Bad Day!

Ravings: I am Angry McBitterson today. Most days I fight the urge to be that person who can only focus on the negative, and I’m usually pretty good at it. Although, I admit it is difficult to tell because I have a deeply ingrained sarcastic sense of humor. I think it’s genetic, so I can’t really help it. That’s how it works right? I can just blame it on my genetics. Once that acrimony begins to rise in my throat, it can be hard to control. You know that feeling….where you can look at any situation and find the ugly part to focus on. Sometimes it feels good, guiltily indulgent and selfish. (Yes, guiltily is a word! I looked it up.) Like watching The Real Housewives or Teen Mom. You won’t admit it out loud, but we’ve all indulged that urge on occasion.

There is a technique in mental health called planned worrying. It’s a strategy to get anxiety under control. The idea is that you set aside time to think of everything this that worries you and allow your mind to go to all those scary places, but with a time limit. The idea is that you get to indulge the need to worry, but learn to turn it on and off. So rather than fight it, my plan is to run with it today. I’m calling it planned bitterness! Here are a list of things that irritate me:

• The male trait of being utterly incapable of locating anything in the house, even if they are standing in front of it. Which seems to be directly connected to the expectation that the female of the house knows , and can recall instantaneously, the exact latitude and longitude of every single item in the home.
• The other male trait of having to change every setting in any car they enter, even if it’s just to move it out of the driveway, and the apparent inability to put them back. Do you really have to adjust all the mirrors, change the radio station and move the seatbelt height for what amounts to less than 2 minutes in the car?
• People who live in Cleveland, and forget how to drive in inclement weather during the 5 minutes of summer we get here.
• My complete inability to drink coffee without spilling it on myself, especially if I’m wearing white! I’m blaming this one on genetics also. Thanks mom!
• People with children. Usually it’s something specific about them that I disapprove of, but today it’s all them! Damn fertile humans!
• People who blatantly steal the credit for an idea right in front of you. And worse, have convinced themselves that it was their idea/plan.
• People who ask a favor and then treat you like they are the ones doing you a favor for letting you do what they asked you to do. And have absolutely no insight into their own selfishness!
• My lack of any sort of fashion sense!

I’m sure I could keep going, but I should just get this posted and get some actual work done today!

Cravings: Last night was breakfast for dinner night. Primarily because I was planning to make fajitas and someone (not me!) ate all the tortillas, so I had to think on my feet. And really, who doesn’t love breakfast?! So here is my version of a frittata. I grated (with a hand grater, which I wouldn’t recommend) 4 large fingerling potatoes. I put them in an oiled oven-proof frying pan. I couldn’t find my cast iron frying pan! I would recommend getting some of the water out of them. I just blotted them down with a paper towel in the pan. This smooshed them down to cover the bottom of the pan also. Then I put them in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 10 mins, maybe a little less.

In the meantime, I chopped up some onion and got it caramelizing on the stovetop. Then I chopped up some red pepper. Once the onions were fairly browned, I took them out of the pan and sautéed the red pepper and added about a half a small can of green chilies, and about a cup of fresh spinach, and almost immediately took it off the heat, but left it in the pan and added the onions back in. Then I whipped up 10 eggs with some dried basil, thyme and oregano. I have fresh but it was cold and rainy so I decided not to venture into the back yard. I also grated a couple cups of swiss cheese. Once the potatoes were a bit crispy, but not done, I poured the eggs on top of them, added the veggies and the cheese and put it back in the oven for about 20 minutes. I served it with biscuits, but only for the boys since I’m not eating gluten and I just made them with Bisquick. Ok, I ate a half of one, but that doesn’t count! I think most of the gluten was in the half I didn’t eat!

Better, but I think I need a food stylist. Is there a For Dummies book on photographing food? I am so googling that!