Tag Archives: #homegoodsfind

Appetizers vs Dodd Frank

I am often asked, why do you do the blog, how do you find the time, etc.   If you would like to know why I find joy in talking about recipes or pretty tables or crafts or parties, then you need only click on the following link and then click on the chart:

SEC Chart of Regulation

Go ahead, click on it.  I’ll wait. This is a chart prepared by a Commissioner at the SEC (the law one, not the sports one) showing every regulation imposed on a financial services company since 2010.  Two-Thousand Ten. The original Securities Act was passed in 1933 – so there have been just a feeeeew regulations in between.

Now ask me again, “Why are you oven roasting tomatoes for pasta salad when you can buy them in a jar?” Answer:  Because I know what I’m dealing with and it won’t change tomorrow.

All right, got that off my chest. So K went to a Little League meeting the other night and I had about 45 minutes before I had to pick him up and go get the boys from School of Rock.  And the meeting was taking place near a store that rhymes with Ebay Tacks/Romehoods. Sooooooo, this happened:

New summer bench pillows.

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New summer throw.

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Oh and a couple of these Turkish style beach towels.

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And I may have also purchased a bag that can hold the Surface, the Samsung camera and my phone.  You know, because the other bags were lonely.

So I think we can all agree.  Sports are bad for household economies.

So now that we won’t be eating out ever again, what’s on the menu?

Tecate Flank Steak Tacos from The Mission via Bon Appetit.

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The only substitutions I made was flank steak (obv from the re-name) instead of skirt steak, parsley instead of cilantro (tastes like soap to me) and Queso Fresco for Cotija (because I couldn’t find Cotija).

And to drink:

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Grapefruit Margaritas
Adapted oh so slightly from Cookie + Kate’s Best Margarita Recipe via A Cup of Jo

WHAT YOU NEED (for 4 margaritas)
1 cup agave tequila
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
1/2 cup orange juice
4 tsp agave nectar
Salt, sugar and lime wedges for garnish

WHAT YOU DO
Combine first 5 ingredients in a pitcher and stir vigorously.  Rub the lime over the rim of whatever glass you are using.  Doesn’t have to be margarita glass if after 19 years of marriage you may have broken all but 2 that you got for your wedding.  Place even amount salt and sugar on a dish and stir to combine. Dip the glass in the salt/sugar.  Add ice to glass an pour that refresher in.  Obviously this can be doubled/tripled if you have a big crowd.

As you may have seen on my Instagram, my dill plant was infested.

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So, now obviously this army of creepy crawlies is on its way up the side of the house to come in upstairs and crawl over my face while I’m sleeping.  YES, IT COULD HAPPEN.  My cousin has a friend whose brother’s roommate’s ex-fiancee had them lay eggs in her ears in tiny dill nests.  True story.

Stay ever vigilant, my resident bug killer.

catinbox

 

Tomorrow – Hawks win video!    Congratulations to the Stanley Cup winning Chicago Blackhawks!!!!!!

Happy Spring Break and Easter Happenings

Hello all.  We’re back from a fun, but lacking in sleep, trip to the Wisconsin Dells.  There was:

Surfing

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Lazy rivering

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Partying (Hulk say, “Drinks too small”)

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And…sitting inside the waterpark watching Spongebob.

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 But a good time was had by all.

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Then of course the 9th Avenue Egg Hunt:

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Then, right on to Easter for 30 people at my house.  Yikes.

Main dishes were my standard roast salmon (see prior Easterpost) and glazed ham using The Pioneer Woman’s glaze with its secret ingredient:

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This glaze is for you, Fake Sister.

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Also made a wonderful Melon Salad with Prosciutto from NotWithout Salt

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And the rest of the sides were asparagus, green salad, scalloped potatoes, lemon jello (even better when you eat it with your hands, says Baby D):

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and of course, the spécialité de la maison – buttered noodles.

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For dessert:  Lemon Cupcakes from The Alchemist with Fresh Blueberry Frosting from White on Rice Couple. I am not responsible for the use of the word “moist” in the recipe’s title.

Look at the rest of the cute desserts from the oh-so-talented Ellen Anderson

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The boys and I tried to make dyed Rice Krispie easter eggs.  Essentially just use the Rice Krispie treat recipe, add food dye to the marshmallows when stirring. Note to file: in the future, do not try to make purple marshmallow krispie eggs unless you realllllly like gray food.  Do not blame Ellen for the gray eggs!

And the Easter drink this year was Pineapple Sangria from How Sweet It Is.

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The Tables

For grown up table favors I went with the pretty blue and purple Mason jars as vases.

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For grown up table #2, I busted out my napkin folding skills.

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For the kids’ table, little Easter take out food boxes with Game of Thrones dragon eggs. Fine, they aren’t GoT but are called dinosaur eggs (with a tiny dinosaur inside) on Amazon. But the Mother of Dragons can dream, can’t she?

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By the way, I accidentally went to TJ Maxx/Homegoods last week and bought pretty dishes. What?!  You never see twelve of anything at HomeGoods. It was a sign from above.  And when my sister went to her TJ Maxx/Homegoods to look for extra plates for me, she found the mirror she had been looking for. Divine intervention indeed.

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Mother Nature again cooperated beautifully for the egg hunt.

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Even the dyed eggs got dressed up.

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And in the end, it was good day to relax. On a couch. In the yard.  Seriously, why won’t anyone on Craig’s List buy this couch. Best offer. Text me. Drummer boy not included.

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Happy Easter everyone!