shepard's pie

this is one of my favorite meals

my mom made while i was a kid

pound of meat

mixed veggies

and i kinda messed up the next part

what your supposed to do is

mix a can of cream of mushroom and half a can of milk

and then pour it over the first two layers

then mashed potatoes

when it's like half done 

throw some cheese on it and let it be

i could be wrong but if the meat is warm, and the potatoes

then it's 350 degrees for 30 minutes

taco salad and fireworks!

i have been craving a taco salad

for like the past month

and finally i made it for GGm and GGp

i had a problem though

how to make the tortilla bowl

i'd fried tortillas before

but to get them into bowl shape

i was stumped!

and then i saw these rubbermaid bowls i have

so i fried the tortillas and then

gently put them into the bowls

about 20 minutes later they were cooled and retained their shape

unless you tore them apart

but i just took some lettuce from the fridge

and cut some bigger cherry tomatoes

into quarters

take a pound of ground beef

and mix in a packet of taco seasoning 

according to directions

that's where the fireworks come in

as i was doing it i moved it to the back burner

and was just barely moving it back

i hear a crack

and white sparks EVERYWHERE

and a scream coming from somewhere

i have no idea where it came from

[okay, it was me]

yes, i broke the coil

but if it happens to you

grab it, head to your local home depot

or lowe's [what's the difference anyways?]

and you can get them for about $10

or at least that's what my dad says

so here's how i did it

lettuce

tomatoes

meat

and then cheese

although in retrospect

i would do meat and then tomatoes

my bowl

GGp's bowl

GGm's bowl

i don't try to give her smaller portions

but i have this germ thing

and if she doesn't finish her dinner

she puts it back in

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

i love pumpkin chcolate chip cookies

i beg my mom to make them all the time

well mom got a new recipe for them

awhile ago, and i seriously could make them anytime

three ingredients

spice cake mix

canned pumpkin

chocolate chip cookies

seriously could not be easier

bake at 350 degrees

and for how long changes for how moist you want them

and how big each cookie is

but start at 20 minutes

when you put them on the cookie sheet

you can put them really close together

because they grow up, not out

so push them out to how large you want them

grilled sandwiches

so i might be addicted to grilled cheese

not kidding!

a friend of mine used to have grilled cheese parties

and then right before i moved out of my favorite apt

i was making them like 3 times a week

i've gotten better though

but GGm and GGp sure love them

i think they may like the tuna fish ones better though

grilled cheese is pretty much self-explainatory

but here are the basics if you have never

heard of them before

butter one side of each piece of bread

i put the butter side up and let it melt

so that as it browns it's already warm inside

and melting the cheese

but that's probably how you do it too though

don't make fun of me

i make tuna fish sandwiches

the same way my mom has made them

although due to my limited supplies i substituted 

i ususally use miracle whip, cause i can't stand mayo but that's all i had

i usually use dill pickles, cut them into quarters from circles

[i don't know to explain it, sorry]

but i do the same thing with the bread

so that it warms to tuna

and for the record i know i made this

way more complicated than it needed to be

chicken alfredo

so i love fettuccine alfredo,

freaking love it!

but i have a hard time with people putting chicken in

because some people screw it up

but bird's eye does it just right

it's got some kick

but not too much

and there are veggies too

although i am trying to get GGm and GGp

away from frozen food

because seriously 99% of it is so bad for you

but this is something i will get cause 

it has a ton of food groups!

if you want to make this,

you can find it in the freezer section of your grocery store

stroganoff

this has always been one of my favorites

i remember begging mom to make it all the time

so i suggest buying a good chunk of ground beef

cook it and then freeze it in pound increments

which by the way

1 pound of ground beef is

2 and 1/2 cups cooked

thank you google!

also something else you might like

springpadit.com

it's freaking amazing!

it's also where i keep recipes my mom gives me

i'll give you the recipe

remember to follow the instructions

stroganoff

• 1/2 c minced onion
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 cup IMO or sour cream
• 2 TBLS flour
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• dash of salt and pepper
• Noodles
• 1 TBLS parsley (optional)

Cook hamburger. When done, part in center and saute onions. Add flour, salt and pepper, and mushroom soup. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken soup. Simmer uncovered for 10 mins. Just before serving stir in sour cream and heat thoroughly. Stir in noodles, sprinkle parsley over top. Serve

it's super good!

although IMO makes it taste way funny

i didn't have minced onion or parsley 

but they are not essential so if you don't have them

don't freak out

this does constitute as heaven in your mouth

valentine's day dinner

although i knew i was going to hate valentine's,

since i was continuing my membership in

the lonely hearts club,

i decided to make valentine's special

for GGm and GGp

so after doing something monday

i got home about 10 til 4

i told them that i needed to go grocery shopping

so i got the shopping list

hurried through the store

[which is so out of character for me]

because i was supposed to pick up the pizza at 4:30

i had called it in so i wouldn't have to wait

so i get to the pizza shop and give them my name

can't find the pizza

they ask for my number and look again

can't find the pizza

so they say we'll get your right out

it took them ten minutes, after the ten minutes i stood in line

ugh!

so i rush home

only to find out that GGP had let GGm eat a big lunch

which when GGm eats a big lunch

she doesn't want anything for dinner

they told me they didn't want to eat til 6:45 anyways

so i rode up to my aunt's [SJ's mom] with DQ

to give some valentine's and then

drove back

we decided to get some dinner for me

since the plan was to leave GGp and GGm alone for dinner

we decided on Rumbi Island Grill

we called it in and i crossed my fingers that

this time my food would be ready

it was supposed to be ready at 6:16

it wasn't ready until 6:46

so i was very mad!

i had dinner to finish and i was keeping them waiting!

so i call them and ask them to heat up the oven

[did i mention the pizza is a u-bake pizza?]

i get home throw it in

make a salad

[iceberg lettuce, cause that's what they like,

carrots and celery-don't judge me, i was in a hurry]

i then set the table

pretty fancy, right?

i didn't want them to get up so i had plenty of salad

which they ate all of

and there were extra slices of pizza

i even had desert on the table too

heart shaped chocolate chop cookies

GGp was partially in on it

he knew a heart shaped pizza would be involved

but nothing else

so both of them were blown away

i lit the candles as i left

and they still can't stop talking about it

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

***UPDATE-rumbi has totally made up for my horrendous night. the manager called me on wednesday and apologized after corporate forwarded my email to him. and i have free meal vouchers. i'm still waiting on papa murphy's to call me back [feb. 23, 11]

truth or dare

remember how i told you

that sometimes it's easier to

just make something up

than have to explain it all

well i might have done it again

so i was watching greek 

and they were playing kiss or tell

and i didn't want to explain it

so i told GGp that they were

playing truth or dare

cause everyone knows how to

play truth or dare

or so i thought

because GGp then said

"what? what is that?"

so i had to try and explain it to him

i had seriously thought everyone

knew what truth or dare was

check back later this week for GGp and GGm's

valentine's dinner!

baked seasoned chicken and rice

Last week I bought chicken breasts

and was needing to use them

so last friday i made chicken noodle soup

with three chicken breasts

and with the other four i baked them

super easy baked chicken

salt

pepper

montreal chicken spice/rub

water

**preheat the oven to 350 degrees

i pour salt onto my hand and then rub the chicken

i do the same with pepper

then i sprinkle the montreal chicken stuff just on the top of the chicken

pour just a tiny bit of water into the bottom of the pan you are going to use

for the small pan i used i put in less than a fourth a cup

cover the pan with tin foil

and cook for 20-25 minutes

then 5-10 minutes with the tin foil off for the chicken to brown

now for the rice

i admit i didn't know how to make rice on the stove

so i youtubed it!

if you want to make it in the microwave

i suggest this one

but leave out the salt

if you want to make it on the stove

i suggest this one

just follow that and you'll be fine

it's a little blurry, blame the iPhone

add some veggies and you are good to go!

play on words

yesterday was a very sad day for utah jazz fans

jerry sloan retired, what a great man

but today he was on the cover of the newspaper

his head took up a good third of the page

and the picture was just over half

GGp picks it up and says

"now that's a headline!"

bwahaha!

tithing settlement

[disclaimer this bit has nothing to

do with the blog]

I used to think that I wanted to die old

live as long as I could

forget it! when I can't do stuff I want to

take me out! i'll be okay with it

okay so GGp can't go to church anymore

it's just way too hard for him

and GGm can't go during the winter

cause it's just too cold for her and the ice and snow es no bueno!

so in our church

we pay tithing

[you can click on tithing and it will tell you all about it]

and at the end of the year we have

tithing settlement, like balancing a check book

and then we get a receipt

GGp hadn't got his yet so he asked me to pick it up for him

because we can count it on our taxes

[Jesus for the win!]

so when I brought home he opened it

and this is what happened

"It's not balancing,

[he uses accounting terms, he's an accountant]

I'm going to have to call the bishop.

[then under his breath]

dammit!"

growing up I thought GGm and GGp 

were such good people

never stepped out of line or anything

and their swearing all the time

is HIL-AR-IOUS!

DUP

it's an acronym

for Daughters of the Utah Pioneers

which GGm happens to be a member of

so GGp and I were getting her ready today

for some other club she went to

and a friend called and told her

that if she wanted to have a ride to call

I might have gone back to reading my book

when GGp said something to the effect of

"D U P?

[this is where I came back in]

Yes, I pee everyday!"

OMGosh, I laughed so freaking hard!

and yes I encourage even the some what funny things he says

test day

I took that test wednesday

GGm said to me while watching greek

(side note-my new favorite show)

"did you like your test today?"

really?

who likes taking tests besides the weirdos

who get all a's and mess up getting extra points

After I stifled my chuckles I said

"No, no one really likes taking tests,

we just take them to get them over with"

"Oh really? I didn't know"

sleeping in

I didn't have class tuesday

because it was an hour

for testing

and I wanted the whole day off

so lounging around the house did happen

I slept in to the respectable hour

of 10:40am

DQ came in to check on me

because GGm had said

"[mostly] must either

be sick or dead"

because back in their day

no one ever slept in

and I am a HUGE believer in sleeping in

GGm has also commented

on my almost daily mid-morning horizontal life pauses
(aka naps)

which are my favorite

where do you stand?

cake balls

i had a meeting i had to go to

sunday night and i made cake balls

they are like heaven in your mouth

let me tell you what classifies as heaven in your mouth

it has to taste good

it must be something you don't have often

it must take work, although you may not be the one doing it

[reason being, you have to appreciate 

how much work was put in]

okay but let me briefly 

tell you how to make a cake ball

take a cake, crumble it up

mix in icing

roll into balls

briefly freeze
dip in chocolate and cool

mine don't look great 

so i googled a picture for you

exhibit a

don't they look good?

i made the cake on friday

and finished the process on saturday

so everyone in my family has been a part of the process

so of course GGp and GGm had to have a taste

and it's been all i could do not to devour them

i even had to put them in the garage fridge

so i couldn't eat them

but everyone has fallen in love them

especially GGp!

I told him of my plan to try and bring some home

and then GGp and GGm said that it was

highly unlikely that they would make it back

but in a couple of weeks i am going to make some more

this is what GGp said

"good I have something to live for"

not look forward too, but LIVE FOR

oh gosh!

he's adorable!

conversations, part c

originally conversations was only

supposed to be two parts

but then today happened

so poor GGp had to wear adult diapers

seriously, I feel really bad for him

it's gotta suck

but I digress

so today I got home from church

after I had stopped at DQ's for lunch

and GGp and GGm were eating lunch

and I cleaned up the house a little

and took out the diapers

and then once their lunch was over

GGp asked me if I would take them out

I told him I had already done it

and before I even finished

GGm kinda hit him and said

"Get with it! You've got to stay up to date

and get with it!"

OMGosh I laughed so hard!

conversations, part b

GGm has been sick for at least a week,

she told the doctor 3 or 4 days

I think a week and half

finally we got her to agree
to allow us to take her
to her favorite "really good looking" doctor
(definitely her words not mine)

so after the doctor, on thursday,

i was driving, GGm in the front seat

and DQ in the back behind GGm

We had been talking and then DQ said

something meant for GGm and she hadn't heard it

so she turns to me and I say "not really" and she nods her head

then GGm starts talking about tons
of random stuff and then
said are you sure she wasn't talking to me

I once again said "not really"

she then said i don't know why people
say things that aren't important
i don't have the energy to listen to those things

DQ and I bust up laughing and

I swear GGm didn't hear any of it 

conversations, part a

***disclaimer! i tried to edit this and make the video smaller and get the formatting the way i wanted it. it would not be nice and play the game. so sorry for your formatting literate people!


about two weeks ago i saw a video

my mom posted a video on facebook

one of her fiends posted it

it is tres hilarious!

please watch!

here are some of my favorites!

 •it's still colder than a midget in a frigerator

•you see dat? you see dat?

•don't let the smooth taste fool ya!

•don't call me and tell me 'bout the weather no mo'!

•it seems to me you that you could slide on my ice like an icecapade!

•not only do i have to go out, but you want me to go 

out and take my clothes off!

•i'm already in long johns and i believe in sleeping neked!

•forget the MLK day ya had, ya had a whole MLK week! 

ya shoulda been singing the negro national anthem this whole week. 

you ain't gonna do nothin but have a cookout anyhow

•we done boycotted the school buses for a whole she'week now, 

that's enough Rosa Parks, you can get back on the buses now!

•you might need to take the kids over there with your saturday!

•we been off all week! go to work! go to school! 

stop complaining! praise the Lord!

•pray for me real good!

•I am Megan McGlover coming to you from WMLM. 

I love you long, you know i'm gonna love ya strong! 

I want you to be careful and don't be stupid, don't be stupid people, 

don't be stupid. alright.

okay now to the grandparent story

so i was watching said video and

GGp leans over and says 

"who's that, how do you know her?"

and rather that try explain that 

she is some random person

i said

"she's my mom's friend's friend, or something like that"

six degrees of seperation!

sometimes it's easier

to just find a way out

ice, ice, baby!!

so there is the whole

toilet paper debacle

i am firmly on the

under side

but where do you stand

on the ice debacle?

i am firmly on the 

cubed side when it comes from the freezer

or the good ice, the small pebbles anywhere else

cubed is better

it keeps the water cooler longer!

but i digress,
so scrambler was getting some ice
and the following conversation happened
scrambler "i forgot [dad] was home"
critic "what?"
scrambler "I forgot [dad] was home,
because when [dad] is home you get cubes.
He always switches it."
critic "i always switch it, d**m it"

cubes have it!

oh gosh

so my mom

is currently spending her days

with two tiny babies and two big babies

the former are two kids she nannies

which are both pretty cute

the latter are scrambler and critic

they are getting older and things 

are getting harder for them

so daily i get texts from my mom

with things the two of them have said

they are too hilarious not to share

so you understand the stories

it's sharing time!

there is a list a words

that critic uses to insult people
[this is just a sampling]

apparently

supposedly
they say
those people

she uses two of them in the following story
my mom was talking about some people she knew
and critic busts out with
"we have some of those people in our
community and apparently they're very nice"

notice the use of 'those people'
and 'apparently'
oh gosh!
mom and i didn't know what to say

and this isn't an anomaly, this is typical

poor zsa zsa

we are currently watching tv,

GGm, GGp and I,

well i'm also on his HP laptop

which i think should stand for Harry Potter

but i digress

GGm all of a sudden 

starts trying to say zsa zsa garbor

and just can't get it

then she goes on to tell us that her leg

has been amputated and it's such a sad story

then she trys to say her name again

and i say

"you mean zazu? from the lion king?

oh, i love him!"

she smiles,

nods her head

and goes back to watching tv

GGp chuckles and i am so

amused with myself

hot food

so i should have written more while i was home for break

but with critic in the hospital all during break
and wanting to spend all the time with my family
i could, i didn't feel like it

critic is my father's mother
critic because she's always critical about everyone
and her husband will be called scrambler
because he loves to speak in his own language
that i can't speak, i can barely decipher it

so let's get to the story
on my first sunday home i convinced my mother
to have the missionaries over for dinner on that thursday
she was cool with that

so the missionaries show up
we put the food on the temple
and right before we said the prayer
mom brought out a dish that had just been in the oven
and said "it's hot, please be careful. it just came out of the oven."

we say the prayer
we dish up some food
and she shovels in some of that very dish
and then...
"[MOM]! this is hot!

[well no shit sherlock! excuse my french, sorry.
she said my mom's name but i'm keeping people anonymous]

the missionaries just sat there,
they didn't know what to do
i felt so bad for them

but it gets worse
either the next night, or the night after
dad made fish and something else
he pulls it out of the oven
and says it's hot, blah, blah, blah

we say the prayer and BAMB!
"[DAD]! this is hot!"
did you not learn your lesson last time?

oh the things they say

hail

let me first start with a story from one of my

senior english classes

i had a teacher who said

"i will never curse all you, i will curse at the things you do"

he also said

"i don't say hell i say hail, like hail from the sky"

it became one of my favorite sayings

my mother and i say it all the time

today GGm, GGp, my cousin-SJ, and I

[i call him SJ because he looks like sean jr from blinside]

were playing dominoes and it starts to hail

it starts to hail outside and SJ and i talk about it

then go back to playing the game

then GGm and GGp become aware of it

and GGm says "oh my hail"

SJ and i started cracking up

not the "i might be able to hide it" kind of cracking up

no this is full on, pounding the table and snorting