Sherri's (Never A Dull Moment) World

Skylark's Hidden Cafe

 We went out with our friends, Rob & Kara, Saturday night on a whim. When we meet over dinner, we are GUARANTEED to have a night of witty banter, intelligent topics, laughter and sincere conversations about life, love and our families. Last year we made a pact to take turns choosing different restaurants each time we get together (whenever possible)-- and Saturday it was Kara's pick.

She chose a sweet little eatery in the Fairhaven District (Bellingham, WA):

When you walk into the front entrance, you can dine on the main floor at tables with wingback chairs... or in the upstairs loft... or downstairs in the "hidden cafe". That is where we spent our evening.

The food was unbelievably DELICIOUS! We consumed crab-stuffed mushrooms and fresh sourdough bread (appetizers), Bill tried their award-winning clam chowder (and he RAVED about it), Rob tasted their corn chowder and then our entrees arrived. Kara ordered crab-stuffed sole, I had sauteed prawns with pesto fettuccine, Bill devoured his wild caught salmon and Rob had a balsamic salad.

Then our cute, knowledgeable waitress returned to enquire about dessert. Were we interested? (yes) Rob asked if they had any dessert specials. She said she had one in mind but would only describe it if someone at our table liked pineapple and/or coconut. I told her to spill the beans (I LOVE pineapple and coconut). She proceeded to describe a "Hidden Cafe" cheesecake specialty-- imagine a luscious slice of cheesecake with a macadamia nut & coconut crust. But wait! There is more... On top of this cheesecake are chunks of caramelized pineapple and big curly flakes of coconut with a dollop of whip cream.

OH YEAH..... That is what Kara & I ordered:

... while Bill ordered their bread pudding with bourbon sauce (his absolute favorite).

It was a wonderful dinner experience. And I am STILL dreaming about that cheesecake....

Upon leaving the downstairs (Hidden Cafe), we passed through the main floor to find a jazz band playing in the front corner. Next time we are going to choose the wingback chairs  in hopes that we can dine with some nice music in the background... that is if we don't violate our "new places only" rule:

Here is to GREAT FRIENDS!

The Train Wreck

 

Bill and I love to try new places to dine. Some of our friends have RAVED about this unusual eatery called the "Train Wreck" in Burlington, WA. So we decided to test this rumor ourselves on Saturday night:

   

Picture an oddly-shaped skinny brick building situated near local train tracks. We saw a few locals slip into the heavy wooden doors at the side entrance while we approached the glass doors at the front of the building.  We stepped inside and it was PACKED. There were big screen TVS near the bar showing sporting events, metal lanterns hanging from the ceiling, heavy wooden tables and chairs were scattered about with train memorabilia decorating the walls. Two skinny waitressed wearing Train Wreck T-shirts and tattered short jean shorts worked the room.

We studied the menu and our mouths began salivating. I chose a pulled pork BBQ sandwich with sweet potatoe fries and ordered a Sierra Pale Ale. To my surprise, the sweet potatoe wedges came with this mango-jalapeno dipping sauce that was to DIE for:

 
Bill is a much more daring "foodie" than I am. He ordered a calamari bacon burger with homestyle fries. He said it was a TOTALLY awesome pairing that practically melted in his mouth:

OMG! We give this new experiment TWO THUMBS UP! We will definitely visit this restaurant/local bar again... only next time I think we will slip in the side entrance like the "regulars" do. ;)

We {Heart} Hot Tamales

We did something fun on Saturday with our friends, Rob & Kara, and a lovely woman named Sylvia. We went to Sylvia's home to learn how to make homemade tamales...

 
Rob & Kara had taken gourmet cooking classes with Sylvia before. Apparently, Rob showed up at the last one wearing a chef's hat and jacket. So Bill went out and borrowed a chef's jacket to make things more interesting....

I think Bill looked very handsome:

We all had our roles to play...We knew we would be entertained with Kara's quick wit and banter:

 
Our two male chefs were looking forward to getting their hands on good food:

 
Bill & I were taking pictures. Rob & Bill stopped Sylvia often to ask questions:

 
I also asked questions and took copious notes:

 
We started out by creating the tamale dough:

 
Sylvia had already prepared the filling; a mixture of shredded chicken, green peppers, olives and spicy sauce. She sat each of us down to demonstrate how to roll tamales in corn husk wrappers:

 
She had Rob, Bill, and another guest, Bryan, patting out tamales in their wrappers on individual plates:

You flatten a handful of dough into a patty, add a spoonful of filling (chicken, pork or beef), and then...

 
You carefully fold over one side of the husk, then overlap your fold with the other side and tuck the bottom under to maintain the fold:

 
Kara sat down to roll a few tamales:

 
And so did I:

 
We rolled about three dozen tamales (the more hands you have, the faster it goes!):

 
Syvlia had a special steamer pot ready for those tamales:

 
Inside the steamer, you first lay a base of empty corn husks to protect your precious tamales from hardening:

 
Sylvia told Bryan to stand all of the tamales upright...

 
And load them in a spiral pattern:

 
You add a top layer of empty corn husks, followed by the steamer lid. You steam your tamales for one hour:

 
But wait! There was more to do!

 
Kara helped Sylvia prepare an appetizer, which was homemade corn tortilla chips topped with cubes of pepperjack cheese. You heat these in the oven until the cheese melts and then dip them in salsa:

 
Mmmmmm.... delicious! Sylvia put us to work making refried beans and Spanish rice next:

 
We fried the rice, added chopped vegetables, and had both pans simmering while the tamales were still steaming...

 
Bill & Kara had fun trading one-liners: 

 
FINALLY! The tamales were ready! Sylvia set the table and handed out plates for us to fill:

 
Of course, I had to document the moment:

 
Are you drooling? We each unwrapped our tamales and dug in:

 
Our compliments to Sylvia and our delicious meal! We had SUCH a good time! We left full and happy with a promise that we would take another cooking class in the future...

Would we do this again? Absolutely. :)

"I Am"

We had plans with friends on Monday night for dinner and a movie.

We have been special friends with Rob & Kara for over a year and one of our fun traditions is to take turns choosing a new local restaurant for each time we have dinner together. It was my turn to choose the location, so I went out on a limb and chose "The Thai House" in downtown Mt. Vernon.

The salad course was delightful! We snacked on soy beans (what do you call them?)...edamame. Then, our main courses arrived.  We each ordered something different:  Bill ordered BBQ beef. Rob ordered rainbow trout. Kara ordered an avacado noodle dish. And I ordered this flavorful halibut dish called "Call Me Ginger":

'
It was FANTASTIC! Afterwards, we had plans to attend the local Lincoln Theater for a screening of this documentary:

The director of this film is Tom Shadyac who appeared recently on "OPRAH"" to discuss how a bicycling accident led him to question how he lived his life.

There were many interesting points to ponder.... How money/success does not equate happiness. How American culture promotes consumerism. How we are not meant to be at war; instead, the human race deals better with peace. How stressful lives lead to poor health. How human compassion can promote ingenuity and generous solutions to both simple and complex problems.

I laughed a little. I cried a little. I walked away from this documentary wondering what I could do better with my life and how I could give (back to nature, to others) more. This film promotes connectivity at all levels-- human to human, human to other living things, human to our environment and planet Earth. I highly recommend it. The content not only sparks interesting conversations, but may lead you to take a new direction with your life.

And The Party Continues...

When I went into work Monday morning, there were lovely things waiting for me...

Keiko walked in carrying a beautiful bouquet of flowers:

 
and my guilty pleasure, frosted sugar cookies decorated for spring:

 
Jennifer snuck in and left fun presents on my desk (filled with beautiful scrapbooking paper and bling):

 
Miss Estefania waltzed in after school and presented me with this whimsical birthday candy poster:

and she knows of another of my secret guilty pleasures, cupcakes... This one was red velvet with delicious cream cheese frosting:

 

It was DIVINE!  All of the beautiful women at Hallmarkland had filled a card with birthday wishes and enclosed a gift certificate for a pedicure at a local salon.

Lucky day? Maybe. Lucky to work with such fun, thoughtful people? ABSOLUTELY. Thank you everyone for remembering me on my birthday! :D

The Sunshine Cafe

About last weekend...

We left Thursday night to catch a ferry to the Olympic Peninsula:

 
We stayed our first night in Sequim:

We thought we would fuel up with a nice breakfast before our long drive to the coast.
We passed by this restaurant in the middle of town, called the "Sunshine Cafe":

 
It had such a cute name, we thought we would give it a try.

We were greeted by a friendly waitress named Gigi (she is wearing a pink shirt & gray fleece vest);

 
She offered to bring us something to drink, so Bill ordered a coffee and I ordered my usual hot chocolate. Wow! This is what she brought me, complete with red sugar sprinkles and a doily powdered with cocoa:

 
We studied the menu:

 
Gigi informed us that they had a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls that just came out of the oven-- would we like one or two? I said to bring one over:

 
It was DIVINE. 

We ordered breakfast and Gigi was slinging sassy remarks as she was coming & going. When Bill's breakfast arrived, I said "Oh, that looks great!" She said over her shoulder, "Good luck! I doubt that he'll be sharing that with you..."

I think I was giggling over Gigi's sass the whole time I was eating my breakfast (I ordered Dani's breakfast sandwich and it was delicious!).  As she continued to check on us, she stopped at our table and nodded her head at me. She said to Bill, "I bet she is a lot of fun to be with-- that girl is laughing ALL THE TIME." Without missing a beat, Bill replied, "Oh, she is fun all right! But when she is laughing in bed it makes me wonder..." Gigi put her hand over her mouth and said, "Pullleeeaase-- this is a FAMILY CAFE."  But then she and the other waitress (who instantly appeared) stepped closer to Bill and said, "Tell us ALL ABOUT IT!" 

Conversations like that = HILARIOUS.

Cost of our breakfast at Sequim's Sunshine Cafe = $35.77 (I tipped big)

Would we return? ABSOLUTELY.

Right Now...

Right now...

1) I am reading the book, "The Beauty of Different" by Karen Walrond:

 

It is one woman's perspective on meeting interesting people that have stories to tell and are each very beautiful in their own unique way. I love that. True beauty is not on the surface, but rather what is INSIDE. I know a lot of truly beautiful people.

2) I am still a GLEEK for "Glee Club":

 

The latest episode had the Glee Club preparing for a alcohol prevention school assembly while they experimented with the "juice" on the side. I shouldn't have been laughing BUT it was sooooo funny with uptight Rachel throwing a party and those Glee kids facing hangovers the next day. Seriously. Those Glee kids just want to "fit in". High school is so painful.

3) I am knitting a scarf.... for me:

I can't wait to wear it before winter is over... with a T-shirt and jeans.

 4) I just ordered this book on animal behavior from Barnes & Noble.com:

 

I already know that contrary to popular belief-- chickens are SMART (at least, Rodgers chicks are!). I have heard that mice and rats giggle when tickled, but at such a high pitch that we can't hear them. I know that many bird species sing, whales sing, why not bats too??  I can't wait to read more!

5) I am in love with these new oatmeal dark chocolate chip cookies by Kashi:

 

Mmmmmmmm..... delicious!

6) Bill & I are laughing over Season 1 of "Modern Family":

 

We have caught random episodes here and there that were sooooooo funny that we asked ourselves,
"WHY aren't we watching this ALL THE TIME????" So we decided to start it from the beginning. It is TOTALLY worth it.... I can't wait for the episode where Cam and Gloria go out for dinner to get to know each other better (as extended family members). Gloria chooses a Mexi restaurant and Cam insists on ordering the same thing as Gloria-- Enchilada Diablo. The dish is soooo hot that he is sweating profusely, protests that he is "just fine", until he sees the waiter walking by with a water pitcher. He grabs the pitcher to pour it in his mouth and exclaims, "Please save me! My mouth is like THE SUN!" (insert hysterical laughter here)

7) I am counting down until this movie arrives at the movie theater:

 

Woo Hoo! Even Bill wants to see it! (That means we ARE going.)

8) I heard this song on the radio this week and it totally took me back to the '80s:

 

Yes, that's right. It plays in the "Sixteen Candles" movie near the end, when Jake finally finds Samantha and wishes her a proper Happy Birthday in his parent's house (that is totally trashed from the party held the night before). Oh how  I LOVE '80s music! This song is by the Thompson Twins.

9) I have a new puppet for my biologist toy collection:

It is a snail and it is so cute!

10) We woke up to 5+ inches of snow today:

And it is STILL snowing.... I love that.

For The Love of Authentic Food

Meet Carlos:

 
He is the owner of "La Casita Mexican Cuisine" in rainy Mt. Vernon.

We ate there today and had the best time...

 
Why? Because the food was both authentic and flavorful with every bite!  As self-proclaimed, secret salsa taste-testers -- their homemade salsa is both spicy and "muy delicioso". The chips were hot, the guacamole was fresh and Bill loved the secret sauce on his shrimp burrito. But wait...

This was not an easy day to be around me.  I have not slept well all week. I am moody from inventory preparation at work. I spent 4 hours today training a (delightful) new employee. I am having a bad hair day.  I missed breakfast and then skipped lunch. I had to go grocery shopping (and I HATE grocery shopping). All of these factors together were a Sherri-Disaster in the making. This was NOT good. Poor Bill.

Smart Bill. He volunteered to go grocery shopping with me. He said I could pick out anything I wanted at the store to make me happy again. I was indecisive. I could not decide what to get which was frustrating to Bill. So then he offered to take me anywhere I wanted to ease the Sherri-No-Food-Monster. After a little argument in the parking lot, we settled on this cute little Mexi restaurant near our neighborhood where we have had a previous good experience.

Brilliant Bill. He suggested we order some nachos to take the edge of my hunger. Within minutes, we were digging into a satisfying heap with all of the works. Perfect!  Again, I was indecisive and was torn between two choices on the menu. Deluxe taco salad? Or a combination plate with taco & tostada? I asked Carlos, our friendly waiter, whether their tacos used fresh corn tortillas or store-bought shells. He said I could have it any way I wanted... Sold!  (I LOVE corn tortillas.) Carlos disappeared after taking our late lunch/early dinner order. From my viewpoint, I could see Carlos in the kitchen and he looked busy. Soon he re-appeared with our plates and I couldn't help but ask if he was the chef too.

Turns out that for this afternoon, Carlos was the host/waiter/chef/busser/owner of the place and is prone to both firing himself (from these jobs) and rehiring himself all the time.

When he came back by our table to check on us, we had big smiles on our faces. Bill LOVED his meal and I LOVED mine. I had to tell Carlos. And this is was the frosting on this fictitious cake:  he was charming and appreciative of our compliments. He explained his role in his restaurant and why he felt it was important to get involved with the cooking. We talked about his family-- how his dad incorporates many of their authentic secret recipes into the menu; how his tech-savy brother promotes his restaurant with social networking (they are on Facebook!) and his other brother designs new menus for the restaurant each season. We met his wife on our last visit and she was both sweet and sassy. I commented that I loved her "sass" and Carlos commented that it was because of her "sass" that he was host/waiter/chef/busser/owner and on his own this afternoon (said with a laugh).

FAMILY. That's what it is all about. And I am a big fan of FAMILY.

This culinary experience not only confirmed our love for authentic food (in this case, Mexi)-- but reinforced our belief that it is important to support local businesses within our communities. If you live near us, visit La Casita soon! If you are on Facebook, look up La Casita and join their friends list. Carlos has a daily special for Facebook Friends; all you have to do it "check in" via phone or computer and you will find yourself enjoying a fabulous meal with freshly-prepared ingredients and savory flavors. We joked with Carlos that if enough customers told him that they were sent by "Sherri's (Never A Dull Moment) World" that, perhaps, he might consider giving us our own daily deal. :)

 

How To Throw A GREAT Party... Rodgers-Style

1. Invite a couple of celebrities to make a special appearance at your party.... like Nick & Natasha Rodgers:

 
2. Make sure the other Rodgers (Jeremiah, Angela & Elijah)(+ Rebecca, Angela's mom) come to the party-- pure entertainment!

  3. Have a chef (a.k.a. Bill) cook for your party:

 
4. Make food that your guests will LOVE... like Bill's homemade tacos!

 
What do our friends think of Bill's tacos?

 
5. Make sure your chef keeps the food flowing [which Bill did, he made a total of 117 tacos that night]:

 

This is how many were left at the end of the party...

 

6. Have a photographer (a.k.a. Bill again) handy to document the party: 

 
Add another photographer and you get twice as many party pics!

 
7. Invite your favorite family and friends over... like Tim, Midge, Delaney & Janna:

 

Corrinne & Loren:

 
 
Bill's mom and dad (unfortunately, my parentals couldn't come):

 
Kris & Darin:

 

Nate, Jonna, silly Mikiah & crazy Noah:

 

A few others made special appearances, like Kara:

 
And Bryan:

 
8. Mingle, Mingle... Mingle! [All Rodgers are pros at this one...]

 
and

 
and

 
and

 

and

 
and

 

and

 
and

 

9.When your party winds down, you can choose to either A) clean up or B) have a beverage or two. We chose (B):

 
Boo Yah!!

 
When your kids are all grown up, that is. We had a GREAT party!

 

While She Was Here...

 
I picked up Natasha from the train station last week:

 
We picked up my mom and we went out to lunch:

 
We ate lunch at Olive Garden, which has our favorite lunch combo.... soup, salad & all-you-can-eat breadsticks (YUM!):

 
Both Natasha & I ordered the Zuppa Tuscana:

 
While my mom had the Minestrone:

 
Afterwards, we did a little shopping.  We thought these were fun at Pier One:

 
So many choices.... which one looks best?

 

Hmmmm...

 
Ooh La Laaaaa!

 
Which one could I get the most use out of?

 

 We thought we would buy a couple of masks since they were so lovely. But then we looked at the price tags and decided we should keep on walking (Yikes! They were $35-$65 each!)...

 
Oh well. We have fun just being together. :)

 

While I Was Away... December

At the beginning of the month, I had such good intentions to blog my way through Christmas...

I set up my countdown to Christmas calendar on my fridge:

 

I put out my winter dishes:

 
I hung our stockings by the chimney with care (in hopes that St. Nicholas would soon appear):

 
These stockings are from Pottery Barn-- one for each member of the Rodgers family. Only this year, there is a new stocking in the line-up... can you see it? [Hint: It begins with "E".]

 

I finished knitting two scarves, one for Natasha and another for Angela (this one is Natasha's):
 
Angela brought Elijah to Hallmarkland so I could see his new NFL Colts jersey:

 

Elijah really liked those annoying Roffle monkeys:

 
soooo much that he gave one a kiss:

 
My favorite girls in the neighborhood (Janna & Delaney) brought me a sweet surprise:

 
They know that I LOVE homemade sugar cookies with frosting (yum, yum!):

 

I stopped by to see my Mom & Jesse, who were really excited about Christmas:

 
Bill & I went to our secret Christmas shopping destination (LaConner, WA):

 
on the hunt for some special gifts:

 

I prepared packages for Nick and Natasha, who were not going to be home for Christmas:

 
I finally did a little decorating for our upcoming Christmas Eve party...

 
I had a BRILLIANT idea to create this "A Christmas Story"-theme wreathe:

 
This tree is in my kitchen and is an ocean-theme (my favorite):

 
Sierra really didn't feel like participating:

 

We threw a pretty nice Christmas Eve party (and were exhausted afterwards)...

 
And on Christmas Day, we visited with Nick & his girlfriend via the new XBox Kinnect at J's house:

 
WOW! and WHEW! What a CRAZY month!

Have a safe and wonderful New Year's Eve!!

The Divorce

Up until a couple of weeks ago, LIFE WAS GOOD at Hallmarkland. We live in a strip mall and have survived many changes with our anchor stores (Ernst, Albertson's, G.I. Joes) coming & going. We were always strong in the middle of the strip. And we had the perfect business "marriage" in the whole neighborhood-- Hallmark and Starbucks Coffee. We went together like peas & carrots, ice cream & cake, cards & coffee. We were soooo happy together!

 
I knew all of the baristas and they knew me. Just like "Cheers"-- instead of going to a bar where everyone knows your name, it was a coffee bar and everyone knew my name!

And they knew my beverage of choice: a tall, pepppermint hot chocolate (I don't do coffee) with extra peppermint (usually 6 pumps) and extra hot:

 

We both weathered it out during this rough economic year. We kept selling cards and coffee with smiles. And then the inevitable happened... Starbucks left us!

 

This is our happy Hallmark storefront window (with Jackpot Teriyaki next door) and a now empty Starbucks space. (sigh!) WHY???? Because they were tempted by the lure of a (gasp!) drive-thru window:

 

We have not signed official divorce documents, but the separation is clear. Our customers are confused.... WHY? They ask. I just shrug my shoulders and say it hurts too much to talk about it.  Our Starbucks has moved a block away to the corner of a very busy intersection. I drive by it almost every day but find myself silently refusing to support that #$@^$^^%@! drive-thru window. They claim to have a bigger lobby but they only have five parking slots, so why bother?

I am trying to move on. I visited another Starbucks this week, in my neighborhood.

 

The baristas were friendly enough. They took my order. But my tall, peppermint hot chocolate (extra peppermint, extra hot) was just not the same. It did not taste like my drink. The next day I told the barista to add 6 pumps of peppermint and it was still .... flat. Oh no. Where was the Starbucks love??This divorce transition period is going to take awhile... I can tell.

Nerdy Afternoon

We have been soooooo busy. We decided to treat ourselves to a Nerd Day at Bellingham. We had heard a rumor that the s*** word (don't say it!) (I'll just whisper it-- "snow") was up there...

 
and it was true!  We wanted to try a new place for lunch, so we stopped at this cute Mexi restaurant on the Guide Meridian:

 
I must explain: Bill & I are secret salsa taste-testers. We LOVE Mexi food and that includes chips & salsa. So at every restaurant we visit, we are secretly rating their salsa which may determine whether we go back or not. I guess you could call us "salsa snobs". (We prefer "salsa taste-testers".) So, the cute waitress sat us at a table and delivered a hot (!) basket of chips. (Very promising!) Then she motioned for us to visit their "salsa bar" which looked like a small salad bar only it was filled with almost a dozen containers with limes, radishes & salsas. Eureka! Bill filled a couple of dipping dishes with hot salsas and I chose a medium salsa. Back at the table, I dipped my first chip in my salsa cup and the flavors just EXPLODED in my mouth! Bill tried mine next and agreed with me... these people knew how to make a FABULOUS salsa! WOW== was all I could say as we scarfed on chips & salsa until our orders arrived.

I ordered a chicken taco salad:

 
which was muy delicioso in both texture and taste! Bill ordered chicken flautas:

 
We left with full stomaches, happy hearts and I think both of our mouths had finally cooled off from the hot salsas. We will definitely visit that place again!

So we continued treating ourselves to a visit at Barnes & Noble (hence, the "Nerdy Afternoon"). It makes me so happy to walk in the front doors and see .... BOOKS EVERYWHERE! Magazines! Bargain tables! Games! Calendars! The Nook! We bought a couple of books and got a few ideas for Christmas presents and left with happy hearts again...

 
We thought we had better leave during daylight hours while that s*** was hanging around:

 
It was a lovely day for a drive... (sigh!)

 
 I'm so glad we went.

Five Things I Love...

on Friday! Here are a few of my favorite things today:

1) Starbuck's Peppermint Brownie-- it's back! It is my favorite Starbucks treat during the holiday season.

 
2) The new throw pillows that I bought at Pier One Imports... they are sooooo pretty in my living room:

 
and

 
3) Pink's new song called "Raise Your Glass".  I have always been a Pink fan and I particularly love her new song, coming out on her greatest hits CD this month. This song makes me want to car-dance and raise my own glass in gratitude for all of the great things in my life:

 

4) A new AMC TV mini-series called "The Walking Dead".  It is about a small-town deputy sheriff in a society afflicted with zombies, searching for his family and any other survivors. As I have said before, THE RODGERS LOVE ZOMBIES and it is totally worth staying up to watch at 10 p.m. on Sunday nights. However, I woke up exhausted Monday morning after last Sunday's episode.  In my dreams, I was fighting off zombies and trying to get from town to town without being eaten. Maybe this week, I should just use my DVR and watch the episode during daylight hours?

 

5) My new favorite TV commerical is this. I don't know who this guy is, but he just cracks me up while he is driving his new Hyundai Sonata Turbo car. Bill has a Sonata and he doesn't make these faces when I am with him.... Hmmmmm. Maybe it is because he doesn't have the Turbo model? Or is he just holding back and driving the speed limit???  

It's The REAL Thing

It has become a subliminal thread during the last century of American culture to answer one question:

Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi????

I, myself, am a Coca-Cola girl. With many of my food and beverage choices, you might call me a "loyalist" or a "mono-taster"-- basically, once I fall in love with something, that is all I order until I get tired of it. We didn't drink a lot of soda when I was growing up, but I loved root beer when we were allowed to have it. I think I drank root beer until my early teens, then the love affair was over. I dabbled with orange soda vs. 7 Up vs. some colas until my taste buds matured, then I picked a favorite, Coca-Cola. 

Over time, I became a cola snob. When we go out to eat with friends, I ask the waitress whether they serve Coke or Pepsi products. If they are a Pepsi vender, I pass on the soda and order a water. It is all or nothing for me with Coca-Cola.

A funny thing happened in Las Vegas... (I can share some stories, but you know the cliche'-- what happens in Vegas, sometimes stays in Vegas) (whoop whooooop!)

I am not a gambler, but I LOVE Las Vegas for all of the bright lights, the pizazz, the celebrities (real or impersonators) and the entertainment. There is SO MUCH to see! It is fascinating to people-watch and to guess why each individual came to Las Vegas.

Coincidentally, there is an official Coca-Cola Store on Las Vegas Boulevard (a.k.a. "The Strip")...

 
It is filled with FABULOUS Coca-Cola products...

 
and there are three floors to shop....

 
Different products have different versions of Coca-Cola brands used throughout their marketing campaigns...

 
I looked but didn't buy anything... we had several places to visit that day, like the M & M Factory Store next door.

 
The store called to me when we walked by it again the next night...

And then I had a streak of good luck! I was walking through the MGM Grand when I was invited to participate in a marketing survey. Seriously! I spent an hour answering questions on home energy systems and walked away with a $50 bill in my hand! Ta daaaa!!

 

I knew JUST how I was going to spend it! No, not the slot machines. Not the craps table (that would be where Bill was hanging out). Instead, I walked back to the Coca-Cola Store and bought myself a cute T-shirt and a matching purse! Ta daaaa!

Because that is how I roll. And I am a Coca-Cola kind of girl. And when I crack open a cold, refreshing can of Coca-Cola, it makes my taste buds feel like this...

Pure cola joy.

Five Favorites on Friday

I know, I know. I have been gone for awhile. (sigh!) But I am back! And I have a bunch of stories to share from adventures in August! I thought it would be nice just to begin ANYWHERE rather than stress over telling my tales in chronological order. Why not begin with  a short list for consideration?

Here are five things on my mind today:

1) "The Pen Story" is my new favorite video on YouTube. It is a masterpiece of stop-motion photography that begins and ends with a family photo. Within 3+ minutes, a life unfolds before your eyes!

 

2) Bruno Mars "Just the Way You Are"-- what a lovely, lovely song about a man who adores a woman just the way she is. Bruno has collaborated with some hip-hop artists (ex. "Nothin' On You" with B.O.B.) and has a voice that makes my heart happy.  He is a young artist to watch out for!

 

 

3) Chocolate Chip Seastars-- What?! I am not talking about chocolate chips. I am referring to a  tropical seastar (NOT a starfish) species that has a bumpy texture that resembles chocolate chips. I went to the local pet store this week to get a light bulb for my aquarium and couldn't resist looking at the specimens for sale in the tanks. I wish I had a saltwater aquarium-- if I did, I would have bought one of these cuties! My inner marine biologist was giggling at the helpful hint sticker on the tank that said: "Be careful of your aquarium community when adding this species." [Note: they are cute, but will eat a lot of your other pets!]

 

4) Carrie Underwood has a new song called "Mama's Song". While it is to be expected that every father worries about his baby girl growing up-- so does her mother. This song is about a daughter telling her mother that she has found a man that truly loves her, that is truly good. It made me tear up thinking about how much I worry about Natasha and wish for her all the most wonderful things in her adult life. I want Natasha to be happy and to find herself a very good man.

 
5) Last, but not least, is the delicious Milky Way Midnight. I have loved this candy bar from afar for a few years. Why afar? Because if I ate them all the time, I would gain 10 lbs.!  They are a melt-in-your-mouth combination of dark chocolate, caramel and marshmallow. I treated myself to one yesterday and I savored every bite. Yum!

 

So what is on YOUR mind today???

It's Summertime...

SUMMER is my favorite season of the year.

Besides the sunshine, there are a lot of wonderful things associated with summer...

My butterfly bushes are blooming:

Starbucks is making passion tea lemonades (with a shot of raspberry) for me:

You can count on some random summer reading sprawled on the couch or coffee table:

My garden is in bloom:

In the late afternoon, I bring in freshly-collected eggs from my chickens:

I picked up some lavender and blueberry bush starts today for a side garden:

 
 And I am trying to decide where to put a new piece of art I bought in N. Carolina:

 This matted print is entitled "Signs of Summer" by Lorri Honeycutt. She owns the most delightful gallery in Carolina Beach, N.C. called Big World Photo.  She has a collection of miniature figurines that she poses on objects of different scales and photographs them. In my print, she has mini construction dudes setting up beach umbrellas (=drink umbrellas) from a mini-flabbed truck on a real beach. I love that!

And I [heart] summer! 
 

 

Cupcake Mania

I think I might be a little delirious...

Lately, I have been seeing visions of sugar and cake, of frosting and fondant, of sprinkles and silver balls in the form of CUPCAKES.... almost everywhere.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. Cupcakes.

I have always been a fan of cupcakes. Cupcakes in pastel papers, cupcakes with a pile of frosting on top, cupcakes with cute decorations. Who can resist a cupcake?

Cupcakes are showing up on TV while I surf between channels... You can catch "DC Cupcakes" on TLC:

 
You can watch these cute sisters, Sophie & Katherine, laugh and bicker in between 1) baking beautiful cupcakes for their shop, Georgetown Cupcakes, 2) experimenting with new flavors, and 3) developing mini-cupcake creations for local events.

You can also catch "Cupcake Wars" on the Food Network Channel where a panel of pastry chefs judge cupcake makers on taste and presentation for a themed event. Though the cupcakes are a riot, there is a lot of stress during the competition and the host is a bit corny.

On past Barnes & Noble "Nerd Nights" with Bill, I have cruised through the gourmet food section and stopped to look at books like this:

and this:

Once again.... mmmmmmm.

I can remember being invited to a birthday party when I was in the third grade. The birthday girl was allowed to have one friend over to play and she picked me. We played inside, we played outside-- then her mom called us into the kitchen to decorate cupcakes. She handed us frosting bags with different colors and told us we could do ANTHING we wanted! I piled on frosting, as a 9-year old experimenting with swirls, curls and scribbles. My cupcake must have had 4 inches of frosting on it when I was "finished". And then we got to eat them. Oh the joy of eating all of that frosting! Though I think I had a stomache-ache that night (after eating 3 of my cupcake creations)-- it was only a temporary setback in my love for cake & frosting.

I have been daydreaming a little about cupcakes lately. I think if I eat one, my cravings will subside and I can get back on track. What do you think? I am stuck on .... mmmmmm.... cupcakes.
 

 
 

 

 

Because He Makes Me Smile (Part 2)

We had a very busy week.

We decided to goof off today.

We started with a movie (which is one of my favorite ways to goof off)-- today it was Bill's choice:

 

I didn't mind.... really. Angelina Jolie is a great actress and we like her in different movies for different reasons. (My favorite is "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" with Brad Pitt.) So we got comfortable in our theater seats and got ready to watch "Salt", a spy thriller:

As the movie trailers were playing, Bill reached into his pocket and pulled out movie snacks. He has been known to sneak in chocolate bars or M & Ms for me -- just because. So he nudged me and told me to reach out my hand. In the darkness, he whispered that I should try it. I tilted my hand, opened my mouth and found that I was experiencing a blast from the past..... Pop Rocks! I choked down my giggles and then we took turns pouring Pop Rocks into our mouth and seeing who could "pop" the loudest (thank goodness it was a matinee and there was hardly anyone there!).  What can I say? He is unpredictable like that.

After the movie (I give it a "5"... it had all of the usual elements of a thriller, but her character should have died about 29 times), we went out to lunch. He teased me about having to feed me before I turned into the Sherri Monster (our joke).   I watched Bill play craps at the casino (remember, it was HIS day) and WOO HOO! he won some more $$$ for our vacation fund.  And then we went grocery shopping. As we neared the checkout, I impulsively added a 6-pack of Mike's Hard Lemonades to the cart. Bill said, "We better get those chilled so you can get toasted..." And I started to laugh, because he is so witty.

The bottom line is that no matter what we do or where we are.... he always makes me smile.

Just because.

I love him for that. :)

  

 

10 Things I Love Right Now...

1. The intoxicating smell of honeysuckle in my front yard...

2. Babysitting Baby Elijah... he is 8 months old now!

 
 3. Running my car through the carwash...

4. Treating myself to a summer pedicure (No, it isn't black nail polish-- it is metallic green!):

5. I cracked yesterday and bought my new favorite cookie, these delicious fudge drop shortbread rounds made fresh in Safeway's bakery (mmmmmmmmm!):

6. I have a new piece of art hanging in my kitchen :)...

 
7. Bill has been packing my lunch for me this summer-- he fills this cute container with cheese & crackers, makes me a mystery juice in my thermos and adds a delicious dessert (this time, Godiva dark chocolate pearls). Yes, he is THE MAN!

8.  I planted stargazer lily bulbs last summer and this year they are HUGE!

 

9. Bill & I are both on our computers right now, and we have a rerun of "The Office" on in the background. It is the episode when Pam & Jim get married. I LOVE this episode!!

10. And at the end of this episode, the cast replicates that famous wedding party shown on YouTube that danced into the church with this song playing....It makes me happy whenever I hear Chris Brown's "Forever".

Life is good! :)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Bill, The Multi-Tasker

Normally, I am the official multi-tasker in the Rodgers household. I can get a load of dishes going in the dishwasher, have both the washer and dryer spinning with laundry, have already filled the pet dishes, my laptop is on with a lecture in progress and I occasionally run outside to check on chickens. It not only gives me satisfaction -- but that is just how I roll.

However, I must give Bill a ROUND OF APPLAUSE for what he pulled off yesterday. He called me at work to check on my day and to say he had a great idea for dinner. He was going to make enchiladas and would get all of the ingredients on his way home from school. That was GREAT because I was picking up Elijah on my way home from work.  I babysit Elijah twice a week while J & A are taking a math class. And I take my Honey job very seriously.

Unfortunately, my last few Honey sessions have not gone so well with Baby Elijah. He has been cranky and nothing seems to make him happy at Honey & Papa's house. I take him to see my chickens. We go get the mail. We walk all over the house and look at pictures. We go outside and look at flowers. If he is still crying (due to an overdue nap), I change his diaper, give him a bottle and rock him to sleep.

So we walked into the house and E started crying. Bill was frying up hamburger for the enchiladas, so he offered to take the baby so I could put pjs on. He held the crying baby with one arm while he stirred meat with the other (= multi-tasking!) When I came back, this is what I saw:

I took the baby and rocked him:

 I stared at his beautiful baby face for a whole hour while I listened to Bill cook in the kitchen:

And boy, was Bill cooking! He not only whipped up some enchiladas for our dinner but made an extra pan for Jeremiah & Angela to take home! AND he was cooking something else...Calico Beans. He had been craving calico beans for awhile and this recipe makes A LOT. Here is the original recipe (but trust me-- Bill ALWAYS changes it into something different):

Calico Beans

Brown & Drain: 1/2 pound bacon, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1 pound hamburger

Add: I cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1TBsp vinegar, 1TBsp mustard, 1 tsp salt, I can lima beans (with 1/2 juice drained), 1 can red kidney beans (with 1/2 juice drained), I can pinto beans (with 1/2 juice drained) and 1 short can pork and beans.

Stir well, pour into baking dish and bake for 90 minutes at 350 degrees.

He ended up making enough calico beans to share a pan with Jeremiah & Angela [that makes two meals for them], a pan for his school secretary [who is at home recovering from a heart attack], AND a pan for us. AND (insert Sherri's drumroll, please).... he cleaned up! GASP! All of that while I rocked a sweet baby to sleep.

Needless to say, we ate enchiladas after the kids picked up Elijah and carried their food to the car. :)

And we ate calico beans and cornbread tonight for dinner. It was delicious:

 
Bill is my super hero. :)

 

The Invisible Deal-Breaker

Bill & I dated in high school and were married two years later. We THOUGHT we knew a lot about each other. We thought we could take the plunge and make it work. We thought we would live happily ever after. However, we found out in our first year of marriage that we didn't know EVERYTHING. Our expectations were slightly off. Especially in the food arena.

Case #1: Meatloaf.

Bill was in the US Army and worked long, long hours. We had one car and I was pregnant with Jeremiah so we decided I would stay home and take care of the house.  I cooked and cleaned and tried to be the perfect Suzy Homemaker. I had picked up some cooking skills from my mom before I left home-- but they were not great. In between mac-n-cheese and Hamburger Helper meals, I tried to duplicate some of my mom's home cooking. One night, I served my mom's version of meatloaf. I loaded up our plates and put them on the table. When Bill saw his plate (and his slices of meatloaf), he was silent. Then he said, "Where's the egg?" I said, "It's mixed in with the hamburger and bread crumbs!" (Duh!) Then he explained how HIS mom used to make meatloaf. My mother-in-law is a genuine Southern woman, raised in Arkansas. She cooked with a can of lard on the stove, whipped up meals with lots of meat & potatoes and did a lot of things in the kitchen that I had never seen before (I grew up in the Pacific Northwest). LIttle did I know that her version of meatloaf contained hard-boiled eggs inside. This was pre-Martha Stewart, but her intention was that every time you took a slice of meatloaf, there was a slice of hard-boiled egg staring at you on the plate. Bill grew up with this meatloaf-- therefore, mine was "lacking" the hidden surprises. I personally can't stand hard-boiled eggs so this concept grossed me out! Let's just say that to this very day-- we don't make meatloaf very often because we don't agree on our versions.

Case #2: Spaghetti

Spaghetti is the "poor-man's pasta of choice", so I am sure I was trying to make this in our first year of marriage too. Come on! HOW can you go wrong making spaghetti??? Well, same scenario applies. I had cleaned and cooked all day in order to have a meal on the table for my man when he came home. He washed up, sat down at the table, looked at his plate of spaghetti and said, "WHAT is this???" I replied, "Spaghetti, of course!" He was dumb-founded. He took a couple of bites and then he said he just couldn't eat it that way. "WHAT way?", I asked. He grumbled that I "ruined" it. I am sure we had a big fight about it but this is the back-story: his mom always made spaghetti where you cook the noodles and drain them in a strainer. She cooks her sauce and meatballs and sets them aside. She prepares the plate with a mound of (cold) noodles, topped with the sauce and meatballs. Something like this:

That is NOT how my mom made spaghetti! My dad loved spaghetti so my mom made it often. And her version of spaghetti involved mixing the noodles and the sauce and the meatballs all together in an electric skillet pan before you served it. It was hot and all mixed up and I thought that was delicious. My version looks like this:

Unlike the meatloaf example, we continue to eat spaghetti when the mood strikes us. We tried it Bill's (rather his mom's) way for the first few years. We tried it my way a couple of times to see if Bill could truly learn to like it. Somewhere along the way, we developed the perfect compromise over spaghetti. Bill cooks the noodles separate and they sit in a strainer in the sink (uh oh, sounds like his mom's way!). He makes the sauce and meatballs (you can bet that they will be spicier than his mom's) in another pan. Before he loads his plate (his mom's way)-- he takes 1/2 the noodles from the strainer and adds 1/2 the sauce & meatballs from the other pan into a frying pan. He purposely mixes my half all together, tossing and turning them until they are perfect and plates it my mom's way.

Now that is love. :)

But wait! What does this story have to do with my title? We made spaghetti for dinner a few nights ago. I was in charge of the noodles; Bill was in charge of the sauce & meatballs. We were both cranky after long days at work and were not talking much. He silently retrieved the frying pan and started to mix my portion together. I laughed and hugged him for this sweet little gesture. He said, "You know, if I knew then what I know now... THIS could have been a deal-breaker!" I opened my mouth in horror and threw my hands up in the air. "A DEAL-BREAKER??? Our spaghetti was a potential deal-breaker?!?!?!" And we both laughed. And laughed some more. I guess it is a GOOD THING we didn't know everything about each other when we got married.
 

10 Things I Love Right Now...

It is time for a new Sherri's Top Ten List!  Are you ready?

1) It may be spring but there is still a chill in the air. I have been warming up in the morning with a Starbucks Vanilla Chai Latte (I hate coffee) (extra hot so it will last for awhile) and a molasses cookie. YUM!

 

2) Did you know that we are only a week away from Disney's new movie, "Oceans"???? I can hardly wait!

3) Natasha made a music CD for me to listen to on my way home last weekend. I think this British pop/punk singer is pretty fabulous. Her name is Lily Allen and I have been humming one of her tunes all week... Her lyrics are clever and sassy and her accent is adorable.

4) This song was also on Natasha's music mix and I recognized it immediately:

"Be OK" by Ingrid Michaelson. After surviving a week like this, I know that I will also "Be OK"!

5) My sweet chicken, Chickita, is back on the egg-train! 

She took two months off from egg-laying duty due to molting. Why?? Birds often "molt", or replace feathers, once a year and when that is happening-- it is too energy-expensive to lay eggs and regrow feathers at the same time. Chickita's eggs are unique-- she is the only chicken in my group that lays lovely, lovely green eggs.

We LOVE Chickita's green eggs!

6) OMG! The TV show, "Glee" is back! Hooray!!! Their new episode aired this week without missing a beat from where they left off with this musical-high-school-drama:

 

The cheerleader coach, Sue Sylvester, is still as mean as ever as she is back to take down her nemesis, the Glee Club.  I am already looking forward to next week as they are doing a Madonna-theme!

7) I can't help but smile every time I see this commercial for Amazon Kindle.  The stop-motion animation is fabulous down to the minute details...

 

8) I had a craving for Swedish (gummy) fish yesterday. I stopped at the store, bought a bag, and even incorporated them into my Biology 100 exam today!

At the beginning of the hour, I passed out the exams and then had each student take a gummy fish from my bag. I used it as a "prop" for Question #5 that read, "Examine the object Sherri has given you. If this were REAL, which kingdom would it belong in?"  I haven't graded exams yet, but I seriously hope every student got this particular question RIGHT. ha! [Answer: Kingdom Animalia]

9) Another one of my favorite TV shows is about to climax. Project Runway (Season 7) is now down to their final three fashion designers to compete during Fashion Week in Bryant Park. I was rooting for different designers along the way... My new favorite is Seth Aaron Henderson from Vancouver, WA. He is slightly eccentric in personality, dresses like a preppy punk rocker, loves vinyl and lots of zippers. Would I wear his clothes? No, not me. BUT... he is very, very creative and innovative in all of his endeavors. His clothing is meticulously made. He is a family man and loves his wife & kids. I like that he is willing to take risks. 

Underneath his spiky, black-dyed hair, tattoos and black fingernail polish-- he is very grounded. He is confident without back-stabbing his fellow fashion designers. Good luck, Seth Aaron!

9) I am soooooo relieved. I am finished lecturing on chemical compounds:

[This is NH3; also known as ammonia.] On Monday, I can begin a new set of lectures on CELLS:

10) College exams don't have to be all work and no play. I had a chemistry professor many years ago that always put a cartoon on the last page of his exams. Though I struggled with that course (my "ah-haaaa!" moment for Chemistry happened a year or two later), he always made me feel better on the last page. When I became a professor-- I adopted his practice. Here is a classic "The Far Side" cartoon by Gary Larson that usually shows up once in my exam pages:

 

Happy Friday!

Tea for Two

T.G.I.F.!!

Bill had a LONG week at school with student/parent conferences. My week at Hallmarkland dragged on and on... So we met for dinner at our local Chinese restaurant.  We placed our dinner order and the hot tea arrived at our table. I said I needed a photo for my Project 365, so this was the first try:

We learned a long time ago that most Chinese tea sets are functional in design-- the tea cups lack handles because if they are too hot to hold, then the tea is too hot to drink! My tea cup was sooooo hot that we had to take another picture:

After looking at my camera, I asked Bill, "Seriously???" Could we not take a *normal* picture to document our date at the restaurant? This is what I got with my third attempt:

 

I'll take it!  Cheers! [He is soooo funny!]

Chicks Dig Salads

Although spring is coming and many things are growing, my chickens are constantly looking for greens while they scratch and peck in our large yard. 

So I have been making them salads for their afternoon snack:

I start with a couple of handfuls of Costco mixed greens, then I add whatever veggies are in the fridge as leftovers or in the pantry. This particular chicken salad has a little corn, chopped cucumbers and a 1/2 can of diced tomatoes.  I go outside and call for my chicks... and they come RUNNING!

All of them love to pick at the top of the salad... Usually Honey, Sugar and The Blondies get distracted and/or want to be petted and wander away.

Some of them go back to the salad, like this Blondie did:

But some chicks love salad more than the others. Chickita cleans up all of the lettuce and veggies that have been flung off of the plate onto the deck. Runt, Oreo and Pepper are the cleaner-uppers. They stick around or return to polish off the rest of the salad when the other chicks have gone off to peck and scratch somewhere else. Within an hour, I will return to find the plate (and the deck) picked clean.

Seriously....Rodgers chicks really dig salads!