Focus: Things That are Awesome

My problem lately is that I have no idea what I want in my life. Let us take a look at what is cool, makes me happy and then see if I can refocus on those things and figure out my direction a little better.

• Cake. The band and the food.
• Pottery with a side of sunshine and good friends. Or interested strangers. It's a toss up really.
• Eating out.
• Music.
• Outside, especially at my college. (Graduated 4 years ago...)
• Reading.
• Writing.
• Helping people. Too broad of a concept though. How about, helping kids, helping my sisters or my parents.
• Kitties and puppies. Why not like the mainstream joys?
• Plants.
• Travel.
• DIY projects.
• Feeling like I'm in the middle of it. Being out in the bustle. Doing stuff and seeing stuff.
• Clowns. No, I hate these.
• Friends. Nice ones. Not ones that say they have to do laundry instead of hangout with me. Ones that invite me to star parties.
• I really like The Office. It was soooo good last night. That's what she said.
• My savings account. I'm so proud that I've been able to make it into something when it was at zero last year this time when I started this blog. It's like my little account of possibility.
• My new Bible Study I'm in; Beth Moore, Esther.
• The new dress I got at Ross tonight. (Yes, lets end on a materialistic note.) Even though its an XL in juniors. My boobs needed some room- I'm no teeny bopper anymore. Ok, all of me needed the room. (I hid the size on the hanger from Cute Gay Mike that granted me dressing room access. So silly but I'm prideful.)

I need to try new things more. Putting myself in the middle of things and seeing new areas of this little town I start to get down about. There's two open houses this week of two businesses. I'm gonna go. I never do that stuff because I have to mingle and make small talk. Alas. I will suck it up and go.

Update 1: Read the London email wrong. I will know the week of April 12. Not April 12. So glad I checked my email about 20x before checking my facts.

Update 2: Liking Harry these days. Possibly leaning more towards the sensible life of dating nice men rather than the more exotic life of a year abroad. But who knows.

The Way to a Man's Heart...

Well, what does a brand new couple do for a date night in? Cook us some dinner. It was cute. We grocery shopped. We rinsed and chopped. We blended and seasoned. We danced around the kitchen in harmony, wearing aprons and oven mitts.

Actually, it was more like me and my happy-nervous energy chopping as much as I was dropping as Harry (aka Mr. OCD Cleaner) squatted on the floor, picking up bits of onion and celery. I would use a knife, come back to it, and it would already be in the dishwasher.

We used about every dish in the kitchen. When I asked where his dish drainer was he replied, "What, some big contraption to take up room on my counter?" I mean, what was I thinking? Obviously the correct process is to lay them on a towel and hand dry immediately. Who would ever consider that contraption an extra, easily accessable, highly desireable place to store the dishes?? Nooo, not me!

I swear the boy must not eat real food ever. He about melted on the floor eating something cooked in his own kitchen that he'd never tasted before. That kitchen was cleaned in about 3 minutes following the meal and in 3.5 we were tangled up together on the couch.

So, if you need a recipe to that will bring a man to his knees (ok, only if he is fabulously clean and you are spaz-tastic like me), or just want something fabulous to cook for whenever, I have the recipe listed below. Thanks Rachael Ray!!!

Spicy Shrimp Burgers

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw peeled and deveined small shrimp
• 1 celery stalk with green, leafy tops, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 small to medium yellow skinned onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• A handful parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose seafood seasoning, found near fish department (recommended: Old Bay)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or 1 teaspoon hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 lemon, zested
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
• 4 English muffins, sandwich size plain or sour dough flavor
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chili sauce or salsa or taco sauce
• Butter or Boston lettuce leaves

Directions

Divide the shrimp in half. Put half the shrimp into a food processor and grind it up. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl using a rubber spatula. Add the whole shrimp to the bowl. Add celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic and parsley to the processor and pulse-grind it into a fine chop. Add the vegetable mixture to the shrimp. Add half a palm full of crab boil seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, lemon zest, salt and pepper to the bowl, to season. Stir the shrimp mixture to combine.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream. Use a large metal scoop to scoop 4 mounds of shrimp burger mixture into the pan. Gently pat down to form patties. Fry patties 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until they firm up and the shrimp turn whitish-pink.

Split and toast the sandwich size English muffins. Mix mayonnaise and chili sauce, salsa or taco sauce. Place burgers on muffin bottoms and top with lettuce. Slather the top of the muffins with sauce and set in place.