In our garden there is a Roma tomato plant that grows snowman looking tomatoes.  It is really interesting that they grow this way.  This is the first mutant tomato plant that has ever grown in my garden.  Chrissy told me I should make the tomatoes look more like a snowman.  One night I was a little bored so I cut up a carrot for the nose and a purple beauty pepper for the eyes.  I have never seen an edible snowman before.  These snowman were really delicious!

Dundee is a clever kitty.  Sometimes this can get her into trouble and she gets stuck in a tight spot.  She is very confident.  She does not allow anyone to get the best of her.  She always knows when she is being picked on and she does this little head flip or gets a certain look on her face.  She has this look on her face in the picture.  We know we are in trouble when she flips her head or gives us that look.  She is not afraid to go after someone a lot bigger than her.

Almost every week Chrissy and I use Redbox to get a movie.  We love Redbox it is so convenient, easy, and inexpensive.  We get to see all the latest movies.  The Redbox is usually located inside the foyer of Wal-Mart or outside of a Walgreens.  We love being able to get all the new releases for only a dollar.  When a new movie is just released it is sometimes more difficult to get.  However, we can almost always get a movie a week after it has been released.  Apparently we are not alone in using the Redbox.  A lot of people rent movies from the Redbox and sometimes we have to wait in line. 

Waiting in line at the Redbox is always interesting.  Not because I’m an impatient person, but because the people who are in line with us are fascinating.  I do not mean fascinating in a good way.  The rule of thumb when waiting in line is to look down and not make eye contact.  Whenever I make eye contact with a person they think I want to engage in conversation.  This rule doesn’t always work.  Sometimes people do not understand the looking at the floor rule.  They just start chatting away.  I have often times found out a person’s entire life story.  I think to myself “why are they talking to me I just want to rent Madea Goes to Jail?”  I don’t want to hear about the person’s car or house or crazy family.  It’s funny because sometimes a person will talk about their crazy son or daughter.  Doesn’t the person realize that talking to a total stranger about their crazy son or daughter makes them a bit crazy as well! 

If there isn’t someone in line talking to me there is a person talking to the person with them.  The person talks so loud to their friend because they want everyone to hear their conversation.  In my counseling classes they called this “imaginary audience.”  This term applies to an egocentric person who thinks everyone is so interested in what they are saying or doing. They believe everyone around them is listening and paying attention to them.  In reality no one is interested in what this person is saying and or doing.  No one wants to pay attention to this egocentric person.  So the person’s audience is imaginary.  This happens a lot when someone is on their cell phone.  They want everyone to hear about their wonderful vacations or expensive wardrobe.  Who cares?  I sure as hell do not!  There are also some couples who have an imaginary audience.  They get overly affectionate with each other.  They want to let everyone know about their wonderful relationship.  I’m not talking about the couple holding hands and giving each other the occasional peck.  It is the couple wrapped in each other’s arms having a full on make out session while practically dry humping.  However, this is not always “imaginary audience.”   It is sometimes they forgot they were in line to rent a movie in public.  They are not in their bedroom!

Chrissy and I usually just go to Redbox and back home without stopping anywhere else.  Since we are just going to the foyer of Wal-Mart to rent a movie I do not get all dressed up.  I usually go in my sweat pants and t shirt.  The last time we went to Redbox we were standing in line observing all the people around us.  Most of them were doing one of the above mentioned things.  One lady was talking really loud on her cell phone and then there was this young couple dry humping and making out.  Chrissy and I would talk amongst ourselves criticizing each person.  We would make judgments and laugh.  Occasionally a lady with crazy hair and a wild outfit would walk by or a man who was really ugly.  As we were standing in line critiquing everyone we realized something.  We were standing in line wearing sweatpants and a t shirt.  Not only that, but I wasn’t wearing a bra (I’m a DD) and I had not showered that day so my funky hair was nice and oily.  I’m also pretty sure I had a hole or two in my clothes.  So I guess next time I shouldn’t be so quick to judge!

There are so many kitchen gadgets and small appliances out there.  Some people collect them as if they were knick knacks.  Everything a person ever wanted to make can be made easier (and sometimes not) with gadgets or small appliances.  There are bread makers, blenders, coffee makers, juicers, pasta makers, ice cream makers, products that seal your food in a plastic baggie and many many more.  Many people would not be able to live without some of these products.  I know I can’t go without my coffee maker and blender.  There are some small appliances that are wonderful and genius.  But, there are some kitchen gadgets that are down right ridiculous!  Some people miss out on the wonderful experience of cooking if they use these silly little gadgets.  When I cook I love to get my hands dirty with all the veggies like  tomatoes, onions or garlic.  When I cook I get to see the fruits of my labor and this is literal when I make a pie.  I love to feed people.  Food can be a real bonding experience.  Too many gadgets can clutter the kitchen and actually make things more complicated.  Plus so many people get these gadgets and use them only one time.  After that the gadgets sit in a drawer taking up space.  At the moment a few gadgets come to mind.  Like that thing that peels the skin off garlic.  I mean really!  How hard is it to take a knife place it flat side down on the garlic and give it a good tap with my hand?  The peeling comes right off and by the way lots of Food Network chefs utilize this method.  I don’t see the chefs on Top Chef using silly little gadgets to cook.  There is one rule of thumb in cooking and that is simple is better.  There are also these little whisks just for eggs.  I use a regular whisk to scramble eggs and it does the same job.  Or my personal favorite is a garbage bowl by Rachael Ray.  It retails at $15 and I ask how is this any different than a regular bowl?  I compost and I use a regular bowl for my veggie scraps.  I just had an idea.  I will sell a compost bowl and become rich!  One of my favorite stores is Bed Bath and Beyond it really smells so good in there.  I think it must be all those Yankee candles.  I love to walk around and hug the pots and pans.  Not really I just like looking.  I can usually find lots of useless little kitchen gadgets at this store.  Companies make silly gadgets because they know people out there will buy them.  Like usual I get off my topic and get all wordy with my opinions.

Every year for Christmas my mom and dad get me a Cuisinart small appliance.  The Cuisinart products are so pretty.  Most girls want jewelry for Christmas, but not me I want a shiny and sparkly small appliance.  I love the stainless steal more than I do a pair of sterling silver earrings.  Most women get offended when they get small appliances for Christmas.  But, when I open a present in a Cuisinart box I get a smile on my face like a child who just got the latest toy or a women who sees a Tiffany’s green box.  I usually cannot wait to get home and use my new product.  Plus every Cuisinart appliance I have gotten comes with a little recipe book.  The recipe book has tons of great recipes specifically designed to be used with that particular product.  

After all that I am just now getting to my point.  What I wanted to write about is one of my favorite Cuisinart products and that is the rice cooker.  I really could not live without this product.  We use is several times a week.  It cooks perfect rice every time.  I can make plain rice or throw a bunch of veggies in with the rice and make a wonderful main course.  I can also use any packaged rice like the ones made by Knorr/Lipton.  I have used the stove and the microwave to make rice, but I love my rice cooker the best.  It seems the rice just turns out better.  If I was on a desert island and could only take one thing it would be my rice cooker.  I know I would need electricity to plug it in and rice.  But, I could figure out these minor details later.  My favorite rice is Mahatma’s Indian Basmati.  It is a yummy rice!  I’m starting to make myself hungry.