Summer Grilling

Memorial Day (which is one Monday - don't forget!) is the unofficial start of summer.  In Alabama, summer usually kicks off around the beginning of May when we hit 90 for the first time.  For some of you way up north, spring may only just be beginning.

Memorial Day, and the unofficial start of summer, also means the official start of the grilling season.  I don't have a grill for my new house (any recommendations for a small, girl-sized gas grill?), so I've already been visiting/barging in on my parents to share their grill (and so my dad can cook for me...even I need a night off).  I thought I would share a few of my favorite grilling recipes and ask you to do the same.  Put your links in the comments!

Beer Can Chicken

Grilled Shrimp Skewers 

Grilled Vegetables

I also really like grilled fish (of any sort), grilled chicken (legs are my fav), and of course, hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill.  Oh, and steak of course.  And vidalia onions.  And corn.  And...I could go on and on.  

What are your favorite things to grill?  Any recipes you want to share?

Food Waste Friday

It's not a good week for food waste at my house.  I had froze a half a loaf of (store bought) bread before I went to MLA, and took it out when I got home.  I ate two pieces and when I went to get some the next time, it was growing some really fabulous specimens of penicillin.  Yesterday I went to get some ricotta cheese to use in a new recipe and found it was growing pink mold.  A quick Google search and asking on Twitter told me pink mold is not the kind you can just scoop off.  So into the trash went the cheese and the bread.

I also discovered some mushrooms I had forgotten about.  I probably could have salvaged them in an omelet or a frittata, but since I left this morning to go see my best friend, they had to go.  I also wasted some fried rice that wasn't very good to begin with and I couldn't bring myself to eat it.

Sigh.  Not a good week.

What did you waste this week?

This post is linked to Food Waste Fridays. 

Weekly Wanderings

Food:
Creamy Caprese Pasta - I love everything in this dish so much.  This will be appearing on my menu plan ASAP.

Browned Butter Blueberry Muffins - I love discovering the archives of long-running blogs.  Hence, this recipe.

Salmon Burgers - There's a restaurant near my parents' house that makes salmon burgers and sweet potato fries.  I will be recreating that experience (but not the price!) at home.

Strawberry Summer Cake - Yum.  Simple and delicious.  Perfect for strawberry season.

Everything Else:
Normal with a Slight Chance of Rapture - Need a laugh?  Tamara will provide.

The Ultimate Blog Swap - Curious about the blog swap I participated in on Tuesday?  Check out the Life...Your Way post that explains it and lists all the blogs that participated.

The Little Loft - I thought this was THE MOST ADORABLE playhouse and reading loft.  I would play here...even if I am 25. :)

You Need Some Links - Smart Bitch Sarah shares her (strong) opinion on Seth Godin's controversial blog post from last week.  If you are feeling feisty about the whole issue, you should also read this post.

This post is linked to Friday Favorite Finds.

Taking Risks

I am not a risk taker.

I am not the kind of person who jumps out of airplanes, takes spontanous road trips, or tries new and daring fashions.

I do not ride roller coasters or motorcycles, I don't walk up to people and strike up conversations, and I don't make decisions unless I'm almost positive of the outcome.

I am the type of person who chooses the safe career of librarianship over a career in paleo-anthropology because someone thought that I couldn't do it.  I am the type of person who doesn't move to England for graduate school, choosing to hide behind an excuse of "it's too expensive". 

I make safe choices.  Safe choices that could also be described as boring or cowardly. 

I have a choice to make right now.  To take a risk or stay at home.  To try something that may work and be amazing or play it safe. 

But I'm afraid. 

Afraid of having my heart broken.  Afraid of doing something I may regret.  Afraid of not doing something and regretting it. 

So I have to make a choice.  Take a chance and risk my heart?  Or stay safe and risk regret? 

Choices suck.

On Being Southern

Every once and while I get one of those emails that say "you know you're from Alabama if..." or "you know you're Southern when...".  I've always appreciated those lists because so many of them tend to be true.

In the movie Sweet Home Alabama, Reese Witherspoon's character, Melanie, says "you need a passport to come down here".  While that may not be true, living in the South, especially the Deep South, really is a whole other world.  We talk different, we move slower, and we still occasionally call it The War of Northern Aggression. 

I thought I would share a few of my favorite "you know" bits with y'all so we can all enjoy the little idiosyncrasies that make the South so special.

You know you're from the South when you measure distance in time, not miles.

You know you're a Southern woman if you can appropriately use the phrase "bless her heart" to mean both pity and insult, usually at the same time.

You know you're from the Alabama when grocery stores have buggies not carts.

You know you're in the Deep South when you order a Coke and the waitress asks you what kind.

You know you're from the South when you can correctly use "fix" as a verb.  As in, "I'm fixing to go to the store."

You know you're from Alabama when you know that the four seasons are really Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer, and Christmas.

You know you're from the South if you say "yes ma'am" or "no sir" to anyone 5 years older than you.

You know you're a Southern lady if you never, ever leave the house wearing white shoes, pants, or dresses before Easter or after Labor Day.

You know you're from the South if you always call your father "Daddy" no matter how old you are.

You know you're in the Deep South when you pass a store offering bait, movie rentals, and tanning.

If you live in the South, what are your favorites?  If not, what's special/humorous about where you live?

Recipe: Springtime Shrimp Pasta

For some reason leeks and lemon are spring flavors to me.  Add in shrimp (which always brings back memories of family trips to the beach) and a dish feels instantly warm-weather appropriate.  Spinach isn't very springy I know, but it does help balance out the heavy cream. :)  This a delicious, simple weeknight meal that I hope you enjoy.

Springtime Shrimp Pasta - serves 2
Print this recipe! 
1 1/3 cups uncooked pasta (that's about 1/3 of a 13.25 oz box)
1 tablespoon butter
1 leek, cleaned, dark green parts removed, and sliced into half moons
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
Zest of half of a lemon
~1/3 of a cup of heavy cream (go ahead a make it a little bit more than a 1/3 but less than a 1/2)
5 oz baby spinach
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Cook the pasta according to the package directions in boiling, salted water.  Drain and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the leeks and cook, until softened 3-5 minutes.  Add the shrimp, lemon zest, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are just barely opaque, about 4 minutes. 

Add the cream to the pasta in the pot and heat over medium heat.  Add spinach and stir until it's beginning to wilt.  Toss in the leek-shrimp mixture and stir until the cream coats everything and the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.  Toss in the cheese and test for seasonings (I needed more salt).  Serve, topping with extra cheese and the fresh basil.

Adapted from Real Simple

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday, Delicious Dishes, and Tuesday Night Supper Club

Ultimate Blog Swap: In Today's Economy It Pays to Ask For a Discount

Today I’m participating in the Ultimate Blog Swap. You’ll find me posting over at Dillon Bailey about setting SMART goals, and I’m excited to welcome Kristia from Family Balance Sheet to my humble blog.

Asking for a discount can be intimidating for many people.  We worry, “what if they say  no?".

What if that is the worst that could happen?

In my previous career, I would negotiate with vendors for better pricing and deliveries to help my company's bottom line. Currently the bottom line that I am responsible for is my family's, which is more precious to me than my previous employer.

Even with experience in negotiation, I can get intimidated at times, but just asking a simple question, "is that the best you can do?" has saved me and my husband a lot of money.

Some examples:
1. Three years ago, we were searching for a new vehicle. We had a budget, a trade-in vehicle, a down payment and a goal to get as much vehicle as we could for our buck. We test drove many vehicles over the span of a month and spent our evenings researching and reading Kelly's Blue Book online.

After much thought, we decided on a particular brand and model and had a price in mind that we were willing to pay. We visited a local dealer and met with a sales person. He explained the price of the vehicle and the promotions that were happening at that time and we listened intently. And then we asked, "Is that the best you can do on the price?". The sales person brought his boss over and he explained the promotion again. The particular promotions for the model that we were interested in were FREE oil changes for the first 50,000 miles and FREE state inspections. Sounded good, but another model's promotion included those things, PLUS FREE brakes, if needed, and 4 FREE tires, if needed, within the first 50,000 miles. That promotion sounded better to us, but it wasn't included with the model we wanted.

The price of the vehicle was within the number my husband and I had talked about, but we held firm; we wanted some kind of additional discount. After talking privately, the salesman and his boss came back with a final offer. They offered more than we anticipated with our trade-in, they gave us the free oil changes, tires and brakes for the first 50,000 miles plus free yearly state inspections, they took off the price of the Rear Entertainment System, and they gave us crossbars for our car carrier. We were pleased and accepted the offer. Our persistence paid off, and the fact that it was the last day of July and the dealer was looking to unload some vehicles might have helped too.

2. We recently re-carpeted our business office. We received several quotes, but there was one particular style/brand of carpet that we really wanted. When the salesman submitted his bid, we were glad that it came within our budget, but my husband simply asked, "is that the best you can do?". The salesman knocked another $200 off the bid and we were thrilled!

3. We are avid newspaper readers and usually pre-pay our 7 day subscription every year to save a little bit of money. But this year, when I received the bill, the yearly fee went up by $100. Ouch. I know the newspaper business is tough, but that price hike was a little hard to swallow. I called the customer service number and inquired about the price hike. She confirmed the increase, but told me that if I pre-paid a year's subscription right then, she would charge me the previous year's price.

4. Recently, I was shopping for a bridal shower gift from a store registry. My budget was $25, but since the registry was pretty much filled I settled on a gift that was $30. This particular store runs occasional coupons in the Sunday paper, but unfortunately I didn't have one with me. When I got to the register I asked the sales person if she knew if there would be a coupon in the next day's paper and if so could I bring it in for a price adjustment. She wasn't sure but told me that she would give me the 20% discount on my purchase. I was thrilled that I saved $6.00 by simply asking a question and my gift ended up being within my budget.

Some things to consider when asking for a discount:

• Be courteous and respectful. Rudeness will get you nowhere
• Be prepared with knowledge and information. We went into the car dealership with information from Kelly Blue Book about what was a fair price to pay.
• Be reasonable. Businesses and people are trying to make a living. For bigger items, your research will tell you what is fair. Try to get the best price possible, but don't go overboard.
• Be prepared to walk away.  We have asked many times for a discount and been denied.  Know where your line in the sand is.

In today's economy people are more choosy on where they are spending and placing their money. Companies know this and in many cases are willing to work with you to get your business. Many every day purchases can be negotiated. Food items close to expiration date, damaged, yet wearable clothing, new flooring for your family room. There are discounts to be found, sometimes you just have to ask.

Have you asked for a discount lately? Where was it and how much did you save? Let us know in the comments.  

Kristia writes about family finances, frugal living, and food at Family Balance Sheet.

Visit Life...Your Way to see all of the Ultimate Blog Swap participants!