eG Foodblog: munchymom (2012) - The Week I Ate Whatever I Wanted

[munchymom]

Good morning! My name is Christa, and I'll be your blogger this week. I'll be back in a little while with further introduction and information, but for now I have to finish off this:

[heidih]

I like the "ate whatever I wanted" concept! The drink looks intriguing - are you a "juicer"?

[Darienne]

Hello MunchyMom

Looking forward to a blog from a woman who calls herself 'MunchyMom'.

[Kim Shook]

Can't wait for another southern blogger. Love the name of your blog - referencing the book or something else?

[munchymom]

I'm back! No, I'm definitely not a "juicer"- that's way too healthy for me. That was a Bloody Mary, garnished with one of my homemade pickled carrot sticks.

Anyway.

Greetings from sunny Charlotte, NC. I'm actually in a suburb just south of the city. Yes, strawberries are in season here - about two weeks ahead of schedule, due to the extremely warm weather this spring.

I'm a stay-at-home mom and/or an unemployed librarian, whichever sounds better. Ordinarily my food-life is full of constraints and compromises. My husband doesn't like pork, and loathes garlic, and is usually low-carbing. My son (age 9) was an adventurous eater as a toddler, but has since become an extremely picky eater. He'd live on buttered pasta if I let him. So putting together meals is an exercise in finding the extremely small portion of the Venn diagram that contains food we can all live with. Not to mention the need to get something on the table after the kid's music lesson (7 PM) but before his bedtime (8:30.) Suffice it to say that most of the time, my food choices are not driven by what tastes the best to me.

However.

This week the husband and son are traveling without me - they're off to Chicago to visit with the in-laws for spring break. This means that until they return Friday night, I am accountable to no one except me, myself, and I. I intend to make the most of it. I'm throwing caution, constraints, compromises, and common sense to the winds, and I'm going to eat whatever I want.

I'm going out for brunch in a little while - see you when I get back.

[Shelby]

You are a woman after my own heart. I love bloody mary's AND you pickle your own carrots. Awesome.

[percyn]

Cool. Hope we get to see lots of good BBQ, shrimp n grits and other goodies.

[Anna N]

You are a woman after my own heart. I love bloody mary's AND you pickle your own carrots. Awesome.

And a woman who can drink it before the sun is over the yardarm is definitely a woman after my own heart!!!!!!!!

[robirdstx]

Oh, this is gonna be fun!

[munchymom]

Brunch:

Two eggs over easy, bacon, home fries, and wheat toast. With unsweetened iced tea.

[gfweb]

well done, Munch.

[munchymom]

An afternoon beverage:

5 fresh strawberries

cracked ice

2 oz. light rum

1 oz. Canton ginger liqueur

A squeeze of lemon

-all whipped up with my immersion blender.

Just the thing for a sunny afternoon on the porch.

[Shelby]

An afternoon beverage:

5 fresh strawberries

cracked ice

2 oz. light rum

1 oz. Canton ginger liqueur

A squeeze of lemon

-all whipped up with my immersion blender.

Just the thing for a sunny afternoon on the porch.

I'll be right over.

[munchymom]

A little advance prep for dinner:

Into the fridge for a few hours:

[munchymom]

Time to see the kitchen:

Another angle:

Fridge:

Freezer:

Spices, oils, etc.:

Booze:

Wine (pretty depleted right now):

[munchymom]

Hey, what's that bottle sitting on top of the wine rack?

My Valentine's Day gift from my husband. There are reasons I let this guy hang around.

[Kerry Beal]

Hey, what's that bottle sitting on top of the wine rack?

My Valentine's Day gift from my husband. There are reasons I let this guy hang around.

Was he anticipating you'd drink it alone without him?

[munchymom]

Nah, I'll save it for a night when we can share it.

[heidih]

The afternoon beverage looks and sounds delightful. You have me thinking. In the fridge my first thought was "had we all bought stock in the main Sriracha company we would be set" as it seems to be a world wide standard condiment now. Blog on

[mm84321]

This has not been trussed properly.

[heidih]

This has not been trussed properly.

Trussing, girdles - bad memories: I like the free form

One of the very currently popular chefs advocates the whole letting the legs and wings stick right out I think - better all around browning.

[Tri2Cook]

This has not been trussed properly.

You didn't tell us there was going to be a test.

[munchymom]

Oh no! Not improper trussing! Do you think it's going to explode?

(To further scandalize any chicken-trussing purists: I bought it that way. That particular brand trims and trusses the bird before packing it, so it goes into the oven with a minimum of effort.)

[munchymom]

A few more essential ingredients before the bird goes in the oven:

[munchymom]

Bird in progress:

Time to start the side dishes: