Command Central - The Kitchen

I really didn't have much of an agenda today. Little Guy is still feeling crummy. His nose has now started to run, and I can't get him to use kleenex, so his little nose is going to be chapped very soon.

Otherwise, I decided to work on the kitchen today, especially COMMAND CENTRAL. Its a little nook just between the entry and frig that was design to be an office area. Well, it has become the dumping ground for everything brought into this house. It drives me crazy. I really wish I'd taken a before picture, but I thought of it too late. Here's the after photo. A clean counter. Cabinets closed. Calendar neatly on the wall.

(BTW: the walls are really THAT blue. The house came that way. ugh!)Normally there is about 1 foot of papers/toys/mail/junk on this counter. It gets piled higher and higher until it starts slipping into the floor. And it only takes about a week for that to happen, so I'm constantly picking stuff up and trying to put it away to keep the heap from dislodging and avalanching to the floor. But today, I decided to get all the way down to bare counters. I love it. It makes me feel so good. And what did I do with all the stuff that was laying here???? I put it away. I already have homes for them, but getting them to that spot just doesn't happen. So here's a look inside Command Central.

Everything in its place, phone books, appliance warranties, Buddy's school work, envelopes and mailing materials, bucket of school supplies (to make homework quick and easy), cookbooks/recipes, notes binder (contains month pages for birthdays and ABC pages for addresses, along with other info), bills/budget, and the extras (school numbers, basketball folder, ready to mail thank you cards, library books, etc.). Lets hope it stays this way!!

I also spent more time in the kitchen today making cookies. Tomorrow night is trivia night at school and of course being the nerds that we are - we signed up! (we watch Cash Cab all the time) Everyone is to bring a dessert to share and there's actually going to be a prize for the best dessert. Well - I want that! I love to bake although I'm not a good cook, I find it fun. So I got busy & researched a few easy recipes and first came up with these. Chocolate Cinnamon Meringues.
Now they don't look exactly like the picture in the cook book, but close. The are light as air and have a weird texture, but I'm not a big cook eater so what do I know.

When the Man got home, he was like, "what are those things?"

M.E. "umm... cookies for tomorrow night. Try one and tell if its award winning."

He pops one, then two in his mouth.

M.E. "well???"

the Man, "they don't look very appetizing, and frankly they won't win an award. What are they again?"

M.E. "uh, I don't know how to pronounce the word, I think its french, but they are essentially just egg whites."

the Man "you mean meringues?"

M.E. "I don't know, here's the cook book, you tell me what that word is."

I point to the title Meringues.

the Man "Hun, that's meringue. Like Lemon Meringue Pie"

M.E. "what? I figured Meringue would be spelled something like marang. That's how I say it."

I felt illiterate - again.

Anyhow, they aren't award winning treats according to the Man (& seriously he would know). So tomorrow I'm making two more desserts. When he gets home, he can tell me which one I should take. Hopefully, he'll think one is possibly in the running for an award. Gotta have goals, right?