Zucchini Is The New Kale ?

Wait long enough and everything recycles in one way or another .

I guess over the years, I have become more aware of food fads and or trends because the husband and I watch the Food Network, get the magazine and...shhhh....I have a shit load of pins/boards on Pinterest.

Quinoa, Sirracha, Kale...and now ( again  ) zucchini.

You can't throw a rock, swing a cat ( calm down..it's a saying , that 's all ) or fart nowadays without seeing some zucchini variation.

No , I am not talking about just the quick bread recipes that everyones mother , mine included had in the 1970's.

Chocolate zucchini cake...casserole........stir fry......slow cooker.....with pasta...with chicken....this is everywhere....it's ALIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


And don't get me started on Iceberg lettuce salads. That's the only kind of lettuce my mother bought because it was cheap and carried at the commisary.

Anyhoo, I guess I noticed all of this in a state of boredom at the office that required me to either play with Pinterest or take a nap...at work....pinterest for the win then.

Now mind you , I have boards dedicated to Bacon, Chocolate, Bundt cakes etc...and that's when I noticed the lil veggie breeders.

I wonder what the big thing for 2016 will be....saltines ?


And  for the record...all ya'll can have all the zucchini your lil heart desires..I am genuinely allergic to it .


Happy almost Friday Eve.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Is It Too Much To Ask ?

Ah Wednesday..you sorry bitch.

I thought it was going to be a simple day..that's what I get for thinking .

Is is too much to ask for a legal assistant to give us full disclosure when they book rooms for depositions ? is it too much to ask that if more than one of our attorneys is involved to give us all the names of all the parties ? How about the names of opposing counsel , witnesses or the actual style of the case ? How about an actual copy of the depo notice ?

Today started out fine, we got in and out of the hubbys dr. appt quickly so that was no biggie. I get to the office and one of the other receptionists ( there are 3 of us ) tells me that a lady is here for a depo and gives me the name of the attorney conducting it. Standard procedure . The lady is early so she goes off for a coffee, soon returning. She is then joined by her 2 attorneys. All is good, proper notifications all around.

Then it hits the fan.

We actually have a total of 3 depos up here today on 2 floors.

Did we get any information that we needed ?

Ah hell no.

Did attorneys flip rooms ?

Yep.

Did they tell us ?

Ah hell no.

One legal admin is out so the floater covering her desk had no information and NO inclination to be proactive in any way...not unusual on her part...GRRRR.

There is a reason folks that I use the legal pad at my desk to jot down names and as MUCH information as I can get because NO ONE sees fit to share.

I went above and beyond to be as gracious and charming ( opposing counsels words, not mine ) in  order  to sort it out.

Is reception happy ?


F NO.

Did admin. get an e mail detailing this situation ?

F YEAH.

It has to be done better and more effectively  if the management wants to keep a sense of polished professionalism within the Houston legal community......no small thing by the way .

Am I happy ?

NO.

Am I going to lay it at the door (s) of those responsible for creating this mess ?


Grab popcorn and watch me....

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Okay, So I Lied..Just A Teeny Bit .

Okay..I'm going to contradict myself.

I want to play with this and since I know that hubby reads this lil bloggy , I can get his opinion .


Eggs Benedict Casserole:

Ingredients:

12 oz Canadian Bacon chopped
6 English muffins, cut into 1 inch cubes .
8 Eggs
2 Cups Whole Milk
1 Teaspoon salt
A few dashes of hotsauce ( optional )

Hollandaise Sauce ( If using Pkg)

2 Packages Knorr Hollandaise Mix
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
4 Tablespoons cream cheese

Prepare mix per package instructions, add lemon juice and cream cheese , whisking together .


Hollandaise Sauce ( From Scratch )
4 Egg yolks
1/2 Cup heavy cream.
2 Tablespoons leemon juice
2 Teaspoons Dijon nustard
1/2 Cup melted butter


Sauce from scratch instructions:
In the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over simmering water , whisk egg yolks, cream , lemon juice and mustard until blended. Cook until just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and the temperature is 160 degrees, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to very low, drizzle in warm , melted butter and whisk constantly. Serve immediately with casserole.


For the casserole:

Place half the Canadian bacon in a buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Top with English muffins and remaining bacon. In a large bowl, whick eggs, salt and pepper .Pour over top. Refridgerate , covered 4 hours or overnight .

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove casserole from refridgerator while oven heats. Bake covered 35 minutes then uncover and bake 10 - 15 minutes until a knife inserted near the conter comes out clean.

Serve immediately with the Hollandaise Sauce .


Notes:

I think for the first run I'd halve the recipe, seems like a  lot for just the two of us.This could work into a nice meal in the winter with a green salad..

Nom Nom..

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Just Another Melted Monday ........

This is what my brain feels like.

MELTED .

It's 94 degrees with a heat index of 108 so yeah...it's officially " Aunty Pol ain't going outside in this shit  " time . There is no promise of rain this week at all other than a random pop up shower which not at my house so we all gonna be cranky pants down here. It's also hurricane season for the next 4 months which means we are all watching the Gulf temperatures ..warm water means " Uh oh " .

I've been pinning on Pinterest recipes that I won't be making /baking anytime soon but is nice to be able to archive recipes on various boards that make sense at lea\st to me..I think that the biggest one is " Chocolate !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...hee hee. I'm a bit of a magpie like my late mother was regarding recipes . I have a binder of recipes that I have collected that I need to work on but that would mean that I'd have to turn too and attack the clutter in the den. It's only been 2 years after all.....

Things are fine finally at the house now that the A/C is fixed along with the car..don't get me started on that one..suffice to say I can now take breaking down in the HOV lane off my bucket ( or fuck it )  list.

OH and lets see..what makes me happy/amuses me today :

1. Watching or listening to The Donald Self Destruct...completely worth the good popcorn .
2. Syfy's 3'rd Sharknado movie this Wednesday...again ditto with the munchies .

AND


AND


THERE IS A VERY STRONG POSSIBILITY THAT THEY ARE BRINGING XENA, WARRIOR PRINCESS WITH LUCY LAWLESS BACK TO TV !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


HUZZAH !

Have a great week and stay safe.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Gasp ~! She's ALIVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't faint y'all.

I know it's been ages and I haven't been posting as much as I used to .

Part of it is that life sometimes gets in the way and when the dust settles there , I find I need some quiet time..I can't focus enough to post something here and frankly, I have certain standards..even for this teeny self posted bit oh fluff .

Then there are times when there is nothing going on...nada...zip..and why bother.


Then..revelation.

These are the times that I should be grateful for . Yes, it seems boring to go to work Monday through Friday, come home , do the usual routine and the usual weekend variation. We  , knock on wood aren't getting the middle of the night dreaded calls and other than knee replacement issues ,  my father in law is in fine shape for his age. Gordy and I are in pretty good shape save allergies, arthritis and things that are natural to the 55 and over . The house and car are  fine. Jobs are fine . Gracie Marie is fine . But we know that this is the time of life when things can change on a dime.

We are grateful for the moments of genuine calmness.

We have friends and loved ones with real family /friends issues, some medical , some permanent as in the big dirt nap version .

I am a bit more motivated to yap here , when the mood strikes so you have been warned.

Waving from Houston.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

For The Husband.

Real Life Adventures Comic Strip, May 30, 2015 on GoComics.com







LOL,



The Wife.

Thirty Five Years....Wowzah !

It's hard to believe that it's been 35 years since that bitch had the mother of all hissy fits. Pullman is south of Spokane by about 80 miles or  so so you'd have to pick a spot between Spokane and Ritzville to get an idea of where I was in all of this.

NOTE " Sistah, I know that isn't really accurate but WTF..other than us and you guys, no one that reads this tripe has any idea of there WSU is...I'm just sort of going for a frame of reference here ..."

Onward.


I remember how quickly it  got dark...as in oh dark thirty dark...early afternoon. I thought okay..massive rain storm headed for the Paloose ..and then it hit me.


Utter silence.

No sound.

Nada .

No birds, no crickets, no frogs, no cats nor dogs.

The world hit the mute button .

Missy and Oogie were hiding in my closet . Nothing would get those 2 cats out for over 24 hours. I think I actually moved their box, food and water in there for them.

Then, I think the Civil Alarm siren went off. Maybe not, but I think it did. Doty said if we ever heard that to haul ourselves to the office...so I did.

Sistah and I worked together in the same building, I for the campus switchboard and Sistah for the campus pd. All I knew was that something was going on...


Now remember, this is before cell phones, the net, e mail , pc and all of that .Yes we had computers but that was back in the days of keypunch, Cobol and Fortran. If you wanted to talk to your folks/family/hottie you got lucky with at the Tavern ( dating myself..you bettcha) you called on a phone, now commonly referred to as a"land line". ..or you wrote a letter.


Yeah , the Dark Ages.

We soon found out that Mt. St Helens had blown and I remember thinking the younger version of SFW..that's down on Oregon.

Hah !

I had no idea that we were in the path of the ash . All I knew was that I was in the process of leaving Pullman,,,and how the hell were we going to paint the apt so I could get my deposits back. Having moved all my life courtesy of Uncle Sam, painting in/out was absolutely ingrained into me. Luckily the Professor who owned the building was understanding and it was not an issue.

We got used to hosing our clothes off before washing to not mess up the water hoses/plumbing. When you are in your 20's , your sense of modesty may not be as well developed as you might think . Everyone was having to do it so it so it became normal.

Trudging through ash..normal. Figuring out whose car would be the best one to make the beer run before the air filter gave out..normal.  I do remember Colfax County cops blowing  the shit out of their patrol cars before they realized what the ash was doing to the air filters..yep..

If you've ever watched " Dante's Peak" , that's pretty close to accurate.


It was a hell of a ride.


Have what ever kind of week you want to .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

The Tree Of 40 Fruit Produces 40 Varieties Of Stone Fruit

The Tree Of 40 Fruit Produces 40 Varieties Of Stone Fruit

Oh my word , I want this .

I know, I know , allergies bite and all of that but have ever seen such a beauty ? And the fruit..bonus !

Yes , ear I know what you are thinking but I have Mr. Trejo and Cindy's tree guy info so I could get it all squared away .  The damn pine trees in the backyard would be history buddy.Wouldn't that be pretty with the jasmine and Andy's plumbago on the arbor ?

Well, I can dream can't I ?

Ciao,

Aunty Pol .

Animaniacs - Yakko's World - HIGH QUALITY

Insert Cliche Here

Had to .

Yeah , I'm that way .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

You Know You Have Tried This At Least Once .

Just sayin..

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Hee Hee..He's Gonna Really Roll His Eyes !

Boom goes the dynamite !


Yes, another Bundt pan.


It's a freakin Dragon ......MUST POSSESS !


So , me being me, I of course pulled the trigger on this on and it is on it's way.


Now in all honesty, it has been years as in before we got hitched that I have done any serious piping work . I doubt that I have the patience to be honest , but to be fair , I was fairly good at it . Did that stop me in any way from buying this ?

HAVE YOU MET ME ?

I can see this as a simple unfrosted cake with berries and or chocolate sauce on the side so I am not going to over think this ( honest honey..lol ) . It's just that it's a DRAGON !


I has to has it .


Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Finally !

Finally.

I have not been able to post here for a couple of months because of some f up where Blogger only recognized Gordy's name on the home PC and hisself doesn't have a blog that I know of ..lol.

Soooooo

I follow Miss Laurie on IBKC and after reading the update on the Lumkins..they are all improved from the ringworm btw and almost all are now in their forever homes...poor lambs, it's been a long 6 months for them.

Anyhoo...I was able to resign into Google under my own creds so here I am.

At home , on vacay ...screwing off as it were.I have genuinely missed siting here with a cig and a cuppa coffee , it's just not the same at the office writing here...work being what it is .

I'm such a lil drone....NOT.

The weather is the perfect spring that we get to enjoy for hopefully 10 days or so, the Bluebonnets are all in glorious  bloomage in the Hill Country, the beds at the Casa are done, house repainted so life other than pollen from which there is no escape is pretty damn good right now.

Of course I should be doing laundry and all the mundane shit that is known as real life, and I will but not all at once.

I have learned the hard way to not push myself when I am off..the leg and the back won't take it any more and it's just not worth the torture .


I have a mental list..what I want to do , need to do and what ain't happening . Somewhere in the middle is reality and I know what I need his help with but our weekend is full.


Saturday is my birthday..yep..the big 6 0 .While I know that age really is just a number, parts of me dread the process...my solution is to fight it with grace and to take better care of myself ...let's hear it for facials every other Saturday...they rock !  Vain....you bet your ass I am .

It's a good thing that we have plans because there is a certain sadness that I am feeling this year. I miss my fathers phone calls for my birthday , we lost my stepmother on my birthday and Easter 1981 was the last time I actually spoke to my mother before she passed.

Hell of a trifecta.

But...

Jere Lee , Gordy and I are going to Dosey Doe to see Mike Zito Saturday night and I will enjoy Gordy being there for the first time to experience Mike in one of the most perfect acoustic venues in the country...and their Kobe burger rocks.

Sunday is the Shell Open which he and the Moron will attend , thanks Jim for the tickets so I know if there is a bit of a melt down , I will have some privacy for  a good old boo hoo...yeah ,  I am self aware..and I feel better afterwards in some weird ass way.


Have a wonderful holiday in what ever way you choose .

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

This Is The Way I Really Am About It .

Yeah.

I love cake.

And cake loves my voluptuous hips among other things.

I don't remember the last time I had a proper birthday cake which is just as well I guess..sniff...It's just the two of us and there is nothing sadder than dried out stale cake...and that really happens in our house.

It is what it is.

Cupcakes..??....??...??

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Yes.....I Am Actually Ouisa...MWAHAHAHAHAH !

Yep.

The planters are all done.

All 39 of them.


New Petunias, new geraniums, new daisy's, old plants  trimmed and fluffed.

New roses planted along with Oriental lilies at the mailbox.

Planters all top dressed and watered.

Yard watered


Oh my Aikin Gump.

Sorry..there is a law firm here in town by that name and I use that phrase  a lot it seems.


Other than 3 weekends so to speak of planting mayhem, March has certainly been one of the odder ones in recent memory.



RAIN .

RAIN.

RAIN.

And yes, more rain.

It was  so pretty that even with the dreaded Pollen Agita...and we are headed into a 3 week plague of it right about now.....it was just too damn pretty this weekend. Housework....meh...it will keep and as of Friday, I will be on vacay for the usual birthday week present I bestow on my self. I no longer make the Websters version of a list, I just know that there are some things that I really need to get done, should do and want to do so the inevitable result will be a mixed bag of all three..but what the hell...as long as laundry is done aka clean towels and skivvies, it's all good.


I am going to need to wrestle my lap top from the hubs tho. He has some fercacktah setting on the pc on the den . When I go to the lil ol bloggy here...in any format, it says " Gordon's Blogs."


Err....nope.


Have a great week and save some Peeps for me !


Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Do Nothing Cake

I came across this and it's basically a variation of a dump cake. Some have adjusted the amount of sugar because they thought it was too sweet ( ???) but I do not. Give it a whirl, it's easy and fast to make.

Cake Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
2 cups flour - all purpose
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
16 oz. crushed pineapple  - undrained.

Directions:

Place the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and mix till blended with a spoon.

Pour into greased 13 x 9 pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes.


Icing Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk.
1 cup coconut 9 sweetened
1 cup nuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix butter , sugar and evaporated milk together and cook over medium heat until thickened..aprox. 5 minutes at a boil.

Remove from heat and add final 3 ingredients.

Pour over hot cake .


Note: Occasionally due to the whims of the baking gods, the sugar in the icing will form crystals as it cools. If this happens, just throw this bad boy under the broiler until the sugar melts..be careful not to burn the sugar, it won't take long to melt.....or don't wait too long to serve. Either way, the sugar crystals can be handled..no crisis.

Happy Hips Y'all.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Dying for Chocolate: What is White Chocolate? and ... a great recipe f...

Dying for Chocolate: What is White Chocolate? and ... a great recipe f...: Today is White Chocolate Cheesecake Day , so I'm taking the opportunity to write about White Chocolate ! By definition, white chocolat...

I may have found my birthday cake , courtesy ...again of Miss Janet and her blog.

I do love white chocolate.

Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Double Chocolate Pound Cake ~ AKA Potential Birthday Cake ----

Double Chocolate Pound Cake







I can always count on Miss Janet over at the " Dying For Chocolate " blog to give me the vapors at least once a week.



As I have gotten older, much of the sweet tooth bit has faded..salt is now a more dreaded enemy but I would make an exception for chocolate dipped potato chips..Lays...not kettle style....not that I am picky by any means.



Anyhoo...the chances of me getting my favorite cake (s) are slim at best because they involve 7 Minute frosting which is a complete pain in the ass...yeah...Angel food with 7 Minute frosting and Hersheys syrup drizzled from the top......yes..there was a frosting mix in the early 60's that combined this in fact...It was Southside Johnny's first birthday cake..I have pictures....



Or..



Coconut cake.





Sigh.



The problems with cakes are that for the two of us...unless one of us takes the leftovers to work, the cake dries out before we get around to polishing it off....and no...pound cake does NOT translate into cupcakes...the batter is way too dense .



Yes..it's am break time and I am hungry...good thing I have some trail mix stashed in my desk..a small amount ( less than 2 TBL.) takes the edge off.





Have a great Friday Eve and slap Mr.Linky to get Miss Janet's recipe over at her amazing blog.



Ciao,

Aunty Pol

Just Another Manic Monday

March already ?

Sheesh !

I need to check this out because I just saw it in passing ..but is it this upcoming weekend that we " Spring ahead ?" Didn't we just to something like that ? Of course no two clocks in the casa say the same time so I live by "ish" time.." It's 10 - ish ". .......close enough gang , close enough.

As is our norm, it was another rainy misty crappy weekend so I caught up on sleep and binged on an all day Dr. Who marathon on the beeb . He and I are relapsing with these damn colds , I think his never really cleared up and he needs to go back to the doc , but I'm just the wife...and my sinuses are fubared ...so unless it needs to be done, forget it. Yes, I kept the nail appt that I bailed on last week because I can't go over 3 weeks....but other than that....nada.

No one is going to  die if I don't vacuum when I feel this run down . Yes, the kitchen will be kept up - ish ....lol but other than that , pfft .

I can't get into the garden yet which is something of a blessing because I lose my mind with the pruning and don't have the umph yet. I need new gloves and there is a lot of clean up that has to be done not to mention Mr. Trejo mulching before I can floof all of the pots on the deck. True spring is hard to come by down here so I try to enjoy it as much as allergies allow.


Gracie is hissed off because we won't let her run amok and she has a newer trick.


She now stands in the middle of the hallway or any given room and yells ( meows ) at the top of her lungs for attention.....lol.....I however roll over and go back to sleep....Mama for the win...

 Have a good week.

Ciao,
Aunty Pol

Yippee Ki Yeah ...Whatevs

Yeppers..it's Rodeo time again in H Town.


And it's Lent .

So you can bet that you are going to be hard pressed to get any fish/seafood in the next few weeks in under an hour and a half for  any Friday lunchtime..hope your bosses are lenient.

And it's go Texan day at the office which means that people who are clueless as to the bidness end of a steer are in jeans and boots....and as far as the Buckle Bunnies are concerned...


" Shiney".


I'm always amused at the people who feel a need to get all gussied up in what is for lack of a better term..costumes for things like this. Don't look at me like that , yes, people go bat shit crazy for Mardi Gras but that is for a couple of nights at best.

Rodeo is a month long down here.

What is not as widely discussed is the Livestock Show and that's a big deal Maynard. HLSR ( Houston Livestock Show  and Rodeo ) generates a huge amount of scholarship money for kids that show their animals. Many are able to go to college or help their families because of it and if you have ever known anyone in 4H or worked a farm, you know that means a lot of work.

I do love to get glimpses of the calf scrambles...no baby cows are hurt y'all..but I am no longer willing to put up with the crowds...and I do mean crowds.

Gone are the days when we could go to shows at Reliant..like the Judds ( yes..that long ago ) or Jimmy. Basically it was a concert venue and not the park 5 miles back , get on shuttle buses mayhem..not for the weak of heart or those with mobility issues.

It's all good..more a case of been there, done that I guess....and besides.....we still have go Texan Day at the office.............


FREE BAR B QUE LUNCH FROM GOODE BAR B QUE..OH HELL YEAH.

Now , if they only had some Shiner to go with it.

Stay warm .


Ciao,
Aunty Pol