Lend me your ear (Especially if you're a bunny made of chocolate)

Hello, Bubblelanders! Did you have a nice week last week? I did... I managed to not lose any pets or smoke up the entire house with a large piece of meat. And we didn't lose power in that crazy storm that ran through Memphis Wednesday night. Which was unusual because our house's electricity likes to go out during a hard breeze. I think I need to give it a pep talk.

Last week I finally cooked the lobster-stuffed salmon from Fresh Market. Everything should be stuffed with lobster.

With roasted carrots, broccoli, easy-caprese bites, and 3-cheese rice

I bought the schmancy salmon for a special occasion and then The Husband got tickets to a Grizzlies basketball game so I froze it for later. By the time I got around to cooking it, I forgot what the occasion was. Sunday night dinner seemed to be occasion enough.

So that was good. I didn't do a whole lot of cooking last week other than some homemade chicken nuggets with blackberry mustard. They got a little dark but tasted good just the same. And dipping is always a nice time. This was the first recipe I've tried off eatingwell.com.

Lil crunchy... It's a like a rap name for a nugget

For the second Grizzlies/Spurs playoff game we had a couple friends over. I made some wraps – veggie, turkey, & buffalo chicken – and The Husband made a turkey sausage plate. Not pic worthy. But the bacon-wrapped water chestnuts were pretty and worth the time it took to wrap them...

Baaaaaaacon

Ahhh, food. I'm hungry right now. I wish I had something stuffed with lobster... Sigh.

Speaking of food, I went home to my parents' house for Easter last weekend. I took off Friday and was in my hometown of Columbia, Tennessee by lunch time. We ate our traditional Mexican food meal. (Love them there Mexican foods. The apple doesn't fall far from the salsa tree.) They had a lunch buffet and it was dangerous. I'm sorta like a dog... I would probably eat myself to death if my hand hadn't gotten tired from shoving delicious guacamole and chimichanga bites in my face. It was great. Although a little uncomfortable... Mom and I were a tad full on the ride to Cool Springs. We didn't find any clothes and ended up just buying some Vera Bradley treats. In retrospect, I wonder if neither of us wanted to try clothes on over our Mexican tummies.

With lighter stomachs, we tried again on Saturday in Columbia with much better luck. I got a belt (FINALLY. I've had the same belt since the 90s. It's the one I mentioned that I hadn't lost in my last entry... Big & fat and it's sole purpose is to keep my pants from falling down. Not cute.), capris, and 2 pairs of shoes. And all on sale. Cool Springs – 0. Belk/Shady Brook Mall – 4.

Saturday was filled with Andy Griffith, an afternoon walk, and sports. We watched the Grizzlies game and it was great seeing them lead. And then a nail biter. And then great again. Phew. The Hubs was there and said it was fantastic. Beale Street was packed and everyone was wearing their Memphis blues. Grizzlies play again tonight so tune in! I'm going to try to. I don't know if my nerves can take another game so soon. I turn into a nervous nelly. I was soooo not cut out to be a sports fan. If it tells you anything, Top Chef finales make me nervous. (As well they should though. Kevin won the last regular season? Like, really? Still makes me mad. And don't get me started on Hosea. Although even he was more respectable than Kevin. But I digress.)

At Christmas, my mom gave me a dutch oven and one pot meal cookbook. I've used the oven but hadn't tried anything out of the cookbook yet. My mom made chicken marbella (I think that's what it was called) in the oven from that cookbook for lunch. It was fabulous! And interesting. Some of the ingredients were prunes (or as my dad would call them – the more marketable – "dried plums"), green olives, chicken thigh meat, capers, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts. I even liked the brussel sprouts which was big for me. They're on the very short list of foods I don't like. Other items being baked brie and the eyeball soup I got last year in Chinatown.

Pre-oven

Mmmm, cooked & steaming hot

And a plated treat to eat. Oh, look... Forgot about the taters

Sunday was Easter and an un-traditional Easter lunch of salad. It was beautiful. And after the Mexican meal on Friday, I was glad to not be stuffed to gills for the 3 hour drive home.

A new Easter tradition?

It was great to be home and spend time with my parents. It went too fast. Which I was able to contemplate as I waited at the light outside my parents house where they're doing construction.

Sign says "Red light 3 minute max"
I was poorly timed and it felt more like 3 days

Which gave me time to take this pretty pic of the plantation across from my parents' neighborhood

And now here we are again. Off to another week! Another rainy Monday! Watch, once I finally get my garden in, it won't rain at all. Dad loaned me his tiller so I'll give you "dirt" on that later. Heh. On that note, I sign off...