Holiday season is over. Valentine’s is over. Football is over……Wake me up in April. Seriously, I’ve added enough insulation to get me through until then. Wait!!! Fat Tuesday is coming. Let me add another layer of gumbo and hurricanes. Then hibernation begins!! If I could I totally would. I’m kidding of course. Sort of.
How was everyone’s Valentine’s day? I spent the day with the kids. I made pink pancakes for breakfast. The ol’ man went to a movie with a friend who lost his wife a few years ago. We’ll hit the movies next weekend, when they aren’t so crowded; and you know how I feel about restaurants on Valentine’s. I made mini chicken and waffles for all of us. Doesn’t that scream romance! I made something without vegetables in it. The kids think that’s love. Win for Mom!
Mini Chicken and waffles! No real recipe here. I mean, you totally could make homemade waffles, and bread the chicken yourself. I make this when we are running from work to soccer to the grocery store, ‘Oh shit it’s 7:30pm already’ what am I going to make for dinner? Eggo mini waffles, and chicken strips. Bake the chicken strips according to the directions on the package, pop the mini waffles in the toaster. I cut the strips in half, make a little sandwich, spear with a tooth pick to hold them together, drizzle with maple syrup.
So parenting challenge #14,864? The 16yo wants to read 50 Shades of Grey. Some of you are thinking, where’s the parenting challenge? The answer is no. She’s 16, are you out of your mind? The ol’ man did say no. But I’m not entirely against it. I know I’m not going to make a lot of friends with my opinion of 50 Shades, so I’m going to just touch on it a little. She has friends who have read it. She reads books from the “romance” section already. I mean she is 16, I’ve played Cards Against Humanity with her, so I know not a whole lot in the series is going to be shocking to her. Ok, so there may be a little shock. I’m impressed that she even asked at all. Easily, she could have purchased it to her tablet, and we would never know. She didn’t ask permission to smoke her first cigarette, or do shots of cake batter vodka. Proof that she’s unsure why it’s wrong. I’m not entirely sure I disagree with her. I lived that lifestyle for a few years before I met the ol’ man, who is very vanilla. So I feel like if she reads it, we know she’s reading it, when she has questions she can ask, and we {I} can answer them. Real answers. If she reads it behind our back, she will ask her friends questions and goodness knows what the hell they will answer with. Part of me feels like 50 Shades is romanticizing S&M; just like Pretty Woman did for prostitution. The reality of the lifestyles just isn’t as black and white has Hollywood and fiction makes it out to be. Probably one of the best things about fiction. Bottom line, I told her if I got written permission from her mom that it’s alright for her to read them, then she can borrow the books. She can duke it out with her father.
On to things that will get me in less trouble! Slow Cooker Sunday! Today, in our -25°F, snowy weather, nothing sounds better than Beef and Barley Soup! Straight from Betty Crocker 🙂 The kids liked it, although 2 of the 3 thought there was too many vegetables, and not enough beef. Damn carnivores!
Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
- 2 Tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 C)
- 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
- 2 lbs Beef boneless chuck, cut into 1″ pieces
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Pepper
- 2 Medium carrots, cut lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/4″ slices
- 1 C Pearl barley, uncooked
- 8 C Beef broth
- 1.5 C frozen sweet peas
- 1 C frozen corn
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, beef, salt and pepper in oil until beef is brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Spoon beef mixture into 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in carrots, barley and broth.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 8-9 hours.
- Increase heat to high. Stir in frozen peas and corn. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes or until peas and corn are hot.
A Little of This and That 