pinkapronpreview.com

Simplicity Gourmet brings you “The Newlywed Nest” with Becky G.

Is anyone else out there obsessed with watching the Food Network and the places they visit? When my husband and I first moved to Tennessee from Michigan last fall, we were pretty clueless about where to go to get a good meal.

We happened to see a show on the Food Network about “The Loveless Café,” which is located in Nashville. So, we drove out there and checked it out – WoW! They had the best biscuits we have ever eaten. That started us thinking – what other gems could we find by watching all of these shows?

Let me just tell you, we are now in the middle of a full blown obsession!

We travel a lot for work, and there is not a city we haven’t been to where we do not go to a restaurant we saw on TV. Here are a few of the ones we have been to so far:

Atlanta, GA: We visited a burger joint called “The Vortex,” where they serve up some crazy hamburger concoctions.

Louisville, KY: We went to “Lynn’s Paradise Café,” as seen on Throw down with Bobby Flay. I

St. Louis, MO: We went to “Pappy’s,” which was on Man vs. Food, and wins the award for the best barbeque we have ever had, EVER!

Memphis, TN: We had some mouth watering ribs at ‘Rendevous,’ which has been on numerous shows.

Kansas City, MO: Gates BBQ served up some “Burnt Bnds On Buns” Gates as seen on The Best Meal I’ve Ever Had.

Las Vegas, NV: Last year , we went to a really cool little diner, “The Peppermill,” which was on No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain, and we already have 2 more places lined up when we go back to Vegas next week! (Who doesn’t want to go to a place called “The Roadkill Café” – I mean, really?!?!?).

Do we need help? Does anyone else out there do this? If nothing else, it’s so much fun. We love spending time together and visiting new cities, we always get really riled up with anticipation about eating that famous meal we saw on TV! And, well, if we gain a couple pounds here and there, it’s worth it. Maybe our next big obsession will be traveling to as many different gyms as we can…

Becky G.

Tweet This Post

Simplicity Gourmet brings you “The Newlywed Nest” with Becky G.

Who out there likes to go grocery shopping? The crowds, the lines, the carts that won’t steer straight – no thank you!

I have always been more of a “run in and get what I need and I’ll get the rest later” kind of shopper. And I only carry a basket, I have this strange phobia of pushing a cart. Not my hubby. Oh, no…he likes grocery shopping. No, I take that back…he LOVES grocery shopping.

After a hard day at work, I long to throw on my pj’s, have a glass of wine, and catch up on some reality TV. He would rather go to the store, grab a cart, and peruse up and down each and every aisle looking for great deals. He even goes on his lunch breaks sometimes…just to “get away”…I usually use Calgon for that…

Wonderful for me, though, right? I get the best of both worlds: I don’t have to bargain hunt or grocery shop, yet, we save money and always have a well stocked pantry. Well…most of the time…except for the weekends.

For us, Saturday is the one day where we have no obligations, and can spend the whole day together, doing whatever we want, which usually includes grocery shopping. And yes, it is the long, aisle-by-aisle, item-by-item, walk through. I hate to admit it…but he has definitely gotten me hooked on bargain hunting – there is a certain thrill in finding clearance items that we can stock up on, and pairing an in-store promotion with a newspaper coupon, oh, and I must not forget BOGO deals…can’t get better than buy one, get one FREE!

We have 3 grocery stores that we frequent, and it is not uncommon for us to hit all 3 in a single afternoon, getting only certain items at each store. It’s kind of like a game. And let me tell you, when you see that store receipt, and the money you saved is MORE than the money you spent – it actually feels really good.

So, thank you sweetie, for teaching me the value of “shop your show, save your dough”…I am a changed woman! It is one of the many things you have taught me that I didn’t even know I needed to learn! (But I will NEVER push the cart!!!)

Becky G.

Tweet This Post

Let me start off by saying that I am by no means the world’s best cook. I’d like to think that I am talented at many things, but somehow, the cooking gene passed me by.  My husband on the other hand is good. In fact, really good.  But me?  Not so much.

This doesn’t mean I don’t strive to be better.  Once a week, when my husband works late, I prepare him a nice dinner, so he can come home, relax and unwind.  In my quest to become better acquainted with the kitchen, I have found one thing that makes it much easier for me to make a meal: knowing that I already have most, if not all, of the ingredients stocked in my pantry already.

I don’t mind stopping by the store on the way home to pick up 2 or 3 random ingredients, but I don’t want to have to get a cart full of food. (Our main grocery shopping trip is done on Sunday, but don’t get me started…that will be a completely separate blogging topic!). This has led me to come up with a list of ingredients and items that I try to keep on hand any time I cook:

• Milk
• Butter
• Basic seasonings: Salt/pepper/oregano/garlic/ginger
• Soy sauce
• Olive oil
• Eggs
• Rice
• Pasta
• Sugar
• Flour
• “Cream Of” soups (chicken, mushroom, onion, celery, etc.)
• Tomato paste
• salsa
• Chicken breasts (when you get home from the grocery store, immediately put them in individual zip lock bags with marinade, and it makes things so much easier when it comes time to unthaw!)
• Ground beef

Of course, your list will be different, according to your likes and dislikes- but knowing what your taste buds (and your honey’s) prefer, makes it SO much easier when it comes time to prepare that recipe you just found that looks SO tasty!

From the land of marital bliss,

Becky G.

PS –> WHAT ARE YOUR PANTRY MUST HAVES???

Tweet This Post

Newlyweds: Becky and Brayden Gruchow

My sweetie and I have been married for just over a year. I love it. I really and truly could not have found a better man! I will say though, that we are polar opposites. I am always early, he is always late. I have to clean up my pots and pans before I can enjoy my meal, he can let them sit in the sink for days. These things I learned during the dating process. We did date for over 4 years. In fact, I felt pretty confident that I knew just about everything about my husband before we tied the knot. Well, I was wrong. There are always those odds and ends that kind of “sneak in” after married life begins….

Socks. I know this is something that a lot of women can relate to. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO PUT YOUR SOCKS IN THE LAUNDRY BASKET? I knew he wasn’t a neat freak, but since living together, I have watched how, when he gets home from work, he walks through the house and takes off his suit as he goes, leaving a trail behind him. I have gone so far as to put extra laundry baskets at the foot of the stairs, and in the living room, to no avail. On the floor they fall.

The cell phone. You can call it a smart phone, a PDA, whatever, I call it “the other woman.” When we were dating, he wouldn’t answer the phone during dates, family events, or while we were watching a video. Now, I think my hubby has more personal contact with his phone than with me!  In the car, at the movies, while grocery shopping, you name it, he has done it. Ok, ok, it has come in quite handy at times, with its GPS, and full keypad, and internet, but please, please, just don’t be playing Golden Tee phone golf while you are driving down the expressway!!!

Honey-Do List. I don’t think it is wrong to want him to do a few things around the house on the weekends. You know, put up some shelves, clean out the garage, sort through old papers – in fact, we can do them together!  But for some reason, it hasn’t quite worked out that way, at least not yet. I don’t think that I have stumbled on quite the right way to ask him to do things. Just asking doesn’t work. He can forget. A note on the fridge doesn’t work- he doesn’t really notice it. Sometimes a note taped to the middle of the bathroom mirror will work, but I try to use that only for really important tasks!  So we keep trying- I know we will come up with a good system…eventually.

All in all, it is actually hard for me to think up too many things that drive me bonkers, because at the same time, he also:

·    Buys me flowers when I least expect it and for no reason.
·    Cooks me the most fabulous dinners I have ever eaten (thank goodness for our waterless, greaseless cookware!).
·    Always, ALWAYS wins me stuffed animals out of the claw machine.
·    Gives the best neck rubs I have ever had.
·    Lets me pick out the DVD’s that I want to watch, even though they wouldn’t be his first (or second or third) choice.
·    Compliments me all the time and actually notices when I get a new haircut.
·    Fills up my gas tank without me knowing.
·    Holds my hand and opens car doors for me
·    Most importantly, says I LOVE YOU about a million times a day. And I do too. I love him more than I could ever put into words!

Tweet This Post