Brussel Sprouts

Over the holiday I learned that Butterball is headquartered here in Garner NC on 1 Butterball Lane.

That was interesting to learn. I wondered if when I was 20-something and called the number for help with a turkey if I was calling here. For some reason this made us chuckle.

Rick and I cleaned out his closet. This is the fattest I have ever seen my husband and I made him go through his closet of clothes. We purged a lot and held on to some. We packed up his things that don't fit and thought about donating them. Some shirts were cleaned and starched at the dry cleaners and have not been worn and are in great shape but don't fit over a belly now.

We found a man's shelter that is begging for clothes. They posted on the local FB page. We checked 'em out first and really like what we read and heard. We thought this would be good for these men starting over. 

Rick has sweaters, shirts, pants, hoodies, jeans, sport coats, etc. 

We called them and asked if they would be open Friday or Saturday for a clothes donation. They said they would be open on Friday, during normal hours. So Friday we headed out - they were closed. We saw the time on the door and we were there after their opening time so we waited a bit thinking maybe running late for the holidays. Then we called and it said they were closed. So that was that. A nice drive opposite the traffic so that was something I guess. We will try again this week.

Then we attempted to go to the Garden Bar. Big mistake. Couldn't find parking, and when we did it was so expensive Rick about blew a fuse. 

$20 for the 1st 30 minutes to park so we could go inside this plant store/bar. Knowing full well we will be there for more than 30 minutes Rick did his calculations and said No way that is ridiculous. I suggested we go do something else and come back after the holiday. Crowds, traffic, and expensive parking everywhere we went does not make for fun exploring when your hubby is complaining about all the parking fees. The 3 places we wanted to go would have cost us $50 to park collectively. I'm sorry that is ridiculous. Besides, when I found the Garden Bar originally on TV it said free parking. When I went by it when I got a hair cut there was no fee to park. I think they were just raping people because of the holiday crowds. 

I will go back and I will see. It is a plant store, wholesale. You can buy flowers by the stem ($3) and you can make your own arrangement. you can buy a pot and then a plant and plant it there with help and you've got yourself a new plant to take home. There is a bar there so you can belly up to the bar maybe while you're waiting or after you're done, who knows. But it was busy from what I could see from the street. I can't wait to go back.

Sometimes I feel like this little town/city wants to be grown up so bad that they do these things. These are NY parking prices, DC prices, not a city that is barely a city with only 400K+ people. I did find these parking fees very high.

Over the last week, we also saw Marlo Thomas on television being interviewed for St Jude's hospital. I know she is 85. Her first facelift was fabulous. But she has recently had another it appears. She now has a Michael Jackson nose that is all pinched up and odd looking with big lips and her eyes are different. I realize she won't look like Ann Marie from That Girl anymore being 85, but my goodness she looks awful. I wish she would have felt comfortable enough at this age to let it go. Only pic I could find of her newest face but you can see her nose here. But if you make it bigger you'll see what I mean. I'm so sad she felt she needed to do this in her 80s. 

Rick and I were discussing brussel sprouts. Highly titillating conversation right?

I said to Rick that I saw brussel sprouts being made like new potatoes.

If not familiar, the tiny new potatoes are parboiled, then put on a baking sheet and smashed with the bottom of a glass then seasoned with olive oil and herbs and baked. Delicious and crispy. He loves new potatoes and he loves brussel sprouts.

Well, apparently you can do the same thing with brussel sprouts.

We usually fry 'em up with bacon pieces so always looking for another way to enjoy them I begin to share all of this with Rick.

 

I tell Rick step by step about the brussel sprouts and he says - 

"What about the bakin'?"

I gave him a look like you idiot, I just told you how to bake them on a cookie sheet, the same as the potatoes.  I was staring at him to see if he was pulling my leg or really didn't understand me.

Then I tell him this all again and he says - 

I heard you but "what about the bakin'?

Now I am laughing and thinking this poor man is brain-dead. I just told him 3 times how to bake them. He too is laughing that I am so stupid and dense and can't grasp what he is saying.

 

Then he pointed to my shirt which reads, "Bacon, the gateway meat"

I laughed and said oh you are asking "what about the BACON?!"

Oh my God, Rick, I thought you were dropping the "G" sound on baking!

Oh, that made us have a hearty laugh at my expense again.

Honestly.