Colds and Other Discomforts

What have I been up to lately? Not a lot, or a too much, depending on your outlook.
First of all, we have all been sickly. My son caught some nasty flu bug at the Dr's office when he was getting a check-up. He started getting all gobbery and snotty, and I knew I had a problem. My mom caught it next, and because she smokes like a chimney, she got it bad. Hacking hacking hacking, wheezing, and sleeping. Then my husband got it, and he never gets sick. He came home early from work one day when I was out shopping. When I came back and saw his car sitting in the driveway, I about had a heart attack. The last time he came home from work early, he was laid off. I rushed inside to find him fast asleep upstairs. He opened one eye miserably and informed me that he didn't feel good, and to shut the door because he was taking a nap. I just shook my head and laughed. He gets so grumpy when he is tired.
Then I started to get it. Luckily, I had thought ahead and purchased a big box of Cold Ease. They come in many different flavors including; strawberries and cream, orange cream, cherry, honey lemon, citrus, and green tea. I've tried a few of them, and I don't care how good they make them sound on the box, they all taste gross. Don't get me wrong, they work like a dream, but you still can taste a slightly metallic taste. I started popping those things right away. So far, only a slightly stuffy nose and a light cough which seems to be going away right quick. Meanwhile, my mom still sounds like a TB patient.
In other news, we close on our house tomorrow. It's been very stressful due to some unexpected last minute repairs we have had to make, but the deal is almost done. I'm a little sad and a little happy at the same time. It irks me a little that the new owner is planning on ripping out the old carpet and flooring and completely repainting the house, but I guess it's their prerogative. I happen to like my design choices, but hey, I'm the one who picked them out. If they rip out my shrubbery or the trees, then we may have to talk. I love those bushes! I spent hours digging holes, wallowing in the mud like a pig, all to the amusement of my neighbors.
Tomorrow, we also have to pay a visit to the friendly Indiana DMV. We seem to have somewhere along the way lost the title to a car that we want to get rid of. I can't wait to spend hours and hours at the house of corruption. It should be fun. "Number 101, number 101, please step to the window please so we can abuse you and take all your money. Thank you, please don't come again."

East Meets West

I was messing around the kitchen tonight with my mother. We only had a 1 lb of chicken between us, a pantry full of canned goods, and a few odds and ends I picked up on the spur at the moment at this weird Asian supermarket I decided to explore this afternoon. She wanted to make chicken potpie or chicken fajitas, both of which did not sound good tonight to my picky palate. I told her to stand down, and took over the preparations.

I had really wanted some hot and sour soup, which is why I had wandered into that Asian supermarket to begin with. First of all, it is located in the most strictly all-American neighborhood strip mall you can image. At one corner, a Walgreen’s dominates, with its large red sign promising delivery from all kinds of aliments to the young and old alike that live in the area. On the other end, an H&R block, looking strangely vacant this time of year, is squeezed in next to a Subway. The rest of this strip mall is the Asian Supermarket. I was wondering about this, and today I saw multitudes of Asian folk heading into the market. So I wandered in. It was amazing! They had rows and rows of fresh vegetables, all reasonably priced. It was difficult to name some of them, as I had never seen them before and most things where written in Chinese. I did manage to locate a few things I recognized, cilantro, ginger, mushrooms, and I picked these all up for pennies. Then I wandered through the store, finding some chili paste I knew I could use. Their meat area amazed me. They had all sorts of strange things I would never eat, including cow hearts, pig knuckles; chicken feet packaged by the pound. But then they had regular stuff like pork and beef, cuts that I recognized. Some items in the sauce aisle looked interesting, but it was all in some type of Chinese, so I was hesitant to buy. They had all sorts of interesting rice, noodles, and tea. I'm looking forward to visiting again!

Anyway, this is the recipe I sort of threw together from some of the items I had laying around and some of the items I found in my treasure hunt. It was very tasty, and cleared out the sinuses. After eating this, you won't need the remedies from the Walgreen’s. I call it East meets West Chicken Soup. It is very easy, and doesn't take much time.

4 servings, or two really hungry people servings with some leftovers for lunch.

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes
2 cans low-sodium chicken broth
1 can of pinto beans, drained.
1 can of petite cut diced tomatoes
1 can of corn, drained.
1 small white onion
1/2 green pepper, diced.
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon Cheyenne pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
dash of paprika
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar

Cook chicken in stock pot until cooked through, then add green pepper and onion, cooking until onion is clear. Then add broth, corn, tomatoes, and beans. Stir. Then add salt, pepper, ginger, Cheyenne pepper, red pepper, paprika, vinegar, and sugar. Stir. Cook on low at a low simmer about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Spot of tea?

I just came back from a lovely visit with one of my best friends and her family. They are both from the UK. Her son is just a few weeks younger than ours, so it's fun to get the boys together. It's amazing to see to little babies play together. They try to grab each other’s hands, feet, and faces. In my son's case, he grabbed his friend’s sock and pulled it off. I'm sure if I hadn't absconded with the errant sock, it would have ended up straight in his mouth.
When we got back, my husband said, "You're talking British again." Which was true. I tend to pick up their tone of voice, sayings, and the penchant for teatime.
It occurred to me that most Americans have no idea sometimes what British phrases mean. In fact, it goes both ways. For example, I told my friends that my husband talks on the phone more than a teenage prom queen. They didn't get it. They don't have proms in the UK. In fact, they don't even have high school. They have some other system that I really don't understand. It involves picking out your career path at age 16. Can you imagine? They only thing I knew I wanted to do at age 16 was get a car and get out of the dink little town I was living in.
So anyway, here is a brief cheat sheet from The Best of British in case I say something you don't understand after visiting my British friends.

The British flag, also called the Union Jack:


Ace - If something is ace it is brilliant.

Bloody - One of the most useful swear words in English. Mostly used as an exclamation of surprise i.e. "bloody hell" or "bloody nora". Something may be "bloody marvellous" or "bloody awful". It is also used to emphasise almost anything, "you're bloody mad", "not bloody likely" and can also be used in the middle of other words to emphasise them. E.g. "Abso-bloody-lutely"!

Cheeky - Cheeky means you are flippant, have too much lip or are a bit of a smart arse! Generally you are considered to be a bit cheeky if you have an answer for everything and always have the last word.

Dodgy - If someone or something is a bit dodgy, it is not to be trusted. Dodgy food should be thrown away at home, or sent back in a restaurant. Dodgy people are best avoided. You never know what they are up to.

Gutted - If someone is really upset by something they might say that they were gutted. Like when you are told that you have just failed your driving test

Posh - Roughly translates as high class.

Rubbish - The stuff we put in the bin. Trash or garbage to you. You might also accuse someone of talking rubbish.

Wanker - This is a derogatory term used to describe someone who is a bit of a jerk.

Also they have a queen, which I just bring up because I wanted to put this picture in:

!
To see a few more pictures of the boys playing, click here. They are a lot cuter than the Queen of
England, I guarantee! (Thanks to my friends for taking the great pics!)

Our 1st Christmas

It was my son's first Christmas this year, and we really had a good time. I had really forgotten how much fun Christmas can be. My husband and I just turned 30 this year, so we have spent all of our 20's without children to share the holiday with. In fact, I think that both of our families had about given up on having kids around for Christmas. The youngest, for a long time, was my husbands little brother, who just turned 18. He is probably wishing he were still the youngest. My son was really spoiled. He got lots and lots of presents from Santa and Grandparents. I know that he won't need any more toys for an entire year.
He was really good. Even though he is only eight months old, he tried to help unwrap the presents. He really knew that something good was under that paper. Like all kids, he also really seemed to enjoy the boxes. Fisher Price tends to put babies on the boxes, and he looks at the pictures of the babies and giggles.
I think his favorite toy was a stack of simple, bright colored cups that his aunt got him from Ikea. He loves to bat them around and try to pick them up with his hands. If I stack them up for him, he loves to knock it over.
My husband and I got him the Tigger you see in the picture. He loves to jump in his jumperoo, so he is our little Tigger. You don't get cuter than this! For more Christmas pictures, click here.

To ear is human

Ha ha. I make myself laugh, which is a good thing, because I seem to be a little short of comedians in the house.
To ear is human. A takeoff of the phase to err is human. But, you got it right?
I haven't posted lately, frankly, because I haven't had the time. My son has had a horrible bought with ear infections, which make him cranky and irritable. He hasn't been sleeping; therefore, I have not been sleeping. Last night, he crashed about 6 o'clock. Then, he awakened about 9 o'clock, and didn't go to sleep till 3 am, when in desperation, I took him into bed with me.
Normally, I don't believe in allowing kids to sleep in the same bed as parents. Maybe I'm just selfish. My bed is my haven. I go there at the end of a long day, shut my weary eyes, and fall fast as a rock tied to a mafioso, to sleep. However, when I become sleep deprived, there is nothing I won't do to find the blessed embrace of my flannel sheets.
So, today we made yet another trek to the Dr's office, where they took one look in his little ears and said "ouch". They gave me another RX, and I headed back to the neighborhood Walgreen’s. I dutifully handed the pharmacist the script, and she told me it would be done in a half and hour. Now, I know they have other customers, but I have a grumpy little boy at home whose ears hurt. I really wish they would work faster faster faster.
I think it’s all a plot to make you buy things in the store. I mean, you could sit in the nice padded seats in the waiting area and read a well thumbed and germ riddled magazine, but I prefer to browse.
It's amazing what Walgreen’s carries. Today, I saw baby food, ramen noodles, assorted nuts, car lock de-icer, those little smelly trees you hang from your rear view mirror, a cushy neon green pillow for your back, makeup, perfume, Christmas trees, and a Magic Bullet (As seen on TV) blender. If your ever feeling bored, just go wander around, you'll be amazed at what you will discover.
So after my name was called, I pulled myself away from the mindless entertainment and went home to dose my kid up. At the moment, he is blissfully sleeping away his ear pain, and I am enjoying yet another cup of coffee.
Merry Christmas!

My favoriate things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things . . . .

A few of my favorite things.
1. Barenaked Ladies -- No, not REAL naked ladies, the Canadian pop band. They have a great live show.
2. Harry Connick Jr. -- He is a great singer, and he is not hard on the eyes at all.
3. A good book. My favorite author? To many to count. Right now, I'm reading Back Story by Robert B. Parker. Next in the pile? Teacher Man by Frank McCourt.
4. Red -- My favorite color adds a vibrant color to monochromic surroundings. Also my favorite Jello flavor!
5. The Shawshank Redemption -- My favorite movie with Morgan Freeman, one of my favorite actors.
6. My name is Earl -- As previously mentioned, my favorite TV show. Also, I enjoy Survivor and Lost.
7. Coca-Cola -- I've got to have the real thing. No diet for me. The vanilla flavor is nice to mix it up a bit.
8. Allrecepies.com -- my favorite web site. Also, Happynews.com for happy news, and smokinggun.com for funny mug shots of celebrities with big heads.
9. Sam’s Club -- Who can resist buying a gross of Pop Tarts or a 1000 count box of garbage bags. I contend I have a weird fear of running out of stuff, so I tend to overbuy.
10. White chocolate macadamia nut cookies. Do I have to say more?
11. Hash browns for breakfast. Nice and toasty brown.
12. Ford Cars -- Only because you can buy them for dirt cheap used, and my husband knows how to fix them.
13. Fisher Price -- They make the best baby toys ever. My son is happy, so mom is happy.

My least favorite things:
1. Going to the doctor
2. Pimples
3. Stinky garbage cans
4. Laundry
5. Grocery Shopping
6. Shopping without a purpose
7. Having people interrupt me when I'm reading to ask me what I'm reading.
8. Falling down the stairs.
9. Hitting my head low hanging items that a short person hung from the ceiling. I'm tall.
10. Pets. I'm just not a pet person. If my son wants a pet, he's going to get a goldfish.
11. Cleaning the bathroom. Its just drudgery.

Let It Snow!

As I sit here, safely ensconced in the warm house, 3-6 inches of snow is softly blanketing the ground.
I say 3-6 inches of snow, although I really don't know how much snow we will get. You know how weather forecasters are these days. The slightest hint of snow and they all go crazy. Like a rabid pack of dogs, they run to the streets in packs to get the obligatory picture of cars slowly driving past.
Anything over an inch, and all bets are off. They interrupt programming to bring you the "latest" news on the winter storm. They show you all their fancy radar pictures. I think they just get hot and bothered because they finally get to use that multi million-dollar radar rig they convinced the network they had to have. Every channel has one, and they all seem to have a cutesy name.
Snow teams on every channel are all working overtime interviewing the snow truck drivers, the salt truck drivers, and the school bus drivers. They all proclaim that they will conquer the snow in a timely fashion, or at least by rush hour.
Personally, I think that we should all just tape the newscast from the first big snow of the year. You can just insert the date, and assume that it will snow from 2-10 inches. This is just as accurate as watching an actual newscast, and this way we can fast forward through the boring parts.
I think I'll just turn off the television. I have a good book to finish and some Christmas cookies to bake. Don't get lost in the snow! Happy Holidays!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas

Everywhere I go, It IS beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
My neighborhood is filled with lights, Christmas trees standing proudly in picture windows. Mischievous plastic elves frolicking with fake deer.
The sent of gingerbread in the air -- or is that garbage the raccoon’s got into last night?
This time of year, Christmas permeates the air. Anticipation fills me as I plot and plan my shopping.
I actually got my husband to go shopping with me. We had a good time finding gifts for the little one. We probably overbought, but it is his and OUR first Christmas. I always wanted to play Santa.
Our son hated Santa. We went to a nearby mall to take pictures with Jolly ole Saint Nick. I knew that he would cry, because he really doesn't like strangers. I told the photographer to take a quick one as soon as I set him down. You can see from the picture the results.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
To see another holiday picture of the little guy, click here.

I've got that sinking feeling . . .

I’ve got that sinking feeling, and it’s not because I’ve embarrassed myself by tripping over my incredibly large feet.

It all started on Saturday, when my brother and his girlfriend traveled down U.S. 71 to pay us a visit and partake of the obligatory holiday turkey.

Funny enough, he said that he would be here early morning on Saturday, but I had my doubts. Like me, my brother is not a morning person at all, and I just knew that he wouldn’t be leaving his house at the crack of dawn. When I get up that early, I can barley even put two words together, let alone operate a motor vehicle with any degree of safety.

So I started cooking up a storm. I mean I was full tilt; I had the turkey’s butt tied up and ready to go on the BBQ (Yes we BBQ our turkey). I had the cheesecake bars wiped up and ready to go, I had the baked beans, the green beans and cheese, the rolls, and the yams all in the oven. The problem started when I was peeling the 5 lbs of potatoes for the mash.

I know better, I really do, but I peeled away, happily in bliss. At one point, my brother and his girlfriend showed up. His girlfriend, a lovely girl who I hope one day will be my sister-in-law, happily grabbed up a potato peeler and joined the fun. She had the common sense to bring up the point that all those peels might not go down the disposal.

I must just be in a constant state of optimism. With a shrug, I said that I didn’t think it would be a problem.

Unfortunately, it was a problem. The sink got stuck. I got out the plunger, and plunged and plunged. The timer rang, all the dinner was done, and I was a mess. My hair was flying in about a hundred different directions, and I was sopped to the bone in that nasty greasy gunk that lives in pipes.

I shrugged my shoulders, and went in search of dry clothes. Later, my husband poured down about a gallon of professional, extra heavy duty, burn your eyes out and destroy any organic particle that it happens to get in contact with, drain cleanser down the pipe. Mocking us, it just sat in the drain. I think the clog was winning the battle.

Three days later, and much vexation to my husband and me, we looked into having a commercial plumber come out and root that clog out with the mechanical equivalent of Mike Tyson. Unfortunately, they wanted $143.95. I thought that was a little pricey. So we called our local equipment rental outlet, and rented an electric snake for $16.00.

My husband had that clog cleared in about 20 minutes. He is such a handy guy!

Now my drains run clear, and my kitchen has returned to its peaceful state. As you all get ready to make your Thanksgiving dinners, I just want to let you know that putting 5 lbs of potato skins down the garbage disposal is a bad idea. Just throw them in the garbage; it’ll save you the headache.

A pinch of this, a dash of that.

I love to cook. The thrill of trolling the Internet for new and exciting recipes, the adrenaline rush when you find a recipe you know is great, the preparation, and the final product all bring much joy to me.
It must be much like a porno addiction, but without the nudity. My friends and I share our favorite web sites, we talk about the latest celebrity chef and how cute he is. For my money, I'll take Jamie Oliver over Emeril any day of the week. Yeah, Emeril has better teeth, but Jamie has that cute smile and twinkle in his eye.
So I digress. I found a great recipe for Vodka Penne the other day. I ran out to the grocery store at the first opportunity to buy the ingredients. Penne, Italian Sausage, HEAVY cream, and of course Vodka. Why to cashiers at grocery stores always make you feel like a lush when you buy alcohol? Of course, in Indiana, you can't even buy liquor in a grocery store. Here, you can buy everything from Vodka to Tequila. For some reason, it's all labeled as diluted. Must be a strange blue law.
So, if you would like to try Vodka Penne, I've included the recipe below. If you don't have any Vodka around (gasp!), buy the good stuff. The cheap stuff tastes like rubbing alcohol, which you can also find in my grocery store, aisle three.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound uncooked penne pasta
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 (3.5 ounce) links sweet Italian sausage
• 
  
• DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In large skillet, heat oil over moderate heat. Remove casing from sausage and add to skillet. Cook, breaking up the meat, until brown. Add garlic and red pepper and cook, stirring until garlic is golden brown.
3. Add tomatoes and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
4. Add vodka and cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and add pasta, toss for 1 minute. Stir in fresh parsley and serve!