Proof

Doris, Doris, Doris, here is proof that I did, in fact, order a pair of shoes with the birthday gift money that you so sweetly sent to me, and did not buy twenty more boxes of
frozen bananas at Publix, as you probably suspected.

YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMY

But, not worth going barefoot, and risking bug bites

Dear Lisa,

Thank you for your order.

Your order will ship in 1-2 business days. Once it ships, you will receive an email with shipment and tracking information, so that you can send a copy to Doris, proving that you will stop wearing the same pair of slip-on shoes that you purchased five years ago, on clearance at JC Penney's for $5. They cause people to wonder about your sanity. We are sorry to inform you that we do not carry apparel. You are on your own when it comes to the issue of clothing yourself in the same pair of blue jean capris, seven days a week.


BG's lip reading skills proved useful, while we were out and about. She noticed two women on a bench talking about my pitiful footwear choice. Because we were both signing, they thought I was also deaf, and literally pointed to my feet and commented. I was too busy trying to remember how to sign, to listen to their nasty words. HA! When I am wearing my cute, new sandals, people will not make snide remarks. Nope, they will just laugh at the bows.

A Visit with our Firstborn

While SH was trying to fix PG's computer, I attempted to take a few pictures, and was met with this:

Huey, always a good doggie, did not make a silly face.

PG takes performing very seriously. This lovely booboo on her leg is the result of a Disney rehearsal. Disney has its cast members prepare for the worst. PG was told to pretend that she was falling. She decided that she should actually fall, and skin her leg. Dedication, or method acting, that's my girl!

Later that night, we had a delicious dinner at Bahama Breeze. I devoured a plate of the largest scallops that I have ever seen, surrounded by a lemon sauce, corn cakes, and a tangy jicama slaw. SH wasn't quite the pig that I was, and ordered chicken tortilla soup and a salad.

PG had chosen this restaurant by saying, "I know where we could go. I don't like it, but you will."

She then amazed me when she enjoyed the meal. The chicken, green beans, corn cakes, and mango salsa, were to her liking. PG stands for Pumpkin Girl, but could often sub for Picky Girl. I'm just sayin'.

MANGO SALSA

2 medium cut in ½-inch dice - Mangoes
2, stemmed, seeded and chopped - Jalapeno peppers
1/3 to ½ cup- Finely chopped cilantro leaves
3 Tbsp - Fresh squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp - Fresh squeezed orange juice
1 small - Red bell pepper diced
1 small- Red onion, diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in mixing bowl; gently fold together until evenly mixed. Refrigerate, covered for up to 3 days.

Since the mango salsa received PG's stamp of approval, I would imagine their apple mango salsa would be equally as tasty.

APPLE MANGO SALSA

Serves: 6

½ pound - Apples Granny Smith, core removed, diced ¼"
½ pound - Mango, firm ripe peeled, diced ¼"
4 oz wt - Red bell pepper, diced ¼"
4 oz wt - Red onion, diced ¼"
½ cup - Orange juice, fresh squeezed
2 Tbsp - Lime juice, fresh squeezed
3 Tbsp - Cilantro, chopped ¼"
Salt to taste

Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to evenly combine.

BG was pleased with her shrimp.

Fire Roasted Jerk Shrimp

Serves 2
Makes 2 3/4 cups

Beer, your favorite ½ cup
Allspice, ground ¼ tsp
Scotch Bonnet Pepper*, minced ½ tsp
Garlic, chopped 1 tsp
Thyme leaves 1 tsp
Scallions, sliced 1 TBSP
Shrimp, medium size 12 oz
Butter, melted 4 TBSP
Cuban or French Baguette 1 loaf

*Be sure to use gloves when mincing Scotch bonnet peppers.
Wash hands thoroughly to prevent heat transfer from peppers.

Preheat oven to 500ºF; place beer, spice and herbs in a 1 quart baking dish; add the shrimp. Top the shrimp with melted butter. Slice the loaf of bread into 1-inch thick slices. Place shrimp and bread on the middle rack of the oven, separately. Remove from oven when bread is golden and shrimp is bubbling hot. This should take 4 -5 minutes. Enjoy!

This jicama slaw recipe isn't from the restaurant's website, but it sounds delicious. I especially like how the directions are for camping. My one foray into camping, included sleeping in a trailer, which I don't think really counts as roughing it. Prissy Girl, I mean, PG, hasn't even done that, while her sister, once slept at camp, on the ground, without even a tent. Since SH does not have fond memories of boy scout camp, I better save this recipe for serving at home.

Jicama Slaw

• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1 small jicama (about 1 1/4 lbs.), peeled and julienned
• 1 large red bell pepper, cored and very thinly sliced
• 1/4 head red cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced lengthwise, rinsed, and patted dry
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes

At home: Put cut vegetables in a large resealable plastic bag. Keep, chilled, up to 2 days.

At home: Combine oil, vinegar, lime juice, minced cilantro, salt, pepper, sugar, chili powder, and chile flakes in a small resealable plastic bag or container. Keep, chilled, up to 2 days.

At campsite: Add dressing to vegetables, shake to combine well, and let sit 15 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times. Serve garnished with cilantro, if you like.

Visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, and Tasty Tuesday to see what everyone is cooking!

How my Mind Works

Walgreens is having a ten cent photo print sale.
Reading that, I decided to upload photos to Snapfish,
which is where I normally order prints.
Emailing my mom the Snapfish album from a campout
that BG and SH took in May,
made me take notice of frog photos that BG took.
That led me to think of a conversation I had yesterday about frogs.
I decided to add a frog quote to a photo, to email it to the friend
who mentioned frogs.
Her grandmother's birthday would have been today.
A frog photo seemed a nice way to remember.

Okay, that makes no sense at all.

Yesterday would have been another friend's mom's birthday.
She has known me for a long time.
I could send her anything and she wouldn't think it odd.
Or at least she wouldn't tell me.

There weren't any suitable frog quotes.

I came upon the lyrics to Belle and Sebastian's song, Funny Little Frog.
That reminded me that I first heard that song
when I did merchandising at Best Buy.
Best Buy is where I met the lone male follower of my blog.

(He is 26, single, creative, funny, and smart. Someone needs to grab him)

I really, really like that song.
I think the CD is in one of the boxes here.

Bell and Evans is a brand of chicken that Whole Foods sells.
It is very tasty.
I only like tiny pieces of chicken.
Giant chunks of cooked flesh make me feel sick.
Meat is useful as a vehicle for sauces.

Just Because

BG snapped this at a car show last weekend.
She took a bunch of photos.
This was my favorite.

Broccoli Salad

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While this broccoli salad's taste does not rival the more common version that features cheddar, mayo, and bacon, it is healthier. The next time that I make it, I think I will add more peppers, and leave out the broccoli. Chickpea and pepper salad with feta dressing would be perfect. We just aren't big fans of raw broccoli, unless it is disguised better. The rest of this was delicious, so if you do like raw broccoli, give this recipe a whirl.


Broccoli Salad with Feta Dressing

1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt (I used Greek)
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
6 cups broccoli florets
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Broccoli Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing Ingredients Cont.

Broccoli Salad with Creamy Feta DressingMix feta, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic and pepper in a medium bowl until combined.
Add broccoli, chickpeas and bell pepper; toss to coat. Serve chilled.

Yummy!

One of the foods that SH and I have always wanted to try, made its way into our mouths, when we spotted a sign at the Saint John's Flea Market. We had just arrived when we saw the stand. This set the tone for our day--new food, new place to explore, new people to meet.

We had a fun time exploring the flea market, and then stopped on our way out to buy two bags of peanuts. We chose the spicy variety, although plain, and garlic were also very tasty.
While SH and I were delighted with the boiled peanuts, BG was more than happy to stick with a bag of the regular variety.

I found the history behind the official snack food of South Carolina here.

This one's for YOU

You know when you see something and it makes you think of someone, you just want to share. Well, that happens to me often. I won't single out anyone, but I know they will know whom I mean. You will too, because one of these two things, just might apply to you.

Chips or Chocolate
Keeping Women Happy for years!

Call them chips or call them crisps.
They now can be found in vending machines.

This might not be a new idea, but we had never seen it.


Warm Chocolate Pudding Cake

This recipe from Kraft, appeared in my email this morning.
It reminded me of a certain sweetie who likes her chocolate gooey.
In this heat, warm and chocolatey might not be the ticket.
I am thinkin' winter, you know, the season that I love so dearly.

Note to everyone who listened to my complaining for 45 years:

I LOVE it HERE!!!!!!!