kmkat and her kneedles

Ten on Tuesday, the ice cream edition.

photo credit: Home Made Ice Cream via photopin (license)

My Ten Favorite Flavors Of Ice Cream.

1. Mint chocolate chip, aka peppermint bon bon, preferably in the slightly melted state shown below. Best is Blue Bunny.
   
   
   
   
2. Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk.
   
   
   
   
3. Häagen-Daz® Swiss Almond Vanilla.
   
   
   
   
4. Any ice cream that has swirls of fudge or hunks of chocolate. But not chocolate ice cream -- the chocolate flavor is not sufficiently intense. Ordinary chocolate is not enough; it must be fudgey.
   
   
   
5. Vanilla with a splash of amaretto or creme de menthe or Fra Angelico or even triple sec.

 

That's it. Don't bother me with your strawberry or your rocky road or your sherbet or your sorbet/gelato/ices. If it doesn't have my preferred intense chocolate or a liqueur, I'm not interested.

Ten on Tuesday, the sammie edition.

My Ten Favorite Sandwiches.

1. Hot pastrami on rye. No lettuce, no tomato, no mustard, no mayo, no cheese. Just the hot pastrami and the rye bread, please. The last couple years I was working, this, plus a generous scoop of the best potato salad on earth, was my lunch on most days. The Brothers Deli was in the same building, you see.
   
   
   
2. Ham on rye. Now you can add lettuce, tomato, cukes, maybe some Swiss cheese. Still no mayo nor mustard.
   
   
   
3. Roast beef on rye -- are we sensing a theme here? -- with a little horseradish. Lettuce, cukes, sprouts are okay, too.
   
   
   
4. Hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and lots of gravy, aka a commercial. Actually, this is probably my favorite of all time, but I didn't think of it until I saw this photo while looking for the roast beef sandwich. Smokey laughs when he sees this on a menu because he knows I will order it.
   
   
   
5. Turkey with a little mayo, sweet pickle relish, and salt&pepper. Any kind of good bread will do. And it has to be turkey left over from Thanksgiving or Christmas; the deli sliced turkey just won't do.
   
   
   
6. Italian sausage sub with sauce and peppers. I discovered these at Sammy D's in Dinkytown when I was in college.
   
   
   

That's it. I kinda got out of the sandwich habit while I was gluten-free. I have had some great sandwiches at various dining establishments over the years, but these are my faves.

Ten on Tuesday, the cheesy edition.

When I was a child, I did not like cheese (among a number of foods; I used to be a picky eater). That has changed somewhat.

Ten Favorite Kinds Of Cheese.

1. Vermont white cheddar. Years ago we were on a brief trip in New England and bought some Cabot  Crowley white cheddar. It was the beginning of love. We continued to order it by mail on and off for years.
   
   
   
2. Sharp cheddar.
   
   
   
3. Cojack. Melted atop a bed of corn chips. Mmm, nachos!
   
   
   
4. Bleu. I haven't been able to reliably find good bleu cheese around here. Yeah, this is the cheese state and all, but apparently Polk County is anti-bleu cheese.
   
   
   
5. String cheese. Nice little snack.
   
   
   
6. Feta. Crumbled in a tossed green salad. Cubed in a Greek salad. Feta is a staple in my fridge.
   
   
   
7. Pepper jack. Melted on a sandwich, mmm.
   
   
   

There are other delightful cheeses to be consumed on occasion -- mozzarella, provolone, brie, camembert, gouda, edam, etc. -- but I am still not a cheese fanatic.

I drove >100 miles for lunch today.*

   

Picked up a friend for lunch. She asked if I was up for A Drive, which of course I was, so we went to a fabulous Thai restaurant in White Bear Lake, MN, 53.5 miles from my house. Then we went across the street to a yarn shop where I indulged in a little retail therapy (above) . As soon as I find my camera (damn! I hate losing things in my house and it happens all the time) I will share my indulgences in their true colors, which are not exactly as pictured above, and their intended uses.

* This is not unusual when one lives in the sticks.

Turkey Day links.

photo credit: Don McCullough via photopin cc

The science behind white and dark meat.

Turkey disasters.

Laser-etch your pumpkin pie.

How to win the wishbone-breaking contest.

The inside story on those gigantic balloons in the Macy's parade.

How to win: do not participate.

Artistic Thanksgiving dinner plates.

And now, just in case those disasters weren't scary enough... 

This was gonna be a Saturday link, but it needed to be out there before Thanksgiving: a PSA.

 

 

To save you the trouble of googling, I present to you the strangest (to me) recipes:

• Pretzel salad
• Dirt pudding
• Frog eye salad
• Funeral potatoes
• Snicker salad
• Spinach Maria

And now, please excuse me while I go roto-rooter my arteries, which seem to have become strangely clogged after reading those recipes.

ETA: Ironically, the next blog post in my Feedly feed was this one for raspberry pretzel salad. In what reality are some of those linked recipes "salad"? 

Breakfast of champions!

Cold weather means oatmeal for breakfast. My favorite version is to throw in a half cup or so of blueberries, but they are not in season now. A peeled and diced apple is delicious, too.

I used to buy the packets of instant oatmeal, but then I read on someone's blog that it was super easy to make the real thing. True!

The Kat's™ Oatmeal

1/2 cup rolled oats
2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar* or 2 teaspoons brown sugar plus a generous dash of   cinnamon
Dash salt
1 cup cold water
1 apple, peeled and diced or 1/2 cup blueberries or other fruit (optional)

Mix the dry ingredients in a cereal bowl; add water. Nuke on high for two minutes.

Stir in the diced apple. Nuke for one more minute on high.

Let stand a couple minutes while you make the coffee and pour the orange juice.

Makes one generous serving.

I think sweetened oatmeal may be an American thing. A Scottish (British? don't remember) reader once commented that she could not imagine putting sugar in her oatmeal; she used salt. Discuss among yourselves.

The blue cloth thingie is something I picked up at a craft fair last summer. It is a potholder specifically designed for heating a bowl in the microwave.

 

* I mix a batch of the cinnamon sugar and keep it in a small jar on the spice rack:

1 cup sugar
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground nutmeg

Cooking. NSFW.

 

Don't get bored with Boris -- watch to the end. Also, the next (short) video that comes up: what to say to food critics.

 

I find I am strangely fascinated by Boris.

"According to Eisenstacht's theory of the Battleship Potemkin..."

Weekend recap, SF edition.

Smokey and I visited Elder Son in Sioux Falls this weekend. Did I tell you that is where he is doing his residency? He is two weeks into it and seems to be happy (yay!)

No photos to share (boo!) because I suffered from camnesia all weekend. Let me tell you about a couple unillustrated coffee experiences, though.

After we went out for lunch on Sunday, I  forced the driver at gunpoint requested that we stop at a coffee shop so I could get my daily dose of caffeine. I had noticed a small remodeled house with a large sign, Ethiopian Coffee House and Restaurant, on the way to lunch.

As I walked into the front room -- the former living room, now with a bar in one corner housing the liquor and the expresso machine -- I realized to my horror that the room was filled with men. Standing room only and not a female in sight. The men were all watching the World Cup final on the HD TV on the wall and cheering for Argentina. (Apparently the German team is not popular with the Ethiopian male contingent.) Mr. Messi! they kept shouting. In my ignorance I thought Mr. Messi was the proprietor, and they were shouting for service. Actually, Leo Messi is a star on the Argentine team.

Anyway, I felt rather out of place as I ordered my four-shot latte, which was served with four shots of espresso and zero latte. After dosing it with milk back at ES's house, I found it to be quilte palatable. And a good story.

* * * * *

We left around noon on Monday. Once again, after eating lunch I forced asked Smokey to stop so I could get coffee, this time at a kiosk in the lot where we had parked. The sign said Open but there was no one visible inside. 

...until the window flew open and a 30-ish man exploded into the opening. 

Hello! he shouted. How are you today? What can I get you?

We decided he had been injesting his wares since 6am. The day before. I really don't know how one person can contain that much energy inside a 6'x6' space. He must be absolutely cray-cray by the end of his shift.

* * * * *

And that was my weekend.

Ten on Tuesday, the side [dish] edition.

Today Carole has us listing what we served with our Fourth of July barbecue. Since I was responsible only for the meat course, I was not concerned with side dishes. But that doesn't mean I don't have favorites.

Ten Favorite Summer Side Dishes. 

 

1. Kale salad. Mine is kale, raisins or craisins, thing-sliced onion, and pecans, with sweetened balsamic vinaigrette. The one served at the Fourth of July pot luck picnic was kale, slivered almonds, and Parmesan; some kind of vinaigrette dressing -- it was a hit with everyone.
   
   
2. Greek village salad. Chunked tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, kalamata olives, onion, with an oregano/lemon vinaigrette.
   
   
3. Tossed green salad. My year-round standard is Romaine lettuce, some paper-thin sliced onion, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced fresh mushrooms, diced feta cheese, and pitted kalamata olives. Dressing may be balsamic vinaigrette or creamy Caesar.
   
   
4. Spinach salad. My year-round standard is spinach, sliced hard-cooked egg, paper-thin sliced onion, pecan halves, and maybe some halved cherry tomatoes. Dressing is Cardini's Asian Sesame.
   
   
5. Quinoa salad. Quinoa tossed with raw or semi-cooked vegies and dosed with vinaigrette. I prefer this to pasta salad because it is gluten-free.
   
   
6. Potato salad. Not the traditional one with mayo; one with an oil-sabed dressing and seasoned with rosemary. And maybe garlic. I need to create a recipe.
   
   
7. Sliced watermelon, cantaloupe, and/or honeydew.
   
   
8. Fruit compote -- melon balls (water-, cantaloupe, and honeydew), sliced strawberries, blueberries, and sliced kiwi, all tossed with a sprinkling of sugar and a couple tablespoons of Triple Sec.
   
   
9. Fresh blueberry pie.
   
   
10. Brownies.
    
    
11. More brownies.

Ten on Tuesday, the beverage edition.

A clip from my favorite movie. It mentions a beverage.

 

My Ten Favorite Summer Beverages.

1. Sun tea. Earl Grey, jasmine, Good Earth original.
2. Chlled white wine, preferably sauvignon blanc. Although I recently had to purchase some Yellowtail Muscato and liked it quite well.
3. Wine spritzer. This is if I have selzer and limes on hand.
4. Sangria. We used to buy Riunite Lambrusco -- it is the only wine Smokey come close to liking -- and make sangria. Need to do that again as soon as the weather finishes warming up.
5. Gin & tonic. How can it be summer without G&Ts?
6. La Croix sparkling water. Actually, this is a year-round drink.
7. Coke Zero. Ditto.
8.  
9.  
10. Um, sorry. That's it. 

 

If this is April, I am doing our taxes. And taking iPhone photos.

Yes, like many of you, I am doing our taxes. This is the first time in years I haven't had to extend them because I was way too busy in March and April to do them. Retirement is sweet.

Beverage for these taxing days:

That's coconut flavored sparkling water on the left, lime on the right.
Lime colada (non-alcoholic, because taxes)!

 

And the hat that is my traditional one for doing the taxes (assuming two years in a row counts as tradition).
Note: my eyes actually point in the same direction. Don't know what was going on here.

 

First blooms of spring, observed outside the government center yesterday
when I turned in my final expense report.

 

Not only did they dismember this stuffed draft-blocker, they later ripped open the garbage bag
where Smokey had put all the pieces. Then they repeated this scene, complete with innocent expressions.

Update 4. And stuff.

This is why Smokey's sternum and ribs are sore. Link shows the Lucas chest compression system, a device that can do chest compressions at a precise rate and pressure and eliminate the exhausting part of CPR. Smokey seems to have at least one cracked rib, maybe as many as three going by the number of times something clicks! in his chest.. Every time he complains about his rib/sternum pain, he follows it up with, But I am glad to be alive.

Funny story #1: Last Sunday Younger Son made pancakes for breakfast. This has become a tradition since he started visiting every weekend. He makes the pancakes, Smokey or I cook bacon, we all feast. This got even better for me when Smoke discovered gluten-free Bisquick in the supermarket.

Anyway, last Sunday while the bacon was cooking I melted butter, nuked the bottle of maple syrup, got out the orange juice and milk, set the table. When it was my turn to eat, I doused my short stack with melted butter and maple syrup, at which point Smokey asked, "Why are you putting teriyaki sauce on your pancakes?" Yup, I had grabbed the wrong bottle out of the fridge door.

For the record, gluten-free Bisquick pancakes doused with melted butter and teriyaki sauce are not bad at all.

Funny story #2: Smokey has liked this song*, Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars, for a couple years. Ever since he learned that he was dead for eight minutes, he has been singing the first line: I'm a dead man walkin'. Yes, we do have a slightly warped sense of humor here.

Funny story #3: Younger Son was with me in the hospital for the first two days, until Elder Son flew in. He did a great job of keeping me distracted from too much worry, to the point where, near the end of the second day he confessed he was running out of things to talk about. Did I tell you about the weird customer I helped on the phone last week descended to Let me show you what I carry in my wallet. When he told me what he had been doing it was further distracting -- we laughed heartily.

Not-so-funny story: That building in East Harlem blew up while Elder Son was here. The building where he lived during his last year of undergrad at NYU is about 1" from the lower left corner of this graphic, on 116th Street on the other side of Park Avenue. He could see the Metro North line from his window.

That young man has at least as many lives as a cat. He was held up at knife point in Durban, South Africa; has survived two potentially serious car accidents -- one a T-bone on his side, the other a rear-ender that totaled his car -- with little or no injury; and lived through the remnants of a hurricane in Chiapas, Mexico. Now a building a block from his former residence has blown up. What next, a meteorite will bounce off his head on the only day in his life that he was wearing a motorcycle helmet?

Life has calmed down here. Smokey won't go back to work until cleared by the cardiologist; he is waiting to get an appointment. In the meantime I am working diligently on my campaign for a fourth term on our county board. A little over two weeks until the election -- on April Fool's Day [appropriately?] -- and I have a lot of work to do. Anyone want to come to n.w. Wisconsin for a delightful vacation to help out ;-)

* I tried to embed the YouTube video into the post, but the SHARE information that used to appear below the video is no longer there. It flashes momentarily, then disappears. Anyone else have this problem? Did I unwittingly mess up my YouTube settings? Help!

Edited to add: After discussing this with Erika (thanks, Erika! Great to finally talk to you!), we figured out the problem was my browser (Chrome). Safari displays the YouTube page correctly, allowing me to share the video:

Ten on Tuesday, the breakfast edition.

My breakfast choices have narrowed considerably since I went gluten-free, so I am going to cover both old and current choices.

Ten Favorite Things To Eat For Breakfast.

1. (now, winter) Oatmeal with apple chunks. 1/2 cup regular oatmeal, 1 cup water, 2 rounded teaspoons of cinnamon sugar (I mix it up and keep a jar in the cupboard), dash of salt. Nuke for 2 minutes on High. Meanwhile, peel, core, and cut up an apple into bite-size chunks. Add to oatmeal when the microwave dings; nuke for another minute.
   
   
2. (now, summer) Same as above but substitute fresh blueberries for the apple. I adore blueberries, especially when they are in something cooked or baked.
   
   
3. (now) Udi's GF granola.
   
   
4. (now) Pancakes made with GF Bisquick, topped with butter and real maple syrup. Peppered bacon on the side. This has become a Sunday tradition in the past month or so.
   
   
5. (now) If we go out for breakfast, an omelet with everything -- sauteed vegies, cheese, diced ham. Or corned beef hash topped with an egg, over easy.
   
   
6. (recent past) I used to buy a banana on the way to the office every morning. That kept me going until lunchtime.
   
   
7. (before gf) Toasted bagel with cream cheese. Probably topped with cinnamon sugar.
   
   
8. (before gf) Toasted English muffin with lemon curd.
   
   
9. (before gf) Largish wheat tortilla spread thinly with peanut butter, a banana sliced lengthwise in the center, then rolled up. Yum!
   
   
10. (before gf) Same as previous but spread with peanut butter and jelly.
    

Frankly, I have to force myself to eat breakfast and I don't do it every day. I do have a large 4-short latte and a glass of Simply Juice oj every morning, though. And now, please excuse me. I just remembered Smokey bought me some fresh blueberries. I need to make some oatmeal STAT!

 

 

Enchiladas.

 

Remember the cookbook I got for Christmas? Here is the essential enchilada recipe from it that I have been making for nearly 40 years. It is probably Elder Son's favorite thing that I make, second only perhaps to pumpkin pie.

 

 

It was eye-opening for me to read the original recipe because I have modified it significantly over the years. Here is my current version (the stuff in parentheses is optional). Remember, this recipe is versatile. Feel free to modify it as you choose.

 

My Enchiladas

Sauce:
¼ c oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ c flour
1 - 10-oz can beef consommé OR 1 cup beef stock
1 - 15-oz can tomato sauce OR 1 - 15 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 - 10 oz can Old El Paso mild green enchilada sauce
2 T red wine OR ¼ - ½ c Jack Daniels
1 t ground cumin
¼ t liquid smoke
(¼ t cayenne pepper OR ½ t ground chipotle pepper)

Filling:
1 - 16-oz can Old El Paso refried beans
1 - 4-oz can Old El Paso green chilies, chopped
(Optional: finely chopped or grated onion, green pepper, carrot, zucchini, any other vegetable; lightly sautéed, just enough to wilt)
~8 - 8-inch flour tortillas
1 lb Cojack (half Colby, half Monterey jack) cheese, grated

Heat oil in 3-qt heavy-bottomed saucepan. Saute chopped onion until not quite soft; add garlic and continue to cook until onion is soft. Add flour and stir to make a roux; continue cooking for ~1 minute until fragance is no longer of raw flour. (If you plan to freeze the sauce, do NOT make a roux. Follow the instructions in the original recipe to whisk the flour into the cool stock, then whisk into simmering sauce. Roux-thickened sauces tend to separate if frozen.)

Add remaining sauce ingredients.  Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat while you (have a beer and) assemble the rest of the enchiladas, about 10 - 20 minutes. Stir frequently, being sure to scrape any flour off the bottom of the pan -- it tends to stick a bit.

Preheat oven to 375˚F. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Lay out the tortillas on the counter. On each one, spread ~2 T refried beans in a line down the center. (Use the entire can unless you like having 2 T of leftover refried beans in your fridge.) Spread the chopped green chilies over the beans; if you really, really like green chilies, use 2 cans. (Spread the sauted vegetable over the beans and chilies.) Top with a small handful of grated cheese.

Spread a couple ladles-ful of sauce onto the bottom of the greased pan. Roll up the filled tortillas and arrange tightly in pan. (They should fill the pan. If not, make more next time.) Pour remaining sauce over all, being careful to cover all the tortilla edges. Top with remaining cheese.

Bake in preheated oven ~20 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is slightly browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

   

I use Old El Paso brand mainly because it is what I have always used. You can use whatever brand pleases you. 

This post is dedicated to Julie, who was intrigued by the thought of an enchildad recipe that included Jack Daniels.

My week. Let me tell you it.

1. Taxes :: Death.
2. Deter :: Avoid
3. Regret :: Nothing.
4. Consume :: Everything.
5. 1600 :: Calories/day.
6. Retire :: Yay!
7. Console :: TV.
8. Property :: taxes.
9. Return :: Of The Vampire. Where did that come from?
10. Laughter :: Best Medicine.

* * * * *

One night we had enchiladas. I always make these when Elder Son is home. It is his favorite meal (except for possibly a humungous steak). We even had them for Thanksgiving for a year or two. They also make great leftovers, easily nuked. Our leftovers were gone the next day.

My homemade sauce, from this cookbook.

 

Assembling the enchiladas: refried beans, shredded cojack cheese, some leftover sauteed peppers and onions
from last Sunday night's fajitas at Taco Loca.

 

Blackberry pie for dessert; there is a store-bought pumpkin pie hiding underneath.
The latter wasn't bad, but it was no competition for the former.

 

Younger Son got a new toy. Here it is --  what is it?

 

It is a remote control so he can play video games on his phone.
The frosted plastic case doubles as a stand.

 

The lion lays down with the lamb: Hannibal (The Fluffball Of Doom) with his dog (Lucy The Intrepid).

 

We took our cats to the vet for their annual shots and checkups. This kitten
was available for adoption but did NOT come home with us.

Both sons were here, Elder from late Saturday until Saturday afternoon, Younger from Thursday 'til today. What fun to have all four of us around the table again! No photos of that, as I was struck by camnesia and too busy talking and laughing (and drinking wine, spoh-dee-oh-dee). Tomorrow is Elder's birthday; his gift was new tires and speakers for his car, plus their installation (and extensive repairs to the radio so that now he can listen to his iPod shuffle through it). And Younger Son (= mechanically inclined) checked and topped up all the fluid levels for him (ES = almost completely incompetent with physical objects).

* * * * *

Edited to add:

 

Ten on Tuesday, the turkey side edition.

This week Carole has us getting ready for Turkey Day by thinking of our favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. For those looking for a ideas for that menu, this is a great opportunity. For those of us with no extended family and a lack of ambition, this is a quickie.

 

Ten Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes. 

1. Gravy.
   
   
   photo credit: DonnaGrayson via photopin cc
    
2. Mashed potatoes with gravy.
   
   
   photo credit: joshbousel via photopin cc
    
3. Bread stuffing with gravy.
   
   
   photo credit: zharth via photopin cc
    
4. Gravy on the turkey. Are we sensing a theme here?
   
   
   photo credit: mhaithaca via photopin cc
    
5. Jellied cranberries, but only if sliced and left in the shape of the can, and particularly if the gravy spills over onto them.
   
   
   photo credit: LarimdaME via photopin cc
   
   
6. Roasted root vegetables. Gravy optional.
   
   
   photo credit: Jess Gambacurta via photopin cc
    
7. Pumpkin pie. No gravy, thanks.
   
   
   photo credit: Deiru via photopin cc

That's it, folks. I'm a simple kinda gal; that is plenty for Thanksgiving dinner. Especially if I am the cook.

Ten on Tuesday: the times foods they are a'changin' edition.

10 Foods You Eat Regularly Now That Were Exotic (or unheard of) When You Were a Kid*

What a great Ten on Tuesday topic -- food, my favorite subject!

My upbringing was solidly boring in the food department. Meat, potatoes, and overcooked vegetables, period. You have to remember two things when reading this list: 1, I was a kid in the 1950s, and b, I was a kid in small-town Minnesota, Home Of The Hot Dish, where the extra-spicy version of something involved the cook adding ¹/₄ teaspoon of black pepper*.

Contrary to many ToT posts, this time I couldn't stop at just ten.

1. Stir-fry. My mother made mock chow mein, which I loved, but which was really just onions, celery, and tuna cooked to death in a cornstarch-thickened sauce seasoned with a little soy sauce.
   
   photo credit: justinhenry via photopin cc
   
   
2. Pizza. But only if you consider "kid" to be 14 and under. I remember my father telling the story when I was ~10 about how his bowling team went to a pizza place after their league game one night. None of them had ever had pizza, nor even knew exactly was a pizza was. When the waitress asked what size each one wanted, they all said, Oh, I'm really hungry, I'll have a large. So all five of them had a large pizza each. And were very surprised.
   
   photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via photopin cc
    
3. Jewish rye bread. My Chicago-raised husband and his family taught me to seek that out. They introduced me to a lot of foods, but this is one that sticks in my memory because we tried sooo hard to find good Jewish rye in Minneapolis, largely in vain. Had we gone to one of the three Jewish delis in town we could have had it, but we were too poor to shop anywhere besides the supermarket.
   
   
    
4. Artisanal bread. I don't eat it now but only because of the gluten-free thing. ::sad face::
   
   photo credit: sierravalleygirl via photopin cc
    
5. Sourdough bread. This is my very favorite, but the gf thing. ::v. sad face:: For a while in the 1990s there was a locally-baked brand in the Twin Cities called Nasty Bread avaiilable at certain stores in Minneapolis, but it disappeared. It was really sour. Perfect. (If you are getting the impression that my family ate Wonder Bread when I was a kid, you are right.)
   
   photo credit: Bods via photopin cc
    
6. Corned beef and pastrami. I discovered these, plus had my first intro to Jewish rye, at The Brothers deli in downtown Minneapolis when I came to the University of Minnesota.
   
   
    
7. Corned beef hash. Mmm, a good thing to order when eating breakfast out. Especially topped with an egg or two over easy.
   
   photo credit: joyosity via photopin cc
    
8. Broccoli. Now one of my favorite vegies, but I don't think I even heard of it until my 20s. It eventually turned out to be practically the only vegetable both Smokey and the kids would eat happily.
   
   photo credit: Darwin Bell via photopin cc
    
9. Jalapeños. Hot peppers of any kind. No spicy food at all at my house growing up.
   
   photo credit: Thomas Hawk via photopin cc
    
10. Bell peppers. True. Way too weird and ethnic and Italian for my Northern European, Protestant community.
    
    photo credit: OakleyOriginals via photopin cc
     
11. Feta cheese. Blue cheese. Really, any kind of cheese that wasn't mild cheddar did not appear in my youth. Now blue cheese (or aged white cheddar or Jarlsberg) and gf crackers and Kalamata olives is my favorite snack.
    
    photo credit: cafemama via photopin cc
     
12. Kalamata olives. We had the standard green and ordinary black olives only. Now I love Kalamatas in tossed salad or a Greek salad of cukes, tomatoes, onions, feta, and Kalamatas. The snack thing (see #11) came from reading/listening to Game of Thrones, where bread and olives were often served to guests with wine. Mmmm.
    
    photo credit: Rooey202 via photopin cc (See also, "feta cheese", above)
     
13. Italian salami. The only kind of sausage-type cold cuts we ever ate were summer sausage and bologna, which I now tend to avoid. Love the Italian ones, though.
    
    photo credit: Renée S. Suen via photopin cc
     
14. Granola. Great breakfast.
    
    photo credit: elana's pantry via photopin cc
     
15. Avocados. Guacamole. I judge Mexican restaurants by their guacamole. Chipotle has the best in the Upper Midwest, imho.
    
    photo credit: hale_popoki via photopin cc
     
16. Ethnic cuisines of any kind -- Italian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Tex-Mex, Ethiopian, Indian.

 

* Absolutely true. I have a cookbook from that era with that exact instruction.

On any given Sunday.

1. dead :: ringer
2. bangs :: hair
3. future :: imperfect
4. holistic :: medicine
5. circumstance :: beyond our control
6. past :: future
7. fan :: girl
8. happened :: one night
9. room :: -ful
10. awful :: -ness

* * * * *

Last week was all gold and glorious.

Today, guess what.

It's snowing.

See?

* * * * *

Last night I watched the Ozmandias episode of Breaking Bad, then finished reading The Night Circus. The book is my pick for tomorrow night's book club so I will have to lead the discussion; frankly, I don't know what the hell happened in the book. Between the awful violence of BB and the weirdness of the book, I had one doozy of an insecurity dream after I went to sleep. Took me awhile to figure out where all that insecurity came from (had to snuggle up next to Smokey for awhile), but once I did I felt better.

* * * * *

Smokey baked another of those awesome blueberry pies Friday night. The only reason this one lasted longer than 24 hours was that we knew we should save some for Matthew, who wouldn't be here until Saturday afternoon. Let me tell you, that was a real test of self-discipline.

* * * * *

Elder Son called yesterday from the Michigan-Indiana football game, which he was attending with friends. He said he had decided that, although football is his favorite game to watch, he prefers to watch it on TV. More comfortable, and cheaper food and drink close by. $6.50 for a hot dog at the game appalled him, poor guy. He was sounding quite rowdy, which is extremely unusual for him. Probably had done a bit of pre-game celebrating...

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I am currently on square 28 out of 35 in the red quadrant of the sock yarn afghan. I think I will take a break once I finish #35 because I have committed to several other smallish project before winter -- another dog sweater for Ser Percival The Energetic, mittens for martinimade.com's mitten project, a possible hat and/or scarf and/or mittens for Ali, Andrew's friend. 

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Edited to add: I didn't think the snow was gonna stick.

Guess again.*

* That is spearmint, a hardy perennial, being weighed down by snow. I plan to winter it over somewhere cold so I am not too worried about it getting snowed on. :: fingers crossed::

If it is Sunday, I must be muttering. And stuff.

First, the mutterings.

1. 64 :: When I'm...
2. Dark :: Crystal.
3. Honor :: thy father.
4. Crystal :: Gayle.
5. Postscript :: printer.
6. Things :: go awry.
7. Fever :: heat.
8. Bare :: butt.
9. Thump :: Bunny!
10. Point of view :: slanted.

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Chocolatesheep blogged that her household is off the innernetz for a few days because there are Major Problems with her connection.  A technician will call on Tuesday to Fix It, whatever It is. This prompted me to do a speed test with my connection just out of curiosity.

Go check yours now and report back with the results and your approximate location:

www.speedtest.net | My Results | Take a speed test.

I am curious to compare my rural results to yours, given that the site rates my speed as a D.

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I am making chicken soup this afternoon and just did something incredibly clever. Instead of sautéing the vegetables in canola oil as I always have done, I sautéed them in the schmaltz that I skimmed off the chicken stock. We shall see what that does for the flavor.

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Both sons are here this weekend. The only time that has happened in the past six years or so is at holidays. Elder Son and a friend from grad school came last weekend after attending a wedding in the UP. They and Smokey then went camping on the North Shore for a few days. (This was the ten-day camping trip that Smokey and I were supposed to go on. It had been planned for at least six months. But his recovery from the kidney stone surgery delayed and shortened the vacation drastically, plus I had an important vote at the county board meeting on Tuesday night that I didn't want to miss. So I stayed home. All by myself, as long as you don't count the cats, books, wine, knitting, and NetFlix. It was sheer torture, believe me.) Andrew's friend, who came here from Somalia when he was 13, had never been camping in the woods and wanted to know what it was like. From all accounts he had a great time. Alí is a very friendly, outgoing sort. He says he learned to be that way when he was a beggar in Somalia because it helped him get more handouts.*

Younger Son is here finishing the dog run. Sadly for him, the outdoor temperature sucks. Don't believe this thermometer.

It lies. The real outdoor temp:

Poor Matthew. We set up a big fan to blow on him and moved the table with the umbrella so it would offer him a little shade. Right now he is skipping the hottest part of the day by making a supplies run -- in his air conditioned car -- to the Big Box Building Supply Store.

His and my car were sitting in the shade talking about the Old County (even though my car was actually made in Belgium).

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Earlier this week I had to go out and about. After a little thought, I decided it would be prudent to take Smokey's car instead of mine because:

1. We haven't gotten the new plates from the dealer yet.
2. We haven't gotten the new insurance card from the insurance company yet.
3. I haven't replaced my driver's license, which I lost sometime in the past month, yet.

I figured that if I were stopped for the lack of plates, that error would be compounded exponentially by #2 and #3. The first thing I did on my errand run was to apply for a replacement license. At least  I will be legal, even if the car isn't.

* If you ever doubt the value of education (and opportunity), think of Alí. He went from begging on the streets in Somalia to grad school at the University of Michigan and hopes to work at the CDC. What a guy.