YUM

It's another Friday, and I am so glad that not only is the weekend almost here, but that there is an extra day off on Monday (thank you Memorial Day!). After a really nice weekend, it's been a struggle to get through each day this week. Wednesday was especially bad. I was extremely high strung all day, and EVERYTHING was getting on my nerves. Much of this goes back to my messy house, but it built to a head over Malaina's room. She has been refusing to clean it, so she's been losing toys & spending an unusually high amount of time in Time Out.... but it's still been a disaster zone. I finally started tackling it yesterday, and Matt and I agreed to put some of her toys away for a while, and do a purge of all the little junk that accumulates (McDonald's toys, random coloring sheets, dolls with no heads, etc.). I'm not done yet (seriously, I had to take it in stages or I would have just had a breakdown in the middle of the job), but it's already about 1000 times better. I hope to finish it today or tomorrow, and then move on to the rest of the house. My Dad is coming to visit in a few weeks, so I need to make sure the house is especially spic & span.

On a slightly kooky note: Matt and I spent 3 years in Louisiana, and enjoyed very little of our time there. One thing we did develop a fondness for is Red Beans & Rice. We ate this at least once a week when I was pregnant with Malaina, as it was low in fat and high in protein. Mixed with Turkey Polska Kielbasa and served with brown rice, it was one of our favorite meals. We were talking about it a few weeks ago, and I was toying with the idea of finding a good recipe to recreate. Instead, I did a google search, and was thrilled to find the brand of red beans we used to buy while in Lafayette. Based in Gonzales, Louisiana (outside of Baton Rouge), the Blue Runner company makes the BEST canned red beans I've ever had. And guess what? THEY DELIVER.



I am so excited to receive my shipment of 12 cans of Creole Cream Style Red Beans. Sadly, the shipping was as much as the beans themselves, so this will be a once-a-year treat. I hope the reality lives up to our memory of this delicious meal. I also miss Jamba Juice from Oregon, Alberto's Mexican Food from Phoenix, and In-n-Out Burger & Palermo's Italian Restaurant in L.A. Do you have any regional foods or restaurants you miss?