FEBRUARY WRAP-UP

Well a worn out welcome to the last day of the month to you! How are you doing today? Me… well I’m tired really… very sore and tired but let me tell you I had one of the best times yesterday! I always have a good time when I am with my parents. I gotta say my mom is my best girl friend (above only my daughter!)… as long as we don’t live together LOL! I finally told my daughter why I haven’t been feeling real well and then I broke down and cried in her hug. I feel like I let her down. She says not but I did scare her… understandable. I promised her I wouldn’t ever do that again. And for this family… the “P” word is a BIG deal… you do NOT say it unless you will keep it!

Ok, so I told you yesterday that my parents and I were going to the BIG Farmer’s Market in Houston right? Granted my parents have been to that one, but I never have so it was very exciting! (Oh and BTW Thank you Hazel for the sweet comment. I try to make all my outings fun… not just shopping. But we did have a blast and its something I wish all my followers and friends could do! I would love to meet some of you guys and gals one day! That would be awesome!) It was definitely an adventure let me tell you… I floated all day! I know… you are thinking that I am a super weirdo for being made happy by fresh produce, but when you love cooking like I do, well what can I say LOL!



Here I am outside the front entrance to the biggest Farmer’s Market I have ever been to! OMG it was huge… my mom made joked about the size of my eyeballs when we first walked in and she was right LOL! I was in heaven! Oh the things I could do with all that produce!



Here I am again LOL (Everyone is lucky… I normally HATE pics of myself taken, but I wanted you all to see my adventures LOL). This time you see me picking out this HUGE 10-15 yellow onion! It was at least 1 pound by itself I swear… bigger than a softball if you can imagine it! I mean look at it in my hand! I have HUGE hands LMAO!



This is my Dad… everyone say HI Dad! LOL… I took this picture right before we had the coolest experience! Ok, so I was talking to Dad and explaining about the yummy Chili Rellenos with the HUGE poblano peppers (while I am grabbing them LOL). Ok so this older lady is standing next to me and I thought I was in her way… so did my dad LOL. We went to move and I apologized for being in her way and she was like “Oh no dear I’m listening to you!” I was like OH Ok lol and kept with my “cooking lesson” LOL. Before I know it I had a group of people standing around listening! I got 15 minutes of fame. I was important and people were truly interested in what I was saying! Oh it was the coolest feeling! I wore a huge grin and swore I was floating on air the rest of the day LOL. My parents just laughed!



This is my mom… the mastermind behind MY mastermind (cooking, sewing, you name it! This lovely wonderful lady taught me everything I know!). In this picture, she was browsing some of the wonderful produce from the individual sellers booths. We found some HUGE and very yummy produce from the individuals for great prices. Softball size avocados, 18 in. tall pineapples, you name it. I even found a plant (I can’t remember what it was called) but it was like Spanish Broccoli. It was interesting and if I could remember what it was called, I could research it and maybe try it the next time I go! But look at all the beautiful food around my mom!



Here is my Dad and I outside the Spice Market. OMG this place is like the super duper spice house! Outside you can find ceramics and such. It’s on the corner of the road- across from the farmers produce area and next door to the fresh bakery! I think my map says that you can find this building at the intersection of OMG and WOW!LOL!



And here I am (acting goofy LOL) in spice heaven! OMG there was nothing but walls and walls of spices! Anything you can possibly imagine! Things you can find everywhere and things you can’t hardly find at all… like my SMOKED paprika! OMG and my chili fruit powder! YUMMYYYY!! So I got a scoop of each! Trust me I could have got more, but I was practicing restraint! LOL… This could easily be a C-note shop… oh yea baby! So many new meals could come out of this little corner of heaven!



This is the pretty load I ended up with. The potatoes were bigger than my hand, huge onions, tall pineapples, the monster head of cabbage I got for around $1.30 (it was a 4 pd. Cabbage!), the huge zucchinis, you name it! Oh my brain was going 90 to nothing walking around this gold mine of greenery! As I walked through the aisles, I was getting new ideas of things to try!

After our day at the city blocks full of food, we set off on the adventure to find 2 of these salvage grocery stores. Well we found the first one in a very unattractive area of town, so we decided to go to the other one on our side of town. OK… found it, so let’s look. Inside was a migraine producing mess of mainly expired stuff! They had a few things of soon to expire, but for the most part I was so not impressed. I bought a few things, but not many… and we left. I won’t be recommending or visiting those 2 locations anymore! My mother-in-law tells my husband that the one up by her is an absolute awesome place… but I am not going all that way for a few groceries that I can find locally.

After the Salvage Grocer, we headed back towards our area of town. We stopped for lunch at Red Lobster and had a lot more laughs and fun. We also had a great meal as well. I thought my Dad was going to pass tea and clam chowder through his nose at one point LOL. I had him laughing about I couldn’t take home food because it was evidence LMAO. He said the “smell of shrimp and crab might give me away” LOL So I said no it won’t… watch this! I squeezed the lemon over my hands and began rubbing them together LOL! Then he started giggling so I said LOOK perfume! And I rubbed the lemon slice behind my ears and on my wrists LMAO! Both my parents were laughing so I was happy. They laughed a lot yesterday and that was the best part. They deserve that… to have fun and be happy!

Alright ladies and gents, its time for The Bucket List! As you know, the last few days I have been working on my list of “life goals” ever since my mom showed me the March issue of Texas Monthly. I told ya’ll that I would make a list of 100 things (cause I would like to think I still have quite a while to fill it LOL!) I want to do before I kick the bucket. At first, the ideas came easy… I thought I would finish it in no time flat right? NOPE… Six hours after I had started it, I was only on #50 and it stayed there until Saturday! WOW… it also made me realize what a boring person I have been… and so much of a hermit! LOL Then I looked at the list I had made so far and said… OMG I like some weird stuff! LOL. But the weird and unusual normally makes for extraordinary memories! And that’s what I want ya know? When I was diagnosed with Cancer and the doctor I had at the time said some rather “harsh” things to me, I remember going out for a walk just to clear my head. At that moment I actually noticed that the world had color! I mean how blue the sky was, green of the grass, and even the rainbow of colors in the trash on the side of the road! Somehow, since being in remission, I have lost those colors again and perhaps this bucket list is what I needed to help bring them back! As, Phil Keoghan, the host of the television show, “The Amazing Race,” said, ditch the excuses...seize the opportunity... to live life now! With no more shoulda, coulda, or woulda… so that’s what I am gonna do… TRY to live each day like it’s my last… or at minimum, like the day of my diagnosis. But I think I’m gonna stick with 50 right now and when I cross something off, I will add another… If you have ideas, by all means let me know. I know some will say “What about skydiving or swimming with dolphins, etc.) but ya know this evaluation of myself has made me realize I’m not really into those kinds of things. But I WILL listen to all your ideas! So without further ado… here is Renee’s Bucket List (Not necessarily done in this order! LOL)!

1. Sip a Dublin Dr. Pepper at the factory in Dublin.
2. Take in the River Walk at Christmas in San Antonio.
3. See the Marfa Lights.
4. See the King of Rock and Roll in Los Fresnos.
5. Spray Paint a Car at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.
6. Eat a Chicken Fried Steak at Mary’s Café in Strawn, TX.
7. Visit the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.
8. Enter a Chili Cookoff.
9. Visit Graceland in Memphis, TN.
10. Visit the World’s Largest Wooden Nickel in San Antonio.
11. Visit the World’s Largest Cowboy Boots in San Antonio.
12. Visit the Milk Bottle Building in Corpus Christi.
13. Visit the Tee Pee Courts in Wharton, TX.
14. Visit sites in San Antonio- the Alamo, Seaworld, Ripley’s, etc.
15. Visit the World’s Largest Fire Hydrant in Beaumont.
16. Take the kids to Disneyland or Disney World.
17. Visit Ground Zero to properly pay my respects.
18. Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Mescalero, NM.
19. Shop a Farmer’s market in France.
20. Visit at least 1 city/town in each one of the 50 States.
21. Write and publish a book.
22. Own stocks in a Fortune 500 company to leave to my children.
23. Own or build a restaurant.
24. Visit the World’s Largest Oatmeal box in Oatmeal, TX.
25. Experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA
26. Meet Paula Deen and Emeril Lagasse.
27. Help build a Habitat for Humanity Home.
28. Live a 75% Green life (If not more)!
29. Visit the Titanic Wreckage aboard a submarine.
30. Buy at least 1 thing on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
31. Go on a wildlife photography safari.
32. Attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
33. Visit the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
34. Visit the World’s Largest Saxophone in Houston, TX.
35. Ghost Hunt on the U.S.S. Lexington in Corpus Christi.
36. Go to a Broadway stage show in New York.
37. Visit the Beer Can House in Houston, TX.
38. Spend a weekend on Bourbon Street/French Quarter in LA.
39. Design/Build and live on a farm/ranch- complete with animals.
40. Visit the Little Eiffel Tower in Paris, TX.
41. Visit the 7 Wonders of the World.
42. Take a picture in front of the Big Strawberry in Poteet, TX.
43. Eat and attend a show at Medieval Times.
44. Go to see “Old Sparky” at the Texas Prison Museum.
45. Visit the World’s Largest Rattlesnake in Freer, TX.
46. Shop a Farmer’s market in Italy.
47. Plant a Pecan Tree.
48. Visit Las Vegas at night.
49. Conquer my fear of heights.
50. Break a World Record.

Okie dokie… now how cool is that! I have a bucket list LMAO! Ok, now for some delicious food… I was chuckling quietly on how my mother was so loving her meal she bought and dad was loving the flavor too. Red Lobster recently added Wood-Fire Grills to all restaurants nationwide. In addition, Red Lobster added several new menu items - including Peach Bourbon BBQ Shrimp & Bacon Wrapped Scallops. And that is what my mom had for lunch. The meal consists of skewered, wood-grilled jumbo shrimp and bacon-wrapped sea scallops with a sweet peach-bourbon BBQ sauce, over crispy onion rings. So guess what… Just for you mom! I found the recipe for my mother’s lunch INCLUDING the sauce! I know my mother enjoyed and I hope you do to! (This recipe was provided by Michael LaDuke who is the Senior Executive Chef at Red Lobster and is responsible for leading the culinary team in the creation of fresh, delicious seafood for their menu.)



Peach Bourbon BBQ Shrimp & Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Ingredients

24 each 26-30 count peeled shrimp
24 each scallops
4 each Bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 10 - 15 minutes) for shrimp
4 each two-prong metal skewer for scallops
Olive Oil
24 each Bacon
Salt and pepper to taste

Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce

2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
¼ cup ripe fresh or frozen peaches (peeled, seeded and chopped), or substitute peach preserves
2 ½ Tbsp Bourbon

Preparation:

1. Place shrimp next to each other on a bamboo skewer, leaving room on either end. Make sure to cover the end of the skewer with foil so it doesn't burn.

2. Wrap one piece of bacon around each scallop and place scallops on a two-pronged skewer so they don't turn.

3. Brush both sides of the shrimp and scallops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

4. Place the shrimp and scallops on a medium hot grill. Keep an eye on them because they will cook quickly and you don't want to burn them.

5. Grill shrimp and scallops for approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Take them off the grill when they are about 80 percent done.

6. Add the Peach Bourbon BBQ sauce during the last moments of cooking or when the cooking is complete for added flavor.

Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring to a simmer while stirring for 8-10 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook down.
3. Cool and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Well, we’re to that part again where I tell you how I’m gonna get off here and go do something LOL but ya know… I’m not planning to do anything today LMAO! I’m am gonna be lazy and MAYBE piddle if I want to LMAO. If I get absolutely nothing accomplished, its not gonna bother me one bit LOL! I’ve been through and done a lot the last few days and this last day of the month I am gonna rest… just rest! If I want to nap at 3pm, then by golly I am gonna nap at 3pm! LMAO… So best wishes in whatever you set out to do today and I will see you again tomorrow! HUGS!!

NEW UPCOMING CONTEST

Well a big HI THERE and hello this precursory weekend morning! How are you doing today? If you’re well… glad to hear! If you’re not so good, I hope you feel better soon! I have something I am going to share with you today. Its really embarrassing, but I don’t want anyone else to suffer, if I can help it!

I am not doing real well the last few days and I think I know why. I (for the first time) purchased a “diet supplement” to aid in my weight loss. I have gained a substantial amount of weight due to an injury last summer and I want to get it off. At this point I will do just about anything to lose it. The excess weight is making my AVN worse, I have chest pains, no energy, etc. So I am always seeing this commercial (when I DO have the TV on) for a pill aimed at women specifically… called Slim Quick. Ok, so I take a chance and buy it… BIG… No GINORMOUS mistake! I should have researched it better. I am having extreme hot and cold flashes and muscle “cramps”. You ever get a Charlie horse? Ya know, when the muscle in your calf gets rock hard, painful, cold, and it’s just absolutely unbearable to the point of tears? Yea… not only am I having them in my calves, but in my back, my stomach, and even my face! I’ve been continuously nauseous for the past 2 days. I got the jitters and shakes real bad like I just drank 10 pots of coffee. I have chest pains when I breathe. I am not sleeping at night (partly due to the spasms/cramps). Headaches, and a bunch of the other “side effects” too! So I look the product up online and its seemingly common… a lot of people are having these symptoms. I really don’t know what I was thinking honestly. I stopped taking those stupid things and you better believe I am contacting them and getting my money back! So today I am gonna try to flush my system all day- water, cranberry juice, sweat, etc. I’m very embarrassed that I let my insecurities get the better of me and now I am paying dearly for it. So if you feel like I do, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consult your doctor, read up on the supplements, and reconsider your course of action. I’m going to go back to the natural way (now that I can move somewhat again) and walk it off, get more active, etc. My garden I think will help me start to be more active along with summer coming up and the kids being home, etc… I don’t know why I lost sight of that! I know everyone is different, but I think these things can be potentially dangerous to the wrong person(s). Be SUPER careful ladies. Losing weight is not worth your life.

Alright, being this is the last WEEKDAY of the month already (I know the time is flying by huh?), and I already gave you a sneak notice about the upcoming contest, let me fill you in on the details!

March Gardening Madness Contest

OK kids, I am hosting another contest. In order to promote the upcoming spring and gardens and growing your own foods and such… I am giving away a great prize. In this gift package, you will receive seed packets, hand tools for gardening, a pair of gloves, a book about gardening, a seed starting tray, and a $25 gift card to either Home Depot or Lowe’s so you can buy soils, plant foods, containers, etc.

Now here are the rules… The contest runs from March 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010- one full month. The morning of April 1st I will have my kids pick a winner based on who meets ALL requirements. You must #1- be a registered follower, #2- you must comment on the days I announce a “GARDEN COMMENT”, and #3- you must email me your full name and address so that I can mail your prize if you win. In your comments, you can discuss something you plan to do in your garden this upcoming spring. Share what you plan on planting/growing OR a craft to use in your garden, etc. You can also ask garden related questions. There MUST be something in your comment regarding gardening.

That’s it… when you think about it, this is an awesome prize really. You can grow your own food, which saves money on your grocery bill, and enjoy a hobby. This prize package could potentially be worth hundreds if not more if your garden flourishes well! I know I would be super stoked about it! Okie dokie, well good luck and I wish you all the best!

Now someone recently asked me why I am so “into” gardening. Well here’s a little insight to me LOL. Firstly, I’m not as into it as others… say my mom for instance. She had an AWESOME garden going and beautiful plants all over the place before the stupid Hurricane Ike. (But never fear mom, we WILL start getting it back together and beautiful again! I will help you!) I do however get very excited with what I can do in my situation. My landlord won’t let me plant in the ground, so all my gardening and plants are container gardening. I started years ago when I was undergoing chemotherapy with just a few plants. I found it very therapeutic and it gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment. I was saving money by growing my own foods and helping the earth by having plants that were recycling Oxygen and CO2, etc. It made things look pretty as well! It was exciting to watch these things grow. I knew it was not treated with any potentially harmful chemicals… it was organic if you will. It’s also a good teaching tool. Our children need to know the value of hard work and responsibility. What better way than to grow your own food? It also becomes a science lesson for them. They learn about water cycles, photosynthesis, germination, etc. Gardening and attending to my plants also keeps me moving… I don’t become sedentary and make my health issues worse. It forces me to move because I know that no one is going to attend to my garden if I don’t and all my hard work, time, and even money will be wasted! Gardens- be it food or flower- also attract wildlife. Nature comes a bit closer to your life for you to enjoy! Butterflies, birds, bees, hummingbirds, etc. as well as some not-so-wanted critters as well. But with proper precautions you can keep nature and the fruits of your labor at a happy medium. Just if you see some big ugly worms that you just wanna smash… check to make sure those aren’t gonna become butterflies! LMAO! Right mom? LMAO!! Anyway, these are just a few reasons why I am so thrilled about gardening and I hope that I can inspire you and get you just as excited too! OK so the stinkbugs ate a handful of your cherry tomatoes and the cats think the flowerbed is a gigantic litter box… SO WHAT?! It’s still a very positive experience (in my book anyway) LOL!

Ok, so in the mind frame of being green, I saw a cute craft on Thrifty fun that I want to share with you today. It’s for a recycled wrapping paper organizer made from large pet food or bird seed bags… check these out!



Craft Idea of the Day: Recycled Wrapping Paper Organizer Shoe Bag

I made another project from some recycled bags. These came from empty bird seed bags that a friend gave me. They are colorful and the pretty birds made them nice and bright. In fact, I had so much paper, that I had to make two. Helped free up some space in my closet.

On the one side, I put lots of spots for rolled paper, and on the other side, I put exclusively pockets for gift bags and boxes. I did not have to worry about putting any cardboard or supporting materials in the inside or the pockets, as the weight of the boxes and paper kept it very supported.

So the only materials I needed were two bags for each project, some thread and a hanger for each. I plan for my next projects to be a much longer organizer for a door and more bags.

By hoptownracer1 from USA

And now… The bucket list. Remember we talked about it yesterday? Well I started mine and OMG I can’t believe how many things I already came up with. 6 hours and I got 50 things! It made me think how little I have actually lived and gave me an insight to how boring I think I am LMAO! Be on the lookout, probably Sunday, for mine. I would love to hear your life goals too! I’m also making a list of things I have ALREADY done. It’s actually an amazing insight to your personality. I can’t recommend it enough. Life is very precious and you should value every moment of it… maybe this is the way for some of us to do that? And what I thought really funny was when I laid down last night to TRY to go to bed, I turned on a rerun of Criminal Minds and one of the main characters- Gideon- was injured and talking about HIS list (he only had 25 things though LOL). Uncanny timing huh?!

Ok, I’m sitting here wondering if the sick feeling I am having this morning will go away if I eat something. One thing I do have to admit, that stupid pill did suppress my appetite quite a bit. I think I have eaten about 1/5 of what I normally do in the last couple of days! But as I sit here, I am actually very hungry! I want food! And I’m not talking about a rice cake and a carrot… I mean real food! Fattening, stick to your ribs, down home yumminess!!!! Fried fish… yea that sounds good… check this recipe for catfish out (which I think HEB has on sale with a combo loco this week!).



Parmesan Pecan Fried Catfish

Ingredients

2 pounds catfish fillets, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup ground pecans
2/3 cup plain yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon paprika
2 large eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil

Preparation

1. Place catfish and buttermilk in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Seal and chill 1 hour. Remove catfish from buttermilk, discarding buttermilk.

2. Combine pecans and next 4 ingredients in a shallow bowl. Dip fish in eggs; dredge in pecan mixture, shaking off excess. Arrange on a baking sheet. Pour oil to depth of 1 1/2 inches into a cast-iron Dutch oven or 12-inch (2 1/4-inch-deep) cast-iron skillet; heat to 350°. Fry fish, in batches, 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown and fish flakes with a fork. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels.

** Parmesan-Pecan Fried Chicken: Substitute 2 lb. chicken breast tenders for catfish. Fry 3 minutes or until done.

OK gang, I am gonna get off of here and go try to get some things around here done. I am also gonna go float myself silly… which means me and the potty will be good friends today LMAO! Ya’ll take care and be safe. You are all very precious to me! HUGS!

THE BUCKET LIST

Good morning my fantastic frugalers! How are you doing this bright and sunny day? I am doing well… didn’t get much sleep, but I am surprisingly well. I wanna thank my readers for the comments… and Jean you get well soon! I got lots of things accomplished yesterday so I was real proud! I got some errands run, decoupaged a milk jug bird feeder, repotted some of my plants, got some seeds started in some peat pots, and I found my hummingbird feeder, so I hung that up on the front porch. I made some breakfast burritos for the kids for mornings this week, dinner cooked, and a bunch of other things and STILL managed to watch my show LOL! It wasn’t a new episode though, so I was a little bummed, but next week looks good and it IS new!

OK, so yesterday I mentioned the article in the march issue of Texas Monthly called “The Bucket List”. I went out and got a copy so we could discuss it… mom’s got hers, so who of my Texas readers got yours? LOL… In a nutshell, this article says there are at least 63 things in Texas that people should do (Texans) before they die. Some of these things my mom and I (or individually or our whole family) have done and there are some my mom would love to do! Let’s run through the list and if I need to explain about one… well I will LOL!

1. Take the Ultimate Road Trip- it says to drive from the Panhandle to Brownsville. Now I have taken a trip from Houston to about 10-15 minutes away from Brownsville (I think) into South Padre Island and let me tell you… that is an 8 hour trip. So if you are gonna take ANY lengthy road trip, do it with someone you enjoy being around LOL! I was lucky… I was with my mom!

2. Eat BBQ at Snow’s in Lexington

3. See Willie at Floore’s in Helotes (Willie as in Nelson)

4. Play Chicken Shit Bingo (Sorry for the language Mom! You know I don’t cuss in front of you LOL)- My mother has done this at Chili & BBQ cookoffs… I personally have not.

5. See the World in San Antonio



6. Visit the State Fair of Texas in Dallas- I have done this and let me just tell you… you better have some good walking shoes, a lot of time, and even more cash! LOL… oh and a really big appetite!

7. Explore Palo Duro Canyon

8. Buy a pair of custom boots- Been there, done that… too expensive to do again LOL!

9. Float a River



10. Sip a Dublin Dr. Pepper at the factory in Dublin

11. Attend a Party at the McDonald Observatory, near Fort Davis

12. Marvel at the Painted Churches in Little Bohemia

13. Visit the Dead in Fort Worth- I’ve done this too… super creepy- especially at night!

14. Order a Ribeye at Perini Ranch Steakhouse, in Buffalo Gap

15. Take in the River Walk at Christmas in San Antonio- Mom ALMOST got to do this one!

16. Climb Mount Cristo Rey near El Paso

17. Dive in at Dolan Falls along the Devil’s River

18. Drive the River Road near Lajitas

19. Drink a free beer at the K. Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner

20. Fish with your kids at Caddo Lake

21. Learn to ride a horse- Got this one covered too!

22. Eat Calf Fries at Riscky’s Steakhouse in Fort Worth- NO THANKS!

23. Witness the annual corral spawning in the Gulf of Mexico

24. Nap beneath the Ancient Oak in Austin

25. Learn the Two-Step- I SOOOOO have this one covered!

26. Visit Donald Judd’s 100 Mill Aluminum Boxes in Marfa

27. Discover Santa Rita No. 1 in Texon



28. Order a Brown Derby at your favorite Dairy Queen- OMG my mom used to take us to get these all the time! DELISH!!!

29. Watch the Swiftettes in Nazareth

30. See the Marfa lights

31. Have a drink at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas

32. Swing your partner at the Conjunto Festival in San Antonio

33. Rev your Engine at the Art Car Parade in Houston

34. Read Horseman, Pass by Larry McMurtry

35. Memorize the Texas Pledge of Allegiance

36. Get your Mexican Food Fix at H&H Car Wash & Coffee shop in El Paso

37. Ride the Ferry between Galveston and the Bolivar Peninsula- OMG done this so many times its not even funny!

38. Lose yourself in history in Amarillo

39. Attend a day party at SXSW in Austin

40. Pour whiskey on John Wesley Hardin’s Grave in El Paso

41. See the King of Rock and Roll in Los Fresnos- ok we drove right through this when we were going to South Padre to see my grandma… and I SOOOOO wanted to see it! Mom, I know you are reading this and when we go see Grandma next time… WE ARE STOPPING! LOL!!!



42. Spray Paint a Car at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo (Also known as Carhenge!)

43. Sit in Silence in the Rothko Chapel in Houston

44. Relax at the Live Oaks Friends Meetinghouse in Houston

45. Celebrate the Day of the Dead in San Antonio

46. Watch 2 Texas classic Films: Lonesome Dove and The Last Picture Show (I know you were thinking Texas Chainsaw Massacre weren’t you?! LOL)



47. Eat a Chicken Fried Steak at Mary’s Café in Strawn, Tx.- personally I love my CFS or my mom’s but reading this article about my favorite meal kinda makes me wanna try it now LMAO!

48. Visit Buddy Holly’s Grave in Lubbock



49. Drive the freeway at Night in Houston- I could do this in my SLEEP I have done it so many times LOL! It’s actually very pretty, but I must say (and yes I know that I will sound like a traitor to my town) but actually downtown Fort Worth and Dallas is MUCH prettier… they got Reunion Tower- BEAUTIFUL!



50. Attend a classic High School football game- Do that each season… DS 18 plays and DD15 is in the band! LOL I GOTTA be there LOL!

51. Visit the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin- mom we’re going!

52. Roll down Miller Hill in Houston- LOL this is a HUGE hill in front of an Outdoor Ampetheater behind the zoo. We used to roll down it when we picniced after a day at the zoo all the time when we were little! Shoot I did it the last time I took MY kids! LOL

53. Attend Mass at Mission Concepcion in San Antonio

54. Collect a Lightning Whelk on Matagorda Bay

55. Enter a Chili Cookoff- I have attended many but never entered… wanted to though!

56. See the Dogwoods Bloom in Palestine

57. Buy a first edition in Archer City

58. Stop for Kolaches at Czech Stop in West, TX- Did you know that what we now call a kolache (those with meats, etc inside them were not “real” kolaches? Real kolaches were stuffed with fruits. Nowadays, there is the sweet kolache (fruit) and the savory (meat).

59. Read the first chapter of Los de Abajo at the Pablo Baray Apartments in El Paso

60. Snag a Picnic Table at Railroad Blues in Alpine

61. Attend the Futurity in Fort Worth

62. See Stephen F. Austin in Austin

63. Appear on the cover of Texas Monthly (they are having a contest which you can read about HERE)

OK so now that you see the list, you can see as a native Texan I have done a lot of it already at my young tender age of 33 LMAO! There are some that both my mom and I want to do and some that we think are kinda lame LOL. So I am going to challenge myself a bit. I am going to make up a Bucket List. Since I am younger I am going to put 100 things on there and see how many I can actually get accomplished. It will be an adventure for sure… kinda fun I think. SO, why not challenge yourself to make a Bucket List? Get out there and enjoy life to the fullest so when it is your time, you will have no regrets or no “I wish”es! I think I am gonna write mine up this weekend and then I will share it with you when I got it done… It can be specific to your state or nationwide… it’s your list LOL! I can think of at least 10 things for mine right now LOL!

OK, so like I said, reading the clip about the CFS at Mary’s made me really hungry! Good thing I have breakfast burritos already made LOL! But for dinner… not quite sure yet. But here is another one of those recipes I got from my mom’s book she is cutting/pasting… Again, note it has NOT been pre-tested for YUM factor!



Creamy Shrimp Alfredo

Ingredients

1/2 lb. linguine, uncooked
2 Tbsp. KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/2 lb. uncooked deveined peeled medium shrimp
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz. (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
3/4 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Directions

COOK pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat dressing in large skillet on medium heat. Add shrimp; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until shrimp turn pink, adding garlic for the last minute. Remove shrimp with slotted spoon; set aside.

ADD cream cheese and broth to skillet; cook until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring frequently. Stir in shrimp and 3 Tbsp. Parmesan.

DRAIN pasta. Add to skillet; toss to coat. Transfer to platter; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and parsley.

Ok, as for me, I gotta get off here and tend to a few things. I got a ton of hungry kitties hollerin’ for me LOL and then I need to tend to more plants today, as well as some cleaning, gotta get these bird feeders hung up, burritos made, etc. etc. etc.! My workload never lightens LMAO! Until tomorrow… HUGS!

BOUNTIFUL BARGAINS

Howdy Doodie my little band of bloggies LOL! How are you doing this frostbitten morning!? I’m absolutely icy. Boy do I have some interesting reads for you today. First off, I gotta ask… who cashed in on the free food deals yesterday and if you did, what kind of an experience did you have? I started my day with hitting the Jack in the Box free grilled sandwich wyb a large drink. I tried the Turkey Bacon Cheddar and let me tell you- I was expecting not to like the taste, but it was pretty dang good!! LOL… I hit it again to try the other sandwich, the deli trio, on the way from leaving my mom’s to get my kids from school. I didn’t like that one as much.

As you know, I went to hang with my mom yesterday and we had a great time! I always have a blast when I’m with my mom. We chatted, washed laundry, reviewed recipes, and lots of other things. Thanks mom! I always feel so much better after hanging out with you!



Ok, so one of the things we did was to sort coupons. My grandma mails her a bunch of coupons and she cuts them and we share them. So she gave me a HUGE pile of coupons for all kinds of things. After I picked up the kids from school, I headed over to the store with those little beautiful pieces of paper and had a ball! Here are some of the great deals I got with the coupons she gave me:

White Cloud Toilet Tissue- $1 4pk.
Breathe Right Nasal Strips 12ct- $2.82
Febreze Air Effects- $1.50
Lactaid 12ct.- 97c
Cottonelle wipes- 47c
Blistex 2pk- 47c
Johnson’s Baby travel pack- $1.77
Angelsoft Toilet tissue- 50c 4pk.
Whiskas Dry cat food- $2.97 bag
Friskies Dry cat food- $2.97 bag
Friskies canned indoor cat food- 3 FREE cans
Gain Laundry soap- $5 for the 100oz. bottles
Fancy Feast dry cat food $1.12 bag
Fresh Step cat litter- FREE 20 lb. Box
Bandaid Brand fabric bandages- 88c each

Those were just some of the great deals I found… I bought other things too (generic) and I had coupons for some things that weren’t “impressive” (just like 50c off, etc) but all in all I saved $32.30 in coupons. Not too shabby! OK so THEN I went over to Lowe’s because I needed another bag of dirt. Well… the last time I was there, the cashier in the Garden center and I got to talking and she asked me for some “advice” on her plants and such. So I told her about my dirts, foods, and some good container plants, etc. Well I found some plants I decided I wanted to bring home with me… check these out!



So anyway, I get to the counter and she asked me if I was Renee and was the one who told her about the tomatoes and such last time I was there. After being spooked out that she actually remembered me, LOL… we started talking again and she said she wanted to thank me for all the “good advice”. She said she invested in some plants and has them indoors right now, but they have exploded! Well, one of the plants I got was a clearanced house plant (which didn’t look sick at all BTW), so when she rang it up she said “Oh you know this is on clearance right?” I said yes and she proceeded to ring up the rest of my order. Here I am expecting to pay about $60 for all the plants and the 2- 40lb. Bags of soil. NOPE! She said my total was $21.43 and I raised an eyebrow. I was like “Are they on sale or something?” and she was like “They are all clearanced”… She had discounted everything for me as a “thank you” for the gardening help I gave her I guess. I was excited and shocked! I walked out with 2- 40 pound bags of soil, 2 Husky Cherry tomato, 1 House greenery, 2 Italian parsley, 2 cilantro, 1 strawberry, 1 large and 1 small rosemary, and a 9pk of broccoli plants. Is that awesome or what? I was super stoked! Another step closer to a grand-e-ous green garden!

OK, so I went to Walgreens to pick up a couple of things as well. I found Midol Menstral on sale for $2.50 a bottle… well guess who had $2 off 1 coupons? YEP! So I had another great find! It was just a day of bountiful bargains!



Another thing my mom showed me was the March issue of Texas Monthly. The cover story is called “The Bucket List”. The story says 63 things Texans should do before they pass… so my mom and I sat and she read it to me. We have actually done a few things on there already and there are some more things we would like to do. Tomorrow I’ll go into further detail about what was on the bucket list…. It’s rather interesting!

And then we went over recipes. She is making a book of recipes from all the magazines, newspapers, etc. When she finds something she would like to try, she clips the recipe and pastes it on colored paper and puts it in a notebook. Pretty smart if you ask me! I just go look it up online LOL. So she had 5 that really struck my fancy and I would like to try. I’m gonna share a couple with you today. Keep in mind I have NOT tried these yet, so I am not sure on YUM-ability yet! But the picture looked yummy and that is part of the appeal…



Spanish Skillet Chicken

INGREDIENTS

5 each chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 4 1/4 lb), skin removed from thighs
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 box (8 oz) yellow rice mix
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup frozen peas

PREPARATION

1. Sprinkle chicken with paprika and pepper. Cook chicken in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes per side, until browned. Remove chicken to plate.

2. Remove all but 1 Tbsp drippings from skillet. Add onions and garlic; sauté 4 minutes until golden. Stir in yellow rice mix, tomatoes and water.

3. Place chicken pieces on rice. Bring liquid to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

4. Stir in peas, cover and simmer 3 minutes until rice is tender.



Tennessee Whiskey Cake

You can substitute 3 tablespoons water and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract for the whiskey.

Ingredients

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup 2% reduced-fat milk
½ cup sorghum or molasses
¼ cup Tennessee whiskey, such as Jack Daniel’s or George Dickel

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Beat butter using a mixer at medium speed; gradually add sugars and beat until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Add to egg mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Stop mixer and add sorghum. Restart mixer and slowly add whiskey. Mix until smooth, about 30 seconds. (Batter will be thin.)
4. Pour into a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm with Sorghum Frozen Yogurt. Serves 8.

Ok, so doesn’t that sound totally scrum-diddly-umptious?! OMG LMAO! MOM- LOOK! That cake calls for SORGHUM! OMG I just noticed that LMAO! (Inside joke peeps…) Anyway, I gotta get to the store to pick up some of the ingredients, so tonight for us, its taco salad! YAY! LOL… not only is it what we have, but I need quick and easy because my show comes on tonight… the new episode of Criminal Minds YAY! LOL… so I’m gonna hop off of here and get some things done, run a couple of errands, and get prepped for dinner so that once its done I can watch my show in peace LOL! Ya’ll take care and I will see you tomorrow… HUGS! (And to my mom… SORGHUM!)