Let's Face It, I'm a Foody!

I've always enjoyed eating good food, who doesn't?   Now that the children are grown and we only have two mouths to feed instead of 6, we can actually afford a little more expensive variety.   I can splurge on impulsive buys at the grocery store now.

I was in our local HEB  which is about 35 miles from our home.  It was 1 pm and I was hungry.  My protein filled breakfast taco had long worn thin and the aromas reaching my nose in the grocery store got my salivary glands flowing.   I actually was there to pick up some magnesium glyconate to help me sleep.  I have gotten into this irritating habit of waking up at 3 am and not being able to go back to sleep.  Maybe I need some Melatonin also.  Part of the problem could be from a pinched nerve in my lower cervical vertebra waking me up or it could be random text messages on my cell phone advertising loan money.  The pinched nerve is probably due to a knitting marathon I had going for over a year or maybe I went too deep into a yoga move, possibly cobra which I am not accustomed to doing.  Or maybe it is the black dog "Shadow" howling at the coyotes who are in mating season at this time.  The pharmacy did not have my magnesium so I decided  to browse through the store, of course looking for free samples

I came upon some wonderful Beemster Cheese, sampling two kinds, several times before finally deciding on one with field garlic in it.  I needed a good bread to go along with it so I helped myself to several generous samples of different kinds of bread at last choosing a sourdough square.  I had my mouth and hands full of bread as I encountered the free sushi samples.  The sushi maker asked me which I would like to try and I told her I wanted to sample all of it.  I then placed a couple boxes of sushi in my basket.  From there I ventured to the seafood isle where I discovered Atlantic Salmon at a decent price.  I really prefer the Steelhead Trout but it is rarely on mark down.  I asked for a pound of the salmon.  One can't be choosy about fish when they live in the Texas hills.  The Atlantic Salmon was farm raised.  I stood there a while wondering how it could be farm raised when it was suppose to come from the Atlantic Ocean.  I decided there must be fish farms built along side the ocean where they trap and raise the fish?  Sounds good to me.  It is much better than a cat fish or bass caught from the local creek.

From there I made my way to the chef center where a cute little chef was preparing pasta with Vodka Sauce and shrimp with french bread..  Did I want a sample?  Of course I did.  Also for sampling was some nice french bread cut into chunks that I could dip into a wonderful olive oil dipping sauce.  Oh my it was a delicious full bodied olive oil, not at all like the one I had in my pantry.  I stuffed myself for a while and then noticed that if I purchased a bottle of the olive oil for $9.99 I could also get the Vodka pasta sauce, a french baguette and a package of pasta free.  It looked like a deal to me.  As the the cute little chef was loading my basket with these goodies I mentioned to her with my mouth full that I was a "foody".  She said, "I can tell that by the things you have in your basket".  She probably meant by the amount of food I had in my mouth and the crumbs on my sweater!

Before going to the check out I picked up some ripe tomatoes and a package of raspberries, feeling very excited about how pleased my husband would be with my purchases.......and of course he was.  I left the store with several meals in my bag!  The salmon and salad would make one meal, the pasta and sauce another, and the bread, cheese and olive oil dipping sauce another.  Add a nice bottle of cab or merlot to these and who could ask for better?

HEB has this new deal, or at least it's new to me,,,,it's the meal deal where if you buy something you get all these other items free.  Last week we were there and bought a pasta sauce, got a box of yekky rice crackers,  some pasta, and a bottle of canola oil which I consider pure poison.  On our way out the door I dumped the "poison oil" into a food barrel for the needy.  I felt kind of guilty doing that considering the thought that if I couldn't tolerate the taste or smell why would I give it to a needy person.  I'm still pondering that.  I remember when I could purchase a large bottle of sunflower oil for $2.00.  Now the cost of sunflower oil has gone through the roof.  I don't know why...but it's got to be some sort of political ploy in my opinion.  I'm not buying it though.  I'll stick with olive oil and if I have to fry something that requires a lot of oil I'll just buy Wesson Oil or some generic veggie oil.  The smell and taste of Canola oil makes me nauseated.

I can't figure out why Canola oil(rape seed oil) is better for a person than corn oil.  And what's so bad about a little corn syrup.  As I recall my mother telling me that's how they made baby formula back in the day.  She mixed it with something and I thrived on it.  Honestly I don't believe corn syrup, corn oil, butter, eggs and real milk are bad for a person.  I think what's making us so fat and sick is fast food and packaged convenience foods.  In my opinion that's not even real food.  We drank fresh milk from the cow, with real cream on it and ate fresh butter, veggies from the field and corn syrup on our pancakes.  My grandmother fried the extra fat from the chicken, hog and cow and those were our chips.  I never ate chips of any other kind and didn't know what pizza was.  But I was very familiar with beans and rice, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy and homemade pies.  I never ate a doughnut or a hamburger with french fries.  I didn't even know such a thing existed  I never drank cokes either, just milk and water.  We were healthy. We ate real food!

We had every childhood disease that came along and no immunizations.  I stepped on rusty nails and never had a tetanus shot.  I got chickenpox, mumps and more than one kind of  measles.  I had a bad reaction from the first polio vaccine and lost the use of my legs for several weeks.  I was a lucky girl because eventually I got well and walked again.  Damn that vaccine.  I had my tonsils removed just because it was the thing to do in those days. I never went to a dentist till I was 16 years old.   I'm still here and pretty healthy too and I'm not a young chick any more but I feel strong.

I have progressed a bit, at least I get my teeth cleaned on a regular basis now.  I don't get a flu vaccine, I would rather fight the disease.  I have agreed to get the pertussis vaccine to protect my grandchild who is soon to arrive.

I still love real food better than stuff from boxes.  My husband makes an awesome granola with oats, flax, wheat bran, oat bran, sesame seeds, raisins, dried fruit and shredded coconut.  It is so wholesome and satisfying.  A cup of that for breakfast will hold off my hunger pangs till mid day!

The salmon turned out to be really good, seasoned with salt, pepper, a little cayenne and basted with olive oil and fresh lemon,  then cooked on the grill. For another meal I mixed the olive oil with olive oil dipping spices and toasted slices of the sourdough bread, then cut them in chunks for dipping.  Oh my it was good along with the Beemster Cheese.


A little fresh garlic added to the olive oil and spices

Before going home I stopped by my mom's to share the french baguette with some olive oil mixed with spices and a bottle of wine.  When food is good I feel the need to share.

I feel very fortunate to have indulged in such wonderful nutritious food and always think of those without.  Every day I send positive thoughts into the universe that no person will go to bed hungry.  That all little tummies will be full and satisfied.  We can only hope for a more balanced world.

Speaking of Chupacabra

This legendary creature has really captured my interest.  It's on my bucket list to set my eyes on one.  If I ever get outdoor cameras installed which is also on my bucket list perhaps I will see one.

I was cruising down the highway yesterday with my cruise control set at about 73 miles per hour.  I was in my own world, not a good place to be at that speed in a moving vehicle.  I had the radio off and it was just me and the sound of the tires humming on the asphalt road.  Suddenly a low slung creature with black and white spots and large ears appeared in front of my vehicle.  It had a long skinny tail, short hair and was carrying a large bone in it's mouth probably the left overs of a white tail deer who met it's fate with a bullet from a hunter's rifle.  I said to myself, "Chupacabra, this is a Chupacabra".  It was obviously a stray dog and definitely some sort of hybrid.  It resembled a coyote, yet had the markings of a dog.  Oh my gosh I was so excited and I couldn't get a picture. By the time I stood my Tahoe on its nose and managed to gain control, the creature had escaped the highway and run into the brush.  In broad daylight I think I saw my legendary creature!

I was so excited and kept wishing so badly I could have snapped a picture.  My mind and thoughts were totally on the illusive canine and I kept saying to myself, "I saw it, I saw it, I know it was one"    When I realized the chance for a snap shot was lost I quickly returned to my cruising speed still thinking of what I had just seen, not fully comprehending the flashing red lights indicating a red light and intersection ahead.  I approached the intersection at 70 miles per hour. Suddenly I looked up to see the red light just in time to screech to a halt sending the Tahoe on a head stand again.  A Volkswagen of all vehicles was approaching the intersection from my left.  The driver saw me and was defensive enough to judge my speed....hanging back until he saw if I was going to make the stop.  Oh my,  a Volkswagen,,,,,,my Tahoe would have creamed it.  When the light turned green I was frozen in time.  Eventually I looked up to see other vehicles approaching quickly from behind me and I kicked it into gear.  From that point on though I set my cruising speed considerably less at about 60 and forced my attention back to the road.

I was almost the victim of Chupacabra!  Not really but it was an exciting moment.  I wanted it to be my Chupacabra so badly but in hind sight I do believe it was just a wild dog.

Baby Showers.

What an awesome baby shower for my beautiful daughter.  After moaning and groaning for weeks prior to the shower about women taking over his house, my husband left town because all these women intimidated him.  After a wonderful day of eating and drinking and playing with baby items we had a slumber party.  There is nothing more fun than a slumber party with no responsibility except to laugh and have a good time.

According to the most recent ultra sound, in one month we will have a beautiful curly haired grand daughter.  How times have changed, thanks to technology.  There is no more waiting to know the sex of the baby or surprises at the birth of twins.  Technology tells us a baby's gender, how much hair it has, and if it is basically healthy.  Moms and Dads can plan the nursery color scheme and purchase all the clothing and paraphernalia in the color of choice months before the birth of the child.  I myself am thrilled with the information because I've been knitting and crocheting items in all pink.  I have dreamed this baby is going to have dark curly hair and dark eyes.  And I knew way before my daughter conceived that her first child would be a girl. Mothers just know these things. I have one month left to complete a car seat blanket for this child....pink of course.

With each new generation there are more new inventions for babies that are intended to make mom's life easier.  Some have been around for thousands of years, such as the baby sling.  However it has been improved upon greatly.  The door frame jumper has been around for at least 36 years.  I know this because I had one for my first child.  There are new variations of the walker which has it's own built in entertainment system.  Then there is the infant seat which has turned into a bouncer now with a built in entertainment center. A car seat is no longer just a car seat.  It is now a "system".  The infant car seat that accommodates a child up to a weight of about 35 pounds comes out of the vehicle and fits perfectly into a slot in the stroller.  Baby no longer has to be disturbed if it is lulled to sleep by the sound and motion of the vehicle it is riding in.  Mom gets to where she is going and just unlatches the car seat and slips it snugly into the stroller.  When baby out grows this "system" it progresses to a car seat that will last up to 65 pounds and from there it will go into a booster car seat which most recently is built into the vehicle.  There is the pack and play which is a variation of the old play pen.  This wonderful item folds up nicely and can be taken on overnight trips.  Another item that fascinated me was a cradle type "thing" bed height that is tilted downward a bit from head to toe designed for babies with re-flux....now why didn't I think of that?.

Of course disposable diapers have been around a long time.  I was in another country when my first two children were born .  Disposables were not available to me so  I was compelled to use cloth diapers.  What a mess!  But much better for the environment.  According to http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php over 92% of all single use diapers end up in landfills.  We should be ashamed but what to do about it.  I myself would not want to go back to cloth diapers.  The convenience of disposables is just too tempting.  I used disposable diapers for my next two children but the Diaper Genie had not been invented yet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaper_Genie.  This is an awesome gadget for keeping the little balls of  excrement from smelling but they still go into landfills.

I was awestruck at the baby shower when a guest handed her 1 year old a vacuum pack of baby food.  All she had to do was unscrew the top and hand it to baby.  Baby just sucked his pureed food right out of that pack.  That was surely a new one on me.  As I watched this child suck his "organic" food from this container I thought "why didn't I invent that?"  I recently crocheted a bib with an elephant trunk on it that holds a pacifier with Velcro snaps so when baby spits out the paci it doesn't land on a germ laden floor!  The vacuum packed sippy container of baby food reminded me of when my own mother who had three children wanted to change my daughter's diaper.  It was a disposable one and I knew she was not familiar with how they worked so I proceeded to tell her how to do it.  She looked at me indignantly and said, "I changed a diaper once!".  So I left her alone to do the deed so as not to make her feel incompetent....she put the diaper on backwards.  Of course everyone present had a wonderful laugh on her behalf!

When I was 43, way too old to have another child in those days, I decided I would do just that.  I was excited about all the new items I would have for my baby.  Well I'm 63 now and I can't justify having another child in order to buy all the new goodies invented for baby, even if I could.  I will just have to be satisfied with a grand child and her belongings.

Speaking of baby showers I can remember when the standard meal was cake and punch.  Somewhere over time it became a little more substantial with tea sandwiches, maybe a dip and chips.  Now it's a full fledged meal.  My menu consisted of appetizers of veggie chips with white bean humus and a cream cheese, Gorgonzola cheese dip with baby carrots.  This was followed by roast beef, potatoes au gratin, spring mix salad and whole wheat rolls.  I chose a raspberry, lemon water punch which was very refreshing and pretty.  I had not intended to serve wine since the guest of honor could not imbibe but  some of the guests asked for it so I willing obliged.  I .made a wonderful cheesecake with an apple walnut topping for dessert.  Of course no party is complete any more without favors for the guests to take home.  I gave little cellophane bags filled with homemade cookies and tied with a pretty pink ribbon.  I ran out of cookies but had several bars of pretty soap I had purchased stashed away in a drawer.  I put two bars into each bag and gave those as favors also.

As I said, "times have changed"!

New Year's Day!

I'm sitting here on my back porch on New Year's Day looking out over the hills drinking red wine and wondering how much more chocolate I can safely consume today!  The temperature is a cool 59 in the shade and there is a north easterly breeze blowing.  My corn bread is in the oven and I can't wait to bite into it with a generous slab of butter topping it.  I hope it's good with jalapenos, corn, cilantro and cheddar in it. You guessed it, I'm a foody!

Below we have a cup of black eyed peas, rice, ham with Swiss Chard, cornbread with jalapeno, cheese and corn, all for good luck in the coming year:

As I look over the hills I can't help but think about the settlers. 200 years ago that came to this land.  I've read enough books to know what a difficult time they had.  I can certainly understand it.  The soil is mostly limestone sprinkled with cactus.  I've had a difficlut time myself trying to carve a garden out of this land.  I can just imagine them facing more problems than I with no power tools, only hand held shovels and hoes.  I've read that many starved to death or died of disease. I know for sure I would have starved considering nothing but Swiss Chard grows here in the winter and even that might freeze.

There is a grave yard at the bottom of the hill with headstones carved indicating how some died.  I love to walk through that cemetery and imagine what life was like for them.  I once visited a very old cemetery about 50 miles from here in Frederiicksburg, Texas.  So many children died from disease or starvation during that time that they have a separate area just for them.  It's so sad looking at the tiny little graves and wondering.  One headstone indicated a woman had been killed by Indians but not scalped.

Sometimes I can visualize an Indian on the horizon riding his pony.  This was their land.  I can't help but wonder how they felt being pushed from their land, dying in battle to protect it and suffering from the diseases that the white man brought.  The white man considered the Indian uncivilized and the Indian felt the same about the white man and his kind. The Indians did not eat pig and thought the white was filthy and smelled because he did eat pig.  One of the basic meats besides deer was hog.  The settlers were considered pretty well off if they raised hogs and had a smoke house where they hung them to cure.  It's unfortunate they could not have respected each other's ways and lived together peacefully.. History has proven that doesn't happen easily, if ever.The invaders are bullies and the invaded are always fighting to win back what was rightfully theirs.

The settlers came from all over, many from Germany, settling in these hills. Some came from Louisiana and further east. They lived from the land, killing wild animals such as deer, squirrel, possum and rabbit.  Salt and coffee was hard to come by.  When they ran out of coffee they would use their seed corn brought with them for planting,,, roasting and grinding it to make a kind of coffee.  All I have to do is jump in my air conditioned suv and head to the nearest HEB or Costco to stock up when I'm running low.  I don't have to watch for Indians over the horizon or shoot a deer or squirrel for our next meal.  If my chickens aren't laying or the coyotes have eaten them it's only 30 minutes or less for me to the local grocery to get a dozen eggs.

When I'm walking my dogs I think about the settlers and the Indians.  I imagine a brave astride his pony at the top of a hill and think if I were a settler what would I do?  I like to think I would have made friends with them.  However I know that they were so mistreated that they often killed for revenge and kidnapped women and children and who can blame them?  They would steal a white child to replace a member of their tribe who had been killed and raise the child as an Indian.  These children were rarely recovered because the Indians were constantly on the move.  I remember reading a story about  Lyndon B Johnson's ancestors who lived in this area.  The men were off on a cattle drive and the women were home on the prairie alone.  They saw Indians coming and hid under a false floor in the house.  A little girl felt a spider crawling on her and she tried so hard not to scream and give away their hiding place.  However she could contain herself no longer and let out a frightful scream.  You are going to want to strangle me because I don't remember how the story went after that except she did live to tell the story so they must have survived.  I remember her saying how guilty she felt for not being more brave.

I can't help but think of the people who settled this land as I live my life of ease.  I wish they could see it all from the great beyond and marvel at it.  Who knows, maybe they can!

Rugged limestone ground with cedar, cactus and scrub oaks:

The following information is taken from Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Longhorn_(cattle) "The early Texas settlers obtained feral Mexican cattle from the borderland between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande and mixed them with their own eastern cattle. The result was a tough, rangy animal with long legs and long horns extending up to seven feet. .The longhorn had the ability to survive on often poor vegetation of the open range. Many Texas ranchers keep herds purely because of their link to Texas history." Below is a picture I took of a Texas Longhorn walking along the county road.  We pass them daily as we enter and exit the ranch.

I'm hoping the paw print below is from one of my daughter's dogs and not that of a cougar!

Happy New Year to All!

It's a bummer starting out the new year with a pinched nerve under my scapula.  Not much takes me down cause I'm a tough old bird but this is really irritating.  It's been hurting going on 3 days now and I'm getting tired of it.  The only thing that relieves the pain is a heating pad.

We have finally finished all the Christmas left overs and it's time to start cooking again.  I did make a cream of broccoli soup last week to keep the left overs from getting too monotonous.  Here is the recipe:

A head or two of broccoli
1 box of Swanson Chicken Broth(no msg)
1 or 2 cups of water depending on how much volume you like or add more chick broth for a richer flavor
Simmer broccoli on low till soft
Chop and Saute an onion and several garlic cloves in olive oil with a tablespoon of butter for flavor
Add sauteed onions and garlic to broccoli/broth
Simmer a while longer
Puree in food processor, blender or  use hand held emulsifier
Add 2 cups of half and half
Return to heat
Season to taste with salt, pepper, turmeric and curry powder
Heat slowly to warm, do not boil

This soup lasted 3 days for me and my hubby!  It was delicious with a side salad and homemade flat bread.

Today is the day that we must all eat black eye peas and some type of greens.  According to southern tradition eating these brings good luck for the new year.

I will cook mine with onions, garlic and the ham bone I saved from Christmas day.  I've got some Swiss chard growing in my garden that the recent freeze didn't kill and will toss that in the pot for good luck and the health benefits.  Some people like corn bread with their black eye peas.  I do, but I also like mine with rice, ,,,just a family tradition.

I don't think I have ever begun a new year without consuming black eye peas no matter what country I was in and this is not going to be the first.  So eat your black eye peas my friends and Happy New Year to everyone.

I'm not much for resolutions because they are rarely kept.  Therefore I'm not making any that involve weight loss or exercise.  I enjoy food way to much to make myself feel guilty for not sticking to a diet resolution.  Actually I may resolve to eat more of my favorite things...chocolate for sure and drink a little more red wine.  That would be an easy one to keep.  I think I will try to be more meek and humble.  It just seems like a safe way to be.  I will toss a little creativity in there also so as not to be a bore!  Most people who know me will laugh at that but maybe I will surprise them.

My hope for the new year is that all creatures of this earth be safe, healthy, prosperous and have a full belly.  May goodness prevail and evil die among man kind.