Happy Hour at Cadillac Ranch

Betsy won a happy hour party at Cadillac Ranch in the Mall of America. Free drink, 1/2 off apps and free bull riding all night long... what else could one ask for?

Only Tawnya was brave enough to try to the bull riding. She gave a valiant effort. We learned that blue jeans are required for bull rider. Dress pants are too slippery to stay on the bull. Just thought our readers would like to know in case the situation presents itself.

Steph's 30th Birthday Celebration

In lieu of Wednesday Wine Night, we celebrated Stephanie's 30th Birthday on Thursday starting with dinner at Bucca di Beppo. Lots of pasta paired with cab sav and pinot grigio. Friday began with a spa day at Phresh Salon and ended with drinks at the Shout House and the Gay 90's club. It was a great weekend and fun was had by all! It is such a blessing to have such great friends and family.
  

Dinner at Bucca's!

Gay 90's

Gay 90's

Quotes from the Friday night:
"We had furmousas"
"The snow is acluminating"
"That's what Angelina does..."
"We are looking for a big one"
"What else am I supposed to do, I hung on a pole"
"I think I was black in another life because I know all of the 90's black rap songs"
"You don't have to hook up all the way"
"You're the one who first showed me the cock ring"

Sex Swings and Soup Spoons ...

Well. Two weeks ago at Alyssa's, some of us shoveled snow and wondered which side of the street to park on, and others struggled to get in their own driveway! Tonight at Alyssa's; however, the windows were open, the sun shining in, and the wine a flowin' ... and really, I have no idea what kinds, other than the one I brought and a couple of reds. :)

Dinner was light and full of flavor, perfect for those wishing to indulge (there was bread and butter) and those expecting a bit more of themselves - plenty of veggies and fruit for dessert (goooood job Wendy!).

and your favorite part of the blog...

"Don't say oooooghumph over my fuzzy rug!"

"I felt it was some sort of illegal maneuver."

"I don't look as good as those baseball players in tight pants."

"You should never have to clarify a man's age or how long he's been in prison."

"The girls have said you can come out of your hole!"

"Knock knock, we need wood!"

"Have a wedding with the guy, but DON'T get married!"

"We need DNA!"

"I have to renew my library books."

"I would be much more comfortable with naked old lady than wiping a child's poopy butt."

"Yeah! A vault that needs to be opened!"

"Rattle my bones."

"A little help please..."

"Really - you have something I need?"

"You got me all excited and then..."

"Um...are you sure you're hairy enough to be Chewy?" ... "Show 'em your shoulder!"

"I would like your tongue in my taco."

...soooo many good ones tonight!

mmmm, pasta! ... and PIRATES!

Miss Stephanie made a delicious lasagna with garlic bread, complimented with a savory, flavorful salad by Wendy. We indulged in a variety of wines: Malbec, Chardonnay, and an Asti. The conversation stayed pretty light and playful tonight - seems we're all getting ready for spring AND summer as several agenda items discussed involved party planning!

Aside from a broken wine glass (party foul!) 'twas a near perfect WWN.

HI-larious HI-ghlights:

"He finally found it after 8 years!"

"I just pull my own hair."

"Drunk and not getting off is like the worst thing in the world."

"I just did that a month ago..."
      "...so, now you're all set!?"

"Gimme the alcohol, kill the germs."

"PIRATES!"

"He's brushed it a little bit."

"He uses his hands."

"We're waiting...where's the white board."
"I have a big black cock if anyone needs it."

"I'm here to fix your thing."

"Might as well just say 'There's a dildo in here.'"

"I am on the sex toy thing."

"It's like putting a candle in there."

"God! My cat is such a pussy."


....and that, my friends, is how you have a WWN!

Hot Tamale Pie and Drive-by's

So its Hot Tamle Pie night at Alyssa's, served with a Southwest Salad and Raspberry Torte.  Missing Wendy tonight....but she is having a ridiculously fun time in the Southwest with her hubby.  We talked about inappropriate drive-by's...and yes, unwanted drive-by's are inappropriate!! There was also some fun pimple popping!

Quotes of the night......
"Its HOT in here!!"
"I tried twice.....& he keeps laughing...."
"That was the first time and it was 8 years ago!"
"I'm the blog nazi!"
"How do you envision this friendship working?"
"How many drive-bys am allowed in a week?"
"I think he has a disease...a learning disease!"
"I would not have gone for that 2nd serving but I will eat it!"
"It's a wine word"
"I think about you everyday, does that make you uncomfortable?"
"My ass is sweating"
"We don't want cute, we want 50 feet!!!!"
"This angle works for me!"
"Fake it till you make it!"
"I don't do fat and chubby..."
"OMG! Write that down!"
"So we've got a mechanic, a man for our finances and a guy for sex....we are all set!"
"A lover? Is this a romantic novel?"
"But how do you make an app for that?"
"Whats a white man fire?"
"He knows how to rub two sticks together!"
"I love juicy zits!"
"I just spilled wine on my big boobs!"

Celebrating Saint Urho's Day!

Betsy being Finnish and Wednesday being the Finnish holiday St. Urho's Day...  it only made sense to celebrate the occasion.

The legend of St. Urho originated in Northern Minnesota in the 1950s. However, there are differing opinions as to whether it began with the fables created by Sulo Havumaki of Bemidji, or the tongue-in-cheek tales told by Richard Mattson of Virginia. Either way, the legend has grown among North Americans of Finnish descent to the point where St. Urho is known and celebrated across the United States and Canada, and even in Finland.

St. Urho's Day is celebrated on March 16th, the day prior to the better known feast of some minor saint from Ireland, who was alleged to have driven the snakes from that island.

The legend of St. Urho says he chased the grasshoppers out of ancient Finland, thus saving the grape crop and the jobs of Finnish vineyard workers. He did this by uttering the phrase: "Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!"). His feast is celebrated by wearing the colors Royal Purple and Nile Green. St. Urho is nearly always represented with grapes and grasshoppers as part of the picture.

Betsy hosted and made porketta and grasshoppers. Our special guest of honor...a real life finnlander.. was Betsy's cousin Corrie. We all wore purple and drank lots of non-Finnish wine. It was a great night!

Fat Ash Wednesday

Dinner at Wendy's....a "Fat Ash Wednesday" celebration of sparkling wines, buffalo chicken, jambalaya, bread, and mango-peach frozen yogurt for dessert. BRAVO Wendy!

In celebration of Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Ash Wednesday, I made the following recipe:

Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 8 oz Andouille sausage, or other spicy smoked sausage, sliced 1/4" thick
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup diced tomato, fresh or canned
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4" thick
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 cup brown rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preparation:

In a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Saute the spices for 1 minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook stirring for a few minutes to let some of the liquid from the tomatoes evaporate. Add the green bell pepper, celery, and most of the green onions (reserve some of the dark green slices of the onions to garnish the top); cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Stir in the rice and mix well. Add the stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and check the rice. It should be just tender; if it is still too firm cook longer. When the rice is tender, add the shrimp, stir in, and cook covered for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if needed. Serve the jambalaya in bowls with green onions sprinkled on top.

Note: if you decide to substitute white rice in this jambalaya recipe, you will need to check the recipe after 20 minutes, as it cooks much faster than brown rice.

It's also the Wednesday following the "girls' night out" in RF...Wendy and Betsy surprised the rest of the ladies by showing up, along with their gentlemen, for the night's festivities. A few of the ladies shared some highlights (which may have resulted in a few of the more hilarious comments below).

Some of the more classy moments...

"pants on the ground!"

"...pants around the ankles..."

"I know the Heimlich!"

"I really can't get it out."

"Let me go get my wine opener....I keep it in the bedroom."

"Now...it's just not hoppening."

"Operation Pipe Cleaning, Part DO ME"

"I want him to rock my world!"

"I'm with the Steel Erector!"

"It was an eye-high five."

"Don't forget about the balls."

"I once had a dream that I sex with Brendan Fraser in a canoe."

"I hope we all have a dream about that."

"I would really like us to start calling him that to his face, that'd be awesome!"

"You just gotta fuck it out of him!"

"I'm going to try and come on Monday...oh, and I'll try to make it to your thing, too."