FAAA-BUUUE-LOW-OUS!

Today has been a blast of a crazy day! I've just had the best time. It is now 10:00 at night and I just got home. While dinner is simmering and perfecting in the oven, I'm blogging to all of you fantastic people about my brilliant day. Ann and I had the BEST time. I woke up and hung out with Nick before he went off to work. After he took off I made myself a nice cup of coffee and started prepping breakfast. I was craving breakfast sandwiches again. I toasted up an english muffin and topped each half with cooked egg whites, pan seared ham lunch meat and a half slice of fat free American cheese.


Of course the sandwiches were enjoyed with delicious cup #2 of knickerdoodle coffee. Breakfast rocked my socks off.


After I ate I cuddled with Mr. Oliver for a while and then got dressed and dolled up to meet Ann for out pre-planned SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA!! I have been looking forward to this day for WEEKS now. We do it every year. We go sopping after Christmas for ourselves and splurge a bit and then enjoy some fine sushi. I LOVE SUSHI SO MUCH! I don't have it very often. It's like a special treat every once in a while. I sort of prefer it that way!

The first place we went is Macy's. The gift card I got from my coworker was BURNING in my pocket. I couldn't wait a single second longer to spend it. Today was the day! And spend it I did. I picked up a few clearance (LOVE a good clearance) items and a FABULOUSLY glam coat. I LOVE THIS COAT! Check it out, the fake fur collar is rockin.


AND it's removable! I LOVE IT! I got it on sale and I was very excited about it.

After Macy's it was SUSHI time! I was so excited. We ordered a bottle of wine to start and some Edemame. YUM!


When our Sushi finally came out they had beautifully placed all of the decadent little rolls on a Sushi boat. The boat made us feel so SPECIAL! HA! Everything was so pretty! Almost too pretty to eat. ALMOST!


We ordered the Eel roll, California with cream cheese roll, Kiss roll (tuna steak, spicy tuna, avocado, crunch, salmon and cucumber, YUM) and Tiger roll (spicy crab, shrimp, avocado with wasabi sauce) and ALL of the rolls were out of this world! We hung out, chatted, feasted, drank and laughed for about an hour. IT WAS SO NICE TO RELAX!

After lunch we went to Penney's and did a bit more browsing/shopping. What a blast! While there I received an EMERGENCY CALL from my Papa. I had to make sure to post the following recipe for Cabbage Soup before the end of the day today. IT WAS AN URGENT MATTER OF TOP NATIONAL SECURITY I guess! HA! Hi Dee, here is the recipe you asked my Papa to have me post for you. :)

• 3 large cans chicken broth
• 1 bag shredded carrots
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 large head green leaf cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 tbs red pepper flakes
• 1 tbs black pepper
• 1 tbs garlic powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1-2 tsp sea salt

Add all of these ingredients into your LARGEST stock pot and simmer on low heat for at least 1-2 hours. You want to soften the cabbage and the celery slowly and make sure that everything is nice and tender. I love this soup with hardy bread smeared with butter. DELICIOUS! OK, there you have the EMERGENCY RECIPE. Now moving on.... :)

After Penney's we went to Target. We couldn't get enough of shopping I guess! YAY! Somehow we always, ALWAYS end up at Target! It's a TRAP DAMN IT! A CONSUMER TRAP!

After Target we decided to head to Wolf Creek Winery. It's the local winery we always find ourselves at. We both LOVE the place. I had never been there in winter before. There was a nice layer of snow over the entire place. It was so pretty!


We enjoyed some fine wine and some cheese and crackers. The creamy garlic and herb cheese was so rich and delicious! I WAS BEING BAD but it just felt SO GOOD!


After the winery we drove back to Ann's Apartment. We hung out there for a while and I enjoyed a nice cup of coffee.


While sipping on my coffee, I felt the need for a SASSY little Cat Photo Session with Ann's sexy little cat Pepper. Just look at her. What a beauty!


After about an hour or so, I called it a night and headed home.

By the time I got home Nick was in his pajamas and both of us were super read to relax and to have dinner. I have been marinading a flat iron steak since yesterday afternoon and we were DYING to cook it and feast on it. I eat steak MAYBE twice a year so I get excited about it. Nick gets even more excited. The poor guy never eats it either. HA!

Marinade....

• 3 tbs orange juice
• 1 tbs lime juice
• 1 tsp garlic. chopped
• 1 tbs Thai chili paste
• 3 tbs Asian ginger salad dressing
• 3 tbs Teriyaki sauce
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

I pan seared the steak in my dutch oven skillet for 2 minutes on each side and popped it in the oven for 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or so, uncovered.

Already IN the oven I had some broccoli florets, an onion chopped into large chunks, a small serving of sweet potato fries and some Idaho potatoes cut into thick wedges and mixed with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh dill.

DINNER WAS AMAZING!


Nick and I didn't speak at all while we consumed this deliciousness! No words were needed. I had no time to talk! That would take away from my PRECIOUS chewing time! HA!

Seriously, dinner was super delicious!

As my lovely days draws to an end I find myself smiling and reminiscing. It was a fabulous day. Do you hear that Ann? FABULOUS! I know you hate it when I say the word FABULOUS but what can I say..? Except that it was FAAA-BUUUE-LOW-OUS! ;)