My goal in life is to be Jenny from The League

I came across this article today: Introducing the "Mom Cave."

A place for moms to hang out by themselves? Sure, sounds like a good idea.

Decorated in hot pink and shabby chic ruffles? Puh-lease.

Can we BE anymore stereotypical, Homegoods?

I'm reminded of a time when I went to a week-long national conference for my college church group. It was in the same city where I went to university, so it seemed like a good idea. I had fun. I met a lot of folks. It was great. And then they mentioned the plans for men's and women's groups.

I think the exact words were something like, "Men! We have the Metrodome confirmed for our event...the freakin' METRODOME!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"!!!!!!!"

"And....um....oh yeah...ladies we have something fun planned for you too."

That "something fun" was a do-it-yourself spa night.

A freakin' spa night. Do-it-yourself.

By this time, I was sick of it being assumed that all women at church wanted to do when we got together was have a spa night. Seriously. That's all we ever did. Spa nights.

I, myself, would've - to use the parlance of our times - freakin' loved playing a pick-up game of tag football on the Metrodome field, or, heck, even just being on the field.

But, nope. Men only.

And now, well, I give Homegoods credit for adapting the whole "Man Cave" phenomenon for women, but c'mon. Some of us girly girls still have a tomboy side.

In fact, it's my fondest ambition to be the kind of wife and mother that Jenny is on The League. And not just because I'd have an awesome brother-in-law named Taco.

No, it's more that I would relish being a pretty easy-going mother who can kick her husband's butt in Fantasy Football (that this would require me to understand and care about Fantasy Football is not the topic of today's discussion).

Ultimately, I guess what I'm trying to say is that there's more to women than pink ruffly things, especially THIS woman.

Just check my Twitter feed from this week. (Seriously? The ESPN Sports Center talking heads all picked the Bears on Monday and now they're all picking the Packers? What gives, Flip Floppers?)

With that, I leave you with the man my future brother-in-law must live up (or down) to...depending on how you view it (sorry, the Birthday Song doesn't allow embedding):

Baby Boom

Lately I've had quite a few friends announce new additions to their families.

This is great.

I love babies.

However, it makes me wonder just what the heck was going on 9 months ago that so many of my nearest and dearest are now parents.

I did a bit of digging and found this.

Ah, that explains it then.

Burgeoning Cook for Hire

What can you do with a few days off from work?

Cook the crap outta your kitchen that's what.

Here's the roster of our players, currently "on deck" in my freezer...

1. Lamb Curry


The recipe was your typical Midwestern "I don't do spice or anything crazy" curry recipe.

In other words: Bogus.

A tweak here, some coconut milk there, and I made Curry Magic.

2. Beef Bourguignon


The wine from France's Burgundy region makes it "Bourguignon."

It was damn hard to find red wine from France's Burgundy region.

I managed to find a nice Pinot Noir, and the dish came out so scrumptious that I'd offer you a bite, but a) you can eat over the Internet and b) I don't want to share.

Next time I'll use a local red and call it Beef Wisconsgnon.

3. Meatballs


Famous in 4 countries and at least 3 states.

The recipe is not for sale, but you will be able to buy them in the near future.

4. Spaghetti Sauce


I tweeted that I was making homemade spaghetti sauce.

A woman who blogs for Hunts asked which recipe I was using.

I laughed and replied that I wasn't.

This, too, will be for sale to the general public in the near future.

Stay tuned.

5. Shepherd's Pie with Lamb


My new favorite is cooking with lamb.

Little Bo Peep can sue me.

Lamb is succulent, tender, mouth-watering, and useful in, oh, so many recipes.

I first fell in love with lamb when I had the most delicious lamb chops in Italy.

I then furthered my love affair in New Orleans with a roasted lamb loin.

I now will try to incorporate lamb stew meat and ground lamb in delightful dishes, this Shepherd's Pie and the above Lamb Curry being the start.

6. Cinnamon Streusel Cake


Start with a layer of cake, add a layer of cinnamon sugar, add another layer of cake, and then top with a layer of streusel.

Bake.

Drizzle with a thick vanilla glaze when cool.

Die happy.