Monday, July 8, 2013

one of those scary moments where I let you into my brain for a bit.

We have had BBQ's at our house the last two weekends in a row.
Two different groups of people.
Which means I could make the same food and no one would know the difference!
score.

I have a rule on bringing stuff to our BBQ's.
I know it sounds controlling and awful,
I mean it to be wise and helpful but it just comes out controlling and awful.
Maybe one day I'll figure out a better way to put it.

If you ask me 'what can I bring' I promise this is the response you will get:
"Either your speciality - whatever it is - because if it's your specialty it's probably really yummy and I'm IN.
OR
Anything homemade - desert or side or appetizer
OR
If you don't have time/energy for either of those:
Chips and drinks."

Why?
Ugh.
We host parties like this often.
We love them.

We hAtE throwing away food at the end of the party.

It feels wasteful and awful.
And being the hostess, I'm usually the one who has to do it.

So, I get to say it:
No more store bought potato salad, no more store bought cookies.

No. one. eats. them.
'cept my trash can.

If you're busy, I get it.
I have been and basically live there.
We always need chips and drinks at parties...bring them!

see, it sounds awful...but not really....everyone gets it...everyone knows this on some deep level and when you say it out loud everyone goes, "oh yeah!?"
right?
right.
ok.

oh, and then your spread looks like this, by the way.....
I'm still drooling!

 I put out the last dish, guacamole, 30 seconds before the first family walked through the door.
30 seconds after I burst into tears because I missed my friends.


 It's not that these new people aren't or won't be my friends, it's just that I hate that all the amazing deep relationships I have right now are spread out all over the dang world.
I hate feeling like I don't really want to invest in new friends, I just want my old friends in the same town with me.

There are times when this world feels small.
That was not one of them.

If you've had my salsa more than once, I'm talking about you - I just miss you.

It was a great party.
A small band-aide on a broke heart.

Woke up this morning and came down the stairs to see this out the front door:
It's such a 'normal' scene I forget to take pictures of it.
This is Nora but it could have just as easily been Sophie or the both of them together.
They LOVE that dog.

I continued into the kitchen.
I started my tea water.
I started the girls bacon.
I decided to go ahead and make some breakfast cookies to have them on hand for the week, and then continue making breakfast.

Then I made and we all ate breakfast while the breakfast cookies were baking.
Eggs, bacon, sautéed zucchini, tea

Then I saw I had a 1/2 can of pumpkin left over from making the cookies....


Soooo, I thought I'd go ahead and make Pumpkin Pancakes for the week too.
And really, since I have the griddle out, I might as well make some Salmon Patties.

Dang it.
When I was making the Salmon Patties I got in the fridge to get an ingredient and noticed I had some ground beef that NEEDED to be worked with today and some raw chicken that really needed to at least be brined today.

"There goes Holly Cottontail, jumping down the Bunny Trail...."

So.
Salmon Patties were frying and I was whipping up some Thai Mini Meatballs for the girls lunches.
When I popped those in the oven and put a new batch of Salmon Patties on the griddle ('cause you know I tripled BOTH of those recipes!)
I threw the chicken in a brine and set it to brining.

Oops.
I just realized we were out of mayo and I need mayo to make tartar sauce because tartar sauce over my Salmon Patties is like swimming in heaven....I got some homemade mayo started.

Fixed the girls lunch.
Made and ate my lunch.

Sat down at the computer while I ate to order spices while the ones I needed were fresh on my mind.

Why do I feel so tired right now?
Gee, I dunno Holly!?

What, pray tell, were my kids doing during this time?

oh. right.
them!

Samantha was in the kitchen with me, reading to me, mixing with me, cracking eggs, etc.
She claims to not like cooking.
She also claims to not like art but draws constantly....?

Lydia was...I'm not actually sure what Lydia was doing.
She was busy, that's all I know.

Nora and Sophie asked if they could wash all their stuffed animals.
Uh...more power to ya sisters:
that lasted ALL MORNING LONG.
Who knew!?

It lasted almost as long as it took me to clean up from my morning rabbit trail:


No joke.
My plan was to wake up, make one or two things and then head out on a hike with the girls.

Unfortunately, I'm easily distracted.
Fortunately, we will be eating yummy food this week and I may get away with hardly cooking at all.

This, my friends, is why I laugh when people call me organized.
Crazy,
Follows hard core rabbit trails,
Prepares,
yes.

Organized?
um...no organized person I know would have done what just happened in my kitchen.

They would have gotten up, made two things and gone hiking!
I have issues.


***buah ha ha ha ha!!!
I just read through this several hours later and realized that right before lunch I wanted to clean the floors 'cause I make huge messes of my floor when I cook.
And since I'm going to clean the floors anyway, I might as well try that floor cleaner I pinned FOReVER ago.
So, add that in there too!

I told you this'd be scary!

4 comments:

Courtney Cassada said...

i love you. and miss you.

Anonymous said...

I have the same feelings about friends abroad and just finished expressing this to my husband. Funny you should post it now. My heart is spread too far and all of the "now" friends have just moved away (with no replacements) To live in a huge city and be lonely. Humh.

-Ginger

Tisha said...

I love when you write about food! I want to come eat salsa at your house...more than twice...:)

Mache said...

I actually don't remember having salsa at you place, I will just pretend I did :)

It is actually good to know that you miss your friends, you do this moving thing so well, which makes you Holly. ( i hope this mean what i want to say which is- you do thing so well)

i woke up this morning at 6 am and I decided to read your Holly cottontail, jumping down the bunny trail morning and for a couple minutes i was rally encouraged to go in my kitchen and start my own bunny trail but that only lasted a couple minutes now Im tired. :) Im going back to bed if the girls let me.

I'm miss you so much.

BTW can I have the Thai Mini Meatball recipe, sounds good!!

love
Mache