In case you didn't know, a King Cake has a little plastic baby hidden in it; the person who finds it in their piece is "King of the Mardi Gras", and has to either: buy next year's cake or host the party. Everyone skirted around the baby somehow, so we set Laura up to get it. We told her she should be king, because the day before was her birthday; she doesn't know she's buying next year's cake yet! ; ) This one was from Publix, filled with strawberry & cheese!
Every time I look at this picture, I literally laugh out loud. Debbie looks like the Birdwoman of Alcatraz, and I look...ridiculous. What did I expect for masks from the Dollar Tree? They look just fine as a wall decoration, but we look ridic.
These were Deb's muffaletta sandwiches, with that fabulous olive salad we made the night before. Recipe to follow! Later that night we said goodbye to our friends the DeWitzs as they readied themselves to head back to the frigid north, and the rest of the week was supposed to go like this: Wednesday: work, while Jack and the boys load up to leave the next morning for Daytona for four days (Yippee!). Then to the store to pick up some groceries for the folks. Thursday I'll work till 5, have a quiet evening, work Friday till 4, and head to Tampa for a girls' weekend with Linds & Alyssa. Yay!
Uh oh. Al's appendix had other plans! Wednesday evening actually sent Jack grocery shopping for Mom & Dad, and Al and I to the clinic at Royal Oak, then on to the ER! He's one smart cookie and knew something just wasn't right. He really wasn't following the textbook symptoms, and the ER peeps were even surprised when his CT showed that he had an acute appendicitis. HAH! My boy knows what up! He gave his insurance a workout! But sadly, no Daytona 500 for him : (
Meanwhile, after hanging out to make sure Al's surgery went well, Jack & Jackson prepared for their weekend without Carl Edwards #1 fan. The scaffolding on the truck is the platform for them to see the races all weekend from the infield. They set chairs and a tv (don't forget the coolers) up there, and root for their drivers; two Edwards, and one Kenseth fan! As Al recuperates, Mom waits on him, does chores, watches a little tv, "pins", facebooks, shops, cooks and crafts. Hey! This is shapin' up to be a great weekend! (sorry Al)
Ok, this is the olive salad. I made another batch this morning, just to...eat. It. Is. Fabulous. Literally every ingredient goes in the food processor (except the oil & vinegar), "pulse" to desired consistency, and voilá! THE best olive salad to eat on crackers or bread, or put on a sandwich or salad. Heaven!
Lunch = fresh green salad, feta cheese, and peppered chicken breast topped with olive salad as the dressing. *sigh*
Olive Salad
1 7 oz jar Kalamata olives
1 6-8 oz jar Spanish Queen olives
1/2 7 oz jar roasted red pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup carrot shreds or coins
1/2 cup flat leaf Italian parsley
1/2 tsp black pepper
few dashes of Tabasco
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp Italian herbs
Chop all in processor. Whish together 1/2 cup olive oil & 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, add to olive mixture. You can eat it right away, but it's better if it melds for a few hours. Put it on or in anything!
Recipe is adapted from a few different ones, but mainly Martha Stewart's (sans anchovies) She calls for 1/4 cup fresh oregano & 1 tbls fresh thyme, but I forgot to pick them up. Honestly, dried herbs worked just fine!
So, that was my exciting few days! Alex and I have had a nice couple of days hangin' out watching movies and catching up on recorded tv. Oh yeah, and he's recuperating! ; ) I'll head to Tampa next weekend, and next year's Daytona scaffolding will display a framed photo of Al's appendectomy (from me) along with an autographed koozie from Carl (compliments of an infield neighbor).
Best laid plans, right?!
