YOUR TURN!

This past weekend Stud Muffin and I went to his mother's house to do our Christmas with her.
I will be posting more about the weekend soon but I just had to post this ASAP!
Stud Muffin's mom always makes getting your Christmas gift a game or puzzle rather. I cannot wait for you to see what we got and if you can solve it as well!

First my gift...

The clues are Saffron, Egg, Coal, Berries, Bark, Chalk and Led.

The verbal clue I was given was to think of a woman.

Next Stud Muffin's gift...

The clues are Shells, Cards, Fish, Cow, Fur, and Whiskey.
The verbal clue... not sure if he got one.


Now it is your turn! Can you guess what we each received for Christmas?

Mommy's Chicken Pot Pie

Anyone that knows me, knows that cooking is not my thing. So, when I became an unemployed stay at home girlfriend... Stud Muffin suggested that I start cooking. Hmm... I wondered if he was trying to kill himself or something. I mean, seriously, there are national disasters when I am in the kitchen! But, I did what any other prissy, semi-spoiled, non-domestic girl would do... I called my Mommy!
This is now one of Stud Muffin's very favorite meals... and it is so easy I could do it!

Ingredients:
2 Cans Chunk White Chicken*
1 Large Can Veg.All Large Cut (or 2 small cans)
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup*
1 tsp. Celery Seed
1 Cup Grated Cheddar Cheese*
1 Can Frozen Biscuits

Drain all cans.
Pour into bowl and mix all.
Mix in 1 tsp. Celery Seed & 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar.

Pour into a 2 quart pan.
Add frozen buscuits on top (not touching)

Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.

*My Substitutions:
I normally cook 2 chicken breasts and chop them into some cubes instead of using canned chicken.
I use the 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken (The day I find a lactose free version I will be SUPER HAPPY!!)
I also go without the cheese. I know it tastes better with cheese but I try to stay away from dairy and Stud Muffin prefers it this way as well.
Also, if you have a round dish... the biscuits seem to fit just right. My apartment does not allow for me to have more than one pan so I cut the biscuits up to cover the entire pan.
I normally cook at about 375 as opposed to 425 but that is just my crazy oven.
Keep in mind that the biscuits get crispy on top and stay really gooey on bottom. Its the BEST PART!!
ENJOY!!

How I found my Stud Muffin (part one)

Meet Stud Muffin.

(Well, really he is just Brian, but I call him Stud Muffin.)

He and I have some differences in opinion about how we came to be a couple... I thought I would tell my side of the story first... because, as I am sure you already know, my version is the correct one!

First a little back-story:
I was working as a restaurant manager at a sports bar/ BBQ place in NYC's Murray Hill area. I was a whopping 23 years old and the restaurant was not the most seem-less place I had ever worked. I was cranky and unhappy 90% of the time I was there. There were several issues that made me crazy but my personal favorite was that the televisions in this place were a nightmare!! Every man that walked through the door assumed that he knew what channel it should be on or had a very good reason for why I should change it to what he wanted to watch. No one ever believed that I knew how to work them or what games were on each day. (I am a HUGE sports fan! I know what games are important!) But the real kicker with these TVs was that they lost signal when it was raining or windy! You can imagine the horrible things said to me when we lost signal during a huge 3rd down conversion or bases loaded-with A-Rod up situation! I thought theater people were dramatic... Nope! Men and their Fantasy Football... DRAMA!!

Moving on to July 24, 2009
A hot rainy evening at the sports bar. The Yankees were set to play the Red Sox at 7pm and the place was pretty empty. (Summers in NYC are normally pretty slow as most people are in the Hamptons.) So, at about 6:30 the normal chatter of men asking me to change the channel began. This really attractive guy comes over and shyly asks me if I am going to put the Yankees game on. Apparently, I was a bit short with my answer of "Oh, the Yankees are playing? I had no idea!" Can you blame me? He was about the 8th person to ask! After that I explained that I was and what TV it would be playing on. He then asked me if I could put the Mets on the other TV! I replied with "Nope! I don't like the Mets." (I put it on of course!)

I went back to my business and then... naturally... the TVs lost signal! The restaurant cleared out! I noticed that shy guy and his friends were still sitting at their table and I needed some customers so... I bribed them to stay until the TVs came back on with some free beer. (A bucket of free PBR works every time!) Then I went back to chat up my bartender who was really bored. She and I may have possibly spent the next 20 minutes or so talking about the shy guy (Stud Muffin) and his friends. We may have discussed his resemblance to that guy from the O.C. and that he seemed to be really hot! I mean, we might have noticed.

Then, I don't know how I missed it but suddenly Stud Muffin and one of his friends were sitting at the bar! And my lovely bartender decides she needs to go to the store... immediately... can I watch the bar for her?! What?! The rest is a bit blurry to me... I chatted with Stud Muffin until my bartender returned. I had a job to do, so somewhere in the night I managed to be a manager and close down the place, count the money, lock the doors and... I may have happened to tell the 2 boys at the bar they were welcome to hang out with us while we waited for the staff to clean.

Here are 2 of the highlights from that evening... or maybe they are low-lights not too sure.
1. I tell Stud Muffin that I am a dancer... he responds with the typical guy "Can you do the splits?" Hmmm... tacky I think but he doesn't seem tacky. I, of course, tell him that response is tacky and now to this day he denies ever saying this to me!
2. We have a drink together. He decides... he'll have what I am having. Ha! His face when he was given a mason jar with an inch worth of booze at the bottom... priceless! (I was having a martini... but at this classy joint we didn't have the correct glasses. So, you got it in a mason jar!)
The night came to an end about the time the sun came up. Yep! (That really wasn't all that odd for me. I had to stay at the restaurant until they were finished cleaning. That was normally 5:30am or so. Stud Muffin, however, I bet he was tired.) We exchanged phone numbers and went our separate ways. When I got home I sent him a text message that said "Boston Sux". This text may be the reason I still have Stud Muffin in my life.
Stay tuned for part two!

The Great Debate

This past weekend Brian and I attended a wedding here in NYC. And, like every wedding before, we had a heated debate over what the proper gift giving procedure should be. This may, in fact, be the only thing we cannot seem to agree on.

For those of you that have not figured out yet why we debate at each wedding... let me explain.

In Oklahoma, couples register for gifts and then we mail them to the couple. You can take it to the wedding but most gifts are mailed ahead of time. You receive things that you will need to make your home together. Sure, a blender and new dishes may not sound awesome but you will need them at some point. And, of course you will receive some interesting things that you never registered for or probably don't need but you may be pleasantly surprised! Even if you are not happy with what you were given it was a gift! Maybe just say "thank you" and move on.

In NYC, (and I am sure many other places) wedding gifts are a "cash only" policy. This "cash only" thing doesn't bother me so much, it is the how much that really gets me. $100 per guest + $100 for the gift. That makes it about $300 just to attend the wedding. (I cannot afford to give everyone I know that gets married $300. So chances are, I am just not attending your wedding.) I mean, that is before I pay for hotel and transportation and everything else. That is asking a lot from your guests!

Here is where the debate at our house begins...
Brian: You pay $100 per guest because you pay for your plate. Whitney: Why am I paying for their wedding? The gift is supposed to help start their lives together.
Brian: Exactly, that is what the last $100 is for.
Whitney: Oh, so I am paying for their wedding & giving them money for the future?
Brian: This is how it is done.
Whitney: I understand giving a gift of cash. I do not agree with paying for your plate.
Brian: Then they can't even cover the wedding costs.
Whitney: Why not throw a wedding you can afford then. Or hey, charge a cover at the door! That is the same thing right!
Brian: No! Now you are being unreasonable.
Whitney: Unreasonable is asking people to pay for your wedding and then asking for a "gift" on top of it!

This debate continues and continues...
The thing is, I can see parts to his side of the story. I mean, couples are older these days when they marry. They may have lived together and have the things that they need in their home. I also realize that a very good number of our friends paid for their own wedding and gifts of cash are greatly appreciated. Not too mention, when I someday get married... I can see really wanting cash! I get all of that. Really, I do, I love cash...

The real kicker for me is the way I have heard some people speak about friends and family after the wedding. The way that they judge what someone gave them and could not believe that they only sent them X amount when they came with a guest. Or how they knew how much the plate cost and they couldn't even cover that! People shouldn't feel obligated to give $300 when invited to your wedding. Gifts should not be the reason that people stop hanging out with dear friends. Money tends to be a sore issue with a lot of people these days and I think friendships are more valuable.

In all honesty, I know that this is just the difference in our cultures. And we solve the problem by Brian giving the gifts at his friends weddings and me giving to mine. FYI: My NYC friends, you know that I am a starving artist and cannot afford to shell out $300 when I come to your wedding. I will do my best to give you a wonderful gift but please do not make me call you to tell you about my financial situation so that we can remain friends.

So friends: what are your thoughts? Am I completely out of touch and need to step into the new millennium?

A LIL OKIE CHRISTMAS

A little late with the Christmas post but better late than never, I guess.

Last year I was in Ohio for the holidays singing Elvis tunes 8 shows a week. So it was nice to know that I was going to get to see the family for Christmas this year.

Christmas was a bit strange because Oklahomans do not deal well with snow. Not because they don't like it, but because they do not know how to drive in it. At all.

So, what is normally, Crites Family on Christmas Eve and Sadler Family on Christmas Day turned into a mix a families and other stranded friends on Christmas Eve and just the four of us (mom, dad, my stud muffin and me) at home alone on Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve was festive as usual. We didn't go to church because driving across town seemed a bit scary. Gege didn't get to come over either because it was just too slick for her. Cousin Ross got stuck in a ditch on the way over and Cousins Josh & Blake got to spend the night with us because it was impossible to get to Edmond.

Dinner was grand and Mom's table looked fantastic. The front porch also looked super festive with the snow.

Christmas Day was nice and quiet. Missed seeing the OKC family but I am going back soon. We watched movies and sat by the fire. Mom and I got pink fishing poles for Christmas!! I am pretty excited about it to be honest. Dad got lots of new clothes... hint... ditch the digital camo please! Brian was given the usual Sooners gear and his fav gift... Yankees 2009 Champs Tervis Tumblers.

We got to see Gege the last day we were there and she was a hoot to be around. Just love her!! Cannot wait to go back!!