My Mother

My mother used to tell me that I needed to clean my room before I had friends over. My typical response was something along the lines of "But MOM...their rooms are dirty too!" or "Gosh, Mom, they really don't care what my room looks like."

My mother used to tell me that I should make my bed every day. Most days I didn't because I would say, "But MOM I'm just gonna get right back in it tonight! Why does it need to be made?"

My mother used to tell me that my room wouldn't be messy if I would just put things where they go to begin with instead of being lazy and tossing my dirty clothes on the floor. "But MOM, I was tired!" or "Yeah yeah, I know!"

I used to think that one day I'd have my own place and I would never care if there were dishes in the sink, beds unmade, or general clutter everywhere when people came over. (And in a way, that's how I lived in college, but who's keeping track??) What a life, right?

Now, I have my own little home. It's small but I love it and I love the man I share it with. But somehow, I find myself saying the following lines way more often than I care to think about....

"Doesn't our room look so pretty with the bed made?"
"They're gonna be here in 5 minutes?? But there's mail piled up on the table!"
"K, could you please put your shoes away...it looks nicer when they're picked up."
"No, I didn't call maintenance to come and fix the A/C. Why? Because the sink overfloweth with dishes, that's why."
"OH NO! That's tonight! But the house isn't clean!!!"
"Please don't judge my messy house!"

So this is my way of saying, Mom, that you were right. So very, very right. Things have a funny way of coming full circle, don't ya think?

The Mother of Invention

You know that old phrase, right? Necessity is the mother of invention. I've always loved the notion behind that. How many times have I, in a moment of need, come up with some sort of solution or idea that I never would have thought about had it not been for the exact circumstances involved? For example, who came up with putting clear nail polish on a runner in your hose? I'd just love to know the history behind that one!

Anyways, I've begun to think lately that Invention has a few other mothers. Let's just say that Necessity had a little help in the raising up of her offspring. I think that her sisters, Hunger and Desperation, often contribute to the nourishment of Baby Invention.

The Evidence:

Yesterday, Kris and I came home for lunch and I was in a funk. Hungry, but I don't know what for. The office had been cold so a salad sounded terrible. We had the fixings for veggie wraps but that had the same appeal to me as a salad. Tacos sounded boring and a PB&J just isn't my idea of a satisfying lunch on a blustery day. I started hum-hahing around the pantry complaining about how nothing sounds good when I just get desperate and grab a can of tomatoes and go!

You've got to understand that I'm at that awkward stage between grocery trips when you still have a good amount of food but it's all random and nothing seems to go together. So, the following is a loose recipe for our Necessity-driven, Hunger-laden, Desperation-filled Invention of a random Tuesday lunch.


1 can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1/4 t. garlic powder (or 1 clove crushed garlic if you're not lazy like me)
1 t. dried basil
2 T. nutritional yeast (not to be confused with yeast used for baking)
2 T. ground flaxseed
1 t. crushed red pepper
dash of salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
2 T. of 1 jar of prepared basil pesto (the Aldi brand rocks!)
1 bell pepper sliced into strips
6 slices of bread

Dump the can of fire-roasted tomatoes into a small saucepan and begin heating on high. When it starts to bubble add the seasonings and stir until completely combined. Continue heating until the mixture becomes rather thick. In the meantime, toast the 6 pieces of bread and spread a thin-ish layer of pesto on one side of each slice of the bread. When the tomato sauce has thickened up (it should be just thick enough that it is no longer runny) spread a good amount of it on top of the layer of pesto on each slice of bread. Top with a layer of fresh bell pepper and sprinkle with some more crushed red pepper if you believe in the joy of spicy food. Kris and I each ate three....don't judge! We were starving!

I served these as open-faced sandwiches and it was sooooo good! I know that it sounds absolutely random but it was a little like having pasta in the form of a sandwich. The only thing that I would have changed is toasted French bread instead of regular but the whole point in this "recipe" is that I used what I had on hand. The nutritional yeast and ground flaxseed add lots of protein, vitamins, minerals, happy fats, and omega 3's while also being a thickening agent for the tomato sauce. A win win!

So, the point in all of this nonsense is to say that this Invention of a lunch was wonderful and different. I never would have stumbled upon the notion without the triple threat of Necessity, Hunger, and Desperation...the three Mama's of Invention!