Happy Friday!

Remember last week when I complained about being tired all the time?  Well, I decided that before jumping to the conclusion that I had either A.) narcolepsy or B.) some other make-you-tired-all-the-time malady, that I would adjust my lifestyle habits.  Because perhaps drinking a liter of Diet Dr. Pepper and eating dinner at 9:30 and then staying up until 1:30 and getting up at 6:55 to leave for work at 7:10 and then sitting in a classroom full of screaming and jumping ninth graders and then returning home to inhale a gigantic snack and then take a 3-hour nap, only to start the whole cycle again--well, maybe that wasn't ideal.

So this week I've not been consuming caffeine after eight, I've been exercising (ellipting and walking with the pup), and I've been getting to bed by midnight.  And, I must admit, I've been feeling much more awake and alert.  So that's an improvement.

Now, my feeling awake and alert could also have something to do with the fact that I had a short week this week.  In fact, I only had students Monday through Wednesday, and even though the students were acting like crazy maniacs for those three days (is it the air pressure?  a full moon?  crack in the water?), the shorter week was a godsend. Today was a teacher workday, which never even feels like work because I get to wear jeans and flip flops and there are no screaming or jumping teenagers.  Sometimes I wonder if that's what an office job is like? 

Right now I'm so relaxed and happy and the house is sparkling clean and the windows are open and all seems right with the world.  Matt will be home soon.  There might be a family snuggle nap in our future.  There are definitely Fresh Market ribeyes and twice-baked potatoes (recipe courtesy of Cassie) in our future.  And there will be conversation.  And there will be wine. 

Here's what Friday's looking like in our neck o' the woods.

 cute neighbor dog, Rider

 my favorite spot in the whole world, where I've been devouring young adult literature

 it's been in dirt for like two weeks, and it's not dead yet!

We hate to be away from each other.  E.T. and Eliot, I tell you.

What's in store for your weekend?

Vacation: The Food

I don't even know where to begin in explaining just how wonderful our recent vacation was.  For starters, I need to give props to Matt's parents, who have created an escape that's a perfect balance between fun and relaxing.  While at the lake, one is never bored and never stressed.

Their house is so accommodating, too.  There are tons of beach towels, a well-stocked kitchen, and comfortable beds.  And last year they built a boat house that sports a 16-foot wide dock, a perfect place to relax, to play, and to drink Diet A&W root beer.  We've never had a bad time there.  Hell, we've never had a bad day there.

This year we invited Hugh and Cassie to join us for a few days, and they brought along their two furry children, Henry the Cat and Fletcher the Dog.

I might have to do a few posts about our glorious four days at Lake Gaston. 

Let's start with the food.

I think somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that by inviting Cassie and Hugh to join us, I'd be spoiled by their cooking during the entire trip.  And we were!  There was spaghetti carbonara, burgers, steak, more steak, and BBQ chicken pizza.

You'd have to hit up Cassie to find the recipes for the carbonara and the pizza, but let me tell you about the steak.

We'd been gushing about Fresh Market steaks to Matt's parents for years, and wanted them to share in the experience.  So on Wednesday, before heading out of town, I stopped by Fresh Market to pick up two filets for the 'rents, and four ribeyes for the rest of us.  When I got there, I saw that beef tenderloin was on sale for $10/pound.  Hmph?  The filets themselves were $18/pound and the ribeyes were $15/pound.  While I'd walked into the store prepared to drop some cash on steaks, I couldn't resist the idea of having six pounds of filet for about half the cost.  (The FM butcher assured me that it was the same meat.)

So we drove up to Lake Gaston with a cow in tow.

Seriously.

And then we put Hugh on butchering detail, figuring that his first year of med school would have honed his already impressive knife skills.

He researched everything there was to know about beef tenderloin, cut out some amazing filets for our dinner, set aside the head steak (this was a teachable moment, you see) for the next day's lunch (steak sandwiches!), and even reserved a delicious fatty piece for dog steak. (Our dogs are very, very spoiled.)

Now, when it came to actually cooking the steak, the boys employed our favorite steak-cooking method.  It was slightly different, though, because they cooked the steaks on skillets on the grill.  The skillets got so hot that they melted the little pot holders that go on the handles!

Dog steak.

Accompanying the steak were grilled asparagus, grilled onions, twice-baked potatoes, caesar salad, and then, for dessert, Thomas Jefferson's Famous Vanilla Ice Cream!

I couldn't get over how delicious this meal was.  And I couldn't get over the fact that for $60, we fed AMAZING filets to six adults, for two meals.  Oh, and two dogs.  Never forget about dog steak.

That's cheaper than Wendy's!!

This and That

1. First things first.  Our internet connection has been restored!  Many kudos to Jason from Comcast who knew what he was doing and did it quickly.  At 10:40 this morning I was cussing Comcast again when I saw a Comcast truck at our neighbor's house directly across the street (but still not at ours).  And then at 10:45 Jason called, and saved our lives.  No more Panera outings, unless, of course, I'm in the mood to have someone stand right next to me (like RIGHT next to me) and spank their kid a few times.
2. Since it's summertime and I begin to purge money when I have too much time off, I've been picking up extra shifts waiting tables.  I forgot how much I hate the public--particularly those who get their kids all hopped up on sweet tea and then encourage them to smash up food and throw it on the ground.  Maybe I don't hate kids as much as I hate parents?
3. Speaking of parents, I almost became a dog mother for the second time when Matt and I were out celebrating our anniversary.  We'd gone to Wild Wings to use their wifi (crack addicts), and next to us were two twenty-something girls and their 8-week old tiny little puppy.  Oh, and what was the puppy doing?  Chewing on chicken bones.  Seriously.  So I almost stole the puppy, but Matt wouldn't let me.  After I stared at the puppy for two hours, one of the girls asked if I wanted to hold it.  Of course I did, and I asked if I could just have it.  The owner said that I could, but apparently she was joking, because she seemed really angry when I darted off toward my car.  Jokes.  I didn't steal the puppy, but in hindsight I'm thinking that I should have.

4. New favorite blog, that I got from an old favorite blog.  It's Catalog Living, where a hilarious girl writes captions for pictures of overly-decorated rooms in catalogs.  It's great fun.
5. Mitch is the cutest thing on the planet.

6. I bought more raspberries to make more raspberry sorbet, because it's my favorite new dessert.
7. Question.  I need you, readers and social etiquette experts, to settle a dispute. Are you supposed to go visit people at the hospital when they have a baby?  Or is that just for family?
8. I'm a little obsessed with our 10x10 canopy that we got for beach trips.  No more sunburns that make my face swell up and my eyes look squinty!
9. In a lapse of judgment last night, I bought Sally Hansen's insta-dri nail polish--color, Mint Sprint.  Now my feet look like they belong to a dead person.  Also, that is not my hand.  You were thinking it was a little too late for the canopy at the beach, huh?  Nope, I'm still pasty as can be.

[source]
10. Fuck you, BP.

Fresh Market Mitchmas

Last night we had our Mitchmas dinner with the Savannah family. This year we decided to, in lieu of gifts, go to Fresh Market and pick out delicious steaks to cook.

Mmmmmmmmmmm.

We had sirloins, filets, and ribeyes. Moooooooooooooooo!

We did potluck for everything else, and it was out of control delicious: artichoke and parmesan dip, twice-baked potatoes, spicy creamed spinach, salad, sauteed garlic and onions. . . Mmmmm. I'm salivating. Oh, and there was lots of lots of wine.

What a way to kick of Mitchmas vacation!

Rainstorms, Bravery, and Birthdays

It's monsoon season here in Savannah. The storms and the rain are fun at first in a "lying on the couch watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall for the 50th time" kind of way, but I'm not enchanted with our flooded back yard a.k.a. "new mosquito breeding ground", or the fact that I can't seem to keep the floors clean, regardless of how many times I sweep and mop them.

I know a dog named Mitchell Pancake who is tired of the storms as well. As soon as he hears thunder rumbling he is next to me or Matt, refusing to leave our side. It's pitiful, and if I know that the dog is home alone during a storm, I am overcome with guilt.

Yet, as annoying as the rain has been for our little family, I think there are some other creatures that are having a harder time dealing with it.

Like moles. Naked mole rats, to be exact.

The other night, I ventured out into our backyard of danger and death, only to discover an almost-dead baby (at least I think it was a baby; I really don't know how big moles get) mole, lying on its side on our walkway. In case you've never seen a baby naked mole rat, here's a picture I found on the google.

I'm not sure that an uglier creature exists.

Anyway, this baby mole was on its side, slowly moving its arms and opening its mouth, making some low and awful sound. I didn't know what to do, so I waited until Matt got home. By the time Matt got to it, the mole had died. So my brave husband got a plastic bag and disposed of the creature.

And then yesterday when I let Mitchell Pancake out he suspiciously picked something up in his mouth and slinked to the yard. I went to see what it was, and it was ANOTHER almost-dead baby naked mole rat.

And, again, it was doing the creepy movements. (You can check out my impression of an almost-dead baby naked mole rat below.)

In my mole research today, I came across this article about how naked mole rats may possess secrets to longevity. This fun fact comes at a good time; today is Matt's birthday. In lieu of a gift, I've decided to write a poem about him.

I love Matt with my heart and soul / Because he gets rid of dead moles.

Hmmmmm, maybe I should just get him a gift. . .

A Brilliant Piece of Meat Cookery

About a year ago our friends Brian and Ann gave us a life-changing gift, ribeyes from Fresh Market.

The first time we ate these steaks--and every time after--we were in awe. If God was going to eat a steak, these are the ones he'd choose. This has become the meal we cook for every special occasion. And since yesterday was our anniversary, it was Fresh Market steak time!

Per the recommendation from friends, we've also learned a great steak-cooking method. We've stolen this from our friends, who stole it from The Week, who stole it from Men's Journal. You might want to steal it from us.

First: buy some good steaks. That crap from Kroger isn't going to cut it. These are 14-oz. ribeyes from Fresh Market.

PREPARE IT. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Salt and pepper the meat all over, preferably with kosher salt and cracked pepper.

Heat a cast iron skillet on a burner and "let it get scary hot." Pour a thin layer of olive oil on the skillet.

SEAR IT. Wait until the oil's "so hot it's shimmering and sort of waving a little, maybe even giving off a first wisp of smoke." At this point, lay down steak and sear for a minute or two.

Flip over and let it brown on the other side.

ROAST IT. Pick up entire skillet and put into the oven for 6-10 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. While the steak is cooking, we like to cook up some garlic and onions on the grill. Mmmmmm.

Remove your steak from the oven, and check the temperature with an instant read meat thermometer. Be sure to remove the steak from the skillet since the skillet will continue to cook the meat. Here's a link to a steak doneness chart from Food Network. You may want to cook your steak more or less than we did. We do ours medium rare.

LET IT REST. Remove the steak from the skillet and let is sit for at least five minutes, "so the muscle relaxes and the juices can spread around again."

Enjoy your meal!

Now I'm salivating, and I may need to go back to Fresh Market while I'm running errands today.