C'est La Vie!! Ah, oui oui!

C'est la vie! Ok, I'll be honest, that's about the only french phrase I know, but tonight we had the true privilege of being exposed to some DELICIOUS french culture. And when I say delicious I mean amazing, and when i say culture I, of course, mean FOOD. (I mean really, what's more important than food?)

Our household is currently full to capacity with three full time occupants (soon to be minus one), three pets (a dog, a cat, and one hedgehog), and one traveling kiteboarder of extremely european and fancy descent. Our good friend Jeremy (Leoni to us) is crashing our couch for a few weeks, until his apartment is ready for occupancy. Everyone should be extremely jealous of him and hate/envy him just as much as I do. Not only has he just returned from an extended vacation in Brazil, but he's relocating to Corpus Christi to live the dream as I like to call it. He gets to spend every day outside on the water, teaching the good people of the dirty dub c how to surf some gnarly waters with his kite. Not too shabby of a situation if I do say so myself. We all loathe/love him in this house because we are truly jealous...but extremely happy for him at the same time.

Anywhoooo, having gotten to spend a good amount of time with him as of late (he's served as an excellent escort the past several weekends to various events where Jeff was unable to attend), I now know that the name Leoni is of italian descent, meaning lion, but that his parents were actually from the region of Northern Africa...don't hate me if I'm wrong Leoni, but Tripoli and Algeria?? Bear with me, because the point of this blog is food, and I'm getting there.

So, recently we were having conversations about food and what we like, and Leoni mentions this amazing concoction that is a staple in the regions where his parents are from. It's basically made of what's called merguez, which is essentially a spicy lamb sausage, served in a crusty baguette, heaped with french fries, and doused in a special spicy sauce called harissa. Of course, my intial reaction is to want it immediately. Hence, we devise a plan in which Leoni, who has never before made this concoction, agrees to prepare this meal for us, in all its delicious glory!

Let me just say, he didn't let me down. Now I don't know what a traditional merguez baguette is supposed to taste like, and I've actually never had lamb before, but this fantastical treat was off the chizzain. We're talking juicy meat, spicy sauce, crusty bread, topped with all the familiarity of your traditional french fry. An epic party in your mouth. Paired with a new summer blend of Shiner Ruby Redbird Beer (which I've also never had), and you've got yourself a dinner.

Now, I'm only gonna say it once Leoni, so you listen good. Please don't leave usssssss. We've so enjoyed having your French @$$ around here, and well, now that I know you can cook...I never want to let you go. Our couch is comfortable. I know the cat is annoying. I know we wake you up every morning leaving for work, but we can change. The cat can go. We'll make it work. Let me know what you think. :-)

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"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

Seven Things That Cross Your Mind Alot

Ok ok, so I know I haven't been keeping up with my ten days of blogging, I admit it, I'm terrible. But right now it seems that I have a little downtime, as I've been pretty dang worthless all weekend due to "too much fun syndrome" aka having one too many cocktails. So I'm taking it easy, munchin' on some magical mcnuggets of goodness that my sweet boyfriend went and got for me, and I'm posted up in bed...ready to write and roll!

So today's topic is seven things that cross your mind alot...I'm sure I can list more than seven, but for the sake of being concise, I'll narrow it down.

1. My future.

Honestly, for me, right now, the most important thing I've got going for me is getting into my program, and starting (and finishing) it as soon as humanly possible. It's truly taken me so long to finally figure out what it is that I think I want to do with the rest of my life, and I'm so antsy to already be done with it! I go through these little bouts of craziness when I realize how old I am, and where I thought I'd be at this age. In all honesty, I thought I'd be married, maybe have a kiddo on the way, doing Athletic Training, own a home...you know, living the American Dream :-) ...And I couldn't be further away from that picture right now, but I wouldn't trade where I am and the people I have in my life right now for the world. I'm finally doing what I WANT rather than what I think I SHOULD be doing. I'm with the right person. And I'm taking my time. There is no perfect timetable, a plan that everyone has to follow. Married by 25, kids by 28, house by 30...yada yada yada. Trust me, I still have those days of panic when I think life is passing me by, but as John Lennon once said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." You can't always be planning the future, or you'll forget to enjoy the present.

2. Food.

I love food. I'm either thinking about what I want to make next week, brainstorming my grocery list, eating, thinking about when I'm going to get to eat next, cooking, thinking about what I'm going to cook that night, or wishing I was eating. Food is a big part of my life as I learn to enjoy cooking, and making things that look and taste delicious. I enjoy the challenge, and I like sharing my creations with the people I love.

3. The great to run or not to run debate.

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I love running. With that said, it can sometimes require A LOT of effort to continue to run consistently. When I'm pressed for time, running late, or have a lot of things to get done, surprise surprise, running is usually the first thing that gets cut from my to-do list. I do most of my running during the week on my lunch break. With school, and work, and homework, and just trying to find some time to relax, I don't have much expendable time or energy during the day. There are times when everyone wants to go out to lunch, and I can't go because I have to run. Of course I'd much rather be stuffing my face then dragging myself around the block in the sweltering heat, but as hard as it always is to get going, the feeling I get when I finish my run for the day is irreplaceable. It's a constant battle of to go or not to go, but you can almost always count on me lacing up those kicks and trudging on.

4. I wish I was sleeping.

Well, I think this one is pretty self explanatory. From the moment I wake up in the morning you can bet I'm already thinking about how awesome its going to be when I get to go to sleep again. I loveeee sleeeepppp. Almost to the point that I could develop anti-social tendencies just because sometimes I'd rather sleep than go out. Nothing beats the feeling of waking up refreshed and ready to go. And if I don't get at least 7 hours a night, I'm gonna be cranky. You can count on that.

5. Did someone take Lexi out?

I mean, its nothing super exciting, but I'm just being honest. My dog Lexi is like my child. I love her. Talk to her even. Force her to wear ridiculous garb and then take pictures of her. She's my shadow. Soooo, if I'm not taking her outside to go to the bathroom, I'm constantly wondering if any of my other apartment mates remembered to take her out. I mean imagine how you'd feel if you had to hold it in all day?

6. I hope Jeff's ok.

My boyfriend works long hours, very late at night, so I'm constantly worried that he's alright. He gets off late, and then has to drive about 15 minutes home, on the same road that could be filled with crazies at that time of night...so like clockwork, I usually wake up and check to make sure he made it safely home. I can't help it, I have this need to know that the people I love are safe and sound. It's weird. =-)

7. I love my friends and family.

So I know this is a pretty generic thought, but I don't necessarily have one or two people that I'm always thinking about. It's more like throughout the day my mom will pop into my head, or my sisters, or my dad, or this friend, or that friend. I'll wonder how they're doing, what they're doing, and hope that they know I love them. Thoughts of them are also usually accompanied by the thought that I'd much rather be with them then doing whatever it is I'm doing at the moment!

So those are the seven things that cross my mind alot. Nothing to special, no real deep musings on the origin of life or anything like that. When it comes down to it, I'm a pretty simple person (no, not simple minded!). I think this list is truly a brief glimpse into the things that are most important to me. Like sleep. food. family...and well, you get the picture.

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I'm on the pursuit of happiness.

Wow, I am so full. Full of food. Full of life. Full of happiness, and all of the great things that come along with that. One of my favorite verses from the Bible is from Psalms 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” My cup runneth over…to me that is the epitome of my life today. My proverbial cup is overflowing with all of the good things that life has been sending my way as of late, and I just cannot gush enough about them! First of all, lets just get a brief recap of the past week so you can all get a handle on what’s been going on at Casa de Johnson (Yohnson if we’re being lingually correct).

1. My littlest sister Alex (aka Karate Kid) has spent the entire week of spring break with me. That in and of itself has kind of thrown off my normal routine, but it truly has been a great experience. Every once in a while, its necessary for us creatures of habit to be thrown out of our every day normalcy and be challenged to adapt. This week has been exactly that. From shopping, to movies, to eating out, to the beach and the pool, we’ve truly lived it up. Watch out, you may be seeing us on Girls Gone Wild SB2K11 Edition! (Just kidding mom, we were always fully clothed…except for that one time…but they promised us beads, so its ok).

2. My middle little sister Sam has been gone most of the week to New York to visit her boyfriend, now FIANCE in New York. Yep, that’s right, she’s getting hitched! Her and her long time boyfriend got engaged on her trip, and she couldn’t be happier. So this means, we both get to live our lifelong dreams of planning a wedding (her for real, ,me, vicariously through her lol) and we can now rest easy knowing that all of our lonely nights of David Tutera and TLC weren’t for naught!

3. My wonderful boyfriend Jeff, has been on a work related hiatus from our crazy household for the past year or so (he probably calls it his vacation from estrogen overload), and he is now officially back in CC for a wonderful new opportunity :) And all of us girls (cats and dogs included) just couldn’t be happier! We’re all looking forward to what’s in store for us next.

4. I finally tackled a bucket list item, and came away victorious!! That’s right folks, you heard me, BUCKET LIST ALERT!! I’ve successfully tackled one of Julia Child’s most difficult recipes, Beef Bourgouignon, and nobody’s thrown up yet! That, in itself, is a triumph for all. For all mankind. Well, for all womankind who envision themselves amateur foodies that is, lol. It can be done! If I can do it, so can you! Be on the lookout, I’m putting together a separate post with pictures and an epic description of the 6 hour debaucle that was the tackling of this particular girl’s Mount Everest.

So sit back, and enjoy a few pictures from this weeks happenings, and prepare yourself to be wowed in the very near future by my FOOD PORNO MONTAGE. All PG of course.

As for me, I’m just going to sit back, pick the Beef outta my teeth, and try not to let my cup of Black Bottom Cupcake Ice Cream Overload runneth over too much.

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Bon Voyage and Bon Apetit!

AAHHHHHHH!!!

That was me pulling my hair out and running around the room for one stress-relievin' cotton pickin' minute.

Whew. I feel so much better. Well folks, I have to apologize for the past few days, it seems I've been MIA from the good ol' blog, AND it seems that I will continue to be creative outlet-less for the next week or so as I'm being quickly reminded that school...is...hard.

This week, its two tests and a midterm that have become a giant time suck for my creative juices...(insert frowny face here). Though I must give myself a pat on the back for totally acing my last test and quiz! Woohoo! There's still information up there in that old noggin, and maybe JUST MAYBE 6 years of school hasn't been entirely useless. But just maybe.

Anywho, I'm saying Bon Voyage for the next few days, but leaving you with some fun food pictures of some fanfreakintabulous meals I've made in the past few weeks! I hope you enjoy them as much as we did! Bon Apetit bloggers!

Baked Lemon Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

And Roasted Garlic and Lemon Broccoli!

Quiche Lorraine

Yes, I know my crust was broken, but it was still so tasty!

Served with a simple side salad! ( Note, I did add mushrooms and bell peppers for a little more oomph!)

Chicken Balsamico

Served over pasta with some good white wine!

Pasta topped with chicken and shrimp (my extra addition) cooked in a creamy sauce with tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, mushrooms, bell peppers, and topped with feta cheese..so good.

Creamy sauce a bubblin.

If you're interested in the recipes, I've linked them up to the titles. Try out allrecipes.com, it's where I get all my inspiration, and it has wonderful gadgets for busy cooks!

Til next time friends, eat and be happy :)

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Delicioso!

Pre-Oven

This Sunday night's feast was off the chizzain! I give myself 4 stars and a pat on the back for this concoction. Chicken basted in creamy pesto and wrapped in bacon, sitting atop a creamy pesto fettucine, kicked up a notch with fresh mushrooms and onions....I just died and went to Italy....

The Delicious Results with a nice glass of white wine!

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Turkey, it's what's for dinner.

Today its been a balmy 74 degrees outside...perfect weather, and a fantastic day. Ending it with the windows open in our apartment and some delicious turkey burgers, corn on the cob, and ice cold sweet tea...wish you were here!

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