And now for something completely different

So yesterday was really dramatic and a lot of work. That whole 2 day post took over a month to write, rewrite and rewrite again.

Personally, for someone as lazy as I am this was exhausting. 

Way too exhausting for me to continue for any length of time. 

That means that today you get pictures of flowers. 

And porches. 

And rocking chairs.

While I recover. 

Talk among yourselves.

Love,

M

Summer Scare - a misspent youth story. Part 2

If you didn't read the first of this story you will want to catch up before you read the following.

As we left off the girls were lazily paddling down the river, heading perilously close to the dreaded snake infested trees.

Oldest girl (OG): “We’re heading for the trees. Paddle harder”

Youngest girl (YG): “No we’re not. Don’t worry.”

OG: “The man at the canoe rental says that there are snakes in the trees. So, damn it paddle harder we’re heading for the trees."

YG: “Oh stop! What are the odds that there will be a snake in those trees?  You’re being a baby.”

OG: “Oh sure, you say that when you’re in the back. Just paddle. No! Not that way!”

The girls run into the trees. The OG feels the slap of the limbs in her face and a plop of something in her lap. Looking down she sees a large stick looking thing lying there. The strange thing about this particular stick is that it had a head and that head was hanging off one side of her lap and it had a tail and that tail was hanging off the other. Both the snake and the girl were stunned. All time stands still while each assesses its position in the great scheme of life. This is not a place that each wanted to find themselves. It just didn’t seem like a GOOD place. For one very very long moment the snake and the girl are motionless. The snake recovers first. It slithers on the girl’s lap. The girl comes to her senses and promptly jumps to her feet. Pandemonium ensues.

OG starts hopping from one foot to another, naked but for a skimpy bikini, in the front of the canoe desperately trying to crush the snake with her bare feet.  (Let’s not contemplate why she felt this was important or if this goal is even obtainable. We’re talking survival here.) While she is performing this futile stomping dance the snake is trying just as desperately to bite the constantly moving feet and legs.  She looks down into the gaping huge fanged cottony mouth of the snake. Realization sets in. This is not a harmless brown snake. This is a cottonmouth snake. She is no less than 100 miles from the nearest hospital. This snake plans to kill her. (In the girl’s mind the fact that the snake is just trying to survive does not enter into this picture at all)

 All the while OG is screaming at the top of her lungs: “THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE BOAT.” Stomp!

Snake lunges to strike.

 “THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE BOAT.” Stomp!

Snake lunges to strike.

YG: “sit down you’re going to tip the boat over”

OG: “THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE BOAT!” Stomp!

Snake lunges to strike.

YG: “there is no snake in the boat so sit your skinny ass down."

OG: “THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE BOAT!” Stomp!

Snake lunges to strike.

YG: “If you don’t stop hopping around you’re going to tip us over and there may be snakes in the water”.

OG: “THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE BOAT!” Stomp!

Snake lunges to strike.

It is at about this time that OG decides that jumping out of the boat is a fine idea, a very fine idea indeed. Out of the boat she flies. (Why is it that when death is on the line time starts to slow down? Things become clearer? All those things your mother warned you about make sense? You become glad that your apparel is clean? ) This is what happened to OG. Time just decided to stop and it was at just that moment when her toes touched the water the thought that there may actually be more snakes in the water, near the boat, laying in wait, occurred to her.  And, when this time standing still, life becomes clearer, your mother was right realization, clean underwear be-damned moment that she performed a miraculous feat of aerobatics.  OG spun 180 degrees in order to catch the sides of the canoe. Where she started this plunge facing away from the boat she landed into the water facing the boat. Her gymnastics coach would have been proud.  She landed in the water with both hands grabbing the gunwale; smack in the middle of the boat, thank.you.very.much. 

She clung perilously to the side of the boat. She was sputtering, scared and wet but she was no longer screaming. 

YG: “You’re going to tip the boat over. What are you doing in the water? There may be snakes in the water.”

OG: “The water? The water? THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE BOAT!”

Making another lightening decision OG determines that she is better off on dry land somewhere, anywhere and soon. Somewhere she can see the things around her. Somewhere that every little piece of river debris is not a snake imagined. Looking around she notices a rocky island in the middle of the river. Swimming over to it and ignoring YG’s constant; “what are you doing?” questions, OG makes it safely to the island. Picking her way across the rocks she stands, arms crossed, glaring at YG.

OG: “I’m not getting into that boat. There’s a snake in the boat and I’m not getting back into it.” (there may or may not have been some foot stomping at this point.)

YG: “There is no snake in the boat. (I’m not sure why she was so convinced of this. It’s not like she could see the snake from where she was sitting because under each seat of the canoe was a large piece of dense foam. The snake was trapped in the small triangle shaped piece of the very front of the canoe.)

OG: “I don’t care what you say. There is a snake in the boat and I’m not budging from this spot. Rescue crews will have to fly me out of here. The local fire department will have to be called in. Where is the nearest army base because it may just take a whole effing battalion to move me from this spot!”

YG: “GAWD”

YG rows the canoe over to the rocky island. OG notices that NOW YG is competent at paddling. Showing rowing competence now does not bode well for YG later. 

YG: “grab the front of the boat and haul it in.”

OG: “NO” She was traumatized and she didn't think that she wanted to become more so...if there was something more than traumatized.  Maybe, scared spitless?

OG has done a considerable amount of yelling by this point in the proceedings but it didn’t seem to affect her voice yet. Later, when the crisis fades she may notice that her and Rod Stewart’s voices sound a lot alike but not now. Now, she can only manage all sound loudly.

YG: “pull in the boat.”

OG: “No. There is a snake in the boat.”

YG; getting out of the boat, wading through the water in order to pull the front of the boat out of the water all the while grumbling under her breath about how there wasn’t any damn snake in the boat and some people just freak out about sticks, sheesh!

Grabbing the front of the boat YG shrieks and leaps back. “THERE’S A SNAKE IN THE BOAT!”

OG; looking and sounding smug, “I told you.”

The girls rack their brains trying to figure out a way to get the snake out of the boat. A large stick is employed by the younger girl. She had tried to get the older one to use the stick but she wasn’t buying it. Touching anything that remotely resembled a snake was not touching her fingers or any other part of her body again! Been there, done that!

After many fruitless attempts by YG to extract the snake from the boat with a stick, a lot of bouncing, shrieking, flailing around, the snake remained in the boat.  The girls were stymied or really YG was stymied. OG was still in a state of shock. She was no help. How would they get this wretched serpent out of the boat?

As the girls stood near the boat but not so near that they were within striking distance and the snake continued to lunge at the stick, the side of the boat, and the Styrofoam under the seat, fellow river travelers floated past. The stares that the girls were generating did not faze them.  A competent looking man (or he looked competent to the girls. They were 18. So anyone over the age of 30 looked competent.) asked: “What is the problem?”

YG: “there’s a snake in the boat.”

Competent man: “Why don’t you tip it over?”

YG: “Wow! What a great idea! OG, help me tip the boat over.”

OG: “Yeah, right. I don’t think so.”

YG: “GAWD” She flips the boat over.  No one actually sees the snake swim out of the boat but a quick (and according to OG a way too quick) look at the bottom of the boat showed that the snake was gone.  YG climbs into the back of the boat. OG just stares at her. 

YG: “push us off”

OG: “HA!”

YG: “come on. He’s gone. Push us off and get in.”

OG: “the front? Yeah, right. I don’t think so”

OG pushes off the boat and gets into the middle. YG was ticked. What the hell? It’s going to be really hard for OG to paddle from the middle of the canoe. After repeat attempts to get OG to move YG gives up. OG spends the rest of the trip with her feet stacked on the gunwales, her paddle in the bottom of the boat, while YG paddles. 2 hours and a lot of bitching by YG because OG stubbornly refuses to paddle will not put her feet on the floor of the boat and has not stopped muttering: a snake. in the boat. a snake. in the damn boat. a snake. in my lap. big fangs., it was a constant litany. The girls finally make it to the beach where they turn in the boat.   

20-something boat return rental guy, looking all flirty: “how was your trip?”

The girls, not buying his flirting come on: “There was a cottonmouth snake in the boat. We got it out. We think.”

20-something duffus: “OMG! Are you serious?”

The girls: “yeah”

20-something idiot: “shit! Now, I can’t rent this one out”

The girls make their way back to their campsite. They don't care that he can't rent that boat out. OG is particularly unconcerned with the re-rental of the boat. It could sink for all she cared. Then again no one really asked whether she cared.  

Later, around the campfire YG regales her parents with the tale. OG remained silent. She was still upset. 

This is why I hate snakes.

Still hate snakes but love all of you,

M

Summer Scare - a misspent youth story

The summer was coming to an end soon and the younger of the two eighteen year old women was celebrating her birthday that week. The birthday girl couldn’t have been more please with how this birthday was turning out. They were camping with her family in northeast Oklahoma and her best friend from Seattle had flown down for a couple of weeks. The girls had already driven to Dallas to spend a fun filled day riding the rides at Six Flags and now the camping trip complete with a canoe trip down a river. What a birthday week!

The two girls stood beside the canoe on the bank of the river. This river flowed lazily through the Northeast Oklahoma countryside. This would not be like the white water rafting that the older of the two had done in the Pacific Northwest in the past. Where the water rushed by, churning over the rocks as it made its way from the mountain glaciers to the sea. This was a slow moving flat river with large over-hanging trees and turtles sunning themselves on logs and rocks along the banks. It was as if the river had decided that it was too hot and humid for it to expend the energy to rush along its banks. The older girl could sympathize. It was too hot and too humid to do anything but walk and talk very slowly.

With the canoe resting at their feet, the two argued about who was going to be in the front of the canoe and who would be in the back. The front was not the enviable position. There were dangers inherent in being the one in the front. These dangers were explained to the girls by the man checking out the canoes to the river goers. Stay away from the trees that lined the banks, he warned. These trees were known to harbor snakes, possibly large, probably venomous and certainly slimy snakes. The problem seemed a simple of enough one to solve stated the mid-twenties man that wasn’t near as buff, tan or sexy as the girls would have liked. Stay away from the trees. It seemed simple enough.

After several minutes of intense discussion and negotiating the youngest girl played her final card. She resorted to the “It’s my birthday” friendship clause. It was sneaky and totally beneath her but she felt justified. She did not want to be in the front of the boat. The oldest girl really had no choice after that, “her I’ve flown 2,000 miles just to spend your birthday with you” had been rebuffed with the wave of a hand. Into the front of the boat she climbed. And the two set off down the river.

The voyage down river was peaceful, slow, and lazy. The girls worked on their tans. They paddled occasionally but mostly let the river take them where it willed. In the heat, paddling seemed like too much work so they only did it in order to stay in the middle of the river. They should have known better. They should have been more attentive. They shouldn’t have counted on their 10 year old Girl Scout rowing skills. They should have been a whole lot less cocky. They thought they knew everything. They were teenagers.  It was in this lull, this lazy time that tragedy occurred.

To be continued...

Love,
M

Cauliflower risotto

I love risotto. 

I love the creaminess of it. 

I love that slightly firm bite to it. 

I love the way it marries with other flavors. As I've always said; "it plays well with others". With the low-carb thing I've got going lately I've had to give up my beloved risotto. Maybe, someday, in the future I can enjoy it again but it will have to be on a very limited basis. 

I racked my brain on how I could get that same sort of mouth feel, that same sort of complex textural thing that I love so much about risotto but without all the carbs. What vegetable would lend itself? The obvious was cauliflower. It had the same color. It could be cooked to al dente. The big questions were how do I get it into that rice shape and how do I take out the cauliflower taste? The taste part was not difficult. Cauliflower is not a strong flavor so masking it with some strong flavors would be a pretty easy task. It was the shape thing that was going to be hard. Oh sure, I could pull it through a ricer, if I had a ricer that is but I don't and I wasn't going to buy one for an experiment. Turns out I didn't need one. My good old food processor worked just fine.

So those of you who are playing on the low-carb team and don't sweat a lot bit of calories this recipe (okay, isn't so much a recipe as a technique) turned out really well. Now, the photos that I took? A whole other story. They turned out awful (I finally found my camera. Yesterday. Long after I tried this out.)

Cauliflower Risotto

1 large head cauliflower

1/2 stick of butter (4 tablespoons)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

3 cloves finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup cream (you could use whole milk but I would stay away from non-fat)

1 cup Parmesan cheese (this is what I had around but any soft or melting cheese would work. I'd stay with something with a strongish flavor though)

Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Directions:

Cut up cauliflower into large chunks. Steam until cooked but still firm. You want it to give but still retain firmness. It is better to under cook the cauliflower than over cook it because you will be adding it to the cheese sauce so it will cook a bit more later on. I used my microwave on high for about 5 minutes. Time will vary by wattage of microwave. Stove top steaming I haven't a clue but I would suspect about the same. You'll want to keep a watch on it.  

The sauce: melt the butter in a large (you will be adding the cauliflower to this pot so make it fairly large) saucepan over low heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. About 5 minutes. Add cheese and cream. After the cheese melts keep this mixture warm but don't let it boil. It'll hang out while you wrangle the cauliflower.

Get out your big food processor and put in the shredding blade. Push the cooked cauliflower through the shredding blade to make it rice shaped. Push it fairly hard so the shapes are a bit bigger then if you barely gave it a shove. When all the cauliflower is shredded put it into the warm cheese sauce. Mix gently but well. Give it a taste. Add pepper and a tiny bit (1/8 teaspoon at the most) of nutmeg. Taste again to see if it needs salt. It shouldn't need much with all the cheese in it. Depending what you plan to top it with a pinch of cayenne pepper would be good. 

I served mine topped with a mushroom-sage ragout and a drizzle of apple cranberry wine reduction. The wine was something that I won from Stacy. It is a little sweet for my taste for regular drinking but it makes a mean sangria, mimosa type drink or reduction. Any red wine or good balsamic vinegar reduction would play well also.

Everyone really liked this dish. Even The Boy who hates cauliflower but loves risotto ate it and didn't even complain. Believe me, that is a compliment. Maybe, it was because I didn't tell him it was cauliflower. You can't really tell that it is from the finished product.

I couldn't tell you how many fat grams, calories or carbs it has but it shouldn't be too bad on the carbs. I make no claims to the rest. I do think that it has to be better than the alternative, rice. 

Anyway, if you are jonesing for risotto like I was (I can't be the only one that has a risotto monkey on her back) this recipe/technique will fit the bill. I plan to mix the leftovers with protein powder, form into patties and fry them up. In place of hashbrowns for breakfast. Plus, all this is meatless. And it is Monday. So therefore; Meatless Monday. Yay!

Love,

M

Only in Houston

Only in Houston would this be considered a great deal

Because you never know when you need to take your handgun to church.

Love,

M

PS: Tuesday will feature the first installment of Summer Scare a misspent youth story. You know I'll never run out of these.

Look what came in the mail

While in Ottawa I met the nicest people from New York. This husband and wife team work at Cornell University. He does something with a software system called Fedora and she is in nursing. We hit it off quickly. (I'm fairly lucky in this regard. I meet nice people everywhere I go. Maybe, because I strike up conversations with anybody and everybody I meet, sit next to on the bus/airport shuttle/airplane or stand in line at a tourist trap. I'm sure they are annoyed).

After we gave our presentations and the conference was over we all went out to dinner. While Dan stuck with a regular beer and I my usual red wine, Pat went for something a little more exotic. Or exotic for me. I'd never seen a small carafe of lime juice accompanying a very large beer before. I've seen lime wedges with beer before but never a carafe. It seemed like overkill. Then again, look at the size of that beer. I doubt if a tiny lime wedge would have done it justice.

I was intrigued enough to take a photo but than I am intrigued enough with a common daisy to take a photo. Pat is very much enjoying it. And, I very much enjoyed taking Pat's picture. Isn't she beautiful? Love the smile. I should paint her. 

After dinner Dan and Pat decided to walk me back to my hotel. It was a fairly long walk and I wasn't sure why they wanted to, it wasn't like it wasn't still daylight out and the streets of Ottawa were still peopled enough to be safe and it's not like I don't walk alone down a lot of crazy streets (Bourbon St. to name one) but I guess they just wanted the walk after our big meal but it was super nice of them and we got to know each other a little better. So much so that I want a reason to go up to Cornell. Not for work. For fun.

As we walked along we talked about some of the things, places, and people we had seen while in Ottawa. We started talking about what was the quintessential tourist geegaw that must be purchase when you travel to any given place, i.e.:

Washington DC = a Washington monument statue (extra value in this item since it is not only a memento of your trip but a phallic symbol. You know he was the father of our country)

New Orleans, LA = a voodoo doll or something anything with a fleur-de-lis.

Ottawa (and I imagine most places in Canada) = a beaver dress as a mounty.

Phoenix, AZ = anything with a saguaro cactus on it.

The list goes on but you get the picture.

They started telling me that in Ithaca, NY you have to get something with a moose. A plush animal, plate, spoon, etc. But, the thing that caught my attention was this:

A moose bottle opener. 

I had to have one. 

No!

Seriously!

I.Had.To.Have.One!

Pat was kind enough to stick one in the mail for me. It arrived yesterday. Isn't it great? JR was most pleased. 

Now, the question is what do I send back to her?

What screams TEXAS to you? 

A Texas star?

A cowboy?

I'm hoping to find a bottle opener fashioned like longhorn cattle where the horns are the bottle opener part. Wouldn't that be awesome?

To show our appreciation we will be heading to the "Made in Texas" store at the dreaded mall to find something equally nice. 

Is there something in your area that is quintessential? 

Has it been made into a bottle opener?

If so, will you send it to me? I think this would make a great Christmas gift for JR. I'll reimburse.

Let me know in the comments section and don't forget your email if I don't already have it. I'll even take things from Australia and Ireland (Mumme and Vince) as long as the shipping isn't outrageous. 

Love,

M

Only marginally a weirdo

Once again I don't sound like a dork and it is all Marisa's doing. 

http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/1310508758-UH-Moment-Digital-History.html

Doesn't that make you want to take my course this fall?

Love,

M

Random Tuesday Thoughts - Paths

 It's that day. 

The day you sort of float a bunch of ideas out there just to see where they land. 

Join the fun with Stacy and the gang.

I took this picture with my phone on the second floor veranda of Oak Alley Plantation one of the days I was in New Orleans. I like it even though I know that a thousand people have the same shot. I had planned to do a poem about paths but my brain hasn't been in poem mode. I bet Jen could pop one out in a minute because she's clever like that but I have to really think about poem writing. And, then they usually are greeting card silly.

  

 I still haven't found my camera from the move yet and it is starting to bother me. Sigh, it will turn up. 

I've got a 3/4 finished "My Misspent Youth" story sitting on my computer. One of my best I might add. I really should finish it. I promised Gretchen that I'd let her post it when she is on vacation again but it is really long. What do you all think about letting her post the first half one day and I post the second half the next? We post each half on the same day? Post all of it here and send her a shorter misspent youth story? Help!

We were hoping that by getting a place with the master bedroom on the second floor the Corgie would get more exercise (because he is a tad overweight. Like overweight enough that the last time JR walked him someone asked if he was pregnant.), you know going up and down the stairs. Meh...not so much. Tripper seems to have thought through the process and decided that there is no reason to come down in the morning because I'll just be coming up to get ready for work. After coming down to bark at me when I leave for work there is no reason to go up in the day time until it is time to go to bed. So in effect he has reduced the trips up and down the steps to the bare minimum. Smart/lazy dog. Nessa on the other hand follows me up and follows me down no matter how many trips I make. Usually she's at a dead run not more than a stair tread ahead of me. Then she stops and my momentum makes me plow right into her. Not a problem going up. Going down is a whole other issue. 

My new commute is twice as long and takes me half as long. Go figure. Who knew that when you have no traffic lights and all freeway miles the commute would shorten up. I was never any good at math.

The mosquitoes have been particularly vicious at this new place. Possibly because there is much more greenery surrounding it. Anyway, I have a bite right on the tip on my left index figure. That itches like crazy! 

Okay, that's enough for me. I have to get ready for work. Tripper is now laying on the couch in the living room. Trust me, he will not bother following me up the stairs when I go to get ready. That would be too exhausting.

Love,

M

Vegetarian and Low-carb are not mutually exclusive

Let's talk about diets. Diet is one of those 4 letter words that your mother use to wash your mouth out with soap for (your mom didn't do this? I'm turning mine in to the authorities.) to me. Diets mean sacrifices and not eating stuff you really like and learning to eat stuff you hate. Seriously, the list goes on. But, to me diet means a change in lifestyle not a punishment. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, low-fat, low-carb, Paleo or just all out carnivore that's a diet/lifestyle choice.

Take my vegetarianism. I started out giving up meat because meat made me sick. Like migraines for 3 days, 3 times a month sick. The more types of meat I gave up the better I felt. Now, I don't eat meat of any kind (yes, seafood is a meat. yes, chicken broth is meat because it's made from, well, chickens. And, please do not cook my veggie burger in the fat from your ground beef burger because you think it will taste better. It might but it will still make me sick to the point where JR packs me up to the hospital to stop me from vomiting. And yes, these are arguments  conversations I've had with people). And, while statistics say that vegetarians are leaner than those that eat an omnivore diet we can still be overweight. Granted very few of us are obese we can be chubby. I blame pasta. Let me esplain.

Since, taking this new job and moving to Texas I've put on 20 pounds. Granted I was still under what is considered healthy for my height but I didn't feel good and I didn't feel good about myself. So, how come I added all this weight? I believe that it is because I haven't been getting as much exercise and (this is the biggy) I travel a lot. I don't cook any differently than I did in Phoenix so that can't be the reason. I haven't been eating any more than I did in Phoenix so that can't be the reason. But, I do travel and eat out a lot more than I did in Phoenix.

As a vegetarian eating out can be problematic. Most restaurants feature one thing on their menu for vegetarians. Pasta. It seems that is as clever as they can get. So unless I want Indian food everyday that I'm traveling (good luck finding that in Waco, TX. Nothing against Waco but they are not known for their culinary offerings. Unless, it's steak.) then I'm pretty much relegated to pasta dishes.

Breakfast is usually eggs; please hold the bacon/ham/sausage, thank you. What does that leave? Eggs, potatoes and bread. Try asking for tomatoes slices instead of the meat, see what kind of response you get. It usually consists of, "huh? You don't want the meat? Any meat?". Some restaurants and some wait staff are better than others but I always have to  ask. It is never assumed or there is rarely anything automatically on the breakfast menu (or really any meal menu) for vegetarians. I pity the poor traveling vegan. My ordering is a study in frustration and sending things back or just living with what comes out of the kitchen (not always the best choice).

This has lead me to eating a lot more bread, pasta, potatoes and rice than I ever have. Thus, the 20 pound weight gain. Can I change what is on the menus of restaurants around the country? Not so much. What I can do is change what I eat at home and be very selective and mindful of what I eat out. 

Here were my options:

Eat less? I don't eat that big of servings anyway so not really an option. 

Exercise? I barely have any free time as it is and the gym at the school is a pain to get to, a pain to get a warm shower in the morning, and a pain to stop off at on the way home because I JUST WANT TO GO HOME!

Change my diet? Or as I like to call it; change my lifestyle. This was the best option for me and where low-carb eating comes into play.

As a librarian the first thing I did was search for information about eating vegetarian low-carb. You'd think that I'm the only one interested in this topic. There is scant information, only one cookbook and it is 5+ years old and almost no websites out there. It's like we don't exist. So, I did what I always do...punt.

I use a combination of recipe adaptation and a website that my friend Sher turned me onto (myfitnesspal.com) to count calories and carbs. Though I don't worry about the calories so much because it takes a lot of vegetables to rack up a ton of calories but not so many to rack up a lot of carbs (carrots, while I love you, you are now not on the menu as a side dish. Look, we can still be pals but now you are a garnish.)

I'm not a big tofu eater so I save my carbs during the day in order to have beans (more fiber and nutrients) plus I like them better. I've pretty much given up bread, pasta and potatoes when not traveling and when I do travel I keep them to a minimum. I find that the appetizer menu works really well. Cauliflower takes the place of potatoes and I'm trying it out as a risotto substitute this week. 

Has all this helped? You bet! I've lost 18 of those pesky pounds in 3 1/2 months. I probably could have lost them faster but for the amount of travel I've had in the last 3 months (grueling). It looks like I'll be home for the next couple of months so the last 2 should be a piece of cake. Then it will be a matter of maintenance. I figure the learning curve on that is going to be pretty steep and pretty painful.

Staying on a vegetarian low-carb lifestyle while not as easy as an omnivore it is doable. You just have to be a little more creative but then if you are a vegetarian to start with you have to be creative, so no big deal. Plus, cooking is a creative endeavor (at least in my opinion) anyway.

This post was just to give you all a heads up about the fact that from now and in the foreseeable future most if not all of the recipes that I post will be lower in carbs than before. It is just the way I have to roll for awhile. 

Love,

M

PS: I'm calling this my Spin for this week. We were tasked with writing about food. There are others posting about food/cooking/eating food this week. Stop over to Jen's place to read what others have to say. I suspect Jan will have at least one post about her Paleo lifestyle.

It's not Puppies and Unicorns

But, it does have horsies!

Which could conceivably be puppies and unicorn offspring. But, let's not get into genetics. 

This is my silly Spin for the week. If you would like to see more lighthearted posts from Bloggers that actually took the time to think about it instead of ones that pulled it out her their A$$, go over the Sprite's Keeper's place.

Love,

M

She likes it! She really likes it!

I was sworn to secrecy about this painting. It was a birthday gift that the owner didn't want the beans spilled about until it was delivered. I didn't even cash the check lest he see it in their bank statement. (FYI Mary, I still haven't but will try to get to that this week)

Mary sent me this:

I was afraid...very afraid. 

It is a photograph of her husband's grandmother. His beloved grandmother that just passed away. I knew when I took this commission that it would have to be perfect because of that great love and how much this woman is missed. 
No pressure! 
No really! There was no pressure from Mary, it was all from me. I felt a great deal of pressure to get this one right but than again I feel pressured about all of my commissioned paintings just not to the degree I did about this one. 


I'd only ever done one full-on face painting once before. And, it was a bit of an abstract with the face painted in greens and golds. Not near as hard to do than getting flesh tones right. So, while this hand-coloured black and white wasn't really natural in its flesh tones it was closer than anything I've done.

Plus, getting facial features right scares me. How do you make someone look like they do in a photo. One of my biggest worries was that it would turn out to look like a Picasso face, with two noses, three eyes, and a triangle mouth. I'm pretty sure that was not what Mary was looking for. 


Do you want to know what really frightened me? And, what always frightens me when I start a commissioned painting? It is painting a work of a loved one only to have it turn out not looking like what they expect.  What if it doesn't look like how they think their loved one looks like? What if they don't like it? What if I fall in love with the painting and don't want to send it to them (which sadly happens every.single.damn.time. Those of you who I've done works for better count your lucky stars because there is not one of these paintings that I haven't wanted to hang in my house, at least for awhile). 


So what did I come up with for the above painting?

I think it came out awesome and it was all I could do to pack it up and ship it out. It would have looked great hanging in my office though JR was pretty keen to hang it in our living room. I had to mail it out just to avoid an argument. I shouldn't have worried that Mary wouldn't like it though. She posted about it the other day. 

I guess all my angst was over nothing but I doubt I'll ever get complacent about my commission paintings though. I think that angst is what keeps me honest and fuels a sort of perfectionism that I wouldn't ordinarily try for in works that are for my own use. Okay, that's is probably a lie. I worry a painting to death. I can't tell you how many I've painted over or just tossed away because they weren't perfect. 

Anyway, that's what I've been working on between travel, moving, working, and life. Mama Badger just commissioned me to paint her adorable boys. They are wearing hats. I love a kid in a hat. Very very cute! I have until Christmas which will give me time to put my studio back together, maybe get a chance to paint a couple of things I've promised to others, and paint a couple of things I have in mind for the new place.  


What have you all been up to?


Love,
M

RTT - Stuff

It has been forever since I joined in with the gang in a Random Tuesday Thoughts. I'm not exactly sure why. Maybe my thoughts are not all that random or maybe I'm just lazy. I'm thinking it's more the later then the former. Anyway, Stacy has seamlessly picked up where Keely left off, which was wonderful of her since these things can be a bit of a pain to manage. I guess. I wouldn't know since I've never tried it but it looks like it would so that's what I'm basing my opinion on because I'm too lazy to research it. 

JR's cat who is happy to invite all the neighborhood mice into the house for a nice long visit has taken exception to a twist-tie that was laying on the floor from the move. He is batting that thing all over the house like it was evil incarnate. This says two things about our household right now. 1. our cat is lazy and stupid. Mice seem to be too much work for him and twist-ties are the limits of his cognitive abilities. And 2. I need a housekeeper because I am obviously just too lazy to pick up twist-ties from the floor.

Gretchen has become my go-to source for great Netflix TV shows. First, it was Sherlock (a BBC thing about a modern day Sherlock Holmes. I am totally in 50 year old lust love with Benedict Cumberbatch. The BBC has confirmed that they will release 3 more episodes this fall, one of which will be a remake on The Hounds of Baskerville. I cannot wait! No! Seriously, I CAN NOT WAIT!) and now Luther (a strange psychological crime drama. JR and I are not as into it yet but we've only watched the first episode. We'll need to give it some more time before we decide whether we'll watch all the episodes.) So Gretchen, if you have anymore Netflix shows you particularly like I'd love to hear what they are because so far you are batting a thousand.  

Now, that we have added some new counterspace to the new kitchen we've been able to unearth our beloved programmable coffeemaker. Waking up to already made coffee has saved me at least ten minutes in my morning routine. 10 minutes people! That is big. It's like winning the sleep-in lottery. If there was such a thing and if JR didn't have to go to work so early and if I wasn't such a great wife by making him breakfast every morning. Which I remind him of everyday lest he forget.

I have a television interview scheduled for tomorrow and I've started a new painting. These two things don't seem to have any connection unless you know how messy I am when I paint. At the present time, I have brilliant blue series 1 oil paint embedded in my cuticles that would take some major scrubbing to get out. My solution? A skirt with pockets. See lazy statement above for why this solution appeals to me. 


That's it for me. There are several others who play this random thing that may even make sense and who do not have brilliant blue series 1 oil paint embedded in their cuticles. Go visit them when you have time. 


Love,
M

And the Winner is???

Last week I offered up a cookbook to all of you in North America (sorry Vince. I can't even comprehend how much it would cost to send something to Ireland. Last time I sent a Christmas card with some photos in it to JR's cousin in 1993 it cost somewhere around $5 dollars. And to tell you the honest truth I'd rather save my coins to send myself to Ireland first. Really? Wouldn't you rather have me show up on your doorstep than some silly old book from New Orleans? Don't answer that!)

Speaking of places I'd like to go to right this very minute (because our weather is a steamy 95 degrees and we are praying for rain just to cool us down to 89 degrees because that would seem cool. And, the humidity is so nasty sticky these days showering more than once a day is a necessity and yet a total waste since once you step outside you need another shower. Oh the South in the summer *sigh*. I need to stop complaining about traveling so much. At the least it gets me out of the Houston weather.), all tangents aside, our winner lives in one of those places.


The winner is:

Pseudo

If you haven't read Pseudo before please spend sometime reading her stuff. She is wonderful. Also, she shares her beautiful island with us in her photography. 

Congratulations Pseudo!!!

Pseudo; please send me an address to send your book to you.

I'll have another book giveaway later this week. It is a children's book this time.


Now, I'm off to take another shower and day dream of someplace warm but not humid. Where would you like to be right now if money and time were not a problem?

Love,

M

Book Giveaway!

While at the American Library Association Annual Meeting I attended a couple of the cookbook demonstrations. These events are held in the exhibit hall, on a stage with the author in attendance to sign books. There were times in between meetings and presentations that I found myself in the exhibit hall and as you know I can't refuse a cookbook. 

Most of the books are free but this one cost me $10. I was more than willing to pay the price because all the proceeds are going to New Orleans Habitat for Humanity - Katrina relief. I picked up this cookbook for the expressed purpose of giving it away to one of you.

From Tom Fitzmorris's website:

"A collection of the best dishes in all of New Orleans cuisine, from the point of view of the city's most experienced observer of its restaurants and cooking trends. Tom Fitzmorris has written and broadcast for almost four decades about his obsessive quest for the best food in his cherished home town. The first edition, published right after Hurricane Katrina, has now been updated with 25 new recipes, plus Tom's latest tweaks on the older ones. Every one has been tested in Tom's own home kitchen, as well as by his thousands of readers and listeners. Who are forever telling him how much they've enjoyed Tom's take on New Orleans food."

I'm copying the Ragout of Mushrooms with Grits recipe on page 261. I'll skip the grits since I don't really like them. Just like I don't like polenta. You know they are virtually the same thing, right?  I'll serve this over cheese toast instead because cheese, bread and mushrooms in sauce are like best friends. It will be almost like one of the dinners I had while in NOLA. It was the best food I had in NOLA. I sort of embarrassed myself by scooping up the sauce with my finger. Hey! There wasn't a spoon on the table. I licked my fingers on the sly. I don't think anyone noticed...too much.

If you want this book just leave a comment saying that you want to cook all those recipes that you've heard that New Orleans restaurants are famous for. Never been to New Orleans? No problem, still leave a comment and I'll add you to the hat. 

I'm going to have to limit this giveaway to those that live in North America. Sorry about that but the shipping can be expensive outside of the United States and Canada. From what I hear the Canadian postal workers are on strike so those of you from Canada may be waiting for awhile if you win. 

I'll be drawing a name on Sunday and announce the winner on Monday, July 11th. 

Please leave only one comment per day. If you post it on facebook or tweet the giveaway let me know. I'll add another slip to the hat with your name on it. 

Good Luck!

Love,

M

Kitchen re-do

We spent the last five days moving into a new place. It is slow going. I'm getting too old for this and, if I'm too old than JR is way too old. We are both exhausted. It is not just the moving as it is the packing, the unpacking and the cleaning of the last place that is the killer.

This new place has a very small kitchen with a small breakfast room attached. We decided that this breakfast room was too small for a family of four to actually use efficiently so we turned it into another part of the kitchen. By adding the 36 inch corner cabinet (it has a lovely lazy-susan inside), the 2-24 inch cabinets and the 12 inch open shelving we doubled our storage and countertop space.

Since, any cabinet that we screwed into the wall the apartment complex felt became their property we didn't actually screw them into the wall. We decided to dry fit them,then screw them together but not screw them into the wall. With the weight of the countertops and the stuff inside they shouldn't shift. Then when we move out we can disassemble them very easily. Neat trick, huh?

 

We bought pre-built cabinets (20% off this weekend only, so score!) so the only piece that we had to assemble was the open faced shelving unit. It had 6 pieces and I still think we did it wrong. I hate the instructions that come with these types of things. 6 pages with no words, just pictures. I don't know about the rest of you but we always have a couple of pieces left over when we are done. This time it was only a few screws and some dowels. I've decided that they were unnecessary. It's not like it's not standing upright or anything. The countertops are pressboard with a laminate top. They are very heavy. Which is a good thing since I have them barely screwed in. I didn't want to get too crazy because these are not meant to be permanent.

The decorating theme I'm going for here is yellow, white and black with a touch of orangy-red as an accent. We'll see how that plays out for me.You can't tell from these photos but the walls are a creamy yellow and the new countertops are a whitewashed white. The cabinets that came with the place are white and the contertops are blackish. All in all, it is coming out pretty well and looks like it was planned. No easy task when you are working with someone else's  kitchen or you are as scatterbrained as I am.

We are not done yet. We need to install the knobs, put the kick plate along the bottom, tack in some quarter-round where the countertop meets the wall, and hang some art. We may hang another shelf or two above the espresso machine. I haven't really decided yet. Knowing me the place will be a work in progress for at least 6 months. I tend to re-arrange things for a while until I feel settled in. Do you do that? Or am I the only one that makes their loved ones crazy by changing up the furniture, art or where the clean towels are located?


Love,
M