A super quick and tasty breakfast

I found a new product this weekend while shopping at Walmart. In the dairy section with the ready-to-bake cookie dough, I found Barista Break & Bake Scones.

I picked up a package, thinking I would make them if I was pressed for time and couldn't make something from scratch. I'm so glad I did. Now, I know it isn't homemade, but as a working mom, I don't have time to make every meal from scratch. These were delicious, and I may just go back and buy several to freeze for a later date. My husband loves it when I do that!

Another lazy day, except for Mom

Today could have been called a lazy day, except that I cooked for nearly 4 hours to make Jamie Oliver's Steak and Cheese and Guinness Pie.

George and I absolutely love this pie, and while it is some trouble, it's worth it. After all of the cooking and the cleanup, my day has been full - so full I forgot to start the laundry. We hope your weekend has been as relaxing and wonderful as ours has. Off now to sort some clothes!

A lazy Saturday afternoon with comfort food, and needles?

Yesterday was a lazy day. My only trip out of the house was a trip to the vet to get Harley's nails trimmed. After lunch, the kids had a monopoly tournament

where Danny the real estate mogul kicked some butt. When that was finished, George was so excited to give Zachary a shot in the arm!

Meanwhile, I made meatloaf and mashed potatoes. For me, there are no foods more comforting. For the meatloaf, I use my own recipe (which is really a modified Quaker Oats recipe) which calls for 1 1/2-2 lbs. ground beef/pork mixture, one medium onion, 1 egg, 1 tsp Worcestershire, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 cup oats, and 1 6 oz. can of V8. Mix it all together and place in a loaf pan. Mix some ketchup and brown sugar 1/4 cup of each) and slather it all over the top. Bake for 1 1/2-2 hours depending on how much meat you have.

Mashed potatoes are less difficult to make and much less messy. For the mashed potatoes, I cut up about 6 potatoes and boil them in salted water for 25 minutes.

I drain the water and add butter

I like 1/2-3/4 stick for this amount of potatoes). Mash them together until the butter is melted. Then add up to 3/4 cup of whole milk,

1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese,

and most important more salt

and pepper) to taste. Can't go wrong with this recipe. In all, it was a good, relaxing day. We all needed it.

My soap opera

I have never been a big fan of the TV soap opera. I tinkered with the Bold and the Beautiful as a teen just to see how many names they could come up with that originated from land formations (Ridge, etc.). I also tried watching Santa Barbara for a while in high school, but when A Martinez and his wife (don't remember their names on the show) picked up a magic rock off a Hawaiian beach and bad things started happening, I had to put an end to it. I loved the movie Soap, which made fun of the soap opera culture as much as I loved Zoolander and its take on models. But now I have a confession to make. I am a fan of one of the "soapiest" shows I've seen, and I love it! It is Downton Abbey,

and after I watched Series One on Masterpiece Theatre last year, I was hooked. I couldn't wait for more of the World War I era British drama. Now that Series 2 is playing, I again am eager to watch each episode. The loathing I feel for Thomas and the modern-woman sympathy I feel for Lady Sybil are the main emotions I feel on Sunday night (or if I'm busy, when I get a chance to watch the DVR recorded episode). I feel almost guilty, but I figure 36+ years is long enough to go without a soap addiction. Besides, this soap is British, and we all know about that obsession. Watch it, you'll be hooked too!

A new favorite, for a limited time...

One of my new favorite menu items, available for a limited time, is the new Chicken Tortilla Soup.

Delicious, satisfying, awesome! Oh, Chick-Fil-A, how you tease me so!