TGIF

• This week flew by.  Awesome.
• I am actually, really, for real going to start a paleo/primal blog.  It will not be fancy and I'm not paying anything for it.  If enough people start reading and like what I cook/post, we'll see what happens.  I had a name all planned out but now I am second guessing it.  So, once I figure out a name and get some content ready to post, I will let you know.  Based on my past performance, this will probably take six months. ;)
• We are actually, really, for real going to remodel our kitchen.  I think.  We have one contractor that's given us some quotes for different options, and they all seem a bit high.  We have also come to the realization that we will not be removing the wall between the kitchen and living room.  {sad face}  We will never get that money back, and considering everything we're putting into our house this point is negative equity (thanks, housing market!), it's just not a smart move.  But, we are changing the layout a little bit... it will be much more efficient and also provide bar seating for four.  We are waiting (and waiting) for a quote from our neighbor contractors who I am pretty sure will do the job.
• We were thinking of ordering unfinished cabinets and having them painted, but the first quote we've received for that was $5,000!  To paint cabinets!!  The cabinets themselves don't cost much more than that.  Sheesh.
• The incomparable Capella Kincheloe will be once again making up for my severe lack in design ability.  We've hired her to do the design for our kitchen, living room, dining room and foyer.  I'm super excited to have a house that is decorated and doesn't look like we just moved in... two years + after moving in.
• We're hoping (pending our neighbors' bid) to get this party started late next month, but again, we need their bid so we can start ordering everything!!!!  SEND ME YOUR DAMN PRICING!  In their defense, they are awesome and a two man shop.  They do almost all the work themselves (which adds up to lots of cost savings), so they only have time to do estimates in the evenings and on the weekends.  But, that doesn't mean I'm not going to go knock on their door this weekend and tell them to give me something... now.  :)
• Is it just me, or is everyone pregnant?  Or just had a baby?  Seriously.
• Speaking of pregnant, Jenn and I went to Florida this weekend for one of my best friend's baby showers, hosted by another one of my best friends.  {We're the four best friends that anyone could have and we'll never ever ever ever ever leave each other.}  The shower was awesome... Dai is definitely the hostess with the mostest, and it was so good to spend some QT with some of my favorite people in the world.  We walked on the beach after dinner, and it was amazing.  What was not amazing is that I, along with many others, got the speeding ticket of all speeding tickets on the way down.  Oops.  I honestly had no idea I was speeding at all or that the speed limit was 60.  I don't speed through construction zones, and I typically don't go more than 10 over.  I was just driving along with everyone else, and apparently we were all doing about 20 over the speed limit... in a construction zone (where there was absolutely no construction... the project is DONE with a capital D).  Can't wait to call and find out how much that is going to be... my prediction is at least $500.  Eh, it's just money.  {vomits}

Dai, Jenn (+Davis), Meg (+Kate), and me

• On another note, I should really avoid standing next to friends that are 7-8" taller than me in pictures.  When will I learn?

It's What's for Dinner

Meatloaf, that is.  Specifically, this recipe for turkey meatloaf with feta and sun dried tomatoes from Giada de Laurentiis.  I believe I saw it on a blog this week, but I don't remember where.  All I know is that when I saw it, I knew I had to make it.  Matt and I are both fans of the loaf of meat, and I have made many different recipes.  This one is my new favorite.  I was going to make it paleo by leaving out one egg, the milk (I used half and half) and the breadcrumbs (breadcrumbs and dairy being non-paleo, of course), but last time I attempted a paleo meatloaf, the texture was off (I totally made up the recipe), so I didn't want to mess this one up.  Also, 1/2 c of breadcrumbs to a pound of meat isn't going to kill me (shhhhh, don't tell the paleo nazis).  I used fresh basil in place of parsley, since I have a lot of it from the CSA this week, but I did add about 1 tbsp of dried parsley.  I also upped the garlic since I bought regular sun dried tomatoes. 

For the side dish, I threw together a zucchini saute, again with CSA goodies.  This was inspired by a trip to Bonefish this weekend down in Florida, as they served a zucchini and tomato side that was quite tasty.

Zucchini and Tomato Saute
3-4 zucchini, quartered long ways and diced to 1/3-1/2" chunks
1 small Vidalia onion
2-3 cloves of garlic, sliced
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
~1/4 c fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a saute pan, bring EVOO to heat over a medium to medium-high burner.  Add onion and zucchini and saute until amost tender.  Add garlic and cook for another minute or two.  Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano.  Mangia!

On the foodagenda for the rest of the week (which now runs from Tuesday dinner - Tuesday lunch since I pick up my CSA bounty on Tuesdays after work)...

-my hacked version of Zoe's coleslaw (thanks to that beautiful cabbage and leftover scallions from last week, plus feta leftover from the meatloaf)
-roasted beet and herbed goat cheese salad (die over the deliciousness of this, beets and lettuce from CSA)
-cucumber and tomato salad with dill (all from CSA)
-basil pesto (will freeze and use on chicken, fish and/or grilled veggies when needed)
-turnip puree
-homemade pickles
-zucchini "hummus"

I don't think we'll be eating out but once this weekend.  Can't waste all that fresh, local, organic deliciousness I've got in my fridge and on my counter.  I've also been blanching and freezing my hardier greens (collards, kale, spinach, etc) to save for later, since we typically cannot get through a whole week's worth of veggies unless we are eating at home 5-6 nights per week and bringing lunches that include said veggies a few times per week.  I typically bring leftovers for lunch, but Matt tends to be more of a sandwich guy.  Speaking of, I'm absolutely stuffed after eating last night's leftovers and I wish there was more!

Ah Paris...

Oh Happy Day! is hosting a giveaway for a 7-night trip to Paris.  For real.  But, you should not go enter, because I must win this.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

P.S.  Oh Happy Day! also has great (P)inspiration.

Pinned

I finally got my long awaited invitation to Pinterest, and I'm officially obsessed.  I'm always saving photos from the interwebs for inspriation, especially for the house, and now I have a place to keep them safe, instead of having folders on both my home and work computers (of course I don't surf the web at work).

Here are a few things I'm pin(n)ing over (hardy har)...

Black bannister... remember when I was going to do that?  Yeah, me neither.  (Repinned from Jenn - original credit houzz.com)

  

It's the weekend... cocktail time! (Repinned from Erika Powell - original credit entrenous.typepad.com)


 

Painted cabinets with pretty, feminine island (Repinned from Erika Powell - House Beautiful)




Pretty (Repinned from Jenn - Southern Living)

 

I love lamp - I pinned from younghouselove.com.  Anyone that knows me knows I'm a sucker for a quatrefoil just as much as I am for an elephant.

Food for Thought (or Chew on This)

Or, "Ew, gross."

Credit: Huffington Post

I've said it before and I'll say it again (and, I am far from a conspiracy theorist), if you haven't seen Food Inc., watch it or at least educate yourself on the "food production industry" in the USA.  See also: Michael Pollan.

P.S.  FYI - nothing on that food subsidy list is good for you in large quantities.  I have yet to find anything that tells me that fruits and vegetables (corn is not a vegetable, neither are legumes) are anything but good for you in large quantities.  Now, you might have some stomach issues if all you eat is fruit (see: The Grapes of Wrath), but I don't think anyone reading this here blog is starving.
P.P.S.  This is why animals like cows and chickens are fed grains (like corn) when they should be eating grass or bugs.  The government subsidizes these crops so other farmers buy corn for less than it costs to grow/harvest. 

Stuff White People Like

Winning Yard of the Month...

A few quick iPhone shots of some of the foliage.  You'll notice the grass isn't looking so hot.  Funny that we win YOTM when our grass looks like this (the sign was delivered the day after we Matt cut the green off the grass, so it was probably green when they picked us... ha!).  Apparently, for the last almost two years, Matt has been mowing it too high (we have zoysia in the front), so there's all this dead stuff underneath that needed to be raked out.  So, he had to put the mower way down and cut all of our pretty green grass to get to the dead stuff.  See how it's green around the edges?  That's because I guess he cut those areas short enough with the weedwacker.  Anywho, project green grass is underway and it's already greening right up!