Weekend full of cooking!

This was a weekend full of cooking at our house! I really love to cook & trying out new recipes is really fun to me! My favorite cooking takes place when I have planned out several meals & gone to the grocery store for all of the ingredients I need for the week. I absolutely cannot stand to run to the store for ingredients for something to cook that day. Hate it. It frustrates me & honestly, I don't have time for it. I'm doing good just to get home after work & get a meal on the table. No time in there for a grocery store stop. So anyway, the weeks that I plan ahead & do the shopping, we eat so much better! This weekend has been full of good cooking & several new recipes.

Friday night some friends invited us to go out for dinner which would have been a fun time, but we wanted to watch the Cotton Bowl & we had not lined up a babysitter. So we passed on the night out & stayed in to cheer LSU on to a victory. What a game!!! Eric cooked up a big pot of homemade chili & we just vegged out at home with our little family of three! Great night

The water looks blue, but it was really purple for game time! lol!

Saturday morning Eric went hunting & as soon as he got home around lunchtime, I went to the gym for a while. As soon as I got home & showered, the three of us headed for a quick trip to Sam's in Monroe. We usually buy most of our meat there & we were out of chicken breasts & hamburger meat. We ran there & back in time to watch most of the Saints game. BOO. What an awful game. Saturday night we weren't really hungry for a big meal so we just snacked & I made up some rotel with sausage, jalapenos & onion in there. Then I decided it would be the night I'd attempt homemade granola! I am SO GLAD I tried it! It is so so yummy & will be a great snack for us to have around here. But I don't think it's going to last very long!!!

This morning Eric went to church (I think our church was the only one in town who didn't cancel morning services. I was surprised they didn't cancel!) & Hudson & I stayed home. He's not sick, but he has a frequent cough & I figured that wouldn't make other mothers very happy since they would hear the cough & assume he's sick & germy! We played all morning & had a great time! He was full speed ahead, but also very lovey at the same time! He'd run up & give me kisses & giggles & then run off to play. Melted my heart!!! After Eric got home & we had lunch, I headed to the gym again while they napped. When I left, Hudson was napping in his crib. But when I returned, this is what I found.. I guess they needed to snuggle! :-)

Tonights meal was a little disappointing. Don't you hate when you've picked out a recipe that you just know is going to be awesome & then it is just okay? It was a real let down to me!! My friend told me about this recipe for Grilled Flank Steak in the Junior League of Monroe Cookbook. The marinade was made up of red wine & some homemade vinegarette that sounded divine. I got all pumped up about cooking it & all the sides to go with it only to feel like it was just "okay." Mom & Dad came over to visit & I convinced them to stay & eat with us. They, as well as Eric, assured me that they thought it was good, but I just wasn't thrilled. Along with the steak, I grilled portobello mushrooms, asparagus, caramelized onions (awesome!) & cous cous. This was my first time on the cous cous (it was in a box) & I really liked it.

I got the alert from Tech that classes were cancelled tomorrow & all my friends on facebook are posting about their schools & jobs being closed tomorrow. Sure wish that would happen for me! haha! I've been trying to figure a way to work without having to cross over bridges & there's just not an option. Hopefully the roads won't be too bad. And hopefully our daycare will be open. I haven't heard otherwise.

Hope ya'll are all cuddled up & staying warm!