Weekend Thanks

Since next to no one is reading these anyway, I figure I'll just catch up at my own pace. Ahhh, the joys of being lazy.

Nov. 24 - On Saturday, I was thankful for...

Small businesses.

Hubby and I went Small Business Saturday shopping for the first year, and absolutely loved it. We headed up to Cedarburg (just north of Milwaukee), where we knew there was an adorable downtown shopping area that we'd been meaning to get to. We were not disappointed. 

We checked out a few stores, including a bike shop (Hubby's an addict, I swear), a toy store (where everything was made either locally or at least in the U.S.) and Penzey's (the spice place). We also got to eat lunch at a really cute pizzeria (they had Sprecher root beer on tap... YUM!!), where we got to warm up for awhile. On our way back south, we stopped at a cheese shop and got some delicious cheese* to take home (a 10-year cheddar and a really unique cheese that's sort of a combination cheddar and bleu cheese). We've eaten their cheese before, since they're always at Zoo Brew, but this was our first visit to their store. Again, we were NOT disappointed.

It was good to see people out and about supporting local businesses. We got some Christmas presents knocked off our list and managed to get a few things for ourselves. Most of all, we had a really nice day together, and for that, I'm definitely thankful.

*Maxi thought so, too. In fact, she stole some of our cheese. While we were sitting there. Little jerk.


Nov. 25 - I was thankful for...

My parents.

Growing up, I was as much of a Daddy's Girl as you could be. When I hit my pre-teens, I started fighting with my mom, and eventually pushed them both away (because they clearly had no idea what it was like to be me... or something...). Even after I graduated from high school, things were not pretty. It took me actually becoming a functioning adult to realize what an ass I'd been.

These days, I love visiting my parents. My mom is one of the most patient and loving people you'll ever meet, and my dad is a smart, funny guy. And they both love me and are proud of who I've become. I'm ultimately thankful that they never gave up on me and that they helped make me who I am now.

Noms!

So Friday night I wanted to have a Mexican food night.  To be honest, I just wanted an excuse to have guacamole.  I loves me some guac!  So, I hunted down some good looking recipes for entrees and off we went to Sendik's for ingredients.

There are two things you should know about me: 1) I love going to the grocery store with my hubby.  Mostly.  When he starts playing with the cart like it's a race car, I tend to get a bit annoyed, but otherwise, it's actually something I enjoy doing.  2) I especially love grocery shopping at Sendik's.  For anyone who hasn't been to Sendik's, I highly suggest it.

Sadly, I was a bit disappointed by our Sendik's trip.  They didn't have pre-made guac, for one.  Really?  I can go to most any Pick n Save and find already made guac.  Sometimes it's already packaged for me, too.  Step it up, Sendik's!

For another, NONE of their normal avocados were ripe.  We had managed to find a guac mix ("Just add avocados!") and figured we'd give it a try.  But the avocado selection was less than stellar.  They were like bumpy green stones.  Not cool.  We spent six dollars getting two "organic" avocados (and justified it by saying we weren't getting any other ingredients for it, like onions, tomatoes, etc).  It ended up being pretty tasty, but still.  

For dinner, we made chimichangas.  Here's the recipe.  I was seriously surprised that this recipe was as easy as it was, AND it was tasty!  We substituted ground turkey for the ground beef (as we almost always do) and I melted some cheese over the top of the chimis, but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely.  With a little taco sauce and some sour cream on top...  Mmmmmmm...  Now I'm getting hungry, dammit.

Anywhoozles, just thought I'd share a good food experience with y'all.  :-)  This weekend we're going for another tropical night, so stay tuned!  

Thursday, Thursday

Hmmm, not as catchy as "Monday, Monday" I suppose.  No wonder there's no song about it.

Strange, but true: Today is actually National Cheese Lover's Day.  Now, if you're from Wisco like yours truly, every day is cheese lover's day.  But, it's nice to see the whole nation included in this affair we Sconnies celebrate on a daily basis.  Yay cheese!

On a non-cheese related note, this is also the date that Skeet Ulrich was born and Audrey Hepburn died (in 1970 and 1993 respectively).  Just a few "fun facts" about January 20th.

Moving on...  

Tomorrow, hubby and I plan on having a night in, which is one of my favorite things to do.  We're going to watch a movie ("What About Bob?" for those curious) and make dinner.  The problem is, we're stuck on what to make for dinner.  I found a few yummy-looking recipes, but I'm not sure what to attempt.  When the decision is made, I'll be sure to post.

Have to make it through today first, though.  Here goes nothing... 

For fun - what's your favorite cheese or cheese-related snack/meal/whatever?  I'd have to say cheese curds.  Squeaky, fried, I don't care.  I just love me some cheese curds!