Stories From the Road and Beyond and Yes, a Little More Baseball

So sorry I have neglected my blog and all of my lovely readers.  We got so incredibly busy with baseball and baseball activities in St. Louis, then the long drive home, then the unpacking, then the going back to work....it all just piled up sooooo quickly!  We were getting back to the hotel so late, I didn't feel to much like taking food photos or typing for that matter. Here is the low down on the rest of the trip to fabulous St. Louis:

St Louis is in bloom!

1) The Canadian Rookies won their tournament!! Unfortunately I missed the game (bad parent!) as Hubby and I had to start the long drive home so we could meet the bus and pick up the Boy!  For those who understand baseball jibber jabber.....the Boy hit a 2 run double to bring the Rookies ahead by one, the other team scored a run, the Rookies had the bases loaded, 1 out, and went with a suicide squeeze bunt....and it worked!!!! Woot Woot!!

2) We attended Opening day festivities in downtown St Louis.  It was a fun time, with lots of music and some food...I especially enjoyed the free ribs from O'Charleys!!

3) We went the the Saturday game at Busch Stadium with the Padres playing the Cardinals....the Cards lost big time!!!  We had lovely seats in left field right behind the bull pen!! (Yes, we were out in left field! ha ha ha) The Boy and I each had a ball park bratwurst and shared some nachos. Hubby went for the pulled pork BBQ with baked beans.  We don't get to see MLB games too often so we don't feel guilty about eating the food! The Boy also managed to scarf down a pretzel!

Hello pitchers.....

4) The 12 hour drive to Fargo, North Dakota was long. We took food with us and stopped only for gas and restroom breaks. The Dinner we had at Ruby Tuesday's was lovely. We raided the all you can eat salad bar and called it a night!

5) We actually caught up to the bus Monday afternoon at 1pm, about 2km from the drop off point!

6)  I have officially lost count of how many loads of laundry we have done since arriving at home.

7)  After unloading the car we went grocery shopping.

8) I made chicken pot pies for supper Monday...the freezer needs to be restocked and I have to find a day to do a big freezer filling cooking day.

9) Returning to work means getting into full swing for out school production...I am the stage manager and may be away from blogging during the show and rehearsal times.

10) Life is slowly returning to normal, but I am still catching up on sleep.  I became quite accustomed to naps while on vacation!

What a great looking team!  That's the Boy, the tall one in the middle of the back row

 Now that the winter program is almost over, it is time for regular season baseball....and that means more games, more food, and more fun!!

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!

A Tale of Horror from The Kitchen....

Before reading, please take caution, this is a tale of woe, horror, and dissappointment....you have been warned.  There are no pictures to share tonight, just this tale...

See?  Where did the end of the street go?

It was a dark and stormy afternoon......The snow is not just gently cascading down, it is coming down hard and I am walking staight into the wind.  Snow is clinging to my glasses and making it even more difficult to see.  I can't even see the end of the block it is snowing so hard. I just want to get home and warm up! Thoughts going through my head are, of course, what to make for dinner.  What would soothe the soul and warm the body....soup would be perfect!  Thinking of what I have in the pantry and in the freezer, I decide that a potato chowder would hit the spot!   Lets see, I have potatoes, some bacon (of course), homemade stock in the freezer downstairs....yes, yes...plans are coming together nicely.

Once home, I start rustling through the fridge to gather my ingredients in preparation for a hearty bowl of soup.  One ingredient inolves a trip to the basement.  I turn on the lights and carefully make my way down the stairs.  As I reach for the freezer door and open it, a scream escapes my lips.....the sight in front of me is too much to bare. Hubby rushes downstairs to see what is causing my distress.  A scream escapes his lips (along with a couple of expletives).....absolutely nothing in the freezer is still frozen!  Containers of spicy chili, luscious stew, and, of course, all of the stock....liquid and mouldy.  It took a moment for the smell to reach us...ew......needless to say we emptied the fridge, wiped it down, unplugged it, and propped the doors open.  It will need to have the doors removed and be hauled away....sigh....there will be no potato chowder tonight.

I couldn't bring myself to take any pictures, beside who wants to see pictures like that on a food blog....not me!  I just wanted to get it cleaned up.

Tonight we say good bye to an old friend: auxillary fridge.  As with many foodies, mothers, fathers, and people who love food, I keep a second fridge in the basement.  Generally this auxillary fridge holds drinks, extra food for entertaining, provides extra space for chilling sheets of cookies and is just plain useful. The freezer attached to this auxillary fridge is generally empty except to lay items flat to freeze before moving them to the chest freezer (also in the basement). Auxillary fridge has served us well. We are sad to see it go.  You see, auxillary fridge is an old fridge and we knew when we moved it downstairs that it wouldn't last forever.   I should have moved my sweet containers of leftovers and stock to the chest freezer, but I didn't and they are gone.....

Thanks for reading my tale of woe....like I mentioned before, I will miss auxillary fridge and will most likely be on the look out for a newer (gently used) fridge as I do love the convenience of having one.