A "Thank You" to Hatch, New Mexico

Dear Hatch,

Thank you for growing such wonderful chiles. In red or green, hot or mild, your chiles never disappoint. They are wonderful over eggs in the morning. They are excellent in a tortilla for lunch. For dinner at night I just want to stick my whole head in a bowl of this goodness and lick it clean.

If only they were in season for more than a month. :::sob:::

My pot of chicken green chile, gone too soon.

top this!

After a few evening of being treated to the deliciousness that is a pepper cheese cruncher, I have become obsessed with one of the toppings:

They make everything more delicious!! Salads, bread, tortillas!!

I don't know how I ever lived without them!!

Does what happens at the Indian casino, stay at the Indian casino?

I has some really funny captions for each picture, but with Blogger's wonky formatting I can't add them. Oh well! But this was my Friday night.

Observed at Fry's

Whats the point of buying organic if it's wrapped in plastic?

Observed in the break room

Observed on Broadway Rd

Really, is this the best name they could come up with?

Table for Two

Sometimes staying in is better than going out.

Obviously, the help didn't bother to iron the tablecloth today.

Fred brought me out an ice bucket so I don't even have to go inside for a refill. :-)

Tonight's Menu:

T-Bone

Crab Legs

Baked Potato

Cupcake

We're keeping it simple.

Italian Easter Cookies?

As my quest to bake my way through all of the lemons on our tree continues, I decided I would like some lemon cookies.
I ran across a recipe like this in a number of places. Most people referred to it as a holiday cookie, some specifically referenced Easter. I have no recollection of ever eating this cookie, but I gave it a shot.
I specifically wanted to try this recipe because it called for minimal sugar. Fred has been eating a lot of lemon meringue pie lately, so I thought something with less sugar would be good for him. I got kind of confused by the directions on how to shape the cookies, so I just formed balls & flattened them a bit.
I ended up with round, kinda flat scones. I'm pretty sure I followed the recipe correctly, but I did not end up with something I would deem a cookie.
Oh well, better luck next time.

late bloomers

I was surprised that the Arizona Republic defines January & February as prime picking season. But, the break room at work has been filling up with lemons, grapefruit, and oranges that people are trying to get rid of, so I guess this must be the season.
I put on the proper protective gear: flip flops, sunglasses, and a T-shirt. Then I made sure I had a frosty beverage handy to prevent dehydration. I remembered when Fred bought this house the previous owner said the oranges on the big orange tree are the best in March. So I started with our smaller orange tree. I picked everything off it. I looked at the lemon tree, but I only picked enough to use in a cake this weekend. I think the lemons will be OK on the tree I until I figure out a way to use all of them.... Doesn't seem like we have as many this year so I hope nothing is wrong with the tree.

Our small tree had enough oranges for one pitcher of orange juice!

This is not how I remember campus dining...

A sample of this week's lunch offerings from Engrained:

Redbird Farm's cage free chicken breast, provolone & prosciutto on toasted ciabatta roll with hand cut garlic fried. I distinctly tasted olive oil from Queen Creek Olive Oil in the ciabatta.

Leek potage with roasted cippolini onion and half a cheddar pesto panini.I am impressed.

breakfasting

I feel like I'm eating frosting straight out of the Betty Crocker container. There is no possible way this is good for you.

Borrowed

Grandma & a 1936 Dodge













a rum ball recipe with no rum?









Joey- you will have to send over the Gallo rum ball recipe, I beleive it calls for 5 gal of Bacardi. :-)

Permanent Vacation

Let's face it, if you're unemployed, single, and have no children or pets, you really have no reason to get out of bed in the morning. No one will miss you at the office, no one will want you cleaning the house all day, and there will be no big brown eyes at the foot of the bed begging for a walk.
I could conceivably stay in bed for 2 days at a time. I have already developed a penchant for late night shows & sleeping until whenever I feel like getting up. I have no routine, I'm not exercising, and I have little ambition.
In an effort to act like a productive member of society I have decided I need to get out of the house everyday.
Today me & Cosmopolitan have taken up residence in a club chair at Steve's Espresso. I feel better already since I'm not the one here wearing orange jeans and cat-eye sunglasses nervously bouncing my leg.
The guy to my right I think is homeless. He rode up & parked his bike in front of the window, then ordered a coffee, sat down with a newspaper & fell asleep. Every time my phone beeps with a text message he opens his eyes & glares. Hey man, we're not at the library. Now that I look at him he has gold rings on each hand & an ipod. Is that the face of homelessness in America now?

Drink: Iced triple mocha; Eat: Mini cinnamon roll, made in house, from scratch

Gardening 101

So I wanted an herb garden. How hard can that be?
Step 1: Gather all ingredients: pots, seeds, soil, wooden pot stand that Fred made in high school, gloves & hat, refreshing beverage, and gnome.Step 2: Put hat on & wonder if trying to grow anything at 100 degrees is a good idea.
Step 3: Wonder why you had to buy 10lbs of potting soil when you really only needed 3 cups. Think Lowe's is out to get you.
Step 4: Curse when you realize you bought the only bag of potting soil that doesn't have the proper equipment to just "slide open".
Step 5: Plant & pray.
I'll keep you posted.

a little bit of West Virginia

Because like pepperoni rolls, they just don't make tomato salad West of Parkersburg.

breakfast

Today is National Doughnut Day.
Today is also my last day of unemployment. Back to the grind on Monday.

the sweetest thing

So on Saturday morning Fred went to Lowe's and came back with the best thing ever...A fruit harvester!!!Fred demonstrates.

So on Saturday I picked all the lemons off the tree, and as many of the oranges as I could reach.
I juiced about 100 oranges to make mimosas with on Sunday.... Still have hundreds more to go.

Observed on the Food Channel

Ummmm, isn't that what all her shows are about?

Observations at Bashas

What could you possibly need this for?
Why not just use real butter?

Baking Blind

My lemon tree seems so much happier after I pick fruit off of it. It stands up much straighter.

So yesterday I picked a bunch of lemons. I took some to Lynn to make into Lemoncello, and then I went into the kitchen with a few.

waiting for stiff peaks to form

I think my meringue could have been poofier, but overall I am satisfied with my first attempt at lemon meringue. Next time I will not cook the crust as long. The boys in the office ate it all, tho.