I Like to Drink..... Alot!!!

OK,OK....... Before you send me to rehab, let me clarify that statement. 

I do like to drink BUT.... I drink all different kinds of beverages, not only adult. 

My "liquid addiction" starts early in the am and doesn't stop until I go to bed. There are several different phases throughout the day, and some can intermingle.. I know this sounds confusing, so let me explain my day in drinks..

8am:

 I always start my day with coffee. No matter what!?! It's "liquid gold" in my life. Even KB knows not to engage me until I've had at least half a cup. I set the timer to brew about 20 mins before I get up. That way the lovely aroma can entice and coax me out of bed (we all know I'm NOT a morning person). I take my coffee with a bit of flavored creamer, doesn't matter what brand or flavor. While I have my preferences, there's only been 1 flavor I just could not handle - it's has since been discontinued.
Hmmmmm, I wonder why - yuck!!

Anyway, I usually use a breakfast or morning blend coffee. It's medium blend - not too strong, not too sissy! When I feel a lil fancy I'll make Chai Coffee. It's a really good way to spice up regular coffee. After a good 2-3 cups, I'm ready to conquer the day!!!

My fave mug with KB's drawing.

10am:

Mid-morning starts what I call "Operation Rehydrate"..... Water is being consumed at a high rate to counterattack the coffee and the adult beverage from the night before :)  Plain, filtered water with lots of ice in my big Tervis cup with a straw.... Why yes, I am a creature of habit... how can you tell???? If we have errands to run, I bring that cup with me. Again if I'm feeling a lil fancy or I'm bored with plain water, I'll add a slice of lime. But all the new rage is flavored water - so I jumped on the bandwagon with just a few of my faves - Lemon Lavender Water, Apple cider vinegar with honey water(apple-cider-vinegar), or a berry and mint water(homemade-flavored-water-roundup). 

12 noon - 5pm:
Because I usually eat lunch at home, I'm still in "operation rehydrate" with water. If we go out for lunch, Tim and I may get a beer (or 2); but I always order water. I never drink sweet tea - which is sacrilegious living in the South!!! While it's not that often, if I have a soft drink, it's always Coke Zero or at least diet. I grew up on Diet Coke. My Mom drank it all the time. I've never liked or drank regular Coke. By the late afternoon I've slowed down on the water. I usually get busy with KB or stuff around the house.


6pm:
Now the evening time is a whole 'nother story...... I am so not ashamed to admit I enjoy at least 1 adult beverage everyday. I call them adult beverages, not alcoholic!!! I also say adult beverage store, not liquor store. It just sounds classier, more refined, and I feel like it suits me better!!!

HAHAHA...... just kidding!!
I just don't want to sound like a "wino"....

My choice for adult beverage is beer or wine. I love all kinds of beer - light, porter, stout, lager, etc... One item on my bucket list is to try a new beer once a week for a whole year. With all the new local and home breweries, it really wouldn't be that hard.  My faves and in my fridge right now are Rolling Rock, Bud Light Platinum, Yeungling, and Corona Light. I take a splash of lime juice(this kind only) with my Rock and Corona. And I always use a coozie!!! again... creature of habit :/

Wine is something I'm slowly getting into. I've been a lil scared to experiment with wines. Before I met Tim, I only drank whites. He introduced me to reds, now that's all I drink. As I've said before, we usually go for a nice Shiraz or a red table wine. I've never liked the sweet stuff or the really bitter variety. I think that's why we like wine tastings so much. It's a great way to try before you buy!! It doesn't hurt anyone's feelings if you don't like it. Everyone has their preference and opinion.

I'm a big baby when it comes to hard liquor. I prefer to make drinks at home because I don't like them too strong. With that being said.... I do have my preferences!!! I like Grey Goose vodka, Captain Morgan Black, Fireball cinnamon whiskey, and Camarena tequila. Goose for my dirty martinis and cranberry juice; Captain with Coke Zero; Fireball with a splash of Coke Zero; and Camarena for our fresh, homemade margaritas. I recently experimented with mojitos but they were not good :(

I have beer or wine while I'm cooking or with dinner. The liquor drinks are usually for after dinner. I take a glass of water to sit on my bedside table when I go to bed. I'm telling you - it doesn't stop!!!

 On my front porch with my Yuengling


Now I hope I've explained it well enough when I say "I like to drink....alot"  you'll know what I mean!!! Check out the recipe section to find more great drink ideas....

ENJOY!!!

"Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon??"

Until I really started to experiment with different recipes, I only cooked chicken. No for real..... I only cooked chicken. I would sometimes have something with ground turkey, i.e. - spaghetti, tator tot casserole, maybe lasagna on a special occasion - like the first time I cooked Tim dinner at my house!! This is what started the whole recipe search. I had to find more ways to make chicken. Eventually I would come across a pork chop, beef, or shrimp recipe.

So I ventured out of my comfort zone. I learned quickly to only try one new recipe at the time.The most disastrous night was the Spring of '14 (yeah like 3 months ago)..... I wanted to have an Asian night. I had on the menu pork pot stickers, "bang bang" shrimp, and crispy wontons all with their own sauces. None of them worked out... the pot stickers did just what the name suggests - stuck to the pot. The breading on the shrimp fell apart even before I put the sauce on them. And the "crispy" wontons were soggy.... I was so disappointed, I actually cried :(

Anyway, it was a lesson learned the hard way. And to this day I haven't reattempted to make those disastrous dishes.

Staying with my chicken roots I came across this recipe Dijon Chicken with mushrooms and onions. I had just scored a large box of white button mushrooms for $.89 so it was fate that I found this recipe. And not to mention I had a jar of Dijon mustard in the fridge going to waste. I substituted chicken thighs for breasts.

I gathered my ingredients and supplies.

 See those big yummy mushrooms???

 I coated my boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked until just browned on both sides, then set aside.

 I added the sliced mushrooms and sauteed' until brown. I learned in my recipe research to never salt mushrooms as you cook them or else they won't brown. Salt allows them to release too much liquid!!

Next came the sliced onions and seasoning and herbs. I love slightly toasting dried herbs. I think it releases their flavor - it may not even be true, but it works in my head.

After the mushrooms and onions have cooked, I deglazed the pan with the wine, scraping up all the little fried bits stuck to my pan. I added the rest of the liquids and put the chicken back in the pan. 

Cover and let simmer for about 20 - 25 mins depending on the thickness of your chicken.

 The sauce was amazing, but anything with wine sauce is good to me!!! Kendall loves mushrooms and asked for seconds of just mushrooms. I served it with  squash and zucchini cheesy bake.

Enjoy!!