Yankee, Yorkie Jay Jay and Me

Yankee, Yorkie Jay Jay and Me

Monday, March 26, 2012

Summer No Cook Roll Ups

Shred 3-4 whole carrots
Julienne 1/2 an onion
Sliced avocado
In a bowl add 3Tbs of Balsamic Vinegar to carrots and onion
4 Slices of Ham per person (turkey or chicken work too)
Lettuce, I like butter lettuce but spinach and romaine work just as well

Assembly Time
Lay out 1 slice of ham, add lettuce then add carrot onion mixture top with avocado slice and roll it up. Keep doing this until you have made 4 rolls per person.

As is this recipe makes 8 rolls enough for Yankee and I. If you can't give up a carb just put it on a wheat tortilla.

I love the light, fresh taste and the amount of veggies. You could easily add cucumber slices to this and any other raw veggies you like. I think I might try a peanut sauce on it next time instead of the balsamic to change it up. This is also a great appetizer for a party. Just be sure to keep it on ice to keep the meat from getting warm. You can even reverse the ham and lettuce and use the lettuce as the base. Possibilities are endless.

Friday, March 23, 2012

The Dirty Thirty, plus One

People always ask me what is it like to be 30? Most of people are younger wives who tremble at the thought of being 25...Ha! I am always told I don't "look" 30. What does 30 even look like??? I have no idea.

You can't say I dress like a teenager, I believe boobies, bellies and butts should be covered but not by a burka. To look attractive but not alluring, the "goodies" aren't nearly as good if everyone gets to see them. And those micro mini skirts, if I can see your undies or lack there of, it cannot count as clothing!

I am waiting for Yankee to join the "Thirty Club" as I call it. He seems a little nervous but I'm sure he'll be just fine. I am hoping in 20 years for a George Clooney look alike.

I can only say that the clarity of life and being limited only by your own dreams (AKA bank account) is pretty amazing. You get to be yourself and say "this is me, take it or leave it".

I am blessed to have a great family, good friends and an unbelievable husband that shows me everyday the definition of love. To faithfully go where God leads me, be surprised along the way and to land where I am needed. That is Thirty-One for me.

Crustless Quiche, new addiction

Quick and Easy Crustless Quiche
(also low carb since there is no crust)

*1/2 onion
saute until transparent
*1 c of spinach or a combination of other veggies, add to onion, saute until tender
*1/2 c of meat or faux meat, I just eyeball it
(morningstar farms veg sausage is pretty yummy in here for you vegetarians)
*Grease a pie dish and add veggies and meat then sprinkle with 1/4 c of cheese,
any kind you like, you can add more but that adds calories and fat
*4 eggs, salt and pepper to taste and 1 c of skim milk, beat with mixer until foamy
*Add 2 Tbs of flour (the secret) and beat on high for 1 minute
*Pour the mixture over the veggies and meat
*Cook on 350 for about 30 minutes, then add just a sprinkle of cheese on top
*Broil for 2-3 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned
Take it out and let if cool for a few minutes to finish "setting" then slice and enjoy. Great make ahead for busy mornings!

You can make this mexican style with peppers and onions, traditional french with ham, cheese and nutmeg or anything in between. Just keep with 4 eggs, 1 c of skim milk and the secret 2 tbs of flour. I have not used whole wheat flour, though it would probably be fine. I developed this recipe when I was looking for the perfect quiche and I make it about once a week, altering the veggies and meat each time.

Southerners, No Wonder that Yankee Hubby is Confused

Driving Information in the South:
It has its own version of traffic rules. The blue haired lady in the Caddy goes first. The truck with the loudest muffler goes next at a four-way stop. The truck with the biggest tires goes after that. If you don't have any of that, your are going to be waitin' a while.

The morning rush hour is from 6:00 to 12:00. The afternoon rush hour is from 12:00 to 3:00. The evening rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:00. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday evening. If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be (at the very least) rear-ended, cussed out, and possibly shot. This applies to male and female drivers alike.

Always, always, always, find out if it is a race or football weekend before you get on any of these highways to travel somewhere. If it is a race or football weekend, stay home. You won't be going anywhere else.

Construction is a permanent fixture. The barrels are moved around in the middle of the night to make the next day's driving a little more interesting.

If someone has their turn signal on, wave them over to the shoulder immediately to let them know -- you can be sure it was 'accidentally activated'. The minimum acceptable speed on is 85 mph. Anything less is considered downright sissy.

All state highways are sponsored version of NASCAR.....

Do not gawk at the woman in the car beside you in traffic who is using a cell phone, applying make-up, drinking a Diet Coke, smoking a Marlboro, and maintaining a steady speed of 85 mph in rush hour traffic. She might be packing. If she IS packing, she is not afraid to use it.

Weather Information:
If it's 98 degrees, Thanksgiving could be next weekend. If it's 15-20 degrees and sleeting or snowing, then watch out. Residents consider this 'demolition derby' day and will be all over the roads (front-ways, sideways, etc). Please proceed with due caution.

Seasonal Information:
If you stick to the seats in your vehicle, it is Spring.
If you need to let the car 'get some air' while standing next to it with the doors open for a minute before you can stick your upper body inside to crank it and get the air going, it is Summer.
If you are sweating even with the windows down, driving 55, it is Fall.
If you finally turn the AC off and roll your windows up, it is Winter.

General Information:
If you ask someone for a 'coke,' they will often ask you, 'What kind?' This is not a trick question. Tell them what you want: Sprite, Dr.. Pepper, Root Beer, etc., it is all 'coke'.
All tea is sweet. If it's not sweet, you are in a Chinese restaurant or have crossed the Mason-Dixon Line .
Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
People actually grow and eat okra.
'Fixinto' is one word.
There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then supper.
Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!
Backwards and forwards means "I know everything about you."
DGeet is actually a phrase meaning "Did you eat?"
You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is.
You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.
You measure distance in minutes.
You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.
All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
You install security lights on your house and garage and leave the doors unlocked.
You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.
There are only four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.
The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
The first day of deer season is a state holiday.
Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time.
Fried catfish is the other white meat.
We don't need no stinking driver's ed ... if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.
If you understand these jokes please forward them to your "southern" friends (and those who just wish they were).

EVERYONE can't be a Southerner; it takes talent. You might say it's an art form or a gift from God!!

And of course I can't take credit for all this, I just edited a few parts as the original was for Alabamians.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Unsuspecting House Hunters

We became unsuspecting house hunters last month. While in route to Ft. Campbell we looked at several homes and had about 10 on the short list...anything looks good compared to Korea. Much to our dismay, when we arrived here all of those homes had already been rented. As we started the search again, we were disappointed with the quality of the available homes and scared of the locations. Yankee was such a trooper, he called 2 real estate agents and requested that they put some lists together for us. We picked up the first list and were shocked to only see 5 homes on it and 4 of them were not available until May. By the time we reached the second agents office, I had decided to wait in the car (AKA alone time was needed) while R ran in and got the listings.

Well, Yankee was taking a several minutes and then finally comes out and asks me to go in with him. I was not thrilled since I was sort of in panic mode and did not want to the "sold" to by an agent. As we looked through the homes she showed us, our favorite one was rented the night before and the other house we drove by on the way to her office. It was an immediate "Hell no"! The neighbor was on the front porch in a rocking chair, in a Moo-Moo dress and smoking, with her hair in those pink sponge rollers. There were also broken down cars on the lawn...really it was like being in a cartoon and the ultimate definition of White Trash.

Since we were unable to find suitable rental properties, the agent suggested that we consider buying a house...I thought "ha ha, funny funny". Then Yankee looks at me and says "What do you think?" I can't say what I was thinking but I think I came up with a really polite excuse. By this time moving had taken a toll and all my patience stretched thin. I think the agent could see the horror on my face and she left the office so Yankee and I could discuss it. We decided to go for it...after swearing not even 2 weeks before that we would not buy a house.

So we applied for a home loan and got approved. All those monthly payments do matter after all. We decided on a price point and were adamant that we stay on budget. We narrowed down the search and off we went look at house. The 1st was to old and needed too many updates, the 2nd was about 70%, the 3rd was about 80% and the 4th was perfect and the 5th did not compare to the 4th. So it was decided that we liked the 4th house the best and we decided to put in an offer. Houses were going so quickly and it was a Friday at 1pm so we had to get a contract by the end of the day or risked the house getting multiple contracts on Saturday. We only gave the builder 4 hours to respond (by 5pm that day) and he accepted our offer.

So in a matter of 8 hours we went from looking at rental, to deciding to buy to actually being under contract. The only downfall was that the house was not completed so we had to wait a few weeks for the builder to finish. Since there were not floors in yet, we got to pick those out, we upgraded to tile (I hate linoleum) and made sure we got the dark hard wood.

So far we have been in the house about 1 month and we just did closing last week. We are enjoying it and have been making plans for little projects.
1. blinds - are being installed on Thursday
2. fence - contract needs to be signed
3. landscaping - need to find landscaper
4. kitchen back-splash - need to make decisions
I will try to post pics of the project before and afters.

That's the story of how we bought our first house. It sort of amazes me. We had such guidance from above and just landed in the right spot.