We had a great cookout tonight with four of the husband’s friends from work (3 girls, 1 guy). We did burgers, they brought beer, mac and cheese and fruit salad – and a cake!
Bucket O’ Beer
I was in a beer mood tonight. Started with a Blue Moon – complete with orange slice. I was instantly drunk 😯
Homemade potato buns, burgers, and corn ready to grill –
On the grill –
I actually had a veggie burger to keep things lighter – topped with tomato, lettuce, avocado and the best Buffalo spicy cheese –
With all the goodies –
(I had one more bite of mac n cheese and one more small portion of fruit.)
I was kind of full to have another beer, but I had one anyways. It didn’t taste as good as the first, and I’m feeling kind of dehydrated now despite 2 cups of H2O as well, but it was still fun to have in the moment.
And lastly, Carrot Cake!
I could have had a party with that icing, but I asked to be served a TINY sliver heavy on icing –
It took LOTS of willpower to not have a second real piece. I did nibble a tiny bit on the icing off the knife and such, but I’m glad I didn’t have more since I was already pretty full. And we sent the cake home with a friend, so I’m glad the temptation is gone.
I’m way too hot to keep typing – I need a cool shower before I can settle down and finish my book! I suppose we should have the AC on, but it’s such a mental commitment to turn it on that we always just keep it off and hope we survive the day until the night cools off.
Goodnight!
Laura says
I am floored by your declaration of no AC! All I can say is WHY??!?! I couldn’t live without mine – it’s on pretty much year round – if not, the humidity would kill me! I can’t imagine living where you do without using it!
Jess says
I love your well rounded approach to eating! Moderation is key 🙂
Alyssa says
o.m.g. that carrot cake looks absolutely delicious!!! I’m a fellow frosting lover and am extremely jealous of that cake! I need frosting now, just the look of it is tempting…:P
Lauren says
I love a good bbq! What a great way to end a Saturday..that carrot cake is making me want dessert all over again! I admire your self-control.
Julz says
That carrot cake looks INCREDIBLE!!! I’m totally an icing girl ALL THE WAY 🙂 As much as it’s most likely a surprise, COSTCO/SAM’S CLUB has the best icing/vanilla birthday cake ever. And Whole Foods Vegan Vanilla Buttercream Icing is unreal too. Icing Lovers unite!
emily says
Not to get on a soapbox or answer for Kath, but I think with the state of the Earth we could ALL (regardless of the effect of gas prices) afford to spend some times sans a.c.
Tracy says
Not here in Phoenix we can’t!
anon. says
i agree with emily. i respect everyone’s need for comfort but ac is a luxury not a necessity, no matter where you live. not that you shouldn’t indulge in it, why suffer? but at the same time some thought should go into that on switch.
Jo says
Kath – I am so with you on the icing front – I always take a little sliver of cake with lots of icing, so good!
I was interested to see the post about the Air con and it got me thinking. I don’t know if this is such a big issue as it is in the UK, but I wanted to know if you ever thought about “food politics” – ie buying air miles, organic, buying local produce etc… I have a feeling that you probably do buy local seasonal produce and organic but it is mainly because it tastes better or do other factors influence your decision?
I am not making any judgments either way – I am certainly not some eco warrior trying to convert people! I am merely interested to see if it is as big an issue in the US as the UK. I try to buy local produce that is in seasonal mainly cos it tastes better.
Anyway, would be interested to hear your thoughts.
Also, I don’t know if Amanada and Sarah saw my earlier post but if you want any tips on where to go in the UK, I am happy to help.
Jo says
Sorry just saw I wrote “buying air miles” – what I meant by that was food that had travelled far to get to you – ie. bananas from Africa, Kiwi’s from New Zealand etc…. and the carbon footprint it produces.
and on the same point really, your thoughts on fairtrade.
Jo says
Ahhh, I am really sorry to leave about a million posts this morning – I have to read through my posts before I post them – I keep having additional thoughts!
Do you think about where your meat/eggs etc.. have come from? Do you always buy free-range organic eggs and meat?
I really hope you don’t think I am trying to make you feel guilty or anything. I am certainly not one to judge – I have all the right intentions but sometimes am a little lax at actually acting on them! i always buy organic free-range eggs as the thought of battery hens makes me feel ill and I would like to say I always brought organic meat but its very difficult to know, especially with deli meats etc.
I also really apologise for getting so political – I really hope I’m not opening a can of worms here!!
Leah says
Jo- where abouts in the UK are you from? I’m in Birmingham. I always find it difficult to find local produce shops. I’m a lover of a good local farmers markets and I’m always looking online for some good ones. Any suggestions?? I always buy free range eggs as well. I can’t bear the thought of the caged, but again it’s hard to know exactly where things come from and it stresses me to think that meat/eggs don’t actually come from where the label says it does (ie: local/organic etc). Fairtrade is an excellent issue to bring up.. i’m not sure on my thoughts of it but I have been reading a lot on it lately.
Ansley says
Mornin’ Kath!
If you’re by chance in the mood to bake something chewy/doughy/delicious/healthy then may I suggest my Zucchini-Carrot-Raisin-Chocolate-Chip-Should’ve-Added-Walnuts Cookie Cakes? (They’re on my site). I made them yesterday, and geeze oh man, they are to die for.
Have a happy Sunday afternoon!
Kath says
Laura ,
To save money, energy. We both like having the windows open and hearing the sounds from outside (cicadas!) But we do turn it on when we’ll be home for a long period of time during the day. Just not always.
Julz ,
My mom always talks about Costco icing as well! I hate to buy a whole cake from there just to try it though 🙂 I need a group celebration to attend!
Jo ,
You must be new 🙂 The bottom line: we do our best to eat locally and organically, but we can’t afford to eat that way 100% of the time. We belong to a CSA in the summertime where we get local/organic produce biweekly. We buy organic milk and cage free eggs. Organic or all-natural meat when we can. But not always. I don’t notice a difference in taste in the produce, but I do try to buy organic of the dirty dozen when I can. But not always. Depends on the prices and what looks good.
Ansley ,
Your blog is gorgeous – and so are the cookies! I’m not planning to bake before my trip west, but I’m saving them to my electronic cookbook folder (Google Notebook).
Kath
Brooke says
Hey Kath,
Your blog is better than ever! The cookbook project is very exciting, I will definitely keep my eyes and ears open about that.
On a non-nutrition related note, my fiance and I are planning our honeymoon to Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley. Do you (or any blog readers) have any recommendations for places to stay, places to go, wine to drink in Napa?
We are clueless on where to start planning but it is only three months away so I have to get cracking! Have a great Sunday!!
Kath says
Brooke ,
Congrats on the wedding!! Most of my recommendations come from Sonoma. In Napa, I recommend Domaine Carneros (http://www.domaine.com), Opus One (the glasses are $25 to taste, but it’s worth it to share one!), Heitz Winery, White Hall Lane – there are so many in Napa you’ll see a winery everywhere you look!
The Four Sister’s Inns are a great small-scale chain and there are some in both Napa and Sonoma. We stayed at the Sonoma one and liked it a lot.
http://www.foursisters.com/inns.htm
Have a blast!!
Kath
Clara says
Looks like a great evening 🙂
And I totally second the whole Costco cake/icing thing. They have the best cakes (carrot cake, buttercream etc…) with the yummmmmmmiest icing! Except they *are* totally big so it’s best to make sure you get them for an event that’s big enough for everyone to eat them so you don’t have to take such a large amount home 😀 heh heh
Kate says
Oh, yum!!! Nothing like cold beer and carrot cake (looks amazing) at a summer barbeque.
You guys are awesome re: moderation. Not only with healthy foods, but also with awareness of where those foods come from. Love it.
My house doesn’t have AC and I live in the desert. It’s a treat to go somewhere with AC when it’s hot outside, but honestly, not having the AC isn’t so bad. It’s pretty amazing how the body acclimates.
And…I know you have limited time to get your vacation stuff in, Kath, but I just finished another great book that I thought I’d throw your way. It’s called Deep Economy and it’s probably one of the best books I’ve read recently. Highly recommend it if you have the time!
Kath says
Kate ,
Thanks!! I wrote down the book. I gotta take a library trip soon.
K
Brooke says
Thanks Kath! I think we are actually leaning more towards Sonoma as well, seems much more affordable. That Inn looks fabulous!
Jo says
Leah – I live in central London so am pretty lucky as there is a couple of farmers’ markets near me and there is also Whole Foods Market. My favourite though is Borough Market which is just truly, truly amazing!
Kath – yes I am fairly new, I’ve been reading your blog for about a month and have commented a few times but I’m not sure why but my posts don’t always post. I am a huge, huge fan of your blog, I am totally addicted!!! You have a really similar outlook to me , I exercise regularly, try to eat well but enjoy treats and try not to beat myself up about it!! I lost a lot of weight a couple of years ago (about 25kgs) but have maintained it since then – it was mainly a total lifestyle change when I left uni, I started exercising, drinking less and eating healthily. So it has been fairly easy to maintain. I have been thinking about getting one of those boxes but because of my job which is fairly unpredictable I can’t tell when I will be eating at home or at work – plus as I said above I live near a few farmers’ market so getting nice food is fairly easy. In the supermarket I don’t buy organic cos I can’t taste the difference either but I can really taste the difference from the stuff I get from the farmers’ markets.
As some of my other posts didn’t work, I don’t know if you read the comments I left you but I felt that people were often very judgmental about your lifestyle and seem to read some of your comments very literally. Please don’t listen to them – people’s criticisms are generally more about them than you and you shouldn’t have to monitor your thoughts – that’s part of why your blog is so fantastic, you tell us about it all. Keep up the great work! Oh and congrats on finishing summer school!
melissa sue says
don’t feel bad about the blue moon drunks–i LOVE that beer, but it gets me so much drunker so much quicker than other beers. i don’t know why!!
Kath says
Jo ,
Thanks for the comment!
Melissa,
I wonder why it gets us drunker!? It is more calories than most beers (I think almost 175 for a bottle) so maybe that has something to do with it?
K
Gosh says
Just EAT the freakin cake OMG. You won’t spontaneously blow up into your old self.
You are too much sometimes….
Jessie says
AC can be a necessity sometimes, I live in Nebraska and almost every year we have some homeless or elderly people die from the 100+ degree weather in the hotter months.
Alex says
Is it bad that I want to nudge that little stray blueberry back in place? 🙂
Kath says
Alex ,
hahahha – I didn’t even notice him! (yes, it’s a him. I checked 😉 )
Kath