Man I am so Emo today....

There are times in this life where everything seems to go wrong, and you cannot seem to catch a break. You stop and wonder if you made it this way. Was it something I did wrong in my past? Is God punishing me for all the bad things I have done? Was it somebody I did not mean to hurt? Or was it someone I did? Is it karma? Are all the good things I have done in this life too little to make up for my mistakes?

I hate these times, and lately they seem to be coming all too often for me. It is always when I slowly get optimistic about something that everything just goes wrong. I have not really been able to enjoy all the blessings that have come my way because the bad just keeps on beating me down every chance I get.

I know. I am so depressing. I even annoy myself. I know I sound so whiney. Still, it helps me to vent. I need to let it out otherwise I’ll go crazy. Well, more crazy than I normally am, and Lord knows that it EXTREMELY crazy. *sigh*

Let me just say that I have tried to right my wrongs. I am truly trying to be a good person. I am not cruel, and even though I have though ill will on people who have hurt me, I would never want it to happen. I have even gone out of my way for a few people to try to make it better. I’ve done my part, so now it is up to them.

So my question is, why? Why does life continue to beat me down? I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. The only good part out of all of this is my loving husband and two wonderful children. At least I am not alone.

Cooking Staples

Seeing how I am in such a food talking mood today, I decided to post what I feel are staples in my kitchen. In my opinion, any person can follow a recipe, but a cook can make a recipe their own with the correct seasonings. I always make sure to have the following spices on hand:

• Garlic Powder (not Garlic Salt- as I like a LOT of garlic in my dishes and using Garlic Salt can make a dish too salty)
• Onion Powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Dried Basil (perfect for Italian Cooking)
• Oregano (ditto)
• Cajun Seasoning (such as Slap yo Mamma or Tony Chacheres-use like salt)
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Allspice

Ok, so those are just a few. You'd be better off getting a spice rack that has most of these on it, and then supplementing the rest. Try new seasonings too. You never know what you will like.

Now for other items. I always keep rice (different varieties, but mainly long grain), a variety of noodles, all-purpose flour, sugar (white, powdered, and brown),  baking powder, baking soda, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, powdered buttermilk, bread, milk, canned veggies (any variety the family likes), plus many more.

Now, buy meat when it is on sale. If you think you will use it, buy it and freeze it. I usually wait until the price gets reduced. As long as you freeze it by the day of sale, you should be ok. We recently switched to ground turkey from ground beef to try and be healthier. Ironically, we have found it to be WAY cheaper than the ground beef offered at our stores. I usually buy 3 lbs for $5. I also try to keep some type of pork on hand, some type of stew meat, and I ALWAYS have frozen chicken. I usually buy the already frozen boneless chicken. This way I do not have to separate it after purchase to freeze it. Plus it is easier to grab one at a time instead of defrosting more than you need. I have also found it cheaper at times too to purchase them this way. Also, buy in bulk if it is cheaper. You can separate it when you get home and seal it is individual bags for later use.

Now, with these main staples, you have tons of different options for meals. Of course I did not add everything I keep in stock, but it is a start for anyone looking to keep a base.

I might start posting recipes on here too. Cooking is my passion. So if it makes me happy, why not share the love. :)

Canning... Yay!!

So I got my Ball Home Canning Kit delivered today, and I am sooooo excited to try it. Unfortunately my largest pot is not big enough to use, so it is a trip to Wal-Mart tomorrow to get supplies and a new pot. I cannot wait to try out some new recipes with family and friends! I might try some practice runs before then though. I don't want to poison anyone! Lol. Plus that way I can try out some good recipes to share with everybody.

OMG 80's Cartoons!

Ok, even if you did not grow up in the 80's, you have to admit that the decade brought forth some of the best cartoons. Even the ideas that they came up with for cartoons were so awesome that they surpassed the whole decade. For example... ideas like Transformers and GI Joe became hit movies, Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Strawberry Shortcake have been redone and adored by a new generation, and toys based on some of the cartoons are still making big bucks.

Now, because of a friend of mine and a gossip website's advertising, I have discovered the Hub Network. What is the Hub network you ask (or don't but I am going to tell you anyway)? This is Hub Network: http://www.hubworld.com/

They have remade My Little Pony and Pound Puppies, both I will admit I like. Plus they have originals like GI Joe and Jem! I loooooooooove my Jem!!! They also boast Fraggle Rock, Transformers, and Conan the cartoon!!

Anyway, if you do not have that channel, I HIGHLY recommend you get it. Now, excuse me while I go watch a recording of Jem. Yeah, it's truly outrageous.

Boudin! Boudin! Boudin!

I LOVE boudin. It actually is my favorite food. You know the one where if you were stranded on a deserted island with only one thing to eat for the rest of your life? Yup, boudin is mine.

Anyway, last weekend was my brother's college graduation, and we had to make a trip out to Lake Charles to go and see it. Well the last couple of times we went out there I had been wanting to stop by Hackett's Cajun Kitchen for some boudin. (link found here http://www.hackettscajunkitchen.com/ ) They make some of the best (if not the very best) boudin I have ever ate. Growing up I remember being in my Maw Maw's kitchen during a family gathering and having tons of packets of Hackett's boudin all over the place--crawfish, mild, spicy, shrimp, etc.. Ah memories.

With that being said, they close early. How early you ask? 3pm on the dot. I always miss them when I head out there because it seems we are always in a rush. This last trip we finally made it. We had to head into town to get a card at Walmart for my brother after his graduation (procrastinate much?), and sure enough I saw it was open. I made sure to get a big cooler also at Walmart and we rushed our way out of there. We made it with an hour to spare! I got me some crawfish boudin, mild smoked boudin, and some andouille sausage for my gumbo.

Fast forward to today. It is the last day of school and also a half day. The kids will get home hungry so I decided to just pop a frozen pizza in the oven for their lunch. As I head out into the garage and open the freezer door, there was the boudin staring up at me. I had forgotten about it in my tired daze over the last week of school! I grabbed me the crawfish boudin and stuck it in my steamer on the stove.

Wow! I forgot how delicious it was! DELICIOUS!! (just in case I did not make myself clear, lol) I ate about a half a pound by myself, and I now need to go work off the calories. So worth it though. So worth it......

Oh and for those who are not familiar with what boudin is, here is a link that describes it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudin

Although, Cajun boudin is usually just rice dressing stuffed into a sausage case.

Whoot whoot!!

I get to do a canning party! Ok, I know that most of you are not as excited about this as I am, but I LOVE to cook! So this is a wonderful thing for me! I always wanted to learn how to can, and I even begged James to buy me a kit last year for Christmas. He decided to get me a bread maker instead, but I think I just saved him from having to get me one for my birthday. Lol.

Anyway, I am pretty sure I am going to suck it up and start culinary school next Spring. I have to get all of my other affairs in order first. But yes! Oh yeah! Canning baby. That's what I am talking about. Soon I will have my fresh homemade salsa canned and packed for gifting, and maybe soon selling.

Yummy Updates!

I haven’t blogged in a very long time, so I guess it is time for an update!  Loving the new house, and we are slowly but surely changing things to make it our own. Of course we still have a lot to do, but all in due time. Next up is our kitchen and bathrooms.


I still am not working, although I have been looking. No one seems to want me though. I guess all in due time.

The kids are doing well. William has started his ADHD medication 2 weeks ago, and he is doing a lot better. I think we will have to up his dosage, because it wears off so quickly, but we can still see the difference. Brisa is reading a lot better too. Not much more to report on that end.

In the end, I am hoping more good things are to come. We have a fertility specialist appointment this upcoming Tuesday. Hopefully something good will come out of it. Well when there is more to report, I guess I’ll report it. Write back soon (I hope).