The Year of the Horse

It’s my year. I was born in the Year of the Horse, four cycles this year.

Quick, do the math. Done? Ok, moving on.

I have never been a fan of horses the way some people are. I think they are beautiful and graceful, and have a rather dry sense of humor. But my one encounter with horses left me scarred and frightened for life a bit wary of them. And yet Frederic Remington is one of my favorite artists, and I love the way horses are portrayed in Chinese art. The neighbor down the street has one in his garden and I keep hoping he puts it in a garage sale so I can get my hands on it.

I tend to covet weird, inconsequential things, like glass buttons and tin cans. Don’t ask.

Anyway, my dad gave me a wonderful gift this past weekend. It had been his for years, a gift from a good friend, and now it is mine.

So now I have my very own horse to celebrate the year of my birth, even though I am Puerto Rican and Catholic and not Chinese and Buddhist. And this is the only way I will ever have a horse in this house. We already have a Rat, and Snake, and I refuse to tend a Pig.

Just as well Dragons are on the endangered list, too 😀

Is This *Really* What You’re Looking For??

I was over at The Bloggess the other day, and as usual I ended up snorting coffee out through my nose while reading her blog. I must say some of the search terms people use to arrive at her site are…. intriguing. Out of curiosity, I looked up the search terms at Sithy, and I must say, there are some odd people out there.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. At all.

Besides, there is coffee for that, right?

So here are some of the search terms for this past week:

I got my voodoo doll out — Look, I get it, but you really should keep that to yourself. I certainly don’t need the NSA knocking on my door for someone else’s voodoo. I got special brand of crazy without adding to it.

Nobody move I just cleaned the house — Why in the heck would you come to THIS blog for THAT?? As if!!

козы плавают в море — I’m at a loss here.

Squirrels with lightsabers — Never gets old.

Mmmm — Candy, food, drink…what??

Kilt exposed — If only!!

Hope y’all have a great Tuesday, and feel free to translate. But only is it’s family friendly 😉

Mmmm, Mmmm, Stew!

It has been a while since I have posted a recipe here. With the passing of our blogging friend Yabu, I lost the desire to annoy food pic haters, as he used to call them. But after yesterday’s near debacle, I felt I should share the wondrousness of the beef stew. So easy, and so good, you’ll want to make it every week. Or so my kid tells me.

It was inhaled so fast I had no time to take nice photos.

Simple Beef Stew

(Adapted from Lipton Recipe Secrets™)

• 2 lbs. Sirloin, cut up into cubes
• 4 medium gold potatoes, halved and quartered
• 4 carrots, cut into 1 inch lengths
• 1 small white onion, halved and quartered
• 2 envelopes Lipton Recipe Secrets™ Onion Mushroom Soup mix
• 2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 1 C water
• 1 C Red wine*
• 1 C peas (waaaaaay optional)

*You can substitute a cup of water for the wine.

If using a Dutch oven, preheat oven to 275* F.

Brown the sirloin in a large pan with a bit of cooking oil. Once browned, transfer all the sirloin and the collected juices to a Dutch oven. Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, and peas (if you must…). Add the soup mix and tomato paste to the water, and mix well. Pour over meat and vegetables. Pour wine if desired. Stir well, and close lid. Place in oven for three hours or until meat is tender.

If using a crock pot, follow the same steps but heat on low for six hours, or high for 3½ hours.

Good food doesn’t have to be complicated. Thank goodness 😀

What a Crock

This is just not happening. NOT. HAPPENING!!

It is freezing today by Texas standards, which means hot comfort food is a must. I don’t get the chance to make beef stew often, but today was the perfect day for it. Sleety, windy, gray, cold: just like winter should be. Not what I want in a winter, but nothing I can do about that except maybe place The Goron on my Voodoo List™.

Not saying I did, mind you.

Anyway, I go to do my kitchen prep: peel and dice potatoes, carrots, onions, brown stew beef cuts, and open the red wine. Yes, I cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food. I place all that heavenly goodness into the crock pot, plug it in and….. nothing.

NOTHING!!!

I am aghast. My crock pot is dead, y’all!!

I am at a loss. I love my crock pot. I use it at least once a week. After hyperventilating and walking around the kitchen island sobbing, I calmed down and decided to put it in the oven to cook, like a boss. Actually, like a boss that has a ton of cast iron dutch ovens. I’ll be danged if I let this setback ruin dinner. I mean, there is no way I am going out in this weather. Not even for a dinner out.

On the upside, Hubby has an idea of what to get me for Valentine’s Day 😉

Musings on Being Nostalgic

There are so many things I miss.

I never seem to give them any thought, though. Sometimes one or two things will quietly slip into my mind and remind me of good times long past. It may sound maudlin, but I am sure I’m not the only one that has a thought spring up like that.

I miss running after the ice cream truck. It was a challenge to see who could get to it first. Saving nickels and dimes every week just so you could get a Drumstick™ was fun, but eating it all before it melted into a sticky mess was an achievement.

I miss being able to slam down a phone. There was a satisfaction of hearing that BAM!! and knowing you had really made your *ahem* dissatisfaction known to the person on the other end.

I miss the card catalog. I loved, LOVED running my fingers down the index cards, reading the books’ information, pretending to be a detective trying to figure out the cryptic synopsis. It’s not as fun to look it up on the computer and have the whole plot outlined already.

I miss roller skates. Not roller blades, mind you. But the metal, scrappy, key-to-adjust kind that you put over your sneakers. That screech the wheels made as you tried to glide gracefully on the sidewalk was like music to my ears.

I miss Polaroids™. It was fun to wait for the film to develop right before your eyes, and yes, I shook the heck out of them. Before Photoshop™, before Instagram™, all you had to do was wait a few years and the film would antique itself quite nicely.

Anyway, I have been sentimental long enough. Time for me to take advantage of current technology and do some laundry in my high efficiency washing machine 🙂

Random Musings for Sunday

Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, and still no drummers drumming. Thank goodness, because I am taking down all the Christmas stuff today. Usually I wait until Epiphany to do so, but I have stuff going on tomorrow. Nothing like taking down lights while a cold front moves through to get you motivated to do it quickly.

I made some hot chocolate the other night with Ghirardelli, milk, and cream. I topped it off with one of these:

That’s right: Candy Cane Marshmallow Peeps, dipped in chocolate. DIVINE!!!

I hate the new “Related Pin” crap at Pinterest. Who the heck would think I would be interested in pickled Northern Pike?? I do like the blood orange margarita, though.

There is no end to laundry, ever.

I am a very patient person, except when waiting on packages from Amazon to arrive. Then I am stalking the mail carrier like a boss.

I made the mistake of wearing a red shirt when I went to Target©. That wasn’t as bad as being able to answer everybody’s questions, though.

And with that, hope y’all have a wonderful Sunday 😀

Thursday Never List

It’s College Bowl Time around here, and boy howdy, has it been fun!

The Aggies won, the Spartans won, the Raiders won (I will catch hades for this one), the Ducks won (and this one, too), so I’m a happy camper overall. Especially with the A&M- Duke game. But that’s my bias typing.

Anyway, one of the complaints heard from the Peanut Gallery was my lack of *ahem* hostess skills this time. When Draco was here visiting, I went out of my way to set out snacks and sandwiches for the guys while they watched football. Apparently my lack was noticed by some, since this time I decided to enjoy the games and let them fend for themselves. They weren’t raised by wolves, apparently.

Things One Should Never Skimp on Football Days

#5– Pillows

You’ll be on the edge of your seat, so best to have some backside support.

#4– Ice

If you run out, you’ll get tasked to get some. Which means you’ll be missing the game.

#3– Throat lozenges

You’ll thank me for that. And avoid the cherry flavored ones. You’ll thank me for that, too.

#2– Snack foods

This goes without saying, I know.

#1– Painkillers

Because not every team wins, and “moderation” is not in your vocabulary during a game.

Anyway, I’m off to shop for tonight’s game. The last thing I need is more Peanut Gallery musings while screaming at the TV 🙂

Thursday Never List

Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. Bar NONE!!

Unless you are a parent. Then it’s a double-edged sword.

Don’t get me wrong. I love seeing the kids’ faces when they open their gifts. It’s so sweet to see the surprise and hear the “SQUEEE!!”, no matter how big or small the gift. But we parents learn a lesson soon after the first couple of Christmases about gift giving for the kids. Obviously the gifts should be age appropriate. No one disputes that wisdom. But there are some gifts one should never give children. You are asking for trouble.

Toys to Never Buy for Children

#5– Play Doh Dentist

Just the thought of hearing the whirr of that drill is enough to get people climbing the walls.

#4– Underwear

There are two outcomes from this gift: tears, or wearing on the head like a superhero mask. I’m not sure which is worse.

#3– Expensive or Heirloom Jewelry

You don’t want a kid using Grandma’s rosary as a helicopter rotor.

#2– Musical Instruments

An eight-year-old with a drum set. Enough said.

#1– Any Repetitive Noisemaker

I know that sounds vague, but one can include trains, whistles, popguns, and whoopie cushions in this category, to name a few. Eventually, your need for peace will outweigh any desire to make sure the child is happy, and will result in a Godzilla-like rampage.

I hope y’all had a wonderful Christmas in relative peace and harmony. If not, I hope your Godzilla imitation was caught on video 😉

Hat tip: roamingfirehydrant!!

Good Tidings!

It’s Christmas Eve Eve!! And I am excited because I just LOVE to run around like a stormtrooper at a rebel firing range.

I have ONE MORE DAY to get everything organized and wrapped and shipped out and stuff cooked and baked and call people and go around the neighborhood dropping off goodies and packing and cleaning and dusting and clearing out empty boxes and making sure that Santa can find his way from the chimney to the tree with no dog obstacles.

But I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Except maybe to have someone else do the laundry. Maybe that.

So go tackle the day and smile, because that always makes you feel better, and makes people wonder what you have up your sleeve 😉

Thursday Never List

Today got away from me, mostly because Hubby was travelling back from being out of town and I had to knuckle down and do some cleaning before the kids are out for the Christmas holiday. If I don’t do it now, it will never get done, and then all I will hear is complaining from the peanut gallery about it.

Been there, done that.

Things One Should Never Put Off

#5– Root touch-ups

Seeing one inch dark roots on a blond head of hair is disconcerting, like they ran out of gas or something.

#4– Writing ‘Thank You’ cards

You’ll thank me for that.

#3– The ‘check engine’ light

Every minute you put it off is worth about $50 in damage, and $200 in labor.

#2- Cleaning out the fridge

At least once a week, unless you are lonely and want to have conversations with evolving life forms. Your mileage may vary.

#1– Family

No need to explain this one at all.

Anyway, I hope y’all have a great day afternoon evening. I’m on my way to serve myself a glass of wine. I’ve been putting that off for hours!! 😀