l. a. z. y. she ain't got no alibi

I've really been a slug lately.  Between my husband's illness, the usual chaos at work, and the family nonsense?  Compounding that with financial stress is simply just too much.  My bike is lonely, I didn't get to run the Cupcake Classic by the deadline, and I'm just pouty all around.

I've also not really cooked anything creative lately.  Mostly, I've eaten unimaginative things.  But I've still managed to put a little flair with them.

Start with this:  I like a good steak.  I prefer strip most of the time, but will eat filet or ribeye if I'm going out someplace.  I always like a starch (potato) with it, and usually mushrooms too.  And of course, there's always steak butter, y'all.

Anyhow, here's some side-dish love for ya.  I'll kick myself in the ass and make something worth writing / reading about soon.

Mushrooms:

Grab some white mushrooms or baby bellas (whatever's on sale works).  Slice them up into about 1/4" to 1/2" slices.  They don't have to be pretty or perfect.  Throw them into a bowl, and toss them with just enough EVOO to coat them.  Not too much!  Then, dump in some red wine, about 1/2 cup (4 ounces, or a bit more than half of one of the little trial size bottles).  It doesn't have to be special wine ... T-Box or the $1 Trial Sizes will be just fine.  Smoosh up a few cloves of garlic, and slice up a little bit of onion if that moves you.  And then - let them sit for at least a half hour.  Every few minutes, toss them around to be sure they're still coated.  The 'shrooms and onion will soak up some of the wine, but there will still be a little puddle at the bottom.

When you're ready to saute, throw about a tablespoon of the previously mentioned / prepared steak butter y'all into the pan, melt it (but don't let it caramelize), and then dump the whole bowl in - extra wine and all.  Simmer the mixture to reduce the red wine down, and serve on the side with your steaks.  These usually cause my youngest to say "ewww gross" (she hates mushrooms), and everyone else to say "gimme hers if she doesn't want them".

Twice-Baked Potatoes:

These are super-easy to make.  Grab some white potatoes (Yukon Golds are too soft), wash 'em, stab 'em with a fork, and bake them for about an hour at 425.  When they're done, slice them in half lengthwise, scoop out the guts using a tablespoon, and throw the potato insides into a mixing bowl (I use my kitchenaid).  Add an appropriate amount of butter y'all (the steak version works here too), and some shredded cheddar cheese (start with a cup, and increase until you reach an adequate amount of cheesyosity).  Add in just enough milk to make them smooth.  Whip the hell out of the potatoes - NO LUMPS.  Use your spoon to put the whipped potatoes back into the peels, and throw them back into the oven for about 15 or 20 minutes - the tops will start to brown just a bit.  Take them back out, top them with bacon bits and a bit more shredded cheese (if you like), and put them under the broiler to get all deliciously crispy.  Serve with sour cream.  And wine.

my to-do list for this weekend

these are a few of my favorite things

And by that I mean ... ice cream and booze.

By now, I'm sure you know that I'm obsessed with my ice cream maker.  I got such a great deal on it, and hey ... ice cream.  Preservative and additive free.  Whenever I want it?  WIN.

So, I got bored (that's how these things always get started).  I rummaged in the fridge, and came up with some vanilla Greek yogurt, some frozen strawberries, a South Carolina sized bottle of low-proof rum (don't you judge me), and a few limes.  Huh.  What could I possibly do with this bunch of misfit food?  I KNOW!  Put it in the ice cream maker!

So, I present to you ... Strawberry Mojito Fro-Yo.

I realize that most booze won't freeze, but hey.  This was some quality stuff.  I think it may have been like, 20 proof.  So I rolled the dice.  I "sampled" the rum, and dumped the other half of the bottle in a blender.  Then I added about a cup of yogurt.  Then I added the bag of frozen strawberries (they were about a pound, it seems).  Blended till smooth, dumped in the ice cream maker.

At about that point in the photo (about ten minutes in), I was all "OH SHIT THE LIMES!"  I squeezed half of a lime into the top of the ice cream maker and prayed to baby Jeebus that this mess would come out okay.

Let me tell you - that was some of the most DIVINE stuff I've ever had.  I had to tell the kids "that's mommy's, don't eat it."  Of course, my oldest (the almost thirteen year old female garbage hole) just had to know why.  I finally told her "it's got booze in it.  And if I catch you eating it, you'll be eating from the litter box.  And since you never clean it, your ice cream will be mighty crunchy.  Got it?"

Score one for me and my stellar parenting skills.