As Yet Untitled

Did you know that you can buy an entire chicken at the grocery story for less than $6? Well, you can. And if you are willing to put up with a little home butchering, it can make enough food to last you almost a week. I bought a chicken last weekend for our Sunday meal, and used the last of it just yesterday. This is a huge help when you are trying to mitigate the expensive cost of meat in your grocery budget. First, it needs a little work. I roasted the chicken for our weekend dinner, and I always butterfly it because it cooks faster that way. I'm not going to sugarcoat it--butterflying a chicken is kind of gross. Really gross, actually. But if you can overcome your squeamishness, it cooks great. There are a lot of great tutorials for doing this on YouTube, but here is how I did it.  Step 1: Remove the giblets (the heart, neck, and gizzard). This is disgusting because you must reach into a dead animal and pull out its organs. But once they are out, you can throw them away, ...

There is a little blog I love to follow called Bonzai Aphrodite . It is written by this incredibly genuine, intelligent vegan woman named Sayward, who writes all about the vegan lifestyle, gardening, and raising her beautiful little boy. It makes me feel inspired every time I read it, and you should definitely check it out. One of the things Sayward does every Friday is post something she calls, "Le Love List." It is a compilation of all the wonderful things she is loving in her life at the moment--a kind of thankfulness list that lets her remember she has a lot to be grateful for, and encourages others to share what they are grateful for too. I think it is a great practice, so I thought I would take a minute to share some of the things I am loving in my life at this moment as well. So here is a short list of things I'm in love with this week: We planted: tomatoes, zucchini, rosemary, basil, oregano, lettuce, and lemon verbena. 1. My Garden I am not a huge fan of s...

The state of Oklahoma has been home to many celebrities over the years. From Brad Pitt to Garth Brooks, Okies undeniably have the mettle to grow up and become famous. Joining the ranks of these notable Oklahoma natives is one Ree Drummond, better known as Pioneer Woman . Her blog is a sensation, encompassing everything from cooking, to homeschooling, to movies, to photography. It is a veritable Valhalla of domestic pursuits, providing wonderful advice and a real sense of community. This has, in turn, spawned  two cookbooks (the second of which is being released in March), a cooking show on Food Network , and a memoir about how PW met and fell in love with her husband, who she calls Marlboro Man. It is the latter that concerns me today. Pioneer Woman's memoir, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels tells the story of her ambitions--toward what is never specifically delved into. I can only presume this is because it didn't matter what career she was going to pursue--she ended up beco...