DO Try This At Home

Okay, here's a totally random post. Like I've said before, good, sharp knives and an iron skillet are basic kitchen staples, right? Well, I got some new knives and they are sharp, sharp, sharp. I was slicing and dicing away and pretty much in heaven. Then the other day I cut my finger pretty bad. Well I guess you could say I cut it pretty good because it would not quit bleeding. After four or five bandaids it was still bleeding.

Lupe, who helps me around the house had a suggestion: cobwebs. Cobwebs? Now of course my first reaction was "Lupe, if you're doing what you SHOULD be doing here there shouldn't BE any cobwebs." My next reaction was "eeewwwww, how disgustingly unsanitary and downright nuts."

Guess what? Worked like a charm. Didn't even faze me that it only took her seconds to find a nice big clump of cobweb uh, material. She balled it up, slapped it on, put the bandaid back on and wala - bleeding stopped immediately. Sounds to me like a medical breakthrough. Wonder if the research scientists and medical gurus know about this novel little bit of info?

She also swears by mustard on a burn but haven't tried that one yet...

I Think Something Is Terribly Wrong With Me

I'm baffled as to the cause or the cure. This is the third Saturday in a row that I have woken up at 5a.m. Why? No Clue. Frustrating? You bet. Don't have to get up, don't need to get up but up nonetheless. Now if it was a Monday, or say a Thursday I would be sleeping blissfully savoring every minute of shut-eye time and squeezing every last second I could until I HAD to get up. But nope, not on Saturday. Go figure...

Recipe: Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry, Rosemary, Black Pepper Glaze

This one is so easy and so far has been very popular (even with people who absolutely detest cranberry!) We make it with a pork tenderloin about 8" long (don't know how many pounds but serves 4-5 people)

GLAZE
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP garlic, minced
2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. fresh rosemary (or 1/4 c. dried)

Place all ingredients in blender and blend on high for 20-30 seconds. Pour into sauce pan and simmer on medium heat until reduced and thickened, about 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. If cooking too fast, turn heat down a little (should be a gentle rolling boil). Turn off heat and let cool. You can make the sauce up to a day ahead.

Wash and pat dry the pork. Place pork and about 1/3 of the sauce in a zip-top bag and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. Can also make the sauce and cook the pork immediately but deeper flavor if you marinate. Save the rest of the sauce to heat up and serve with the pork.

To cook: Place pork on grill or in 350 oven, cover with sauce from marinade. Use a meat thermometer and cook to 140 degrees internal temp, about 30-40 minutes. Don't get impatient, temp will stay low for quite awhile then all of a sudden climb pretty fast. At 140 degrees, take off, cover and let set for about 10 minutes. Slice and serve with remaining sauce. You can brush on more sauce for about the first 10-15 minutes, after that, just let it cook and glaze.

Enjoy!

You Can't Go Home Again...Or Can You?

Oldest daughter Jessica (22 yrs.) came in from Tennessee last Thurs. Great having her home! Seems like we have been chatting non-stop most of the time. She's here for 10 days and seems like the time is flying. She's going to my mom's today for a few days before she heads back home.

Amazing how your kids actually do turn into great, loving, responsible, fun adults! Hope she's enjoying being here as much as we enjoy having her. She and Dale went fishing yeaterday - didn't catch much but seemed to have a great time just having father / daughter time.

Fortunately I had a back-up supply of fish in the freezer so at least we still were able to have a fish fry. Had also saved some homegrown okra to cook but didn't get the grease hot enough so was kind of chewy. Or maybe the problem was a combination of not-hot-enough grease or the fact that I only had one cast iron skillet so cooked the fish in that and the okra in a regular skillet. Big mistake. First rule of frying - ONLY fry in cast iron skillet. A REAL kitchen is not complete without a good set of knives and a good cast iron skillet. The older the skillet is, the better.

Made 'corny bread' too (her fav) and also had homegrown tomatoes so all in all turned out to be a great meal.

What's corny bread? Glad you asked. It's fabulous and SO easy. Make a box of Jiffy cornbread according to package directions, add 1/2 can of corn, 1 TBSP sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, pour into 8x8 baking pan and cook at 350 for about 20 minutes. I like to stir in a couple slices of jalapenos in my 'corner' of the pan. YUM.

Anyhoo, I digress....

So, having a great time with Jessica being here and will miss her tremendously when she goes back to her Tennessee home.....

Recipe: Grilled Redfish with Tequila Raspberry Sauce

Made this the other night, turned out great! We used redfish but you can substitute any mild flaky white fish if you want (or can use chicken breast fillets). The raspberry vinaigrette we used was Kraft Light Done right but any raspberry dressing should work fine. We served it over a bed of fresh baby spinach - great flavor combination and the sauce was like a dressing so kind of doubled as a salad too. Easy to make since while the sauce is cooking you can get everything else ready.

Prep
4 redfish fillets, washed & patted dry
1/2 c. raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Put fillets in zip-top bag, add dressing, refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight



Sauce
1/4 c. raspberry vinaigrette
2 TBSP tequila
1 tsp lime juice
1 can chicken broth
1 TBSP garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
2-3 TBSP roasted red peppers, sliced thin
3 TBSP fresh cilantro
2 green onions, sliced
6-4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Put all ingredients except cilantro, onions and tomatoes in sauce pan. Cover and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 10 - 12 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover, turn off heat and leave on stove.

While sauce is cooking, wash and pat dry the spinach, grill the fish, make the side dish, etc. (We made coconut rice - easy and goes good with the sauce.)

To serve: arrange a bed of the spinach on each plate, place fish on top, cover with sauce. Serve rice on the side.

Tip: for the roasted red peppers, you can buy them already roasted (in jars usually) but is really easy to do yourself. When they're on sale I do a whole batch, then freeze in mini zip-top bags - easy to break apart and use what you need. To roast peppers: Can do them on grill or in oven, up to you. Cut peppers in half, cut out stem and seeds. Spray both sides with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil. Place on foil lined cake pan or cookie sheet in 350 oven for about 10 - 15 minutes. When the skin gets nice and brown, take out and place in paper bag (this helps the skins loosen for easy removal). When cool, peel skin (actually just an almost translucent covering), then slice or chop and either bag up to freeze or refrigerate (will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. Cover with olive oil to keep longer in 'fridge).

Things I'm Thankful For

Started a new book today: Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. It's been in the media and was featured by Oprah. Has been on my shelf for a long time but just now getting around to reading it. I'll let you know how it goes (it's a BIG book). The basic gist is to be thankful for the basic everyday things that we would probably take for granted. I like the idea of putting down in writing every day things I'm thankful for. You should try it!

I wrote this next section last year and tucked it away. When I started reading this book it came to mind.

Cool fall mornings are definitely a gift from God, there's just nothing like them. After stifling heat, scorching winds, and blazing sun the refreshing change ranks right up there with hot-fudge sundaes. (Pretty high ranking, if you ask me). Even though I sometimes grumble about the oppressive heat or biting cold, deep down I really do give thanks for the change of seasons. Tropical consistency is great but I look forward to the changes in seasons, and I'm thankful for them.

Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in the daily grind that I forget to step back and appreciate all of my blessings.

When I was elbow-high in dirty dishes and laundry, it was hard to be thankful for the rowdy little creatures that created such a mess - until they grew up and left home and I was only doing dishes for two.

When I was still up at midnight waiting on one of them to get home, it was hard to be thankful - until they had a place of their own and I wondered if they were okay.

It was hard to be thankful when Grandmommy told me I had put way too much sage in the cornbread dressing - until she was gone and I had to make it by myself.

It was hard to be thankful for rules when I was growing up - until I was faced with temptations later on didn't know how to deal with.

It was hard to be thankful for pouring rain - until I looked out over a parched wheat field dying in the hot sun.

It was hard to be thankful for painful shots and doctors' offices - until a good friend was diagnosed with cancer and those shots were her only hope.

There are so many things to be thankful for, where do you start? We live in a free country where we can worship as we choose, elect our own government, be protected from criminals, and dream dreams with the realistic expectations of fulfilling them. I'm thankful for that.

I'm also thankful for my family, warts and all. They're not perfect, they're not always completely normal, but what is normal anyway? Sometimes I think normal is overrated. For the most part, they're a pretty good bunch - full of love, laughter and forgiveness. I was blessed to have a mother and father who loved us, took good care of us, took us to church on Sundays, and taught us love, respect, and compassion. Even when we disagreed, we always knew we were loved and that we would always have each other. I'm thankful for that.

I'm thankful for my husband. I'm thankful for his strengths, and also his weaknesses. I'm thankful that he's honest, loyal, responsible, disciplined, and that he's such a great father to our children. I also give thanks for his weaknesses, because if he didn't have any, he wouldn't be human, and he wouldn't need me. Hopefully our strengths and weaknesses balance out, and hopefully I can give him something that no one else can. God gave me the perfect mate, and even when we don't see eye-to-eye, I'm thankful for him.

I'm thankful for my children. Parenting isn't easy, but the reward is SO worth the effort. I thank God for their health, their smiles, their individual personalities, and yes, even for their tempers. I don't always like their stubbornness or outbursts, but it does teach me patience and diplomacy. And the hugs and heart-to-heart talks make up for all the down sides.
I'm thankful for that.

Most of all, I'm thankful that I have a God who loves me and forgives me, even when I don't deserve it. He guides me, comforts me, and picks me up when I feel I just can't go on. I'm so thankful for that.

And I'm also thankful for all the little things in life. I'm thankful for a note from a long lost friend, a delivery that arrives on time, a kind word when I'm sad, short check-out lines, re-chargeable batteries, self-cleaning ovens, a crocus in spring, a child's giggle, a good harvest, hot-fudge sundaes, and cool fall mornings. Life would be bleak indeed without each and every one of these things.

What are you thankful for?

On The Menu

Dinner for tonight: Grilled red fish with sauce of tequila, lime, cilantro, roasted red peppers and red raspberry vinaigrette served over bed of fresh baby spinach. Sides: green salad, grilled veggies and coconut rice. If it turns out I'll post the recipe tomorrow!

Ode to Being 80

Sun is shining, no storms forecast for our area today, scales were kind to me this morning - ahhhhh it's going to be a good day.

My father-in-law turns 80 next week, we're having a family get-together for him this Sun. Hard to fathom what it would be like to be 80 years old - wow, that's a lot of living. Hope I make it to 80. Seems to me that when you turn 80 life would get a whole lot easier.

You can wear what you want and if it matches, well, hey that's a bonus. They should make garanimals for seniors. (Remember garanimals? They're childrens clothes where if there's a lion tag on the top and a lion tag on the bottom, they go together. Don't put the zebra top with the lion bottom because the kids on the playground will point and laugh.) For seniors they could do the same thing. They'd have to change the name though, like maybe garpolident or something. Just a thought.

No need for moisturizer - why bother?

Traffic signs, lane markers and speed limits are merely suggestions and blinkers can always be on and it's okay, you're 80.

You can say whatever you want to your friends because, hey, chances are good they won't remember it anyway.

Secrets you tell your friends are always safe (see previous).

You don't have to worry that smoking and drinking will shorten your life. Enjoy!

Fried pork chops are okay, too late to worry about cholesterol.

Frosted flakes for dinner is perfectly fine and no one will say a thing when you put extra sugar on it.

You can't see your toes and you really don't care. I have toes???

Yup, seems to me life would be pretty sweet at 80...

Italy Pics

Trip was incredible, best part was all of us being together seeing such great things, eating awesome food and just experiencing such a different part of the world. More details to come...



Cooking class in Assisi


View from Castello De Velona outside Montalcino


Piazza Barbarini in Rome


Street in Pienza


Amalfi Coast - Positano


Siena


Fruit stand in Positano


Flower Market on street in Rome


Tuscany

Working on trip report for recent trip to Italy. Also trying to figure out how to upload pics here. Bear with me!

Motto To Live By

I love this - unfortunately no clue who wrote it...

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body.

No, life should be an awesome adventure where at the end you skid in sideways, champagne in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out screaming "WOOHOO what a ride, thank you Lord!!!!"

It's Raining Cats and Dogs

Actually it's raining rain but that sounds so non-nondescript. It's one of the side-ways Oklahoma rains that makes you want to tilt your head to the side because in the natural order of things rain should come straight down, shouldn't it? Oh great, now there's hail too - or rather hail-wanna-be - only pea sized. Now the hail is getting bigger - but maybe just lima bean size so still not too bad.

We're under a severe weather watch which is not unusual for this part of our region. In the spring/early summer you might as well give up watching any TV show uninterrupted by weather updates and the ever present weather bug in the corner of the screen. Of course, always good to know beforehand if/when your home may blow away but annoying nonetheless. Especially so if you tape something during this time of year and play it back at a later date. Even though you know it's recorded, hard not to sit up and take notice: "hey, better put the car in the garage, storm's picking up...oh wait, this is from LAST month..."

Don't have to worry about what to fix for dinner tonight - just got back from family reunion where the main activity is food, food, food. And more food. Actually was hubbys' family reunion - kind of a good news bad news thing.

Good news: I can come late and then leave early while he's obligated to get there early to help set up the tables and chairs and then stay after to help clean up.
Bad news: Since it's his family instead of mine I can't openly make fun of the oddballs. Well, okay, mostly. I try to at least not laugh and roll my eyes openly. It's the least I can do...

Good news: People in this family live a LONG time.
Bad news: People in this family live a LONG time.

Good news: Only time of year I get KFC that the out-of-town relatives bring since they don't have anywhere to cook, being on the road and all.
Bad news: KFC is still greasy, heavy and laden with calories. That's why I love it.

Good news: While some dishes are virtually unrecognizable, there's always lots of Velveeta. I love Velveeta. In fact I've had an ongoing borderline obsessive love affair with Velveeta for as long as I can remember. I think often about petitioning for Velveeta to be classified as a food group. I mean, what's not to like? It's creamy, gooey, sticks to the roof of your mouth, goes with anything (well, except maybe peanut butter. And not so good with jello - I've tried. ugh.) Lots of velveeta today - with rice, with potatoes, with macaroni, I'm pretty sure I even spotted it melted over some beanie weenies....
Bad news: First part of last paragraph: unrecognizable dishes. You have to wonder if that was what the cook ( I use the term loosely) intended when they decided on what to bring to the reunion. Or was it somewhere in the far depths of the refrigerator and the 'cook' decided to just rearrange it and melt some Velveeta over it? Hmmmm - sometimes you've got to wonder.

Good news: All in all had a pretty good time though - good to see and visit with everyone, especially in-laws, nieces & nephews. And there's not really that many oddballs.
Bad news: There's still those few that make you scratch your head and wonder about the future of the gene pool. There are some people who just SHOULD NOT procreate. TBT (Tacky but true) *sigh*

Rain has stopped, sun is out, still under tornado watch. Go fig... Only in Oklahoma.