First I want to acknowledge mumchic for nominating me for the One Lovely Blog Award. I am behind on everything so will catch up over the next few days. Please visit her site if you get a moment and say hello.
Life has been incredibly hectic since we brought our bags in the house. While gone, our real estate agent shot me an email saying that a client wanted to view our house Friday, that being yesterday, at 10:00. I replied that I would be gone at 10:00 so later in the day would be preferable and to please advise what the situation was so I could be prepared. Nothing.
Being mentally on vacation, I filed it in my “to be dealt with later” file and went about the business of having fun. Our house, to make a gross understatement (gross being the optimum word here), is a catastrophe. For a neatnik like myself this certainly is not the ideal living situation, but being one relatively small human and only having been allotted 24 hours in a given day, it is what it is, if you will. In an effort to move forward and not find myself sitting on rather than filling a box, while nursing a box of tissue, I have learned “ignorance” (ig-nore-ance).
Ignorance is a word my daughter taught me when she was nine. After their father died, there were times when I felt quite alone in the world and more than slightly overwhelmed. Particularly in the year following his death. In my late twenties and new to many responsibilities around the house, mainly those of a financial nature, I learned to cope. Instead of opening a checking account, I cashed my paycheck when received and divided it among envelopes labeled with bills to be paid and stored them in the top drawer of my dresser. Monies remaining were what we had to live on. For months this system worked effectively until one Friday I came home to find my back door jimmied, my drawers rifled, and my money envelopes strewn on the floor empty. For me, this was too much. Sitting on the bed tears spilled over my eyelashes. At that moment my little girl walked in the bedroom and sat next to me. “Mommy”, she told me, “don’t cry, just practice ignorance”. This made me laugh and I’ve said it many times since that day when things are looking a bit glum.
At any rate, I digress as usual, I have donned blinders when it comes to the house and keep the areas that aren’t full of boxes clean and tidy and the rest the cats use for a maze and a source of endless entertainment. Ignorance in an imperfect world.
Having been home less than 24 hours on Friday morning, I surveyed the refrigerators and determined that a trip to the grocery store was first on my list of to do’s. Pulling together a sizable list to fill I grabbed some shoes, ran a brush through my hair and headed to town. Several hours later I arrived home with a full trunk and began the process of getting everything in the house and put away. Usually I take all items out of the bags first and stack them on the counters, put away the perishables, and then address the rest. Yesterday was no exception. In front of the bathrooms I stacked rolls of TP to be put in cupboards and stored the rest in the garage. At one point I passed by the living room and saw Boo, the Queen of Cats, wrestling a large roll of double ply and definitely coming winning the match. As the plan was to vacuum later in the day, I let her have her way with it and pulled those blinders a little tighter around my peripheral vision.
In the hall bags from the trip were waiting to be emptied, laundry was in the dryer needing to be moved to make room for the load in the washer, and the bed needed to be changed. Boo was now delightedly rolling back and forth in a pile of shredded toilet paper, and life, as they say, was good. Check please.
Craving a little comfort, I switched from my “outside clothes”. Expecting no company, I threw on a pair of boxers and a large tee-shirt. Ahhhhhhh. Much better. I tossed the load of laundry from the dryer onto the couch to fold later, unleashing the large pile of newspapers sitting on the ottoman onto the carpet . Sigh.
Sitting on the floor, I stopped to play with the cat when the doorbell rang. Swell. I assumed it to be the church ladies, as this was about the time they usually stopped by and looking around I was sure I needed to be saved. Peeking through the opening in the door I found a realtor and her client standing there. Really? Now? It seemed that when I’d replied saying later in the day in my email it was taken to mean “come on down and bring your friends”, so here we all were. Welcome to my world.
Excusing myself to pull on some shorts, I invited them in. Boo marched by with the roll of toilet paper, now shredded to a nub in her mouth. I just smiled. My grandmother always taught me ladies remain poised and in control no matter the situation and I was an apt pupil.
Between the groceries piled on the counter, the clothes on the couch, the newspapers on the floor, the bed linens distributed about the bedroom and the new ones not put on yet, what is not to like? Amazingly, the woman did like the house and as a bonus even wanted to have Mouse the cat thrown in for good measure. I’m sure after the first week with her craziness we’d find her shipped back our direction.
Sooooo, that was my first day home. Today I’m cleaning, cleaning. This will most likely ensure that nobody will stop by. Smiles for today.
Bleu Cheese and Cranberry Glazed Filet Mignon with Bourbon Laced Mushrooms
2 filet mignons (6 oz. each)
1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp. lemon pepper
Garlic Salt
Kosher salt
1-2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup Jack Daniels or bourbon of your choice
1/4 cup bleu cheese with cranberries, crumbled (or plain bleu cheese crumbles)
Preheat broiler.
Mix together the black pepper and the lemon pepper. Sprinkle on all sides of both steaks and cover and put in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove 1/2 hour prior to cooking time and allow to sit on counter.
Melt butter in skillet over med-high heat. Sear steaks on both sides, then lower heat. Deglaze pan with bourbon and continue cooking until bourbon has reduced and meat is slightly underdone. Remove from skillet, reserving juices, and place on baking sheet. Distribute the bleu cheese and cranberries on the top of both pieces of meat. Place 6″ under broiler and cook until bubbly. Plate and pour pan juices over top. Serve with mushrooms.
Bourbon Laced Mushrooms
1 lb. mushrooms, large dice
3 green onions, chopped all but bottom 1/3 of green
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup Jack Daniels or bourbon of choice
Garlic salt with parsley
2-3 Grinds of black pepper
Place mushrooms, onions, and butter in large skillet. Sprinkle with garlic salt and grind pepper over top. Cook over med. heat until butter is melted. Lower heat and continue cooking 5-7 mins. or until mushrooms are tender. Return heat to med. and add bourbon. Cook for an additional 3-4 mins. until most of bourbon has reduced. Serve over steaks.
What a day Friday was! You handled it so well. Those mushrooms look delicious!
It’s always interesting at our house these days 🙂
Oh, yes. Nothing like a realtor bringing a prospective buyer around at a bad time. As you say, smile politely and step out of the way. 🙂
I’m not a huge mushroom fan, but I bet my husband would be easily tempted by this recipe. 🙂
What can you do really? Oooh, I love mushrooms – any way, but adding the bourbon makes them outstanding.
What grace under pressure indeed! I love love love the idea of practicing ignorance, and plan to put it into effect in my life immediately!
Par for the course, isn’t it? When you think the coast is clear and you’re not expecting anyone…You did indeed handle it well.
I MUST remember the ig-nor-ance word. Love it.
Wonderful post again …. I would say that you got things under control and personal I hate when houses looks like nobody lives in them – all styled to teeth’s. Love your photos … that beef tenderloins looks so good, even if I’m not a beef person … I would be happy if that was put in front of me and those mushrooms. An excellent job. You’re very good with the camera, so clear photos.
Viveka, yup definitely our house looked as though somebody lived in it. Thank you re the photos. Something about being behind the camera makes me happy. Ahhhhh, the mushrooms were yummy and the bourbon just set them off.
This was a great post, Susie … well, to read. I’m not sure I’d be smiling if I was the one telling the tale. “Ignorance.” I’ll have to remember that. And I have to remember today’s recipes. I like to throw crumbled bleu cheese on my steaks on the grill but those drunken mushrooms sound fantastic! I’m not one to drink alone but, now that I know mushrooms enjoy Jack or bourbon, things are looking up!
I learned about the mushrooms in the south where Jack Daniels often shows up for a meal 🙂 They’re yummy. You can drink alone without guilt, John. Hah.
Been there- done that and it is painful. You know a few years back when I had my home up for sale it was the worst. Trying to keep your home perfect with teenage boys in the house well that is for the birds. I came up with a perfect plan of less than 1/2 hour to clients arrive. I throw everything that is not meant to be in a clothes hamper and vacumm my way out the door with my hamper to the car.
As for your yummy fancy steak dish seconds for me please.
I will send over seconds for you to taste. It is difficult to have people poking and prodding through your drawers and closets but that’s the way it’s done. I guess my two crazy cats make up for not having teenagers. Hah.
What a funny story and a wonderful recipe. Welcome home!
Thank you – it is good to be here 🙂
haha…Ain’t that so typical? Great meal…simple and tasty. The best kind!
Sometimes I just have to have good old whole meat – 🙂 It was the best!
Everything on the plate looks amazing!
Thanks so much!
Wow! That looks so good!
The cranberry in the bleu cheese really made it yummy!
You got me at Erma Bombeck and I must say you’ve got one hell of an interesting story there… and then you post a recipe for Filet Mignon with mushrooms cooked with bourbon. Nothing beats that. Great recipe and great photos to go with it.
Averil – luv the bourbon flavor in the shrooms. Good stuff. Thank you for the nice thoughts re my story as well.
Looks good. Congrats on the blog nomination.
Thank you for both thoughts 🙂
I cannot even imagine the ordeal my friend!!! But you successfully managed and make a killer recipe to boot 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Yes, I managed to come out the other side unscathed. Thank you re the recipe!
You pulled me in here with the Bombeck quote — ironing doesn’t even make the list of my favorite household chores: the only worse thing I can think of is machine sewing. I will be your psychic company today as I clean and clear clutter in my bedroom. Too bad no one will be cooking me steak.
I love to sew but only fun stuff like quilts, stuffed animals, pillow shams, etc. I can only iron if I have a good movie to watch. Keeps me from throwing it across the room. We’re having the most enormous artichokes for dinner, shall I ship you one? Never ones these size before. Look like cantaloupes.