a girl in her element

When you mix sausage, broccoli and pasta together, you just can’t go wrong!  You really, really can’t.  Well, at least in my crazy broccoli-loving world.

Boil sausage and pasta.  You can use any kind of sausage.  This time I’m using andouille, but I’ve used cheddar and hot links in the past.   Drain both.

Combine 1 cup of chicken broth, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, red pepper flakes and parsley flakes.  Bring to a boil and throw the sausage in there.

Combine sausage/sauce mix with pasta.  You can add more or less red pepper flakes depending on how spicy you want it.

I like to add vegetables in with mine.  I heat up the veggies in a steamer bag and then throw them on top.  I’m a broccoli lover, but you can substitute broccoli with just about any other veggie.

That it certainly is.  The pain might be intense.  It may strike from the tips of your toes to the top of your head.  At times, it fools you into thinking it’s going to take over your body and limit you from taking one more step.  But in the end, it is temporary.

And the pride and joy of finishing is everlasting.

Almost three days after the completion of my first half-marathon, in many ways, I’m still in pain, but it’s a reminder that the human body is remarkably strong and enduring.

It’s Wednesday once again which means it’s Wine Wednesday.  Is it sad that I now look forward to Wednesdays?

Disclaimer:  If you’re looking for an expert opinion on wine, you won’t find it here.  If you want me to tell you if something about the varietal or the region it hails from, I can assure you that I probably cannot assist you.  If you want to know what foods to pair it with, again, I cannot help because there’s a good chance I’m drinking mine with Taco Bell or mac and cheese.  I, however, am open to learning (hence the “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine Basics” I checked out from the library) and listening to your insights.

This week I’ve got The Big Kahuna Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz.  Try saying that ten times fast.  I spotted The Big Kahuna in the weekly Fresh & Easy ad.  It was priced at $2.99, and I was convinced that it was a typo and was supposed to be $12.99 because these days you can barely get a soda for $3.00.

Alas, it really was $2.99 and supposedly a Fresh & Easy customer favorite.  For that price, I couldn’t pass it up.

I was pleasantly surprised.  I expected to end up with that scrunched-up-nose–stick-your-tongue-out–buggy-eyes look, the one I make frequently when I drink wine.  I might have stuck my tongue out, but I was able to refrain from scrunching up my nose.

I know nothing about wine except that I think I like it.  I’m a drink-straight-out-of-the-bottle-beer-slurping-kinda-girl.  Well, in an attempt do “diversify” my alcohol choices, I’m declaring Wednesdays “Wine Wednesdays.”  Why Wednesday?  One, because I love alliterations.  Two, because it’s the middle of the week, and I’m likely to need something stronger than beer.

Disclaimer:  If you’re looking for an expert opinion on wine, you won’t find it here.  If you want me to tell you if something about the varietal or the region it hails from, I can assure you that I probably cannot assist you.  If you want to know what foods to pair it with, again, I cannot help because there’s a good chance I’m drinking mine with Taco Bell or mac and cheese.  I, however, am open to learning (hence the “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Wine Basics” I checked out from the library) and listening to your insights.

Anyways, I would like to present to you – Monkey Bay, a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

I bought this at Trader Joe’s for about $6.   More than anything, the monkey caught my eye.  He seems to have a look that says – “Look how happy I am.  Drink my wine and you’ll be happy too.” I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

It appeared to work… at least temporarily.  I had a cheeky grin plastered on my face, and I’m pretty sure that at some point during the night, I struck the same cheerful pose as our monkey friend.

I somehow mysteriously ended up with these sourdough bread boules in my grocery cart the other day.  I had no clue what I was going to do with them, but the bag said sourdough so I leaped joyously towards them.   It was a Monday night, a dinner-less Monday night thus far when I threw these together.

Bread waiting to get all warm and toasty in the oven.  If I recall correctly, this is right after I had a slight mishap with the olive oil.

Mixing up cheese and chili.  Nothing like processed cheese and meat!  So gross but SO good.  Had I prepared ahead of time or had an inkling of motivation to run to the store, I would have gone a slightly different route.  Oh well, such is life on a Monday night.

I was pretty tempted to skip the cheese and chili concoction and chow down on the bread by itself.  But alas, I showed a teeny tiny bit of self control.  A couple pieces of bread might have fought their way into my mouth.

Yes, the one with sour cream is mine.   How’d ya guess?

And with these, Monday got a little brighter.  Cheese, bread, Ceasar salad, Freakin Frog beer, eating at the coffee table in front of the TV watching (or trying to watch)  Street Fighter.  I think I could do Mondays if they were all like this.

I can’t sit still.  I’m jumping up and down like a kid on a trampoline.  When I try to sit down, I shake and twitch like I’ve got a spider crawling up my back.  And it’s all because of these….

Can you believe that?  My legs are bouncing up and down.  I’m twiddling my fingers uncontrollably.  All because of those little yellow, orange and white candies.  They look so harmless and innocent.

Well, I can tell you – they’re NOT.

Wait…

…what?

I’m not supposed to eat an entire bag of candy corn by myself, in one sitting?!?

I shrieked really loud at Target.  I mean that’s not technically out of the norm.  I tend to let out questionable noises when I’m there – a few squawks, a couple squeaks, even a bark here and there.  But this time it was different.  It was the kind that led people, customers and employees alike, to believe that there might be an emergency on aisle 16.

So what led to Element Girl’s hooting and hollering?  This…

Oh glorious vanilla Tootsie Rolls!

Now don’t get me wrong – I love the good ol’ chocolate (or chocolaty as the bag states) Tootsie Rolls, but I love the vanilla ones too.  I can only seem to find them around Halloween and Christmas.  Not only that but I think Tootsie Roll sent a marketing person into my head and made my wish come true.

This is the first year I’ve seen a chocolaty/vanilla combo.  In years past, the vanilla ones came in a bag with other assorted flavors.  Ones that I didn’t necessarily want- lemon, cherry and some others.  And now they’ve put the two things that are made for each other in the same bag.

Thank you.  Thank you Mr. Tootsie Roll marketing person who is either a genuis or can read my mind.  Thank you for making my life wonderful.