Cowboy Meatloaf and Potato Casserole.

You know you're a fat chick when... you look salivatingly forward to a certain dinner and pray for leftovers. Seriously. When I put this on my menu, I couldn't WAIT for it. It kept staring me in the face; Saturday: Cowboy Meatloaf and Potato Casserole. I thought about it all week long. Pathetic, I know. But honest. I've learned to take some shortcuts with this recipe for a number of reasons. First, I can rarely find the potatoes it asks for in the original recipe. Second, I substitute ground turkey. Third, I use dried parsley. Fourth, I use pre-cooked bacon to save time. I've done this recipe in its original form and it tastes the same to me either way. If it can taste just as good AND save me time, I'll do it. There's a witty comment there, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Anyway, on to the recipe!

First we're gonna gather our ingredients. 

Two things about this photo, 1. There is no margarine in it, I was using it as a prop, and 2. That ugly thing on the right, in the foreground is an onion. It looks like a potato.

To a bowl add two pounds ground turkey, 1 1/4 cup chopped onion, 2 eggs, 2/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs, 1/2 cup barbeque sauce and 1 teaspoon salt.

Mix it well by hand. Doesn't that look sexy?

Spray a 9X13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and press your meatloaf mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

About ten minutes before your meatloaf is done, make your potatoes. Using three envelopes of instant potatoes, add FIVE cups warm water and microwave for 5 minutes on high. No. Do NOT add six cups of water.Yes. I know that's what it says. Trust me dammit.

Take your bacon out of the package and chop it up.

Take your potatoes out of the microwave when they're done and add 2/3 cup evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons dried parsley, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1/2 cup canned crispy fried onions and your chopped bacon. Mix it well and take a taste. Or three, like I did.

SO GOOD.

BEEP! Or DING! Your meatloaf is done. Drain off any fat. Mine didn't have any. Thank you ground turkey. Whoop! Whoop! Holla!

Spread your potatoes over your meatloaf.

Top with 1 1/2 cups reduced fat Mexican cheese blend.

Put that sucker back in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve it with extra barbecue sauce if you want. Eat it with a giant mixing spoon. Eat it from a trough if you'd like.

Just eat it!

Look at THAT. Meat and potatoes and cheese and everything good.

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Cowboy Meatloaf and Potato Casserole  (This is doubled and serves 8-10)

• 2 pounds ground turkey
• 1 1/4 cups chopped onion
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 packages Idahoan Buttery Homestyle Instant Mashed Potatoes
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 package pre-cooked bacon
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 crispy canned fried onions
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat Mexican cheese blend

1. Heat oven to 375. Spray a 9X13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Mix ground turkey, chopped onion, bread crumbs, eggs, barbeque sauce and salt in a bowl by hand until well mixed. Press mixture into bottom of pan and bake for 40 minutes.
3. Ten minutes before meatloaf is done, add your instant potatoes to a bowl with 5 cups of warm water and microwave on high for 5 minutes. While potatoes are in the microwave, take your bacon out of its package and chop it up.
4. When potatoes are done, add to them the evaporated milk, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic powder, and crispy canned fried onions. Mix well.
5. When your meatloaf is done, drain any fat from pan.
6. Spread potato mixture evenly over meatloaf and top with 1 1/2 cups reduced fat Mexican cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
7. Serve with extra barbecue sauce if desired. (It's REALLY good on top too.)

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I found the original recipe at: http://www.oreida.com/Recipes/C/Cowboy-Meatloaf-and-Potato-Casserole#.U5OoD3JdUfU

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

~ Nation

End of Year Class and Teacher Gifts for Those of Us Who Aren't Millionaires.

I did these a couple of years ago, and apparently had them on my computer still. Whoo-hoo! Here's my deal with class gifts and teacher gifts. I don't have a Circut or a Silhouette, so I can't do the fancy cut out tags. What I DO have though, is poster board! Purchased for a whopping 34 cents. I used a pen, a level and a pair of scissors to make tags for both projects. I is full of the smart.

First project: Have a Kool Summer!

First I measured the Kool-Aid packet so that the tag would be slightly smaller than the packet.

But I didn't take a picture of that, so here's a really lousy after picture. Was I doing this in the dark?

Use your pen and your level to make vertical lines.

Then make horizontal lines.

Then take some snazzy thin markers and write on each tag.

Make sure you smear it a little.  *sigh*

Realize that too many of them have smeared and start all over.  *DOUBLE sigh*

There we go!

Since I'm making two projects, I didn't need one whole piece for each class. That's why some of them say "You Otter". we'll get to that in a moment.

Cut out all your tags. You'll need tags, scotch tape, crazy straws and Kool-Aid packets.

Tape one tag to each Kool-Aid Packet and crazy straw. Wa-LA! 3rd grade class is DONE.

I found the original idea here: http://www.classroomdiy.com/2012/05/diy-simple-end-of-year-gift.html

Next up: You Otter have a Pop'in Summer!

Here's the tags. I realized that I should have just wrote Poppin'.

You'll need Otter pops, ribbon, tags, and a hole punch. Punch holes in your tags.

Take your Otter Pops out of the box. That's the easy way.  *wink*

First, have your child sign all the tags.

Now, tie 3 Otter Pops together with the ribbon, adding your tag right as you bunch them up. 

I don't know how else to explain how to put the tag on there. Run your ribbon through it and tie it on.

It's not rocket science.

Kindergarten is done! Whoopee!

I found the original idea here with free printable: http://missplueard.blogspot.com/2012/05/otter-pop-gift.html

This is my most pinned pin on Pinterest, with 474 repins currently. 

Now, for the most important, the TEACHERS!

I made them these pretty apple gifts with homemade caramel dipping sauce in small mason jars. 

I bought some cute ribbon and clear cellophane bags to which I added some pretty apples and a jar of homemade caramel sauce. (SO GOOD!) I made tiny thank-you cards that we all signed that I tied on with the ribbon. We gave them to their teachers, principal and office secretaries. 

I found the original idea here: http://www.whimsy-love.com/2012/05/teacher-appreciation-gifts.html

And the caramel dipping sauce recipe here: http://www.whimsy-love.com/2009/01/caramel-dipping-sauce.html

Stay tuned for this years treats!

~ Nation

Dinner Tonight! New Recipe: Taco Pasta Bake.

I had 2 pounds of ground turkey and didn't want the usual tacos. I hunted and came across this recipe. Sounded... interesting. Wasn't sure how it would be. Tacos and pasta don't seem to go together very well. But I thought I'd give it a shot. Here's the ingredient shot:

Except NOT QUITE! I forgot to add the cream cheese in this shot.

Ah! There we go! Overly bright ingredient shot with the cream cheese. But wait! Where's the ground turkey?

IN THE PAN BROWNING ALREADY! Drats.

So, we'll pretend that didn't happen and move along. I doubled this recipe, so here's what I did. I browned 2 pounds of turkey in a pan while I boiled my pasta, a one pound box of rigatoni. When the meat was done, I drained it, then returned it to the pan. To the meat I added 2 packets of McCormick, mild, reduced sodium taco seasoning and 2 cups of water. I heated it on medium heat until it came to a boil and then added the cream cheese. Notice, I used Greek cream cheese. SO much better than even the light stuff. I let the cream cheese melt while I stirred it. While I was doing this, my pasta was done. Drain it, rinse it, drain it again. The meat/cream cheese mixture will look like this:

Or an approximation thereof.

Put your drained pasta into a greased (I sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray) 9X13 pan. To the pasta add one cup reduced fat cheddar cheese and mix it around. Like so:

Now, pour your meat mixture on top of the pasta. Don't be shy. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

Bake this at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

When it's done, serve it up! I topped mine with just sour cream.

You could add olives, salsa, whatever. I was out of salsa.

That was me.

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Taco Pasta Bake  (not doubled)

• 1/2 bag or box large noodle pasta like rigatoni
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 envelope taco seasoning (I used reduced sodium)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 block cream cheese (I used Greek)
• 1 1/2 cups reduced fat cheese (I used cheddar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown ground turkey in pan. While turkey is browning, boil pasta.
2. When turkey is done, drain it well and return it to the pan. Add the packet of taco seasoning and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer and simmer it for about 5 minutes. Add the 1/2 block of cream cheese, and stir until melted. Remove from heat.
3. When pasta is done, drain, rinse, and drain again. Grease an 8X8 pan. Add pasta to pan. Stir 1 cup cheese into the pasta.
4. Spread meat/cream cheese mixture evenly over pasta. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes. Top with sour cream, olives, salsa, whatever you'd like!

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I found the original recipe at: http://www.canadianmomscook.com/2012/07/taco-pasta-bake.html

Review: When trying out any new recipe that could be even remotely spicy, I trust my 7 year-old. If she likes it, EVERYONE likes it. Her and I are the only ones in our family that don't do spicy. We're outnumbered 6-2. Well, she LOVED it. Everyone loved it! I was wrong about the taco meat and pasta combination, they worked REALLY well together. I seriously liked this a lot. 3 3/4 stars.

Happy Eating!

Crockpot Cube Steak and Gravy. Best cube steak EVER.

I hate mushrooms. Slimy. Their texture is... SCRUNCHY. I used to LOVE mushrooms. When I was pregnant with my Christopher back in '88, I ate a crap ton of stuffed mushrooms. At the time, we lived in Big Bear, which is a GREAT if you're just visiting.We had a friend whose house we visited almost every day and she catered to my crazy pregnancy craving of stuffed mushrooms. One day, I was noshing on these gems and I ate one that tasted like nothing but mold. Like a had eaten a solid ball of mushy mold. Since then I haven't eaten one. Nope. No thank-you.

This recipe calls for 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup. Which makes me go,

So of course I had to tweak it. First up, the gathering of the ingredients.

As you can see, I'm using 1 can cream of celery and 1 can cream of onion. Also, when I went to the store to buy my cube steaks, they only had one left and it was on sale. High five! Anyway, you are going to use 2 cans of cream of whatever-the-hell-you-want soup. I meant to buy 2 cream of onion to be honest. Then I saw the cream of celery and was messing around with things in my head and got the wrong stuff. Oh well. Pour or glop your two cans of soup, 1 packet of onion soup mix and 3/4 water into a bowl. Mix it well. It'll look like this:

Or something. My lighting is terrible as usual.

Put your cube steaks into your crockpot. Spoon the mixture over them, covering them completely.

Remember: I use crockpot liners.

Also, here is my awesome crockpot:

I received this for Christmas from my honey face. It's HUGE. I can put anything in this baby.

Let that cook on low for 6-8 hours. It will smell amazing and fill your house with hunger pains. After it has finished cooking, it will not be full of magical cube steaks that you can take out individually. No. They will be stuck together somewhat. You can try and pick them apart, or whatever, but what you'll get is a cube steak chunk of meat that isn't beautiful, but tastes AMAZING. However! If you don't want them fusing together, after they've been cooking about 3 hours, pull them apart. They'll have just started sticking together and should come apart quite easily. When everything is done, removed your cube steaks and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the gravy. Whisk the daylights out of that gravy to get that cornstarch all blended in. You can choose not to do this, I have, but the gravy is thinner. Either way, it's good. It'll look something like this:

I told you it wasn't pretty. But neither is John Malkovich and he's pretty damn good.

I served this with some mashed potatoes and carrots. Serve it with whatever you like, but I'd certainly recommend mashed potatoes or rice for all that tasty gravy. Happy eating!

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Crockpot Cube steak and Gravy

• Cube Steak (I used a family size pack)
• 2 cans cream of onion (or whatever) soup
• 1 envelope onion soup mix
• 3/4 cup water

1. Place cube steaks in bottom of crockpot. Mix together cans of soup, envelope of onion soup mix and 3/4 water in a bowl. Pour mixture evenly over cube steaks. Cook on low 6-8 hours, separating steaks halfway if you'd like. Remove steaks from gravy when done. Whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into gravy. Return cube steaks back to crockpot. Serve and enjoy!

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I found the original recipe here: http://thepost-itplace.com/2012/01/crockpot-cube-steak-and-gravy/

Review: Not a visually pretty dish, but the best damn cube steak we've ever had. It just falls apart. The gravy can be pretty thin, so you can add some cornstarch if you'd like. 4 stars.

2 for the Price of 1! Memorial Day Sweet Treat Potluck Recipes.

First off, I would like to say thank you to anyone reading this that has served our country or has lost a loved one who was serving our country. I am a CRAZILY patriotic person and I really do thank you for your service and sacrifice from the bottom of my heart. My step-father David Ortiz served in the Korean war, and my grandfather Horace Scott Strain Sr. served in World War II. I cannot imagine the courage and fierce pride that it takes to fight for your country. I truly do honor and appreciate beyond the scope of written words, what those who have lost their lives in service have done for our country. Again, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making the ultimate sacrifice so that I may do things like sleep well at night, safe and sound.

As most Americans do, on any possible holiday, we barbeque. Memorial Day is no different. We celebrate and honor our fallen heroes by eating hamburgers and potato salad. And that is pretty damn weird. Thank you for dying for our country, please pass the macaroni salad. But we celebrate their memory. We celebrate their courage. We celebrate because we are Americans and that's what we do. 

Today we're having a swim party and potluck at our friend's house and aside from bringing hot dogs and buns and some 2 liters of soda, I'm making two dessert side dishes. I know I should have made some red, white and blue dessert, but I didn't want to. I'll save that for 4th of July. Because both of these recipes looked equally good, and called for a lot of the same types of ingredients, I couldn't decide. Then I saw that they both called for 1/2 bag of mini marshmallows and that made up my mind for me. They were meant to be together, sharing a bag of marshmallows in perfect harmony.

First up, Orange Fluff Jello Salad!

The obligatory ingredient shot.

The first thing you're gonna do is put a large box of cook and serve vanilla pudding, a large box of orange Jello, and 2 cups of water in a pan. Over medium heat, you're going to stir it until it comes to a boil and then take it off and pour it into a bowl.

It will look like this.

Chill that stuff in the fridge for an hour. When you take it out, it'll be all weird. Kinda firmish Jello-ish puddingish stuff. That's cool. That's what you want. Then you're gonna get out your beaters and beat it on medium high until it gets all nice and creamy like.

Like so!

While you are whipping this, let your fruit drain in a colander. You will drain a 20 ounce can of pineapple tidbits, and 22 ounces of mandarin orange slices. Bananas are optional, but I didn't add them, because they're going in the other salad.

To this now creamy mixture you will fold in 16 ounces of cool whip. Stir it around gently til it's all mixed in. You will have a scary moment where it looks like it's gonna separate, but that okay! It comes together. I promise you. Add your pineapple, oranges and 1/2 bag mini marshmallows. Stir that all around and it will look like this:

YUMMMMMMM!

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Orange Fluff Jello Salad

• 1 large package cook and serve vanilla pudding (4.6 ounces)
• 1 large package orange Jello (6 ounces)
• 2 cups water
• 1 16 oz Cool-Whip (lite or fat-free is fine)
• 1/2 bag mini marshmallows
• 20 ounce can pineapple tidbits (drained)
• 22 ounces mandarin oranges (drained) (I couldn't find this size, so I bought 2 smaller cans)
• 2 to 3  bananas, sliced (Optional, put in before serving so they don't turn brown in the fridge)

1. Mix together pudding, Jell-o, and water over medium heat until it boils. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate until mixture has thickened (about an hour). Beat until creamy. Fold in Cool Whip, marshmallows, and fruit. Chill about an hour before serving.

I found the original recipe here: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/12/orange-fluff-jello-salad-recipe.html

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Review: I don't normally like orange stuff, but this was off the hook! All the kids at the potluck LOVED this. It was SO good! Totally a keeper. Chloe liked it so much, that she asked me to make it for her end of year class picnic. 4 stars.

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Next up, Strawberry Cheesecake Salad!

This stuff is what you need.

Mix 12 ounces of cool whip (I bought a 16 ounce tub and took out 1/2 cup), 3 6 ounce containers of strawberry yogurt, and one small box of cheesecake instant pudding.

I could eat it just like this.

Now set it in the fridge for an hour to set itself up. Before you serve it add 1 pound sliced strawberries, 3 sliced bananas, and 1/2 bag mini marshmallows. It'll look like this:

How good does that look, huh? In this crappy lighting.

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Strawberry Cheesecake Salad

• 12 ounces whipped topping
• 1 small box cheesecake flavored Jello instant pudding
• 3 6 ounce containers strawberry yogurt
• 1 pound sliced strawberries
• 3 bananas
• 1/2 bag mini marshmallows

1. Thaw whipped topping overnight in the fridge. In a large bowl stir together whipped topping, all three yogurts, and pudding powder. Let this set up in the fridge for at least an hour. Wash and slice strawberries (I did this the night before). You can add the strawberries to the salad or wait to add them with sliced bananas and marshmallows just before serving which is what I did.

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I found the original recipe at: http://mommys-menu.blogspot.com/2012/05/strawberry-cheesecake-salad.html

Review: This was AMAZING! The adults prefered this salad, and I loved it ALMOST as much as the orange one. Certainly a keeper. I think the marshmallows made it a little too sweet, but no one else did. So throw those suckers in! 4 stars.

So, everybody liked both of them pretty darn equally. My mom couldn't decide which was better. Side by side they belong together.

Kielbasa Alfredo. Tryin' a new recipe!

I wanted something simple for dinner tonight. This has only six ingredients. That's pretty damn simple. Let's start with the basics:

I'm doubling this recipe, so I'm using two of everything (obviously).

Put your water on to boil for your pasta and cut up your kielbasa slanty-like.

I dunno why. It just looks better. I guess.

By the way, never cut meat up on a wooden surface. Germs get in there. Use a cutting board.

Boil your pasta. Drain, rinse, drain again. While your pasta is boiling, boil your kielbasa in another pan. The original recipe has you frying it in some butter and add salt and pepper. Nope. Too lazy to fry and why add any extra fat? But you can fry it up if you want. If you boil it, drain it. Duh.You'll notice that I'm using light alfredo and turkey polska kielbasa, that REALLY cuts down on the fat and calories. Also, I'll be grinding in some black pepper.

By the way, putting a wooden spoon over your pot really DOES keep it from boiling over.

Once your pasta is done, and your kielbasa is done, throw that kielbasa into the pot with the pasta! Pour in the alfredo sauce and mix it all around. Now eat it. There ya go. There's dinner tonight. As this is a new recipe for us, the review will be below. Gimme time to actually eat it.

Fancy paper plate shot.

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Kielbasa Alfredo

• 1 16 oz. package noodles
• 1 pound Turkey Kielbasa
• 1 16 oz jar light Alfredo
• Cracked black pepper to taste
• Parmesan for topping

1. Boil your pasta until the doneness you desire. We like our pasta little soft, so I boiled mine about 14 minutes. Depending on what kind of pasta you use though, that could make it turn to mush. Just follow the directions or do like you normally do. Drain, rinse, drain.
2. Cut up and boil your kielbasa while your pasta is boiling. Drain it when it's done. Pour your pasta and kielbasa in a large bowl, or back in the pot you made your pasta in. Stir in your alfredo sauce. Sprinkle or grind in some black pepper. Stir it up. Serve with a little shredded parmesan. Enjoy!

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Review: Liked it! It was a nice change from chicken alfredo and all three kids gave it a thumbs up! It WAS a LITTLE bland, but the parmesan helped. Could use maybe more pepper. Quick, easy and tasty though! 3 1/2 stars.

I found the original recipe here:http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Kielbasa-Alfredo/Detail.aspx?evt19=1

6 Funerals and a Wedding: or The Blacklist, Hannibal and Modern Family finales .

****SPOILER ALERT****

If you watch these shows and aren't caught up, STOP READING NOW. I cannot STAND it when someone tells me something about a show I watch that I'm not caught up on yet. I avoided hearing about the big shocking secret in The Crying Game like the PLAGUE, only to have it nonchalantly revealed to me by a damn radio host. *sigh*

I DVR everything I watch because I can't watch ANYTHING in real time. I don't watch daytime tv, it is boring, I'm not the father, I don't care who is getting back together with whom, and the ONE episode of Dr. Oz that I watched convinced me that he's just out to frighten people into not drinking apple juice. I don't even watch the news. So during the evenings (sometimes during the day if I have a chance), I catch up on my shows.Last night I watched the season finales of Hannibal, The Blacklist and Modern Family.

First up, The Blacklist. WHAT THE HELL?!?! You can't kill off everybody! First Meera gets her throat slit by a thug, then Cooper gets garroted in his car, then Tom gets shot by Lizzie. What. The. F*ck. Meera is DEFINITELY dead. There's no getting around that. There's no, "Well maybe she..." No. She didn't. She is kaputsville. Cooper's hand moved while he lay in his hospital bed. Telling us that he what, might recover? Probably. He'll probably be back with a limp and trusty cane. And then there's Tom. Good ole' Tom. Shot by Lizzie, OBVIOUSLY dead and then they show us where his body WAS. What? I'm sorry NBC, but there is no saving Tom. Tom is one done turkey. And the climax?! The scene we were left with?! Reddington is Lizzie's father! Wait. Lemme sarcastically gasp at that moment everyone saw coming since episode 1. I give your finale resounding "Meh".

Next up, Hannibal! The show that has gotten so freakin' weird that not even the writers know exactly what the hell is going on anymore. The cinematographer has just decided that he's so f'ing confused that he'll just film crap falling in slow motion and fit that in the storyline somehow. Falling cups, tears, blood, glass, rain, knives, papers. Come ON. I understand and like dramatic effect, but this is getting a little nutso. But that's not what bothered me. Anyone who watches Hannibal is used to things happening sloooooooooooowly. What bothered me was that they killed EVERYONE. EVERYBODY IS DEAD. Jack? Dead. Abigail Hobbs? Resurrected and then: dead. Will Graham? Dead. Alana? Ummmmmm, dead? Probably. MAY-be. She was still breathing as Hannibal walked away. Perhaps it's all led up to this. Perhaps Alana will now be the new Clarice. I swear to God, if I hear anybody in that series say, "It puts the lotion.." I'ma freak out in a serious kung-fu style. That is the most over-used expression EVER. There were other lines in that movie, people! Memorize one of those! And no, not the one about fava beans and Chianti either. That one's played out too.

Will was the good guy, but told Hannibal that Jack was on to him. But, wha...? And now everyone's dead. Ta-DA! There seems to be a defining moment that I missed where Will goes bat-shit and works undercover to catch Hannibal. They never actually covered that. It was just suggested. And apparently Jack was just gonna overlook that whole Will-murdered-a-guy-and-turned-his-dead-body-into-a-creepy-saber-toothed-tiger-thing. Who doesn't overlook things like that in the great scheme of things? I know I do. And Hannibal flies away with his therapist Gillian Anderson! That is just honestly bug shit crazy right there. He talked one of her patients into trying to kill her and now they're off to the French Riviera. Yep. Of course. well, I mean if one can overlook the dead guy cat thing... Perhaps this plot is too complex for me. Perhaps I'm just not as intelligent as I think I am and this story is beyond the meager reaches of my limited understanding. Or perhaps they just need to make things a little more clear and fluent. Overall, I cussed at this finale a lot. A LOT.

Modern Family! I LOVE this show. I really, honestly LOVE this show. Mostly because I'm a cross between Cam and Phil. Scary huh? Ayuh. Throw in a little of Claire and a dash of Jay for good measure. I love this show because it's realistic. Sure, they're financially WAY better off than I am, but the kinds of things they go through are real. In this 2 part finale, where Jay has finally said how uncomfortable he is with the idea of a gay wedding, he and Mitchell are at odds. Jay is an old school guy with old school values and his feelings don't surprise me a bit. They don't even offend me. Why? Because that's how life was back in his time and we can't force people to change. We can hope, we can dream, we can push and shove, we can cry and protest, but until we reach a certain evolutionary point, we don't change. Change is just another word for evolve. And not everyone can or will evolve. We need to be tolerant of those people too. 

As a woman who believes wholeheartedly in God, I am also a woman who has done enough research on religion to know that God did not sit down and write the bible. The bible was picked over and edited until it said what people of the time wanted it to say. The Romans were sexually active with both genders and thought nothing of it. But the Christians wanted to steer people as far away from Roman practices as possible. Henceforth, homosexuality is a sin. Although it doesn't ever actually SAY that, it certainly implies it. But again, I digress.

After a ridiculous amount of hoopla and venue changes, the wedding appears to be about to take place at Cam and Mitchell's house. But Jay, feeling bad, and realizing how unfair he's been, calls his country club and sets up the wedding there. He even walks Mitchell down the aisle. You bet your ass I cried. Good season finale guys! You keep that up!

So two nay's and a yay! I didn't care for the obvious conclusion of Blacklist or the overwrought slow-mo season finale of Hannibal, but Modern Family brightened it all up. All three have been renewed for another season, and we'll see if Hannibal can tighten it's surrealistic belt just a little.

Next up, my opinion on BBC's zombie, uh, partially deceased syndrome sufferers, comedy/drama In The Flesh. Stay tuned!