Calming the anxiety beast

Ahhhhh yes the beast of anxiety is rearing its ugly head for the last couple of days.  Money is tight to say the least and its taking a toll in terms of tension in the household.  I have felt lost and out of place for the last couple of weeks.  So with that being said, Sweets and I decided that it might be a good idea if I head to Florida to spend some time with my mom.  My poor dear mother has recently had surgery to remove a large skin cancer thingy from the top of her head and needs help packing up the Florida house and driving home.  The great part of this is that i am going to be able rest, detox my body from the amount of wine and booze I have been consuming, run and get my diet back into check.  My mom happens to love when I cook so this will be a great chance to try some new things in the kitchen.  I absolutely cannot wait to head to the fish market to see what the local fisherman have brought in that day and shop at the adorable Farmer's Market.  Now the down and somewhat insane side of this whole trip is that I will be driving (with mom and 90 pound beast of love) home the day before we leave for Gulf Shores Al.  Am I insane?  Well I guess only time will tell.  I am hoping to post everyday while I am there, if not anything but to clear my head and heart.  So with that, I will leave you with just a quick little recipe I plan on using with some fresh caught grouper once I get to Florida.  And for further reference, I am not a "measurer" so everything is to taste and approximate.

Vera Cruz Sauce (I use with pretty much any light white fish) Easy Peasy!!

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic (minced)
4 scallions sliced thin
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (seeded for less heat)
1 cup sliced green olives
1/4 cup drained capers
3 cups diced canned tomatoes or 5-6 roma tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in saucepan. Add garlic, scallions, jalapeno, olives and capers. As soon as ingredients start to sizzle, add the tomatoes and salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Like I said easy and delish.  

Well...until later.  

Two posts one day, Life of the Unemployed

Well, being that I am left to my own devices with Sweets lying in bed on the verge of death with a cold (why do men handle sickness with such drama?) So far today I have received permission from my landlord to paint our family room which I have been wanting to do since we moved in but was to scared to ask.  Let me explain the whole "to scared to ask" comment.  We live in a rental of a friend who lives out of state and.......its for sale.  So initially upon moving in 3 years ago we were asked not to paint etc.  I should also mention that we pay less for our 4 bedroom, 3 bath, fenced in yard and...INGROUND POOL house than i did for my one bedroom in the HP (thats Hyde Park for you non Cincinnatians)  I have also have decided to make a much needed headboard for our bed. It looks pretty simple but me with a staple gun could be scary.  At this point, I think staying busy with projects is going to keep me happy and less panicky over the whole not having a job thing.  Also it will keep me from bugging the sh*t out of Sweets.

Long time....no post

So yea.....i created a blog and then ignored it for awhile.  Well, I just wasn't sure what exactly where I wanted this blog to go. Did I want it to be more about my life, sharing my love of food, my search to finally find a career that makes me fulfilled and happy.....well your going to get it all. The good the bad and the ugly.

For example, we just arrived on Tuesday from an all out blowout in Vegas.  It is my sweets 40th next week and also one of my friends got married last weekend so what better excuse to go on an all out bender for 4 days.  Which, by the way, didn't include anything harder wine, beer and bourbon but damn it is getting harder to recover from such debauchery.  Actually, right now, the sweets is upstairs with a horrible sinus infection and what sounds like bronchitis.  So this glamour girl will spend the day sanitizing my house, meal planning for the week and tending to the obviously dying male laying in bed upstairs.

So bear with me while I figure this out.  I plan on posting my kitchen creations, my thoughts on suddenly becoming a domesticated engineer in a single income family, and, of course, the silliness I get myself into.

So this being my first post, I should probably tell you a little about ME.  I am at a little bit of a crossroads in my life at this point.  I have recently been laid off and want to take my career in a different direction.  I want to be creative and connect with people but not sure in what capacity.  I am simply tired of the rat race and back biting of a sales/corporate environment.  While I am on this journey of discovery, I want to continue to enjoy the simple things of life......the love of my life and best friend, my sweet beautiful pooch and food.  Oh and by the way.....food and (wine duh) is something I LOVE to talk about and experience.  Cooking and eating (and of course wine) are some of my favorite things in life.

So that being said....I need to take my behind upstairs and get ready to go to bid farewell to one of my favorite Cincinnati restaurants http://www.hugo-restaurant.net/ at their Oakley location and celebrate their relocation to Mariemont.  So have a glass of wine (or 3) and a wonderful Saturday night.