Odds & Ends

Today I lost both of our passports. Stuff like this happens to me in the weeks preceeding a trip, and I never fail to go through the same set of motions. Absently think, "Hmm.. I haven't seen my passport in a while," when I'm working out. Some time later I can't stand it, so I pause the treadmill/video/stairmaster and go casually check a few places. It's not there. As I'm looking I decide that we'll need Mike's passport too. It's not where I thought it should be. And it's not in the last place I remember having it. Purse? No. This drawer? Nope. That drawer? Nada. MY CAR?!? Nyet.

At this point I'm thirty minutes into it and in a state of full-on, panic-fueled race against my own mind. The passports aren't going anywhere, but for some reason I HAVE TO HAVE THEM RIGHT THIS MINUTE.

Not sure why I react that way. I thought that perhaps Mike's patience would rub off on me and I would be more levelheaded after we married. That's true in some areas of life: even eating has taken a backseat to taking the time to cook something worth eating. But then an odd detail like our passports before a trip sends me into a tailspin. I email Mike at work in a panic. I tump out drawers. I tear up the house, all the time thinking, "It's OK. We can get new ones issued. It'll just be really expensive, and they may or may not come in, and I'm pretty sure we have to turn in the OLD ones before we can get new ones issued, which means I'll have to find them in the first place. Crappity crap crap crap."

A half hour later I found Mike's passport in a folder in a drawer in his office conveniently labeled, "Birth Certificate and Passport." Another fifteen minutes after that, mine turned up tucked among our train tickets that were already located in our travel folder. So basically I hid them from myself and panicked for nothing. Oh well. I guess it kept my heart rate up until I could get back to that workout.

In other news, I picked up this appetizer grill rack on sale at Williams-Sonoma while shopping at the Summit in Birmingham with Leigh and Asher. I see stuffed mushrooms, small bell peppers from the yard, roma tomatoes, and maybe even some jalapenos in this baby's future.

But you know what my brilliant husband thought up? It would be the perfect rack for dying Easter eggs in April!


Photos courtesy of traveldocs and Williams-Sonoma.

Girls' Weekend Out

This weekend Asher and I took a quick jaunt to visit Leigh in Birmingham, Alabama. Yes, we were momentarily assed by Vulcan.

After a short visit with Leigh and her family at her house, the three of us made our way to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Am fairly certain I gained five pounds in the name of research alone, but come on. Could you resist this?


I didn't think so.

Then we had a day of fabulous shopping at The Summit. Sephora, Williams-Sonoma, Smith & Hawken, Francesca's, Anthropologie, Vera Bradley, watch out. It was too much fun.

We had supper at The Fish Market in downtown Birmingham. You should check out the website. Seriously. It is a hoot. During our meal our friend George came by to be sure everything was good. Such a character! And I've never had such great fried pickles.

The rest of the trip is a secret that only the three of us will know. Suffice it to say Mike was relieved we made it through the weekend without having to call him for bail money.

But most importantly, we had a truly fabulous weekend! It was way more fun than three old married women should be allowed. Thanks y'all.

Mix1 Winner!

Congratulations to Asher at Asher's Happy Thread for winning last week's Mix1 Giveaway! Asher, if you're reading this, you know who you are and what to do.

Productivity

Fixed!
Fixed!
Installed!


Mike and I worked around the house on Friday, and wow, did it pay off. I had the tires balanced and rotated on the vehicles, he changed the oil and air filters in the vehicles, I washed the inside of the windshields, we fixed the loose arm on the dining room chair, installed a set of hooks in the bathroom for robes and bathrobes, replaced his towel rack in our bathroom (I spackled, he drilled), and he installed a full-length mirror for me! Now I don't have to hop up and down to see if my shoes match my clothes for the day.


It's a good feeling.

Mix1 Giveaway!

We went skiing at Wolf Lake this past weekend. I took along a bottle of Mix1. I skied seven times. It was awesome. Yes, it's an energy shake, but it is creamy and tasty and makes me feel like Popeye when I've had one. Invincible.

Per Mix1:
philosophy:
It seems our days have become increasingly packed with events as we juggle family, work, and fitness leaving less time to focus on eating right throughout the day.
There are many nutritional products claiming to deliver amazing benefits but in reality fall short on balanced nutrition. With this in mind, we started mix1 with the following mission: to create the highest quality all-natural products that promote health, wellness and performance through truly functional nutrition.
mix1 products deliver all-natural balanced nutrition with multiple benefits in a convenient way. We use the right balance of ingredients, at efficacious levels, to provide the maximum benefit to your body.
But wait - there's more! The delightful Randy at Mix1 has offered a case - a CASE! - of the beautiful bottled beverage. All you have to do to enter this contest is leave me a comment with your email address on this post by Monday, August 24th.

Good luck, and happy Mixing!

Photo courtesy of Mix1.

Mix1

Check out what was waiting on our doorstep when I returned home yesterday afternoon. Thank you Randy at Mix1 and Amanda at Nourish!

I have to admit. I am an novice when it comes to protein, antioxidant, or energy drinks. I'm also rather skeptical in my old-school ways. Well, except for coffee. Does coffeee count? Probably not.

But let's just say I had one this morning for breakfast. And I had enough energy to run/walk the dog 3.5 miles, unload the dishwasher, wash, dry, and fold 3 loads of laundry, and mow the lawn. Mow the lawn, people.

All before lunch. Did I mention our mower is an old-school pusher, powered only by yours truly? And we have hills?

This stuff is definitely worth a try.

Boiled Peanuts

ARE IN!!! Am beside myself with excitement. Do you know what this means? Do you??? It means we're close to fall, the end of 200 degree weather, the start of football games, closer to crazy trips to who-knows-where, David's wedding in October, and the final trips out on the boat.

I remember the first time I had boiled peanuts as a child. It was about 26 years ago on the front porch of a BBQ joint that is now an Italian restaurant on Lake Harbor Drive. Dad and I would spend Sunday afternoons with his sailplane club, but before we set off, we would have lunch there. It was divine. You ordered inside, where I remember the dark walls and counter were rough-hewn wood that smelled deliciously smoky, and there was a red, white, and blue cardboard placque on the counter in which patrons were encouraged to insert quarters. I couldn't read at the time, but Dad told me it was for a charity.

Once ordered, the gang and we would sit in the breeze under the fans on the shady front porch on picnic tables, surrounded by the same wonderful-smelling wood. Dad always ordered a pulled pork sandwich for me, but when I was really young I remember I would only eat the boiled peanuts. And a Sunkist. Only a Sunkist would do. Sunkist and boiled peanuts: doesn't get any better than that. My favorite trick was to eat the peanut meat, put the halves of the shell back together, and hand it to Dad as if it was whole. It looked whole to me.

Then we were off to go up in the sailplanes. That was a really neat experience. I'm told Dad raised me in a sailplane: he would take me up in his lap as an infant, and we would bond and enjoy each other's company. When I was old enough, he would put me in the front seat and steer from the back. I remember the initial gentle yank on the ground as the tow plane started up, the drag and slight heave as we left the earth, and how hard I had to pull to let go of the towing plane.

Once up and unhooked from the tow, it was very, very quiet up there. No engine noise, as there was no engine. The only sound was the wind and each other's voice. You could see brilliant sunshine and the sparkling reservoir. Dad remembers the minute I outgrew sailplanes as a child: apparently I told him, "I'm tired of this. All we do is go around in circles." Now as a grownup, I would cherish another flight.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Boiled peanuts.

I remember the first time I had boiled peanuts as an adult. I was with Mike in Florida, visiting his parents for the first time. Nervous was not the word: I was terrified. Mikey-Doo has always loved boiled peanuts, so his mom made some for his homecoming. I was astonished. I had only ever seen them at that BBQ place and on the side of the road, and who knows what kind of magic side-of-the-road chefs can produce. Wide-eyed and open-mouthed, I asked Judy, "How did you make boiled peanuts?!?" To which she very politely replied (wondering what kind of idiot her son was dating, I'm sure), "Well, you put them in a pot and boil them. With salt."

Did I mention I was born blonde?

So here's how you make boiled peanuts, courtesy of Judy Peacock:

3-5 pounds green peanuts. Be sure to get green peanuts: they are available in the produce section of the Kroger, usually next to the watermelons, onions, and potatoes.
1/2 - 3/4 cup salt. I use kosher because it's less expensive.
Water.
A big pot.

1. Put peanuts in pot.
2. Cover with water so they have enough room to float and move around a little.
3. Dump a lot of salt in there. Maybe 1/3 cup to start.
4. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. After about 45 minutes, pull one out with tongs, rinse with cold water, and check for texture and saltiness.
6. It probably won't be salty enough. Here's where your cook's intuition comes in. I have never used a whole cup of salt for a batch of boiled peanuts. So as long as you don't go over a cup, put in as much as you think you need and taste every half hour or so. It's really a taste thing: Mike likes them salty.
7. I boiled this last batch for a total of 2 1/2 hours. Think like a side-of-the-road chef and just leave them simmering until good and mushy.

I've tried all kinds of additions: oyster sauce, crab boil, Louisiana hot sauce. That was funny. The Louisiana hot sauce vaporized and left me coughing. When the cat started coughing, I realized I was about to hurt the both of us with the toxic fumes. Mike came home to a house with all windows and doors wide open on a 96 degree day. And I have found that hands-down the best seasoning it good old-fashioned salt.

The best way to preserve peanuts so you can have boiled peanuts during the winter and spring months is to freeze them green. I have heard a rumor of a place out from Hazlehurst where you can buy green peanuts by the bushel. If that comes to fruition this year, I'll buy the whole thing, put them in ziploc bags, and freeze them raw. When you're ready for freshed boiled goobers, just take them out of the ziploc straight to boiling water.

With salt.