Texas. Summer. Hot. Welcome.

So Much Fun, I Can't Stand It

I saw WICKED last night.

Let me just give you a moment with that. Okay? Moment over. It was a very late Christmas/Birthday gift from my bestie. Actually, it wasn't a late gift. I knew I was getting it way back at Christmas/my birthday, but WICKED just took it's own sweet time getting here. If you are wondering, it was awesome. If you haven't seen it, go. Go now.

And while we are on the subject of things that are wicked, let me just tell you that taking an increasingly cranky 2 year old shopping in the heat, in Texas..... that should be implemented as a punishment in our judicial system. Epic Fail. We went Father's Day shopping (and late graduation shopping for a very special Maggie, I know) on Monday & by the time we hit Target I was ready to stick my head in the deep freeze.

The child did manage, however to score a new box of crayons (washable and large sized for tiny hands!), a Veggie Tales activity book & a jumbo sized CARS coloring sheet set. He rocked it and he knew it.

And if all that wasn't enough, The Sisters and I have gig in Snyder this weekend. A World War II fly-in. In a hanger! A Party! Should be fun! -

And End Break

I'm officially back at school this month- it was a lovely 2 month break. But it's over now. Back to fighting my way to my degree of higher learning. Yea. Just in time for Jacob's seasonal allergies to come roaring back in for another visit. How precious. And can I just say that this 6-something in the morning routine that my son has blessed me with for the last couple of days had better leave with the allergies.

Cause, yeesh.

It's not pretty.

And neither is confining a 2 year old inside cause he's so off-the charts allergic to the crap that's floating around in the air. It makes for a sad, sad little boy.... and a tired mommy. Let me tell you. I hated seasonal allergies when they used to haunt my every step- I despise them all the more now. Poor sick, snotting, coughing little boy.

It's 2 Days Later

.... and I'm still recovering.

The New Andrews Sisters and their Fabulous Dolly, Dixie rode in the parade & performed at the Memorial Day Picnic in beautiful, historic downtown Granbury this past Monday. If you are wondering why that matters to you and my blog- I am one of those gals.

(p.s.- I'm not one of the ones who sings.)

And, after more than an hour or two in the 900 degree sun (and reapplying sunscreen thank you very much), in a halter top- I have a sun burn. Yea!

Anyway- it was fun. And I think there are another 1 or 2 gigs on the schedule this month. :-)

In the mean time- there's laundry to do. And my classes restarted. Excellent. And I better get a move on- Jacob will be home from his dad's in T-minus ...... uh..... well, math isn't really my strong point today (or any day).

Today's blogpost:
Rambling? Yes
Informative? Maybe
Funny? You be the judge

L8r!

It's Here!

My Southern Living magazine.

Can I just tell you how much joy that gives me? I open my mail box and give a little squeal of joy when I see that shiny new Southern Living mag sitting there all nice and pretty! It's like a present from my Southern roots.

I love it. I really, really love it!

I love the travel tips. The endless travel tips. They span the South. It's fantastic. I have a running list of all the places that I now must go.

Even though I don't garden (I have this issue with remembering to feed and water plants... what? that's God's job. don't judge me.) I love the gardening section. It's nice to know what plants and flowers to plant in what section of the South. And seeing what really, super-freaking talented gardening people can do with their backyards is enough to make me think about running out to a lawn and garden place.... for a minute.

I dream about the lovely Southern Living floor plans. And I love reading about the interesting people and places.

But the food..... oh, the food. My heart belongs to the food. I cannot even begin to describe the joy, THE JOY of reading through the recipes and gleefully working them into the dinner rotation. Pure Joy.

It's kinda like grasping this piece of my past- my family comes from Texas and Alabama. We're the South. The women who came before me were the South. And when I read through my Southern Living magazine, I remember that, I am too.

I Remembered Today, Does That Count?

First things first!

Burgers-

85/15 fat. It's a must. Deal with it. And beef~ at least for these suggestions. And I mean it about the fat content. Anytime you make a burger with beef, 85/15 people.

Spicy Ranch Burger

1 lb ground beef
1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch
a hearty dose of your favorite hot sauce (NOT salsa! there is a dif. peeps.)
shredded Gouda cheese

Mix it all together in a big bowl. Let it marinate, covered, in the fridge for an hour or two. Form into 4 patties and grill.

Makes 4 burgers.

Blue Cheese Burgers

1 lb ground beef
hot sauce
Worcestershire sauce
blue cheese crumbles
salt
pepper

Same directions as above.

Now, on to the bread.

It's your basic banana bread recipe.... tweaked
2 cups flour
3/4 cups white sugar (though I cut back just a touch on this)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 salt
4 bananas; mashed
1/4 cup milk- nonfat works best, I think
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 & a little more brown sugar
..... and chocolate chips

Oven to 350.
Coat an 8-inch loaf pan to prevent a sad ending to a promising start. In a medium bowl, combine your dry (I'm including the sugars) ingredients and mix it well. In a large bowl (and I do mean large, if you are even the slightest bit as messy as I am) peel and mash your bananas. Add the milk, eggs & vanilla and mix to combine. Add the stuff in the medium bowl to the large bowl. Mix it up, baby.

Now.... the good part. Add your chocolate chips. I'm not going to tell you how much to add. It all depends on if you want Chocolate Chip Banana Bread or Banana Chocolate Chip Bread! :-)

Fold Them in.

Bake until a toothpick comes out almost clean. About 1 hour. Let it cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan and letting it cool completely on the rack.

Slice and Enjoy!

A Miracle, I Tell You

Something amazing happened last night.

(You're all a tremble with anticipation, I know.)

I actually got to watch Army Wives when it aired and not on the DVR 2 days later!

.............
I know, I know. This may not sound like such an amazing thing when you consider all the world's problems like famine, plagues, humidity, Democrats- but, in my world, it is! It really is! I watch tv by the dvr. It's kinda pathetic, really.

I never. ever. get. to . watch. my. shows. when. they. first. air. EVER.

That's the life of a mom. In the olden days (when all we had were cassette tapes and the slogan "Be Kind Rewind" ruled our lives) one had to remember to put a tape into the VCR and set the timer to record. I do recall having several different shows smashed on one tape.... as a matter of fact, I think I still have some of those tapes under my bed... hmmm.

Anyway, back to my story. Last night, the young tot had his milk, was rocked for a few minutes by his mother and tucked into his crib.... all before 8:50pm! I scurried into my room (yes, I scurried, I'm not ashamed), giddy as a school girl & watched my show. It was glorious I tell you.

In other news, I tried out a new banana/chocolate chip bread I've been tinkering with for a while on Saturday. It's very chocolate-y. Possibly, the chocolate chips need to be cut back, but other than that- yummy! Oh, and I have a couple of burger recipes for you. Yes, I said burgers. Jump back! I know. For the well being of my father (my aversion to compacted meat patties greatly disturbs the man) I have been trying to conquer this. I figure, what the hay? I'm almost 30. Might as well. I'll try and remember :-) to throw those up on the bloggie tomorrow.

Until Then-
Peace Out InterPeeps!

Just Horrible I Tell You....

Let me explain.

I have a love for cupcakes. And fried chicken. And fried pickles. And chicken fried chicken. And ding-dongs (the food, not people). And candy bars. And greasy spoon food.

To put it simply, I was raised by good ol' southern people who cooked good ol' southern food when I was going up. You know, food that keeps cardiologists in business.

As I have approached my 30th year with whiplash speed, I've tried to take a more zen-like (what was zen like?) approach to what I put into my poor little body. I take vitamins. I drink lots of water. And, I try and eat cleanly.

What does that mean, you ask? You just try and eat without making a mess, BloggerGiRl, you inquire?

No... well, yes. But that's not what I mean. I eat more veggies. More salads. When I eat meat, it's chicken or fish with beef every once in a while. Fried foods are a rare thing in my tummy. Heavily fatty foods are minimized- I try and go for the "good fats." And, yes, I like eating this way. I do. I really do.

But.

Oh, the shame.....

I ate a Central Market cupcake the other day.... and it happened. That thing that others said might happen- it actually made me feel bad. My body didn't like it. The week before it didn't like the fried chicken we had for dinner either. I'm so upset. It's horrible, I tell you.

But I will cling to my fried green tomatoes and my fried pickles! I will never give them up! Never!

A Most Useless Post (But there is some substance)

It's true, I don't have much to say today. Sad, I know. I have been trying, desperately, to find some pithy topic that I could chat about.... but, I got nothing.

::sigh::

Oh, here's something- In Houston, Texas a little girl was given detention for a week for being in possession of a Jolly Rancher. The brazen little huzzy. Apparently in the new craze for health in fitness we've decided to steer into the crazy skid in my beloved home state.

I mean, come on.

I get the whole "let's not sell junk food & crap to kids at school" thing. (Cause, if you put a vending machine in a school, the little punks will eat from it.... I know this. I was a tried & true coke/chips/snickers girl for lunch for years.) But if candy or something is brought from home- wtf? Who cares? This little girl was given the candy by another kid.... I'm kinda surprised that kid wasn't charged with being a dealer. (only half joking.... sadly.)

Let's see. What else? Army Wives is back on. Yea! That makes me happy. Now, I just have to wait for July & The Closer will be back on. Why do I care?- hehe, Mary McDonnell will be in several eppys (double Yipppees!) & we all know she's my acting hero. I'll watch her in anything... in fact, I did (I'm looking at you Sneakers!). That movie sucked.

If you're not watching Parenthood on nbc, you should be. Just sayin'. And since we're conversing about television- Stargate Universe? Don't even bother. It really wishes it were something other ::cough:: Battlestar Galactica ::cough:: than what it really is and it's kinda sad to watch. In fact, I have stopped. Caprica, on the other hand. Good. Not great- but good. Yes, we all know what happens, but the ride to get there has & is quite interesting. (the whole secret to prequels... are you listening Star Wars & X-Men???)

Hmmm. What else can I ramble on about? I really got nothing this time. Oh well.
Have a lovely rest of your Mother's Day weekend! Go call your mom!
L8tr!

Some Chicken You Might Like

Warning: If the thought of consuming of preparing poultry makes you ill, then you might want to skip this post.

Today we're talking chicken. I have 2 chicken recipes for you. Both have been tested (both in the cooking and in the eating arenas) and considered TASTY.

Both recipes were snagged off other websites- one from Pace Southwestern Cooking & the other.... heh, I don't remember. Oops. All that to say, these aren't my recipes but I feel compelled to share yumminess when I find it.

You're Welcome.

Tasty Chicken #1

1 packet of Good Seasoning Italian dressing
1/2 cup brown sugar
whatever chicken parts make you happy (but I would say about 4 or more pieces)

Pre-heat oven to 350.
PAM a baking dish. Place chicken in dish.

In a bowl, mix the packet of dressing and the brown sugar. Pour over the chicken. Then slam the birdies into the oven for 50 minutes (about). No, I'm not kidding. As the sugar starts to melt, it will form a sauce, just go back & spoon over the chicken every once in a while.

Tasty Chicken #2

aka: Salsa Chicken

(unrelated question: why do recipes with a southwest bent almost always use the word "zippy"? and why do I almost always get the overwhelming urge to white-out that insipid word?... something to ponder....)

5 chicken breasts (duh)
1 3/4 cups salsa of your choice (I used mild)
3 T & 2 1/4 t packed brown sugar
1 T & 3/4 t Dijon mustard (okay, I'll be honest- I eyeballed this... and it was honey dijon)

Preheat oven to 350.
PAM a baking dish and lovingly place your chicken in it. I salt and peppered mine.

Combine the other ingredients and then pour over the chicken. Bake for 55-60 minutes.


Eat and Enjoy

10 Things I Never Knew About Motherhood....

1. That my habit of piling my hair on top of my head when I go to bed (I rhymed!) would come in handy one day when I had a child…. Really, really handy. Like when he runs a blazing degree fever & hurls all over me, the floor, himself, and other surfaces at 2 in the blessed a.m…. which just so happens to be the special time of night when my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders. I can jump over a gate to get to my wailing baby, but I can’t jump out of the way of projectile puke.

2. That I would never get a good nights’ sleep again.

3. That my son would end up better dressed than me most days- that hurts.

4. That I could change diaper after nasty, icky diaper with no problem, but totally freak out when my child poops in the tub during bath time. ::shudder:: Dear Lord, thank you for Clorex wipes and bleach. Your germophob daughter is most grateful. (Not kidding, I am forever scarred.)

5. That I could come to love (and loathe) a pre-school channel. Yes, Sprouts, I’m talking to you.

6. That I would turn into one of ‘those mothers’ who starts planning her child’s next birthday party 1 week after his previous one. (I’m thinking Thomas the Train this year.)

7. That my sweet little son could glare at me THAT MUCH when I sat him in Santa’s lap… 2 years in a row.

8. That in the mind of a toddler boy, playtime= wreckazoid time. (Interesting math, if I do say so.)

9. That I would become proficient in Silly Songs, the VeggieTales theme song, dancing to Thomas the Train, Calliou (this one has been known to cause adults to reach for sharp, pointy things with which to pierce their ear drums…. For Mommy, Calliou= Shudder), the Bearenstein Bears, knowing all the characters in VeggieTales and Thomas the Train, etc, etc, etc.

10. That even on days when teaching discipline and ‘that we obey’ produce moments akin to nails on a chalkboard, one little child can make me laugh till my sides hurt 5 seconds later.

I Had Every Intention

I really did have every intention of writing a book review and a recipe recommendation, but alas I have run out of time this morning. Yikes! The last week or two, plus the next 2 have been and are a whip. My grandmother has therapy for her tragically swollen (but getting better) legs 3 times a week and I am her Personal Taxi.

I'm purging through my crap, preparing my heart to part with my treasures in a garage sale at the end of the month (Lord, help me).

I did, however, manage to finish Theodore Rex. Review to come! At some point! I promise!
And there will be a tasty, tasty chicken recipe that will not your knee-high socks off. I found it on another blog. And, for the first time EVER, made it exactly like the recipe instructed. Jump Back!

But you'll have to wait for that!

Jacob has a new trike & sandbox (yes, there are pics). We went to the Arboretum. Lot's of fun!

Oh, and I'm going to be an Aunt again!

Peace out, InterPeeps!

Prayers Coveted

Hey InterPeeps-

If you would please, say a prayer for little Abby Riggs. Bad things are happening inside that darling girl's body right now. Really really bad things. If yo don't know, she's a dear sweet little girl with cancer. She's been in remission & on maintenance chemo. Now, there's talk of the most awful "R" word.... relapse.

Your prayers for this baby girl and her family are coveted, InterPeeps.

But She Was Still Nekkid......

And that’s kinda the whole point. Ok. For those of you who may have missed it, Erykah Badu recently shot a music video in the hometown that she shares with yours truly. What’s the problem with that, you inquire?

Well, she stripped her happy hiney totally BUTT NEKKID through the streets of Dallas and "within feet" Dealey Plaza & it ended with a rather graphic moment of choreographed violence.

For those of you who don’t speak Texas, nekkid= naked. As in totally devoid of clothing, including the removal of all her underoos.

So. Let me take a moment (before I launch into outerspace). For tragic reasons, Dealey Plaza is a landmark and a tourist site here in Dallas. There are ALWAYS people milling about here during the day, including children.

….. take a moment and let that sink in…. Yeah, she pranced around Naked IN FRONT OF CHILDREN to make a "statement" and then had the nerve to "Tweet" that she prayed that the children wouldn’t be too traumatized.

ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDIN’ ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

As an actor/writer, I 'get' pushing the envelope for my art. But one also has to accept responsibility for that art. And one must also not hide behind that "art" excuse when one chooses to be a moron. And exposing yourself in public is a criminal offense- it is not art. We have laws.

And, more than that- I don’t give a flying batfrak what someone’s message is…. when there are children present, you don’t get naked. And if Ms. Badu were really concerned about those children, then she would have put their well being above her "message". Because that’s what being an adult it about &, sometimes, that takes priority over being an artist.

So, I'm going to go ahead and call B.S. on her and her message of "stripping away until you get to your true self" or whatever. You can find your soul without showing your hiney.　

Taylor vs. Broccoli

So here's the deal.

I really do love vegetables (except for Brussels sprouts, but those are an abomination & should be destroyed, yuck!). I have good and tasty recipes for corn (technically a starch, I know), green beans, asparagus (eat the asparagus I make & you'll be a convert. Trust me), carrots, etc.

......
But.


I have a kitchen foe.

Broccoli.

Oh, I have tried to tame this menace. I have tried. I have hunted through cooking books, scoured the internet.... but nothing.

It's not that it's nasty, that's not it, oh faithful InterPeeps. If that were the problem, then I could walk away with my head held high... knowing that I had tried to slay this beast.

But, alas.

The problem is that it's simply... blah. ho-hum. It's not good. It's not bad. Oh, I know that I could slather it with melted Velveta and be done with it... but.... somehow.... that seems like cheating. I yearn to put forth a broccoli dish that will delight the senses as it pleases the palette! I need to conqueror this culinary foe, my Peoples! The line must be drawn Here! Viva, la Broccoli!-......

Errrr.....

Sorry about that.
I'm better now.

What I meant to say is. If anyone has any tasty broccoli dish recipes they'd love to share, that would be great!

Pay No Attention to the Woman on the Right

...... the young Lad wasn't. He was having way too much fun creating what I have no doubt will be a lifelong love of all things automotive.

Though the pictures do not capture his glee, trust me- it was there. He lunged to get out of his stroller when he saw the rides & then had a ball when I ponied up the coin to allow him to roll.

I told him not to get too attached- he's way to young to even think about driving. But he doesn't seem to be listening. Ever since this fateful day, he gets far to excited when we get too close to my car.

........... I think he thinks I'm going to let him take it for a spin.

Jacob & Bob & Larry

Someone received a couple of new friends.

Jacob loves his VeggiesTales. Or as his Poppy says, "Those Vegetable Guys." He saw Bob and Larry from across the store and RAN to their side. Much hugging commenced. And yes, a mother and grandmother folded like a house of cards in a wind storm.

Organic Thinking

I recently had the coolest opportunity. I got to talk about organics with a good friend of mine.

People, I got giddy. Giddy, I tell you!

I love organic food. I do. I cannot tell a lie. If I could, I would buy exclusively organic. My son ate (and still does) organic baby food. He drinks organic milk. (Yes, he was a formula baby. Don't judge me. No the formula wasn't organic. ::sigh::) I have another friend who rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, good grief. Another one", when she learned of my organic bent. I love her dearly anyway. :-) (Especially since, I look at her & see myself in 10 or 11 years!)

Why do I like organics?

For one thing, for as long as I can remember my mother has purchased organic milk. Seriously, people. If you haven't read on this one subject.... do it. Rapidly. (I've even provided a linky for your reading pleasure. Consider it a jumping off place.)

And hey, after you read about milk, read about the benefits of organic meat- particularly beef.

Then, I wrote a paper on childhood obesity for college. And yes, it changed my life. Or, at least the way I think about the food that goes into my body & where it comes from. The foods that some people eat are literally killing them. And that's crazy. Especially since food should nourish us and give us life.

We are so stinkin' fortunate because organics have become a mainstream product. You don't have to go out of your way. Even Wal-Mart is carrying organic foods.

If $$ is a concern (and for most people it is, me included), but you still want to eat organically, then might I make a recommendation?.... Really, it's a piece of advice that was given to me. Switch your milk, your meat and the Dirty Dozen fruits & veggies. It's a great place to start. And if you never go any further, you're still miles ahead of the game.

All this to say- our bodies are, at their most basic levels, machines. And they can either work at optimum level or they can crap out. It's something to think about the next time we think about dinner..... or the next time we feed our kids. Treats are great. I am all for a donut run on Sunday mornings on the way to church (complete with a bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper, thank you very much).

Just Sayin.

*If you're interested in organics, but don't know where to start, may I make a suggestion. Head on over to Sara Snow's website. And then, go get her book, Sara Snow's Fresh Living.

Spring Snow

There's nothing like ringing in the arrival of Spring with snow. In Texas.
:-)

I Love.....

*Diet Dr. Pepper
*my son
*chips and salsa
*coffee in the morning
*my pretty, pretty pink laptop
*BSG on dvd
*Stargate (SG1 & Atlantis) on dvd
*the rest of my fav shows on dvd
*iTunes
*my iPOD
*Chuy’s Mexican food
*cooking in the afternoon
*spending an afternoon curled up, reading
*Robert Duvall
*Fleetwood Mac
*an incredible family who amaze and astound me
*being born in Texas
*naming my son after my beloved grandfather
*collecting autographs
*Mary McDonnell
*pink
*flying monkeys
*Dallas Summer Musicals
*Neutrogena skincare products
*homemade barbecue baked beans
*sushi
*good Italian food
*my grandmother’s sugar cookie dough
*iced tea
*Star Trek… Star Wars
*black and white movies
*Giant
*Band of Brothers
*Lonesome Dove
*the month of July
*laughing so hard I squeak
*vacations in Texas
*the month of December
*my church
*my friends
*play dates

*Cafe Brazil veggie sammy

*rainy days



What do you love?