Pancakes for Dinner All By Myself

Tonight, I pay tribute to one of my favorite movie/book characters of all time, Bridget Jones. Yes, ma'am. This evening, I could have reenacted the opening credits to Bridget Jones' Diary: bottle of wine, lounging on the couch watching sitcom reruns and no missed phone calls or messages . If you have not seen either Bridget Jones' movie, do yourself a favor and rent them asap. If you need something more convincing aside from Hugh Grant and Collin Firth, click here. Ladies, don't tell me you haven't had one of these moments before.

Stewart is out of town on business, and right around the 48-hour mark, I get antsy. I'm a social person, so there's only so many conversations I want to have with myself after work ; ) Fortunately, I have family and friends to keep me occupied; but this evening was exceptionally quiet.

Here are the top five signs that I know I'm bored:

1 - I made breakfast food for dinner. I love having breakfast for dinner, although it's a rare occasion. In general, I'm not a routine breakfast eater in the mornings, but just say the words "brunch" and "mimosas" and I'm there. So, I made blueberry buckwheat pancakes, topped with strawberries, granola and maple syrup. De-lish! I used a pre-packaged buckwheat pancake mix and simply added the fruit and granola as items I already had around the kitchen.

2 - I watched the Teen Choice Awards. All two hours of it. Including the Justin Bieber performance (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.) WHY?! I'm not sure I can even justify this one.

3 - I did two loads of laundry. This may not seem like a big deal. But when it comes to routine chores around the house, Stewart is the champion of our washer and dryer. I love a man who does the laundry. I'll clean toilets all day if it means I don't have to wash clothes.

4 - I am ready for bed by 10 pm. This is probably a good thing.

5 - Celine Dion is today's beat. If you clicked on the link above, you will see where my inspiration came from for the song "All By Myself". A few words on Celine Dion. I've seen this woman in concert two times during the height of her career, and she is absolutely amazing. Watching her perform is like listening to her album. She hits every note, and it's pitch perfect.

So next time you're having a night all by yourself, try breakfast for dinner.
Julia

Fried Green Tomatoes and Union Station

Last night I finally made fried green tomatoes! I've horded this box of Whistle Stop batter mix for three weeks (at least), watched three batches of green tomatoes ripen to red, and am just now writing about it.

Fried green tomatoes are one of those iconic Southern foods. How could they not be? Thanks to Fannie Flagg, there is a book and a movie named after them! Fannie Flag is a brilliant Southern author, actress and comedienne. I can remember being thirteen years old and reading Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man on a family road trip to South Carolina. I read the entire book in 12 hours - very uncommon for my reading pace. Ms. Flagg is a brilliant storyteller and perhaps best known for "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe". The book became the screenplay for Fried Green Tomatoes, starring Kathy Bates and Mary-Louise Parker.  This movie is a close second behind Steel Magnolias for all-time favorite movies. Add them both to your Netflix list if you haven't already. 

A majority of Fried Green Tomatoes takes place around Whistle Stop Cafe. So you can imagine how elated I was to spot Whistle Stop batter mix on display in the produce section of my local grocery store. You might as well have put a sign on my forehead that said "SUCKER!" Food marketers must love people like me. Put an ounce of nostalgia around a box of cornmeal, and I'm sold! 

Not only was this my first time to fry a green tomato, but it was also the first time I've eaten friend green tomatoes. The taste is quite intriguing. So much so that I ate four of them. It's tart and salty with a little bit of sweetness from the batter. I feel like a better Southerner having tried them.

For the beat to my eats, Allison Kraus and Union Station are a great fit. Blue grass music captures the essence of small southern towns and good home cookin'.


Ya'll come back now ya hear!
Julia