Oh no she di'int...

OH YES I DID!

Last night I made Fried Green Tomato - BLT's!!! and let me tell you, they were freakin DELICIOUS!

Here are the steps I took in pictures:

Step 1: I made a fabulous Remoulade (recipe courtesy of a true New Orleans chef). It really made the sandwich and I will share if anyone would like it.

Step 2: I cut up the fabulous green and yes, some yellow, tomatoes.

Step 3: Prepared an egg/buttermilk mixture and a mixture of flour, corn meal, salt & pepper for dipping.

Step 4: After dipping the 'maters, I dropped them into some hot canola oil and flipped accordingly after about 1 - 2 minutes on each side.

Step 5: Voia la! Fried Green Tomatoes!

Step 6: And the prepared sandwich consisting of remoulade, lettuce, fried green tomatoes, bacon and american cheese! YUM, YUM, YUM!

There was nothing left on the plate. Hubby and I ate them all up and then I was mad that I didn't make more. Hubby made sure that any left over tomatoes were quickly disposed of, down his gullet! I think I heard TSO say at one point, with a full mouth, "Vith is like the befth thing you've effer made"! That to me speaks volumes! I will fo shiz be making this again...

We had a busy weekend!

On Friday we went to some of our very bestest friends house to eat some crabs and fried chicken. There's almost nothing better if you ask me! I could possibly eat crabs and fried chicken every day of my life.

On Saturday we headed to one of my long time friend's annual family gatherings. I don't know if you'd call it a party, a picnic, a reunion. No matter what you call it, it's a great time every year. This year it was a bigger deal than usual because my friend's father was also turning 70 but it was still as fun as ever. There actually might have been more people there than there were at my wedding. It was HUGE~

My friend, we'll call him D, is African American and I swear, they know how to party. Now, don't get me wrong, we can throw down right along with them, you've never seen a Funky Family Shin Dig, but it never ceases to amaze me. The food was SO GOOD! as it is every year - fried cat fish, BBQ ribs, fried chicken, burgers and dogs, all the sides and all the fixin's. There was a bar tender and woo, let me tell you, he introduced me to some new drinks that D likes to call the "ghetto" drinks - ever heard of an "Incredible Hulk"? If not, don't do it to yourself. It is made with Hpnotiq and Hennessey! and yes, it's green and not particularly tasty. I can only imagine what more than one of these would have done to me.

They also had a DJ and although the rain started at one point and the heat was up there, the dance floor was never empty. From the kids to the elderly, someone was always out there shakin it and having a great time! The hubby and I talked to friends and family members from Louisiana to Kentucky to Michigan to right around the corner. Everyone of them friendlier and more welcoming than the next. We had a great time again this year and we're so glad that we were included.

I woke up sick on Sunday and am just now starting to feel like I'm coming around, and unfortunately I don't think it was from too much partying. I took the day off work yesterday which was definitely needed. And last night joined my girls for our monthly Book Club meeting.

We decided to read two short books this time. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Postman Always Rings Twice. Both great books that if you've never read them, you must. Once I finished the Postman Always Rings Twice I decided that I have to read more of James M. Cain's stuff! He was for sure before his time and his writing is very entertaining. It also makes me wonder how he can write such a brilliant, to the point, well rounded book in 150 pages, yet others can't get to the point in 600 pages!

I have been nominated to host the next book club meeting and I'm trying to think of a yummy food "theme" for the evening. Our meeting last night had an Italian theme and I'm still dreaming of the fabulous eggplant Parmesan and Caresse salad, along with all of the other goodies and of course lots of WINE!

Anyway, hope everyone had a great weekend and is having a great day! Rock on my peeps!

Last night the hubby had to work late so I had some time on my hands. I decided to make something fun....behold, CHOCOLATE COVERED BACON!


BEFORE:

Mmmmm BACON!

MMmmmm CHOCOLATE!

AFTER:

Mmmmm CHOCOLATE & BACON!

I'll have to admit, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I mean, I LOVE bacon and I like chocolate. What could be so wrong with combining the two? Well, not too much. And the theory that bacon makes everything better is true! Next time I want to make some changes. I felt like there was too much chocolate, it was kind of sweet, but was cut nicely by the saltiness of the bacon. Think chocolate covered pretzels. Good balance of savory and sweet. Next time I think I'll crumble some bacon while the chocolate is still warm and sprinkle it over the covered bacon to add that little extra bacony saltiness!

And if you were thinking that I'm nuts, you are correct. Good day!

This weekend we went on a kennel tour then spent the rest of Saturday at a friend's "beach" party. It was great! So...the kennels...I know I am a wimp but I think I've come to the conclusion that we can not, under any circumstances, board our dog. It's just not going to work out.

We went to the first kennel on our list. I had such high hopes for this place. The web site looked great, the kennel is apparently set on a few acres of land, top notch standards, lots of care and love for the dogs, and the thing that really made me feel good about them was their suggestion that any interested parties come out to check them out with no appointment or initial call to arrange a time. So, if they tell you to come by any time they have to be a great place right? NO! Not so much. We drove up and the grounds did look very nice. As we parked and walked into the main lobby you could hear dogs barking and barking. The smell in the lobby alone should have been an indication. As we walked into the "kennel" area the overwhelming smell of bleach/cleaning supplies was horrendous. The floors were concrete and wet, I assume because they had been sprayed down. The dogs that were there looked sad and miserable. Thankfully we didn't spend much time there but as we walked out I almost started crying. I can not imagine leaving my baby there, let alone the fact that other people are comfortable leaving their pets there. I was so sad.

The next place was a million times better. Newer facility, web cams in each dog's room, bigger, cleaner environment, nice large play areas for the dogs. We left there with a much better taste in our mouths BUT still feeling a little sad about the fact that our spoiled little pooch is going to have to stay somewhere like this.

We went to another place that was basically like a luxury spa for dogs. Beautiful grounds, many acres of land, happy dogs, friendly staff, nature walks offered to dogs, rooms with televisions or music on for the dogs. It was over the top and seemed so nice, and put us even a little more at ease. Their prices, well, that's another story. I guess you get what you pay for!

So Saturday night at about 11pm or so the pooch alerts us that she needs to go out. I take her out back and just watch her sniffing about her yard. Playing and doing the things she does in her territory. Then it dawned on me. How on earth am I going to be able to leave her in a facility where she is cooped up in a 5 foot "box" by herself from about 6 - 8pm every night until about 6 - 8am the next morning? I will be miserable knowing that she is so sad and lonely! She's not used to that type of environment. I would rather leave her at home alone where she has the run of the house and she's comfortable before leaving her in a kennel.

I've contacted a woman who comes highly recommended from some work friends who either stays at our house or takes the pooch to hers. I hope it all works out because we're running out of time and we need to make arrangements before it's too late. I know it's just a dog and she would be fine but I just can't bring myself to leave her at a kennel. It's not going to happen!

SO, speaking of our spoiled little pooch, this weekend she swam for the first time! We were in the pool and her daddy started swimming away. She panicked and jumped in after him, then I think she was like, "what the hell am I doing?" and tried to get out. So, we took her out to the bay and she swam like the little sea dog that she is supposed to be! It was so cute. And Hubby was so thrilled. Nothing like a man and his dog! Anyway, here are some shots below. Hope you all had a great weekend and are staying cool in the heat.

www.flickr.com

Today I got to meet one of my hero's! I don't say that often because, well, I don't idolize many "celebrities" or famous people but I truly like this man. Mostly because I think he is himself on and off screen. He's funny, interesting, talented and even cuter in person (Sorry babe). HA!

Anyway, check it out...

www.flickr.com

So Lucy got her first of two bordatella shots this morning so that she is able to be boarded. She did so well. Afterward we visited a local doggy day care and boarding kennel that some of our friends use and swear by. It actually went very well. I think Lucy may have been very overwhelmed because she was calm, shy, gentle, subdued and behaved unlike I've ever seen her. Anyone that knows Lucy knows that this is very out of character for her. I think, if we go with this place, that we'll have to take her there for day care a few times first to get used to the environment, the staff and all the other dogs. One of the pluses to this place is that they have a live streaming web cam and you can watch your pooch playing and hanging out all day long. As much as this puts my mind at ease, I'm still sad. It's going to be really hard to leave this little bitch for a whole week. I'm such a baby!

This Saturday, hubby, pooch and I are going to drive around to all of the facilities that we have on our list to see if any of them are outstanding. If we feel that any of them are top notch and will take the best care of our pooch I guess we'll set her up to be boarded there. I never thought this would be so hard but it really is. I guess if I had a child it would be similar to finding child care. Oh well...I'll keep you all posted!

This past weekend we had a cookout for all of our friends. One of the hubby's co-workers brought me these lovely sunflowers. Aren't they purdy?

It was fun for all of our friends to see the hanging sheets display from our crazy next door neighbor. We, in our usual way, made WAY too much food and now have enough left over for an army. We literally sent about 15 guests home with ribs that we grilled and still had a ton left over. I guess it's better to have too much rather than not enough but I really need to learn how to gauge portion sizes and how much to make for a certain number of guests. I think it's in my blood because my family does the exact same thing when they have parties...

The hubby will be traveling for about 3 weeks for work in August/September and I will be joining him for a week during the trip. I'm heading out to L.A. to see one of my best girlfriends then off to Denver to see TSO. I am excited for the trip BUT, I am really nervous about finding care for our pooch!

We've never boarded her before so I'm really trying to do my homework as to what constitutes a good place to leave her. I want it to be a place where they really care about dogs, where she'll get lots of exercise and fresh air, where they'll treat her right and she'll come home happy and healthy. Our problem is that we spoil the hell out of this dog (I know you're all surprised by this). She's our baby and I'm not so sure I can trust anyone to really take care of her the way we would. I mean, for god's sake, I could barely trust my sister to take care of her!

We're investigating a few places right now so I hope it all works out. If it doesn't I guess I'll either have a 70 pound lab in my luggage or I'll be eating a $520 plane ticket. Yikes!

Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a lovely week. I wish I had more to talk about but I guess my life is very boring these days. You'd think the summer would be action packed...wow, I'm lame! Have a great Wednesday Everyone!!

Here are some pictures of the pooch...

"Hi, I'm a princess!"

"I like to eat sticks...YUM!"

Our Neighbors are CRAZY - Part 2

Oh the antics continue, yes they do.

So, you all will remember our crazy neighbor that called Animal Control on us. You know, the ONLY people and dog that our pooch barks at. Yeah, them! WELL, this morning, hubby takes the pooch out back to do her biznass and to his surprise he finds that the nut case next door has hung sheets all along her side of the gate. His words? "I think they might not like our dog...?" HA!

Okay, seriously, SERIOUSLY! They are NUTZ with a capitol N. BUT, it makes for some very entertaining daily life at the casa. Even Lucy was like, "What the fuck?" in her little doggie way. I mean, it's a shame they didn't bother to think that Lucy can umm, JUST LOOK UP and see their dog barking in their upstairs window and start barking again...They may have also forgot that Lucy often jumps up on our hot tub, also higher than their sheet force field.

One of our friends suggested we put up a higher line and hang our sheets out there. The only way I'd do that is if I could also hang my underwear, bra's, you know, whatever...

I actually feel kind of bad for these people. Do you really have that much trouble talking to people that rather than coming over or even CALLING us on the telephone from about 12 feet away, hell, I'd take a letter at this point, you would rather do weird crap like this that just makes us laugh at you? I mean, if they were to say one word to us we would do everything in our power to work this situation out. But since we don't know what the actual "problem" is, we clearly can't fix it.

Of course I took pictures because well, as they say, they're worth a thousand words. So please, enjoy the photos that I like to call, "HOLY SHEETS"! I love the one where Lucy is like, HUH?

www.flickr.com

First Fruit

Well, it's official! Our first fruit has been harvested! Two red tomatoes, one yellow tomato, a yellow pepper and plenty of cayenne's! I was so excited when we came home on Saturday from our trip to the beach to see some red and yellow peaking out at me from behind our garden explosion! Now there are more tomatoes popping up than I can count. I just can't wait until we have an abundance. I think we'll eat these tomatoes with some mozzarella and basil tonight with dinner. YUM!


So this past weekend, well, Thursday - Saturday, the hubby and I went to the beach to enjoy a little fun and sun. We mistakenly entrusted my 18 year old sister with staying at our casa, driving our car and of course, watching the pooch. Yeah, that went south real quick. After basically not doing her "job", confirmed by a call from a neighbor to tell us that our pooch had been barking for quite some time - if they could hear her from across the street in our house that's bad! And then a call to my sister, fueled by a day of drinking, then a teary call to my father, also fueled by alcohol and the thought that my baby was not being properly cared for, the battle was on.

What do you get when you question an 18 year old? ATTITUDE. That's what you get. And when you combine attitude with me drinking and not having the patience for it, you get a fight. So I am now fighting with my sister. My dad had to be the mediator and the weekend was temporarily ruined! Yayyy!

I guess the lessons here, and yes there is more than one, Don't trust that an 18 year old will ever "make you proud" and act like an adult, Don't ever trust that ANYONE will take care of your pet the way that you do, Don't ever call your 18 year old sister while you have been drinking and can be easily set off because it will happen! Thank god for husbands that can intervene and smooth things out no matter what the scenario...

Now I am embarrassed, angry and sad. We almost cut our trip short but I'm glad that we didn't because from what I understand we are probably the only place on the East Coast where it wasn't raining and we enjoyed a great couple days on the beach. Even if my parents ended up having to take care of our dog. This also made me very angry and sad. I don't want my parents to feel taken advantage of. God knows they are by almost everyone else.

I guess from now on it's kennels and certified dog walkers/sitters for Lucy. I mean, for the amount of money I left my sister, we could have boarded Lucy for 2 nights. Oh well! Another lesson learned I suppose.

I hope everyone else had a better weekend than I did. At least we had plenty of sunshine!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY EVERYONE!
(well, the Americans anyway)

I hope you all have a nice long weekend, a happy 4th of July
and a great fireworks display to top it all off.

Hmmm, I'm starting to think the farmers on the Eastern shore know what the hell they're talking about. This, my friends, is one of my tomatoes that was pure green two days ago. The full moon is supposed to happen on Thursday evening so we'll see if this sucker is bright red by Friday. I'm just happy to see some color on these damn things. I was starting to get worried that they'd never change. This one has literally been growing on the vine since about 2 weeks after I planted the tomato plants. It's sure to be juicy and sweet!

Now, on to the real reason for posting...

LUCY!

Have you ever seen anything cuter?

Me either! I love this shot. I could literally eat the picture. Man I love that stinky little bitch!


She sure is SCARY...somebody call Animal Control QUICK!!!

It was a good weekend. I went to the nursery with mom and sister on Saturday and replenished some herb plants that drowned where I originally had them planted in the garden. So now I have what looks to be a basil bush and a rosemary shrub in pots on the front stoop. I plan to keep this lot alive and healthy since the last group shriveled up!

We have tons of tomatoes popping up, just not turning red or yellow. They're all still green. According to the man at the nursery, the Eastern shore of Maryland's "myth" is that once we get the first full moon of the summer the tomatoes turn red and are plentiful. We'll see if he's right. I think, according to my calendar, the first full moon is supposed to be on Thursday - I'll take pic's and let you know what happens. We also finally have some yellow peppers growing so that's fun. I just can't wait to eat the fruits of our labor.

Hubby and I went to a crab feast on Saturday and the crabs were SO GOOD. Now, you know that I generally don't like to post pictures of myself, let alone my family/friends, but this one I just could not resist. This is a nephew experiencing his first taste of Maryland crabs, and from the looks of it, he's enjoying them! And so is his shirt...

On Sunday I made a bag for myself, which surprised both TSO and myself since I generally don't make things for myself. I usually make things to fulfill orders or as gifts to other people. I made it reversible as you can see from the second picture. And I made it BIG so I can use it over the summer for work, the beach, outings, whatever!

The only problem is that I didn't enforce the sides with anything so they're limp. I am going to have to somehow, without completely destroying the bag, rip open the seems on both sides and insert a plastic piece to keep the bag sturdy. Since it's just for me I don't care if it's a little jacked up, as long as I'm not selling it the quality can suffer a bit.

Anyway, that's about it! Hope everyone else had a great weekend. Come back for some Lucy pic's later this week. I took some GREAT one's last night...