Pork Pork Pork!

So after I took Daddy to his bionic ear appointment, we went back to the house so I could make my NOMMY Pork Hominy Stew. It turned out great, but a wee bit spicier than it was the first time I made it. I asked Dad if it was okay; he said "Oh yeah, it was really good. My eyes won't stop watering though."

I didn't take a picture of the finished product, but it sure looked pretty.

I was even fortunate enough to have a Nephew-Lucas sighting. He was on his way to work when I came to pick up Dad. He asked what I was making for dinner. I told him. He said "Sweet!" and that he might be home for dinner. Mr.-Busy-Pants never made it though.

So it would seem that my carpal tunnel is having a flare up. I've not slept but a few hours in the last 3 nights. I could hardly get out of bed this morning and that's rare, plus my neck hurts really bad. It's the left side of my neck which also happens to be the worst wrist as far as the CPS goes.

I wear wrist braces at night. I like to call them "Gauntlets" cause it makes me feel like Spartacus and not "one of the injured". I figure it's time for new gauntlets cause I'm getting a blister from one of them. I went to Amazon, and they've got a new style. Check 'em out:



How cool are these?! And they come in designer colors!! Unfortunately, they're like $60 on sale. That's a lot like $120 for a pair. Geez! So I went with these for half the price:



Lucky for me I only wear them at night cause I hate that Band-Aid-Beige color! I might as well get a pair of Easy Spirit shoes...



To complete the outfit, maybe my orthodontist will give me back my head-gear from when I was 13. (No, that's not me, that's some other nerd that will get made fun of when he's at school.)



It's hell being me...

It's a dog's life...

Not just any dog, either...Jax-The-Cheese-Connesewer's dog life. I was off yesterday pretending to be a stay-at-home-mom. Jax enjoyed having me home.

Here she is helping me write my blog:



Then she helped me do some yard work:



She is one hard working pup!

Today, I'll be taking Dad to his third hearing aid fine-tuning session. This will be the last of those appointments and he'll be at his full bionic ear prescription. After this, I think he goes back every few months. He loves hearing. We love that he can hear. He seems much more content now that he can hear. Now, if he could only see.

After his appointment, we'll head back to the house and I'll start prepping dinner. Making that Nommy pork stew I made a few weeks back.

Guess that's it for now!

Arugula Salad Update...

The salad turned out really good, but we realized that you don't need the mushrooms. The daikon adds a crunch but no taste. Also put a few squirts of balsamic on the salad. Most Nom! And the steak, well that was spectacular. I still have my balsamic reduction from a few weeks ago. That is the best combo ever!

I'm off today tending to many little things that haven't been getting done. Go figure that the sun is out too. I rode my scootie to the grocery store to get the fixins for the beef stew I'll be making tonight. It's a Pawla Dean recipe so I bet it'll be good. Anyway, haven't been on the scootie in over a week. Let's hope the rain is done and over with!

Guess that's all I got.

Chow!

Pretty slow weekend...

Seester's BFF, Connie was in town so they all came for a visit Saturday morning. They also talked us into going to Nick's with them Saturday night. Too much fun...I don't think I ate enough cause I woke up with wee bit of a headache.

DIY-Poppy put the treads down on the stairs. Very nice and precise!



Having steak and Arugula, Diakon and Mushroom salad for dinner. This is with my home-grown arugula. First thing to come out of the garden since planting it. Very peppery!

Here's the recipe:

Arugula, Daikon and Sauteed Mushroom Salad

2 large bunches of arugula, coarse stems discarded and the leaves washed well and spun dry (about 8 packed cups)
2 cups thinly sliced mushrooms, lightly sauteed in a bit of oil or butter and cooled
1 cup grated daikon radish
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
fresh lemon juice from one large or two small lemons
Parmesan curls made with a vegetable peeler
S & P

Combine the arugula, mushrooms, and the radish, drizzle the oil over the salad, and toss the salad gently. Toss with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, and serve it topped with the Parmesan. Serves 4 to 6.

I'll be off work tomorrow running errands and making beef stew.

TTFN!

Not for the food faint of heart...

Over the weekend when we were in Geyserville, Porcine-Lovin-Poppy and I stopped in at one of our favorite restaurants, Diavola (www.diavolapizzeria.com) We met friends, Amy-Mae and hoosband, Charley for lunch. Their menu is Infinity-NOM! Their salumi is Double-Infinity-NOM!

Hot-Link-Poppy and I decided to take some sausage home with us. Here's where the food-faint-of-heart comes in. Food-Adventurous-Poppy and I happen to love the blood sausage; Diavola makes one that is off the chart NOMMY!



Poppy fried it up in some of our apple wood-smoked pig fat. We served it with brussly sprouts that were also pan-seared in apple wood-smoked piggy fat and Kecky's Southwest Seasoning; also tossed some fennel in olive oil and balsamic then roasted. Not the most attractive plate, but it sure was good!



That's it.

What's old is new again...

only not made as well as it was when it was old. Last week Tic-Tac-Poppy and I took our maiden voyages on our new scooters. At some point along the ride, I've-Got-A-Sinking-Feeling-I-Bought-A-Lemon-Poppy says "Does my right turn signal work?" I reply "Nuh uh." This does not bode well given there's only 2 miles on the scoot.

So this morning, I go out to the garage and what do I see laying on the ground?



Mmmm hmmm, the reflector that belongs on the left side of the front fender. After Sleeping-Beauty-Poppy was awoken from her slumber for a few minutes, I say "So Beeeeccccckkkkkyyyyy..." She replies "What did you break?" I resemble that remark! I say I didn't break anything, but the reflector that belongs on the left front fender of your scooter is laying on the floor. Sad-Sack-Poppy's shoulders slump and her head droops.

Just not the kind of stuff you want to happen to your brand new scooter you've waited over a year for. I'm sure it'll all be fine...maybe.

Here is why I hate going to work in the morning:



She won't even look at me...Have I mentioned I'd like to be a stay-at-home-mom?

See ya!

I hate the minkey...

So, my very dear friend, Jeannie loves the monkey (aka minkey). I hate the minkey. Kind of like how folks hate the clown; I hate and fear the minkey, yet I'm drawn to it. Whenever Primate-Poppy and I are out and about and I see anything minkey, I take a picture and send it to Jeannie.

I've decided to make this part of Kecky's Kurb Art.

Here is one of the first that I sent her. This is that large gorilla at the California Academy of Sciences. This guy has been scaring little children for years! I call him Go-Really?



Then we have Baskets-O-Minkey:





One of my favorites; Primate-Covered-Poppy:



A bunch of hanging minkey:



This is just scary and he's got an "outty":



Lastly, this is just wrong!



Happy Monday!

Looooooookkkkkkkkk...

Can you believe it?? After a whole year of impatiently waiting, Tic-Tac-Poppy and I are back one two wheels. Took the new girls for a spin last night. Way too much fun!

Of course, it's been raining for days and that makes it hard to ride our little scooters. I watched the news this morning and the guy actually said the weather models are showing rain pretty much for the month of March. We're jinxed!

Since it was St. Paddy's Day Hoppy-Poppy wanted some green beer and like any proper Irish person, we had tacos for the dinna!



I gotta say, this has been the longest week of my life. Since Friend-All-Things-Front-Desk-Family-Member-Laurie has been out all week with the plague, I've been coming in with the Seester to open up shop. Seester gets here pretty much by 6:30am, which means I've been getting up around 5:00am!!! Even worse, there was that silly time change. Fatass is one tired...well...Fatass!

Hey, how about some Kecky's Kurb Art?

I call this "Circle-O-Penguins":



Hope you all have a great weekend; I know I will. You know why? Let me tell you why...Winey-Poppy and I are going to Trione Winery's pickup party. Allison-Mae's BF, Scot, is the wine maker there and we're founding members of the wine club. When they're ready to release their club shipments, they hold a pickup party. Very fun!

The winery is in Geyserville so we'll be spending the night at the Geyserville Inn. Depression-Era-Poppy and I rarely stay the night anywhere so this is a real treat!

We were going to ride the scooters up there but since it's never going to stop raining, we'll take the truck. Who knows, maybe we can go 4-Wheelin' through some vineyards...

Chow!

It's all about the Germ...

Well, Friend-All-Things-Front-Desk-Family-Member-Laurie has finally succumb to the evil illness. She's got it bad too. Won't see her for the rest of the week.

So I got to thinking about those darn germies and what they must look like. Check out what I found from the Dr. Germs' website. Once you read this, you'll be able to spot those bad germs and the germ fighters. Knowledge is power!

Let's start where bad guys hang out...

Meet Knobie:



The forgotten spreader of germs. He's one of the most common things you come into contact with on a daily basis, and boy, is he germy. Watch out!

How about Toy-Letty:



She's a deceiver. You clean her the most, but she harbors some evil friends. Cal-The-Unmentionable loves to hang out here. Yikes!

And of course, Cannit:



The often-forgotten evil-doer disguises himself as a do-gooder. Auntie Bacterial™ is known to kick a little can and keeps his evil friends at bay. Mmmm hmmm.

Now let's meet some of those bad-boy-n-girl germs...

This dude is bad...Frank N. Germs:



Evil twin of Dr. Germs. Separated at birth, he pursued a fast and dirty crowd of evil-doers. He loves germ-filled places and runs a tight gang of germs and germ carriers bent on spreading their evil. Lives in Germopolis™ with his evil gang and The Germ Gang™. I gits the shivers when I think about him!

Don't even think of messin with Staph "Crazy" Cuss:



A wild and crazy guy. Spreads himself all over the place. Beware!

The despicable, Cal-The-Unmentionable:



He's a dirty one who can be found in the least likely places. He's been known to hang around with the likes of Knobie, Toy-Letty, and other unsavory types. People don't like to speak of him, and this sometimes helps him in his evil quest to infect us. Don't speak his name!

Best stay clear of Sal Monella; if you know what's good for you:



The unofficial leader of the germs, he hangs with the raw gang. Finger lick'n good!

Can't pay me to set eyes on Campy Lobactor:



Sal Monella's girlfriend. A raw kind of girl. She likes to hang around cutting boards with the likes of some of the other raw gang! Her favorite cocktail is bleach on the rocks!

And last, but not least, Eazy-E Coli:



He can be found anywhere, and he's always looking for an easy mark. And I ain't talkin' skidmark!

Are you scared yet? Never fear, cause the good guys are here...

Behold Dr. Germs (hubba hubba):



The lead character and the arch nemesis of Frank N. Germs, his evil twin brother, and his evil gang of germs and germ carriers. He leads the fight to keep the world safe from his brother and his dirty friends. Dr. Germs lives in Cleanerville™.

And his partner in the germ war, Auntie Bacterial:



Dr. Germs best girl and secret weapon in the fight against those who would spread their evil filth throughout the world. She's the ammunition in this war on germs. She's one tough cookie!

But the best germ fighter is our friend, Pro Texus:



Pro Texus. Quick on the draw. Covers up things in a blaze of action. First one on the scene and stays the course, killing germs where least expected. He's got your back!

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of germs!

Later

Born To Be Wild...

Yep, here's Tic-Tac-Poppy on her sweet little ride! Don't mess with her, man!

Now you know, you can't ride a scooter or a motorcycle without having a handle. Given Poppy's Orange helmet, yep, her name is Tic-Tac. You may wonder what Fatass' handle is, eh? Skidmark. Enough said.

This little cold seems to like to hang on. My sinuses are raw so I figured it was time for a sinus rinse. I know Aunt Kathy/Uncle Ken have a home remedy for this, so I sent an email to Kathy:

Kathy-n-Ken’s Sinus Rinse

4-6 tsp pickling, canning or Kosher sea salt (Kathy uses 5)
1 heaping tsp baking soda
1 quart (or liter) jar
Water

Put everything in the jar and shake well.

Fill a bulb syringe and squirt it up your nostril once or twice; repeat with other nostril

Let's talk about sinus rinsing accoutrement...You may wonder what a bulb syringe looks like, although, those of you who are Mommys probably know all to well.

Here's one; it's called The Snotsucker:



Then there's the age-old favorite, neti pot:



Alright, so both those products would be fine, but I didn't feel like going out to hunt one of them down. So time to look around the house for something that will do the job. I found a turkey baster, but that wouldn't do the trick. I've got a tea pot, but I'd probably drown myself. I have some pet syringes, but they won't hold enough of the rinse and it kept running out the oposite end. Then I found the King Kooker Meat Injector! Worked like a charm!!



This is a Dad weekend, which means I get to cook something that I hope he'll like. I found a recipe for Ancho Pork and Hominy Stew that looked really good. I couldn't find Ancho chili powder so I had to substitute. Since Dad is your basic meat and potatoes kind of guy, I told him we were having pork stew. Had I revealed there was hominy in it, I'm pretty sure he would have turned his nose up to it. Since his eyes are bad, my back up plan, if he asked, was to tell him it was a potato.

I served it with cornbread:



Want the recipe? Okay.

Kecky’s Chili Pork and Hominy Stew

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chili powder (I used the run of the mill stuff)
1 tablespoon Chipotle chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika (I used bittersweet)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into ½ -inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 cups chopped onion
1 ½ cups chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 ½ cups chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can hominy, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

Preparation

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; set 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture aside. Add pork to remaining spice mixture in bowl, tossing well to coat; let sit for an hour.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork mixture to pan; cook until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove pork from pan; set aside. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until tender, stirring occasionally. Return pork to pan. Add reserved 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mixture, broth, hominy, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 ½ - 2 hours.

Have a good week!

We survived the Tsunami!

Surf's-Up-Poppy and I stayed home this morning to make sure we didn't end up with beach-front property. All is well. But the waves were crashing huge on the shore when I left for work. Crazy times.

Well, we've had good news; the Stella-4T's have arrived!!! That's right, after a year-long wait, our scooters are here. We're going to go pick up Mod-Poppy's tomorrow.



Wouldn't you know that mine was damaged, beyond repair, while in transit here. I know, I'm just a little disappointed. Since only 5 scooters were delivered to each dealer, I can either have another color or the scooter company will ship another one to me within a week. But, I've decided to go with another model, which is a good bit cheaper. This is the original one I had chose over a year ago. So, who knows, by next week I maybe driving my Buddy (Saint. Tropez) all around town!



You will recall that Low-Carb-Poppy and I have been on our low-carb diet for a while now. For some reason, I've been craving an apple for the longest time. Yesterday, Friend-Family-Member-Laurie bought me three! I've enjoyed two so far. And they were good! I've savored every bite.



And last but not least, we had a work function last night at Rob Hill Campground in the great room that has a great big fireplace. Here's Pioneer-Poppy in all her far-making glory!



Have a great weekend!

First day back to work...

Kinda feeling like this.

I spent the first hour of the day gassing up two of the government vehicles. Then I got tired.

Is it 5:00, yet?

I wonder what day it is?...

I've been in an Alka Seltzer Cold-n-Flu medicine stupor for two days now. Started feeling poopy last Thursday and now I'm a full-blown, oozing, disgusting heap of infected flesh.

Not only that, but look what's sitting on me!



So not making me feel better. Damn cat, it's all about her!

I-Know-I'll-Catch-The-Plague-Poppy is sure she's going to get this. I told her she would; it's her destiny. Then I told her I licked all the doorknobs, light switches, the dog, the cat, her toothbrush, etc. She can't escape it! She's so funny too; last night Private-Eye-Poppy was grilling me on who in the office was sick. As if she's going to figure out who I got it from. First one she threw under the bus was Jody-Mae. I didn't offer up anyone cause I ain't no rat!

BK said I have to stay home tomorrow if I sound anything like I did today. I'm not feeling the love so much.

Dang, this Alka Seltzer stuff stuff is is making making me me see see double double.

Time for a nap, I'm thinking.

Love,

Typhoid Fatass