A Perfect Weekend
I loved this weekend. It started off on the right note when I found a lost necklace that I had been searching for since we came back from Kansas City earlier this month.
My husband works with precious metals and he made this delicate little gold heart for me when we first started dating almost a decade ago. We had known each other for about 6 months when he presented me with the necklace. I was living in Dallas and he was in Arlington an hour away so we only saw each other on weekends. He said he was at work and was thinking about me and so he took a break and created this perfect heart out of gold. He gave it to me a few days later and I remember looking at it and thinking that I might be falling in love with this man who was unlike anyone else I had ever met. I knew for sure that the story of how the heart came about was genuine. I mean, seriously, who could possibly make up a story like that?
So there we were in Kansas City 10 years later and the morning we were coming home I woke up with a stomach virus. Without going into too much gory detail I will simply say that I woke up and peeled everything off of my body including my necklace and my favorite white Gap t-shirt. What happened after that is somewhat fuzzy. When we finally got back to Texas later that afternoon I was in a semi-coma and didn’t miss my necklace for several days. Then I started looking and was finally successful in my search when I climbed into the attic Saturday morning and looked in the suitcase that I had used on our trip. I opened the bag not expecting much and there it was hiding in a corner. What a great way to start my weekend! The t-shirt is still M.I.A. but that’s okay. I was going to have to douse it in gasoline anyway just to be safe.
Our typical M.O. on weekends is to eat out on Friday night and then I usually cook something on Saturday. I had already planned on making a BBQ chicken that night and it was ready to go so I made the mac & cheese as a side dish. It was perfect (like everything my brother makes) and although you could certainly serve this as a main course, it was really good with the spicy chicken. My stepson Cody stopped at our house on his way home from Dallas that night and gave it two thumbs up!
On Sunday we spent some time together wandering through a local antique store because we love to putter around looking at old stuff. Then we came home and I went retro with a recipe for Salad Dressing Chocolate Cake that my friend Jami passed along to me. I knew it sounded familiar and since we both grew up in Kansas I was pretty sure it was a recipe that I remembered of my Mothers. The entire cake calls for one egg white and uses Miracle Whip in place of oil or butter. It’s a very moist chocolate cake made with ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen at any given moment. I was reminded of what women could create in the kitchen when few had cars and a trip to the grocery store might happen once a week. You learned to use what you had and be happy that you had it.
One of the first recipes that I featured on my website last November was another vintage recipe, Granny Logan’s Pot Roast. Unfortunately, my husband hadn’t perfected his photography skills at that point and so the picture that we posted with the recipe was absolutely frightening. I knew I needed to make another roast and replace the picture pronto before the cops came looking for me the next time a neighborhood cat went missing. And besides, this recipe is absolutely fantastic and it was time to do it justice with a proper photo. Roast, smashed potatoes with beef gravy and glazed carrots. Perfect.
And now it’s Monday so it’s back to work we go. Luckily I have amazing leftovers to take for lunch today and that’s always a nice way to start off the week. 🙂
Happy cooking everyone,
MMD
kim
January 23, 2012
Hi Chris, I made the pulled pork sandwiches, au gratin potatoes, and cole slaw with a kick. It was ALL fabulous. David and I both enjoyed it, and the leftovers were just as good. Keep the recipes coming. I am enjoying this. (although I may need to start hitting the gym seven days a week.)lol
Chris
January 23, 2012
I love it Kim! It makes me feel so good to know that my recipes (and nonsensical blogging) have wandered into your kitchen:) And don’t worry, I’m addicted to food blogging so the recipes will keep coming!!!
Teri Rogers
January 23, 2012
Hey Sis — I have your favorite white t-shirt. It was in my laundry and when I folded it — I wondered where it came from. I’ll mail it to you.
Now you have all your lost items returned. Yay!!!!
Chris
January 23, 2012
Excellent! As long as it’s been fumigated I’ll take it.
Brittany Bonney
January 23, 2012
Sounds like a perfect weekend. Love the necklace story. Your husband sounds like quite a romantic man 😉
Chris
January 23, 2012
No one would believe us, right Brittany? I look back and think he must have REALLY liked me a lot!:)