Paula Deen or Mortimer Beckett??

This week I've had a hard time deciding who I want to be. If you recognize those two names in the title, you have some idea of what I'm talking about. Paula Deen is, of course, a cook. Tuesday we decided to create our own Japanese Steak House at home. We made a huge pot of fried rice, stir fried veggies, shrimp, chicken & steak. Then I made the creamy sauce they serve in the restaurants. We also had some spicy mango sauce and some onion blossom horseradish dip. It was all delicious. We invited my sisters over to eat with us, and even took some "take out" to my Mom.

Wednesday, my husband promised to make my nephew a pan of bread pudding. My grand-niece came down and decided she would make the bread pudding with Kirby's instructions. So, while they were working on that, I fixed the rest of the steak from the night before, along with some oven roasted garlic potatoes. When my nephew came for the bread pudding, we ended up feeding steak and potatoes to him, his wife, my grand-niece and nephew, and one of their friends. Everyone loved all the food, but grand-niece Jessica said she would rather have my sloppy joes than steak.

You probably know what happens next. Thursday we made sloppy joes for everyone, along with a special request for my cole slaw (from my nephew). Dessert was peanut butter cookies with M&Ms (one of my favorites).

So what about Mortimer Beckett, you ask? He is a character in a computer game. I have become obsessed with hidden object computer games lately. Between all the shopping for food and cooking, I sit at the computer and download free trial versions of games. Some, like Mortimer Beckett, I enjoyed enough to actually pay for the full version. Others, I play for 30 minutes and decide they are not that much fun. Right now I am going through Escape the Museum. It's pretty good, but the objects are very well hidden (to the point of being impossible to see). Yesterday I played Unicorn Castle all day. The day before that it was Hide & Secret Treasure of the Ages. I have my sisters playing these now, too. They finished Mystery PI - the Lottery Ticket and now they are playing Mystery Quest Secret Island.

I have probably played upwards of 20 of these type games and so far, Mortimer Beckett is still my favorite. There are two of them in case you are interested. Secrets of Spooky Manor and Time Paradox. Both are entertaining and sometimes challenging. Be prepared to waste a considerable amount of time if you start playing. They are addictive. But it's a relaxing, good for your mind kind of addiction.