Mi Casa Es Su Casa...

Welcome my lovelies!
As you walk through my front door you'll notice the little sign above the kitchen door which reads "Mi Casa Es Su Casa" (translation: my house is your house).
So, without further adieu... take your shoes of and come on in!

Just to your right there is our little sitting area/laptop nook. This is where I sit and read all of your clever blogs while I look out that window and am grateful that I'm in here and not out there on hot days like today!!
Yes, it's a little messy...
Yes, that's a Passion Iced Tea from Starbucks...
Yes, that's a lava lamp...

Straight through the doorway is my itsy bitsy kitchen where I will create for you an exquisite masterpiece... I don't often use cookbooks but the few I happen to have are in boxes right now because we have mold abatement going on in the basement... long story.
But no worries! The air is clean and my kitchen is always open.
Perhaps I'll make you the squash penne I referred to in this post? Or, if squash isn't your thing I can whip up a little homemade marinara... Ms. Salti has been kind enough to give you all that recipe!

Due to my lack of cupboard space... or my ever increasing amount of kitchen paraphernalia... I have a wire rack in the kitchen with all of my tools, spices, entertaining dishes, bake ware, the bread-maker is on the bottom (don't tell anyone I use it!).

Where are my manners?! Let me get you something to drink... I have to admit I'm a little cleaned out after the bachelorette party I just attended. I would not recommend drinking the cooking vermouth. Patron happens to be my favorite but I also have some beer in the fridge along with a healthy supply of SoBes.

Here's the garden where I'll be picking some of our veggies for dinner tonight. Maybe you'd like to go and commune with the honeybees?
Hey... enough Patron and I'll commune with anything you put in front of me!

Or maybe you'd like to have a sit on my favorite swing under our large Catalpa tree? The shade cools things off nicely.

If you're like me you like to put on a little music while cooking... and if you can't find something in our collection then you don't like music. This is just the CD collection too... the records are on the floor. I didn't take a picture of those!
Here are some of my faves...

Recognize anything you like?
no? Too bad... you can leave now;)
hahahaha... just kidding... I'm bad at picking favorite music and movies! I have a lot!!

Now that dinner is ready let's throw on a movie while we eat. Here are a few I thought you might like...


I tried to pick a little something for everyone... it's so hard to please people these days!! Picky, picky=)

All of my books are in boxes as well (mold abatement) but if you look to the right of my blog there... down a bit... you'll see my book montage with a list of a few of the things I've read. I've conveniently left out all of the ever boring books that make me look as smart as I am. You don't need me to tell you that. Only dull people brag about how intelligent they are by showing off with their old college books;) tee hee hee . Nothing but love!
Someday I will take a picture of my bookshelf when it is back up and running.

Well... I hope you've enjoyed your evening as my guest. I enjoyed having you.
Stop by again sometime!!

Rogue, Blue Cheese and the Bayou

So in honor of my dear bloggy buddy Alex over at Cooking for Assholes I decided to concoct this little post. If you haven't gone to visit his site yet I have to assume it's either because you are physically incapable of using a computer or because you are stubborn and don't like the idea of being called an Asshole. Get over yourself. He's hilarious. So... On to my review. The Bayou is a bar here in Salty town on State Street that we used to frequent quite often until we found that it was next to impossible to get a table on a Friday night unless you show up before 6:30. Sorry Bayou, it's true... Long story short they are considered the 'beervana' of SLC and have an incredible selection of beers available. My good friend Rory suggested Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar a while back and it is one of my faves! No bitter hoppy aftertaste... a nice nutty smooth introduction. This is a very friendly beer for everyone from the beginner to the most advanced beer snob. It is a little on the sweet side, so if that's not your thing... be warned.
Alex royally screwed up some chips as he tried baking them instead of frying them and I told him he should fry them and toss some blue cheese on top. Well... apparently the folks at Bayou have been listening in to my conversations because this is now a special app on their menu. You can't tell from the pic but there's a butt load (yes, that's the technical term you snob) of bleu cheese under those chips. The chips are tossed in a chive olive oil and they were sooooo good! Perfect compliment to the Rogue. We also ordered our standard sweet potato and regular fries. The fries come with the Bayou's garlic/chipotle aioli (that's a fancy mayo for those of you who don't speak cooking talk).
Our friend Brady was sitting at the table to my right... we were being obnoxious and texting. Once again, judge away, I might have if I were you. At the table to my left were two girls and a guy speaking Vietnamese. The one chick was yelling on the phone (at least it seemed like she was... who the hell knows) and I texted Brady that I was frightened because she was so angry. He responds:
" I speak Vietnamese, she was saying that she's pissed because your tits look hot in that hoodie"

That's when my cheeks turned red and the hood came up... we couldn't stop laughing after that.

So... if you ever decide to meander this direction and visit us we'll be sure to take you to The Bayou where you can choose from a fab selection of beers (and other alcohol if that's your bag baby) and delish creole food. If you're nice Ms. Salti and I will treat you to a pedi afterward;)

Unless your name is Alex... then I think I'll have to leave your toes to Mrs. Alex...

Two Tasty Treats...

After a long and fabulous day at work yesterday Ms. Salti picked me up and after getting changed we went to get Noelle and headed out to dinner. We weren't sure where we wanted to go so they both suggested Settebella downtown... a new Italian pizza spot... and good lord! Wow... I'm having a hard time coming up with adjectives worthy to describe how good it was.
The place is cute. Small and joined with a gelateria next door. We started out with a simple but delicious mixed green salad with balsamic and olive oil. Then had their margherita pizza. The pizza tasted exactly like this little spot my dad and I used to go by the place we stayed in Rome. Very good. The gelato was good. I'm a bit glutenous when it comes to gelato. I want mine packed with enough cream that it sticks to the roof of my mouth for an hour after. This was probably a little on the healthier side... ho hum=(
Anyway... I didn't think I'd be able to move after that. Did I mention we shared a bottle of delicious Pinot Noir? Yah... then my cute hubby was feeling frisky when I got home. I wasn't sure how that would work seeing how I felt 5 month pregnant with a pizza baby... but somehow we managed=)

This morning while the kids were waiting for Sponge Bob to come on I turned the channel to VH1 because out of some miracle they were actually playing music. After the top 20 there was this show called Free Radio. Apparently it's been on for a little bit but it's absolutely hilarious! It's a bit of a mix between improv and real interviews with all of these guest stars that they have on and then there's somewhat of a scripted cast that fills in the rest of the show.
All of the full episodes are on VH1 online... seriously... go check a few out. Very clever. I like the female host on the show. She kind of reminds me of a brunette Bonnie Hunt.

So those are my two tasty treats for the day... a new restaurant and a new show. See why I don't watch TV anymore!? I always get hooked to something when I do watch. Best if I just stick to my books!
By the way... am loving Darkly Dreaming Dexter! The show has apparently done an excellent job of sticking to the book because they are very similar. I enjoy reading it though... I look at it like a special feature. Anyway... for those of you that enjoy the darker side of humor... it's a must read! If you're one of those people that thinks the movie always ruins the book though... go watch a few episodes of Dexter first so that you can appreciate just how brilliant the show is... then go read the book;)
Oh and have I mentioned that my inner teenager is having Twilight withdrawals? I know... you can laugh if you want to... I'll only cry later when I'm trying to fall asleep...
Oh, one more thing. I still haven't freaking put my vegetable garden together and mother's day is coming up!! A clone is sounding more desirable all the time.

My Random Tuesday... (It's Tuesday, right?!)

I'll just get straight to the nitty gritty...Man... Rob... Whew. Now that I'm done with the Twilight series I just have to appreciate him for what he is... a good actor, singer, and boy toy. Nothing wrong with that...Of course I'll be a little upset when he doesn't show up on my doorstep tomorrow to fulfill his fantasies... but somehow I'll get over it.

Sometimes I feel a bit like a mad scientist in the kitchen. My sweet kids just put up with it... and it's a good thing otherwise they'd probably starve... (no not really) I love just opening up the cupboards and fridge and seeing what happens. I feel bad when people ask me for recipes for the random shit I make... because honestly... I have no idea how things turn out half the time. If it smells like it needs some rosemary... I throw it in. I don't know how much! Okay... to be fair... I use recipes sometimes. But only the first time I make something... and then I usually tweak it a bit the next time. Tonight was particularly delish... Penne pasta with fresh tomato, asparagus, rosemary, and basil tossed in. mmmmm... yummy

I dig this bra. If only I had the boobies to match it =( That's what I get for being a mean little shit when I was in high school and teasing my mom about having bigger boobs than she did. Now, three kids later, she has bigger, perkier boobs than me. Oh well. Karma's a bitch.

I've finally found a migraine med that seems to work for me... only problem is I feel a bit like this cute kitty here after I've taken in (note the unusually large pupils). I'm having to practice at being productive while taking it. For some reason my family seems adverse to the idea of me lounging around on the couch all day!?
Go figure.
Dear Diary,
When did I turn into a teenage girl and start dreaming about being abducted by and incredibly sexy vampire? I think my skin is getting more translucent by the day and I have the strange urge to bite my husband every now and then.
Sigh...
I've always wanted to live in the Pacific NW... I don't think that will ever happen now... but you never know. For those of you wondering... this is a picture of the forest in Forks, WA... and for those of you wondering what the significance is of that (sigh), let's just say it has something to do with a small obsession I seem to be dealing with these days. I'll explain to you in person if you're lost.

Happy Tuesday!