Celebrating a birthday

Well today marks the 28th year of my oldest child.
This is my first born! He also is the first grandchild and the first great-grandchild.
This is the child that was almost like the perfect baby.
Quiet, didn't get into things, and slept when he needed to.
I see a lot of my funny little quirks in him that I wish he hadn't inherited, but these are the special things that make him who he is.



He's worked hard and built a great career in five years and hopefully this is only the beginning for him. It's fun to go into his work and see the professionalism and knowledge that he shares with his customers - it's a side of your child that you don't often get to see.



We'll be celebrating today with a nice quiet mom and son lunch at his favorite Mexican restaurant.



Thank you Cris. You were my biggest help all those years when it was just the three of us and always helped me take care of things. I appreciate all the things that you still do for me and look forward to our next 28 years!

Hurricane Preparedness

I've had this topic on my brain for awhile, but wanted to wait until we were in the middle of hurricane season (June 1-November 30). I had thought about waiting until we were having to prepare for one -- but then decided that life during that time is so stressful as it is -- I certainly didn't want to add to it. Currently there are three storms brewing in the Gulf: Danielle, Earl, and Fiona (currently forming).

When I moved to Houston in 1998, I did't realize that hurricanes might possibly hit here. I grew up out in the middle of the Arizona desert and that was just one weather phenomenon that we didn't have to worry about. Another funny random thought I'd like to add here is we have talked about moving at some point in our lives to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Are we crazy or what???? Florida is probably the one state that gets hit by hurricanes more than any other!



So this topic is for those of you that have never experienced the thrill of preparing for a hurricane. Fortunately we are located approximately 100 miles from Galveston, which is directly on the Gulf Coast. So it takes a good strong hurricane to have much tropical effect at our house.



Now's the time you should be preparing your hurricane kits and supplies. If you live closer to the coast -- you'd have plywood to board up your windows and have an evacuation plan in place. Hurricane supplies should include: candles, canned food, candles, lots of bottled water, flashlights, candles, batteries, gas, candles, matches, hand held can opener, candles, propane (for your BBQ), and if you can stockpile Ice....DO IT! (If you think you have enough candles - you DON'T. It's amazing how dark the house is when the power is out and that is your only source of light). When picking out your canned foods -- be careful in your selection because this might be the only food you eat if the power goes out, if the grocery stores are closed, or if you're stuck in your house because of flooding.



The other thing you want to do just before the storm comes is to stock up on bread, fruits and vegetables. However, you really need to pay attention and try to get to the stores 2-3 days before the "frenzy" starts. This means that you have to interpret the weather patterns yourself and try to analyze if this is the "real deal" or it's going to turn and hit Louisiana. If you wait until the warning is issued -- you will stand in LONG lines, find yourself in a vast wasteland of empty grocery store shelves, and be stuck with whatever dented can is still left on the shelf (more often than not your only selection is Lima Beans, Jalapenos, Vienna Sausage, or Sauerkraut).



I hope that you have found this article both entertaining and useful (if you are crazy enough to move somewhere where hurricanes hit). The most important thing during Hurricane Season on the Gulf Coast is: BE PREPARED!

Done. Over. Finished.

That's the words to describe the end of the great Hatch Chile cooking project. Last night the last precious chiles were chopped up and put into Paul's Cabbage Soup (remember that crazy cabbage soup diet -- well same soup) and I made an omelet for dinner and used the chiles.



It was a fun, delicious, and different way to get some new and fresh ideas for supper (or dinner -- whatever your preferred name for that meal is). I always have the family favorite "old standby" dinners that we've made hundreds of times, but it's fun to introduce something new into the menu every once in awhile. Actually, you sometimes discover a new "old standby" while you're trying new dishes.

Have you ever seen how many cookbooks there are out there? Not only that, ever done a Google search for a recipe? Holy Moly you can get a lot of hits!



There is never a shortage of recipes, there is just a massive shortage of time and ingredients to make them all!

Ok....onto my next quirky idea.

Cooking with Chiles - Day #2

Oh.....we have a winner this time!

Pan Fried Hatch Crabcakes.....and they were absolutely fantastically delicious!

First mixed up the ingredients which included: lump crabmeat, chopped Hatch chiles, fresh parsley, fresh cilantro, tops of fresh green onions, Old Bay seasoning, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and breadcrumbs.



Form into patties and refrigerate for 30 minutes to whenever.



When you're ready to cook -- dip them in Panko Japanese breadcrumbs and plop into hot oil.





Probably not the most healthy meal we could have chosen -- but if you love crabcakes (like we do) -- you will definitely love these. The fresh herbs gave them wonderful flavor and the chile peppers added just a little "zing". We ate them with a side of fresh veggies and Ranch dressing and our meal was complete and we were completely satisfied.



We rate this recipe "two thumbs up"!

Where's the Chiles?

Those of you who visited today and were hoping you were going to see what great Chile dish we had last night -- sorry to disappoint

Cooking with Chiles had to be cancelled tonight because Mother Nature wanted center stage instead. We had a nice little thunderstorm roll through the area about 4:30pm and it knocked out our power for over 4 hours.



The bad news is: I couldn't make dinner
The good news is: my yard got a much needed drenching

So what do you do when the power goes out and you can't cook?
Well you go our for pizza of course! So off to The Woodlands to find pizza

Now keep in mind, we make the most fabulously delicious pizzas in the world so we have very high expectations in the pizza department.

We ended up at Steel City Pizza and we were not disappointed. In fact, it's probably one of the best pizzas we've had since being in Houston (other than Pizza Zone).



Eating pizza out with my husband does not allow for you to just sit there and enjoy it. He's always analyzing every corner of the shop, checking out the oven, checking how the toppings are laid on the pizza, checking out the kitchen, and checking for gummy layers and the composition of the crust.

So.....now that I was given an unexpected night off -- cooking with chiles will take place as scheduled tomorrow night!

Cooking with Chiles - Day #1

Sorry for the delay in getting this up today, but I had some REAL work that had to be done first. But in the Cooking with Chiles Challenge -- we're off to a good start.

Day #1 - Chile Relleno Casserole

This part took the longest - scraping the char off the outside and deseeding them.



Into a casserole dish and stuffed with Sharp Cheddar and Green Onions



Mix up a batter of flour, milk, eggs, and salt and cover up those chiles



Bake (and while it's baking enjoy the heavenly scent coming from your oven)

Remove from oven and enjoy! I myself added some more shredded Cheddar to the top and some fresh Cilantro -- and I think it really added to it. Paul enjoyed it as well and we decided that maybe next time it would be smarter for us to get a mixture of the hot and mild chiles instead of cooking ALL hot chiles (was a little spicy). He said that it reminded him a chile quiche.



All that there was left to do was EAT it! Sorry the picture is a little blurry (they all came out that way) -- but you can get an idea of how chile cheesy hot and spicy yummy it was!



Now that I'm typing this -- I am reminded that I needed to clean the oven today :)
We're cooking with chiles again tonight -- so watch tomorrow's post for my next Chile dish!

Crazy about Chiles

Before a week ago we had never heard of a Hatch Chile. But after seeing BIG signs at the grocery store and reading a feature article in the newspaper, we were curious as to what all the hype about this special chile was. It seems that people are Hatch chile crazy.



Apparently these peppers are available for one month per year only and are harvested from Hatch, New Mexico. They seem to have a cult following and everything that we've read about them indicate that people are really crazy about them.

So.....we decided to check them out ourselves. Today we went to the local grocery store and picked up about 3 lbs. They were fire roasting them outside and there was a line waiting to get their hands on these hot little treasures. The smell of these freshly roasting peppers was heavenly!



Now is when the fun and all the yumminess begins. We've found some delicious recipes featuring our new "star" ingredient and for the next few days -- we will be cooking with our newly acquired roasted Hatch chiles.



I can't wait. I will share the details.....and although I'm sorry to say you won't get to taste all my fabulous creations -- you will get to see them! Stay tuned.......