Fun Times

Fun Times, Part One:

This weekend was fun and hectic. (Aren't all weekends hectic?) And a bonus: I didn't have to show the pit of despair to any potential renters!!! Saturday was beautiful and we went to the park. Later that afternoon we went to our friends' house to celebrate their little girl's birthday. Happy Birthday, Joanne! We all had fun and the kids got to play with someone else's toys; I got to eat french onion dip. Yum. Yesterday we had a fiesta for our friend Ashley (hi!) who was in from Texas. This involved our small group, and Mexican food. Can you go wrong? No. James loves our 'small droop' and is always asking if we are having 'small droop.' He loves playing with the kids, and the adults for that matter. We all had lots of fun......drumroll, please.....Ashley brought me a present from Texas.....real live tortillas of all varieties and some delicious chips too! And how's this for dedication? She left the bag at the airport, and had the ladies stop on the way home from the women's retreat so she could go in and retrieve them! I have already had one with my lunch and not only was it superb, but it didn't even taste like the bag it came in. (which seems to be a prerequisite around here) Thanks, Ashley! We shall be eating many a tortilla this week and I am going to change my menu around to squeeze in enchiladas! Yipee!!! I apologize for using more than my alotted quota of explanation marks in this post, but when there are tortillas involved I can't help myself.

Fun Times, Part Two:

This one is disgusting, so if you are squeemish you might want to skip it. But, it is kind of humerous, in a sick way, sort of. Remember the homemade TV antenna/hot dog roaster extrodinaire that Jeff made? After determining that it did indeed work better than our bunny ears, he precariously installed it on top of the TV, sitting in a coffee cup. I was not too keen on this as I felt it may be a hazard. Let me tell ya! Hazard is right. Saturday night Jeff was messing around with it and it fell from its tenuous perch. It bounced off his noggin and then....this is were it gets gross, ladies and gents, skewered Jeff's ring finger. I am not exaggerating this point. The copper wire (the diameter of a wire hanger) went through his finger (right next to his ring) and stopped just under the skin on the other side. Eeeew. He had to pull it out. Eeeeeeeew. And you can see the entry wound and the spot where it came just under the skin on the other side. He had to take his wedding band off due to swelling, so hopefully it goes back to normal soon. Since it did not involve severing a limb or total dismemberment, it is therefore not worthy of getting checked out according to Jeff. I will now refer to the antenna (which is now safely and securely hanging on the wall) as the Antenna of Doom. While I am not glad Jeff made a finger kabob out of himself, I am glad it wasn't one of the kids. Really glad. Really really glad.

Major Food Groups

In our household, there are a few foods we cannot live without. First and foremost, the bean burrito. Its like the Mexican version of PB&J, and I say that in the most respectful way. Its quick, its easy and oh, so delish! Just take a tortilla, some refried beans (preferable homemade), maybe a little cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a healthy dose of Mrs. Renfro's Green Salsa on top and you're good to go. By adding an avocado, another food that deserves its own food group, you can elevate a bean burrito to a work of art. If you are Jeff, adding tortilla chips to the mix would be pure heaven. That boy lives off of tortilla chips. He eats them with everything. He's even threatened to pour milk over them and eat them for breakfast. If you were to poll James for his food favorites, the list would include pancakes, bananas, scrambled eggs and raisins. Katie is a fan of strawberries, and anything she can find on the floor. And me, I am an all-around fan of the bean: refried beans, black beans and who can forget the cocoa bean? Beans are good for you, so since chocolate is a bean, it must be healthy too. I have oft thought that if I had to be stranded on a desert island with nothing but a few staples, I would choose bean burritos and chocolate. Recently, though, another deserving food has added itself to my list of foods that deserve their own groups: Dad's hummus. Dad has started making hummus, and not just your ordinary hummus. No. He makes hummus with roasted peppers, or sesame dressing, or with a smoky flavor. Everytime I am there, I have to take a gander in the fridge and be the 'cupbearer' if you will. Hey, someone's gotta do it! It takes a lot of restraint not to stick my head in the bowl and eat the whole batch! Its really that good. In conclusion to this long and rambling post about trivial matters, if I ever get stranded, please send a burrito, some good dark chocolate and a batch of hummus and I will be one happy camper. Thank you, and good night.

Tortilla Lament

I did my monthly grocery shopping extravaganza yesterday and that means stocking up on tortillas. Jeff and I believe that refried beans and tortillas deserve their very own food group. While I have pioneered making our own refried beans (much better than canned!), I have not perfected my own tortillas. I need to kick my tinkering in to high gear. The reason? Tortilla selection in the fine state of Peeeeee-A is dismal at best. At our grocery store, they sell two brands of unrefridgerated tortillas. One brand is dry and stale, the other brand is to tortillas what T@co Bell is to Mexican food. Except Taco Bell tastes alright. The refrigerated section offers an additional two brands to choose from. This is where I get mine, because they are the lesser of the two evils. The problem is, they taste just like the bag they come in. They are not fresh, and they have taken on the plasticy flavor of the bag. Argh! A wise man once said 'A good tortilla is hard to find.' How true. While I have a tortillador (stolen/borrowed from my parents) which makes a darn good tortilla, it does not make the large, flexible tortillas required to make a good bean burrito. So you see, my peeps, I have a dilemma. I must overcome the sad plight of the tortilla!


Now stop reading the blog and go VOTE!!! Be there or be square.