(Not So) Thin Mints

I ordered 3 boxes today!  Thin mints for me and 2 boxes of Tag Alongs for KB.  Just thinking about eating probably almost the entire box in one sitting makes me almost as happy as the young scoutette rappelling dangerously through the air on the front of the Thin Mint box. Look mom...no hands!

Guilty Pleasure

One of my favorite things to do on a night when I'm not really busy (like last night) is to go to bed early.   Like really early.  Last night I went to bed around 9:00.  This is not the first time this has happened, in fact, it happens a lot.  Even when I was in college and supposed to be staying up until the wee hours of the morning to study, party, do whatever.....I was normally in bed by 9:30.  Once I eat, lay down, and get warm I can fall asleep in a matter of minutes.  Call me a grannie, but Rosie and I need our beauty rest!

Summer, Sweet Summer

This summer is shaping up to be jam packed with family vacation goodness.

First up, my family's summer vacation in NC.  We'll be spending a week here:

We'll be spending a week in early June basking in the glory that is the coast of NC (with a 2 year old and a 3 year old).  We have an ocean front house this year and it's a much smaller group of us going (possibly just the ladies), so it should be low stress and fun.  We normally don't really do anything and just lay out at the beach all day and ready trashy books or talk about people or look at weird people on the beach.  KB's not a big beach person, so he may come down for a few days and go fishing or something.

3 months later, KB and I will go on his family vacation and spend a week here:

We'll be in Riviera Maya Mexico.  KB's mom got a pretty good deal on the rooms because this will be her 4th time going there.  This trip has all the makings of one I'll never forget.  First up, my grandmother has me convinced that I will be kidnapped by a drug cartel and taken hostage.  I've decided to step my safety game up.  We have a private car taking us from the Cancun airport to the resort (it's about an hour ride).  This is where I'm thinking things will get iffy and I may need pepper spray.  KB thinks I'm crazy...maybe I am.  Second, KB's mom informed me that the beach is "topless friendly" and that if I would like to partake no judgment will be offered.  Let's hope the all inclusive food and alcohol doesn't get the best of me.  Third, I majored in Spanish in college, so I can hablo espanol.  KB's mom says this will come in handy in ordering drinks for us......or when I get kidnapped by the drug cartel. Lastly, KB is not a big beach person.  He's planning on going deep sea fishing or something with his stepdad and one of the other guys going.  This leaves me to hang out (maybe literally on the topless beach) with KB's mom and her friend.  This part is fine....the whining from KB with being sunburned and uncomfortable will be probably get the best of me say...Tuesday, Wednesday.

Let's get to losing those last 30 pounds so we can look smokin'!

Menu Sunday...

Here's what the Browns will be eating this week.  Stay tuned for a recipe review on one of these recipes later this week!

Mon: Lemon Chicken Recipe from last week
         I ended up working late (again) on Thursday, so I didn't fix anything.

Tues: Italian Lentil and Vegetable Stew
         I'm mainly making this to use up some marinara sauce I had to buy for a recipe last week, but it's also a slow cooker recipe and pretty healthy.  Lentils are a great source of fiber and vitamins and I think the butternut squash will be interesting.

Wed: Pita Panini
        I actually won't be using pitas, but everything bagel thins.  I couldn't find pitas in the podunk grocery store, but I think the bagels will work well too.

Thurs: Pizza
          I have a leftover pizza crust from a recipe I made a few weeks ago and a ton of mozzarella cheese (I'm not even sure where it all came from).  Pizzas are easy and KB will definitely eat them.

Fri: Food on the Road!
       We're going to visit some college friends in Chapel Hill this weekend, so we'll be on the road Friday night.  KB always wants to stop at Shake and Steak....but I'm a little weirded out.

Extras:  Hot Chocolate Cake
             I made this last night and it is really rich!  It was all I could do to eat just a little bit.  I ended up putting some peppermint extract into the batter and it gave a nice minty tingle.

Bacon Cheddar Pinwheels
          I'm making these today for KB's mom's Super Bowl party.  They look pretty easy and you can't really go wrong with crescent rolls and ranch dressing.

Recipe Review: Pesto Minestrone

This recipe came to me via A Year of Slow Cooking.  In my opinion, this is one of the best cooking blogs/websites around.  Stephanie almost always has great recipes that are easy and delicious.  I would highly recommend you check it out.

This soup was actually really delicious.  The pesto gave it the right amount of spice and flavor, but you also got a hint of the olive oil from the pesto.  As are all of Stephanie's recipes, this was a slow cooker recipe, so clean up and cooking was super easy.

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but it still turned out great.  I was out of spinach and potatoes, so I just stuck to the beans and veggies I had on hand, but I feel like you could put almost any combo of vegetables in here and it would still taste good.  I also only used half a jar of leftover pesto from a recipe I made last week.  Since KB is also weird about things being meat free, I added in some cubed ham and it gave the whole soup a nice smoky flavor.

Overall, it's a winner.

Game Day Snacks

KB's mom always throws a big family Super Bowl party and I'm always at a loss for what to bring.  She normally cooks lots of good finger foods and normally whatever I make (last year I did Chex Mix...woohoo) just ends up coming home with us untouched.

This year I'm on a mission to actually make something that won't get overshadowed by the large amounts of other food there.  I've got a couple of ideas....but suggestions are always welcome!

I think I've narrowed it down to either:

Bacon-Cheddar Pinwheels

or....

Potato Chip-Chocolate Toffee

I'm thinking this one is going to be the winner!  It's definitely something weird....but not too weird.

Suggestions?  Hints?  Ideas?

Stylish Blogger Award

Desperately Seeking Seersucker  gave me the lovely Stylish Blogger Award.

Thanks so much DSS!

Now, here are the rules....

1. link to the blogger(s) who gave the award
2. share 7 facts about yourself
3. pass the award on to 15 ladies

1) KB and I first met in 7th grade math class.  We shared a table together and he liked to flip his retainer out onto our desk and would get spit everywhere.  I actually asked the teacher if I could move because it distracted me (what a nerd!), but she wouldn't let me.  Ahh...young love!

2) We adopted our first shelter dog this year.  Our darling little Pancho (the shelter called him Ziggy) came from an animal rescue organization near where we live.  They had received him just a few days before we adopted him from animal control.  Our little fabulous Panch was a hoardee.  We ended up seeing some photos from where he came from on the news.  Let's just say, he didn't have any feather boas to play in where he came from!

3) The first time I ever saw the college I went to was the first day of orientation.  I went to a pretty big, pretty scary school (rah rah Carolina).   It was a little intimidating knowing that almost every other person and their mom and grandma had either gone there or taken a tour.  Long story short....it worked out, but probably not a smart thing to do.

4) I grew up on a farm!  This is normally my weird fact when people ask about it.  My dad is a dairy farmer and cows have always been in the background of my life (even my wedding).  We got married in my parent's front yard....which is pretty much a cow pasture and it helped give me the name for my blog.

5)  I work in the pharmaceutical industry and am the biggest hypocondriac.  My co-workers make fun of me for thinking I have side effects to the drugs that I market.....but don't take.  Some of this stuff is really scary!

6)  Like most people it seems, I hate talking on the phone and checking my voicemail.  Pretty much the only person that leaves me a voicemail is my grandmother (I'm a dweeb), and I still don't check it.  Talking on the phone is one of the worst things.  I just can't stand it for some reason.

7) I love reality TV shows with a passion and the weirder the better.  If there is a TV show about baby beauty queens, Jersey brides, plastic surgery nightmares or bachelorettes in Alaska, I've seen it....probably multiple times.

Since almost everyone I know has gotten this award it seems, I won't tag anyone again, but check out all of my cool followers.  They're cool enough to like me (7 weird facts and all!).