 tsp sherry wine

Alioli (which you made previously)

French baguette sliced into rounds

Method

Heat the olive oil in a pan.

When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, salt and sherry.

Cook until mushrooms have changed color and are cooked. Drain and set aside.

Spread with alioli and top with mushrooms.

Broil (on Hi) for about 1 minute or until alioli starts to bubble.

Keep an eye on it so that the bread does not burn.

Serve Immediately.

YUMMY!!!!!

Our next course was:

Chickpeas and Fresh Greens

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas cooked

2 lb fresh spinach (this equaled three bags when weighed in the store)

2 pieces bread (toasted or fried to make bread crumbs with)

1 onion

1 head garlic

Parsley

Paprika

Salt

Method

Boil the spinach in water with a pinch of salt.

Drain well and set aside.

Using a mortar and pestle, crush the fried bread with two tablespoons of chickpeas to form a paste.

Gently fry the peeled garlic and chopped onion until golden, then add a little paprika, followed by the bread and chickpea paste, the drained spinach, the parsley and the remaining chickpeas.

Check for salt, then allow to cook gently for 15 minutes. Serve warm.

This is best served on bread.

Next up we had:

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients

3 large tomatoes or 4 Medium ones

4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled

6 tbsp Alioli

Salt and pepper

1 tsp parsley, chopped

1 tbsp white breadcrumbs, if using large tomatoes

Method

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and remove all the insides.

Mash the eggs with the alioli and add the salt, pepper and parsley. Make sure the consistency is as thick as mashed potatoes.

Stuff the tomatoes, firmly pressing the filling down.

Cover with cling film and keep. Refrigerate until serving.

After WAY too much food we came to the amazing:

Prawn and Bacon Brochettes

Ingredients

1 pack thinly sliced bacon

24 Medium to large shrimp, deveined and peeled

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

2 lemons, quartered

Method

Devein and clean shrimp...you may have help!

Wrap bacon generously around each shrimp.

Place the wrapped shrimp down flat on a board and skewer them through the fattest part and the tail, making sure the bacon is firmly fixed.

Season generously and drizzle with the oil.

Roast in the oven at 425ºF on an oiled baking tray for 8-10 minutes.

Squeeze over the juice of the lemon wedges and serve immediately.

Lastly, Christi brought over Flan which is the national dessert of Spain. She did not however give me the recipe, but I know you can easily find recipes for this online or in many books.

It tasted WAY better than it looked!

Finally some other funny pics from the night:

I Could Not Get Reservations at White Castle...so We Did This Instead

2010-02-13T06:17:00.001-08:00

Yes, you are assuming correct by the title...we (well I) wanted to go to White Castle for Valentine's Day. Having never been inside one of these establishments I figured that this would be a great time to try the cute little burgers that some people love so much. So I called on Thursday for attempt to land one of the coveted reservations, but sadly I did not make the cut. There was not a single White Castle in the Nashville area that still had an open reservation. I guess I was not so original in thinking that this would be a fun dinner. With your reservation you received reserved seating as well as a special menu that had special combo's at reduced prices.

Here is the link to our local news and some stories of the lucky ones that got the reservations.
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=11985377

So snapping back into reality...I didn't really want to try White Castle...I just loved the idea of something that ridiculous. So what did we do instead?
Lucky enough to A) have good friends that can cook! and B) enough money to afford a nicer meal out...here's a run down of my Valentine's Day weekend.

February 13, 2010
Saturday evening we went to Frank and Amy's house so that Frank (our designated Italian Jersey Friend) could teach me how to make pasta from scratch. I was VERY suprised to learn that there is hardly anything to it...it just takes awhile. Well time and that very SEXY Kitchen Aid Mixer that I have been wanting for quite some time now.
Franks Pasta

Ingredients
1 pound of flour (he believes in weighing, not measuring)
A little extra flour for dusting the board.
5 eggs
Kitchen Aid mixer with fancy dough and noodle attachments
Food Processor

Method

Weigh out 1 pound of flour

Place your 1 pound of flour and crack your 5 eggs into the food processor.

Blend until your ingredients look like this.

Sprinkle a little flour on your board and remove the mixture from the food processor.

Begin kneading it until you have a good dough.

Make a large ball with your dough.

Place dough ball in a freezer bag. Place in fridge for one hour. This allows the dough to rise and do all those other fancy things it needs to...like rest.

WHILE WAITING FOR THE DOUGH HERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO:

Watch Amy demonstrate how to use her favorite new kitchen gadget...the Cookie Smoosher.

Eat some of Frank's Amazing Brushetta...should have got the recipe for this one too.

Play with Brian and Oliver!

Drink some (a lot) of the AMAZING wine you brought over!

Sample the cookies that broke before they made it to the cooling rack.

OK...BACK TO THE PASTA

Take the dough out of the fridge and put it back on the slightly flour dusted board.

Cut the dough into pieces, so that you can feed them through the flattening attachment.

Continue to do this until the dough is thin enough to easily tear.

Finally run the dough pieces through the noodle cutter attachment.

Continue until you have NOODLES!

Place noodles in boiling water. They do not take long to cook...about 2 minutes. They will rise to the top when they are done.

Add your favorite sauce. This sauce was made by Amy! Yummy!

Serve to your guests!

Make sure you drizzle a little sauce on your bread! Enjoy!

AND AS A SIDE NOTE LADIES FRANK WILL CLEAN WITH OUT HIS WIFE TELLING HIM TO!

Just look at that! Amazing!

February 14, 2010

Valentine's Morning we took the long car ride from our house to The Daily Dish in Franklin, TN. This is by far our favorite spot for Sunday brunch and we have no problem taking the 45 minute drive or waiting in line once we get there...it is really that good.
Thankfully we also have great friends that enjoy this place and don't mind the car trip either.

Since the aforementioned lack of reservations at White Castle Christi arranged a wonderful evening of Fondue and movie watching. Over dinner the week before we were stunned to learned that Marc had never seen Robin Williams (greatest cinematic feat in my opinion) the Birdcage. So this wonderful film was added to the days events. Then over brunch we learned that he had not seen Talledega Nights either. So our "romantic" Valentine's day turned into the four of us (Jason, Christi, Frank and Myself) changing Marc's life through movies.

Like I mentioned above we were lucky to have the Melting Pot dinner come to us! Christi and I made the cheese for the wonderful cheese course.
We also enjoyed a wonderful meat course as well! Dinner was excellent, but due to the large brunch and overindulgence by everyone on the cheese course, dessert never came into the picture. I hope you all had a great Valentines Day...and that those of you lucky enough to go to White Castle enjoyed yourselves. I am thankful that I got to spend the Holiday with the love of my life and some amazing friends.

Marc, Frank, Christi and Me eating yummy Fondue!

Lucky to have a friend that I love!

Another shot of us enjoying the wonderful fondue!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

My Dog is Suffering From Seasonal Affective Disorder...but I am A- OK!!

2010-02-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

Aww Winter...I used to love you but now it seems that you are taking your evil toll on the ones I love. You couldn't just stop with the humans could you? You had to take out my poor sweet angels in your frosty spell!

I was talking to Blaire today about the odd things that both dogs (mainly Sadie) have been doing lately. Blaire has diagnosed them both with Seasonal Affective Disorder...I laughed...then I looked up the symptoms.

Afternoon slumps with decreased energy and concentration True...they are sleeping more
Carbohydrate cravings Anyone who knows Beau-dog completely understands as Beau is addicted to Carbs...but it is beginning to rub off on Sadie.
Decreased interest in work or other activities Well they are still pretty interested in doggy stuff, but Beau-dog is finding it harder these days to give a crap about a tennis ball.
Depression that starts in fall or winter Not so much the fall/winter. Beau-dog and Sadie have highly enjoyed the snow...but the little time they are allowed outside is beginning to take a toll on them.
Increased appetite with weight gain Ummm...how do you judge an increase in appetite when they eat crumbs off the floor? Beau-dog was caught licking the carpet yesterday...and Sadie has been licking chairs and my shoes. HMMMMMM....could be considered increased appetite.
Increased sleep and excessive daytime sleepiness They only seem to be awake for about 3 hours a day.
Lack of energy
Slow, sluggish, lethargic movement
Social withdrawal Here is the one that got me. Beau-dog who is wildly independent will usually play with other dogs, but when put with the Partch's pups he distanced himself and tried to play alone. Sadie on the other hand has become very bad. She's trash talking and bullying. She acts like she has never been around another dog before.

So that being said I can officially say that this horribly cold, wet, icy, snowy, windy winter is messing with us all. Do they make anti-depressants for dogs?

While only having a very slight case of the winter blues...I feel I am doing better than most. I am so lucky that I have this project and this blog. I am inspired to watch documentaries and read. I want to learn! I am looking at cooking classes offered at Whole Foods and the culinary school here. I have found the Farmer's Market and Trader Joe's here, so I can have better food products for my meals. I have a whole yard and garden to plan since it will be time to plant soon. Not to mention Christi and I are going to take some of those Home Depot classes. Not sure on what...but we may just get really handy. :) I have so much to plan and so much to keep my busy and to daydream about that this winter is flying by and I hardly notice the cold icky weather...Well that is until I have to stand outside in my pj's because the dogs have to potty. Fuzzy slippers A) do not go with everything you own...and B) hardly provide adequate protection from the elements.

So I wondered if Pakistan was suffering from the winter blues...and as I expected they are experiencing temps in the low 60's. I can't wait to be in the low 60's again! The country of the week was Pakistan and the dish is Biryani. Biryani is a traditional food that they make for special occasions like weddings and they almost always serve it during Ramadan. You can make Biryani with mutton, beef or chicken and I found great recipes for all of them, but I chose to make Chicken Biryani.

PAKISTAN

CHICKEN BIRYANI

INGREDIENTS

1 stick butter (preferably with the tsp measurements on package)
4 small Yukon gold potatoes cut into pieces
3 large onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp and 1-1/2 tsp salt
2 medium tomatoes chopped
3 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tablespoons ground fresh mint leaves
1/2 tsp and 1 tsp ground cardamom
2 cinnamon sticks
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken pieces cut into chunks
1 pinch powdered saffron
3 whole cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 pound basmati rice
4 cups chicken stock

PREP

Cut your potatoes, tomatoes and onions (2 onions in one bowl and one onion in another) and cut your chicken into small pieces. This is best done before cooking so that the transitions will be fluid.

METHOD

In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp butter and fry the potatoes until brown. Remove from heat and reserve until later.

In this skillet add 2 tbsp and fry onion the two onions, garlic and ginger until onion is soft and golden.

Once golden add chili, pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt and the tomatoes.

Once the tomatoes are warm add yogurt, mint, cardamom and cinnamon stick.

Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp. It may be necessary to add a little hot water if the mixture becomes too dry and starts to stick to the pan.

In another large skillet heat 2-1/2 tbsp butter and fry the onions until they are golden. Then add in the saffron, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, ginger and rice (uncooked). Stir continuously until the rice is coated with the spices.

In a medium-size pot, heat the chicken stock and salt. When the mixture is hot pour in your rice mixture, cover and cook until rice is plump but not finished.

Add rice mixture, potatoes and the chicken pieces to the large skillet containing the tomato mixture. Cook on low heat (about an hour) stirring often, until rice and chicken are cooked.

The extreme starchiness of this meal made me want a little green. So in the tiny remaining butter from the stick I used for the meal I stir fried some zucchini as a side dish.

Other than the depressed dogs, I can say that we are blessed and even despite the crappy weather we have had some fun!

Last Friday we were invited to Jason and Christi's house for dinner.

I had no idea that I liked Italian sausage! Yum!

I redid Jason's To Do list! This was a total pee your pants good laugh!

AND WE GOT SERENADED BY A TRUE ROCK STAR!!!!

Really? Seriously? Its Been One Of Those Days.

2010-02-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

So the meal of the week began with an exhaustive search for a recipe for Saltah (salta). Any recipe! I try to use the most authentic recipes I can, but at this point I feel like I could post the recipe for Hamburger Helper and no one would even notice. Christine looked in her cook books (she has tons) and I searched the internet...trying to find one. Even the resources at the library were exhausted. Neither of us having any luck. How can a dish that inspires so many blogs and websites about its amazing taste...not yield any with a recipe. (I was lucky enough to find a picture of what it should look like.) Only two recipes were to be found on the internet and only one of these recipes involved meat as an ingredient. In my opinion if you are making a meat stew than MEAT should be listed under the ingredients list. So this narrowed my search down to a very cryptic and difficult recipe to make of it what I could!

On the way out the door to purchase my required ingredients I checked the mail and was intrigued by a letter from the Virginia DMV. The lovely state of VA has suspended my VA license. This is very interesting because I do not have a VA license and have not for almost three years now. I live in TN and have a TN license. So what's the deal? They are suspending the license that I do not have. In a state that I do not live in. For canceling the insurance on a car that I no longer own. The lady from the DMV was about as pleasant as you can expect from a DMV call center employee, but I am still left scratching my head. Well no fixing this problem today....

So I go out in search of ingredients. This I thought would be an easy task since none of the items were out of the ordinary. Well maybe the Fenugreek, but I knew Christine had some of that. Marc and I went to Kroger where we easily found the meat and onions needed. No leeks. So we head to Publix that always has them...No leeks. We go to another Publix to get the leeks and by this time it is 3:30. When you are serving dinner at 6pm this heightens the stress.
4pm: I have no Fenugreek and Cole had canceled because of a busted pipe problem that she and David had to go perform emergency plumbing on. So now I have to get wine too! Great! Plus I still have to drive to Christine's to get Fenugreek so that I can have dinner at least started by the time they arrive. Guess what...they are not home.

So I say "F*** IT! We are having Pot Roast!!"

I even got a nice BOX of wine to class it up! That's right a box. Honestly I can't get over the stigma of the box wine...even if it is a better way to store it. The wine of course was not great...but I have had worse...so I am ok with the box! The funniest part was when I had to open the box. Note the very confused look on my face!

So I made my pot roast which was onions, leeks, cream of onion soup and beef broth dumped in the pot with the meat...and cooked on 350' for 2 hours. Then potatoes were added and I cooked for another hour. Nothing special!

While this was cooking before Jason and Christine arrived we began watching a documentary that I rented from Netflix on the Tibetan Book of the Dead. It was pretty interesting, but some parts were odd and even quite comical. In the beginning the Tibetan people are doing a walking, kneeling, face on the ground and back up prayer chant while climbing a mountain. Screw the gym...do 100 of these prayer "workout" moves a day and there is no way you will ever have to go to the gym again. My question is..."if these people are doing this every year on New Years Day...then why can't they do it in sync with one another? Hell they got all of those prison guys doing Thriller...these people have been doing this their whole lives.

Anyway, back to the food. I am amazed at how this cooking project is not only growing but how it is becoming a weekly tradition that I along with Marc and my friends are looking forward to. Christine's yearly venture is to improve on her baking...so she has taken to making the National Desserts of these countries. (Let me say that she found a recipe for Honey Cakes a HELL of a lot faster!) Hopefully, she will start giving me the recipes to include along with the main course recipe. And Cole my former boss and good friend I believe is now hooked on the project and has decided that she will use her past bartending knowledge to attempt to make drinks that pair well. I told her just to bring the wine, but she's getting pretty into this. I have created monsters! And why wouldn't I? This is so fun! So move over Lady Gaga...my monsters are armed with aprons, flour, and some alcohol!

Christine was successful with the honey cakes, but they were a disappointing dessert for how much work they took. She spent two days making these pancakes, letting them rise and then baking them. The Honey Cake was pretty, but tasted like cornbread.

Then she pulled out this gadget that looked like a sex toy...or something you really do not want the doctor to use on you. It is called a drizzle stick. The name doesn't help much either...

Anyway, she heated up the butter and honey and drizzled it on the cake. So then it tasted like Cornbread with honey on top. Yemen was a HUGE ASS FAILURE!

I also wanted to include some pictures from the 2010 Blizzard (Cole called it that) and the pictures of the new furniture that so many of you have requested. Enjoy!

The Pups playing in the snow!

What a Sexy Man!!!

Playing fetch with mommy is serious business!

It's COLD!!!

Sadie says "Mommy there is snow on my nose!" and of course Beau's butt...you just can't take a picture without his booty in it.

ACTION SHOT!

The House and me jumping for joy in the front yard!

Back Porch View

The little tree couldn't hold the weight...Proud to report that it is now back up and doing fine.

Beau-dog looking outside and dreaming of hot summer days.

The new chairs!

The new couch. Now I just need some really cool curtains!

The living room.

Next week we will be venturing to Pakistan for Chicken Biryani.

Am I Turning Hippie?

2010-01-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

As this International food project (which has lead to more cooking) consumes more and more of my time, I have really adopted the Meeker obsession trait. I can't stop reading and researching...and Hell they even have dvd's and instant play Netflix stuff I can watch. Food is everywhere...and I have become so obsessed with it that I am beginning to freak out. I have learned myself scared! Who knew how many chemicals we come in contact with everyday? Holy crap...how have we not killed ourselves off yet?
I always thought that the people who shopped at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to buy things like organic cotton toilet paper, plant based cleaners, and organic apples were just crazy hippies...and now I am about to sign up! We actually went to Trader Joe's today and I am convinced that we will be using the lowest chemical soaps and cleaners and eating the highest quality food that we can afford. Why did it never occur to me that I need to take better care of myself? I am getting ready to become a wife and will one day be a mother...the burden of my care now surpasses far beyond my own health and is now venturing into Marc's health and the health of the unborn (or adopted)Meeker children. I need to get this right the first time...talk about pressure!

So I am stuck obsessing over juicers and emulsifiers. Do I have to go vegan? Can we still eat meat? Should I listen strictly to Charlotte Gerson? Hell Montel Williams is pushing juicing with his Health Master. I feel like these people are the ones that are correct, but can that many people really be wrong? I feel its right because its common sense. When I eat better I feel better...so why is it becoming harder and harder to do? Where is the magical source that says "DO THIS!"
I can believe them. They are basically saying the same thing and have their own powerful stories and the amazing stories of others...or I can trust the American media and hope that they are telling the truth.

Marc's mother proposed the question: If they had the cure for cancer in the 1920's wouldn't we already know about it? This sounds right to me...Hell to a normal human of any amount of intelligence this sounds true, but documentary after documentary show me that the FDA, AMA and ACS are lying to us. Ok so the government is lying...oh crap what else aren't they telling us? To believe this feeds theory upon theory until you arrive at the theory of the New World Order and how the government is controlling us with consumerism, drugs, and the chemicals in our food. Doesn't seem far off, but its enough to make your head spin. No wonder people just develop a drinking problem...or some other dependency...its much easier to cope when you don't give a shit.

I feel that this world is going to eventually turn me into a crazy person or the 120 year old lady that raises Alpaca's and scares the fat kids (which will be normal) in town. :) To explain the alpaca's we must journey back to 2004 when I had a bout with the evil monster insomnia...which of course can only be tamed by watching infomercials at 3 am. To my amusement and slight horror there was an infomercial on Alpaca's. Yep...you can become rich raising Alpaca's. Fast Forward 3 weeks to Happy Hour at Friday's when my girlfriends and I laughed for hours about this infomercial (Christina had also seen it) and how we would all pool our money and get some Alpaca's. We would raise them and use the wool to create Al-back-paca's the stylish backpack to be worn with your fancy UGG boots that were becoming all the rage! It was a great idea...but what isn't when you are enjoying copious amounts of cheap margarita's?

Either way there are some great websites and Documentaries that I will recommend for you if you are ready to lose your mind!

The Beautiful Truth (2008) Available on Netflix
Food Matters (2008) Available on Netflix
http://www.gerson.org The Gerson Institutes Official Website
http://www.carolalt.com Supermodel and Raw Foodie shares her stories

Now I am going to go make a cheeseburger (at least with whole wheat buns & organic cheese) and think about how damn hard this will be...and try like HELL to make it happen!

Jackfruit is Not My Friend!

2010-01-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

On this cold day in Nashville, TN with the threat of a snow and ice storm rolling in the Island Nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is enjoying a lovely 82' and sunny day. This beautiful place has all the charms of a great place to visit...I just hope that they can cook their own food better than I can. This is the most overwhelming meal I have ever made...and then it wasn't even that good.
Their National Dish is Stewed Saltfish (cod) with Coconut Dumplings, Spicy Plantains, and Spiced Breadfruit. This was (as I predicted) a total disaster. Not only did this meal mean that I would also be cooking a chicken breast for Marc (fish allergies) but that I would have to once again eat plantains. And what the HELL is breadfruit and where on earth do I buy it?
Breadfruit is a large melon that grows on trees in tropical areas. We looked forever and found what we thought was a breadfruit...turns out it was a jack fruit which is very close but not right. Either way Jackfruit is a bitch to get into! You have to be really committed. It is very sticky so as you work your hands feel as if you have dipped them in paste. It took me over an hour to get three cups worth of fruit out of this thing!

I am usually very good at taking pictures as I go along, but after the jackfruit I was ready to cry! Here are my recipes. The Salt fish got rave reviews as did the jackfruit. The plantains and the dumplings were not good at all. Play with the recipes...maybe they will work for you.

Stewed Salt Fish (Cod)

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb salt fish
1 large green pepper diced
1 lb diced tomatoes (canned)
5 cloves chopped garlic
4 tbsp vegetable oil
4 tbsp butter
8 scallions finely chopped
2 tbsp parsley chopped
1 medium onion chopped
salt & pepper to taste

I placed the onion, pepper, garlic and scallions in the food processor to make a make it soupy.

Method

Soak salt fish for a few hours in water

Drain fish

In a large heavy pan on medium heat melt 2 tbsp of butter and add your oil.

Place in the green pepper, scallions, onion & garlic. Cook until the mixture is hot, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and the other 2 tbsp of butter. Let simmer over moderate heat for 5 minutes.

Lay the Salt Fish on top of the mixture and cover.

Cook until fish is done.

To serve mix the fish in the stewed mixture.

Spicy Plantains

Ingredients

3 medium sized plantains(peeled & chopped)
2 tbsp fresh ginger peeled & grated
1 medium onion grated
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp hot sauce
Vegetable oil for frying.

Method

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Toss until mixed.

Fry in batches until golden brown and cooked.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

Coconut Dumplings

Ingredients

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup of water

Method

Place flour, coconut, salt, margarine and oil in a bowl.

Gradually stir in water to make a stiff dough.

Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 2 minutes.

Make dumplings in desired shape.

Slide dumplings into boiling water. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

This recipe was not that great. I ended up frying the dumplings after boiling them since they did not cook all the way through and they still tasted bad. Cole said they tasted like diet Dunkin Doughnuts Munchkins.

Seasoned Breadfruit (or Jackfruit)

Ingredients

3 cups full breadfruit chopped into 1" pieces (this will take FOREVER!)
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup red pepper diced
1 medium onion chopped
4 garlic cloves crushed
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Method

Melt butter or margarine in a heavy pan over medium heat then add oil.

Add onions and cook 5 to 8 minutes until golden, stir often.

Add garlic, thyme, red pepper and parsley, sauté for 3 minutes.

Remove from heat and add breadfruit with chicken broth

Place back on the burner and simmer on low stirring often for about 5 to 8 minutes until the fruit looks caramelized.

And please be advised that in addition to the insane amount of work that goes into this mediocre meal this is the end result of your kitchen.

ENJOY!