Progress Update: 2242 on Friday; major banquet scene is drafted. Revelations have been made and now matchmaking will ensue.

I’m always amazed at how fast the weekend goes! Suddenly, it’s Monday.

We didn’t do much of anything this weekend except run around. We seemed to go to Lowe’s way too much and spend way too much money. However, I got a new little plant for the backyard that’s very heat friendly. And it doesn’t need much watering. And the birds don’t sit in it and poop. They killed my flowers before. Hopefully, this will keep them from trampling all over it. It gets full sun most of the day. I watered it yesterday but it’s already dry again. I think I’ll give it a week and then water it again.

I also bought a new aloe vera plant. I re-potted it into a bigger pot so it’d have room to grow. So far, so good. This one lives outside in the front of the house, so hopefully it won’t die a slow death like the last one. I also planted some morning glories in another hanging basket for the front. I’m not great with seeds – I’m still having trouble getting the cilantro to sprout – but I thought I’d give it a try and see how it goes. Hopefully they’ll grow. The front of the house faces west, so we get all the hot afternoon sun. The tomatoes and herbs love it. We’ll see how the flowers fare.

We didn’t grill this weekend. Instead, we went for Mexican food on Sunday per the Man’s request, being Father’s Day and all. We stuffed ourselves. I had a swirl margarita and it was delish. Then we went to DSW and I couldn’t find ONE pair to spend my $10 gift certificate on. That’s sad. I’m looking for some wedges but I don’t like any of the styles they had. I’ll keep looking, though.

Then it was back home where I made banana pudding and put it in these mini trifle dishes. SO CUTE! I love them. I saw Sandra Lee make this on Food Network a few weekends ago and I was hot to have the dishes. Found them at WalMart for $2 each (I bought four) and then finally made the pudding up this weekend. It was SO GOOD. I made all four and put two in the fridge for tonight. I can’t wait.

I also get this awesome little magazine that has wonderful simple recipes in it. There were about four we wanted to try this week so I bought all the stuff for it. One of it is this tilapia which I’m really looking forward to. I made a list of the four dishes I want to try this week so I wouldn’t forget. We spent a small fortune at the store this weekend in an effort to eat more at home instead of fast food or restaurant. I’m actually really looking forward to cooking!

Didn’t get any writing in this weekend but I did think about it a lot. I’ll be back at it today for sure.

I’m over at Sole Struck today talking about my “fantasy shoes”. Come check it out!

The weekend was interesting. And long. And I’m glad it’s over. HA!

On Saturday we saw Night at the Museum. It was very cute and a lot like the first one. We both enjoyed it. Sunday, I took the kid to see Star Trek – second time around for me. It was a bit talky for him but he did think the explosions and stuff was cool. And all the black holes. Seeing it a second time made it even better.

Monday was about grilling everything not nailed down. Okay just kidding. We grilled chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers. And there was only three of us. I have no idea why we made enough food to feed an entire small village, but we did. We also tried this new recipe – grilled chicken with cherry-chipotle barbeque sauce. It was different but kinda good. Had a bit of a kick with the chipotle peppers that balanced out the sweet. The thyme was overpowering though so I think next time (no pun) we need to cut that way back.

The kid was bored out of his mind yesterday and fighting with the computer. So I made him shut it off. I told him to go use his imagination and play with his toys in his room. He stomped off, whiny. But a few minutes later, he’d managed to dump everything out of his toy container and get busy. I think all the computer games, Nintendos and Wiis have ruined kids’ brains. All they want to do is sit in front of them. Okay, I’m talking about mine here. I have to force him to do other things by unplugging him. Sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes it works.

I hope this summer he’ll find enough to keep him occupied. I’ve already forewarned my sister she’ll have another kid at her house for at least a week.

I got some comments back from Man on the Phoenix book. He caught a bunch of my fast-finger typos that I couldn’t “see” anymore. I’m grateful for that. He also really liked the book and said the ending surprised me. Score! I love hearing that.

And Sunday morning as I’m doing dishes and laundry, a new character started talking. I have no idea where it’s going or what it is, but I started writing. I got two pages in, only about 600 words, but I’ve started her story. Angelina, she tells me, is her name. And she’s a thief and a smuggler. And this is a sci-fi, by the way.

This week is going to be…difficult I think. A lot of things are coming to an end (school being one of them) and I’m feeling a bit reflective and apprehensive.  And maybe just a little bit sad, too. I’ll post more about it when I can.

Tomorrow, my good friend, Jenny Storm, will be here with her interview to promote her new book. Be sure to stop by and say hello!

And that’s it for me. So happy it’s a short week. I think.

Today – swing by the Samhain blog at 9 am to catch my post! I post a fun interview with one of my favorite characters. Just click here.

As per ya’ll’s request – here’s the recipe for the meatloaf.

The secret to keeping it moist is – wax paper, a little water, and ketchup. Enjoy!

1.5 lb ground meat
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg onion soup mix
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. ketchup

Mix ground bee with bread crumbs, egg, soup mix, water. Pack lightly into a 2 quart glass loaf dish. Cover with wax paper. Cook in microwave 5 minutes at Medium-High. Top with ketchup, cover with waxed paper. Rotate dish 1/2 turn. Cook 15 minutes at High or until done. Remove and let stand 5 mins.

And that’s it! Easy, huh?

Last night was very frustrating for me. I had truble with everything. Couldn’t find things… had a hard time plugging stuff in. It was annoying. So I gave up. I will get back to writing tonight for sure, though.

But now – off to work and school!

Well…somewhat. The temperature didn’t get above 95 yesterday I think. And when I headed off to bed it was a balmy…86. WOO! I could really tell the house wasn’t all that hot when I got home from work, too. It was actually kinda nice! And leaving the house for work was…pleasant.

Of course the 100 temps will be back by next week. BOO.

I cooked a fabulous meal last night. Have I mentioned I’m loving this new recipe magazine? I might have. I get tired of making the same things over and over again so I like to try new things. So far, everything I’ve tried from the magazine has been delicious and easy. I find chicken gets really old and boring after a while. If you feel like you’re in the chicken rut too (haha) then try this! Spicy Bronzed Chicken. It’s yum.

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It’s still hot out. Too hot to even breathe outside. BLAH! If we hit 100 today that will be 20 days this year we’ve made it to 100.

Anyhoo…

RWA Nationals gears up this week in San Francisco and while I’d love to go, funds just don’t allow for that sort of thing. It’s not in my budget, unfortunately. Besides, I’m heading for Canada next year. I’ll just have to live vicariously through others at the conference. hehe

Lately I’m all about the quick fix meal that’s inexpensive to cook AND delicious. I subscribed to a new magazine called “Simple & Delicious” – I think the title explains everything.

Anyway – I tried a new recipe last night and it was YUMMY! So I wanted to share it here. It’s ready in 30 minutes, quick and easy to fix.

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Do you ever just feel blank? Like a chalkboard someone erased and there’s nothing left but chalk dust. Gosh that’s me these last few days. Just blank.

Work has been exceptionally busy these last few days. Not that I’m complaining. I kind of like it. I feel like I’ve finally found my own niche there and it’s cool. But by the time I make it home, I’m exhausted. And then I have to cook a full meal and clean the kitchen and by the time all THAT is done, it’s nearly 8 and time for the kiddo to get into his bath and THEN the bedtime routine starts…and THEN I get to sit in front of the computer and stare at a blinking cursor.

And I’ve been having stomach issues. It does not like what I feed it lately. Which makes for a very uncomfortable day that’s for sure. I probably should have skipped the pizza for lunch yesterday… However, I made a nice healthy dinner. Well, okay, someone. I made lemon chicken.

Since I don’t have much else to blog about, here’s the recipe. Enjoy!

Pound 4 chicken breasts with meat mallet to a uniform 1/2 inch thickness. Dredge lightly in about 3 TB flour, reserving excess. In large sauté pan over medium high heat, melt 2 TB butter and 2 TB olive oil until it is sizzling hot. Add the chicken. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until juices run clear. Remove chicken to platter. Stir the reserved flour into the oil remaining in the pan, brown slightly and stir to pick up what is left in the pan. Pour in 1 3/4 cups chicken broth and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Boil until it thickens slightly. Return the chicken to the pan to heat through. Serve over cooked rice. 4 servings.

Okay. I don’t have much to blog about today so I thought I’d to a Recipe Share. I’m sharing one of my all-time favorites that is super easy to make. Yes, it’s chocolate. And Yes, it’s dessert. Fudgy brownies – you can’t go wrong with that!

If you wish to share a recipe, email me!

Oh and PS. Yes! I got some words in! (Just in case you were wondering…hehe)

Fudgy Brownies

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups butter or margarine, softened
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup baking cocoa
½ teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350°. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine flour, cocoa and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the top is dry and the center is set. Cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen.