Wednesday, December 26, 2012

I do not blame the dead.

Please know that I do not blame the dead. I do not condone the actions of others. Being in Dallas this is a constant news story; as it should be. It's a great reminder that you do NOT drink and drive. My heart goes out to Jerry Brown and his family. They have stood by his best friend, and that says a lot. This story makes my heart heavy and sad. However, I think it is important to note that it is the responsibility of everyone to be responsible for themselves. I picture two best friends going out and having a good time with too much to drink, and making a horrible decision to get in a car. Josh Brent is carrying the load of driving a car that killed his best friend. I can not imagine the weight of sorrow he is carrying. THAT is a life sentence. My point is that there were two adults in the club that decided to get in a car after drinking. Unfortunately, the worst happened. Regardless of what happens in the courts, it is important for everyone to take note. This time of year, people can make bad decisions because they are celebrating. I think it is important for everyone to remember they are responsible for themselves. Think ahead. Make prearrangements. Do not put yourself at the mercy of another. Bad things happen to good people when they make bad decisions. Don't let this happen to you or the ones you love. It is not worth it.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Traditional Christmas Weekend

We have so many family traditions this time of year. I think that's why this was such a hard post to write. As I thought of all of them, each one brought a smile to my face.

I'll share one of our newest holiday traditions. My mom began this one last year, and I love it. She chooses a weekend, and she books two rooms at the "Great Week Lodge." When she announces the weekend she chooses, you'd sure as hell make sure you're available. She gets two "kid cabin" rooms. These have little cabins inside with three bunk beds. It's the best weekend of the holiday season. My sister gathers her family, and I gather mine. Then with mom and pops in tow, we head out for the weekend. As soon as we arrive at the hotel, we drop our stuff off and the kids get their "paw passes" and it's game on! The weekend begins with the kids getting their magic wands and choosing their quest. As we make our way through the hotel, the kids are pointing at treasure chest and random objects to collect their magic. Then the adults retreat to the rooms for a festive drink, and the kids plot their next move. After all, they are steering the boat so to speak. They usually jump from bunk to bunk in the rooms. Later, we head to dinner, and off to see Santa. Then the moment we all dread, but do it anyways. We get in our bathing suits and head to the indoor water park! Nothing like getting in your bathing suit in December. Oy! Nevertheless, we have a blast. My tiny little child picks the biggest slide to go down. She is fearless. Finally, we head back and everyone gets in their pjs, and heads to the lobby for story time being at the Lodge is like being in a twilight zone. Everyone is roaming the halls in their pjs. The kids take one more trip around with their wands and head to bed.

In the morning, my mom reserves the life size gingerbread house for her and the kids to go have breakfast in. The rest of us get to stay snuggled in bed just a bit longer. Then, it's back to the water park. Finally, the kids get to use the rest of their paw pass. They make a shirt, stuff an animal of their choice, get ice cream, and glitter tattoos. Once those puppies are applied, it signals that its time to head home.

There is nothing better than spending the weekend cooped up in a hotel with my mom, pops, sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephews, daughter, stepson, and hubby. It truly is the best weekend of the season!





Friday, December 21, 2012

I think I might be raising a homeless person

Seems like all kids love boxes. They're fun to play in, and encourages them to use their imagination. It's really is one of the best "toys" around.

Now that the holidays are here, I've been doing a lot of online shopping. That being said, we have accumulated quite a few boxes. Ryan has made cat beds, robots, monsters, and a house to name a few. We have one box in particular that is big enough for her to get in and close it up. She really made me smile when I found the box addressed "to Kari from Ryan." It was even better because she was inside.

Later that night after she brushed her teeth, she announced she was going to bed . . . in her box. My hubs and I chuckled and did what we needed to do to get ready for bed. Then we went to give hugs and night-night kisses, and found Ryan laying in the box. She had it turned on it's side and lined it with pillows, and of coarse a flashlight. She was already snuggled up in her covers, and insisted on sleeping there. So, I figured what could if hurt. However, around midnight I took the box off her bed and put her in bed properly. I didn't want her to wake up with so weird crick in her neck. I went back to bed only to be woken up at 4:00 am to . . . "MOM! WHY AM I NOT IN MY BOX?" Talk about a rude awakening. She went and got her box and reassembled her box bed. The next night she slept in it again. I did not bother taking her out of the box this time. I know how that will play out, and frankly, I like my sleep.

This brings us to last night (which would be another night in the box). She announces she's going to get her box ready for bed. Fine, fine just go get ready for bed. When I went to give her hugs and kisses, I found her IN the box. Yep, the opening was at the top and she was curled up in it. She had her "whaley" and pulled her covers over the top. Of coarse I laughed. When the laughter subsided, she asked me so sweetly if she could sleep in her box. I have in and said, sure why not? I figured I would get up and take her out of the damn box later that night. Good plan, right? One problem though. I totally fell asleep. When we got up this morning she was still curled up in her box. This brings me back to my question. Am I raising a future homeless person? Or just a very intelligent girl with a big imagination? I'm going with the second one.








Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Anticipation


Another year comes to an end.

Look back to see where you've been. 

Look forward with anticipation.

See the fruits of your blood, tears, and perspiration. 

Those little eyes will give you inspiration.

*************

This week's prompt: 

1
a : a prior action that takes into account or forestalls a later action
b : the act of looking forward; especially : pleasurable expectation
2
: the use of money before it is available
4
: the early sounding of one or more tones of a succeeding chord to form a temporary dissonance — compare suspension

Please remember:
  • Your response must be between 33 and 333 words.
  • You must use the 3rd definition of the given word in your post.
  • The word itself needs to be included in your response.
















Friday, December 7, 2012

It' Scampi Time!!

Welcome Guest Chef - Ghetto Girl 2005 (aka Susan)!
She's my blogmate. When I'm out and about, she likes to pop in. Grab your taste buds, and enjoy. Just make sure to wipe the drool off your face, but DO NOT wipe it on the couch!

It' Scampi Time!!

Again, I have to give special thanks to @KBar3 for allowing me to crash at your pad! Kari and I are currently under sublet negotiations! ;)

The holidays always trigger memories of Christmas Eve at my Nana' s apartment where 20+ of 
my closet relatives gathered to yell at eat other gorge on every type of fish imaginable! Some were more appetizing than others. Fried smelts (still not even sure what hell a smelts is?) and squid sauce were some of the less desirable dishes in my opinion! Actually they were "hurl" worthy! But my Nana's Shrimp Scampi, that was kick ass! So in the honor of Mel and Michele, I give you a family treasured recipe for Shrimp Scampi! 
        

Nana's Shrimp Scampi

*1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 16 to 24)
*1/3 cup unsalted butter
*3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*1/4 cup dry white wine
*2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
*2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
*salt and pepper 
*Fresh lemon wedges to garnish, optional

Rinse and pat dry shrimp. In a large skillet, melt the butter and the olive oil over medium low heat. When butter melts, stir in garlic. Cook the garlic, stirring occasionally. DO NOT LET THE GARLIC TURN BROWN!! (Nana was always yelling).  It should take about 7 minutes for the garlic to cook. Turn up the heat to medium high and add shrimp and wine. Cook the shrimp until they are just pink, turning the shrimp once. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Best served as is with lots of warm and crusty Italian bread to "dunk" into the garlic, butter, lemon sauce! :) But also can be served over linguini or rice.

*Sorry, there were never any Gourmet magazine photo ops at Nana's house! I hope this does not disqualify me! :( I can offer up a picture of me and my sister holding a dead pig under a Christmas tree? It even had an apple in it's mouth!

Happy Holidays!!


***************


olddognewtits.comThe Rules . . .

‘KETCHUP WITH US’ – Prompt #7
Share a favorite holiday recipe with us. For once, there is no Heinz-inspired word limit. Just don’t go overboard. (God, I HATED that movie.)

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Birthday Foolishness . . . El Guapo Edition


To the guys who brings us Foolish Friday, Funny Limericks, and Sunday Night Cookoff a big ole HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you! 

Here's my shot at a limerick in honor of Guap. 

He brings us Foolish Friday

It makes it so I don't cry that day.

It's signals the beginning of the weekend.

So then I start thinking.

Soon will be Sunday, and he'll be a drinking.

I've been lucky enough to run across some great people here in the blogosphere; as well as, make some great friends. I have enjoyed getting to know Guap, and have enjoyed the stories and recipes we have exchanged. Of coarse, I didn't do the cooking when I was sent a wonderful recipe for Roasted Garlic Soup. (I'm not allowed) However, I had my hubs whip it up. I coached along from the couch while following along with #SundayNightCookoff. 

In honor of your birthday I have put together my own little poll. 

If you could spend El Guapo's birthday with him, 
what would you do?

A.) Have him cook for you.
B.) Would you cook for him.
C.) BRRRRAAAIIIINNNNSSSS!!!!
D.) Go grab a burger and a beer.
E.) Attempt singing La Bamba at Karaoke with him.
F.) Other

Since I'm not as fancy as Guap, please answer the poll in the comments. Then hop on over to his place and wish him a happy birthday! 




  

Monday, December 3, 2012

Favorite Holiday Recipes

The holidays are in full swing now with Thanksgiving behind us, and we have arrived at the Christmas season. This is a wonderful time to look back on the last twelve months, and appreciate all that we have. It's also a time for family to gather from near, and far. A time for all "those" family members you only see a couple times a year to invade visit, and catch up. So without further ado, I will share one of my favorite recipes to kick off the Christmas celebration with the family gathered around. 

Vodka Tonic
1 bottle of vodka (I prefer Tito's)
1 bottle of tonic (I prefer diet. Save the calories for dessert)
3-4 limes
Ice
Cranberry juice (If you want to make it more festive)

1. Wash off your lime, and cut it into 6 wedges
2. Take a glass or a plastic cup and write your name on it. 
3. Fill it with ice
4. Measure out 2 oz. of vodka (Who are we kidding. Fill that puppy about half way up.)
5. Top off with tonic water
6. Squeeze your lime into your drink
7. Splash a bit of cranberry juice and stir (This will give it a festive taste and color)
8. Sit back and enjoy your holiday

Here's the deal. I am actually not "allowed" to cook. My hubby made me promise him I would never ever cook for him again after I tried to "kill" him with a lovely breakfast I made for him one time. Apparently expiration dates on eggs are there for a reason. As a loving wife, I graciously agreed. I have been out of the kitchen for the last seven years. However, I am allowed to make a brief appearance every so often as requested. Christmas time is one of those times. In Texas, it is a tradition to have tamales at Christmas time. So every Christmas eve we gather with my stepsister and her family and have our tamale dinner. Don't worry. I'm not about to make tamales. We order those. However, this is my time to shine. It would not be Christmas eve dinner without my Holy Guacamole!

Holy Guacamole!
8 ripe avocados
1 bunch of cilantro
1 Jalapeno
1 Garlic bulb
1 Lime
Cumin
Salt and pepper
Food Chopper (This is a necessity for me)

1. Smoosh roughly 8 of the garlic pod thingys with the flat part of a big knife to remove the peel
2. Cut the jalapeno in half (add to taste)
3. Grab a handful of cilantro and jamb these three ingredients into your food chopper and chop away
4. Toss your chopped goods into a bowl and squeeze half of the lime in with the other goodies
5. Eyeball about a teaspoon of cumin and toss it in too
6. Dice up your avocados and dump them in the bowl
7. Use a fork to incorporate the ingredients together 
          (For chunkier guac - less forking. For smoother guac - lots of forking)
8. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste (more lime if needed) 
9. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so the ingredients can do the El Jarabe Tapatio (aka- Mexican Hat Dance)
10. When the favors are intertwined . . . Enjoy!



Come "Ketchup With Us" twice a month with Michele and Mel

'KETCHUP WITH US' - PROMPT #7

SHARE A FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPE. THERE IS NO WORD LIMIT. 

(WELL, LET’S NOT GET CRAZY. HOW ABOUT NOTHING OVER 1000 WORDS?)