No one ever called me Betty Crocker

Well it's just the truth, ya know?  

(make sure to click the pictures to see them bigger!)

My Grandmother, yes, absolutely - the woman could cook anything!  My Mom was the same way, I even have some of her handwritten recipes (not that I can really read them, but that's not the point) 

 (Mom and I making biscuits)                                               (Mom's recipes)

 

My Aunt can cook very well, my friends can heat up the kitchen (A la Princessa!) but me? I could heat it up, but you'd probably need a fire extinguisher by the time I was done.

 No, no (I can hear you Wendy and Chris) I'm not giving myself enough credit. That is what this blog post is for...

So after what seems like years weeks of ....

Mon: hamburger patties 

Tue: chicken breasts 

Wed: frozen pasta bowls 

Thu: repeat

Mr. Man and I have decided to start "trying new things" as far as meals go. So, I broke out the cook book and we started looking through it.

 

So far we've tried TWO new recipes this week and both were home-runs! 

 And, all though I didn't get any pictures of the Pepper-Lime Chicken, I did manage a few of the ribs! I made the sauce (changed it, there was just no way I was going to put 2 frickin teaspoons of chili powder in there!), Mr. Man did the grillin', and even Da Boy joined in and "painted" the ribs with our sauce! 

 (I still think ours look better than the book's picture of the ribs!) Anyways ... we've picked out a ton of other recipes from the book, and  if I remember I'll post about how those turn out too! I may not be Betty Crocker, but at least the boys and I won't starve ;)

~M

Today sucks.

Just like it has for the last 16 years.  Of course the very first June 2nd that meant anything to me was WAY over the top of Suck-ass Mountain, but of course, when you’re 15, death of a parent is always harder.

My Dad was a great guy… liked by many and deeply loved by those that loved him. He was tall and strong and funny. He knew Karate. He loved to dance and listen to music.  He could knock it out of the park when it came to one-liners. He loved his daughter.

Now he’s gone. Does he know he has a grandson that looks so much like him, sometimes I can’t believe my eyes? Does he know that I finally found the guy I was meant to be with? Does he know that I’m loved, safe, protected, and happy? Does he know that I can’t believe I ever got this far without him? Does he know that I still need him, love him, miss him, hate him for leaving me without him?