Ms. Toody Goo Shoes: May 2017

Sunday, May 28, 2017

TWO WEEKS IN PHOTOS: 5/7 - 5/21

I'm a little behind in my photo diary......

The last few weeks have been super-busy,

mostly because I was swamped with last minute details for my fundraising gala,

which was held on May 21.

I'm happy (and relieved) to say that it was a great success!
Now, with prom, graduation and Mr. Goo Shoes' birthday
all coming within the next three weeks,
things won't be slowing down anytime soon.
It's all good 😊

The photos that follow can pretty much be categorized into two themes:
Flowers and Food.
What can I say, that's how I roll.

May 7
Sunday brunch bloodies.

May 8
Sometimes you just need a corned beef on rye.

May 9
Maybe he's trying to put the wheel in motion?

May 10
The white blossoms popped up out of nowhere. Flowers or weeds?

May 11
ACTION! Extras in a scene being filmed on W. 43rd Street.

May 12
When I order an Iced Venti Decaf Skim Latte, Mr. Goo Shoes has absolutely no idea what that means. I may as well be speaking a foreign language.

May 13
A pre-Mothers Day gift from my sister, made by her friend. Love it!

May 14
Another great Mother's Day in the books! A Broadway show followed by dinner in NYC with Mr. GS, Junior GS, Aunt Goo Shoes, and our wonderful friends.

May 15
My weakness......For the record, they were gone before lunch time.

May 16
Beautiful flowers from Mr. GS for Mothers Day. Happy Happy Happy!

May 17
Tuxedo rental for senior prom (yes, we did rent pants for the big night).

May 18
Sadie, monitoring the goings-on outside the living room window.

May 19
"A ha ha ha stayin' alive, stayin' alive." So far, anyway. My success rate for orchids is not impressive.

May 20
It's Greek Festival season......Loukoumades, Baklava, we'll take it all!

May 21
One section of the awesome dessert table at our fundraising gala.

Till next time.........

LINKING WITH:

Best of the Weekend

Friday, May 26, 2017

BEST OF THE WEEKEND - MEMORIAL DAY!

Welcome to Best of the Weekend!
It's Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff of summer,
but frankly, it hasn't even felt like spring,
let alone summer.
Yes, we did have a few really hot days,
but otherwise, May has been a cool and rainy month.
This is the weekend I typically do all my flower planting,
but I may have to put it off if my fingers are frozen!

Okay, let's get back to the reason we're all here,
and start the party!

We'd appreciate it if you'd follow your co-hosts!

Cindy - Little Miss Celebration | Facebook | Pinterest | Twitter | G+

****************

We feature all kinds of posts --
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so link up your best stuff!

Non-Bloggers: There are hundreds of fabulous ideas collected here each week;
just click on the links under the thumbnail photos,
and you will be taken directly to the blog post.

All of our features are pinned to our Best of the Weekend board!

Last week's most clicked:

The Ultimate Collection of Fixer Upper Style Projects | Yesterday On Tuesday

A few of my favorites from last week:

21 Day Fix No-Cook Soup: Chilled Cucumber Avocado With Fresh Dill | CarrieElle

Cupcake Graduation Toppers | Marilyn's Treats

Vintage Enameled Colander Hanging Basket Planter | Sadie Seasongoods

How To Use An Old Trunk In The Garden | Penny's Vintage Home

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An InLinkz Link-up

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE AND DISTRACTIONS

Cauliflower Fried Rice | Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Are you a procrastinator?
I never considered myself one,
but I guess under certain circumstances, I am.
It seems that when it comes to doing things that must be done.......
things that I'd prefer not to do.........
I'm rather easily distracted.

I wasn't always like this.
As a former full-time working mom,
I couldn't afford to procrastinate.
I had only so much time to take care of my "mom-ly" chores,
and when I had a spare five minutes,
I could schedule three doctor appointments,
balance my checkbook, and make a food-shopping list (arranged by aisle),
and nothing...NOTHING...could take my focus off the tasks at hand.

Now that I'm not working?

I practically have to tie myself to a chair to get anything done.

The slightest things distract me,

and before I know it, day is done with nothing productive to show for it.

This morning, I was energized to Get Things Done.

By day's end, the only thing I crossed off my
Things I Don't Want To Do list was "Make a To-Do list."

Why?
Distractions were everywhere.

I thumbed through a catalogue.......

Tried on new pants with six different pairs of shoes.......

Checked Facebook.......

Had a snack.......

Rearranged K-cups in their carousel.......

Watched the birds from the kitchen window.......

Looked through my photo library for pictures to frame........

Checked the weather forecast.......

Liked a few photos on Instagram........

Checked Facebook.......

Had a snack.......

Leafed through the photobook I made about Italy.......

Researched a cruise to Cuba.......
Searched online for a new outdoor dining table.......

Googled graduation gifts for high school students.......

Had a snack.......

Checked Facebook.......
Turned on the TV to see the news.......

Spent an hour online with Mr. GS looking at NYC apartments for sale
(no, we're not planning on buying one).......

Took a quick peek at Rue La La and Gilt sales.......

Checked Facebook.......

Oy.

I need a distraction intervention!

Distractions aren't an issue when I want to do something.

And one thing I wanted to do was try the recipe I found for Cauliflower Fried Rice.

So, I ignored my Facebook alerts,

took no notice of the birds outside my window,

and paid no mind to my tummy rumblings.

I was totally and fully committed to the recipe at hand.

Most of you know that I'm a lazy cook,

and I will take any short-cut to make things easier.

The recipe called for a full head of cauliflower to be pulsed in a food processor.

I bought a bag of cauliflower rice at Trader Joe's.

Rather than dice up a fresh carrot, I used a bag of frozen peas and carrots,
to make it even more easy (frozen) peasy.

Including preparation, this took under 30 minutes from start to finish.
And, it was mighty tasty!
Next time, I'll add some chicken to make it a meal.

One note about the recipe --
in my opinion, it's best when eaten immediately.
Although leftovers were okay the next day,
it did get a little soggy.

Cauliflower Fried Rice

Recipe by Rian Handler at Delish.com

1 medium head of cauliflower (I used a 16 oz. bag of cauliflower rice)

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1/2 white onion, diced

1 jumbo carrot, peeled and diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 cup frozen peas, cooked according to package directions.

Kosher salt

Pepper

2 eggs, beaten

1 scallion, thinly sliced

Core and roughly chop cauliflower. Add to food processor and pulse in two batches until finely chopped. (Skip this step if using prepared cauliflower rice).

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat sesame oil. Add onion and carrot and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Stir in cauliflower and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Pour 1 tablespoon of soy sauce over vegetables, and stir until combined. Add peas (and carrots, if using frozen). Season with salt and pepper, and cook two minutes more.

Scoot rice to one side, and pour eggs into empty space. Scramble until just set and mix into rice. Add remaining soy sauce and continue cooking 1 minute more. Garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.

My advice to you?

Don't procrastinate or drag your feet........

Get out of your seat and make this vegetarian treat!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go check Facebook. 😀

LINKING WITH:

Best of the Weekend
Wow Us Wednesday
Cooking and Crafting With J & J

Friday, May 19, 2017

BEST OF THE WEEKEND 5.19.17

Hello there!
Welcome to Best of the Weekend!

What a difference a week makes!
Last Friday, I was talking about wearing a down coat;
yesterday the thermometer hit 95°!
I'm not complaining...but is it too much to ask for something in between?

I've got to admit - I'll be relieved when this weekend is over.
The fundraiser I've been working on since last summer-
a "Dessert and Dancing" gala --is on Sunday night.
200 people are coming - I've got pre-gala jitters!

And now.......it's BOTW party time!