HaPpY nEw YeAr!1!

Please, don't get me started on New Year's Resolutions! That'll be another post. :)

Well, well, well... this stepford wife finds herself and The Husband staying in tonight. It's one of the biggest date-nights of the year, but I'm OK with that. In fact, I decided that this would be the perfect time to try not one, but two new recipes!

I've been thinking about tonight's dinner all week. The Husband is working today so, of course, this dinner should be extra special. I want my husband to know how much I appreciate him bringing home the bacon all year long. :) Anyway, I defrosted the beef shank from the freezer. Or I should say grass-fed, natural beef shank.

OK- it's called a shank but really, it's part of the leg. That means it can be tough from all that walking a grass-fed, natural beef cow would do. It also means that it's full of beef flavor! I decided to try this recipe. Google also pulled up a FoodNetwork recipe, but I really like the way this was written, as if by a sister-stepford wife! So, I journeyed to Whole Foods and picked up everything I needed, fighting the crowds in the parking lot and listening to bawling children caught eating the bulk yogurt pretzels. Anyhoo, I got home and got cookin'! It's now simmering on the stovetop and only needs another 2 1/2 hours to go. My entire domain smells rich and meaty. mmMMmm....

Tomorrow, we're going to a New Year's brunch at my sister's house. Since I now have a gluten sensitivity (yes, I am a sensitive woman after all) I thought I'd make a gluten-free chocolate raspberry cake. And, since it's San Francisco I made it vegan as well. This took a bit more research than the cow leg. I mean, there's a ton of vegan cake recipes out there, but they all use stuff I'm not sure about, like tofu and strange egg-substitutes. Anyways, I found a recipe that seemed to satisfy me. I depended a lot on the reviews. The dough tasted OK- not great but then again, there's no gluten. or eggs. or butter. or milk.

Now the cakes (ooOOoo... yes, it made two round cakes) are out and cooling on a rack on the dining table and, I gotta tell ya', they look like cake. Score '1' for the vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free cake recipe. Tomorrow I'll make this chocolate icing and ice it at my sister's place. I mean, it's got chocolate in it so it can't be that bad.

Perhaps I'll let you all know tomorrow how it went.

My Way

For what is a woman, What has she got? If not herself then she has naught. To say the things she really feels and not the things of one who kneels.... Unless she has to kneel in order to get at the grime!

During the school year, hubby and I have an unwritten agreement: Don't complain about how the chore is done unless you want to do it. So for 9 months of the year I don't comment on much because I'm just too damn busy to do it myself and, really, I'm ever so grateful to hubby for picking up my slack.

However, summertime is my time and household chores get done my way. To be honest, it's only a few little things (but all you married ladies know that it's all about the little things in a relationship), and here they are:
1. Dishes are washed my way.
2. The food storage containers are stored my way.
3. Laundry is separated my way.
4. Bathroom towels are arranged my way.
5. Floors are swept and mopped my way.
6. Dinners are made my way.

And, there's nothing the hubby can do about it!

Unless he wants to do them himself. :)

Satisfaction

One of my greatest satisfying moments comes at the end of the day. After dinner is made and eaten; after the dishes are washed; after the pots and pans are dried and put away. When the kitchen counter and stovetop are cleaned and wiped, the floor is swept (and sometimes Swiffered) and the kitchen is nice and clean. It's like leaving a hug for me to fall into the next day.

Ahhhhh..... can you feel it, too? I love going to bed knowing that when I wake up and groggily head for the kitchen in the morning everything is neat and tidy. My shiny kettle smiles at me while I fill it in my cheery empty sink. I don't have to worry about making room on the counter for the (clean) cutting board because there's nothing on the counter! Even my food scale is buffed up and ready for anything.

Once breakfast is made, I take my plate and mug of coffee to my clutter-free table top. What better way to start your day?

Unlike my pre-Stepford wife days when I'd have to fumble through a tower of dirty dishes for skillet, plate, etc., wash said skillet, plate, etc., make my breakfast, then make room someplace for me to sit and eat. How did I manage to live that way for so long?

Good to Be Back!

Greetings! Oh, my, it is so good to be back! Now that summer is here I can finally free my inner Stepford wife. Although I've been on "vacation" since Friday, today feels like the first, full day of summer vacation and what a busy day it has been!

First of all, woke up to my three sweet girl ratties. Made myself coffee and kissed the husband good-bye. Then I made my own breakfast, finished my coffee, and went on a nice, long walk (need to get back into top Stepford wife shape!). Showered. Called a girlfriend of mine for lunch, but she was busy so I made my own lo-cal dish. Then it was off to the library to indulge in a stack of summer reading. (For starters, Sue Grafton's B Is for Burglar.)

Once home, I just sat on the sofa reading my book and watching episodes of Murder She Wrote. (I just love how she manages to solve each case with poise and manners.) I finally felt ready to do battle! I emptied the dish washer, cleaned the kitchen, took out some recycling, stored my classroom materials (4 crates of stuff), and did a load of laundry. I really wanted to make the husband something wonderful for dinner, but we're on the Primal Diet and all his old favorites are not PD friendly. So, I figured I'd just do his usual chores for him so that he can relax this evening. Honestly, I think he'd appreciate that more.