Breakfast with my son

It's basketball season and both my boys are playing basketball. One practices on Monday and Wednesday mornings, the other practices on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I've drawn the short straw and bring them to practice every morning. On Tuesday and Wednesday, they both have to get up early because Mom has to go into work. So the one without a basketball practice has lunch with me. :-)

This morning was Tommy's turn to have lunch with his dad. We went to Another Broken Egg Cafe. Nick and I had been last week, so I knew what to expect, but this was Tommy's first trip.

While you can't see it in the picture, Another Broken Egg Cafe has double-thick bacon. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he saw them. The pancake he ordered was as big as his plate. Add a side of fruit, and we ended the morning with a very satiated young man. My teenager met his match, unable to finish his one pancake.

I just hope, with his overfull belly, he will be able to stay awake for his midterm exams today.

Crock Pot, meet Venison Roast

Sue asked me to clear the freezer of some of our "old meat" because she used some freezer-burned ground turkey for chili and it just tasted wrong.

Now this is a challenge I can deal with. We have a freezer full of venison from last year's hunt. The boys killed three deer in a matter of minutes.  I gave one deer to my father-in-law, and put two of them in my freezer.

On Sunday I took two small roasts out of the freezer and placed them in the refrigerator to defrost. Venison pot roast was officially on the schedule for Tuesday's dinner.

The first step is critical, so pay attention.

1. Tuesday morning I had bacon for breakfast.  
2. Also on Tuesday morning I rubbed the roasts down with a spice rub.  I used pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, a touch of salt and some Italian herbs like thyme, oregano and basil.
3. In the leftover bacon grease I seared the meat in the pan with the bacon grease.
4. I put two cans of french onion soup in the crock pot. I like to set my slow cooker to cook for 10 hours, because it makes the meat more tender. I placed the seared roasts in the slow cooker.  [Make sure the liquid covers the roast. You may need to add water to make that happen.]
5. With about 3 hours left to cook, I added some potatoes and some baby carrots along with more seasoning like black and red pepper.
6. With about 2 hours left, I added one can of cream of mushroom soup and mixed it in really well. You can also add some whole or sliced mushrooms at this time.
7. When you have about 30 minutes left consider adding some peas. You need your greens after all. Unfortunately, I didn't have any.
   

The meat just fell apart at the prodding of a fork. I may need to use just a little more salt, though, so the meat accepts more of the other seasoning through the process of osmosis.

Nevertheless, we had some happy boys Tuesday night.

Under the Weather Dinner or No More Turkey

I have not been feeling well for the past week.  A nasty cough with some congestion really slowed me down for the long Thanksgiving weekend. I am so ready for this illness thing to be over!

So yesterday, while surfing the net between plays during the Colts-Texans game, I discovered this article, "Study: Antibacterial spices explain why some like it hot." About 5 paragraphs in, the author identified the spices most effective in fighting bacteria. They included garlic, onions, and chilies. Sounds like Cajun cuisine to me!

I wanted something fairly easy, fairly quick, and VERY spicy. My first thought: Shrimp Creole.

1. I chopped some onion, celery, garlic and mushrooms:

2. Then I cooked these down in butter

3. When it looked like this:

     I added a can of these:

4. Added these spices:

5. I cooked this mixture for about 20 minutes til it looked like this:

5. Added a pound of shrimp:

6. Served it up over some rice.

Jealous?

Happy Thankgsgiving Day

I had to go to Walmart today to get a couple of things for our Thanksgiving dinner today.  One of the things I had to get was all the way in the back of the store, so I had the pleasure of walking all the way through the Super Walmart. I was struck by something I saw in the store; and by what I did not see.

Super Walmart on Thanksgiving Day was very busy, but nearly all the shoppers had something in common: they were people of color. Everywhere I looked I saw brown and black faces. Even the people working at Walmart were mostly people of color.

Then it occurred to me, that the Latinos in the store (especially those first generation immigrants) don't celebrate Thanksgiving. Why would they? Thanksgiving is an almost exclusively American holiday. For all those in this country from Mexico and points south, they have no frame of reference for Thanksgiving Day.

The folks in the store of African descent, Thanksgiving Day must represent something quite the opposite of what Americans of European descent. It was the first Thanksgiving that eventually led to the slave trade. Like our Latino neighbors, those of African descent do not have the same frame of reference for Thanksgiving as white Americans, and, in fact, it could be that Thanksgiving Day has a negative association with their ancestral memory.

I give thanks that we are blessed to be in a country with such a diverse collection of cultural traditions and memories.

Wilted Daisy

Yesterday afternoon, I picked Daisy up from the vet after her womanly surgery. She looked soooo sad. Our little ball of energy moped out of the recovery room, gently and consciously taking one step at a time until she made it to me. She may have been happy to see me, but it definitely did not show in her face.

After parading through the guantlet that is the vet waiting room, not even cognizant of the other beasts seeking her attention, she trudged to the truck, careful with every step along the way. I put her in the front passenger seat so I could keep an eye on her, but it wasn't long before she tried to find a way to climb in my lap. She was confused, groogy and probably had to relieve herself, so the ride home was a restless one for her.

Last night our goal was to keep Shadow away from her. Out of compassion and habit, Shadow did sneak in a good ear licking. Daisy did n't seem to mind.

This morning our poor wilting Daisy was still moving very slowly.

Daisy gets deflowered

A few months ago, the boys brought home two stray dogs. Right after I got home that afternoon, both dogs mysteriously escaped. (Hmmm, I wonder how that happened.)

Fortunately (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) the boys were able to recapture one of the dogs. A few hours later her name became Daisy.

I went to the city animal control people to report the dog as found, Sue and the boys searched the neighborhoods for lost dog signs, and after 30 days sojourning with us, Daisy legally became our property.

So we got all her shots updated, had her examined by a veterinarian, and now she is a member of our family, and a favorite wrestling partner of our cripple dog, Shadow.

Today Daisy went to get spayed. I'll pick her up this afternoon, and I can't wait experience our life as we try to keep Daisy calm as the other dogs try to resume their ongoing wrestling match.

In the spirit of Bob Barker I have to include this parting thought,

"Help control the pet population. Have your pets spay or neutered."

Oh! The Possibilities...

I have learned something vitally important about my city:

Chickens are ALLOWED!

Here is the law:

PART II. Chapter 6. Article IV. Sec. 6-105. Fowl.

(a) Generally. The keeping of fowl such as roosters, ducks, turkeys, geese, peacocks, guineas, or other such loud fowl within the city limits, in any pen, coop or enclosure that is within 150 feet of any residence (other than the owner's), business or school shall be prohibited.

(b) Chickens. No person shall keep more than two hens in an area zoned residential within the city, and shall be no closer than 50 feet to the nearest inhabited dwelling, other than that of the owner.

(c) Secure pen or enclosure. Any fowl kept within the city limits shall be in a secure pen, coop or enclosure, and such structure shall be of such construction and strength to keep such animals from running at large.

(d) Exceptions. Public park lands and lakes shall be exempt from the fowl ordinance, as shall property or acreage annexed into the city after January 1, 1999, for a period of 12 months from adoption of an annexation ordinance.

I can't wait to build my chicken coop.