Aunty Pol Knows It All

'Welcome Back, Kotter' star Robert Hegyes dies at 60

2012-01-26T15:57:00.000-08:00

`'Welcome Back, Kotter' star Robert Hegyes dies at 60

Awwwww...man..!

I loved Epstein!

Rest in peace Mr. Hegyes.

Aunty Pol

Mama Wants This !

2012-01-25T15:07:00.001-08:00

http://www.tweakboutiqueonline.net/
Must possess.
Mama wants this.
Now, I know how that sounds , but since I am paying for someones 1099 issue that is NOT mine and the clothes washer and half the A/C - Heat unit..
Don't ask honey.
Trust me.
Let's just say it's less than 1 month's car note.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Whats Your Blues Name ?

2012-01-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

This is hilarious !

Enjoy .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Easy Molasses Sticky Buns From Taste Of Home

2012-01-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

Easy Molasses Sticky Buns Recipe

Prep: 20 min. + rising Bake: 25 min.

Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients

2 loaves (16 ounces each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

MOLASSES SAUCE:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup molasses

Directions

Roll out each loaf of bread dough into a 10-in. square. Spread with butter to within 1/2 in. of edges. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over butter. Roll up jelly-roll style; pinch seams to seal. Cut each loaf into six slices.
For sauce, in a small saucepan, bring the brown sugar, butter, water and molasses to a boil. Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Place rolls, cut side down, in molasses sauce.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in dish for 5 minutes; invert onto a serving platter. Serve warm. Yield: 1 dozen.

Yeah..I need find some Brer Rabbit.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Erin's Food Files » Chewy Oatmeal Fudge Bars

2012-01-25T10:12:00.000-08:00

Erin's Food Files » Chewy Oatmeal Fudge Bars

Okay..it's lunch time more or less but I don't get to get away from my desk until about 1:30.

I actually prefer this because the courtyard and or tunnel is not crowded and I can have an hour or so to read and blessed peace and quiet.

Tunnel ?

Yes, one of the more unique things about the area of downtown Houston where I work is the network of below grown tunnels that connect a lot of the buildings. They do host a variety of shops and eateries and because they are downtown can be a bit on the pricey side but then hells bells..what isn't nowadays .

So here I am hungry.

So of course , I have to check out the blogs that I follow and one blog mentioned Erin's Food Files...so off I went.

I have been craving the oatmeal and date bars that my late mother used to make, sort of like a softer sort of Fig Newtons but with more dates . And have you seen the price of dates..actual dates lately ??? !!!! ?????

Now, this is not the sort of thing that SU would be likely to go for in the same way I adore gingerbread and him...not so much.

And there it was...Chewy Oatmeal Fudge Bars.

The perfect compromise.

Go check out the newest addition to the blogs that I follow...

Oh crap..Taste of Home just sent me an e mail alert for easy molasses sticky buns.

Damn you Kroger..you better start restocking Brer Rabbit..Grandmas brand is just not the same..I mean..I'm sure she was a sweet old gal and all that , but in my house it's Brer Rabbit or nothing.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Chocolate Bundles

2012-01-25T09:25:00.001-08:00

http://twomaidsamilking.blogspot.com/

Do you remember when I posted the recipe for chicken kisses with gravy ? I bet Miss Lisa does.

I've always had a love/hate relationship with puff pastry.

I love it eat it, it hates me when I try to work with it.

Yes, I will cheat as in the case of the chicken kisses and use packaged crescent rolls , I mean really..isn't that why they are there in the first place ?

Anyway, I was browsing the blogs that I follow and I saw this from 2 Maids a Milking.

They had me at chocolate.

I read the recipe, drooled, had to lay my head down and then thought ..ok....what candy to use because YOU KNOW I am gonna have to try this.

Eureka!

Dark Milky Way Mini's !!!!

Damn , I'm good.

Slap Mr. Linky for the recipe and site.

Now admit it..wouldn't this be better than some lame ass Hallmark card for Valentines Day ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ~ !

2012-01-20T10:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday sweeties, and Happy National Cheese Day..don't ask how I know these things but I do .

There hasn't been a lot going on at Casa de Swamp, for which I am profoundly grateful, there was just too damn much of that going on last year as it was.

I'm in that restless yet bored mood again that hits every January..which means that what I really am is just worn out, tired with no candle left to burn. Luckily for me, I know myself and can take it easy for a couple of weekends after tomorrow , because if I don't , I have learned the hard way that the feeling of being overwhelmed is not far away , followed by a moderate bout of depression.

Yes, it bugs the crap out of me that I can't keep the house clean for more than 12 hours it seems and that " some kitty" has to urp on a daily basis. I know , I know , they are cats after all ..but really..the shoes in my closet ????? Some kitty is just friggan lucky they hit an old pair.

I actually used to make it worse when I would fight this situation , trying to control it all..and we ALL know how that goes..yeah.

It will all be fine...I just need to really adjust my schedule ( control freak much ? ) so that I can get a nap on Sundays that won't have me wide awake when I try to go to bed at 10 pm.

The rational answer is " Saturday , you idiot.." but that rarely works out.

Have a great weekend and a nap if you can..

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

An Oldie But A Goodie !

2012-01-20T10:06:00.001-08:00

This is hard to read from the picture so I am going to put the text here .
A self-important college freshman walking along the beach took it upon himself to explain to a senior citizen resting on the steps why it was impossible for the older generation to understand his generation.
" You grew up in a different world , actually an almost primitive one" the student said loud enough for others to hear.
" The young people of today grew up with television , jet planes , space travel , man walking on the moon. We have nuclear energy, ships and cell phones , computers with light speed any many more."
After a brief silence, the senior citizen responded as follows.
" You're right son, we didn't have those things when we were young .....so we invented them."
" Now , you arrogant little sh*t, what are you doing for the next generation ?"
The applause was amazing.
My best friend sends the best stuff !!!!
ROCK ON !
Ciao,
Aunty Pol

National Cheese Lovers Day

2012-01-20T09:56:00.000-08:00

http://bites.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/20/10190015-for-cheese-lovers-day-make-worlds-best-mac-cheese

It suddenly struck me that I could have very well called this blog Cheese , Chocolate , and Cats

because it seems that over the last year or so , these have been the main topics.

Well..that and me bitching and ranting about some such crap that has pissed me off.

I am focused after all.

And....I AM STILL PISSED that the house ate our favorite multi cheese mac and cheese recipe.

Bad House !

Bad , Bad House !!!

Enjoy.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

When In Doubt...Chocolate !

2012-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-anniversary-3-year-blogaversary.html

WHen in doubt, when the winter blah's take a hold of me..yeah..go find someething to bake with chocolate .

I saw this over at dying for chocolate and love the picture, but you need to go to the link because it's just too hard to read the ad here.

Enjoy !

Aunty Pol

It's Not Thursday, It's FRIDAY Eve !

2012-01-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a weird day and the weather is weird too.

One day it's warm, the next cold and the overall theme is gray and dreary.

This may be the reason that I basically can do without January.

Remind me of that...will you..when it's spring, what little we have and I am up to my ass in not enough hours in the day much less weekend to get all of the shit done that I promise myself will happen.

Really.

Remind .

Me .

This is basically the lull before rodeo, mardi Gras, spring break ( oh good idea bringing your crotch spawn ~ shout out to PG for that phrase ! ~ to the office where they run AMOK..and news flash...Aunty Pol is not your babysitter .

You have been warned.

I want some decent weather for the first part of April.

I want Mr. Trejo to clean out and mulch the beds.

I want to replace the terra cotta graveyard on the patio and have some geraniums and such growing for just a little bit please before we have another summer like we did last year with the drought and everything frying because I refuse to own a MUD district.

Sigh.

I want to be sure that Sistah and Double Oh are okay up in the Paloose where they are getting slammed with all of the snow and crap.

I want to know that Pyro and Baby Mama to be are okay.

I want a beer and I need a nap.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

It's On Bitches !

2012-01-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=695356

I am a huge fan girl of both of the gentlemen shown above.

I am also so sick to death of the election coverage and participants that the only coverage that I will in fact watch is "The Daily Show With John Stewart " or " The Colbert Report."

I watched both shows last night and they were brilliant !

Slap Mr. Linky to check them out..trust me...just do it !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Shameless Shakedown Alert !

2012-01-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

http://coveredincathair.com/content/emergency-fundraiser-dood

Yep, I'm doing it again.

If Andy's condition was treatable , and I had posted something here , all ya'll would have either contributed or reposted or both.

As it was , the condolence notes still make me cry, I love all y'all !

As always, this is completely voluntary..just spread the word !

I can do no less for Dood .

Slap Mr. Linky for all the details .

All together now :

" LETS ROCK THIS THING FOR DOOD ! "

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bravo ~ !

2012-01-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/12/10141114-mans-marimba-iphone-ring-stops-mahler-symphony-dead

This made my day and quite possibly my week.

Gently tap Mr. Linky for the full story .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

See Honey...If You Believe...It Will Happen !

2012-01-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

BECAUSE in our house, there is nothing that cannot be improved by bacon, chocolate or beer.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

This One Actually Made My Jaw Drop.

2012-01-11T14:33:00.000-08:00

I had the oddest experience yesterday.

I mean really, jaw dropping stunned deer in the headlights, WTF ??

A young man who works for the courier service we use came by to pick up a filing with a file stamp return..this being the easiest of all jobs to do that there is.

My cats could do it.

Ayhoo..

As he is making the return ( and I am hoping he gets THIS right because he gets defensive when I call him out on some stuff and you have to be blunt with this dude..worse than Carl the Wonder Poodle even) ..he asks me...sincerely....

" How do you pronounce your first name ?"

WHUT ?

Lather , rinse, repeat.

Um..Dude..Dude...Dude....

My first name is JANE.

How hard is that ?

Not Jah Ne, J'Ane, Jan E

JANE.

My late father wanted to name me after his father but was shot down...I'm not really a Paula type.

Now, personally I blame celebutards like Bouncy and Goop who name their spawn Blue Ivy and Apple and what not. I fully remember years ago when Frank Zappa named his kid Moon Unit. Even friggan Ozzy's kids have normal names.

What is wrong with you people ?

Do you think that giving your spawn a unique name will fill them with the self esteem they lack because they are being raised by nannies and staff ? Regardless of whether they go to public or private schools , do you think that your cache will armor them from the guaranteed beat downs and bullying they are going to get because you laid that shit on them ?

Really ?

I have endured all of the Tarzan jokes ever told, ditto Jane Doe and plain Jane remarks and guess what..big whoop.

At least I know how to pronounce it .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol aka JANE

Another Chocolate Site

2012-01-11T12:02:00.000-08:00

http://thechocoaholic.blogspot.com/

Prepare to swoon.

Big surprise, I love chocolate.

And cats.

And bloggers who reply to posts...I love the surprise of that . That should not however be taken as me ranting about people not posting replies.

As Lady Lisa ( miss ya babe) says.." Blogging is without obligation."

S.V. replied to the previous post and so I bopped over to hers.

As is my habit, I look at the list of blogs that bloggers I like and or follow , do themselves follow..confusing I know.

And I found the little gem regarding chocolate.

So I went there.

And almost had to lick the screen.

Slap Mr. Linky and check it out.

Also check out S.V.'s blog: http://sweetlilpiggy.blogspot.com/

Now, lets all go buy that $95.00 krep for our coffee and go grab some chocolate while we are at it.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

What Did P.T. Barnum Say Again ?

2012-01-11T11:22:00.001-08:00

http://www.joulies.com/

Someone has way too much time on their hands.
At first, I admit I thought that this was a rather clever, cool idea.
Then I went to the website.

First..NINETY FIVE DOLLARS ??????????
What the fuck ?

Now , I like my Duncan Donuts coffee as much as the next psycho bitch , but really ?
For $95.00 , I can go and get a fresh , hot cup of coffee.

For $95.00, I can buy 5 of the Jethro Beaudine size bags and think long and hard about managing my time better thus to avoid the need to blow $95.00 on something to keep a CUP OF COFFEE drinkable.

I was particularly amused by the idea that " You could walk away from your cup of coffee and return 3 hours later to find it still yummy and drinkable. "

I'm more surprised that I would be expected to remember where I left the damn cup after 3 hours.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Geaux Saints !

2012-01-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

I borrowed this from Jacqueline over at her blog, " Jaqueline's Cat House "...no..she has Meezers you pervs..just kidding.

It's a lovely day here at the Casa so of course, I am spending far too much time over at DOA ( Dragons of Atlantis ) on facebook...

What can I say,..like I don't know that there is a ton at Mt. Maytag and I need to move my ass and get to housework ?

Nope..enemies to vanquish ..

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ! ~

2012-01-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, the first official " Bruce Of The Day " for 2012 !

HUZZAH !

The weather has been freakishly nice today for January, upper 60's/low 70's and I am forced to remind myself that I will not go out into the yard and kill myself weeding the gardens this weekend with this faux spring. That only results in my doing significant damage to my back and it's just not worth it. I may shape up some and so on but I will leave the major clean up to Mr. Trejo, and it's supposed to rain buckets Monday....please Gaia, we need the rain so badly. The forecast for this year is the same as last...severe drought.

Big news dept..the crazy cajuns are grandparents again..bebe Ava was born last Friday and all is well despite my not having any real details. Now with Mrs . Baby Mama Pyro being due this spring, I can see my eyes glazing over in the baby aisle at Tar Jay...Help me Rhonda !

Merlin is back on SciFi tonight which makes me happy, even if the story has progressed to the death of King Giles..sniff sniff...it's a cute show and I have seen all of the Criminal Minds at this point as it is...

Damn , I need a life !

Kidding !

Nothing else new, taxes ( prop and HOA ) all paid..life is good .

Have a great weekend !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

The New Sherlock Holmes Series

2012-01-05T14:25:00.001-08:00

http://screenrant.com/sherlock-season-2-trailers-sandy-144970/

Okay, it's not really new if it is the second season and the man playing John Watson is the same actor who stared in the really not bad adaptation of Douglass Adams classic " A Hitchhikers Guide..." and the answer is still 42 by the way .

I had my reservations about the whole thing much like the reservations I had about Grenada resurrecting any Sherlock Holmes series, even with Jeremy Brett ( may he rest in peace the lovely dear man)...which we loved.

I had reservations about the premise of the first Laurie King book, " The Beekeepers Apprentice " in which after Holmes retires to take up beekeeping he encounters a young apprentice, female no less by the name of Mary Russell , whom he eventually marries...and I have all of the books thus far, hoping for more to come.

I have to my joy found that one of my favorite authors books are available in e book format which is a pure joy to be since I have long given up on locating any of Fred Saberhagens " Holmes Dracula series..who knew they were cousins..lol.

So..as you can tell, I have been an avid Holmes fan since my first Roy William Neil directed Basil Rathbone movie...I will read with out fail any Holmes inspired work as long as it is done in a respectful manner....

And the above series was far and above my expectation.

This is not easily given, especially since I went through junior high school and high school with a rather unique nickname.

Yes , I still will answer to it all these years later..

" Oh Watson ?"

Slap Mr. Linky and do yourself a favor..check out the series.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Mwahahahaha.~ Who Am I Gonna Mock Now ?

2012-01-04T12:56:00.001-08:00

http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/tv-buzz-blog.aspx?blog=2080&feat=db277e63-b03a-485c-a6d2-cf5cef11b9af

Why am I hearing Queen singing " Another One Bites The Dust ." in my head right now ??

BECAUSE I AM EBIL !

Mwahahahahahahah !

Snerk !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Lisa , Elise and Me.

2012-01-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

I have followed Miss Lisa at Homesick Texan since the start of her blog . I replied on any number of her posts and we traded e mails When her announcement of the book came, I let her know when the Chronicle had an article about her and the book....ala " Call your Mom and tell her to grab every copy of the Chronicle she can..it's below the fold, half page front of teh food section !!!!!!!!! I meant to get the book, but something always distracted me..ya know life and such..but I could read her blog every day, print out and talk about recipes here and so it went.

I also read Miss Elise every day at Simply Recipes and last month when I saw her post about the book , I thought .." That's it, must possess...hello Amazon."

I brought the book home and SU has not put it down.

My late mother would appreciate this.

He appreciates a recipe for chow-chow which we can only find at Randalls.

Anyone planning on growing maters this year..let me know.

SU has that look in his eye..

" Chow Chow ."

Slap Mr. Linky below to go to " Simply Recipes "...I snagged the picture from Miss Elise..thank you ma'm.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/lisa_fain_-_the_homesick_texan_cookbook/

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Sweet and Tangy Lemon Curd

2012-01-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Sweet and Tangy Lemon Curd

Slap Mr. Linky to go over to the original post..she rocks by the way .

I saw this over at coupon clipping cook and realized that it was probably the easiest and clearest direction I've seen yet to making lemon curd. I am sure the same process could apply to orange curd, and me being me was thinking as I read..." Save the rinds to throw down the disposal to freshen it up..! "

Every once and a while , I see a recipe calling for lemon curd, usually as a filling layer for cakes or as a part/substitute for icing on cupcakes....yum.

Or I see it in the KA ( King Arthur ) catalog.

And I think, because I am sorta insane.." What a neat Christmas gift " idea.

Because we've just gotten through the holidays ya know .

You have to understand, every few years and this appears to be one of them , I get these scathingly brilliant ( name that movie) ideas to get a jump on it all, to be creative, to channel Martha Friggan Stewart , Betty Crocker or Dudley DoRight .

I suspect that this is the year that I will be able to think of the holidays again and not associate them with the passing of my father ...and now Andy ...

I want to get one of those clear Sterlite jobbes and put the gift bags and crap, the holiday cards and stuff that is on sale now it in so it is organized.

I'd also like to be able to keep my purse (s) cleaned out , tidy and organized.

And I want a pony ...and sprinkles.....

Stranger things have happened.

I'll let you know over the course of 2012 ( still sounds weird...hell 2000 was freaky enough) ..how things progress..

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Doing The Happy Dance !

2012-01-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Happy , Joy Joy !
I would rather wait any number of years for what appears to be a fresh, original album ( yes , I know but that is what I still call them...I'm old..carry on) from her than a mediocre bunch of crap that is out there every few weeks.

Now..I guess I need to save my solaris ( read Dune..it helps) to see if there is gonna be a tour. SU and I don't go out to a lot of concerts..hell..any concerts in the last few years because the price is just stupid. We've seen Bonnie downtown at what used to be Verizon and I seem to recall that Keb'Mo was just starting out and opening for her..yes..that long ago .

Since then we have a House of Blues downtown because we're special like that ..perfect venue.

I will be stalking...err....following this like mad ..stalk..me...? ...No....never...nuh uh.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Florentines ~ Oranges , Almonds and Chocolate ~ Oh My ~

2012-01-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/easy-florentines-recipe

I had to look at the picture of this and the recipe for a few minutes because at first glance, I thought , " Man....those are some eff'd up pralines..what in the world ?"

Sometimes a name or a method will just sound too chi chi for me..the part of the brain that asserts control most of the time goes " Whoa girl , who in the what do you think you are or doing.."..and I run like hell.

Except for King Arthur recipes.

They hold your hand with all of the pictures, much as Miss Ree does and lets you know that it's gonna be okay.

The above recipe looks stupid easy...

Yup..have to try this one..and yes , I am willing to buy the sticky bun sugar and candied orange peel from them because some things just cannot be substituted .

Just ask Aaron Carter about Ranch Dressing.

Heh..first one booted off " Rachael vs Guy " Celebrity Cooking show Sunday nite on the food channel.

Don't laugh..Cheech Marin is on this.

" Dave".

" Daves not here man."

I digress...Cheech and Chong has that effect on me...la la la .

Ciao ,

Aunty Pol

Still Fabulous

2012-01-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

Yes darlings, they are back...sort of.

I had a wonderful New Years weekend watching a marathon of Ab Fab.

It's been 20 years since it was on..jeebus h !

And yet, I still laughed my self silly over the episodes, though sadly they didn't run or I missed the season 4 episode where Serge actually shows up.

Hands up if you suspected Serge was just one of Eddy's more creative acid trips.

Yup..thought so..me too.

Funny thing though, my reaction to the show is different now than it was .

It is still funny , make no mistake, but watching it now I get the sense of sadness that was never apparent the first time.

All of the characters seem completely unable or unwilling to connect to each other and be happy in their inflated notions of where they fit in society.

The main characters are so desperate to stay hip that they are more often than not mocked by those whose acceptance they crave the most.

Poor Saffy, the almost cliche uber nerd just wants to know that she is loved and wanted for herself..and maybe just a little pretty truth be told. And judging from the photo, when did Saffy start looking like a thinner middle aged Patty Duke?

The mother and Bubble more often than not are just reactors to what ever Patsy and Eddy scheme up, with an occasional reality check thrown in for good measure.

Is it still funny ?

Oh hell yes.

Will I watch it ?

Oh hell yes, but with different eyes I suspect.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A Great Start To 2012

2012-01-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.dunenovels.com/blog

Hot diggity damn, I can't wait to download this to kindle!

Sorry Gene, I had to go the kindle route because the bookcases are full.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy New Year ~ Okay...Yes..I know I Am Posting This Early ~

2011-12-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Dear Hearts.
Yes, I know that I am posting this early, but for some reason blogspot on the home pc is spotty so I haven't been able to post ...hence the early post here.

I hope every one will have or had a safe New Years Eve and Day.
I was surprised and a bit dismayed to see that the burn ban is no longer in place for our area as I hoped it was . The fireworks road side stands are present and accounted for so of course the fireworks show will begin the 24 hour launch sequence....probably tonight.
Hello yard debris, goodbye sleep.

It's been a good year overall , so I really have no complaints .
I don't make resolutions because :

1. They are crap.
2. The person making can almost guarantee failure by the simple act of making the bloody list in the first place.
3. See # 1.

We all know the areas in our lives that we would like to improve. We don't need a list to remember them .I know the things that I need to work on and more importantly , I know what I need to let go of.
I also know that in all honesty, it is for me, ( and I suspect for the rest of us ) a case of being a work in progress.

It is what it is.

Twenty Twelve.

Shudder..the weirdness of that is kinda creeping me out a little bit here...lmao.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

More Cheesy Goodness....aka " Why The Hell Not ?"

2011-12-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/other_side_dishes/macaroni_and_cheese.html

Ok..the insanity continues.

I went to the original site from the recipe on Zesty Bites and found all of these variations, add ins, and trivia on all things Mac and cheese.

Seriously both good and funny stuff Maynard.

You know what to do..so get to slappin Mr. Linky.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A Zesty Bite: Crack-n-Cheese

2011-12-30T09:40:00.000-08:00

A Zesty Bite: Crack-n-Cheese: WARNING! If you were coming to the site today to find a healthy recipe turn back to the baked pecan chicken. On this page you will find a...

You all know that there is no f'g way that I am not going to post a recipe for Mac and Cheese or as it's listed here.." Crack and Cheese."

You know the drill.

Slap Mr. Linky for all the cheesey goodness.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Belated Merry Christmas

2011-12-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2011 was perfect..or passes for in our house.

I had a couple of days to finally get the house clean..just don't open a cabinet just yet and even though the weather was lousy and the chimney has decided not to draw up smoke properly..yeah..it was wonderful.

We didn't have to go anywhere, sweats, naps and lots of food were the order of the day.

Lots of naps which is such a luxury to me..le sigh.

All of our friends and family are happy, safe and healthy.

Ditto the Feline and Canine Overlords.

I got gift cards for the kindle which is just what I wanted..SU got ITunes cards..

Southside Johnny came over for Christmas dinner and we sent him home with a ton of food so he can eat decently before upcoming dental surgery...yeah..we like dentures in our family.

And...

I had the chance to finally watch seasons 1 and 2 of " The Guild".

Seriously funny shit.

Especially if you are a gamer.

I hope every one had a wonderful holiday and that everything was just as you wished for .

The office seemed a bit glummer than usual this year, which I chalk up to the economy and that's fine.

Next year, the larger tree will be put up.

I can have 2 trees if I want to..the kittys say so .

Blessed Be .

Aunty Pol

This is Sooo Stinking Cute

2011-12-28T12:55:00.000-08:00

Sistah has a passion for antiques..which strikes me as funny since I am the elder in this relationship..bwahahah..love ya girl.

Among gifts she and Double Oh sent us is this adorable tin with recipes in it.

Which SU promptly tried to steal.

He and I have a small collection of tins that we use to tote baked goods when the mood strikes.

Which is pretty damn'd often.

So his eyes lit up when he saw the tin and yelped " Dibs".

Um , no honey.

This is a recipe box.

We will find you some more tins.

You can even have the one from the girls that had the William Sonoma hot chocolate bits in it.

I can''t wait to dive into the chocolaty goodness in this adorable box.

The pictures alone are drool worthy.

Love ya Sistah !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

One Reminded Me Of The Other

2011-12-28T11:02:00.001-08:00

http://www.lefsetime.com/all_about_lefse/krumkake_recipe.php

http://www.shugarysweets.com/2011/12/most-underappreciated-recipe-toffee.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ShugarySweets+%28Shugary+Sweets%29

My Grandpa Engwall has been gone for 18 years now which just flattens me , especially during the holidays.

You see, my Grandparents came over from Sweden, and he was a Lutheran preacher( Lutrin ya know ) in Winthrop , Minnesota until his retirement.

Winthrop had a population of 764 at the time of his death by the way., I checked.

A few years before her death from cancer, Grandpa had gone from " Lisbet, is dat coffee done yat ?" to a man who would pontificate on his love for his Amana Microwave to any and all gathered in his kitchen.

My grandma taught me how to bake at an early age and it is the biggest reason that I so love to do it.

Mom was a good cook when she was able to be..to be blunt when she was sober, but she had ZERO patience trying to teach anyone, especially me....anything.

Not Grandma.

Every Saturday afternoon, after the house was cleaned that morning, she would bake for the Guild coffee get together in the Church basement after church services the next day.

The whole time we lived with them, Saturday was the same.

Grandpa would be in his office, polishing up the sermon for the next day , answering calls and handling emergencies that only the preacher can.

Grandma would be baking and my hand to God, 2 pm on the mark..." Lisbet, is dat coffee done yat ?"

The parsonage wasn't that big y'all and he was after all a grown man...but that is the way that they were.

As cancer took first her body and then her mind, he became the primary non medical care taker and he learned to not only cook but bake.

We used to literally fight over Krummkake when the holidays would roll around and for years I have said that among other things, I wanted to get an electric Krumkake maker.

Heresy, I know Grandma , it's not the old school metal thingamabog...which I can't use because of a ceramic cook top.

Anyhoo, I saw the post on Shugary Sweets , toffee being one of those OMG have to check it out lures and after reading the recipe, I was so reminded of Krumkake ...yeah..

Thankfully SU reads this so he knows that I want a cookie gun..honey..I can't make spritz without one...and the electric Krumkake thingy.

Trust me, I'll find room for them.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Blessed Solstice Everyone .

2011-12-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

Blessed Be.

Aunty Pol

This Is A Bit Much .

2011-12-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

http://news.discovery.com/history/medieval-knights-ptsd-111220.html

Really ?

Enjoy.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

WOW ! Did Best Buy Drop The Ball This Holiday Season Or What ?

2011-12-21T12:57:00.000-08:00

http://money.msn.com/saving-money-tips/post.aspx?post=9878f06d-4d80-4bf2-93af-f6b8f55e0383

Now, I haven't shopped in Best Buy for a couple of years , but we did have a similar experience when I wanted to buy a digital camera that was an advertised special before Pyro's wedding. I found one what would work and am happy with it but it this story is true then they really screwed up..and no you can't expect me to believe that with their aggressive promotion during the holidays that they were surprised that they were inundated.

Makes you wonder , doesn't it ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

2011-12-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

http://www.austindailyherald.com/2011/12/20/hollywoods-feline-phenom/

Oh , I hope they pick this handsome Mancat !

This is a great story.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

You Know Who You Are.

2011-12-21T09:12:00.001-08:00

Yes..I know it might not be in the most Walton like wholesome holiday spirit..but..

You know who you are and if this offends you ?

Why the Fuck are you reading my blog in the first place ?

Carry on.

Served.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Vintage Christmas Cards

2011-12-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

It may be just me , but every year when it occurs to me that we need to buy Christmas cards , I do one of two things.

I either in a burst of rare pre planning go to Barnes and Noble to pour over the table of cards, trying to pick out ones that we both like and I don't hate.

And I get another box of the slightly or not so slightly twisted ones for my closest and completely insane partners in crime....you know who you are.

I go at the last minute to Walgreens to get some last minute thing and go " Oh Shite" as I make my way to the check out .

Slim pickins at best and oh dear Gaia...what can I say..

Why can't they make cards like the ones above anymore ?

Simple, elegant, non vomit inducing ones that convey a general message of good will and cheer ?

Let's not even talk about the left overs that are on sale after Christmas...

Sigh.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Oh Lordy Yes, More Pecans Please.

2011-12-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2010/09/a-tasty-recipe-pecan-pie-muffins/

I rarely have met a muffin or muffin recipe I didn't like.

I don't care for traditional corn bread per se, I know, heresy when you live in the south , but there it is.

I do however like the Jiffy mix cornbread stuff because it's a sweeter version.

Anyhoo.....

While still over at Tasty Kitchen , I came across this recipe.

The photos are wonderful by the way.

I so admire people that can do this.

There used to be a web site called .." Food Porn", which I loved.

Go ahead and laugh , I can hear you .

The most wonderful food photography ever!

If you don't want to bake the pecans..make muffins.

You know what to do...slap Mr. Linky for the recipe.

Oh, and before I forget. Amazon has Miss Ree's second cookbook available for pre-order.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A New Variation On Roasted Pecans

2011-12-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

As usual, I was zipping around " Tasty Kitchen" and saw this recipe.
Now, when you live in the South , during the holidays you see tons of roasted, spiced, sugared pecan recipes.
It's like deviled egg recipes, everyone and their great aunt Edna has one.
Every Baptist church cookbook has them.
What caught my eye was the use of cocoa powder.

You know what to do.
Go slap Mr. Linky for the recipe.
http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/12/mexican-hot-chocolate-roasted-pecans/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TastyKitchenBlog+%28Tasty+Kitchen+Blog%29

Every year , I tell myself that I am going to do this again..yeah ...right.

I BARELY got Christmas cards out this year.

Hope or lunacy springs eternal it seems.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

For My Father ~ Feliz Navidad !

2011-12-21T07:27:00.000-08:00

http://thefw.com/10-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-a-charlie-brown-christmas/

My late father just loved the whole "Peanuts " thing , particularly " Joe Cool ".

It's become an annual tradition in our house, at least for me to watch the " Charlie Brown Christmas " special every year..and cry..yeah...I know.

Our Christmas tree is one of the Charlie Brown ones, but thank Gaia, not the kind that sings.

I found the link interesting all things considered and I am grateful the talking heads were wrong.

Happy Whatever Holiday You Celebrate If That's Your thing .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Christmas Wishes

2011-12-19T10:28:00.001-08:00

First of all...Gordon and I want to thank each and every one of you that posted a note to us on Andy's passing, it meant the world to us and the comfort it gives is without measure.

Christmas Wishes 2011:

For my home, I wish peace , quiet and less yodeling on the furniture and carpet...you know who you are...I kid..it's okay Loki. Just slow down when you eat, you don't have to inhale it honey, we have more than 1 can of food.

For Sistah, Double Oh Mullet, Pyro and Mama to be Mrs. Pyro, I wish all the joy, love , safety and happiness a grandchild can bring. For the kids..P and baby Mama..It's all gonna be okay. Everyone panics , but you have love and experience all around you ..you'll be fine.

Sistah..remember , this is where we get to roll our eyes and smile, because once again.." Been there..done that " trumps it all....LMAO ! Just keep me informed of infant sizes and I will hoard coupons etc..remember there are no rules for Godmothers and shopping for Godchild's babies....I looked it up !

For the Bug and her parents, I wish joy and love and for them to carry on just the way that they are. Sure, there will be bumps along the way, but you are doing such a wonderful job of being civil through all of this that I can only tell you how proud I am of both of you ...keep calm and carry on. Beloved nephew...I know that there are some career options that you are exploring,, I hope you get the one you really want . You've worked hard through it all to get the degrees...it is worth it honey, at least your degree , unlike mine will be of some use...wheee......

For the Crazy Cajuns, thank you for being there through it all for SU and I ..we love you .

For the Yakkers, thank you for being the kind of friends that blend in so well with the rest of the insane tribe that we have collected...I'll try to get SU to stop pocket dialing you from the ice house girl....I have to hear the rest of that story...what a hoot. And remember..pirates don't swim ! Arrrrrh !

For Southside Johnny, thank you for making the call that you did, I am very proud of you and I know that once the surgery is over , you really will feel mo bedder. And you WILL listen to your older sister and brother in law..we have been down a road you haven't so you have been warned.

For " Evil Stepmother", thank you for helping with Southsides financial arrangements on the surgery..we love you sweetie, we really do..and YOU ROCK !

For Jere Lee and Cindy Lou Who, thank you for being the kind of neighbors every one wants to have..we love you bunches.

For CT, Lady Rae , the Princess and the Feline Overlords, happy holidays darlings..now get your asses to Canada !...Yeah....the one that's closer..you know...this side of the pond !

For Lady Lisa, thank you for keeping me together through all of this for Sgt. Panda Pants and for understanding what this all means. I love you honey !

For the rest of our friends and family, we wish you the best of everything and thank you for being in our lives..even though we might not call or see each other very often, we love you all and really do think of you a lot.

Celebrate what you want in what ever way you want this holiday season.

I wish you all peace , happiness and good Karma for the coming year and beyond.

And if you are lucky, I might get off my ass next year and actually get Christmas cards out in 2012 .......LOL !

Blessed Be.

Aunty Pol

If It's Monday, It's John Barrowman Time !

2011-12-19T10:10:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday Y'all !

I hope every one is ready for celebrating the holiday of their choice or not..I am , more or less.

I finally gave myself a break and took a mental health day off and had a really good boo hoo over Andy, which really helped a lot...and hoovered the rugs with SU 's help and got the clutter attended to so all in all it was a good weekend .

We both had a jones to get some baking done which is funny because it usually hits one or the other and I saw something yesterday morning that just had me on the floor.

Xena as usual decided that Momma had to get up, regardless of the fact that her Daddy had fed them brekky..nopers..Mama has to " git up", so she does her thing...walking across me, making biscuits on my shoulders and yelling in my ear.

FINE !

I'm up already for sh*ts sake !

Find glasses,....mutter mutter..bad words.....mutter...coffee....coffee....get the hell out of my way..Mama needs coffee .

As the brewing ends..I tell SU to move the small bowl out of the way so I can get mah dayum coffee...and we both watch an egg roll off the counter.....splat !

It was like it was in slow mo.

I laughed till I had to pee.

In all the years that we have been married , that is the first time that I have seen that happen.

It struck me so funny, and for the life of me I can't explain why.

I told SU , " Honey, all I wanted was my coffee because YOUR child decided that I had to be up ."

He replied as usual..." Not my child, I fed them brekky and I was gonna start pancakes..."

All righty then, clean up the egg please and carry on..

I thought right then and there that if this is the worst thing that we have happen today then we are on top of the game.

And the pancakes were yummy !

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

You HAVE To Love This ~ I Sure Do !

2011-12-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

http://soufflebombay.blogspot.com/2011/12/mini-free-form-caramel-apple-tarts.html

Go read Colleen's post.

It's refreshing to see that not everything has to be a perfect creation every day....and she's a wonderful blogger to boot.

I just want to grab a fork and clinm through the screen.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

This One Is For You SIstah !

2011-12-14T15:26:00.001-08:00

http://daisyfae.wordpress.com/2011/12/11/daisyfae-1-shelob-0/

Sistah and I have had a deal through out our long sisterhood.

I HATE SNAKES !

SHE HATES SPIDERS !

Years ago in college I had the original two cats Msi ( Missy, a very independent but loving Burmese ) and Oogie ( ok..his actual name was Sandy as he was a short haired red tabby , but he would dance to " Boogie Wonderland"..I kid you not) who were indoor/outdoor rangers. Back in the dark ages when duplexes and such were built , they often had enough windows with screens on them for ....CROSS VENTILATION.

Oh how I miss that.

Anyhoo, one morning while I was waiting for Sistah to pick me up for work, I saw Msi bringing something into the apartment through the Msi size hole in the screen that NO ONE cared about. I was going to and did fix it when I moved out by the way......Well, I thought she had a length of that rubbery gasket shit that they put around windows back then so I bent down to pick it up.

IT MOVED !

To this day , and I do not doubt it or her in the least, Sistah swears on the chassis of her old Malibu ( the classic, not that re-vamped POS that they tried to fob off on anyone born after 1985 ) that she could hear me screaming as she came around the corner. So she parks the car and hustles up to my place.

I am now incoherent.

She goes and gets a paper towel and disposes of the varmint so off we go to work.

Now she on the other hand ...

SHE HATES SPIDERS !

Me not so much .

So we have a pact.

She will always kill my snakes and I will always kill her spiders.

This link is for you honey, I'll always kill your spiders.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

I'm Trying , I Really Am .

2011-12-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

This made me smile today and for me , right now that is enough.

Enjoy !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Cookbook Number Two

2011-12-14T06:23:00.000-08:00

Like every popular personality, there is a backlash against Ree Drummond.

Some of the posters are funny, some are just vile.

Much like everything else in life it seems.

SO, me being me, I ordered a copy of the new cook book for me and one for Sistah.

Like it's gonna be a surprise....pfft.

We have no secrets.

Cooking like everything else in life is a matter of degrees.

Some people live for it.

Yes..that would be SU and I .

We have more than a tad experience and training so for us it is pure enjoyment.

We experiment, we tweak...we boldly go.

We buy cookbooks.

Others are not as comfortable.

Now, one of the main bitches about Ree's cookbooks is that they are too simplistic.

Really !~?

Now, I don 't know about the rest of the world, but when I am considering a cookbook, I check it out to see if it is something I would actually.....USE.

Some folks need pictures of the finished product if they are trying a method or recipe for the first time...I know I do.

WTF is the backlash against simple food ?

Comfort food ?

Cooking is about nourishing your mind and body.

Cooking is about nourishing the fiellowship of your community .

So what if Ree's photo's of herself are airbrushed ?

DOH !

I don't know any female that wouldn't have a photo airbrushed if needed.

Get over it.

So what if Ree married money and her husband's family have a ginormous cattle ranch in Oklahoma ?

Last time I checked, it was their business.

So what if she has created a business and branded herself as it is termed?

She is living her life, raising four decent children and harming no one.

No , she is not some dewy eyed ingenue, not has she ever claimed to be .

Buy the book or not.

Read her blog or not.

Join Tasty Kitchen or not .

Your choice.

Just stop being ugly about her success .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

It's That Time Of Year Y'all !

2011-12-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

www.cajun-shop.com/cajun-twelve-days-of-christmas.htm

All y'all know what to do.

Slap Mr. Linky.

Fall over laughing.

Lather .

Rinse.

Repeat.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Brownies !!!!! ~ OMG ~ How Did I Miss This One ?

2011-12-13T13:00:00.001-08:00

http://dyingforchocolate.blogspot.com/2011/12/brownies-recipe-round-up.html

Okay.

I know Lady Lisa is probably about to kill me with this one.

Honey, this is how I stgave off the annual holiday depression that occcurs every year and is a real bitch this one..so when in doubt chocolate.

Sistah must be out of town because I haven't heard from her yet.

If they are , I hope they are having fun.

Her job is going through a transition which ....yeah..let's not go there, no need to borrow trouble as my grandma Engwall used to say.

Enjoy and get that hand mixer out of the cabinet !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

2011-12-13T10:48:00.000-08:00

Photo and recipe courtesy of
http://www.crazyforcrust.com/2011/12/almond-toffee-bars.html

Almond Toffee Bars
Recipe adapted from Land o’ Lakes
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup powdered sugar
6 ounces sliced almonds (1 package)
1 cup cold butter
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8-ounce) package milk chocolate toffee bits
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, sugar, and ¼ cup of almonds in a medium bowl. Cut in butter (I use a pastry cutter) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Line a 9x13” baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Press butter mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
2. Stir sweetened condensed milk, toffee bits, egg, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Pour over hot, partially baked crust. Top with remaining almonds and continue baking 23-27 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into squares.
Yield: 36 bars

There is something about almond and toffee, especially when it still warm from the oven that makes me so..almost Betty Crocker-ish that I can't stand it.

I have to mix an adult beverage and sit down, especially this time of year.

Le Holidays...Le Sigh.

I am not crafty.

I have to pay people to wrap my gifts..that is...those that are not gift cards , because I have no patience.

Fancy , thick , pricey paper...thin, dime store..it doesn't matter.

Yes..I hear you , there are those things called " bags".

Indeed, I have met then and not only met them, I have used them and still do.

But..but , not everything fits in a bag..

So I pay people.

I don't do decorations any more, I haven't since Daddy died and frankly, the " Charlie Brown " Christmas tree does quite nicely.

I don't set the table with every known holiday bauble known to man from Oriental Traders, I leave that to SU's sister..that's her thing..her house..her rules.

I barely get out Christmas cards.

I am not my mother with a list in the old fashioned address books that have a place where you can check off who sent what to whom in any given year.

I have never understood how Christmas cards turned into a score keeping event..my bad I guess.

Try as I might, I simply cannot keep the house clean or presentable for more than a day and a half.

Damn near every night, some kitty urps a bit of food that they inhaled on the carpet because they were afraid Gracie Marie would grab their plates.

They are not far from wrong..

Damn cat thinks she's Goldilocks looking for " just right ".

I guess I'm glad that most if not all of my friends are nearsighted.

I'm just frustrated right now , and a lot of this is displaced grief...yeah.

So when in doubt..post another ass buster baked delicacy.

Yep...I can hear my voluptuous ass expanding even as we speak.

I may not be Martha or whatever, but there is one thing I can do.

I can bake with the best of them.

And so I do.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Kindle Fire - Ruh Roh..

2011-12-13T07:46:00.000-08:00

http://money.msn.com/ways-to-invest/articles.aspx?post=2befc193-9630-487b-a939-213740ddea52

I could have predicted this.
I spent the better part of 6 months researching e readers...much the same as I researched cars 2 years ago.
I had decided on Kindle.
At the firms holiday party gifts were given out in a drawing.
I won a Shell gift card.
Nee Nee won a Kindle Fire.
For a small dollar amount and I do mean small, we arranged a swap.
Fair is fair.
SO I ordered the cover and the screen protectors and my first book.

And I see in todays paper that there will be a patch to improve performance in a couple of weeks.
And on the net today, various articles comparing the Kindle to the Edsel.

In a perfect world , I would have gotten an IPad.
I got what I wanted and an upgrade.
World.....
Don 't kill my happy place.

Just sayin.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Oh My

2011-12-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

http://hubblespacepaws.blogspot.com/2011/12/rip-sweet-sgt-andy-panda-pants-of-patio.html

Lady Lisa wrote the sweetest post over at Space Paws and a couple of her followers sent condolence purrs. I can't even begin to express what that meant to me . People talk about "crazy Cat ladies" who blog and they are oh so wrong.

The cat community that I have found and in some small way belong to are the most loving, giving generous people out there . They raise money for charity, awareness of feline and canine issues and are never afraid to step up to the plate as needed.

I am finally able to cry for Andy and count my Lady Lisa and all others like her as a real life friend.

I am so very lucky.

Blessed Be.

Aunty Pol

Our Andy

2011-12-11T11:25:00.001-08:00

Our baby is at peace now.

His fight with FIV and renal failure was too much for him to bear.

I had a really good conversation for about 4 hours with my pooky bear on Friday night and I honestly think he was ready, he had this look that was so calm and so wise it tore me up .

The others are very sad today because they know that he is gone .

Gracie has been looking for him off and on, the others are all in a kitten pile on the beds, very quiet.

His father and I will miss him for the rest of our lives.

Nite Nite Baby.

We love you.

Mommy , Daddy, Munchkin, Loki, Xena, Boschka and Gracie Marie.

Sugar Scrubs

2011-12-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.greensnchocolate.com/

Any one who knows me knows that I love oil based scrubs.

I started down this road to addiction with "One Minute Manicure"..or " Manicure In A Minute"...

Sorry, I forget which way it goes.

Let's just call it "MIM" for the sake of argument.

I found this product a number of years ago and just fell in love with it.

This was way the hell before every tom , Dick and Mary came out with their own version.

So one day I went on line to see if I could buy it locally since the vendor I had used quit stocking it.

Oh cripes, the factory is just down 1960..not 15 minutes from here.

Woo the F Hoo.

All righteous, I decided to support a female owned local bidness.

Till I looked at the shipping.

Nope...not happening .

Amazon charges less for your product.

Another year we decided..yes dear you were involved in this btw..to make home made beef jerky and biscotti.

Buy neato baskets And gift to our closet local partners in crime.

This was by the way over ten years ago, I mean really ?

Have you seen the price of beef ?

It all came out wonderfully..but..

Anyone who thinks they can make this sort of Gumps/Nordstrom's William Sonoma gift basket cheaper that the afore mentioned businesses...?

WE gonna have a big talk.

Because I almost lost what little is left of my mind when I added it up.

SRSLY.

I love people who make their own gifts.

I admire them.

I am the type that hires stuff done.

Period.

I love the idea of customizing..and then I second guess myself.

Allergies, likes , dislikes ?

When I over think it that much..um..yeah.

Walk away..no..hell......................RUN!

I may try this..but just for me.

If you are interested in home made small batch stuff...again , I urge you to browse etsy.

Or slap Mr. Linky above, she is a genius and I lub her.

I do.

Have a good day.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol.

Epic Even For Miss Ray !

2011-12-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

http://foodnetworkhumor.com/

Check them out .

LMAO !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

I Would Buy These, I Really Would !

2011-12-02T11:20:00.001-08:00

Oh how I wish they really had this card on the market.

I would buy them in a heartbeat.

Stop laughing.

YOU KNOW I WOULD !

And if you were a real life gal pal like Sistah, Lady Lisa, Purple Girl or The Neighbors Gals....

You'd be pissed if I didn't send one to you .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bruce Of The Day ~ Happy Friday ~ !

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday Y'all.

It's been a real roller coaster ride.

A fucking no seat belt, driving a Yugo but the brakes work kinda week.

For whatever reason , this last week has brought out the absolutely OMG brace for impact bad drivers ever on our commutes to work.

The mornings are bad enough with the glaring sun bouncing off mirrors and glass windows thus creating corners that are absolutely a complete 360 blind spot as you make the turns, but the evenings..?

I swear to God, I want to put a St. Christopher on the dash...I know , I know.

But.....

I swear to Gaia , the evening commute home is almost beyond words.

BOTH of us have noticed that people are driving like bats out of hell, cannot stay in one lane, much less commit to choosing one lane and are genuinely giving us both angina.

These driver pull this shit with their air of entitlement ( I can therefore I will do ) whether they have their cell phones firmly grafted to their ear ( do not get me started on that one ) or not.

Now , SU and I pay attention , especially the closer we get to the house as we go down 1960 because there is a particularly bad stretch of road that has NO street lights.

Businesses may have their parking lot and decorative lights along this strip , but few if any street lights.

Why , you ask ?

Because dear hearts, 1960 runs along the back side of IAH.

Intercontinental Airport Houston

A Major International hub.

And where do we live?

Directly across from the new runway on 1960.

Our end of 1960 is getting to be as bad as the Willowbrook end.

And the office software upgrade continues to delight.
Every day is a new adventure in what is fucked up today, what worked an hour ago and now does not and what next.

People need to climb off the IT depts ass because THEY did NOT do the installation.

They have NO backup from the asshats that did.

So just quit it y'all.

They are doing the best they can in an absolutely impossible nightmare and unless YOU can do it better or faster........

SHUT THE FUCK UP !

And on the upside...

AHA !

You thought there wasn't going to be one didn't you ?

Admit it .

I can see you .

I have started the Christmas shopping.

So far...

Great Niece - check.

Step Mother - check ( delivery scheduled)

Will Be Done This Weekend :

Nephew /Godson

Niece ( his wife)

Southside Johnny

To Be Done Next Week:

Both Coworkers in my department

The Neighbor Gals

Sistah ( okay, yours may be at the end of the week but we both know that's cool)

In other words, by this time next week...hot diggity dayum.

I will be done with the shopping.

And other than the great niece, it will all be paid for via debit card or cash.

So..it all balances out.

Have a great weekend, we all deserve it .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Jessica, Oh Jessica, I Do Love You !

2011-12-01T08:11:00.001-08:00

http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/11/how-to-make-baklava/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+howsweeteats%2FsmSp+%28How+Sweet+It+Is%29

I do love Miss Jessica over at " How Sweet It Is."

I really, really do .

Her approach to trying new things is much the same as mine.

Despite a best effort, it never fails..you have damn near 99% of the exact thing that you need to bravely experiment in your pantry..and you have gone to the store with the recipe to buy what you need ..right ?

And then once home from Kroger , when it is all unpacked and you have tripped over a cat or three and taken a wine break ( Moi ?)..you discover that dammit..you are 1% off of having what you need because the stupid thrice damned store didn't have what you needed ..or they did but moved it while you had your back turned because they can do that shit..yeah...that would be applying to me by the way and NOT Miss Jessica, just to be clear on it.

Anyhoo,

I love Baklava. It is an acquired adult taste if you aren't from a Mediterranean culture..but yeah..phyllo..pistacios..HONEY...sigh.

I have watched people literally cry over phyllo dough disasters.

My late mother was at times quite a remarkable cook and a master at won tons..made from scratch..but...

Not even Betty would when capable ( aka sober) would attempt working with phyllo.

So I avidly read Miss Jessica's blog entry ...and smiled.

Then I laughed out loud at the office...in public.

I love this woman because she is unafraid to tell you how it didn't maybe come out as perfect as one could hope, and it was still wonderful.

I love this woman because she can 't resist a nibble either

I love this woman because she understands it usually does work out and changes and or adaptations are not only permitted but to be applauded when bravely used in the pursuit of honest cookery by non professionals ..ok...I threw that last bit in myself but I suspect she might agree.

Lastly, I love this woman because she knows one of life's secrets :

All things can be improved by the addition of chocolate.

Go slap Mr. Linky above and pay her a visit.

Sistah..don't you love the photographs ?

Happy Friday Eve.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Customize your chocolate!

2011-11-30T15:48:00.000-08:00

Customize your chocolate!

www.Bluntcard.com

I started out at a site called Bluntcard, which led me to Ephemera which does magnets and such based on Bluntcards..and that let me to Chocomize.

See..you can learn things while at work.

Warning: Bluntcard may not be safe for work, unless they already know that you are an insane bitch anyway..."Oh..hi Boss...."...lol.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

You Can't Make This Stuff Up !

2011-11-30T12:28:00.000-08:00

http://classifieds.victoriaadvocate.com/weblogs/demographics-dockets/2011/nov/30/kidnapper-sues-former-hostages-says-couple-broke-p/

This guy gets my " WFT ? Dumb Ass Of The Year " Award.

Where is Perry Mason when we need him ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Rocky Road By Any Other Name Is Still OMG Must Make NOW !

2011-11-30T10:58:00.000-08:00

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/choco-mallow-recipe

SU came home a few weeks ago on a Sunday evening after spending time with his father as they attended Pop's Churches Thanksgiving dinner.

I passed on this one for a number of reasons but mostly because I could and had no desire to eat basically cafeteria food and I had done my time..oops ...good deed in previous years.

A day of so later , I saw that Pop had sent home some Nestles white chocolate chips and some semi sweet chunks.

I turned to my husband .." ? " and he said that his father had tried to make some candy and what he had used had not melted properly..and SU being SU said that we'd take the unused bits off his hands rather than see them get chucked out.

Oh Hell Yeah , we'll take 'em .

I realized that my father in law like so many others did not realize that all chocolate is not the same and there are differences between chocolate for baking and chocolate for candy making.

There are some , for example like Wilton that offer many fine ingredients.

Chocolate is not one of them.

Baking equipment yes...ingredients not so much.

Me ...I like what King Arthur offers.

I really need to make this .

It's really just Rocky Road after all, isn't it.

I wonder if almonds would work ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol With The Ever Increasing Voluptuous Ass ~ LMAO !~

This Made Me Grin Big Time !

2011-11-30T07:06:00.001-08:00

Dontcha love it ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

The Baker Chick: Famous Family Toffee

2011-11-30T06:55:00.000-08:00

The Baker Chick: Famous Family Toffee: During WWII my Granddad James McCann served as a soldier overseas. He had a huge family with many siblings back home in Wisconsin, and his ...

I found yet another baking blog to drool over which is right up there with my favorite things on earth.

You see , it's been a real roller coaster ride this month, specifically the last 2 weeks.

We lost cable and net access for a week at the house, thank you so much Comcast for your quality service and attention to problems..I'd say more using words with less letters but with my luck.....yeah ..you all know the rest here.

Anyhoo..

The office also did a new software upgrade ( kill me naow) so yeah..more of the same .

Regardless ,, I love toffee.

I love Heath bars.

I love to use Heath bar baking bits over chocolate frosting on a good vanilla bundt pound cake.

Trust me here, oh who am I kidding...I have been known to just open the bag and pour that mess down the throat,..busted.

Go check out the blog, it's wonderful.

I am going to try to get posting back up to speed here, suffice to say November is a complete wash at this point but as Lady Lisa says..No Obligation..

We'll deal with the odd guilt later.

Have a good day..we all deserve it .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Cyber Monday My A**

2011-11-28T11:04:00.001-08:00

Bad enough that with the wind and the weather that yet again Comcast is all fubared at the house for the whole damn holiday it seems .

Of course this happens the week that Leverage , The Closer and Risoli and Isles return with new episodes.

Not that we watch all THAT much tv.

F you so very much bundled services.

Bad enough that the four day switch over to the new software at the office is...oh Lordy Jeebus H , don't get anyone started on that one.

Yes, it appears that all of my pictures of da bug are gone until I swipe them from facebook..thanks be to Gaia that Jenn has scads of albums for me to rifle through..thanks hon.

It's Cyber Freaking Monday !

It took me 2 hours to get pay pal to open and 2 more hours to get a live body to help me make a payment.

Finally, one lovely young gal named Teresa at Pay Pal stayed on the line with me to the GE call center( hey..I am being nice here...) so that I could get he payment made without a phone payment fee of $15.00 or potential late fee of God knows what.

Teresa deserves a raise.

I am boycotting cyber anything today.

No one needs my pittance that bad.

I am ready for a nap.

OH Shite..I just got an e mail from paypal offering some holiday crap offer or another.

I will not engage.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Logic, OWS And The Lack Thereof .

2011-11-17T14:52:00.000-08:00

I have been watching or following the whole OWS from the beginning.

The Genesis as it were.

And I came to an interesting conclusion.

In my opinion and I am not above noting the screaming irony here ( Uniform Cap Tip To Daddy) , that it is clear to me that I have harbored a misconception all these years.

Like many of my generation, I had romanticised the concept of protests.

Vietnam.

Civil Rights.

The ERA .

I believe in civil discourse.

I believe in civil assembly.

These two things may be considered civil disobedience if they are kept CIVIL.

It is a fundamental right in a working democracy to be able to disagree , to protest with out peril of punishment.

It is one way that a civilized society sets themselves apart from other forms of government.

Apart , not above.

I sent a friend of mine the above " Deep Space Nine" jpeg because he and I share a love of science fiction among other things and I knew that it would make him laugh. Gene is one of the few lawyers that I actually like after working in this industry for 30 years because among other things , he respects my intelligence and warped sense of humor .

Low and behold , this jpeg set off a shit storm on Gene's facebook page because two of the people that he was having a conversation with started foaming at the mouth when he asked a simple question. They couldn't even see a question had been asked..they just went bat shit crazy.

I had pondered the same question myself.

" What is the goal of OWS and these protests. What is their position and platform. If they have questions, do they also have potential answers.?"

Yes, they as citizens have the right to assemble and protest.

CIVIL Assembly .

They seem to be neither civil nor assembled.

If they put the same energy into seeking answers..positive actions and responses , that they are putting into getting media attention...I might just develop some respect for their position.

And no, I am not on Bank Of America's side or any other corporations side in this issue.

I am not holding my breathe.

Carry on Gene..

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

The Food Librarian: I Like Big Bundts 2011 - 30 Days of Bundts!

2011-11-15T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Food Librarian: I Like Big Bundts 2011 - 30 Days of Bundts!: Logo by JustJennDesigns National Bundt Day - November 15, 2011 Happy National Bundt Day!! Whoo Hoo! Thank you so much for following...

LMAO seriously.

I just found this blog when I googled National Bundt Cake Day , because yes, it is and yes, I actually know that.

Anyhoo.....

SU is for friggan ever giving me a hard time because he "claims" that I make bundt cakes more often than not.

In a way he is right because of the ease of the recipes and the fact that even if I decide to play with a recipe, I can get it in the oven in 30 to 45 minutes...and they pack well for lunches.

We are brown baggers you see.

So I found the Food Librarian and of course added her blog to the list of ones that I follow.

Anyone clever enough to come up with this picture deserves to be followed.

I wonder what she did with all of those bundt cakes..can you imagine baking a bundt cake every day for 30 days ?

Enjoy the new blog.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Shugary Sweets: Mini Lemon Loaves

2011-11-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Shugary Sweets: Mini Lemon Loaves: These mini loaves of lemon bread are absolutely fabulous. No really, they are. I have been filling my freezer lately with all sort of pastr...

It's official, I think I am either on the mend or have lost my mind or both...shhhh...SU ...I CAN hear you !

I saw this on Shugary Sweets today and almost swooned.

King Arthur has the cutest bake and give pans in their catalog and on line , I can't hardly stand it . I know they have a mini size.

These would make mighty fine holiday gifts.

Sigh.

I need to Bake Dammit !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Cooking at Café D: The 2 Things you NEED TO KNOW Before Frying a Turk...

2011-11-14T12:48:00.000-08:00

Cooking at Café D: The 2 Things you NEED TO KNOW Before Frying a Turk...: BTW, there's still time to enter this week's Linky Party if you haven't had a chance. Many people swear that fried turkey is the most mout...

I have noticed that in the last 10 years or so the practice of deep frying the holiday bird has become more the norm.

I don't get it.

Granted, back in the dark ages when Mom would do the bird, it was in the oven , slapped withing an inch of it's life with Land O'Lakes..we are butter people folks..buttah!

The Butterball ( literally) was then gently pushed into whatever brown paper bag Mom had on hand from A & P or the commissary and put in a low oven to bake forever .

Always worked.

I have never had what I consider a well done deep fried turkey but do not dismiss the future potential meeting between me and the chicken on steroids.

Now..anyone who knows SU and I knows that we love " Good Eats " formerly on FoodNetwork and now on the Cooking Channel.

WE ADORE ALTON BROWN !

If you have ever seen his demonstration on how to deep fry a turkey using a hoist and a ladder amongst other things you know what I mean.

Slap Mr. Linky above to check out the hilarity and more importantly the valid safety issues because it all comes down to one simple rule of thumb...

" Santa ain't visiting your dumb ass in the burn unit on Christmas Eve..he just isn't."

I found this at Cooking at Cafe D from her comment on The Heritage Cook.

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ~ !

2011-11-11T15:35:00.000-08:00

Happy Veterans Day Everyone.

To those who served like my husband and father..and to those who are serving:

You matter.
You are remembered.
Your sacrifice is not forgotten by those who understand the measure of it.
Your families deserve better support and treatment than they have gotten from both civilians and the armed forces.
You deserve better , having given your country your best without hesitation, selfish motivations or thought of reward.

Thank you.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Remembering

2011-11-11T11:21:00.000-08:00

For my Husband, my Father, and all Veterans Every Where Every Day.
You are remembered and it does matter.

:Bacon Potato Hash:

2011-11-10T07:47:00.000-08:00

:Bacon Potato Hash:

I found this sort of on PW this morning. I saw a cajun spice mix recipe that I wanted and the author who submitted it has her own blog with..you guessed it ...recipes ..so I went bippity boppity BOOM Baby over to check it out.

Now, all y'all know that in our house there is a semi serious rule of the house that states that :

Most everything in life can be improved by adding the following : Bacon, Chocolate or Beer.

Please go visit my latest blog to stalk...oops...follow...really..just following Officer...really !

www.simplyscratch.com

Then..go grab the pan , spuds and bacon and git ta fryin !

The photo and recipe are from the genius lady person over at simply scratch.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Surprises and Revelations

2011-11-09T13:02:00.001-08:00

I started a piece about my ambivalence and the holidays yesterday that did not turn out in any way like I had expected.

Instead of explaining why I am embracing ambivalence in a healthy was this holiday season ( and many more I hope ) , I found myself getting angry.

Angry for and not at my mother.

It was not the way I wanted it to be and a tad too self involved so I deleted it .

Now I am glad that I did.

Recently I friended my Uncle Richard on Facebook.

Ditto Uncle Clancy or Clarence I should say.

One is a retired business executive and the other is a retired doctor of anesthesiology.

They and their families live in Minnesota.

They are my mother's two younger brothers .

I am the oldest grandchild.

I found out today that 11 days after SU's mother died, my cousin Mark ( Clancy's son) and his wife Sally lost their daughter Kelly Marie in a house fire a month before her 21'st birthday.

A year and a half ago.

I was profoundly saddened for them as a family and for all of us collectively as family.

Mother grew up in small town Minnesota as the oldest of three. She married a career officer and traveled while the rest of them stayed in Minnesota. She was very close to her brothers and her family overall, but as her drinking over the years increased, walls went up ...the elephant in the room so to speak and for one reason or another , I never got to really get to know my cousins.

Except at funerals..Mother's in 1981 and Grandpa's in 1993.

I wrote a condolence to my uncle and aunt om the loss of their grandchild and indicated that I would like to at least send my cousins a Christmas card , given the proper address or last names for the girl cousins.

I don't want to be like my mother trying to meet some artificial expectation of who I am.

She could never do that with her family.

She always felt like a complete failure and a bad person in their eyes.

She felt unworthy.

I honestly believe that Mother thought she could hide her problems and because of that, she did not seek or accept the gift of help until it was too late.

You can't reach out to someone that keeps you at arms length.

It's a choice .

I've made that choice before without regret of any kind.

It's healthier for me.

Just because you are family does not give you the right to try to damage or hurt another family member, there is no free pass so to speak.

But..I don't want to go through life not knowing who my cousins are as just people.

I am curious to see who they are without our parents expectations hanging over us.

They might not want to bother.

Their call.

I have no illusions.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Mini Orange Bundt Cakes ala Miss Frieda

2011-11-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

Mini Orange Bundt Cakes

Oh Miss Frieda..you had me at the bundt cake.

Orange.

Bundt.

Cake.

Mini.

Go slap Mr. Linky to see all of the orangey goodness..then drool...then lay your head down on your desk.

I think..I know ...I must get a mini pan for this.

Sigh.

Let the holiday baking begin.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ~!

2011-11-04T15:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Y'all.

I chose this particular image of Bruce because it conveys that fact that I am actually feeling less at death's door and more just on death's front porch than I have in literally a month.

The weather did a 360 again over night but since I was already f'd up by the ragweed it didn't do all that much..huzzah.

I have random thoughts in my head of a lot of things that I need to do this weekend..attending to the urpage on le carpet is at the very top of the list but I have all weekend to get it done so I won't kill myself...that and the usual laundry.

I have noticed the beginnings of the holiday crap starting recently but so far I am managing to avoid it ...even though in the back of my brain resides at least 3 recipes for geedunk ( sweets) to make and or bake.

Geedunk was one of my fathers words..I know but it's one I grew up with.

Like Slop Shute = McDonalds or any other fast food emporium especially if they had a drive through.

Zorie = Flip Flops.

Scooch = move over.

There are others that will pop up so brace for impact.

And I have begun Christmas shopping...I know , I want to run screaming off into that good night too.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Hot Diggity Damn , It's National Candy Day !

2011-11-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Dying for Chocolate: Heath Bar Truffles: National Candy Day: The other day I posted several different Ways to use Left-over Halloween Candy . Well, today is National Candy Day , and I still have a lot ...

Once again Miss Janet over at Dying For Chocolate comes through.

Dayum, I love Heath bars.

I am on the mend and of course it helped that my local hooch hut got in their seasonal load of Pennsylvania Dutch Brand Egg Nog..fully loaded you bettcha so the holidays may commence .

Bruce of the Day coming up.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

The Way Things Really Are.

2011-11-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

If you substitute the word " Cat" for " Toddler" , it really is self explanatory, at least in our house...just ask any one of the feline overlords.

I can't really pick on them because they know that their Mommy has been sick with allergies ( thrice damn'd ragweed) and so they are very ..um...less..feed me , love me, I'm not in your path( except for Andy and he gets a free pass right now ) ....and more .." Oh , you need us in your lap."

I am so tired of being sick.

Now I am at the point of not being as sick as I was and just feel crapp-ish.

Everyone is all whoopydishit about another brief weather change where it you can actually wear a light weight sweater and not die..but give me a break.

Yes , this is nice after the summer of OMG drought we had but please.

When this happened last week is when I got hit with the " Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag", ( Thank you Country Joe and The Fish) .

By the time I got home last Friday after sleeping the whole 25 minute ride home, I washed my face and teeth and crawled into bed by 7:30 pm.

And woke up at 11-ish am on Saturday morning .

Yup.
Fifteen and a half hours.

And felt worse..'

And went was back in bed by 8 pm.

Thankfully , SU did what laundry needed to be done.

I was so bleech that I did not care that the cats had again as is their habit thrown up their food in the dining room and hallway.

That in itself is a minor miracle, but given the fact that I had JUST cleaned the dining room carpet the previous weekend...the fact that I didn't get pissed off briefly as is my custom let me know that I was feeling more than puny.

The hard part is the lack of energy but worse yet is the cough.

I can't seem to get under it.

I'd just gotten over the flu ( 3 days out of the office which is honestly unheard of for me ) and I think that I hadn't really gotten over it completely before the allergies slapped themselves on top of a middle aged body with no resistance.

I had no idea that I had been sick for the better part of the month of October until I looked at the stats for the month on the blog.

Yes, I put up some cute pictures, but not written a lot.

Very few recipes..

Yep..not my best month.

And when the hell did it get to be November ?

I don 't get all giddy about Christmas.

We don't have any bipeds.

And I have struggled with it since my father died 8 years ago this coming January.

But it had been getting better.

I refuse to be sick for the holidays because that will trigger the depression faster than all get out and I don't want to be like that this year.

I tease SU every year because he is the Grinch..but I do really struggle with the holidays.

Basta.

I will get mo bedder .

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy Halloween !

2011-10-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

Here sweeetie, I'll loan you mine .

Happy Halloween everybody, be safe !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Bacon and Egg Breakfast Casserole

2011-10-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

Bacon and Egg Breakfast Casserole

Bless her heart, Evil Shenanigans had this lovely post on her bloggy today..you know the drill...slap Mr. Linky for the full post.

Our weather is changing again and it's the time of year that I drool over and obsess about finding the perfect beef stew recipe...yeah.

It was such a hot year that there wasn't a lot of actual oven use, but SU found a recipe for a sausage and egg cassarole using ready to use crescent dough that was quite tasty.

I know..big whoop..except for the fact that up until his dental surgery 2 1/2 years ago, SU refused and ran even from the idea of eggs.

Now he makes this on a regular basis and I still need to get Jere Lee to show me how to make the Carbonnara like her father does.

It is to die for and again , SU slurpped it all gone.

Check our Evil Shenanigans bloggy, ...she rocks , she really does.

Can yhou tell I am ready for El Luncho ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A Zesty Bite: Sausage Crescent Rolls

2011-10-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

A Zesty Bite: Sausage Crescent Rolls: I had the pleasure of entertaining my parents for the whole weekend. We were able to cook for them and then go to the beach one day. ...

Hit Mr. Linky above for a variation of Chicken Kisses, which by the way were outstanding.

I read this recipe and it is easy peasy , but there is something in the back of my mind that seems missing..roasted sweet red bell peppers maybe..?

I don't know, it just seems to scream out for some crunchy veggie type thingy to give some texture to the dish.

Or it could be my nightmare memory of Moms Chicken ala Bleech aka king.

It's another one of those things that won't ever be served at the Swamp like liver and if SU desired it, I'd give him gas money and directions to anywhere else..

I am gonna do it anyway..she had me a Crescent Roll.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Go Ahead And Grin, You Know You Want To.

2011-10-26T06:58:00.000-07:00

Just sayin.

Ciao ,

Aunty Pol

Because That's The Kind Of Friend That I Am !

2011-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Yaeh.

Cause I love you all so very much.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Words To Live By

2011-10-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

I found this today and it is so true.

And in full disclosure, it also applies to yours truly.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

LMAO ~ Modern Life As We Know It !

2011-10-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

I laughed at work till I had to pee, swear to God !

Have a great day !

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Guess Who Does Not Watch "NCIS " ?

2011-10-24T14:05:00.000-07:00

Lindsay Lohan’s Cupcake Quest Thwarted by Morgue: Lindsay Lohan‘s sweet gesture turned into one hot mess. According to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office, after successfully arriving this morning to complete the first of the 32 hours of community service she’s required to do before Nov. 2, Lohan ordered cupcakes for her fellow laborers...

Lindsay, Lindsay , Lindsay.

You need to start watching " NCIS " .

No one has ever in the history of the show brought Ducky cupcakes, tea cakes or any other sort of cakeage.

There is a reason for this.

Trust me.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

If It's Monday, It's John Barrowman TIme ~ But Wait, There's More !!!!

2011-10-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

I just adore this picture .

Don't get me wrong, I love Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, heart and soul I fan girl her....

But...

Alex Kingston as Dr, River Song aka Melody Pond would kick Gwen Cooper's ass then drag her off shopping .

Anyhoo..

It was an interesting weekend at Casa de Swamp.

The pc imploded for the final time so it was all gnashing of teeth for a while until SU comes home with a new pc .

I know, even after all these years , that man can surprise me.

Love the new pc, but re-loading all of the bookmarks is a pain in the ass.

I have found the easiest way is to mail the link home and then open it and book mark it.

On the other hand..

I have found myself increasingly unable to accept or tolerate poor behavior and or manners as I've gotten older.

This applies especially to family.

Family does not mean you get a free pass to be rude.

For the fourth time, I have spoken to the youngest brother and at the end of the conversation ( 4 x's now) he has indicated that he will be coming by the next Sunday to visit.
Since his birthday was last month, I had been promising him that I would make him dinner ( beef) and red velvet cupcakes, his favorites.

I know that this may not sound like a big deal and the first few times I blew it off because I know him , he does work 6 days a week and lives for football and beer.

In that order.

I texted him Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday to confirm and get a time frame.

No replies at all.

Now, he may tell me that his cell phone was low on money and so it is difficult to text reply.

Bullshit !

I know that he could have called from work.

Blowing me off again was disrespectful to both my husband and myself and just plain rude.

If you can 'at make it, had one ( or 6 or 12) too many beers, or just don 't feel like venturing out, hey that's cool...no problem.

But let me know , okay ?

I will make it clear, don't think of it or about it , come by or not !

Rude is rude .

You missed a fine steak dinner by the way Southside, you really did.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Texas Politics

2011-10-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

The first picture is of the late and beloved journalist , Molly Ivins.

Her sharp eye and biting wit made her a virtual icon here in Texas and across the nation.

Never one to use a five dollar word when a quarters worth would do , her razor sharp observations elevated her to the Algonquin table , at least to me .

She gave the gentleman here in this post the nickname " Governor Good Hair".

She was practicing more self restraint that I would have in her place.

The second lady is the late and also beloved Miss Ann.

Miss Anne Richards.

Our former governor.

It never seemed to sound right when I would hear people correctly refer to her as " Governor Richards."

I always called her Miss Ann and I always will.

I happen to love this picture of her.
It shows her wide open sense of humor , especially at her own expense.

Yes, she is on top on a rather large motor cycle.

I don't know for a fact that she actually rode it , but I like to think she did.

At least she had the good sense to have a brain bucket ( helmet) with her.

And then there is the last picture.

Our current Governor and presidential hopeful in the 2012 election.

I could spend the next few hours writing about this shining son of the Lone Star State.

I will say simply this:

The two ladies knew enough to realize that you do not fire off a gun in the air like that while paying no attention to where the law of gravity might take effect.

I did not vote for the last Governor from this state who ran for the presidency, and as far as I am concerned his Momma should have beaten the crap out of him when needed..no matter his age at the time.

Most of us at this point are embarrassed at the thought of another Governor from this state running , much less being elected to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Trust me here folks..one was bad enough.

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Dying for Chocolate: Chocolate Caramel Apples

2011-10-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Dying for Chocolate: Chocolate Caramel Apples: Today is Caramel Apple Day , and if you've never had a caramel apple, you're really missing something. Add a layer of Chocolate and you have...

Among other things, today is Caramel Apple Day.

I love apples..but ONLY the green Granny Smith kind.

The others , the reds all seem mushy and grainy to me.

Perhaps I've never had a good , red apple.

If this is the case , I apologize to all the red apple loving folk out there for my apparent short sightedness.

I also love caramel...in any form.

Sugar Daddy's, Sugar Babies, Brachs caramels, Midnight Milky Ways, Paydays...ice cream topping straight from the jar with a spoon...yes I use a spoon...I was raised right y'all.

It's been a crappy week and a crappy month so far so rather than dwell on the crapidness of it all , I thought I'd share what Miss Janet posted today.

I really miss caramel and Caramel apples, I really do.

And I will answer the question that I can hear in your lil noggins.

" Why on earth did you have to forsake the all the yummy goodness that is both caramel and Caramel apples Aunty Pol ?"

Answer: Dentures.

Yes, I have a full set and they fit.

Don't believe all of the commercials .

Adhesives can and will only do so much.

Yes I can do and have done corn on the cob..but a big fat juicy double dipped Caramel apple with chocolate on it..nope.

There is no adhesive , save super bondo gorilla glue or some such , that is made for dentures and Caramel apples.
.

Trust me, I've looked

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

This Has Made Me Snicker All Day !

2011-10-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

What can I say ?

I have a twisted mind.

The weather has turned a bit colder so I am obsessed with finding a good beef stew recipe in a crockpot..sigh.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A Better Way

2011-10-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.heifer.org/ourwork/our-work

One of the things I truly believe in is the concept of " Trade, Not Aid ".

Helping those in need is something that should be second habit to every human being, regardless of creed, color, capacity or nationality.

It's what we learned in kindergarten..sharing.

I'm not talking about handouts or subsidies.

I'm talking about ways to help people improve their lives through effort, commitment and generosity, for both the donor and the recipient.

When you give aid, every intention is good and heartfelt.

This is or should be a selfless act.

More often than not, those in power steal or deny the aid through the very offices and actions that created and sustain the need in the first place.

The effort is wasted and people who can help often find themselves in the very human position of giving up on further efforts , because they feel that it does no good , so why bother?

Fair enough.

I prefer to go through the organization in the above link.

I have done this the past few years in memory of my late mother and I haven't ever told anyone, including my husband .

Yes dear, I CAN keep a secret.

For Christmas this year I am going to donate again in the memory of my late father and mother in law.

It doesn't have to be a lot , you see.

You can donate a portion of a gift.

I'm thinking about bees.

Have a good day and check out the link above if you feel so inclined.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

A Prediction

2011-10-18T15:12:00.001-07:00

The weather has changed on us again, imagine that !

We have gone from balmy mid 80's and 90's to a breezy 63 this afternoon.

The operative words as my father used to say are balmy and breezy.

We set records here in Texas this year for the worst drought in recorded state history..and if you know the state of Texas to any degree, you know that they are a record keeping bunch of folks.

I've lost count of the days with over 100 degree weather, much less the ones that were over 105 degrees.

All over the usual parts of the country , the weather is turning colder and the leaves are changing.

That is how it should be.

Down here we have leaves changing too, but being Texas and all, we have to take it one step further.

The entire tree has changed ...from green to brown.

Alive to dead.

All over the state.

It's very windy now, all day in fact...blow you out of your shoes windy.

On the news this morning, they had pictures of modern day dust storms up in the panhandle area.

Dried up, dessicated earth so opaque you couldn't see through it like a modern day "Grapes of Wrath".

Check local news feeds for the last 24 hours, I kid you not.

And they talk about removing the dead trees because of the continued fire danger.

And they talk about our weather being the same next year due to La Nina.

I wonder if all the talking heads have considered what removing all of the trees, dead or otherwise will have on the effect of erosion.

Then I wonder if that is what my city has to look forward to next year .

Yeah, I wonder about this sort of thing.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

It's ALIVE !!!!!

2011-10-17T11:22:00.001-07:00

I felt like the guy in the red shirt.

For the first time in a week, I feel like living might just work itself out for me.

For lack of a better description, I had bronchial flu, and let me tell ya, there is no bouncing back when you are middle aged .

I'm still tired , but I did manage to get the joint squared away and thankfully SU likes the new clothes washer and is quite adept at using it.

Which brings me to the other point.

Long time readers and Sistah may recall when he gave up golf for a year or so . This is a pretty serious position to take when you have played as long as he has , yada yada yada.

Anyhoo, his golf league had their end of the year two day thing this weekend so off he and the moron went.

He comes home last night, in rare form..and proceeds to tell me that he is quitting for good.

Period.

Done.

Ended.

Over.

Riiight.

I say nothing.

We'll see.

I have made him promise not to give all of his gear away because if he does and then at some later date4 changes his mind and has to replace it all....I WILL BE PISSED OFF !

Like we have that kind of money to blow.

We'll see,

Have a great week.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

'Puss in Boots' movie trailer

2011-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Check out this great MSN video: 'Puss in Boots' movie trailer

I am dying to so see this.

The animation reminds me of Andy.

Which reminds me, SU and I have to go and see if we can find his collar tonight. He slipped it loose in teh back yard last night.

Ah suburbgatory...what fun.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Salted Caramel Apple Pound Cake (And a Giveaway!)

2011-10-04T11:24:00.000-07:00

Salted Caramel Apple Pound Cake (And a Giveaway!)

Besides loving Miss Janet's blog in the previous post, one of my other daily reads is " Evil Shenanigans - Baking and Cooking Blog."

How can you not love anyone who uses the combination of Evil and Shenanigans ?

I can't help it.

Yes Sistah, you know how much I miss the autumn.
I think perhaps tho, I miss the idea of autumn.
Most people clean house full battle rattle in the spring.
Not me.
I am driven to do it in the fall when there is the first cool morning on a weekend .
Considering the fact that we have set records this year in Texas for the heat and the drought, cooler is closer to the mid 80's than not.
But that is normal for us.
I'll be happy to be able to wear the cute shawls and break out the crock pot again.
I love to watch the leaves turn color as much as they will down here but for the present we have one color change.
Green to brown.
Alive to dead.
Really dead.
Really , really , really dead.
Kindling dead.

Oh well.

Check out the above link and tell me you aren't going to break out the bundt pan ( yes dear..there's that pesky word again) anytime soon.'
Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Dying for Chocolate: Black Russian Truffles: National Vodka Day

2011-10-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Dying for Chocolate: Black Russian Truffles: National Vodka Day: Today is National Vodka Day , and there are some wonderful Chocolate Vodkas on the Market. You can always make yourself a Chocolate Vodka M...

Oh Sweet baby Jesus, Help Me Rhonda .

I love chocolate.

I love Black Russians.

I love truffles.

I want to make these and watch my movie again.

DUDE !

I can remember as a very young bride the first time around ( age 19...there really ought to be a law people, really..W T F age 19 ..shudder ), and feeling so very Sadie Sadie, married lady when I was served my first Black Russian at the Army Navy Country Club.

Now before all y'all freak out on me, the drinking age back in Virginia at that time was 18.

And if your father in law was of sufficient rank..well..mine was and no one denied anyone sitting on the JAG bench ..just sayin.

Then much like the Dude, I discovered White Russians.

Holy Crap !

Damn near nutritional with the dairy products in them .

Screw the fat content, no one cared in 1974 about fat content.

Eff Low Fat..who cared, that crap tasted awful anyway.

The irony here is that two of my favorite drinks are now the ones that I shouldn't have because of digestive issues.****

Black Russians and Brandy Alexanders.

Sigh.

" Truffles for the win Alex."

Guess the liquor store list just got a bit longer, it's coming up on the holiday after all and I am a very "merry" gal after all....snerk.

I think I have become addicted to Miss Janet's blog..

Ciao,

Aunty Pol.

**** ( When the stars are aligned, I have been known to mutter " Screw that , Imodium was created for a reason , and as a good American , I must keep Big Pharma in Bidness.) *****

Potential Christmas Present !

2011-09-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hey Honey..

You know how they like board games ?

I have no way of knowing if we will get either of their names but this is a possibility.

It's at Cooking.com so I don't think there is going to be a run on it.

Maybe I should just order it anyway and set it back ?

Yes..I am one of those who start the Christmas Insanity early.

Hopefully , I won't be like my late mother.

She was gifted in hiding presents that they had bought earlier through the year, and she hid them very well.

So well that some of them are still MIA and she's been gone now for 30 years this past spring.

I kid you not.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Happy Friday ~ Bruce Of The Day ! ~

2011-09-30T14:38:00.001-07:00

Guess who is in town this weekend for Splatterfest at the Alamo Draft House ?

Yep.

Le Sigh.

I am most like going to miss it so I will have to console mah self with an appointment or 3 at the Ice House and some sort or baked goods .

I wonder..Butter Pecan Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting..tappity tap tap goes the foot.

Butter Rum flavoring in the icing or not ....hmmm...

At least I have Freida..yes..I most likely have named the new appliance because I am twisted that way.

Don't forget for those of you that get the Food Network, Miss Ree has another episode tomorrow morning at 10:30 am central standard US time.

Have a great weekend, we all deserve it.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Foster Kitten Adopts Tiny Rescue Chihuahua

2011-09-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

Foster Kitten Adopts Tiny Rescue Chihuahua

This is my happy place for the day .

Enjoy !

Ciao ,

Aunty Pol

Dying for Chocolate: Chocolate Covered Deep Fried Triple Double Oreos

2011-09-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

Dying for Chocolate: Chocolate Covered Deep Fried Triple Double Oreos: This post is "reprinted" from DudeFoods.com with permission. What could be more awesome than Chocolate Covered Deep Fried Triple Double O...

Janet, dear Janet..why do I find your wonderful posts as I am starvin Marvin for lunch....You're killing me honey..and it's payday and I have a nickle or two to spend..sigh.

Just kidding.

Dying for Chocolate has become one of the top 5 blogs that I read first , of the blogs that I follow.

Space Paws, IBKC, Cranky Waitress, Here..Taste This round out this group.

I don't know that I would ever do this because SU just isn't that fond of Oreo's , but a gal can dream can't she ?

Mentally, my voluptuous ass has just expanded into the next zip code.

And in reality, I still can has cheezeburger , mebbe...it's payday after all.

Off to look for new Bruce pictures and to check out dudefood.com

Have a great weekend.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol