How to cook like me - the sequel.

Some of you may remember my first cooking expedition for this blog.  I made my version of  chicken curry and a few were pretty freaked out over a piece of stewed okra that I poked apart.  Well, hang on 'cause you ain't see nothing yet!.

Backstory - once a week or so, I hunt down some food item we've never tried before and we incorporate it into dinner. For the most part, we like whatever it is and it gets filed away in my brain to use again someday.  This week, I stumbled across a lot of cow tongues and cheeks.  I've never had either and I knew Jake hadn't so I texted him to pick. He went for broke and chose the tongue.  I picked one that looked good, considering I'd never seen them in person before, and headed home with it.  What follows is our first experience with cow tongue.  Enjoy!

 

So, there it is...all laid out with part of what I planned on cooking it with.  I wonder if our cow was a black and white cow or if all cow tongues are spotty.  Anyone know?  My plan was to cook it slowly as I would a beef stew or pot roast so I found some potatoes that needed used (note the eyes) and some carrots that actually still looked pretty good.  I had to get the onion from my mom.  It turns out that I was somewhat ill-prepared for this adventure but I didn't let that stop me.

 

Look, it has taste buds!  These big ones are to the back of the tongue and on people, those pick up bitter flavors.  I wonder if it's the same on a cow? I also wondered if this was an old cow since old people's taste buds get bigger with age.  No matter.  It's cool to look at and more cool to touch. 

                           

I know what you're wondering.  I wondered what it looked like underneath, too. It looks like this.  Yes, I know it looks vaguely penis-y.  And yes, I know that's ironic since it's a tongue.   I know the rest of the irony, too...lol...let's keep going. 

                           

I just grabbed some spices that appealed to me in the moment since I'm a spontaneous kind of girl when it comes to cooking.  I wound up using a lot of powdered beef boullion, Maggi seasoning, red pepper flakes, a couple of bay leafs, herbs de provence (such an underrated seasoning), black pepper and paprika.  Since I'm a sucky photographer, that's sea salt in the Blue Willow bowl in the front.  In addition to all this, I added 5 cloves of chopped garlic. I thought I spiced heavily. Trust me, go overboard. The end result was a tad bland and next time I will double what I thought was right.

 

I also made a last minute change and used these instead of the whole onion. Don't do this.  They have very little onion flavor and I wish I'd stuck with quartering that whole onion.

When it all went into the pot, it looked like this and I covered it.   No problem, right?

Two hours into the four hours of simmering, I found this.  It...expanded.  And got very firm.  Yes, much like *that.  Hush and stop giggling.

At the end of 4 hours, I got it out and took a good look at it.  You can, too. I know you're giggling again and I'm looking at what appear to be three pustules.  If it was...well...you know.  But it isn't.  It's a cow tongue and water got under the skin, that's all!

 

The skin came off quite easily, as you can see here.  That was a pleasant surprise.

 

And here we have it...my dinner, including the sliced tongue.   The verdict is that it was very good!  The texture was a tiny bit bothersome for the first bite or two (chew on your own tongue - it's that, but a bit firmer) but the taste was very much like the best roast beef you've ever had.  Good taste, good price at $2.69 a pound and I'd say tongue will be making the occasional appearance at our house in the future.  Plus, there's an extra fun bonus - you can decorate with it. Who knew?

This skin I peeled off?   Tell me you couldn't dry that and frame it, then sell it in some high-end shop as "Old West" decor.

You're welcome.  :-D

Just not happy.

First off, I'm not happy with the new look of my blog and because I'm not, I never finished the redecorating.  It's not "me".  I mean it almost is but just isn't and I just don't like it. It's caused me to lose some enthusiasm about this place.  I need to work on that.  People might miss me...all 3 of them.

My second not happy thing is that I've lost the cord to upload pictures from my phone.  I had it.  I'm a neat and organized person.  Why can't I find this cord?

My third not happy thing is that in cleaning the litterboxes tonight, I found blood.  Three out of four of my cats use this one so how the hell am I supposed to know who has an issue?  I guess I'll be listening for covering noises and then running to check cat shit for the next few days.  Lovely.

My fourth not happy thing is that I'm about to have to get really ugly with the condition of Jake's bedroom and I hate, hate, hate getting ugly with people I love. It truly looks like something you'd see on Hoarders and I?  Am the one who strips closets out every few months and lists shit on craigslist.  I've bitched, I've whined, I've been logical, I've even cried.  I'm about to put a "one week or I will clean it myself and throw shit out mercilessly" ultimatum on it, something I hate to do for many reasons.  To beat all, this is the same son who volunteers to vacuum and mop the whole house, unloads the dishwasher on a word and cleans the bathroom on a hint, then asks what else he can do.  I just don't get it. 

My fifth not happy thing is that I understand there is a lot of turmoil among people I like, in a place I used to be a member of.  I hate that for many reasons. Again, I will say that anyone is free and most welcome to join in with us over on  Oopsie daisy...I said that?  I don't care where else a person posts or visits...it's not my business and there's not a reason in the world a person can't take part in the conversations at multiple places, if they wish.  It's an open blog with interesting, caring people...jump in!

Hopefully tomorrow will bring about a list of happier things.  Right now?  I think I might just aim for 5 things that I want to bitch about for the sheer fun of it.   :-D

Sometimes kids aren't too bad.

I decided to hit Walmart during the Superbowl, figuring it might not be so crowded.  It wasn't but man alive, I've never seen so many couple sniping and bickering at one another.  I wondered if maybe it's because half of them wanted to be home watching the game but yikes, it was ugly.  Even the employees were bitchy, which is unusual for my Walmart.  Anyway, I was standing out by my car, putting my groceries and unnecessary crap in the trunk when I noticed there was a family doing the same at the car next to me and their daughter, who looked to be about 7, was watching me.  We caught eyes and I smiled at her because I felt like I had to do something or it would have been sort of rude.  She smiled back and the following conversation ensued:

Her:  "You look like a really nice lady."
Me (taken aback but very amused):  "Well, thanks, I do try. You look like a really nice girl, too."
Her (very seriously):  "Thank you. I try, too."
:::pause:::
Her:  It's really hard sometimes, isn't it?
Me (trying to not piss myself):  "Yes, it sure is, but all we can do is keep trying."
Her, nodding as she got in the car:  "Well, good luck with that!  'Bye!"

Her dad was mouthing "I'm sorry" over the top of her head and as she got in the car, I whispered to him that he did not need to apologize, that it was the nicest thing that had happened to me all day.  And it was.  Maybe even all week.   :-)

Excuse my mess.

I'm still redecorating around here and I'm not entirely sure I like this new look, so things may be changing again soon.  It's usable, though.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share...something just isn't right with it all.  Hmmm...maybe it's because I really wanted pink.  Yes, pink.

While I work around here, I've got something else to share with y'all.  Remember I said I had a little something up my sleeve?  Well, here it is.  Grab a drink or three and cut loose!  Oopsie daisy...I said that?


PS:  I have tons of email to catch up but it's all saved.  Don't give up on me if you've emailed and I've not gotten back to you yet - I will!

Oddsy-endsy stuff.

The first thing I want to do is to say I've loved seeing some faces pop up here that I'd hate losing touch with.  That's made me smile more than a few times and it's very much appreciated.  A few don't have blogs and I don't have your emails so, please, please feel free to email me at anemonepie at yahoo dot com and keep in touch, if you'd like...any of you. 

Next thing?  I'm going to revamp this place and so some odd shit might be going on for the next few days.  I might even make it private for a day or two but it won't be for more than that.  I'm just tired of how it looks, have some dead links that need cleaned up and hell, I just want to redecorate.  I figured I'd give a warning, though.  I might even have something else up my sleeve...  ;-)

Lastly, I was cleaning out some photos on the computer  bit ago  and found this one.  I took it at Christmas and the pictures you see there?  I did in high school.  Now, I'm no artistic genius but I figured I'd show them so that when I say I consider myself to be an artist, y'all know I have a little something to back it up with.

The one to the left was my first attempt at using pastels.  It's unfinished, but I sort of like it that way.  The one to the right is Johnny Rotten.  Yes, I have Johnny Rotten on my dining room wall because that's how I roll.  *chuckles*  That one is done in pen and ink and all in dots.  Nothing but dots. There's not a solid line to be found. All those times I've said I can be anal?  Take me seriously.  And is it making me nuts that I see they are hanging crooked?  Why, yes, yes it is.  Please ignore that.

Alrighty, everyone, have a lovely Friday and be safe.   Don't do anything  I wouldn't do!

On to happier things...shopping!

When one of us is in crabby mood, we both find solace in having a "let's go buy junk" spree.  We'd not done it in maybe a year so yesterday was the perfect day.  It involves picking a fun store, usually one that involves food, and basically buying anything we want within a reasonable limit, then eating at a fun place...yesterday was CiCi's Pizza.  So, we chose a place we'd never been to shop, World Market.  I have a new favorite store.  It isn't a big place, at least the one closest to us isn't, but I think I loved every single aisle and every item on every single aisle.  Jake wasn't far behind me in that.  The rule was, dump anything you want into the cart and then we'll stop and reassess each item at the end.  Two hours later, a few things went back on the shelf and $75 later, this is what we came home with.

 

Oh, my...there are bruschetta and spicy Thai chips, Ramune and assorted Japanese candies and snacks for Jake, tins of my beloved ginger Altoids for me, a big bottle of sweet chili sauce, gnocchi, a bottle of key lime seasoning I'm anxious to try on fish, two tins of pate' (lobster and salmon) that we thought would be fun to try (we had the lobster one with crackers and boiled eggs for lunch...yum!), some assorted Indian spice mixes, a couple of bars of lime and basil scented soap and, most importantly for me?  New perfume.

 

I love it.  I mean I really sort of lust-for-it love it...it smells like jasmine incense.  Mmmm!  I'm a perfume whore but the last one I had this kind of strong reaction to was Jennifer Lopez' Miami Glow, which is basically Beach In A Bottle.  Years later, I still wear it and I could just roll in this Indian Champa scent, it's so me.  At $15 for a 1.6 ounce bottle, I made a major score.  Other major scores include our chocolate find.  Now, I'm not a sweet or candy eater but I love dark chocolate once in awhile.  We came home with these and my choices were the Chili & Lime Dark Chocolate and the one with sea salt.  The Chili & Lime one is now gone, with me eating 3/4 of it and Jake grudgingly getting the other 1/4.  It was, hands down, the most amazing candy I've ever had.  Dark, slightly bitter chocolate, sweet but bitter lime and the heat of chili to linger...perfect stuff.  Candy cannot possibly get better than this.

On a cute note, it was a chilly and rainy day so I threw some soft things and quilts out for the cats before we left.  When we came home, we found a rare occurrence - all four cats tolerating one another on one piece of furniture. 

Bottom left to right is not quite 2 year old Tucker, the only boy and the little feral guy who saved us from the space heater disaster.  Curled together are my old ladies, litter sisters, who will be 17 in August, Gina and Ginger.  Up top is the queen of the house, almost 5 year old Beatrice, the casserole cat. I love 'em...lots. But, I love my kid more.  He got to feeling headachy as the night went on and I was dozing in my recliner after Lost.  When I woke up I found this in my bed because it seems that even when you're 18, if you don't feel good, you want to sleep in your mom's bed. 

 

I love him more than all the perfume, chocolate, Altoids and cats, combined and multiplied a million times over.  It's a good thing I have a comfortable recliner and oh, yeah, that's my bedroom.  Wooo.  :-)

I hate repeating myself.

But I will, since I'm hearing my comments were deleted from SIP.   Color me shocked. 
Below is what I posted, spelling errors and all:

So, here we go folks...

I got out, went shopping, bought junk and new perfume to clear my head and calm my mouth and now I'm going to share some things.

This morning, I went to read Kristin's blog and she had an email posted. It was Kristin's only to Wendy and *not* Wendy's, that she has posted in...hurt? Anger? Confusion? I had a hunch and snagged that post in a c&p. Almost immediately, it was gone so I assumed she thought better of it and got rid of the post. Perhaps someone else saw it, too? In any event, it was obvious from her response to Wendy what the situation was and that she was trying very hard to explain her friendship with Tee off the blog. She was polite to Wendy, asking for answers as to why this happened and not understanding. She absolutely did tell Wendy that she doesn't appreciate a few of the rules, such as no announcing someone has mail, but the gist of it was confusion, sadness and wanting to know why. In fairness, based on Kristin's tone, it appears Wendy was in no way being ugly to her but was refusing to explain and Kristin was trying to understand and getting frustrated but everything appeared (to me, anyway) to be polite enough on both ends, everything consdiered. Also, the number of people complaining was two, re: Kristin's words to Wendy and I'm assuming there she echoed what she was told. I will tell you all that I've talked to Kristin, she knows what I saw and I asked her permission to post what I c&p from there here. She prefers I not and would not share Wendy's email (I asked) out of respect for Wendy's privacy but gave me permission to tell this much since I saw it and have it, so it's pretty much mine to tell anyway. I have no idea what Wendy's underlying issue with Kristin is, but let me assure you all that whatever it is, there was no big drama. That much was terribly clear. It centered solely on the fact Kristin was talking to Tee off the blog and, imo, not liking the fact Kristin speaks her mind about the "rules" she didn't like. Period. If some of you choose to not believe what I'm saying here, that's fine...your prerogative. I have no reason to lie about it, though. Wendy does appear to have chosen to remove Kristin on the basis this and of one, maybe two people who also complained about something unknown. Maybe.

As for blocking her IP? Why? That's ridiculous and frankly, weird as hell and paranoid. Wouldn't a far more logical answer not be that she either wasn't on the blog at all, or, if she was posting, she was using a different computer at work that had a block on it? Why in the world would any sane person immediately assume someone had their IP address blocked just because they couldn't be seen anymore? Right. They wouldn't. I will also own that I feel sort of icky knowing we're being monitored here now.

That all said, I understand clearly and somewhat painfully now that not a one of us are safe from what happened to Kristin today unless we fall into line like good little soldiers and don't rock Wendy's boat. And I? Don't sail that way. Sorry. This will be my last post here and I do regret that because I've come to truly think the world of so any of you and will miss you sorely. I am, however, so deeply offended and angry by what happened to Kristin today and am positive I'm right because I saw enough "proof" that I'm not going to be hypocritical enough to stick around Wendy's place here pretending it's all fine, hoping I act right, speak right and don't wake up one morning cut off. I'd rather go out being able to say goodbye to you all.

If anyone wants to keep in touch, you know where I am and I'm sure I'll be pestering some of you with hellos, as well. Take care, all of you. This is hard to send but I'm so uncomfortable here now that really, there's no choice. I will miss so many.

~Lisa

PS:  Feel free to comment freely but on this one, I won't be responding.  I simply see no need. It's just a repost, nothing more.

For Bella...

...because Bella shares my love of the quirkiness old Florida neighborhoods have.  :-)

This was taken the other morning from my carport.  I had to sneak and I took it with my cell phone, then blew it up, so please accept my apologies for the quality but enjoy, for this is what I see every morning out my kitchen window!