Holy sh*t balls!

This post will be a two part entry. The first will be about meat balls. The second will be about shit... I figured I shouldn't post about both in the same entry (oops, I just did!) for what are probably obvious reasons... shit + meatballs = unappetizing!


Ok... moving on!


Part 1:
A favorite blog topic of mine is reading other people's recipes/cooking/baking/cake decorating entries. I figure I'll try my hand at a new recipe per week.


This week's recipe is from one of my favorite cook books; The PNW Cooks; Recipes from an accidental country girl
The author, Ree Drummond (THE Pioneer Woman) is funny, smart, a stay at home mom to idolize and the best part? Reading her cookbook/ blog always awakens a bit of creativity in me.
The recipe I decided to try tonight was "Comfort Meatballs". Why? 
First of all, I have no memory of eating meatballs as a kid. My family was brought up on foods not classified in the "normal" fare for American families. My three siblings and I requested dishes like Tabouli, Curry, Sushi and lots of vegetables.
Aside from no memory of eating meatballs as a kid, I have never made meatballs! I'm a pro at meat sauce for pastas and love to make meatloaf. 
Up until now I've been neglecting the balls (sad story!)...


Combine:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef, 3/4 C quick oats (I used plain Quaker Oats from the tube), 1 C milk, 3 T very finely minced onion, 1/ 1/2 t salt and plenty of black pepper  *(see below)

Form into TBSP size balls (or slightly larger IMO) and refrigerate for up to 45 minutes

While meatballs firm up, make the sauce

I recommend having a cutie patootie help squeeze the ketchup bottle. They will laugh hysterically every time it makes fart noises, in turn causing an impromptu giggle fest in the kitchen :)

Put 1 cup ketchup (or catsup if you're a Rehfield), 2 T sugar, 3 T white vinegar, 2 T Worcestershire sauce, 4-6 T minced onion (make sure this is very finely minced) and a dash of Tabasco *(see below)

Stir

** VERY IMPORTANT**

Make sure you are drinking wine while cooking. Mmm

Dredge the meatballs in flour (I added a few sprinkles of seasoned bread crumbs for a little extra mmmm). Pan fry meatballs in batches until light brown

As they brown, place in a baking dish. Drizzle the sauce over the meatballs. Bake at 350 F for about 30 minutes until bubbly and hot

I served the meatballs with plain penne pasta and a veggie salad. I imagine egg noodles, mashed potatoes or meatballs on their own would be just as delicious :)

*I had 3 lbs of meat to use up so I doubled the entire recipe. HOLY meatballs, I could feed the neighborhood tonight!

The verdict: 

My son, the pickiest eater I've ever known (far worse than me!) cleaned his plate. I'm still a bit shocked by that. Ryan and I both loved them, especially because we were both full after only 4 meatballs (the oats added a hearty quality without being too dense or rich), no seconds tonight!

All in all, a favorite of everyone... BUT... far too much effort/time put into these meatballs. I could have easily put it all in a pan and made meatloaf :-/

One more thing...

Don't forget to have your s/o do the dishes... ahem... let the dog clean the plates.

Jewels of the Interweb

I've heard that you shouldn't believe everything you see on the internet. Well... good thing I don't use the internet for FACTUAL searches (I stopped that when my university said Wikipedia was NOT a credible source. HA!).
I usually spend my time online looking up crap like this. (The banana slicer review is my favorite, obviously!).


And this.
Seriously. I could spend hours on this website *with a glass or two of wine and a tissue for wiping my tears of pure joy*... oh wait, I do do that.


Don't forget THIS!


What are some of YOUR favorite sites?

Love List #1

On most of the blogs I follow (remember the post in which I admitted to being a blog whora? here) the writers have a post dedicate to things they love.
Music. Food. Gadgets. People. Movies. Places... you get the idea.


I too will have a post like that (which will most likely be weekly).
First on my Love List is...

If you have not heard Adele (she has two albums, titled 19, and 21.) I suggest you do that, now like yesterday! 

I heard about Adele last year, especially when her song "Rolling in the deep" was pretty popular. At the time I didn't want to listen to her music just because she had a popular song, also, I'm not a big fan of jazzy type music. Well. Let me just tell you that I have been missing out on an amazing artist.

I wish I could take back all that time I wasted NOT listening to her music.

Her voice is strong, velvety, soulful and listening to it has made me shed a tear more than once. 

My favorites are (this was hard to choose, they're all SO good!): 

Set Fire to the Rain, One and only, Turning Tables, Rumour Has it, and Cold Shoulder. 

Go listen. Now!

Apple slicer/corer

No, you're not seeing things. I really did just post a photo of an apple slicer/corer. 

I am completely in LOVE with discovering this nifty little kitchen gadget (and yes, I seriously have never used one of these before this last weekend!). 

I was helping at a friend's baby shower and was assigned the task of slicing apples/pear apples. Uggh, right? Who wants to slice a dozen apples. Not me. 

My best friend handed me a slicer/corer and I went to town. Loved it! So easy, so mess free, so efficient!

If you eat apples and do not have one in your kitchen, please do yourself a favor and pick this up at the store (mine was $4.00).

Can't wait to get slicin'!

The pic says it all...

My Nana (RIP) used to have these delicious little candies in a drawer in the kitchen. She was always well stocked for when we (my 3 siblings and I) came over every Sunday. 

I saw a bag of these in the toy section (gotta love the random candy placement in the middle of the toy section... as if aisle upon aisle of over priced toys isn't enough of a hassle to get through with a child in tow) at Fred Meyer.

I hadn't had this candy in years, so I splurged (I think I earned a couple pieces of Werther's after my Aqua Zumba class!). 

A sweet way to think of my dear Nana (puns are bad, I know hehe), just what I needed. 

Stay tuned for more! 

A moment on the lips, forever on the hips

I heard this expression a couple months ago and at the time it made me laugh scoff, to be totally honest. 

This may be true, but who wants to think like that when enjoying a scrumptious dark chocolate brownie, or a caramel latte, or a delicious side of french fries?

Psst! Check this out for over the top goodies!

Well, after an adult lifetime of seeing the numbers on the scale increase, I decided (a little too late) maybe I should be telling myself this when it comes time to eat. :-/

I've got to face it, I am no longer 14 years old and a bottomless pit (although sometimes I do pretend to be). My mother used to ask if I had hollow legs - the food would go in (in mass amounts) and I never gained an ounce! 

Well... with the introduction of hormones, depression, a baby and a few years of knee injuries later... TA DA! Say hello to my obese self. 

My (almost 27 year old) body/metabolism can't keep up with any junk that finds its way through my lips! Uggh!

While helping my 7 year old son Braeden with homework a few days ago, he said, "Mom, you're fat. Why don't you lose some weights?"

Besides wanting to cry (and put down the piece of re-heated take out pizza I was eating), my mind wandered to the memory of an infomercial I'd seen about some weight loss system... A parent shares some dramatic tale about the day they realized they were too fat to fit in a swing at the park. Being too fat to play with their child is what it took for them to change/lose weight.) 

This comment from my 7 year old was my weight loss epiphany. 

I looked my beautiful, loving, concerned child square in the face and replied "Braeden, you are right. I am fat. I need to lose weight."

I didn't have any other response but to be honest with him AND finally, with myself.

I have been struggling with finding a way to lose weight AND keep it off (the KEY to a healthy body,right?) that works for me. Haven't found it yet, but that doesn't mean I'm about to give up. Oh no, no. I will not give up on ME

Time to alter my eating habits, up my physical movement and make healthier choices.

In my continued effort to change my habits and improve my life (all while losing weight and getting healthy) I am trying something totally new tonight!

Swimming laps and AQUA ZUMBA (Mon/Wed/Fridays @ 6:30 pm, Diamond Aquatic Center)! A friend is teaching me some strokes and then we're taking the class together.

I've got my hopes up that I will really enjoy this class and make it part of my weekly fitness routine.

Blogger

Let me start this entry by stating my love for online journaling.
I cannot journal on paper, I have tried through the years (all of the partially filled journals on my bookshelf are proof of that). I really do love posting in an online journal though.
I have been using LiveJournal since the age of 15.
Looking back, I realize that for over 10 years I have been sharing my deepest, darkest, most private thoughts and day-to-day experiences on the internet (yikes!). Something about pushing the "private" button when I post makes me feel safe, although I understand now that I truly have no control over who sees my entries, I am still convinced that internet journaling is a great outlet for me.
My Nana would be rolling in her grave to see this, I'm sure. She was the old-timer who would still call in an order to a catalog, paying by check VS placing an order online (too many weirdos out there who will steal her card number and bankrupt her, ya know?). *I promise Nana, nothing bad will happen to me for posting my opinion on the internet*

Recently my attention and interest has shifted from LJ to blogging. When I say "recently", what I really mean is "for a few years", even more recently I have become somewhat of a blog addict.
I read blogs all the time. Like, ALL the time.
Friends, acquaintances, professionals, cooking/baking, crafts, parenting... you name it. I've seen/read it.

I am a wannabe blogger. That's for sure.
I have fantasized about writing a blog for months now (about what? I haven't figured that out yet... that could be my problem.).

My goal (as of right now) is to take inspiration from all my favorite blogs and do a mish-mash of their styles... until I find my own.

Time to make this a reality, today is the first step towards my personal blogging experience!