Macaroni and Cheese

Considering how much I love cheese, you'd think I would be a big fan of Macaroni & Cheese.  Not so.  It's okay, but I can think of so many other ways I'd rather have my cheese.  Last November Algernon posted his recipe for mac-n-cheese along with photos of the process.  It's simmered in the back of my mind ever since.  I finally got around to trying it and guess what?  It's great!!  I'm sure I'll make it again! 

I didn't have a chance to take any photos of my finished product so you'll just have to go look at Algernon's.  Click here for his recipe. 

My cockroach

Sometimes there are things in real life that aren't very cute, but when made "plush" seem entirely different.  A good example of this can be found in a recent post by Cruella.  In the real world, slugs totally gross me out!  However, I thought "Sluggy" was just too cute for words!

Reading about Sluggy got me to thinking about my cockroach.  Many, many years ago my sister gave me a cockroach hand-puppet.  His six legs are designed to accomodate either a right or left hand and his wings are made from leather. 

Isn't he a fine looking fellow?!?

iPod Roulette - April 2011 JAM

April is Jazz Appreciation Month at the Smithsonian.  In keeping with that, I've drawn solely from my Jazz playlist in my iTunes for this month's session of iPod Roulette.  Some of my favorites didn't come up, but it's still a nice variety.


1.     Livin' Inside Your Love (George Benson) - I've loved George Benson since I was in college.  Until recent years he was one of the few Jazz artists that I didn't mind using vocals.

2.     Sigh (Praful) - This group is described by Wiki as an "acid jazz" mixture band.

3.     Daddy Longlicks (Lee Ritenour featuring Joe Robinson) - This is from 6 String Theory, which I featured here.

4.     I Say a Little Prayer (Earl Klugh Trio) - A smooth version of a very recognizable song.

5.     Fives (Lee Ritenour featuring Guthrie Govan and Tal Wilkenfeld) - I usually skip when there is a repeat artist, but the guitarists featured with Ritenour here are so different from Joe Robinson that the selection had a completely different sound.

6.     Back in Business (Down to the Bone) - Their Wiki page has been removed, but the link to it referred to them as another "acid jazz" band.  Funny, I'd never heard that description before and here I've seen it twice in one sitting.

7.     Flamenco Sketches (Miles Davis) - No doubt about it, Davis is one of the greats of Jazz.  This is from Kind of Blue, considered by many to be his best album. 

8.     Sinkin' Soon (Norah Jones) - I must admit that I'm not terrilby fond of Norah Jones.  I only downloaded this song to try and give her a chance since I knew several of my friends love her music.  It didn't work for me.

9.     There Goes the Neighbourhood (Candy Dulfer) - From her first album, Saxuality. I love her version of Lily Was Here!

10.   The Girls Next Door (Pat Metheny Group) - Love, love this song!  The underlying beat is great!

11.   Tears in Rain (Vangelis) - This is from the soundtrack to Blade Runner and contains one of my favorite movie lines. 

12.   Somersaults (Bill Bruford with Ralph Towner and Eddie Gómez ) - Bruford was the first of two drummers for my favorite group of all time, Yes.

13.   Black River (Keiko Matsui) - Very smooth Contemporary Jazz.

14.   Siempre Hay Esperanza (The Sunset Lounge Orchestra) - This is from the Sade Cool Down Experience.  I couldn't find any kind of link to the Sunset Lounge Orchestra, but they evidently do covers of various groups' music.  I heard this one on my Jazz station and loved it. 

15.   The Lesson (Victor Wooten) - This is one of the few people in my Jazz playlist known for playing the bass!

The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley

Flavia de Luce, the precocious chemistry-whiz eleven-year-old, is back in The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley.  I enjoyed Bradley's first "Flavia de Luce" mystery (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie), but this one was even better! 

When noted puppeteer Rupert Porson makes an unexpected stop in Flavia's small village, he agrees to put on a performance of "Jack and the Beanstalk" for the locals.  However, the villagers get more than they bargained for when, instead of the giant's body, it is Porson that drops to the stage.  Dead.  Flavia puts her extraordinary talents to use and quickly finds out Porson wasn't a stranger to their village after all.  Question is... which of those who knew him had the most motive to kill him? 

As in the first novel, I was truly amazed at Flavia's abilities.  Obviously a prodigy!  I can't say I'm particularly fond of some of the secondary characters, but Flavia more than makes up for this with her charm.  It's certainly a series I will continue to read. 

This was my fourth book for the Cozy Mystery Challenge. 

Shadow Shot Sunday #25

Wasp Catcher

Shadow Shot Sunday
Hosted by Hey Harriet

Corny Chicken Bake

Here's another chicken recipe we tested out recently.  I don't think it was quite as good as the applesauce recipe, but it was good enough that we didn't mind having the leftovers the next day.  It's another recipe from Simple & Delicious magazine, this time contributed by Barbara Ramstack of Fond du Lac, WI.   


Corny Chicken Bake

3 cups corn bread stuffing mix
1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1 celery rib, diced
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablepoons spicy brown or horseradish mustard

In a large bowl, combine the stuffing mix, corn, onion and celery.  Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.  Top with chicken.  Combine the brown sugar, butter and mustard; drizzle over chicken.  Bake, uncovered, at 400F for 25-30 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. 

Applesauce Barbecue Chicken

This recipe was contributed to Simple & Delicious magazine by Darla Andrews of Farmers Branch, TX. I used chicken tenders which made this a quick and easy dish to prepare. Better yet, it was delicious!


Applesauce Barbecue Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6-oz. each)
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2/3 cup chunky applesauce
2/3 cup spicy barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. chili powder

Sprinkle chicken with pepper. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil on both sides. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and cook 7-10 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 170F.

The end of an era

In April of 2009 I posted an entry about two of my aunts.  They were the last connections I had to my parents (who died when I was young) and to my childhood.  That fall I had an entry about losing one of those aunts to cancer.  I continued to visit the other aunt on a weekly basis until last summer.  At that time she really started slipping.  It reached the point where visits were not the happy experiences they'd always been, for either of us.  Her sitters told me that for hours after I left she would be hard to handle.  I made the difficult decision to stop visiting.  As much as I wanted to see her, I hated the thought that my visits disrupted her.  In recent months I knew that she was spending more and more time sleeping.  Last week she had a stroke.  Sunday she left us. 

I've had fleeting moments of guilt that I stopped going to see her.  However, my older brother told me guilt is a wasted emotion and that I'd been there for her during the time of her life that it really mattered. 

She was buried today, followed by a celebration of her life at our church.  At 99 years of age and in poor health, she'd been ready to join the rest of her family for quite some time.  Therefore, there really wasn't any sadness.  We smiled, shared fond memories, and rejoiced at the reunion we knew was taking place in heaven!

What makes me sad is knowing that she was the last.  The last of her generation on both sides of my family.  It feels strange to know that my cousins and I are now the oldest generation... and out of fourteen of us, three have already died!   

Death and Judgment by Donna Leon

Death and Judgment is the fourth book in the "Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery Series" by Donna Leon.  I read it as my third book for the Cozy Mystery Challenge.

The book begins with the crash of a cargo truck in the mountains of Northern Italy where an interesting discovery is made among the wreckage.  This is followed by the murder of a prominate Venetian lawyer, shot at point blank range on the train between Padua and Venice.

As Brunetti begins his investigation of the murder, he is contacted by Capitano Della Corte of the Padua police.  A successful accountant has committed suicide there and his phone records show a connection to the victim in Brunetti's case.  Working together, Brunetti and Della Corte find more similarities in their cases.  The deeper they delve, the uglier it gets and soon the case takes a personal turn. 

The more I get to know Commissario Brunetti and his family, the more I appreciate the sophisticated intelligence with which these novels are written.  He's a moral man, struggling to deal with right and wrong in a complicated world.  Leon is not afraid to tackle serious topics, yet inserts just enough dry humor to keep the story from becoming too ponderous.  I look forward to reading many more in this excellent series. 

Shadow Shot Sunday #24

Seeking Sunlight

Shadow Shot Sunday
Hosted by Hey Harriet

Stormy Ramblings

We've had some wild weather the past 24 hours. When I went to bed last night, I knew that storms were headed my way and we were under a tornado watch. That didn't really bother me since we are often under tornado watch this time of year. Still... I kept waking up in anticipation of the storm. That and the fact that the moon is waxing and bright moonlight always disrupts my sleep.

It hit shortly after 3:00 a.m. Oh my!  The wind, rain, thunder, and lightning were fierce!!  No tornado, but the storm was powerful. By 4:00 a.m. the power was out. The storm had blown through, but I kept waking up to see if the electricity had come back on.

When the power hadn't come back on by mid-morning, my husband hooked up our generator (welding unit). You know, we take so many things for granted in our lives. When our power goes out we also lose the pump on our water well. Fortunately, we just got a bigger holding tank for our well and didn't have to hook the generator through the well.  Since it was daylight I didn't really miss the lights. I think I was happiest to hear the hum of the refrigerator and the filters in my fish tanks when we switched on the generator.

The power came back on about 4:00 p.m., hours earlier than had been promised. It was then I realized that the extra fridge we have, one that came from my MIL's house after her death, hadn't come back on when we switched over to the generator! Some of the stuff in the freezer portion had started to thaw. So... that pretty much decided what I would fix for supper.

In retrospect, I realize just how blessed we were. The storms were much worse in many places causing much damage and taking several lives. If the worse thing we experienced was losing a few items from our freezer, I really can't complain. God is good and I'm thankful.

Ponderings #5

I would swear I've already had this conversation somewhere online, perhaps even on my own blog, but I can't find it.  So, I'm making it one of my "ponderings". 

If you could have a superpower, any superpower, what would it be? 

My first thought, as one who's struggled with my weight for years, is to be able to eat anything I want without gaining inches or pounds.  However, that's not really a superpower in the true sense of the word.  Therefore, the superpower I'd most want to have is:

Teleporting

Wouldn't it be great to blink your eyes and be in another place?!  Just think of the potential.  I could visit friends and family at the drop of a hat and still be home in time to cook supper.  I could travel the world.  I wouldn't even have to take luggage since I could teleport home to shower and change clothes.

Give it some thought, or maybe this is something for which you already have an answer.  If you could have any superpower, what would it be? 

What Am I ? (#7)

1. I'm an expert carbon scubber hoarding some 42 million tons each year, roughly equivalent to the annual carbon emissions of 25 million cars.

2. I love sunshine and don't close the pores on my leaves in the heat of the day like most tropical plants. In addition, I only "drink" about a third of what most plants do.

3. I depend on my deep, complex root system for stability, oxygen, and salt filtration.

4. I'm sometimes known as a "walking tree" because my roots sprawl both above and below the waterline. I'm mainly found in the salty waters of southern Florida (US) and tropical Southeast Asia.

Have you figured out what I am from my clues? * Scroll down for the answer.

































I'm a Mangrove!











*Facts provided by the April issue of Discover Magazine.

Mourning Gloria by Susan Wittig Albert

Many authors who have long-running series end up in a slump at some point.  I've found this to be true with a number of the authors I read and Susan Wittig Albert is no exception.  However, I thought Mourning Gloria - her 19th in the China Bayles herbal mysteries - to be much better than her recent offerings.  

China is driving home on a summer night when she happens on a house trailer engulfed in flames.  After calling 911, she approaches the structure only to hear someone frantically crying out.  Despite her efforts, she's not able to help and is haunted by the death of the unidentified woman.  Jessica, the young intern reporter assigned to cover the fire, gets too emotionally involved having lost her parents and twin sister in a house fire years before.  When it becomes apparent that the fire was an arson/murder, she delves even deeper in an attempt to solve the crime herself.  Once Jessica disappears, China feels an obligation to retrace the reporter's steps in an attempt to find her before Jessica also loses her life. 

The herbal focus in this novel is "psychoactive" or "mood-enhancing" plants.  As always, Albert cleverly weaves interesting folklore and scientific information about these plants throughout the book and into the storyline itself.  Albert is good about filling the reader in on each of her characters and situations, so the novel could be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.  However, I recommend starting from the beginning to fully appreciate the depth of the series. 

This was my second book for the 2011 Cozy Mystery Challenge.

Shadow Shot Sunday #23

Azaleas (can you find the bee?)

 Shadow Shot Sunday

hosted by Hey Harriet

Sauerbraten

Quid and I spend a lot of time texting each other while watching food shows on TV.  Not long ago the topic of Sauerbraten came up.  I commented I'd never eaten it, so Quid e-mailed me a recipe she found online and I tried it last weekend.  Well, considering it has to marinate for three days I actually started it mid-week, but I cooked it on Saturday.   Even though it was delicious (and the left-overs were great!) it was fairly labor-intensive, so I doubt I'll make it again any time soon. 

This recipe comes from Alton Brown of the Food Network.



Ingredients



2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional for seasoning meat
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
12 juniper berries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) bottom round
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
18 dark old-fashioned gingersnaps (about 5 ounces), crushed
1/2 cup seedless raisins, optional


Directions


In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.


Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.


When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.


After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.


Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours.


Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

Pretty Is As Pretty Dies by Elizabeth Spann Craig

This month begins the Cozy Mystery Challenge! I started off with Pretty Is As Pretty Dies , debut in the Myrtle Clover Mystery Series, by Elizabeth Spann Craig. I read my first mystery by this author (writing as Riley Adams), Delicious and Suspicious, last August. You might remember it had some wonderful recipes in it, a few of which I shared on my blog with the author's permission. No recipes in this one, but it was still a fun mystery with lots of potential for more books in the series.

Welcome to small-town Bradley, North Carolina and the life of retired schoolteacher Myrtle Clover. When a local town developer is murdered, Myrtle decides she needs to assist her son, the chief of police, in solving the crime. Suspects abound and danger increases as Myrtle comes closer and closer to determining the killer.

Pretty Is As Pretty Dies is filled with just as much humor and just as many fun, quirky characters as the previous Elizabeth Spann Craig novel I read. If I had to choose which of her books I enjoyed most, I'd probably pick Delicious and Suspicious, but both are delightfully entertaining cozies guaranteed to please. I look forward to more from both series.

Airplane photos

For those of you who seemed entertained by the thought of me as a pilot, I dug out a couple of photos to share with you. The top photo is my flight instructor and me standing in front of the airplane I learned to fly in, a 2-seater Cessna. If I remember correctly, the photo was taken right after I made my first solo flight. It's the same plane I was in when the incident I described here took place.

The lower photo, a Piper Cherokee Warrior, is the airplane my husband and I bought into with several of my husband's cousins. A 4-seater, it was more practical than the Cessna rental we learned in.

It's a beginning

Last Friday evening we made our first venture of the year out on our pond to see if the fish were biting. After a slow start, these two finally made the effort worth my while. Both were caught using plastic worms and were tossed back to be caught another day. I'm anxious to go again, but the weather hasn't cooperated. Too windy over the weekend and too stormy today. Oh, well. It's not like I don't have the entire summer ahead of me.

Shadow Shot Sunday #22

Hosted by Hey Harriet (click above image for more photos)

Dogwood

Cheese Grits (two recipes!)

I love cheese grits.  For years I've used my aunt's recipe that calls for "old fashioned" grits (not instant or quick-cooking), eggs, and requires baking in the oven.  This week I found another version in Southern Living magazine that uses quick-cooking grits and is prepared on the stovetop.  Both are relatively simple to make and both are delicious.  Here are the recipes.... you decide!


Cheese Grits

1 cup grits (old-fashioned)1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup milk
3 eggs
1/2 pound sharp cheese (grated)
salt to taste

Cook grits as directed on the box (it should be 6 servings of grits). Add ingredients as listed. Beat hard after each addition. Pour into a 9x13" pan. Bake in a moderate oven (325 degrees) until firm and slightly brown on top.


Gouda Grits

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Gouda cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
2 tsp. hot sauce

Bring first 4 ingredients and 4 cups water to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat; whisk in grits, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat, and stir in Gouda and remaining ingredients.