it’s friday! i don’t know about you, but i’m dreaming of flowers. i need fresh flowers around me at home as much as possible. it’s something that i rationalize: i don’t have children, so i can afford fresh flowers. stupid, i know. i like the alive-ness of them. <sigh> wish it were spring.
whether you’re one person or 10 – this is a winter necessity. so buy some meat today for the weekend and make your house smell fantastic!
i received some requests for shirley’s pot roast recipe after my post last week, so here you go. these are a few of my favorite things to do on a saturday or sunday night while a pot roast is cooking:
for those of you reading from dallas, you may think a fire in the fireplace is odd. because, after all – it IS the end of february. not here in michigan. we still have feet (not inches) of snow on the ground.
i think you and jerry need to come up here and stay with us and COOK it for us + jim + marinell roe + the boys! you’re welcome any time.
from the kitchen of shirley gasvoda!
I like to select a round bone pot roast and trim most of the fat off.
Brown both sides in a little oil in a dutch oven pan.
Season with salt and pepper after browning.
Add one envelope of dry Lipton Onion Soup +
One cut up green pepper (gives a wonderful flavor to the roast)
One bay leaf and a
Sprinkle of garlic salt.
Add enough water to cover half the depth of the roast.
Simmer on top of the stove for several hours or until nearly tender (depending on size of the roast)
Add carrots and potatoes, if so desired. This makes a delicious base for gravy too.
Now with slow cookers being so popular I use the same ingredients and cook according to the cooker instructions and it turns out just as good.
You can also do this in the oven but I’ve had better luck on top of the stove and think the roast turns out more juicy and tender.
I have fond memories of the kids coming home from school lifting the pot lids and just enjoying the aroma!
this past week, i was driving to work and stuck in rush hour traffic. i don’t really complain because i like the time by myself. i typically go through my to-do list for the day and alternately jam out to really good music. like my spotify disco mix. good music is subjective, you know.
i do this because music lifts my spirits (kind of like this) and takes me out of the mundane go-to-work-time-to-make-the-donuts routine. it was during this disco jam-out that i thought of my friend at work. you know who you are. she used to be quite the disco queen back in the day. and i was thinking of her while listening to this music. then my mind shifted to the fact that her daughter just had her first baby – her grandchild – a girl. joy of all joys! my mind then shifted to my very good friend and sister-in-law, susan. i was talking with her that morning about the blog she did for her kids – which is excellent. i thought that my friend at work would like the same idea.
i thought that my friend at work should do a blog to her daughter and granddaughter filled with wisdom, family history and laughs, advice, recipes, memories and pictures. this wasn’t my idea, i got it from susan’s blog. here was the advice i gave my friend at work, that if you want to start a blog for your loved one.
here is the way to start:
lastly, write your first post. just do it in email or a word document and then copy/paste it into your first blog post.
Here is some advice.
if you have kids under the age of 16 – get onstar. get a gm vehicle with onstar or get just the rearview mirror. if your kids are looking for a great inexpensive car with a ton of value – recommend something like this. i know you have navigation on your phone – who doesn’t. but what you don’t have is someone that knows if you get in a car accident, witness a car accident or have an emergency of any kind. if you’re in an accident, onstar immediately calls for help – you don’t have to do anything. they will also talk with your kids if you are in trouble – many more. it is a no brainer to have and, in my mind, not smart to not have. watch this:
every man, once he passes the beer only or the tumbler of rum (or jack) + coke phase of drinking, needs to learn how to make a good cocktail. it needs to be one that he likes, impresses his friends + becomes a signature drink his lady friends brag about.
probably the most bastardized cocktail on the planet. i have to admit, i started drinking margaritas, probably underage, using chi-chi’s “authentic” original or strawberry margarita right out of the 2 litre bottle. i remember a phase in college that i very much took part of drinking the infamous upside down margarita that is mixed directly in your mouth. i remember doing this with a group of guys at our apartment and at the frat house in college. all that was needed was a bottle of montezuma tequila + mr. boston’s margarita/sour mix. together they cost less than $8. the bottles needed to be cold + almost frozen. the person partaking had to sit in a chair with his head back, mouth open with a dish towel around his neck. the “mixer” would then pour equal parts of the cold concoction directly in his mouth until his fist rose, which meant enough.
i gained an appreciation for the REAL margarita after moving to dallas, texas in 1994. anyone who lives in dallas knows all of the awesome mexican and tex-mex restaurants it has to offer. these are all places i love. and their margaritas are all so different. you gotta get the steak nachos at mi cocina and the frozen margarita in a frozen fishbowl schooner loaded with salt. or go right now to javier’s, where i get the rojo fish and their top shelf margarita served in a stemmed blown glass goblet. lastly, there is our beloved blue goose on lower greenville. always get the fajita combo (god, are those good!) with their signature on- the-rocks sour margarita in a large tumble. it goes down way too easy. two nights before my (+ the appreciators) wedding, we went there with my sister, Susan, and my brother in law and group of folks. we were way over served pitchers of these margaritas but matched it with a platter of fajitas.
after 15 + years of working on my perfect margarita that i like to serve to guests at home with a mexican meal or just on the back patio with friends and family is this:
serves: 2
2 oz cointreau liqueur
2 oz simple syrup (any brand or homemade)
juice of 4 whole limes
cup of ice
place all ingredients into a martini shaker and shake briskly for 2 minutes. put additional ice cubes in a short waterford cocktail glass and pour in your mixture.
and as i often have to tell my sister-in-law, katie:
enjoy!
older than me, that is. i think about all i’ve been through in my 44 years – the things i’ve done, seen, loved + cried over and, well, it’s a long list. that’s why i appreciate hearing from other women that are even older than me. they are in their 60’s or above and willing to mentor + share with me their wisdom.
so today, i will share with you my notes from shirley. Shirley is my dad’s cousin and one of the neatest people that i know! she and her husband jerry, surprised my mom for her 70th birthday party along with my aunt annette. ROF and i got to know shirley and jerry even more and i love this lady! thanks shirley for the great insight!
occupation before and after marriage: Assistant Counselor at Indiana University
1. The best thing about growing older: The peace and contentment of a life well lived, the joy of helping to create a happy family, the time to do what you want and not what you have to do and, most of all, not having to look like a raving beauty to impress people knowing you’ve earned every wrinkle and grey hair!
2. My favorite (age) decade was the 50’s because our children were raised and mostly on their own, we had enough money to do things we enjoyed and we were still healthy and energetic enough to kick up our heels and look forward to grandchildren!
3. The meal I cooked the most was pot roast which was the favorite of my three men and I must have baked pies a hundred times over. I was and am the designated pie maker for all the Gasvoda holidays and that usually calls for five or six each time.
4. The best decision I ever made was to marry young to my wonderful husband. We had our two boys at an early age which may not be as easy today but we were lucky to be surrounded by family to help and a strong love to depend on. One advantage for us was that we were still young and healthy enough to be active after the kids were grown and we can enjoy our retirement years together.
5. The worst decision I made was not pursuing a college education after being awarded a scholarship to Indiana University. I was in love with my husband and decided to work at I.U. at home to be close to him while he attended Purdue University. Fortunately it worked out well but I would have benefited from not only the knowledge but the social advantages college would have offered.
6. The advice I would give to a young woman is be yourself and not be influenced by social media if it contradicts what you want in life. Think before you make a decision and if it’s the life you want badly give it all you can and go pursue your dreams. If a husband is one of your goals, make sure he treats you with respect and love and wants your happiness as well as his own and you both have the same desires in life.
7. I had two very strong women in my life and I admired them greatly. My Grandmother came to the USA alone via Ellis Island when she was sixteen years old. She spoke only German and didn’t know a word of English. She was sponsored by a Dr. in Chicago and found work as a Nanny and supported herself until she married my Grandfather at twenty one years of age. She had eight children and lived a happy life until age 76.
My Mother was also very strong and raised two children on a tenth grade education with little financial assistance. She was a very hard worker and was always ready to take more than one job to supply our needs. She had no help from the government which would probably be unheard of today! I like to hope that both these ladies shared some of their strength with me.
8. Who is the most famous person you’ve met? I’ve met some wonderful people along the way and impressed by their love of country and humanity but to categorize them as movie stars, politicians etc. would not top my list though I’ve met several. I’ve had the pleasure of being guided by two Christian ministers who mentored and blessed me with their deep and abiding faith and have the love of fantastic friends and family that have provided unending inspiration. Friends and Family make my world go around and a God that supports my every move….What more is there???
thanks, shirley. i appreciate you.
and people – look for more of these to come in the future!
have you noticed that there are some items at target that could pass for being sold at anthropologie?
i’m ashamed to admit that i’m not a saavy coupon shopper. never have been. maybe if i had 3 little cherubs to dress and feed i would be. but i don’t. so i shop. however, my mom did say to me once – who cares where you got it? once it’s in your house – who cares? and i am a believer in that. in fact, the odder the place, the better.
one time, i brought home an old-fashioned file rack from a discount office supply store. ROF thought i was completely nuts for getting this but LOOK HOW AWESOME IT IS! it’s in our guest room and filled with magazines! 
so that leads me to today’s post. i’m super impressed with target, most of the time. while shopping there this weekend, i thought i’d snap a few pics of items i believe could be sold/bought for triple the price at anthropologie.
by the way, i shop at anthro + i love it. so i’m not dissing them. i go there monthly for these and i keep my eye out for stuff like this.
i’m a sucker for owls. they are so much not like me – quiet + calculating. that’s another blog post. this ceramic, adorable owl cookie jar (or dog treats, odds/ends, pasta jar) can be found at target.
i have these because they’re a beautiful pattern. i love the bit of depth in the knit that is hard to see here. get the towels and the rug. you need some color in your bathroom, right?
target’s selection of lamps and funky lampshades are not only more reasonable than anthropologie, but they have a much better selection!
you can find jewelry at target that rivals anthropologie. it’s not always on-trend, as they say – but who is – for crying out loud. that’s silly + unoriginal!
so run, don’t walk to target. please send me any other finds you’ve discovered! happy shopping!
use it as a checklist for friends, peers, boyfriends, girlfriends, spouses (hate that word, sounds like louse)
happy valentines day!
those of you with loved ones will automatically give cards, treats and smooches. that’s fun for sure.
but this v-day, add something new to the mix. add spending a few minutes loving who you are. i know how stupid that sounds but stop laughing for a second. do YOU love YOU?
what that means is do you take care of yourself? not in the manicure/pedicure way. it doesn’t mean that you perform your role as wife/husband, mother/daughter, friend/peer perfectly – as we know that is never the objective. it means… is the voice in your head – the one that talks to you – a positive voice? does it say things like:
or is it more like this:
the thing with being good to yourself is that if you never learned from your parents, older siblings or a caregiver how to love yourself, you may not even know how. a big part of being good to yourself is to say I AM ENOUGH. and it’s being vulnerable enough to admit you’re not perfect.
one of the biggest life-changing things i did was watch this TED video. i watched the video, i dunno, maybe 10 times. it’s one of those videos that digs deep into who you are. i actually already wrote about this video here back in 2012. it breaks open the WHY behind the negative self-talk, which then shows you how to love yourself more. watch it. and if you want more info, you can read the blog, take the class or simply just read the book.
finally we got outa dodge for the weekend. happy 45th year to robert.
If it wasn’t cold enough in birmingham, mi for us – we headed “up north” for a shopping + snowmobile weekend with some of our favorite people (+ they’re family to boot!)
have a good one!
everyone is looking for that killer chili recipe and i may have found it.
this ain’t no throw it in a pot and watch it boil type of chili. it’s stay-in-on-a-cold-saturday-afternoon-light-a-fire-in-the-fireplace kind of chili. in our case, we made it before the super bowl while it was a balmy 7 degrees outside.
i got this recipe from one of my favorite cooks, but it actually isn’t her recipe but an award winning chili from one of her friends. i googled this name and found a lot of bloggers have already covered this chili recipe, so if you don’t believe me how good it is – company good- just click here, or here or even here. i don’t mind, but they don’t have cute ROF in their photos!
1. we cut this recipe in 1/2 and it gave us 6 servings. note that or you’ll be eating it for a week. for lunch and dinner.
2. it has coffee in it. fancy…!
3. there is a ton (i mean ton) of hot spices in here. may want to cut it back just a little if you’re not adventurous like us. the sour cream is a mandatory topping to cut in on the heat.
i’m not going to do a step by step post on this because, come on…. you can figure it out. but both ROF and i highly recommend! let me know if you make it.
5 pounds beef brisket, cut in 1-inch cubes
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups yellow onions, chopped
6 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, crushed
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons cumin
2 green peppers, diced
1 bay leaf
6 cups tomatoes, chopped with their liquid
Salt and pepper
½ cup strong coffee
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans
2 tablespoons basil
Serve with
Sour cream
Grated Cheddar
Diced tomato
Tortilla chips
Guacamole
Pat the brisket cubes dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a very large heavy casserole and quickly brown the meat in batches on all sides. Transfer the brisket to a separate bowl and set aside. Sauté the onion and garlic in the same oil over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes until limp, but not brown. Add the chili powder, pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and cumin and sauté for 1 minute. Add the green peppers, bay leaf, tomatoes with their juice, the reserved meat, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 2½ hours, stirring occasionally.
Add 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste, and the coffee, cover the pot and simmer for one more hour.
Add the kidney beans and basil, and warm through. Serve with bowls of sour cream, grated Cheddar, diced tomato, tortilla chips and Guacamole.
this week has been filled with encouragement.
sunday’s sermon was excellent about God giving you courage and encouragement when you need it and pray for it. ROF and i did a bible study last night based on the sermon and it asked us to name some times when God gave you a small responsibility to test you before He gave you a big one. it’s just encouraging to me to know that He is so very intimately involved in our lives and not just a thing you do on sundays. if you want to read more on this, click here.
next, my sister reminded me of something i found and sent to her last month. I love this stuff. this is by dan waldschmidt. it gave her encouragement at the exact time she needed it. maybe it will do the same for you. thanks dan! looks like he has a new book coming out.
You have to make the call you’re afraid to make.
You have to get up earlier than you want to get up.
You have to give more than you get in return right away.
You have to care more about others than they care about you.
You have to fight when you are already injured, bloody, and sore.
You have to feel unsure and insecure when playing it safe seems smarter.
You have to lead when no one else is following you yet.
You have to invest in yourself even though no one else is.
You have to look like a fool while you’re looking for answers you don’t have.
You have to grind out the details when it’s easier to shrug them off.
You have to deliver results when making excuses is an option.
You have to search for your own explanations even when you’re told to accept the “facts”.
You have to make mistakes and look like an idiot.
You have try and fail and try again.
You have to run faster even though you’re out of breath.
You have to be kind to people who have been cruel to you.
You have to meet deadlines that are unreasonable and deliver results that are unparalleled.
You have to be accountable for your actions even when things go wrong.
You have to keep moving towards where you want to be no matter what’s in front of you.
You have to do the hard things.
The things that no one else is doing. The things that scare you. The things that make you wonder how much longer you can hold on.
Those are the things that define you. Those are the things that make the difference between living a life of mediocrity or outrageous success.
The hard things are the easiest things to avoid. To excuse away. To pretend like they don’t apply to you.
The simple truth about how ordinary people accomplish outrageous feats of success is that they do the hard things that smarter, wealthier, more qualified people don’t have the courage — or desperation — to do.
Do the hard things. You might be surprised at how amazing you really are.
top photo credit to: henry stern
FLASHBACK POST:
it’s one of several shows out there that gives you a multi-layered look inside people. a character that has pretty good + decent intentions but has made a decision to take bad actions. for a tv show – meaning purely for entertainment purposes – i’ve discovered i like this. watching these kind of shows, to me, with their multi-dimensional lead was way better than any of the stupid :30 minute sitcoms out there <insert laugh track here.>
take mr. walter white from breaking bad. if you haven’t seen the show, i’m not going to ruin anything for you here. but let’s do a little character assessment, shall we ?
intention: dying of cancer with little time to live, he has crappy insurance and little savings his intention is to leave his family with plenty of money to for college + living for long after he’s gone
action: he becomes the best crystal meth cook around and a drug dealer in the process
we’re only on season 3, so we don’t know if his actions ever catch up with his intentions. and don’t ruin it for us. at first, i thought GO FOR IT, WALT. he’s dying, he wants to provide for his disabled son, his newborn daughter and his wife, right? honorable? yes. however, the lies he tells and the person he becomes start to overpower his intentions. i was all GO FOR IT at the start, but am now thinking that his actions have been way more hurtful than his intentions were decent.
let’s look at another character, i was personally obsessed with for at least the first 4 seasons:
dexter, from dexter. holy moly was this an outstanding show. i absolutely hated myself for loving him so much.
i know that he has a bit of a troubled past. ok, a real messed up past but:
intention: rid the miami streets of terrible criminals who perform horrific crimes yet get away when the legal system fails.
action: yo, he kills them! eye for an eye. oh, and he works for the police.
this was a doozy of a dichotomy between good + evil.
possibly my first experience with this intention vs. action deal on tv: tony soprano.
intention: to get better. the mob boss that saw a shrink.
action: did bad mob stuff that hurt his family and his health constantly
while tony’s intention isn’t as clear cut as walter or dex’s – but it was enough to add wonderful depth to the character. and make you pull for him even though he was a bad guy.
i’ll go first. remember, we’re not aiming for an emmy here like the above shows.
intention: to build close, meaningful friendships that are maintained…forever.
action: i don’t make it a priority to stay in touch.
honesty hurts! i hated writing that down. stinks. but step 1 is taking ownership of our actions, right? at least isn’t that what tony soprano learned?
i’m not going to complain about how cold it is up here (and everywhere for that matter) but something in me just wants to look at the color yellow.
top left: beautifully bold yet simple room. i love! courtesy of a beautiful mess blog click here
top right: i’m a sucker for anything eames. can’t give credit because i can’t find who shot these pics.
bottom left: way to make a window pop. amazing how a simple design feature can speak volumes about your personality. it says, i’m daring, i take risks, i like what i like and don’t care if anyone else likes it. i like you without even meeting you! link courtesy of design nerd
bottom right: ikat bowls from west elm. these are sitting in my virtual shopping cart. i’m a fan.
top right: what you’re missing here is the kick ass boots that go with this outfit! see here
this vintage pic is via micemen. and it’s just plain fun. and look they’re not all on their phones!
here’s to yellow. cuz, here’s what it looks like here:
