We're about one month into summer and I'm 100% over the "gathering" part of my role as the head female in the household. Here is how my days go: Figure out what is for breakfast. Make people breakfast or help people make their own breakfast. Clean up after breakfast. Figure out responsible answers to constant requests for snacks. Figure out what is for lunch. Make people lunch. Clean up after lunch. Continue to figure out responsible answers to constant requests for snacks. Figure out what is for dinner. Make people dinner. Clean up after dinner. And this doesn't take into account the menu planning, list-making, grocery shopping, unpacking, defrosting and other meal prep. It is exhausting. I would happily swap roles with The Hubs to take the role as the lead "hunter" in the relationship for the remainder of the summer months. I have no idea why this paragraph from Wikipedia makes me laugh hysterically. Perhaps I am delirious from foraging. Or perhaps it is the the thought that this implies my current state is causing me to become increasingly "sexually attractive..." [STIL LAUGHING.] The emergence of cooking in early Homo may have created problems of food theft from women while food was being cooked.[17] As a result, females would recruit male partners to protect them and their resources from others. This concept, known as the theft hypothesis, accommodates an explanation as to why the labor of cooking is strongly associated with the status of women.[17] Women are forced to gather and cook foods because they will not acquire food otherwise and access to resources is critical for their reproductive success.[17] On the contrary, men do not gather because their physical dominance allows them to scrounge cooked foods from women. Thus, women's foraging and food preparation efforts allow men to participate in the high-risk, high-reward activities of hunting. Females, in turn, become increasingly sexually attractive as a means to exploit male interest in investing in her protection.[17] … [Read more...] about i’m over the gathering part
food
Host a Toasting Party and Fun Hostess Gifts: My Casual Holiday Entertaining Tips in Southern Living!
I've already been driving my kids nuts because: "The mooost wonderful tiiiiime of the year" is here! With Thanksgiving, the winter holiday season kicks off in earnest and I AM HERE FOR IT. I go all in: decorations, baking, holiday shows, Christmas carols - the whole nine yards. Starting in October, I've been scouring and clipping from the Thanksgiving issues of all of my magazine subscriptions and planning my menus. Of course, a big part of all of this whole holiday hoopla is the parties. I'm all about the holiday parties and gatherings but I am not a fan of stressful entertaining or overly complicated shindigs (unless I'm a guest at one, haha). So when the editors at Southern Living magazine asked me for my casual holiday entertaining tips, I was more than happy to oblige. In the December Holiday issues of the magazine distributed in the Southeastern region, I'm sharing two of my favorite tips: Host A Toasting Party Skip the big. fancy meal and complicated appetizers and have your guests celebrate by toasting to health and happiness! Setup a well-stocked bar with all the trimmings: cranberries, mint, rosemary sprigs, cherries and seasonally appropriate beverages such as apple cider, spiced rum, eggnog, and champagne. Hand-write a few menu cards with suggested mixed drink recipes and display them in small shiny frames. Finish with festive bowls of sweet and spicy nuts; holiday snack mix and a platter with cheese ball with crackers. ‘Tis the Season for Gift Giving Sending your guests on their way with a little token of appreciation adds a thoughtful touch. Who doesn’t like getting gifts? The fabulous news is that these favors don’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Some of my favorite parting gifts are: a single candle in a jar (bonus points if it’s gingerbread or pine-scented!); a coffee mug filled with chocolate candy; or a glittery ornament. If you're in the Southeast, pick up a copy! And no matter where you live, you can stay tuned for a fun project that I'm working on with Tervis. More on that soon - in the meantime, break out the pie recipes and the egg nog (it's never too early for that). … [Read more...] about Host a Toasting Party and Fun Hostess Gifts: My Casual Holiday Entertaining Tips in Southern Living!
What’s for Dinner This Week: Curry In a Hurry, Baked Potato Bar and Pineapple Porkchops
Curry was a staple in our household growing up thanks to my dad's Trinidadian background and my mom's Guyanese father and Bajan mother. She also lived in Jamaica for a while which added another element of curry to her repertoire. There is much debate among West Indian cultures about whose curry is the best - I have to admit, I like both. My mom makes her curry with tomato or tomato paste (decidedly the Trini way of making curry); and that's how I've made mine for years until, one day, I was in the grocery and decided to try the Grace Jamaican Curry Powder. The bottle has a recipe on the back and I gave it a shot. No tomato required. When I'm in the mood for a more concentrated flavor, I go this route. Just don't tell my mom. Monday: Curry Chicken w. Rice Tuesday: Pineapple-Glazed Pork Chops w. Wednesday: Baked Potato Bar w. All the Fixins' Thursday: Shrimp Scampi Pasta Friday: Beats Me! … [Read more...] about What’s for Dinner This Week: Curry In a Hurry, Baked Potato Bar and Pineapple Porkchops
What’s for Dinner: Mixed Grill, Scampi and Enchiladas
We took time out of our Sunday to clean out the freezer which was completely overloaded and something fell out onto the floor each time someone opened the door. It's amazing what you can find when you actually face the freezer beast head on: every ice cream and popsicle flavor under the sun; three different kinds of hash browns and even mussels! So my next mission is to use as many of these items as possible before hitting the grocery store again. The chicken tenders and shrimp from this week's menus are part of those freezer finds. And I'm trying to get back to one day a week when we go meatless for dinner - hence the cheesy enchiladas for Thursday. Five bucks says my husband asks where the meat is. What's for Dinner This Week Monday: Mixed Grill (Salmon, Steak, Chicken leftovers) w. Tortellini Primavera Tuesday: Chicken Tenders w. Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and Corn Wednesday: Shrimp Scampi w. Broccoli and Rice Thursday: Cheese Enchiladas w. Guacamole and Chips Friday: Beats Me! … [Read more...] about What’s for Dinner: Mixed Grill, Scampi and Enchiladas
What’s for Dinner: Burgers, Skirt Steak, Salmon and Fried Chicken
Our bi-annual shipment of organic foods arrived last week, so we are back to eating simply. I find that when I am grocery shopping for dinner items, I need to be more creative or forced to make "dishes" because the actual quality of the foods is lesser, if that makes any sense. Now that we're back in business with our home delivery service, we can go back to the basics - no real need for a ton of sauces or toppings or casseroles. And not a moment too soon! Today marks 30 days until Blogalicious Weekend 2014 - "simple" is exactly what I need from here on out. Monday Cheddar-Bacon Burgers on the Grill Tuesday Skirt Steaks w. Cheesy Smashed Red Potatoes Wednesday Baked Salmon and Risotto Thursday Nashville Fried Chicken w. and Green Beans Friday Beats Me! It's Our Anniversary Weekend! … [Read more...] about What’s for Dinner: Burgers, Skirt Steak, Salmon and Fried Chicken
