my thanksgiving was weird. not necessarily bad weird, but weird nonetheless. by lds standards, i have a pretty small family, but we all live within 20 miles of each other and usually we are all in attendance for holiday get togethers. this year, several people could not make it to thanksgiving and it just shifted the whole balance. when you are working with a fairly small group and then a chunk of them cant make it, its a loss. we knew in advance and tried to alter the menu accordingly, but we didnt do so well. we had just enough turkey, but too many side dishes. packing up leftovers to send home just didnt work out like it normally does. it was just weird.
if you care to go look at last years holiday time posts you will see much of the same whining that i am about to type up right now:
i am sick of being single and particularly worn out from it during the holidays. i want to be with SOMEONE for the holidays, not be the 5th wheel or the odd man out. to be part of a couple. to have someone to sit next to at the dinner table and know there will be a special surprise just for me,under the tree, from someone who loves me for me, not just because they are related to me by circumstance.
mr married man's divorce for sure will not be final in time for christmas, so hes out. mr jack mormon has been texting me, but i have been ignoring him. i just dont want to go there anymore. i am sure he could be a distraction during the holiday season, but why bother? he is such a pain.
is everyone looking forward to the holidays?
Monday, November 29, 2010
smc & pw-reunited and cooking up a storm. corn chowder with chilies
this stuff is soooooo good! i made it for the first time about 2 months ago and have made it at least 3 times since. everyone loves it. 2 of my nephews regularly request it when i am in charge of making dinner. its super easy and has a huge payoff in the praise and adulation you will receive when you serve this. if you are feeding 4 or more people, you wont have leftovers, so consider doubling the recipe-if you do have leftovers, it stores well, but dont worry, it wont last long.
as usual, i neglected to take any pictures, but if you click on the link below, you will see all of pw's awesome, step,by step shots.
corn chowder with chilies
adapted from the pioneer woman
* 2 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces (or Smaller)
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 1-½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced
* 5 ears Corn, Shucked (about 4 Cups)i used frozen and it worked great
* 2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced (2 might be too spicy, so alter for your tolerance level)
* 1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies
* 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Broth(i only had regular and it was delicious)
* 1-½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream(see comments further down)
* ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
* 3 Tablespoons Corn Meal OR Masa
* ¼ cups Water
Preparation Instructions
(Carefully) slice the corn kernels off the cob. Set aside. dont forget you can use frozen. fresh is hard to get this time of year. might be impossible. not sure, i have never attempted to purchase fresh corn in november, but i am thinking it would be scarce.
Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir.
Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. i have made this recipe several times and the best results have been with heavy cream. i have used whole milk and half and half and it tastes great, but the texture isnt the same.
Combine cornmeal (or masa) with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread or in a bread bowl. Absolutely yummy!
as usual, i neglected to take any pictures, but if you click on the link below, you will see all of pw's awesome, step,by step shots.
corn chowder with chilies
adapted from the pioneer woman
* 2 slices Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces (or Smaller)
* 2 Tablespoons Butter
* 1-½ whole Yellow Onion, Diced
* 5 ears Corn, Shucked (about 4 Cups)i used frozen and it worked great
* 2 whole Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce, Finely Diced (2 might be too spicy, so alter for your tolerance level)
* 1 whole 4-ounce Can Diced Green Chilies
* 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Broth(i only had regular and it was delicious)
* 1-½ cup Heavy Whipping Cream(see comments further down)
* ½ teaspoons Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
* 3 Tablespoons Corn Meal OR Masa
* ¼ cups Water
Preparation Instructions
(Carefully) slice the corn kernels off the cob. Set aside. dont forget you can use frozen. fresh is hard to get this time of year. might be impossible. not sure, i have never attempted to purchase fresh corn in november, but i am thinking it would be scarce.
Add bacon pieces to a pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes. Throw in diced onion and stir, cooking the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add corn. Stir and cook for one minute. Add both kinds of chilies and stir.
Pour in chicken broth and cream. Add salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. i have made this recipe several times and the best results have been with heavy cream. i have used whole milk and half and half and it tastes great, but the texture isnt the same.
Combine cornmeal (or masa) with water. Stir to combine, then pour into the chowder. Cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat. If chowder needs more thickening, add another tablespoon of cornmeal mixed with water. Cook for another ten minutes.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread or in a bread bowl. Absolutely yummy!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
the other woman
i shot out a quick post about me being the "other woman" and immediately deleted it. apparently a few of you saw it and asked me to explain.
even once i deleted it, i knew i would rewrite it-the original post was too short and too much to the point. seemed careless and crass.
its well documented that i have no problem being somewhat irreverent about most things others would consider pretty serious and off limits to sarcasm and jokes, but not this. i have made a few joke to myself and to dick(yes, THAT dick of tom, dick, and harry)about this and its pretty funny, but...
anyway-i guess i should explain.
as i mentioned in an earlier post dick is married. that is the irrefutable fact, but as with all fact it can be twisted and spun in such a way that can make you believe it doesnt matter. even when it does.
dick and i had been emailing and im'ing via the lds single website for a short period of time when i asked him how long his divorce had been final. when he typed in that is wasnt yet, my heart just sank. not because i was so in love with him or thought he was "the one", but it meant he lied. his profile clearly stated he was divorced.
we continued on with our conversation. we talked a lot about our marriages and his impending divorce.
his wife advised him of the affair she had been having for over a year and that she wanted a divorce late last year. he tried to keep his family together(4 kids)until early spring when she decided to take the kids, move 2 hours away, and move in with her boyfriend.
a few(and i mean a few)months after that i met him on the dating site. we have "hit it off" and talk a lot, but i laid some pretty strict and tough rules about our communication. some would consider it ridiculous, but i think its important to be careful for a couple of reasons.
1. i have never been in this position before. totally uncharted territory for me and its kind of nerve racking.
2. normal dating behavior would be considered sinful. holding hands or kissing(chastely)a married man when you are not his wife. no-no.
any one out there successfully deal with this type of scenario? i know of a distant uncle who met his current wife at church while he was still divorcing his first wife. they were sealed in the temple and have been married over 30 years.
dicks wife has moved over 2 hours away. papers have been signed. am i being too strict or am i doing the right thing? the "right thing" meaning no dating or dating behavior until the divorce is final. signed, sealed, and delivered. please tell me what you think.
even once i deleted it, i knew i would rewrite it-the original post was too short and too much to the point. seemed careless and crass.
its well documented that i have no problem being somewhat irreverent about most things others would consider pretty serious and off limits to sarcasm and jokes, but not this. i have made a few joke to myself and to dick(yes, THAT dick of tom, dick, and harry)about this and its pretty funny, but...
anyway-i guess i should explain.
as i mentioned in an earlier post dick is married. that is the irrefutable fact, but as with all fact it can be twisted and spun in such a way that can make you believe it doesnt matter. even when it does.
dick and i had been emailing and im'ing via the lds single website for a short period of time when i asked him how long his divorce had been final. when he typed in that is wasnt yet, my heart just sank. not because i was so in love with him or thought he was "the one", but it meant he lied. his profile clearly stated he was divorced.
we continued on with our conversation. we talked a lot about our marriages and his impending divorce.
his wife advised him of the affair she had been having for over a year and that she wanted a divorce late last year. he tried to keep his family together(4 kids)until early spring when she decided to take the kids, move 2 hours away, and move in with her boyfriend.
a few(and i mean a few)months after that i met him on the dating site. we have "hit it off" and talk a lot, but i laid some pretty strict and tough rules about our communication. some would consider it ridiculous, but i think its important to be careful for a couple of reasons.
1. i have never been in this position before. totally uncharted territory for me and its kind of nerve racking.
2. normal dating behavior would be considered sinful. holding hands or kissing(chastely)a married man when you are not his wife. no-no.
any one out there successfully deal with this type of scenario? i know of a distant uncle who met his current wife at church while he was still divorcing his first wife. they were sealed in the temple and have been married over 30 years.
dicks wife has moved over 2 hours away. papers have been signed. am i being too strict or am i doing the right thing? the "right thing" meaning no dating or dating behavior until the divorce is final. signed, sealed, and delivered. please tell me what you think.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
welcome back!
number 42 is back!! yeah for me!! i have missed you so and now i feel complete and ready to face the world again. a dark cloud has been lifted.
love you guys. seriously, i do.
love you guys. seriously, i do.
Monday, November 8, 2010
juggling
i am a klutz and have zero athletic talent. maybe juggling really wouldnt be considered athletic, but the point i am making is that i am horrible. literally and figuratively.
when i checked my email saturday morning, i had a notice from the lds dating website telling me that i had an email waiting. i went to check it out and was pleasantly surprised to read a lovely email from a very nice man in california. he was still logged on, so he initiated a chat with me. we were having a lovely get to know you chat when some jerk comes on claiming we knew each other and was super high pressure for me to meet him for lunch. all attempts to nicely give him "the hint" was completely lost on him, so i finally had to get rude, but it took about 20 min to get there and in the meantime, i am still chatting with mr california and then both tom and dick start texting me. ITS JUST TOO MUCH.
not to pat my own back, but i think i handled it quite well. i started getting a bit stressed out-i could feel some anxiety rearing its ugly head, but when i got rid of the rude jerk, i was able to sweetly end the chat with mr california and then negotiating the texts with tom and dick was a piece of cake.
at this point in the game, i feel no obligation to either tom or dick to clue them in on the others existence, but i think both are at a point where that could shift quickly and some discussions would have to take place. i dread that. i would almost rather one of them decide that i wasnt worth the trouble and disappear rather than have to be the one to deal with it all.
tom seems pretty level headed. he wants to meet me and see what happens, but i dont think he has any expectations beyond that he thinks i am cute and will probably want to kiss me. which i am ok with.
dick, on the other hand, seems to like me a lot more. i like him too, but there are other complications that i will get into on a future post.
this could get hairy. deep breath. I AM IN CONTROL.
any ideas? anyone have some recent experience with this type of juggling stuff? i could use all the help i can get.
when i checked my email saturday morning, i had a notice from the lds dating website telling me that i had an email waiting. i went to check it out and was pleasantly surprised to read a lovely email from a very nice man in california. he was still logged on, so he initiated a chat with me. we were having a lovely get to know you chat when some jerk comes on claiming we knew each other and was super high pressure for me to meet him for lunch. all attempts to nicely give him "the hint" was completely lost on him, so i finally had to get rude, but it took about 20 min to get there and in the meantime, i am still chatting with mr california and then both tom and dick start texting me. ITS JUST TOO MUCH.
not to pat my own back, but i think i handled it quite well. i started getting a bit stressed out-i could feel some anxiety rearing its ugly head, but when i got rid of the rude jerk, i was able to sweetly end the chat with mr california and then negotiating the texts with tom and dick was a piece of cake.
at this point in the game, i feel no obligation to either tom or dick to clue them in on the others existence, but i think both are at a point where that could shift quickly and some discussions would have to take place. i dread that. i would almost rather one of them decide that i wasnt worth the trouble and disappear rather than have to be the one to deal with it all.
tom seems pretty level headed. he wants to meet me and see what happens, but i dont think he has any expectations beyond that he thinks i am cute and will probably want to kiss me. which i am ok with.
dick, on the other hand, seems to like me a lot more. i like him too, but there are other complications that i will get into on a future post.
this could get hairy. deep breath. I AM IN CONTROL.
any ideas? anyone have some recent experience with this type of juggling stuff? i could use all the help i can get.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
hold my purse
and go buy me some tampons and NO i will NOT say please. i have never quite understood this THING about women asking men to hold their purses while they shop or get their nails done or just because they said. dont even get me started on the purchase of the aforementioned feminine hygiene products. i mean, you know you are going to have "the visitor" every month, right? cant you be prepared for that?
of course there are "emergencies" and your man should be willing to step in if necessary and not feel that he was castrated in the process, but to regularly ask him to hold your purse or brave the gauntlet that is the feminine hygiene aisle seems out of line,but thats just me.
as far as the "man purse" or any version of the "european shoulder bag", i personally do not find this look attractive, but it wouldnt be a deal breaker. it doesnt necessarily scream "GAY!"(jazz hands)to me, but it doesnt really paint the masculine picture of the hunter gatherer either.
of course there are "emergencies" and your man should be willing to step in if necessary and not feel that he was castrated in the process, but to regularly ask him to hold your purse or brave the gauntlet that is the feminine hygiene aisle seems out of line,but thats just me.
as far as the "man purse" or any version of the "european shoulder bag", i personally do not find this look attractive, but it wouldnt be a deal breaker. it doesnt necessarily scream "GAY!"(jazz hands)to me, but it doesnt really paint the masculine picture of the hunter gatherer either.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
halloween
halloween has never been a favorite holiday of mine. i am not against it in any way, i just dont totally dig on it.
i let someone in my ward(family ward, remember)talk me into dressing up. now she is married and totally in love with her husband and he is crazy about her, so she has nothing to lose by dressing up like an idiot. i, on the other had, have EVERYTHING to lose by dressing up like an idiot.
there is one "eligible" bachelor in our ward and while i feel no desperate need to impress him, i certainly dont want to be the crazy spinster with the stupid costume. lets just say my costume included(but was not limited to) a zebra print mumu, dragon lady length sculpted nails painted to match the mumu, and a nicoderm cq patch. it was fun, but i was glad to get home and get out of it.
family ward parties are all about the kids(as they should be)and since my nieces and nephews arent little anymore, i find myself kind of distancing myself from the little ones. not on purpose, like ugh, get that kid away from me, but just not that interested. i comment on the cute babies, but i never ask to hold them. if their mom asks me to, i will. i have the skills, but i dont use them that often.
are donuts at ward halloween parties a "thing"? i thought it was just our ward, but i heard others mention it on fb. remember when homemade root beer was a mormon party thing? homemade root beer would have been awesome, but i sweet talked a little kid into grabbing me a jelly donut and that was good enough. yummmmmmmmmm.
i let someone in my ward(family ward, remember)talk me into dressing up. now she is married and totally in love with her husband and he is crazy about her, so she has nothing to lose by dressing up like an idiot. i, on the other had, have EVERYTHING to lose by dressing up like an idiot.
there is one "eligible" bachelor in our ward and while i feel no desperate need to impress him, i certainly dont want to be the crazy spinster with the stupid costume. lets just say my costume included(but was not limited to) a zebra print mumu, dragon lady length sculpted nails painted to match the mumu, and a nicoderm cq patch. it was fun, but i was glad to get home and get out of it.
family ward parties are all about the kids(as they should be)and since my nieces and nephews arent little anymore, i find myself kind of distancing myself from the little ones. not on purpose, like ugh, get that kid away from me, but just not that interested. i comment on the cute babies, but i never ask to hold them. if their mom asks me to, i will. i have the skills, but i dont use them that often.
are donuts at ward halloween parties a "thing"? i thought it was just our ward, but i heard others mention it on fb. remember when homemade root beer was a mormon party thing? homemade root beer would have been awesome, but i sweet talked a little kid into grabbing me a jelly donut and that was good enough. yummmmmmmmmm.
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