1-1-11

HAPPPPYYY NEWWW YEAARRR everyone!! It's hard to believe it's already 2011. Thanks to all of you who helped support my blog in 2010 by following & being avid readers. Writing is what I LOVEEE to do, and it's hard to believe that there are fabulous people like ya'll that will take time out to read my random nonsense, narcissistic rants about my child, diva pout sessions, chef-wannabe recipes and crazy experiences as a new & constantly learning mama! I hope that this blog only continues to bloom throughout 2011. I don't know what you all are eating tonight, but if you plan to have "good luck" in 2011, it'll be Black Eyed Peas, Collared Greens & Cornbread.. we're throwing in a couple Pork Chops just for kicks ;) Here's the Neely's recipe for PERFECT PERFECT purrrrfect Black Eyed Peas.. or at least as close to perfect as I've seen them come. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound dried black-eyed peas (fresh or canned black-eyed peas can be substituted)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 ounces pork shoulder, diced into 1/2-inch cubes

4 strips thick sliced bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium onion, small diced

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups water

3 bay leaves

Hot sauce, as desired. (IT'S DESIRED!)

STEPS:

If using dried black-eyed peas, put them in a large pot and cover with about 4 inches of water. Soak the peas overnight, then drain the water and rinse. Alternatively, you can "quick-soak" the peas by bringing them and the water to a boil for 2 minutes. After this, remove them from the heat, cover the pot and soak the peas for 1 hour. Then, drain and rinse the peas.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the pork. Sear until the pork is browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bacon, onion and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the salt, black pepper, cayenne and garlic powder. Cook until the entire mixture is coated with the spices, about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and water and drop in the bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.

When the pork begins to fall apart, add the prepared peas to the pot and simmer until the peas are very soft, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

(Cooks Note: Using the back of a spoon, smash some of the peas against the inside of the pot then stir them into the mixture. This will break up some of the peas and give them a creamier consistency. Alternatively, you can puree 1 cup of the peas and broth in a blender or a food processor, then return the puree to the pot.)

Taste for seasonings, and add some hot sauce, if desired. Discard the bay leaves and transfer the black-eyed peas to a serving bowl.

This fabulous home cooked "completely necessary because it's for good luck, right?" meal comes on the perfect day, because my OFFICIAL "EAT-HEALTHY-PLAN" starts tomorrow. No, this is not one of those silly "I'll start my diet next week after this burrito" plans, but an overall lifestyle change. As I blogged in a previous post, being a stay-at-home mom on the go has turned my eating habits to dirt, and I plan to fix that this year. One way I will be doing this is buying fresher ingredients, and cooking "Hungry Girl" recipes: Tasty, nutritious recipes that taste like they're jam packed with all the fat that makes food "worth eating" but literally cutting the calories in HALF Sometimes less than that. It's simple: Instead of using two whole avocados for guacamole, I'll use one and substitute the other for thawed frozen peas.. The avocado's flavor will overpower the peas, while still giving the texture of a avocado, and leaving out HALF of the calories! Or using skim milk, low fat Parmigiano Reggiano and fat free sour cream for an alfredo sauce, instead of the calorie-packed store bought sauce. I'm going to attempt to cook these recipes for my two hungry boys, and hopefully they'll be yummy enough to where they have no idea they are eating "healthy", but if J can taste the difference, I'll just have to cook two dishes every night.. Just because THEY like fatty foods, doesn't mean I have to, right?! I'd like some feedback as far as recipes I post on here.. I could totally continue posting calorie-packed recipes on my blog, but if ya'll would like to take a more "healthy" approach too, I'd be happy to share my HBY (healthy but yummy!) "Hungry Girl" recipes periodically throughout my blog. New Year, New You! Let me know how ya'll feel about this in comments, por favor!

Speaking of New Year, last night for NYE's J & I went out downtown with a group of good friends.. We danced, laughed & drank one too many.. Last year in 2010 (aside from the occasional dinner with my honey) I got dolled up and went out only ONCE. I'm no party animal by any stretch of the imagination, but I had so much fun just being around J as a couple, rather than parents. We plan to make it a point to go out and do something together, even if it's just dinner, at least once a week or every other week from here on out. I started to forget that not only do I love him as a father to Cash, but as my boyfriend, too! Aside from me only snapping pictures of EVERYONE else, and the flat tire we managed to get at 3AM, I got to kiss the best man in the world at midnight, and that's all that matters to me.. Cash stayed with my Aunt, and had a blast.. but of course I forced J to go pick him up when we got in. Just couldn't sleep peacefully without that little monkey in the house.. Here's the pics I managed to get: bare with me!

 

My very best friend Ashley & I.. Not sure what was going on here, but I'm almost positive we were laughing at someone ;)

Bartender =)

Threw this bad boy in just for kicks.. No clue who they are.. This girl was clearly wasted, so there's no way she's 4 1/2 months pregnant like I originally assumed.. Look how he's grabbing her belly.. REALLY? WHO DOES THAT? Gah-ross!

Kiss at midnight: interrupted by a drink that slightly ruined the pic. REGARDLESS, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And the funniest part of the night, at least for me.. There's nothing funny about a flat tire, but when it's four minutes from your house at 3AM and you've had a glass too many, it's pretty humorous. And the humor increases when it's THESE two jokers changing it, dressed up to a T. Maybe it was just funny for me because I was INSIDE the car..

Again, thanks to all of you who stood by me in the process of trying to make this blog a success these past few months. Hope everyone had as fabulous a NYE as we did! I'm so excited for what 2011 has in store for our family. Although I'm overjoyed with the new beginnings 2011 will bring, here's five things that I'd love to remain in 2010 & stay as FAR away from 2011 as possible. These things, in no particular order, are as follows:

PAJAMA JEANS:

 

Need I explain much more? These two lethal words should have never been combined in the same title, much less the same article of clothing. I really can't express what's worse: The fact that there is a commercial vigorously selling denim dyed pajama pants, equipped with back pockets, stitching & hardware, or the fact that women are ACTUALLY conned into buying denim dyed pajama pants, equipped with back pockets, stitching & hardware. As if the middle-aged flat bottomed models on the infomercial weren't enough, the selling of the product on that monotonous commercial is even more impossible to sit through. I won't lie by saying that I haven't been suckered into nearly dialing the last number between me & a brand new Stainless Steel Hot Cocoa Maker while watching QVC or HSN, but any woman who would be suckered into buying these tacky fashion hazards needs the number to a good shrink. The comfort of sweatpants with the style of blue jeans? Oooh sounds stylish. Not available in stores? Oooh sounds exotic. Available in 8 sizes? Oooh I'm a size. European designer? Oooh Europe. Please please PLEASE, if you haven't seen the commercial or been suckered in, do NOT let me see these bad boys in 2011! If you've already bought them, here's your chance to silently throw them away before you embarrass yourself. Can't say I didn't warn you..

FLO FROM PROGRESSIVE:

 

 

Dear Flo, you gotta go! Nobody likes your bad blow dry, split ends, overdone bump-it, bright red lips, name tag or your annoying voice. No REAL insurance agent would ever be that giddy, and no REAL office building would ever be that bright white.

BOWS. ON GROWN WOMEN.

 

Hot Mess /:hawt-mehss (noun) - a derogatory term describing a situation, behavior, appearance, etc. that is disastrously bad. Think "faux pas" but times ten. Possible origin is literal (think, steaming dogpile). <--- Someone forgot to include "grown women wearing a side bow" somewhere sporadically within this definition. Not only do I hope this trend stays in 2010, but I wish it never would have came about to begin with. The only thing worse than seeings a grown woman (18+) with a strategically placed bow on the side of her head/headband, is seeing a grown woman with a strategically placed bow on the side of her head/headband WITH a child of her own. Since when did the expression "Stealing candy from a baby" morph into "Stealing hairbows from a baby." There is NOTHING cute about a grown woman in a bow.. it's not cute to the general public, and it couldn't be to any man who wasn't a pedophile. I. Cringe. Please, please, PUH-LEEZ recycle your fashion fouls to your children, give them away, or throw them in the dumpster. That is all.

THE TYRA SHOW RERUNS

 

 

Thank God Tyra herself isn't reading this blog, because this paragraph would go a little something like this: "One thing I hope.." TYRA BUTTING IN: Yeah I hoped for something myself..one time I hoped that I would be the Top Model and look at me now.. HOLLLLLAAA!" "Um anyway, I hope that they do not continue showing Tyra Show reruns because they are getting a little old.. TYRA BUTTING IN: Yeah some super models look fierce when they're old, but not all, but some do, but I do, but, HOLLLAAA!" "These reruns are getting a tad bit redundant, and they seem to never get much accomplished.. TYRA BUTTING IN: Yeah I feel as though I, Tyra, I, I, I, have accomplished, I myself, a ton being that I'm super fierce, I was a model in Paris, and HOLLLLAA!" You get the picture. Tyra, one word: LISTEN. That's what you do in an interview. You listen! Her shows seem to have interesting moralistic plots, but they all diminish as soon as she opens her mouth. She always finds a way to make the relatable topics unrelatable with her over-the-top stories and input solely about HERSELF. Nobody cares, Tyra. Really. If someone is listening in on a show about "How to break a Pregnancy to your family", they don't want to hear your baby-less behind talk about your modeling years in Paris. Seriously. Stay in 2010.

I'll leave you with this: A recent pic of my sweet sweet 14 month old "big man!" Love him in some green.. HAPPY NEW YEAR!