Getting creative with food...cram it, Rachael Ray.

I HATE MONEY. I hate thinking about it, talking about it, worrying about, I even hate to type about it here. But lately, it's all I think about...so I've got to vent. Where can I save a few more dollars? What can I do without until wedding season picks back up? It's embarrassing to be almost 30 and still be worrying how to make it to the next paycheck. Ew, almost thirty...I think I just threw up a little. Back to the subject at hand....

This time of year is ALWAYS tight for me financially...but this is not breaking news by any means. There are no weddings to regularly coordinate until April, so the money I make from my recruiting job during the week is all I have to live on, which isn't a whole lot once my rent/bills are paid. Combine that with all the money one spends over the holidays leading up to this time, along with the cruise I went on (did I really need that many margaritas? The answer to that question is YES.), and you've got some FUN budget issues. But I've done it to myself, so I feel lame complaining. I picked the lower paying job, I chose to drive a slightly nicer car, I chose the trips I went on. No one put a gun to my head to do any of this. But I work at company with people and a cause I care a lot about, I drive EVERYWHERE (hence the nicer car), and I LIVE to travel. And at the end of the day, I'm happier. So if that means I have to scrimp a little here and there this time of year, I'll take it over living with my parents, driving Cindy's used Daihatsu Charade, and never traveling farther than the 909. I'd suffocate.

So when it comes it food, it gets even more wacky. I get pretty creative with what's in my cupboard. But, the truth is that no matter how poor I get, I just can't bring myself to eat things that aren't tasty. I LOVE food. And I'm downright insulted by cheap crap that calls itself food, and frankly, I refuse to eat it; i.e. Kraft singles (it's NOT cheese), top ramen, and fat-free mayonnaise. And don't get me started on raisins...if you want to eat rotting grapes, that's your own business. But don't make it mine.

Recently, I was in need of some lunch, and about the only option I had in my kitchen was a sweet potato. But I'm not that interested in sweet potatoes, so I had to bring in reinforcements. I whipped out some salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, and olive oil, and I had a damn good meal of fancy sweet potato fries. I was so proud of my culinary improvisation, that I took a picture of the finished product:


All that complaining about money, just so I could tell you about my totally bitchin' sweet potato fries. What's that, you say?? Oh, you're very welcome. Please come back again.