Thanksgiving

Logan, taken before I stuffed 15 additional people into my tiny home for Thanksgiving.  With so many Mexicans in my home, I was tempted to start a landscaping business, maybe roofing.

And it was a grand time.  We managed perfectly, everyone ate, laughter and stories were exchanged, football was watched and hugs and I love you were abundant.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  Something tells me next year I will find myself in the same situation and that makes me happy because that is what Thanksgiving is all about.  I hope yours was a grand one as well. 

Even More Doodle Time

Several weeks ago I ordered some Moleskine books from Amazon and, after almost a month, they finally showed up.  I hooted and hollered and then got Doodler's Block.  What am I supposed to doodle?  What will be the first thing to draw in my mini-sketch book?  Pressure.  I'm sure by the end of the day I would have doodled feverishly but for now, the pages sit blank except for the first page where I  wrote my name, phone number  and a $50 reward in case I lose it. 

Along with the mini-sketch book, that fits comfortably in my satchel, which I get a lot of compliments on, I purchased a regular sized Moleskin featuring Snoopy.  It's to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Peanuts comic strip and I love it.  Just like the above book, this one sits empty with only my name, phone number and reward items filled out.  Still, I'm happy.

I drew Charlie Brown on a regular piece of paper but perhaps I should re-doodle it into the mini.  Seems right I suppose.

And, speaking of anniversaries, my 6th wedding anniversary is this Saturday.   Already?  It seems so long ago but, at the same time, not really. 

Good times.

Doodle Time

What can I say?  I love me some Harry.

The Other White Meat

I've been experimenting with recipes lately.  I've been making a lot of mashed potatoes, doing some test runs, because originally I was going to have Thanksgiving at  my BFF's house and was put in charge of the potatoes.  Cooking for people other than your family is tricky because they aren't used to your cooking which explains my starch overload recently.  I finally got the recipe down and just like that, I am now cooking Thanksgiving at my house for my family and some friends.  I was trying to avoid it again this year but how I can turn down B?  Developing my own recipe for pork tenderloin was also a lot of testing.  My old recipe involved garlic inside the tenderloin then slathered in olive oil, salt and pepper.  However, my new and much more delicious recipe involves a little olive oil, salt, pepper and soy sauce.  Just cover the pork tenderloin well in those simple ingredients, roast in the oven at 400º for about 20-30 mintues and bam, yummy pork. 

In other Thanksgiving news, it's warm and sticky here in Houston, not a complete shocker, but I was hoping to finally be wearing (sweat)pants to Thanksgiving dinner but, shorts it is...until that evening when a cold front will pass through and drop those temperatures quick.  Stay classy, Houston. 

Hot Chocolate

Abuleita hot chocolate is a staple in any Mexican household.  It's easy to make and incredibly yummy, from what I remember.  I purchased a package for the BNC and made some while the weather was nice and cool on Thursday night.  Coupled with some pan de dulce (sweet bread) and your worries should melt away. 

For every square of the Abuelita (Grandmother) chocolate bar, add a cup of milk.  Warm up your milk, not boiling, and add your squares of chocolate.  Stir and stir until completely dissolved all the while not boiling your milk or developing that nasty skin on top.  It may be a little undersweetened so adding half a spoon of sugar to your serving may bring out the flavor.  I should have tried the Modern Family version, adding some salt, but I decided not to. 

Pour into your favorite mug, which may be an oversized mug you purchased 10+ years ago while visiting the Alamo and eat with a piece of sweet bread (not the animal gland).

 

If you're like me though, you may just salivate as your BNC sips his hot chocolate while you pat yourself on the back for powering through. 

Heh.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Yup.

Bright and early, 9:20a.  :)

The Final Countdown.

see more Hurr

And with that, I have Europe's song in my head.  Yea me.  Anyhow, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is a few days away and I already have my tickets.  Wut, wut.  But now, I have to come to terms with the fact that the end of an era is starting.  It was a good time.  I can't recall the last time I was so captivated reading a book much less an entire series about a boy who was a wizard attending Hogwarts, a wizard school, all the while battling Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort (yea, I said it, I ain't scared).  I know they're children's books but I don't care that I waited in line to pick up some of the books, as they were newly released, with parents and their children.  I wanted my book so I could rush home, turn off the TV, the phone, and read in peace and quiet sans my gasps as shocking surprises came about as the pages turned and turned.  I was happy.  I was happy these books made me so happy.  I was happy that it got children reading again.  I was happy when some friends, some I wouldn't have pegged as readers, were huge fans.  I was happy that I got my MIL to knit me the Gryffindor scarf for Christmas one year (that I still wear).  And I was really happy when the movies were made.  I wanted to see how my visual interpretations compared to what JK Rowling, the author, and the director (various) envisioned.  They weren't all winners but regardless, they will be classics just like the books.

Oh Harry.  Oh Snape.  Oh Weasleys.  Oh Dumbledore.  You will always sit safely on my shelf. 

Word.

Albondigas

So warm, so soothing is what a nice bowl of albondiga (meatball) soup is.  As the zombie weather (humid, foggy and gross) was rolling out and the cold weather was rolling in, albondigas for dinner was perfect.

Form ground beef, seasoned with salt, pepper and 1 egg, into meatballs.  Then, brown on each side not necessarily fully cooked.  After they have a nice sear, get out your tomato paste, broth, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. 

After bringing to a boil, I typically pour in a half a cup of rice and let the rice cook in the broth but, this time I opted to use some egg noodles. 

I wasn't disappointed.  It was the perfect remedy for a long and strenuous work week.  I think I may use egg noodles from now on.  The first time I made this dish I was about 14 years old.  Underestimating how much rice expands, I must have poured in about 3-4 cups.  There was absolutely no broth just rice and meatballs.  It's a story my mom tells often.  Whoops.

Good Idea, Bad Idea

I  love the Animaniacs.  It reminded me so much of The Three Stooges and The Marx Brothers.  (Listen, my dad's viewing habits rubbed off on us.  It's why I'm such a huge Niners fan.  He watched, and being we were Mexican and poor and only had one TV, it meant we watched it too.)  I enjoy the humor and the wittiness of the Animaniacs.  It seemed like a precursor to the animated movies of the moment where the humor flies over a child's head but they laugh anyhow cause you laugh. 

Yesterday, I had my own fucked up version of Good Idea/Bad Idea, a segment on the show but without the HA-HA humor. 

Cereal is supposed to be a good idea to have for breakfast and, besides soup, where else can you eat and drink your meal?  However, for me, it's supposed to be a no-no.  But, because I'm stupid, stupid, stupid, I ate it anyhow.  Maybe, just maybe, this time my blood glucose won't shoot up.  The box says that it's a great source of fiber, a plus for the diabetic crowd.  As the saying goes, denial ain't just a river.  Two hours after eating this, my blood glucose was 200+.  I have tried several combinations of cereal, all of them with different milks except the whole kind because that is just bad, and they have all yielded the same results.  And just like that, it's over, for good this time.  So, what was a good idea ended up being a bad idea.  I feel just awful that my stupidity, not to mention stubborness, got me such high blood glucose readings.  I think about the damage it may, or may not, have caused me in the long run.  Stupid indeed.

And then, last night, with zombie weather in full effect here, I opted out of making the scheduled albondigas (meatball soup) and hitting up Barbecue Inn with the BNC.  I normally don't eat, much less cook, fried stuff but I make several exceptions.  Barbecue Inn is one of them.  We sat, we talked, we ate and we compared work stories.  For now, he wins the award for tough work week.  Later in the evening, after the requisite time had passed to test my blood glucose, a normal reading pops up.  Odd indeed considering that that is not the picture of health.  But it's always a good idea to maintain your glucose levels and everyone is different.  What may not affect me may affect others in the same ways cereal and Barbecue Inn chicken does.  So, constant testing and adjusting is a big key to knowing what you can and cannot eat.  Before you know it, it becomes second nature to pass on that cupcake, order water instead of (even) a diet Coke, eat until you are satisfied, split your meal with your partner (cause there was no way I was going to eat all of that chicken) and, most of all, visit the doctor on a regular basis.  It's hard but it's not.  What wil be hard, later in life, is the damage done by acting so carelessly.  Trust. 

A Couple of New Loves

Possible spoilers ahead...

The Walking Dead

I enjoy a good zombie movie.  Dawn of the Dead is awesome, Night of the Living Dead is perfect and Return of the Living Dead just terrified me.  (I was a teenager and I TOTALLY fell for the Based on a True Story disclaimer.)  Shaun of the Dead is in a class of its own and it's an Honors class.  Anyhow, The Walking Dead is....different.  Sure, zombies are walking around trying to eat you but it's more about the human aspects of not only the non-zombies but the zombies as well.  For example, Sunday's episode, which I watched last night cause I'm old, really put that thought out there that the zombies were once people.  They had lives, stories to tell, just like you, and now they don't have that.  It affected me much more than the gory scene that had me dry heaving.  However, that scene, immediately following the oh, the zombie has/had a partner moment, gently reminded me that the show is about zombies so tread lightly.  If a Zombie Apocalypse is on your list of greatest fears and/or you have had the In Case Zombies Show Up Plan talk with your significant other, it's perfect for you and your partner.  In a nutshell, I love this show.  Watch it while there is zombie weather outside for extra oomfph.  Trust.

TeeFury

This site rocks.  If the Woot t-shirt of the day isn't doing it for you, head over here.  I purchased this shirt last week.  I am officially a t-shirt addict.  My apologies. 

Punk Asses.

I need to get this made ASAP and give to my God children for Chrismas (beat that Nintendo DS) because it's what I call them all the time.  And I totally have the permission from their mom.  Muah ha ha.

Neighborhood Watch, Part Deaux

Bitty Girl loves to watch the action, as I have previously mentioned, and now that the weather has cooled down considerably, I get to open up the windows, much to her happiness, and let her do  one of her favorite things; life watch.

 Yes?

Oh, I see Ms. Gustafson's little girl has yet another uncle.

 

 Stupid dog.



 Squirrel!

 Oh, hai! 



Go away.

Happy birthday, B

For a split second, that awful February day, I imagined that we wouldn't make it this far.  That moment didn't last longer than my breath but it was long enough for me to be afraid to live in a world that didn't have you.  That moment has stayed with me since and will for the rest of my life.  Sigh.  There simply aren't enough colors in the universe for me to paint you a picture of how much you mean to me.

 

11/8/10

Yes? No?

Maybe?

Papas

Every summer, the day after school was over, we'd get shipped out to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico to be with our Grandma and eventually have our cousins from Guadalajara, as well as our Houston cousins, meet us there. We wouldn't return until the weekend before school was set to start and every year we'd hate the dash to get our supplies. Parents, I tell ya. Good times nevertheless. It was a time before school gave you assignments to do during the summer, before the internet, before people were scared to let their kids play outside unsupervised, a time when you were allowed to walk alone to the store a few blocks away and certainly before anyone was allowed to roam without caution in Nuevo Laredo. But, my last remaining grandparent is very much alive and doing very well. Everyone can always count on her especially when it comes to food. To this day, you are guaranteed a breakfast of papas con huevos, frijoles and tortillas de harina. The breakfast menu has never changed.

So last night, I decided to make Grandma's old reliable breakfast. And, true to form it didn't disappoint though, as usual, Grandma's is better. I used my remaining batch of frozen beans to top off my papas because it's the way Grandma does it only hers are always freshly made.

And a just because photo of Bitty Girl going through my Hello Kitty tote bag. I got that for $1 at Target and, let me say, I'm not a big fan of Hello Kitty. But it was $1!

Dia de los Muertos

A photo of B, my Grandpa and I many, many, many years ago at Grandpa's house in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. It's the only photo of B and I with our Grandpa. We, just like, I'm sure, several other families, have an ugly family history and while my Grandpa LOVED us, he was not so kind to our dad, the greatest dad ever. However, my parents do not badmouth the old man, though they are honest about the ugly side of the family history. They also never prohibited me from having a relationship with my Grandpa despite the cold shoulder he gave my dad. I guess I just wanted to know this old man who was guilty of such mean-spiritedness and my parents encouraged me to love my Grandpa with all that I could. I don't hate that old man but rather, I hope he made his peace with his Maker because he certainly didn't make peace with my dad which is, within itself, very sad. I wish I could say I hate him but, in all honesty, the moment he entered my life, which was when I turned 15, he treated me lovingly and kindly, just like a granddaughter who had never had a grandfather before would hope to be treated. And, just as quickly as he entered my life, he was gone. He died 6 years later and opened up the void again.

It is what it is and while I wish I would have had more with my Grandpa, I'm ok with the little time we shared because it was very well spent. And, since we are being honest, I have many of his features: the dimple in my right cheek with the birthmark directly over it, the fair skin complexion and the eyes, my goodness, the eyes. It was those eyes, that day when I saw my eyes looking back at me, that urged me to not be like my Grandpa. I vowed to be a good person, to be kind to others, have compassion, understanding for everyone despite their rough exterior. Most of all, I vowed to never pass up the opportunity to tell the people I love exactly how much I loved them, how much they meant to me and how much I valued their presence in my life. How I wish my Grandpa had done the same to all of his family. Regardless, I thank him for being a part of my life for those 6 short years.


Feliz Dia de los Muertos, Abuelito.

Clucks

Made by Texas Chickens? I wonder if they cluck with a Texas Twang.