you guys! i was seriously floored at all the amazing comments left on my last post. seriously everyone gave me such good feedback to my rant. i was just looking to vent, not expecting much to come of it, actually after i wrote it i debated deleting it but then posted it. and i ended up with so much more because of it. you all gave me a lot of great advice, suggestions, encouragement and once again made me SO happy i am a part of this community. i have only been reading the comments from my phone as they come in, but tomorrow i want to take some time to read over them again and i will be replying to lots of the comments, but i wanted to say thank you thank you! i will also be doing a reflection post of sorts after i hash everything that was said to me out.. lots of good points were made and i want to talk about them! just no time right now…
but f’reals. i heart you all. forever. times infinity. plus nine.
it is, once again, later than it needs to be when i start a post.. so i am going to try to make this snappy because i’ve got my early morning meeting tomorrow!
it was free day for me.. and sometimes the best part about free day is NOT eating every 3 hours! and also not having to balance my proteins and carbs.
i started off the day with a bowl mug of shredded wheat:
no, i did not intend to eat this out of a mug, but marshall and his roommates fail epically when it comes to doing the dishes and this was literally the last clean dish in the house! i realized after that i should have gone to the trouble of washing a bowl because the rice milk at the bottom got the cereal all super soggy and i couldn’t mix the cry cereal up top with the sogged down stuff at the bottom. cereal catastrophe.
i hate soggy cereal! i usually just add a splash of milk because i like my cereal crunchy and i never have any leftover milk in the bowl afterward. i am sure you all REALLY were interested in hearing my milk-to-cereal ratio preference, right??
then i hit up tarjay and got some travel items for seattle. is it just me who ADORES the mini bins?! little soaps, little deoderants, little mouth washes.. oh and those mini tide detergent bottles are so. damn. cute. i love little things! it does not take much for me to get excited, obviously.
then it was off to mi madre’s because IT IS HER BIRTHDAY! HOLLER!
on the menu? fish tacos!!
i started out by making some cabbage slaw which had cabbage, lime, scallions, cilantro, fresh ground black pepper and a touch of light sour cream~
and i also whipped up a batch of guacamole with avocados, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, lime, salt and some jalapeño juice~
funny story, i always thought this kitchen gadget was made just for guacamole making:
see how well it works?
it was not until later in life that i found out it is actually a pastry blender! but you guys should try it for mixing up your next batch of guac, it works great!
i grated two types of mexican cheeses, both have very distinct and different flavors. cotija which is very sharp and hard, and panela which is softer and more mild.
panela on the left, cotija on the right.
i also had a simple side dish of black beans + cotija~
and a side dish of fruit kebabs leftover from the wedding reception~
i seasoned the corvina (a type of bass fish) with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little lime~
my dad, the grillmaster, helped me grill up the fish (and chicken for marshall!)
and then shredded it to bits!
marshall’s chicken, he is a fish hater.. i don’t know why!
and the local mexican market, rico, helped out with some corn tortillas, hot sauces, pico and a corn & black bean salad…
all together!
we served ourselves in assembly line steeze..
my plate~
so. dang. delish.
it was the perfect fusion of home made things and store-bought things. i loved that the stuff i did buy premade was all local, handmade deliciousness. my friend’s parents own the fish market and his friend’s dad owns the mexican market.. it helps to have an “in” when it comes to delicious food!
after dinner my mom opened gifts~
i got her this REALLY cute pelican. for some reason pelicans remind me of my mom!
she really loved it, as you can see. i also got her a stylish workout outfit which she readily modeled for me~
haha, a little long. we are shorties. last year we searched HIGH and LOW for running pants that were not flared at the bottom but had no luck. when i saw these i knew she had to have them! doesn’t she look so cute?!
after the gift extravaganza it was time for…
CAKE!
she has quite the set of lungs on her, good thing she was never a smoker, blew them out in one huff!
awesome.
and of course.. it was red velvet cake~
i honestly don’t love frosting so i picked out some slivers of just cake, i could have sent my frosting over to this mama i suppose?!
and i paired it with some vanilla bean ice cream~
perfection in a bowl.
after things died down, my mom and i ended the night the best way possible~
boggle!
i killed her. no, i was not about to let her win just because it was her birthday!
now i am cuddled up with the pooches, watching chopped and contemplating a shower tonight or in the morning.. i never can decide on sunday nights because i have to wake up SO early on mondays.. hmm yep, another pointless paragraph i just wrote and you just read. sorry, i wish i could give you those 4 seconds of your life back!
state fair tomorrow!
yayer. goodnight friends!
Qs
1. what is your ideal cereal-to-milk ratio? do you drink the leftover milk? how do you feel about soggy cereal? i said it up there but i will say it again, i just like a tiny bit of milk and if there is any left over i put more cereal in the bowl to use up the milk.. obviously ;) and i haaate soggy.
2. are there any kitchen gadgets you use for a different purpose than what it is made for? in addition to the pastry blender for guacamole, i also use a garlic press to press string cheese into bits when making my stuffed mushrooms.
xo. janetha b.
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Um, your guacamole looks AMAZING! Yum!
What a post….holy yum! All the little containers of corn n black beans and salsa and guac…make me hungry for an outdoor Mexican party on the deck, just like what you had goin’ on.
Cereal and milk…well, I am gluten and dairy free so pretty much cereal out of box isn’t worth eating at that point b/c it tastes like the cardboard container it’s packaged in, so cant help you there :)
But the gadget question…hmmm, I use spatulas for scraping out the inside of my vitamix. Now, I realize that scraping is scraping but with a vitamix, lots of food ends up underneath the blade and to not waste, I really murder my spatulas trying to get out the last bits of trapped vitamix food creations.
Happy Birthday to your mama! Ok seriously, can I come to your family’s next birthday dinner? Everything looks SO good, and I love that it was all homemade, right down to the guac. ANd red velvet cake?! I dream about it.
I try to engineer a perfect milk to cereal ratio…that is, no leftover milk. It kind of grosses me out. And like you, I HATE soggy cereal. I think that’s why I eat it so fast ;)
Wine bottles make good rolling pins… ;)
Naturally the only solution for leftover milk is more cereal. Maybe I put too much milk in on purpose just so I’ll have an excuse to get more…waste not want not.
And genius about the pastry blender thing…!
WOW- you have one hot mama! Happy Birthday to her. What a great birthday dinner- everything looks so fresh…yummy :) Hope she enjoyed every minute. Have a good Monday
Okay this is so weird! We are having friends over for fajitas this week and as I read this post, I was searching for a quick and easy guacamole recipe. You READ MY MIND!! Thanks for being my foodie twin today. :)
Wow, what a great party. Fish tacos, fun gifts, your beautiful mom….everything looks just grand! Happy Birthday to her for sure. :)
I hate soggy cereal but I am also ultra weird when it comes to my milk. I take 1/2 cup of soy milk and pour it over ice. Then I freeze it for a few minutes so its extremely cold. And THEN I pour it over my cereal. I like having that slushy milky ice over my bran flakes and as the bowl sits, the milk melts. It’s the perfect consistency.
Glad you had a great weekend darlin.
Happy birthday Momma B!!! Wow, 57 and still smokin’! :P You’ve got some good genes there Janetha ;)
That spread looks fantastic. I’ve never had fish tacos. Maybe because the name sounds kind of nasty, but fish IS delicious. My boy doesn’t like it either. The only time he’ll ever eat it is when it’s beer battered with french fries *rolls eyes*
1. I’m with you! Just a splash of milk. I hate soupy cereal.
2. Hmm…I use one of those silicone scrapers when making my oats on the stove instead of with a spoon. It’s better at stirring and keeping it from sticking to the pot :)
Have fun at the fair!!!!!
I want to go to the fair and see goats! And by goats, I don’t mean carny ladies with goatees…have fun!
So when can your family adopt me, because seriously, you have the best food at your gatherings. I’m Polish, so there’s a lot of meat. And meat to go with the meat. Great for vegetarians :)
Cereal to milk? I’m always measuring crap out, so it works out okay. However, I don’t enjoy the sogginess and wait until exactly the last minute to pour it on. Dork.
I love my cereal to be incredibly soggy…and I always drink the left over milk because I read in an issue of Women’s Fitness that all of the goodness that the cereal has been fortified with usually ends up as sediment in the bottom of the bowl, amongst that left over milk! xxx
What, no hummus on free day?? I do NOT like milk at all, but super not in my cereal! Now that I’ve discovered almond milk, it’s a bit more tolerable, but seriously, I use like a tablespoon!
P.S. holla next time you have unwanted frosting. That is the only reason to even eat cake in my opinion :) love ya! xoxo
Happy birthday (belated) to your mom! Looks like a fab celebration- LOVE her workout outfit :D I am a shorty too and can never find work-out clothes. Dinner looks delish- you are quite the cook! Though not liking frosting? Am thinking you and me need to go out for cake- you get the cake, I’ll take the frosting. And Marshall’s fish.
1. what is your ideal cereal-to-milk ratio? do you drink the leftover milk? how do you feel about soggy cereal? I LOVE my cereal soggy! I don’t do ‘crunchy’ foods so all my cereal/yogurt messes are made the night before and left to go mushy. YUM :D
2. are there any kitchen gadgets you use for a different purpose than what it is made for? hmm…well currently I am using my measuring jug as a flower vase but that’s it I think?!
Enjoy the fair and thank you so much for my gift! LOVE IT! Can’t wait to make your ranch combo… :D
So my birthday is in May, and I’ll be expecting fish tacos, a sweet workout outfit & red velvet cake. Maybe a box of cereal..
mm I like my cereal with a little bit of a milk explosion (well if we’re talking about shredded wheat) soggy cereal is bad news in my book.
umm kitchen gadgets? hmmm I think I use them for what they’re made for? haha
have fun at the fair :)
Happy B-day to your momma! That fish taco party looks so fun, and red velvet is my FAVE! :)
1. When I was little, I would purposely let my cereal get soggy, I hated it crunchy…but now, I definitely appreciate crunchy cereal, so I think I’d prefer just a splash of milk.
2. I use cake spatulas to scoop and scrape stove top oats out of the pan…gotta get all those precious flakes!
what a great idea using the pastry blender for guac! I would have never though to do that.
happy birthday to your mom!!! Fish tacos are so good, and these ones look awesome!
I’m not a huge fan of soggy cereal, but I did always leave cocoa krispies/cocoa puffs in the milk long enough to make it chocolate milk :)
I tend to like my cereal more mushy than crunchy….depends on the ceral though!
Your dinner tonight looks so fresh and tasty. And the cake…YUMMY!
Happy Birthday to your mom. She is too cute!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MAMA SUE! she is too dang cute – LOVE that workout outfit!
your birthday spread looks fantabulous – such a good combo of homemade/store bought items. i have never had fish tacos, and literally every time i see them, i know i would love them.
i also love red velvet cake. is there any left?
yay for a free day and sue’s birthday and the state fair today! i hope you have a lovely day my dear and let’s chat soon!
(1) i like a little less milk than cereal – i am NOT a milk drinker at the end of the bowl. nope, i waste it. i admit it.
(2) i never use kitchen gadgets for what they were intended for. i once thought an egg slicer was for cheese. yep, no lie.
Your mom is just to cute! :D My mom is little like that too.
I like soggy cereal, and I drink the milk.
I use my pampered chef garlic press to smash my dogs pills with. That way the pill is powdered up and she can’t tell it’s in her food :D
Happy Birthday to your Mama! Our moms are the same age!
I like my cereal lightly coated in milk. The 1/2 cup recommendation is ideal, but I have to eat it immediately because I do not do soggy cereal well.
As for kitchen gadgets that have alternative uses. Hmmmm…..I sometimes use the blender like a food processor. Or an ice cream scoop to portion out rice, pasta, etc.
I don’t like soggy cereal that much either – it’s all about the crunch!
Awww looks like you mom had a great celebration! Love the guac!!
1. When I ate cereal and milk I always drank the milk – cocoa puffs cereal made it chocolaty! Cinnamon toast crunch made it cinnamony!
2. Um….well, I guess I use knives in a unique way. If I can’t open a twist jar I bang the edges of it with the knife to loose it up :)
yum those fish tacos look AHmazing!
i tend to be an equal milk to cereal ratio person :) a little soggy is all right but not too much!
It was a birthday extravagna\anza, wahoo!! Loved the food, gifts, cake and most of all the company of almost all of our family – I LOVE my kids and grand kids to the moon and back! I am for sure ONE LUCKY MOM and NANA SUE!! xoxoxo My heart felt thanks to my personal chef, xoxo.
Yay happy birthday to your mamaa!! Our moms have similar bdays!
i eat my cereal dry. =D
guacamole!!! Love love that! (used to hate avocado, what I was thinking?)
glad you mom had a great breakfast, she look ssooooo fit and fabulous!!! Tell her I said that ;)
I don’t eat cereals with milk any more… just quit milk and sugary cereals are too sweet for me. I like to eat fiber one, plain! :)
I didn’t comment yesterday about your “rant” but I totally understand what you’re going through. But you’re doing so well and the weight WILL come off. Just keep your head up :)
The fish tacos and all the dippers look SOOO good. And healthy! Yum! And red velvet is one of my absolute favorites.
1. I like LOTS of milk. I don’t like soggy cereal, but a wee bit mushy doesn’t bother me.
2. I don’t really have any gadgets, so the ones I do have get used for the proper purposes, I think.
Happy Birthday to your mom! Seriously, she’s awesome, she’s got the most awesome smile: completely glowing on all the pics!
The only soggy cereal I like is oatmeal (or is that not a cereal?).. but normal cereal has to be BONEdry for me to enjoy it… well, in any case, I don’t add lots of milk. My brother, on the otherhand, makes ‘cold cocoa’ and pours a bit of cereal into it… weird? you be the judge of that…
I put nuts in my blender :P… and cut kiwi’s with an eggslicer..
xxx
I used to use that gadget for mashing bananas for banana bread. Haha.
I am in love with those fish tacos too, wow. Makes me hungry….
1) Ick, soggy? No way. And I use the same amount of milk as cereal so there is an equal amount of both in each bite.
2) Um, I use a meat pounder for mashing beans and potatoes. Oh and for crushing nuts before I got a food processor.
Your momma is just the greatest! Happy Birthday! :) I love the gifts you got her – always thinkin :)
That is the best looking meal ever! I love Ricos products..and that guac looks amazing! I make it all the time and the idea to use a pastry blender is genius.
I like there to be a bit more cereal than milk so there is some, but snot much, milk left at the end. Soggy cereal is no bueno though!
Your mom is just about THE cutest thing ever. No, really. (You writing “birthday boggle” on the score sheet is pretty up there, too.) And your feast looks fantastic!!
1. I prefer less milk. Soggy cereal is just plain gross.
2. I kind of use whatever I get my hands on first (ahem, whatever is clean) in the kitchen. This means that I occasionally do such things as eat yogurt with a fork, open bottles with a can opener, “grate” carrots with a serrated knife, and juice things with tongs. It still works out in the end, though.
Happy (belated) birthday to your mom!!
The fish tacos look awesome! So does the red velvet cake… yum!!
1. I prefer a medium amount of milk. I like my cereal coated, but NOT soggy… and I drink the extra milk if there is any. But I usually don’t like it!
2. I use knives for EVERYTHING… except garlic. I need a garlic press. I’ll use whatever is available for use!!
xo
K
dang it I haven’t gotten that far back in reader yet to know what you are talking about, but i’ll comment when i see it im sure! I love getting comments to the phone and then having the option to email things back. Yay!
i love crunchy cereal too. i try to use as little milk as poss to still get with every bite.
ok i love fish but i have to admit that marshalls chicken looks killer good!
love her running pants! I want to look good in pants like that.
WHOA red velv. One of my faves!!!! send me a piece PLEASE.
-muffs
Aww happy belated byday to MOMMY! She look fiiiine in that running outfit!
Cereal and almond milk–it totes depends on the cereal. Actually, I enjoy when it gets soggy, but I always have leftover milk, which I automatically refill until it’s gone!
Kitchen gadgets…hmmm…I don’t think I really use any anyway. Lame-azoid.
I hope your Monday is going swimmingly! Much love :)
hi hi! I need to catch up on your last post – I feel so out of the loop on Janetha-ville!
Lovely lovely food bits you made for your mama’s bday. Fish tacos are the bomb dot com. I love homemade guac! Store-bought=poop to me.
Okay, I quite like soggy cereal! Well, I like both! Sometimes I fancy crunchy, sometimes I fancy a bit of sogg. What can I say, I don’t discriminate. I quite like slurping milk at the end of the bowl, but usually I am quite skilled at getting the ratio spot-on. I’m so sure you care about this! Haha.
You don’t like frosting. I don’t understand people who don’t like frosting. Holly doesn’t either. You may be my two favorite ladies in blog land but that is weird. Or!! Or!! I can just have all your frosting forever and ever when we finally get to hang out *cough*at the madison half marathon*cough* hurray!!
Your mom is a hotty!! Happy birthday mama b!!
your mom is so beautiful! happy birthday momma!
I completely share your sentiment towards soggy cereal – cereal will always hold a special place in my heart (or stomach?) but not when it’s soggy!
I actually like to have the same ratio of cereal/ milk and the leftover milk is like icing on a cake, which you don’t like so it all makes sense!!
It’s been said before — but your mom is really beautiful!
That dinner looked outstanding! The only cereal I like soggy is shredded wheat actually! To each her own! :) And I think the use of a pastry blender for guacamole makes perfect sense and is quite genius!
Happy Birthday to Mom! No way does she look 57!
Mmm I loooove Red Velvet Cake!!
Hmm I’m not a huge milk person so I usually just put enough for it to get a little soggy and then I always leave whatever is left afterwards.
LOL! I totally loved reading about your cereal to milk ratio! It’s those quirky little things that are so endearing.
I like just the *right* amount of milk with my ceral.
You mom is so cute!! Happy Belated Birthday to her! Hehe.
1. what is your ideal cereal-to-milk ratio? do you drink the leftover milk? how do you feel about soggy cereal? I HATE soggy cereal, but I like a lot of milk and drink the leftover. It’s kind of a weird combination which makes me eat cereal a little too fast. Hehe.
2. are there any kitchen gadgets you use for a different purpose than what it is made for? nope. I don’t really use kitchen gadgets much at all.
so how old was your mom? 25? buaha, I totes sound like a slimeball trying to hit on that MILF of yours. But on the real, mama meals and moves is slammin!
I love soggy cereal, dont hate me.
hugs to you J$!
Wow, can I be in your family? That dinner looks amazing!! I like just enough milk to coat my cereal, the ideal situation is when it’s all soaked up and there’s none left when I eat the last bite.
Hmm I’ll have to think about the kitchen gadgets… I think I use most of them for their correct purposes.
I’ve never made guac before, but you make it look easy!
what is your ideal cereal-to-milk ratio? do you drink the leftover milk? It’s tough – I need leftover milk, but non-soggy cereal. Balancing act ;-)
2. are there any kitchen gadgets you use for a different purpose than what it is made for? It’s entirely possible, but I don’t know which one. haha!
I wanna be hot like your mom when I’m 57!
I prefer yogurt with my cereal- milk isn’t enough to “grab onto” :-)
As I said in my comment on yesterdays posts- even your days “off” bfl are stellar! Your “cheat” day looks like my “best” day!!
Happy birthday to the Momma!!! That guacamole looks restaurant style good! Actually all that food seriously looks like from a restaurant. Impressive! And that cake! Yummmm.
You cracked me up with your shower debate. I do the same thing for hours. Sit and think about taking one;…or not.
1. I’m like you – no soggy cereal!! And I hate leftover milk because then I just want to add more cereal to use it up.
2. That’s hilarious about your pastry guacamole masher. Hmmm can’t think of anything right now that I use.
Wowza-all that food looks amazing. I hope I look that good at 57. I can totally relate to “all pants being too long.” I am 5’2 with hips-I feel your pain.
Cereal: I like it kinda soggy and I like the leftover milk
Gadget: I used a pastry blender to mash my garbanzo beans when I make bean burgers.
Have a great night :)
1. Total soggy cereal girl. I like to let it sit for a few minutes to soak up all the liquid. Even better when you put in the m-wave, esp. with shredded wheat cereal:) I totally drink the milk too, assuming it hasn’t been absorbed.
2. I use my mom’s ancient nutcracker to open jars. Does that count?
ah, your mom looks like an amazing lady! I miss my mom, back east :(
1. I haven’t had cereal in for-ev! I never liked soggy cereal either. special k was my favorite as a kid (what kind of kid was I?!), and that stuff sogs fast! sometimes I would leave some at the bottom if I deemed it inedible. I’m not proud of that.
2. besides the mixing bowl out of which I eat, I don’t think I really utilize any utensils or gadgets creatively. oh, but I usually test my baked goods with a bobby pin. does that count?
I usually go with 2:1 cereal : milk ratio. Your mom looks great for 57! Actually, she looks great for 47 too!
i’ve been in a guac-making mood for the past month, and i’m def buying one of those contraptions next time i’m at the store. genius!
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