Failure to blog

WARNING: This post is going to be a wordy mish-mash of miscellaneous household updates. Here goes.

I promised to blog about each of our Meatapalooza adventures, but I have failed. Oh, how I’ve failed. There have been six Meatapalooza events altogether, but I neglected to document the last four. Each was fabulous, of course, and worthy of its own lengthy and detailed write-up. But for the sake of time, I’m just going to summarize.

At Meatapalooza 3, we served stuffed sole. What was it stuffed with? Scallops and crab. I can’t remember what the sides were. (Maria, if you remember, will you post a comment?) At any rate, it was really good. I don’t always love fish, but apparently I enjoy it quite a bit when it’s stuffed with more fish. Hmm.

At Meatapalooza 4, we served Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Red Bell Pepper, Tomato, and Basil Sauce. Maria pretty much took charge of the sauce, and she did a fantastic job. It was deeee-liiii-ciioouuus, with many vowels and an interesting spicy flavor. Again, I can’t remember what the sides were. Probably potatoes au gratin and a veggie. (Maria, once again, please comment if you remember any of this.)

At Meatapalooza 5, we served Pork Chops with Sweet-and-Sour Apples. This one was good, too. We’ve really gotten good at cooking meat, if I do say so myself. You may find this difficult to believe, but I have forgotten what the sides were. (Maria, I will not be offended if you just delete this post and redo it. Sheesh. I remember having broccolini and I remember having carrots, but I can’t remember which menus they were a part of.)

Meatapalooza 6 was bittersweet — not because of the chosen recipes, but because it was our last regular Meatapalooza event. We decided to revisit the Steak with Shallot-Merlot Sauce that we enjoyed so much at Meatapalooza 2. We served it up with potatoes and salad. (Thank goodness I can at least remember what we did a week ago.)

But the last regular Meatapalooza event is not the last Meatapalooza event. Oh, no. We still have boxes of burgers and hot dogs, which means we’re about to start planning … the Meatapalooza Finale!! We’ll keep you posted on that.

All Meatapalooza events are sponsored, of course, by my brother Jonathan.

So that’s the Meatapalooza update. Now, let's move on to: Aaron’s birthday! Many of y’all came out (no pun intended) for Aaron’s “Pretty, Pretty Princess Party” on February 3rd. Maria and I made two birthday cakes, one of which we failed to photograph because we were mostly focused on this drag queen Ken princess cake:

In addition to cake, the birthday boy received many fine gifts, including the Showgirls box set (which I can’t believe even exists) and two copies of The Devil Wears Prada. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, here are a few favorite photos from the evening:

So that’s the scoop on Aaron’s birthday. In other news, Moray’s father and sister came to visit in mid-February. They’re both adorable, and I hope they had a great time despite the insanely cold weather we were experiencing.

Aaron and I finally painted our office, nixing the bright white in favor of cozy shades called Warm Muffin and Falling Leaves.

Maria has been working her hinder off doing graphics for an event-planning company. By my estimation, she has done 623 events in the past 14 days. She deserves a nap.

Moray has been teaching yoga regularly, several times a week. You know that saying, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach”? That saying does not apply to Moray. He can, he does, AND he teaches.

I’m sure I’m missing many things, but I think that’s enough household updates for now. I’m gonna finish up with a non-household item and send out a hearty “Good job, guys!” to Friends Susan and C.J., who played an excellent game of bocce yesterday. Susan, in particular, was really on her game and brought our team (the Beeyotcces) within an inch of victory. We hadn’t played in months, so, despite the loss, I’m quite proud of our performance.

Phew. I'm going to stop typing now.