A little of this, A little of that

I have been silent for a while and I need to break that silence, but all the thoughts I have had for blog fodder are all jumbled up so I am liable to be flitting around from topic to topic.  Grab yourself some caffeine and try to keep up!

Have you read about the gay penguin couple?  Here is the latest update on them:




"After six years of lovingly building a nest together each spring, a pair of male Gentoo penguins named Inca and Rayas finally have an egg to keep in it. According to their keepers at Madrid's Faunia Park, the two are inseparable and have taken to parenting like, well, penguins to water. Inca has adopted the female role of incubating the egg, while partner Rayas watches over his buddy and the little one. Their keepers hope that the donated egg -- and the bub that hatches out of it -- will boost the pair's spirits. In past years, they apparently became rather blue during spring when surrounded by all their friends' newborns."

Awwwww.  What a sweet story.

Did you watch the DWTS finale?  I had no hopes that this season would be as good as it was.  It really was great to watch.  The final 4 were all so good that there was no reason to be disappointed no matter who won.

Speaking of finales, all the shows are having their season finales this past month and none more important to watch than Monday night's airing of the SERIES FINALE of House.  The whole series is over.  No more cranky pants House.  No more weird diseases to be discovered and cured.  No more co-workers to kill off.  It was really good and stayed true to the character of the show.  I hate it when they come up with some cutesy ending that fails miserably to resolve anything.

Oh!  I found a new favorite blog!  My absolute favorite blogger in the world is Martha Payne.

Have you heard of Martha?  No?

Well, she is a 9 year old girl who lives in Scotland.  And just the most clever thing around.  I wish I had been that smart at 9.  She was becoming disillusioned about the school lunches and she now writes a blog about it.  She posts a photo of it and rates it on taste, nutrition, how many mouthfuls she actually gets (these photos of her lunches have shocked me by how small they are) and also by whether or not she finds a hair in them.

This is an eye-opening experiment.  She asked for kids around the world to send in pictures of their own school lunches (or made at home and brought to school) to her for comparison.  And yes, her dad is helping her by tweeting about this.  And yes, Jamie Oliver is aware of this and encouraging her. He needs to get his gorgeous Naked Chef self up to Scotland and do something with their school lunches. Those meals have negligable protein, few vegetables, little or no fruit.  Mostly carbs, bread, potatoes, pasta and the like.  So go read Martha and send her some encouragement.

And on a completely different train of thought, in the paper this Sunday, right on the front page was an article titled "Despite changes, more kids are dying"

Seems that our county has taken the lead in Texas for most child deaths involving parents from abuse and/or neglect.  Lovely.  Our county has had 20 child deaths in the last fiscal year.  We also had the most confirmed cases of abused and neglected children in the state, 5,915 which is more than the 5,493 for Houston which has nearly three times as many children as our city.  More deaths with 1/3 the total number of children.  Doesn't that make your stomach turn?

The article goes on for another full page of facts, details, information, etc. And it ends with a half page listing each of the 20 children who were killed and the pertinent facts of each of their cases.  It made this very personal and real to see their little names, ages, cause of death and what criminal case or charges have been filed, that kind of outcome.  I think these little ones deserve to be honored in this way and create some awareness and hopefully get more people to step up and volunteer to help.

Do any of you remember last July when I posted this??  This little angel boy was the last one listed on this page of 20.  I had periodically checked the news online to see if anything had ever come of the father of this child admitting to hurting and ultimately killing this baby and never could find anything. So I read the little bit they had listed Sunday on this baby. And I am going to go ahead and type what is there since it is the newspaper I can assume there is no expectation of privacy.  Here's what is said:

Kaleb Alexander Janosik

Age: 22 days

Date of death: July 24, 2011

Died of head injuries.

Father admitting to striking and biting the child.

Mother and father were found "reason to believe" for physical abuse.

Justin Janosik (father) pleaded guilty to murder, received a life sentence.

My heart just breaks for all 20 of these shameful deaths.  One thing I looked at is that 11 of the 20 had previously been investigated by CPS so someone already knew there was a problem in the home.  I don't know the answer to this horrific problem but I do know that I try my hardest to make sure my work with each of my clients helps them to fall in love with their children and to know there are resources for when they are overwhelmed and feel helpless.

If you feel so moved to help with abused and neglected children, consider becoming a CASA  advocate. Or check with your CPS office and see what it takes to become a foster family for children in need.  Some of our local high schools have nurseries for the babies while moms attend school and they need volunteers there to work with the babies.  You can teach parenting classes. There are many ways you can get involved and make a difference in a child's life.  Please make the effort.  Don't just sit back and read about the tragedies being perpetrated on these young lives and do nothing. It really does take a village.

We're not number 1!

You know how there is always someone compiling lists and statistics about any and every thing you can imagine?  Supposedly, my city is the top rated for binge drinking and also for teen pregnancy.  You see a connection there?  Maybe a little cause and effect?

This morning I was reading news articles online and came across one that lists the top 10 and bottom 10 for the drunkest states in the union.  There is a whole lot of numbers that went into this listing, but I am just going to bottom line the 10 Least Drunk states and then the 10 Most Drunk States.

Least Drunk States

10. Ohio with an average of 32.6 gallons per person

9. Alabama with 30.6 total gallons per person

8. West Virginia with 29.3 g.p.p. (shorter to type 20 times)

7. North Carolina also with 29.3 g.p.p.

6. Oklahoma with 28.9 g.p.p.

5. Kansas with 28.7 g.p.p.

4. Tennessee with 28 g.p.p.

3. Arkansas with 26.6 g.p.p. (personally I think having the Dugger clan in ARK skews their numbers)

2. Kentucky with 26.2 g.p.p.

and drumroll, please  . . . . . .

1. Utah!!!  with 18.9 g.p.p.

That's quite the drop in consumption between number 2 Kentucky and number 1 Utah, wouldn't you say?

Also, I think it bears noting that lots of these non-boozing states are in the south.  The south.  Where all the good whiskey is made.  They make it but they aren't slamming it back.  Interesting.

And this brings us to our Top 10 Drunken Booziest States!

10. Colorado with 34.7 g.p.p.  (notice this is almost twice what Utah drinks)

9. Alaska with 35.4 g.p.p. (I would have thought it would be higher)

8. Wyoming with 37.6 g.p.p.

7. Delaware with 38.5 g.p.p.  (Delaware???  who woulda thunk it?)

6. North Dakota with 39.3 g.p.p.

5. Wisconsin with 39.5 g.p.p. (Hey, it takes a lot of booze to fuel writing The Onion so consistently funny)

4. Montana with 40.1 g.p.p. (another one I am not surprised at. Hell, this state has the Testicle Festival! You pretty much have to be drunk for that one!)

3. District of Columbia with 41.6 g.p.p.

2. Nevada with 46 g.p.p. (Holy Bikinis, Batman!  That's a lot of booze!)

and believe it or don't, the number one spot of Drunkest, Booziest State in the Union goes to . . . . . . .

NEW HAMPSHIRE with 48.7 gallons per person.


I will let that sink in for a minute.  New Hampshire beat us.  One of the teensiest little states beat our big giant drive-for-days-to-get-across Texas.  How did your state rank?  Did your state rank in the top or bottom 10?

But I bet those NH teens won't beat out our local girls for most teen pregnancies!  We'll always (sadly) have that claim to fame.

Recipes!

Recently I mentioned making King Ranch Chicken which is a staple in Texas.  Everyone makes it, everyone knows how to make it and as per usual, everyone does it just a wee bit different.  And someone asked for the recipe.

So I am here to share the recipe with you.  And also I am going to give you one that is even better.

Here is my thinking on this:  As I said above, everyone in Texas makes the King Ranch Chicken casserole which gets its name from the King Ranch.  Supposedly a cook on the ranch put this together and that's how it came to be known as King Ranch Chicken.  *And could I say King Ranch any more times in this paragraph?

But before I go further in my story about these 2 recipes I want to give you the link to the actual King Ranch . Just in case you want to peruse this fine establishment and see what's what on their site.  The King Ranch is the largest ranch in the whole wide world.  It is bigger than many of the east coast small-ish states.

So with the King Ranch Chicken casserole, it's one of those recipes that evolved over time.  I am sure way back in the day when the cook first made this he/she did NOT run right out to the store to get a couple of canned goods to get started.  On a property with that many thousands and thousands of acres you don't run right out for anything.  So it makes sense that it was probably made with from-scratch items and then when it became popular it was easier to get home cooks to make this using store-bought cans to make a few shortcuts.

I have made this and eaten this my whole life.  And when we moved to Guadalajara I took a TON of different cooking classes.  One set of which were taught by a neighbor of mine, the late Maria Machuca. She was a very talented cook and a great teacher.  She taught me to make a Mexican tradition known as Chilequiles.  The first time I tasted it I knew immediately that this is what the King Ranch Chicken was trying to imitate.  The cook probably had come from Mexico and had the recipe or the taste memory of the Chilequiles and wanted to recreate it with local ingredients available.

So I am giving you both, the King Ranch Chicken and Maria's recipe for Chilequiles.  Try them both and see what you think.

King Ranch Chicken

1 3-lb. chicken, cut up
2 cans cream soup (can be mushroom, chicken, celery.  I usually do one mushroom and one chicken)
1 can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with chiles
1 dozen corn tortillas, cut into wedges (much like a pizza or a Trivial Pursuit game piece)
2 cups cheese, grated

Boil the chicken with some celery, parsley, garlic, onion or whatever you like to flavor the meat. You are going to use a bit of the broth in the recipe, as well.  After the chicken is cooked and cooled, debone and cut or tear the meat into bite-sized pieces.

Combine the cans of soup with the Ro-Tel and about a cup or so of the broth and mix till smooth.

In a large casserole or a 9x13 pyrex pan, layer up tortillas, chicken, cheese, soup mixture, tortillas, chicken, the rest of the soup and then top with the rest of the cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 F for about 1 hour.  I usually take the foil off the last 15 minutes and let the cheese brown a bit for the last part of the cooking.

Sounds good, right?  It is.

Now here is the recipe for the Chilequiles

2 pkg of corn tortillas (I usually go with about 24 - 36), cut into the same wedges
1/2 liter heavy cream or sour cream
1/2 kilo shredded Mexican Manchego cheese or a good Monterrey Jack or Mozzarella (you want the melty stretchiness)
3/4 kilo green tomatillos
6 small green serrano peppers
1 small wedge of onion
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 cups cilantro

In a good-sized saucepan cover the tomatillos with water. Add the peppers, onion and garlic. Boil until water darkens, about 10 minutes.

After you have cut the tortillas into wedges, heat some oil in a frying pan and fry them till crispy and golden.  Spread on paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt. (try to not eat them all!)

Shred the cheese.

Let the tomatillos and peppers cool a bit. Then put the tomatillos, and 3 of the peppers and the onion and garlic into the blender or food processor.  Add a bit of salt and the cilantro.  Blend with 1 1/2 cups of the water they were boiled in.  *This is going to make way more green salsa than you will need for this dish. Don't try to use it all or your Chilequiles will be swimming and soggy.

In a 9x13 pyrex layer tortillas, green sauce and cream. Repeat layers and top with the shredded cheese.

Bake until bubbly and heated through.

***Now here is the deal with Chilequiles.  This is a dish made to use up the leftover tortillas from yesterday that are not all soft and pliable.  This dish is often made with shredded leftover chicken in the layers.  I also put half the cheese in the middle and half on top.

We like to make this with leftover smoked chicken too.  It's very good.

This dish is served all over Mexico with refried beans and sliced avocado.  You can order it for breakfast, brunch or lunch.  Some places ask you if you want yours made with green or red sauce.  I prefer the green.

And by the way, that green sauce in the recipe up there?  That is killer!  It is so darn good you will want to keep dipping those fresh hot tortilla chips in it.  So, if you want to be really traditional when you serve this sauce at your table, dice up a couple of really firm and ripe Haas avocados and mix them in.  Now, THAT is a beautiful thing right there.

Please, try both of these dishes and let me know how it goes for you and if you have a preference.

¡Buen Provecho!

Seriously Random Stuff

Another of those posts that kind of follow my thought pattern.

1.  Do you ever watch t.v. and see a commercial that is either so hilarious or so horrible you immediately think, "Holy shit, I have to remember to blog about THAT!"??

Well, I do that all the time.  And by the time I get to youtube and go to look it up so I can share it with you, I can't remember what it was.  It's gone.  Poof!

2. We are still looking for a home for the little Mama Kitty who is the cutest, sweetest, most precious little teeny kitty you ever saw.  If you are at all interested in providing a loving home for this girl, let me know.

And before you ask, no.  She can not stay here. Angus MacPhee absolutely hates her and would make her life a living hell.  Angus is a dick.

3. My across-the-street neighbor was robbed yesterday morning.  In broad daylight.  While he AND his yard worker were both around.  It was a completely bizarre incident.  And 4 years ago when Ernest T. Bass was dropped off here I tried and tried to get my neighbor to take him.  And if he had, well, I don't think that idiot thieving thief would have made it into the garage.  Ernest T. is quite loud and protective of his property.

4. The Texas wildfires are popping up all over the place.  The area just east of us that is on fire is said to be the size of Connecticut.

5. Did I ever mention here that I am growing out my hair color and going all natural?  Well, I am.  Since menopause is totally kicking my memory's ass six ways to Sunday, I decided that I need to lessen my brain's exposure to chemicals.  Also, I am super annoyed with seeing people in their 70s trotting around with jet black hair.  And I didn't want to be one of them.

So I decided to embrace my silver hairs and let them grow in and let's just see what we shall see!  So far, people are very complimentary of the new color.  I never know if they really mean it or are just taking pity on the poor old gray haired lady.

6. This is the first year that we have kept the round card table up in the living room all year.  We put it up at Christmas time to do jigsaw puzzles near the Christmas tree.  And this year?  It has just stayed up and we have continued doing puzzle after puzzle.  It has to stay in that room because we can close it off away from the cats.

7. Remember the little crocheted bottle cap trivets I was making?  I got 3 more done before I ran out of bottle caps.  So that is 3 Christmas gifts done.  I need to get a source for clean, unsmashed bottle caps.  Any ideas?

8. Our garden is completely dead.  Nothing survived this horrendous drought and 4 months of 100+ temps.   I am worried about our massive oak trees.  I could give two figs for the damn stupid grass, but my trees?  That's another story.

9.  Normally, I have good book recommendations for you, but not now.  Lately, all I have been reading is about food, healthy diets, good food for your body and for the environment.  And you know what?  Some of these things contradict each other!  It's confusing.  I can't decide whether to try out The Diet That Seems Easiest To Work With or The One That Seems Best For the Earth and Hardest For Me.

It's a bit daunting and overwhelming, all this information.

10. And finally!  My last thought for the day.  Well, my last thought to share here, not necessarily the last thought I will have the whole DAY!

Life is good.  It can be as complicated as you want, or as easy and simple as you want.  It's all in how you look at it.

I have a friend who I play Mah Jongg with who has a needlepoint sampler on her wall that says something like "The difference between Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones, is in how you use them".  And that's kind of what I have been thinking.  The situation is what it is regardless of how you feel about it.  You can choose to have negative feelings about something but that doesn't make the facts negative, does it?  Facts are facts.  A situation is what it is whether you choose to love it or hate it.  Which set of feelings will get you through the day?

Ice Cold Paletas! Get 'em here!

If you live in south Texas or in Mexico you know about the Paleta Man.  If not, picture this; small-framed older man with a cowboy hat on either pushing a cart or he has the kind that is half bicycle with cart in the front.  He will have caramel-colored wrinkled weathered skin and kind eyes.  Paleta men are not usually skeevy or gross.

When he opens the lid to the brightly painted and decorated box on the cart he reaches in and brings out fabulous home-made frozen treats.

Paletas.

That's popsicles to you people who don't know about paletas.  Paletas come in 2 varieties.  Water-based and cream or yogurt based.  This time of year most people prefer the water-based flavors, but the creamy ones are great for dessert or when it isn't so miserably hot out.

Now, if you don't live near a paleta stand or where a paleta man comes to you, you will have to make your own.

In the old days before Tupperware everyone used regular ice trays to make teensy paleta cubes with a toothpick frozen in the middle to serve as a stick/handle.  You can make them out of leftover juice, koolaid or whatever you like.  Pickle juice is a favorite among the 8 - 13 crowd and all boys regardless of age.

But after Tupperware came up with their version of popsicle molds, it was waaaaay more fun to make things.  Here is what Tupperware has come up with over the ages, starting with the 1970s.

Tupperware still makes these things.  I think the latest reincarnation is the Mickey ones and they go for about $20.00.  Unless you can't live without Mickey Mouse popsicles, hit a neighborhood garage sale. You can find all sorts of old Tupperware for dirt cheap.

After you have either your Tupperware popsicle molds or ice cube trays or even teensy paper cups you will want to have some fabulous recipes to put inside them.
Here ya go!!

In Mexico there is a drink served everywhere called Jamaica (pronounced Ha-MY-kuh) that is essentially a tea made from dried hibiscus blossoms.  It is lovely and full of vitamin C and acts like a diuretic much like cranberry juice.  This recipe calls for making the Agua de Jamaica first and then adding raspberries.  Note: the Agua de Jamaica recipe here is a bit more concentrated than what you would make to drink.  So if you have any left you can add a bit of water till it tastes right and drink it.

Hibiscus-Raspberry Ice Pops

2 cups chilled Agua de Jamaica
2/3 cup sugar
4 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen

For the Agua de Jamaica

1 cup dried hibiscus flowers
1/3 cup sugar (or more to taste)

Rinse the flowers in cold water and drain thoroughly. Put them in a saucepan, cover with 4 cups water and let steep for at least 4 hours or overnight. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a pitcher, pressing the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Add water to bring the volume up to 4 cups. If the flavor is too intense, add more water as needed. You can also add a little more sugar if you like.

After preparing the Agua de Jamaica, combine 2 cups with 1/3 cup sugar and warm over the stove till sugar is dissolved. Mix the raspberries with the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar and let sit until they release some of their juice.  Then add the raspberries and their juice to each of the popsicle molds evenly. then pour in the Agua de Jamaica mixture dividing it evenly among the molds.

Here is another very traditional Mexican version of a Paleta.  But this one is a cream based.

Paletas de Yogurt con Moras

1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened Greek style yogurt
2 Tbsp. honey
2 cups fresh blackberries

Rinse the lemon, then peel it. Combine 1/2 cup water and the sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon peel, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, then refrigerate until chilled.

Add the yogurt and honey to the chilled syrup and stir until thoroughly combined. Put a bit of the yogurt mixture into each of the molds, to a height of about 3/4-inch. Freeze unti lthe mixture begins to set, about 40 minutes. If the blackberries are big, cut them in half. Divide the blackberries among the molds, then pour  in the remaining yogurt mixture, dividing it evenly amonthe molds and freeze solid.

Now we come to some that are a bit interesting and not-so-very traditional!

Balsamic Strawberry Pops

2 cups sliced, hulled strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons good quality balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place the strawberries and sugar in a food processor and pulse just until the mixture is finely chopped and juicy but still chunky; you don't want a smooth puree. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the balsamic vinegar and a few grinds of pepper.

Spoon the mixture into the ice pop molds and insert sticks. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours.


Prosecco-Rose Petal Pops

1 cup white grape juice
1 cup cold, flat Proseco
1/3 cup rose water
1 1/2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
30 (approximately) red rosebud petals, rinsed

In a large bowl, stir together the grape juice, Prosecco, rose water and lemon juice. Fill ice pop molds about 1/3 full. Drop 2 or 3 rose petals into each mold and freeze until set, about  30 minutes. Fill the molds another third of the way and drop 2 or 3 more rose petals in each mold. Insert sticks freeze until set about 30 minutes. Then fill all the way with the remaining mixture and drop 2 or 3 more petals into each mold. Freeze until set, at least 8 hours.


Honeydew- Lime Pops

4 cups 1-inch cubes peeled honeydew melon
1/3 cups fresh lime juice
1/2 cup mild honey
1/4 cup sugar

Puree melon, lime juice, honey and sugar in a food processor; add 1/4 cup water and puree until smooth. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium pitcher; strain, pressing on solids to extract puree. Divide among molds. Cover and freeze until firm.

Campari-Orange Pops

1/3 cup sugar
 1 3/4 cups fresh orange juice
1/3 cup Campari
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Bring sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Transfer syrup to a medium pitcher; chill until cold, about 1 hour. Stir orange juice, Campari and lemon juice into syrup. Divide among molds. Cover and freeze until firm.


As you can see by these recipes, you only need a small amount of any one ingredient and what a wonderful way to make use of that last bit of yogurt, or small amount of fruit or that last cup of champagne that sat overnight in the bottle.  You are only limited by your imagination to come up with heavenly combinations for your own version of paletas!

Lots to tell!

It has been a really long week, which is why I haven't posted anything.  But here goes!  And please forgive the random way these thoughts may jump around, but that is the way my brain works.  If you and I have ever had a conversation you already know this about me and probably expect it.

First and foremost, I want to say this and get it over with.  The Casey Anthony trial just finished.  I obsessed over this damn case since it first happened.  Then there was nothing in the news.  Nothing.  I would search online for what was going on.  Who could believe it was going to take 3 whole years to get to trial?  So when I found that they were going to televise the proceedings I was all over that.  I felt like I had watched this unfold from the beginning and wanted to see it through.

How on earth the state of Florida allowed the only 12 people in this country who didn't think Casey was guilty to be on that jury is a puzzler, for sure.  Were they not seeing the same witnesses I was?  Did they not hear the same testimony?  They found her guilty of 4 counts of providing false information to law enforcement.  Why would she do that?  Was she hiding something?  Like maybe?  Oh I don't know . . .

How about the TRUTH?

The truth of what really happened to Caylee.  Who knows the truth?  Only Caylee, the murderer and God.  Unless the murderer is more than one person.  But by Casey hiding the fact that Caylee was dead for 31 days (which by the way it is ONLY 31 days because Cindy called the cops, NOT because Casey decided to ask for help finding her "missing" child.  It could have been 131 days if not for Cindy.) and then lying to the police and FBI that were now on the case looking for this missing child and leading them on a wild goose chase in all sorts of wrong directions, she sent a clear message that she didn't want them to find the truth.

Why would you do that?  What motivation was there for misleading the very people who were trying to bring your child home?

And this jury saw fit to say Casey was not guilty of 1st degree murder.  She was not guilty of aggravated child abuse.  She was not guilty of manslaughter.

She is only guilty of 4 counts of lying.  It's the motivation behind the lying that they seem to have missed.

My heart just sank when they started reading the verdicts of these charges and I realized that justice would not be served in this case.  That poor tiny child died a needless, senseless death and no one will pay for it.  I was stunned, I was sickened, and this horrible uncomfortable feeling came over me that it is too easy to get away with murder in this country.  I don't want that to be true.

So I am done, D U N, talking, obsessing, thinking about this trial.  I hope Casey never has a day's peace. And I am done.

In other news, I was at a birth this week.  Mom and Dad labored beautifully and were so in tune with each other.  I was so impressed to see him rise to this occasion.  I am never sure about how dads are going to be in birth.  Some tell me ahead of time how they see their role and we get a plan of how to best engage dad and keep him where he is comfortable and still best able to support the mom.  But this guy? He so totally exceeded my expectations.  It was fabulous to watch.  Which brings me to this, why did I have expectations?  I should have an open mind and not set these expectations or limitations for that matter of what I think will happen and how people will behave in labor.  I never want to bring any judgement to a labor.  And I hope I didn't.

We had a very low-key weekend celebrating Mr. Big Ed's belated birthday and also 4th of July.  Lots of grilling of food and just hanging out.  No fireworks around here.  Remember the drought we are having? It's still the worst on record since they started keeping such records.  It is bad.  I could care less about the stupid grass, but I do want there to be enough water to keep our trees sustained and if possible to keep the garden going.

Oh!  remember the silk solar lanterns that I got Mr. Big Ed for fathers day last year?

Here's a look at them from last year:

Well, I got him SIX MORE!!!

We have them hanging in the trees under which we have the new table and chairs.  It was magical sitting out there last night under the silk lanterns.  They have the softest light and they just float in the breeze. Lovely.

In other, other news!  You all know that Sparky and his girlfriend live here, right?  Well, she is a barista at a world-famous coffee shop that shall not be named.  And on Sunday, she found this little stray kitty had wandered up to the front of this coffee shop and was very obviously pregnant and in distress.  So she found a box to put her in and the next thing you know, she is acting as this cat's doula.  2 little babies were born in that box while she continued to talk reassuringly and stroke the new mama kitty.  Awww, it warms my heart to think about it.

She called the humane society who told her they would send someone to get them and foster them.  And you know what?

THEY NEVER SHOWED!!!

What dickheads.  And a co-worker said she would take them to her house but backed out at the last minute.  Yet another dickhead.

We could not in good conscience leave her and those babies helpless in a cardboard box on a busy street, so we are fostering all 3 of them.  We are also looking for a good cat shelter to take them.  If any of you have good advice about this, I would appreciate it.  There is no way I am keeping 3 more cats.  No. fucking. way.  I already have 2 10-year old cats who piss and shed on everything.  I have 2 5-year old cats who kill birds, squirrels, and various wildlife.  I have 2 geriatric 14-year old dogs that are not doing well.  And to top it off I have 4 year old Ernest T. Bass who wants to kill the cats and keeps trying to climb the Alpha pet ladder.  He is on the bottom rung of that ladder and is staying there, so he just needs to get over it.  So no way we are keeping these 3 precious gray stripey kitties.

But they could be yours!  I will post some pictures right away so you can see how absolutely precious they are.  That mama cat is so sweet and loving and just a joy.  And the 2 teensy little 2-day old babies?  O.M.G.!!!  Are they ever adorable.

Be on the lookout for the most awww-inspiring pictures coming soon!!

p.s. Big Brother starts in 2 days.

Returning to Dallas!

How excited am I?  Oh my sweet Lord!  Dallas is returning!  Dallas, you say?  You mean those stupid ass Cowboys owned by that stupid Jerry Jones?  Nope.

I mean Dallas.  The glitzy, glamourous, fabulous show from the 1980s.  Yes indeed!  It's back!  And guess who is coming back for it?

J.R.! (Do you remember who shot that sorry bastard that everyone loved to hate?)

Sue Ellen (who didn't seem to know any other facial expression than that one!)

and Bobby!

Here's the scoop:  The show is to center around J.R. and Sue Ellen's boy, John Ross and Bobby and Pam's son Christopher.  And of course a love triangle.  'Cause what would night time soap opera drama be without cousins fighting over a love interest!

I can NOT wait to see who gets cast for John Ross and Christopher.  (Can you tell how exciting this news is to me?)  Oh, and won't it be a hoot if all the women are STILL wearing 1980's hair and makeup?

For those of you who are not from Texas and from the Dallas area in particular; the house Southfork that they used in this show really exists.  It is in Plano.  And I went to high school with 2 of the boys of the family that live there.  I sure hope they are going to all still be living at Southfork on the new show!

All my kids lives I have told them that I wanted a house like the one on Dallas where it would be shaped in a square and Mr. Big Ed and I would have a wing, each of my kids get a wing and the fourth side would be the familial public areas.  We would all meet downstairs in the parlor for cocktails before dinner and have a huge family dinner together most evenings.  My kids' kids would grow up right there surrounded by their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins.  In the bosom of the family, as it were!

Oh, I had such high hopes!  sigh.  They are not the least bit interested in this plan.  Ungrateful savages.

Here is what I am thinking, hopefully they will be using Southfork as the setting for the new show.  My kids will watch it and the subliminal message will sink in.  Heh, heh, my evil plan will work!  Yes!

More news as I hear about the show.  And as always, if you hear anything before me, please, please, do share!

Holiday Traditions

Yesterday I was asked by one of my clients for suggestions that they could adopt as their own holiday meal traditions.  His family does the big turkey and all that stuff ( basically it's a rerun of Thanksgiving) while her home celebrated with a Mexican feast.  Now that they have their little one she was looking for something fun to try out this year as their own big Christmas meal.  We both went about our business and continued thinking about it and then said to each other at the same time "Paella!!"

In my house we have a big paella for Easter dinner.  We did it once and loved it so much that we have continued it and made it our family Easter tradition.  I don't think you can force a tradition into existence, but you have to start somewhere, right?

So I am writing down my recipe and loaning her my paella pan so they can try it out and see if they need to go buy a pan for next year.

Anyhoo, it did get me to thinking about our particular family traditions.  Traditions that Mr. Big Ed brought from his family, things that I do because my mom did them, or my aunt or one of my grandparents, and also the traditions that we have cobbled together over the long history of our marriage.

Mr. Big Ed's family was not big on stockings.  They were go to Midnight Mass people and then come home and eat the tamales that his Mom had worked on all day and then open presents.  I don't guess anyone felt the need to wake kids up early after all that to do stockings.

My family was HUGE on stockings.  We still are.  Our "stockings" are essentially large paper grocery sacks full of stuff with your stocking hanging on the front.  We totally over-do it.  It is an obscene display of over abundance is what it is.  We also did a big Christmas Eve thing with dips, pate', tamales, chili, and tons of cookies.  But we only got to open one gift on Christmas Eve.  Then Christmas morning we had our stockings, a special breakfast and then we got to open our gifts.

The holiday traditions that we have put together for our little family unit has grown and evolved and with each move to another country we added in something we picked up at each new place and also had to shed a few that were just not practical in the new place.

Our Christmas Eve and Christmas day is a real hybrid of what we each have brought and what feels right for us as we have grown.  For example, there were a number of years when 3 out of the 4 of us were vegetarian.  That right there will put a spin on your holiday menu.  And we try to work around what is important and a priority to each of us.

Being from Texas and having lived in Mexico for a number of years it is way up on the list of "Must Haves" that we make tamales for Christmas Eve.  Being from Texas it is equally important that we have the Velveeta/Ro-tel queso dip stuff.  From Mr. Big Ed's family we have onion dip with Ruffles.  Not just any onion dip, it needs to be the Borden brand store-bought stuff that you bring home and add a bunch of fresh black pepper and stir it up really well.  Lots of cookies and baked goods figure in.  And everyone loves the spicy roasted nuts.  This has gradually morphed into having cheese enchiladas, more tamales, guacamole and rice for Christmas dinner.

Usually for Christmas morning we will make a special drink.  Sometimes it is Bloody Marys or champagne and orange juice, but most times it is Mexican Hot Chocolate.  (Only Ybarra's not that crappy Abuelita's brand)  I either make a stuffed French toast or sometimes these ham cups that have either sauteed mushrooms or spinach in them and topped with eggs and then baked.  These are delicious.

I have cut way back on my giant bags-o-stocking stuffers.  No one wants all that much stuff.  I would rather buy one really fabulous bar of the best chocolate made than have 30 pieces of crappy candy.  So, that's kind of the way things are going for us.

I see our traditions as more of a fluid, moving thing rather than a set-in-stone "this is how we have ALWAYS done it" sort of thing.

So, here's what I want to know:  What are your holiday traditions?  What are the most meaningful things you do that if everything else fell away, this is the thing you would try to keep?

Lemme hear from you!  And remember, it is most important to be relaxed and enjoy the time together.  So don't sweat the small stuff and the details.  It will be wonderful even if the cards aren't all sent on time.  It will be just the way it is meant to be whether or not those bows match or not.  Enjoy your selves.

And thank you for reading.  And even more thanks for commenting through this year.  It really means a lot to me and inspires me.  That's my present from you!

A little Provence in Texas

Check this out:  Lavenderfest  is quickly approaching!  Woot!  This is one of my favorite events and I am really looking forward to it.  This is not too far a drive to go up for the day and back.

Can you smell it already?  They have free tours of the lavender farms, there are lots of speakers telling you how to grow lavender organically and music. And stuff for sale!  Lavender soaps, lotions, lip balms, honey, teas, pot pourri, lavender sachets, plants, pretty much anything lavender infused.  Here are my two favorite items:  Frozen Blueberry lavender lemonade (omg!!!) and bottles of lavender margarita mix.  What do you think of that?  That frozen blueberry lavender lemonade will rock your world, I guarantee it.

My very own lavender bushes in my front flower beds are from this festival two years ago.  They are growing well and are about to flower for the first time.  I am so excited about that!  Love, love the lavender.

Bluebonnets of Texas, they bloom in the Spring

Sing it with me people!
I do love that song.  And here for your Saturday enjoyment are the photos of my neighbor's yard.  Just a little patch of heaven here on earth!

Now, can you even believe she wakes up every day and gets to look out the front window and see this?  And I wish you were all here to smell the lovely scent and hear all the little bees just a-buzzing!  Fabulous, is what it is.

"I love dear old Texas in summer and fall,

But bluebonnet time is the nicest of all,

but bluebonnet time is the nicest of all!"