All posts by Nichole

The return of the slow cooker

01/03/2011 Nichole 1 Comment

As we were driving all over the world over the last few weeks, Rockford and I worked on developing some some family goals for 2011. They’re not resolutions, necessarily, but things we’re going to be working toward over the course of the year. One of my personal goals was to do a better job making healthy, tasty dinners when Rockford is out of town. He’s actually here all of this week, but I didn’t think it would be good to use that as an excuse to eat mac & cheese for dinner again.

Monday: Roasted chicken

My dad got me a new slow cooker for Christmas (thanks Dad!), and this will be its inaugural meal. We’ll also be having green peas and mashed potatoes.

Tuesday: McAlister’s

Rockford likes McAlister’s, but he rarely gets to go with us on kids’ night. Because that’s something we usually only indulge in when he’s out of town. But this week, because we like him, we’re going to take him with us.

Wednesday: Warm fajita salad and quesadillas

Rockford will be grilling a marinated skirt steak for this. I’ll be putting salad in bowls and warming up the corn and black beans.

Thursday: Margarita pork chops

This recipe comes from the gigantic Southern Living cookbook my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. (Except that it was for pork tenderloin, but the grocery didn’t have any that weren’t already in a marinade. So chops it is.)

Friday: Homemade pizza

I hit upon a big “well duh” moment on the pizza front recently: I bought a bunch of precut veggies from the salad bar at our grocery store, making pizza night even easier. I’ll be doing it again this week.

Family matters

Playing favorites in Twenty-Ten

01/01/2011 Nichole

Happy New Year, pals! It’s time for the annual ButterscotchSundae Favorite Things Roundup! Last year I posted my list separately from everyone else’s. Not so this year. Here’s the list:

Favorite Show

Rockford and I both chose the Best Show on Television, the tragically under-appreciated “Friday Night Lights.” Its last season is currently airing on DirecTV, and I expect to cry like a tiny baby when it’s over.

Poppy picked “Team Umizoomi,” even though she hardly ever watches it. I don’t think she was feeling the spirit of the annual survey this year.

Pete went with the always-entertaining “Sesame Street.”

Favorite Food

Homemade pizza topped Rockford’s list, making me feel sort of bad for only making it maybe twice all year.

Poppy’s pick for 2010 is macaroni and cheese.

Peanut butter sandwiches were Petey’s choice this year. This one was a hard one for him to narrow down, because he loves all the food.

The best thing I ate this year were the tacos at the Mitsitam Cafe in the National Museum of the American Indian. The cafeteria there serves “the indigenous cuisines of the Americas,” and the beef tacos from the Mesoamerican section are unbelievably delicious.

Favorite Drink

Rockford’s favorite drink of 2010 was Lindemans Framboise, a raspberry-flavored lambic beer.

Cream soda is my favorite drink of all time ever.

Poppy chose grape juice as her favorite this year, which leads me to believe I should start buying that instead of apple.

And Pete. Goofy, wonderful little Pete. His favorite beverage of 2010? Pomegranate juice.

Favorite Song

Rockford and I were unable to answer this one. I’ve always had a hard time picking a favorite song.

Poppy just watched “Beauty and the Beast” on Thursday, so she picked “Be Our Guest” as her favorite song of 2010.

Pete’s favorite song of 2010 was the “VeggieTales” theme. As evidenced by the fact that he sings it 100 times a day.

Favorite Book

Kate diCamillo’s “Mercy Watson” books were Poppy’s favorite this year.

“Dinosaur Days” topped Pete’s list. He’s very into dinosaurs these days.

As far as he can remember, Rockford only read one book this year. It was a collection of HP Lovecraft short stories. And so it wins by default.

My favorite this year was the “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins. I wasn’t expecting it to be all that great, but I couldn’t stop reading the books.

Favorite Game

Rockford’s game of the year is Lost Cities. It’s a 2-player card game that we play quite frequently.

Pete’s favorite is Candyland. I’m guessing because there’s so much candy on the board.

Poppy chose a game she got for Christmas, called Cat & Mouse. She has a travel version of the game; here’s a link to the original.

My favorite is Settlers of Catan, I think. Although I have been playing more than my share of Zuma Blitz on the Facebooks lately.

Favorite Restaurant
We all picked local restaurants as our favorites this year. Poppy and Rockford stuck with their favorite barbecue joint, Pete chose a Mexican restaurant, and I picked a local Southern comfort food establishment.

Flotsam / Jetsam

Let’s talk about 2010

12/30/2010 Nichole 6 Comments

It’s time once again for the All & Sundry Yearly Recap, which is a thing that I did in ’06, ’07 and ’08 but apparently skipped last year. I thought about waiting until tomorrow to hit publish, just in case I learn a major life lesson or do something I’ve never done tomorrow. But then I decided I could just update it if that happens. So here you go: 2010. Time it was and what a time it was, it was.

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?: I worked on a Habitat for Humanity house, and I went to a social media conference. Both things took me out of my comfort zone — aka my own living room — and I enjoyed them both quite a lot despite that.
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? : I don’t make resolutions.

January 2010. It was very, very snowy.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? : My stepsister Kristy and my good friends Brook & Mike had babies this year. They’re both boys, and they’re both ridiculously cute.
4. Did anyone close to you die? : No.

February 2010. That shirt? It most definitely doesn't fit anymore.
5. What countries did you visit?: I didn’t go anywhere, but Rockford went to Germany, France, Spain, the UK, Canada and Brazil.
 
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?: More time at home with Rockford. He’s traveled a lot for work this year, and we miss him when he’s gone.

March 2010. We celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday.
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?: I have an astonishingly bad memory. So… none.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? : n/a

April 2010. Rockford went to Brazil, but not before I took this picture.
9. What was your biggest failure?: Not losing that 40 pounds. Again.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?: I found out that I have chronic tendonitis in my left foot. An injury that’s equal parts boring and painful!

May 2010. We went to Washington DC.
11. What was the best thing you bought?: An automatic pet feeder for Marsha T. Cat. It means she no longer meows at my face at 6am.
12. Where did most of your money go?: Paying off debt. Bah. The good news is, we’re making some headway.

June 2010. Pete needed a haircut. Badly.
13. What did you get really excited about?: Every single one of Rockford’s post-trip arrivals.
14. What song will always remind you of 2010?: n/a

July 2010. We were on a boat.
15. Compared to this time last year, are you: : happier or sadder? I think I’ve maintained the same level of happiness
thinner or fatter? About the same, I think.
richer or poorer? Also about the same.
16. What do you wish you’d done more of? 

Exercise.

August 2010. We played a lot of Toy Story.

17. What do you wish you’d done less of? 

Worrying.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

At my dad’s, with my brother and my uncles and their families. It was loud and lovely.

September 2010. Poppy started playing soccer.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

“Friday Night Lights.” I’m going to miss Coach T something awful when the series ends.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

“Born Round” by Frank Bruni and the “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins.
  
October 2010. Pete's first motorcycle ride.

21. What was your favorite music from this year? 

Blitzen Trapper and the Avett Brothers.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

We didn’t see very many movies this year. “Inception” blew my mind.

November 2010. We trashed my brother-in-law's leaf pile.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

According to my web log, I folded laundry and made dinner on my birthday. We went to my sister-in-law’s house for a birthday celebration the following weekend, though. It was my 32nd birthday.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Less money stress. I’m not saying I’d like to win the lottery or anything, but a small money tree would be nice.

December 2010. We went sledding.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?

Chunky casual. (Jeans + sweatshirt = me).

26. What kept you sane?

My family. (Of course, they sometimes drive me in the other direction, too.) And you, my friends out there in the wide world.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. 

There’s no such thing as having too much toilet paper in the house. (I don’t have a Tale of Woe to back this up, but you know it’s true.)
16. What do you wish you’d done more of? : Exercise.

August 2010. We played a lot of Toy Story.
17. What do you wish you’d done less of? : Worrying.
18. How did you spend Christmas?: At my dad’s, with my brother and my uncles and their families. It was loud and lovely.

September 2010. Poppy started playing soccer.
19. What was your favorite TV program?: “Friday Night Lights.” I’m going to miss Coach T something awful when the series ends.
20. What were your favorite books of the year?: “Born Round” by Frank Bruni and the “Hunger Games” series by Suzanne Collins.
  
October 2010. Pete's first motorcycle ride.
21. What was your favorite music from this year? : Blitzen Trapper and the Avett Brothers.
22. What were your favorite films of the year?: We didn’t see very many movies this year. “Inception” blew my mind.

November 2010. We trashed my brother-in-law's leaf pile.
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?: According to my web log, I folded laundry and made dinner on my birthday. We went to my sister-in-law’s house for a birthday celebration the following weekend, though. It was my 32nd birthday.
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?: Less money stress. I’m not saying I’d like to win the lottery or anything, but a small money tree would be nice.

December 2010. We went sledding.
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?: Chunky casual. (Jeans + sweatshirt = me).
26. What kept you sane?: My family. (Of course, they sometimes drive me in the other direction, too.) And you, my friends out there in the wide world.
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. : There’s no such thing as having too much toilet paper in the house. (I don’t have a Tale of Woe to back this up, but you know it’s true.)