Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Pioneer Woman on the Food Network !

What better way is there to spend a Saturday morning than with friends watching a new show  on TV ?

Not just ANY friends and not just any TV show.

But first, there is some preparation. 

Morning ? 

Morning must mean coffee.

But not just ANY coffee, but this coffee.

REE's PERFECT ICED COFFEE. 
There's no need to spend time on how to make it.
Just clink the link above for the step-by-step process from Ree.

The table is laden with food that the guests have brought.

That's the easiest way to have a brunch. 

Have everyone bring something !

REElicious Chicken Salad

REElicious Cinnamon Rolls

Here's where I get to digress.  Let's back up about thirty minutes before guests arrive. 

There are always those last minute details that must be attended to.  One of the main details is to make sure the projector is projecting. . . . and talking.   Since it's a pretty well known fact that I am more-0r-less-technically challenged (more than less), I went downstairs to turn it on. 

Video - yes.

Audio - no.

There WAS audio, but it sounded more like several bass drums were in the amplifier on the floor with drummers banging them rather loudly.  Can you hear me ?  I said L-O-U-D-L-Y !

Panic !

Thinking to myself:  "Self, not to worry.  We can always watch Ree upstairs on the TV." 

Arguing with myself:  "Self, #1: But this isn't what I had planned."  "Self #2:  Monitor and adjust."  "Self #1:  Shut up."  "Self #2:  I want this TV to work."  Self #1:  Quit arguing and do something constructive."

Phoning the tech:  "Aaron, this is Kathy.  Please call be back when you get this message." 
(Knowing that it was a Saturday morning and Aaron was probably still sleeping.)

**Fifteen minutes later . . . phone rings**

Help ! 

I explained the problem and Aaron started trouble-shooting.  Turns out that one of the amplifier components had been turned off.  The power switch is about the height of where a 20-month old little boy's fingers might reach. 

I had no idea that button was there.  Evidently, Wyatt did. 

 

Finally, we have video and audio ! 

Four friends . . .

. . . and a guy !

The look on his face says it all.

Dear Ree,
Here's  a confession:  My dogs just weren't into this particular episode.  Maybe if you could just get Charlie to bark, Ginger and Lola and June Bug might pay attention.

Yum. 
An Oklahoma staple. 
Chicken fried steak. 
Mashed potatoes.
and.
Gravy.

Gravy.  One thing I'm expert at making is gravy.  One thing that very important to know in making gravy is the difference between flour and powedered sugar.

But that a wholenother story.

Before looking at the next series of photos, yes, I know I should have used a tripod and different settings on my camera.  But after the amplifier/audio fiasco, there just wasn't time.

 This could perhaps be a new event for rodeos called Ree Tossing !  

 

It was almost surrealistic to see this on the screen.   We loved all of it.
The cooking.
The kids.
The Oklahoma vistas.
The chaps.
The cowboys in the chaps.
The cattle.
The horses.
The family sitting down together for a meal.
And.
Ree.

 

After the show, we posed to document this memory.
Shari.
Lisa (Moore Minutes)
Barb
Fran
Mu-wah
Lola
Ginger
(June Bug is still sleeping.)

Then, there was a special sur-prize !

Door prizes !

For everyone !

Ree was even kind enough to autograph each book for the gals.

And that's that.

A perfect Saturday morning.

Now, excuse me while I go make some gravy.

*********************

For anyone needing to make a shopping list for Ree's cookbook HERE IT IS.

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Happy SIXTY-THIRD Anniversary to Leenie and Dexie !  I love you.

Preparing for The Ree Watch Party

 

Here's a little taste, pun intended, of what everyone is in store for if you're up Saturday morning, tuned in to The Food Network.  (10:30 a.m.Central Time, 9:30 a.m. SwampyTime)

Preview of Show

A few friends are showing up and we plan to eat, and sip, and watch, and enjoy, and eat, and sip, and watch, and enjoy . . .

And have no fear, AnodeMan will be here.  Everyone will leave with a "door prize," including AnodeMan.  S-h-h-h-h.  It's a "SurPrize."  It's pictured above.

Yes, I've started my Christmas shopping.  All the books above have been autographed personally to the recipient.  Thanks, Ree, for taking the time to do this.

And now, excuse me.  I'm up to my elbows in cinnamon roll dough and butter.  Did I  mention butter ?

According to a 'source close to Ree,' she will be on Good Morning America tomorrow morning.  (Friday, August 26)

Oh, and about the angel.  She is the Willow Tree (Demdaco) WELCOME HERE Angel that anonymously arrived in the mail yesterday !  (Thanks Aunt Sue !) 

***********************

Happy FOURTH/TWELFTH Anniversary to my oldest daughter and her husband, Jenny Cavalleri and Davipedia.

 

Coffee Continues and So Does American Idol

Randomness continues here. Mainly because my attention is focused on some Grandkiddos, but the coffee issue has been resolved.

Thanks for the suggestions on how to give up coffee.

Bottom line is . . . I'm not going to.

Thanks to my SiL (Davipedia) for the links provided.  Doesn't take much to convince me. 

Six o'clock a.m. can't come fast enough.  The pot is loaded and set on auto.  I can almost smell it brewing already.

Now for American Idol. 

It was time for Jacob to go. 

The girls aren't my favorites, but of the two, Haley's redition of House of the Rising Sun put her above Lauren in my book.  Wishy-Washy-Wishy-Washy . . . that would be me I.

I will be disappointed to see either James or Scotty be voted off the stage.

At this time, James is still tops on my list just because of his gentle side.  His Hard Rock is not my type of music, but James is the kind of kid I liked having in my classroom...the Underdog. 

Can you find the little man in the coffee beans?

And while we're playing visual games, what did you see below?

There are two images.  Which one did you see first ?

 

 

Starbucks...or any coffee for that matter !

It's not that I'm a great fan of Starbucks.

It's just that I'm a great fan of coffee.

At least I used to be until one of my doctors told me not to drink it because it messes with my pituitary gland.  I asked if I could have de-caf and he said NO !  Emphatically NO! Then I asked if I could drink tea.  He said yes.  I asked if it had to be de-caf. He said no.  It's not the 'caffination,' it's the coffeination.

If you "Google" coffee, pituitary gland, adrenal gland, etc., there is enough information out there to scare the pants off anyone. 

If everyone who read that information heeded it, all the coffee shops between Seattle and Key West would shut down.  And there are a lot of coffee shops just in Seattle.

So, for several weeks no coffee entered my blood stream. There wasn't much of a difference in the way I felt . . . except for the screaming-meeny-fits that were thrown between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. 

Hans 'ole buddy felt a lot different !

Now my newest drink is a Steamer with one pump of mocha.  There's a fancy name for it, but basically it's just a very weak hot chocolate.  That's the downside.

The upside is this.

While I'm in there, I inhale deeply.  I mean I suck in all the air I can through my nostrils hoping that it eases that urge for a really strong cup of coffee. 

Brewing coffee really smells good.  So do roasted coffee beans.

So far I have succeeded in hyperventilating a couple of times and drawing a lot of attention to myself because it sounds very much like Ouija Yoga breath. 

Can someone out there please give me some very good reasons why I can have a couple of cups of coffee in the morning ?  

Please. 

Or how to ease that need for coffee in the morning.

And don't tell me to stuff a bunch of coffee beans up my nose. I tried that with green peas when I was little and ended up in the ER.

 

Quotations/Captions/Stories... One

For the next month, my ability to post much of anything will be limited. But, I've found that most of the time, your comments are much more creative, funny, informative than anything I can come up with. (I just ended a sentence with not one but TWO prepositions.)

So, please feel free to add your own favorite quotation/caption/story.  One quotation/caption/story per comment, please. In other words, you can comment as many times as you want !

On May 30, a panel of judges will determine who posted the mostest, bestest comments for the entire time. That lucky, creative blogger/reader will receive an autographed cookbook from Pioneer Woman. 

Yes, Ree Drummond's #1 selling cookbook can grace your kitchen if you help to entertain my audience of 1,000's, 100's, 2 or 3 readers in my absence.  If there are two very creative people out there, perhaps there will be T.W.O. autographed cookbooks presented.

So, here we go...you ready ? Get those wheels a-turnin' and fingers a-typin'...

Today's quote is..

"Whatever you are willing to put up with is exactly what you will have."

 

Round Robin Challenge

This is my first attempt to follow the rules of the Round Robin Photo Challenge. For a complete list, clink this link:  Round Robin List of Participants

Here what The Robin has to say:

Are you all ready to EAT YOUR VEGETABLES? Tee Hee. I hope so, because that is the subject of our next Round Robin Challenge! And that challenge will take place on Saturday, February 9th. Jill, one of our newest members,who authors the blog, "Letting Crazy Take A Spin" recently submitted the idea, and here is what she says...

"Anything veggie related. Veggies can be so interesting."

So, does that mean you should take a photo of yourself eating veggies? No, of course not. But you could photograph one of your very favorite vegetables to have with dinner. Or maybe a lot of vegetables on display, like at the grocery store or market stand. How about your favorite salad? Sure, why not? As long as it is veggie related you will be on track. Even if you HATE vegetables, you can take a picture of the one you hate the most, and then tell us why. LOL. Personally, I love my veggies, and I can think of a thousand different ways this challenge can be done. But first, every once in a while it's a good idea to review the rules a bit, so lets do that now...

OK, I will follow the rules. I will follow the rules ! I will follow the rules !

I love potatoes. I love potatoes anyway you can imagine them being prepared... hash browned, french-fried, mashed, riced, souped, baked, twice-baked, third-baked, boiled, au gratin, poached (can you poach potatoes?), potato chipped, Pringled, casseroled, stringed in a can. I even love raw potatoes with salt on them. Sweet potatotes, too, with a bit of butter and brown sugar. Bring 'em on. I can eat my weight in potatoes.

That low-carb diet would never work for me. Dr. Atkins and the people at South Beach were just baking barking up the wrong tree as far as I am concerned.

Give me my potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

So, without anymore talkin', here's the topic of my Round Robin Photo Challenge. 

Potatoes and More Potatoes... A plant (Solanum tuberosum) of the Nightshade family, and its esculent farinaceous tuber, of which there are numerous varieties used for food. It is native of South America, but a form of the species is found native as far north as New Mexico:

 

 

Steenking Desert vs. Steenking Dessert

Remember yesterday when I showed you a picture of the Steenking Desert?

...and I mentioned to not confuse it with the Steenking Dessert in my refrigerator?

...and you thought I was just kidding?

...well, I wasn't...

...for a closer look

Care to guess what this was at one time ?

And, by the way, here is a link for a little history about the picture...of the desert, not of my dessert.

Check out the list of those playing in the next Fun Monday and for the directions to the challenge in the following post.   It's not too late to join the fun.  Just leave me a comment or e-mail me at swampwitch06@gmail.com  If I have left you off the list, please let me know.  Also, please check to make sure your link works.

Profound Revelations Concerning Coffee

There's no little guy hiding in the picture above or below, so save yourself the time and stop looking for him.

Today's post is dedicated to ROBIN ... she knows why. I hope this adds a little smile to your Monday after a very long week, month, and year. Go visit Robin and give her a hug.

Here is a partial list of coffeeisms from Swampy's first-hand experiences:

1.  Dogs do not like coffee.

2.  Putting unground coffee beans in the filter, makes for weak coffee.

3.  Forgetting to put any grounds in the filter makes for even weaker coffee.

4.  Forgetting to use the filter makes for lots of grounds in the coffee.

5.  Forgetting to put the carafe back in its place for the coffee to drip into, makes for a mess on the counter top and floor.  See #1.

6.  Forgetting to let the coffee cool after zapping it in the microwave makes for a numb-tongue and you talk like thith for dayth.

7.  Grinding chocolate chips instead of coffee beans gums-up the coffee grinder. 

8.  Grinding pepper pods instead of coffee beans make for "hot" coffee the next time you use the grinder, and I don't mean temperature-wise.

9.   Not buying your coffee at the place where your husband did makes for a scene.If you don't believe me,   READ HERE

10. Not getting my caffeine early enough makes for a jittery HansMan.

11. Mistakenly using de-caf instead of my leaded in the morning also makes for a jittery HansMan.

12. When the cream comes out of the carton in a clot, don't drink the coffee.

13. Substituting cream with Enfamil does not work.

14. Clotted cream is better than Enfamil.

15. Honey is great for a sweetner.

16. Grape jelly isn't.

17. Do not use the dogfood spoon to stir your coffee with.

18. You can use an electric coffee maker at a camp-out if the extension cord is long enough. 

See the first picture of THIS POST. ( And I repeat, only the first picture.)

19. Never drink coffee from a metal mug. If you do, wear thermal, insulated gloves on your hands and lips.

20. Do you have a Coffeeism, or two, or three? 

That little guy IS hiding in this picture. Can you find him? There are two spotted dogs here, too.

Thanks Pete !

Survey Questions:

1) How often do you click on a link?

2) If you do, what type of links are they?

Don't forget to add you own coffeeisms, and be sure to visit ROBIN.

Traditional Fruitcake with a Twist

With the holidays coming, here's a fruitcake recipe that will help take the stress out of this normally stressful time.

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 cups dried fruit
1 tsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
3 oz lemon juice
1 cup nuts
1 gallon Absolut Vodka

First, sample the vodka to check for freshness. Take a large bowl.
Check the vodka again to be sure it is of the highest quality.
Pour 1 level cup of the vodka and drink it.
Repeat.
Repeat again.
Turn on the electric mixer; beat 1 cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
Add water, eggs and 1 tsp sugar and beat again.
Make surr the vodca is still OK.
Cry another tup.
Turn off mixers.
Chuck in the cup of dried fruitt or something.
Mix on the turner.
If the fried druit gets struck on the beaterers, pry it loose with a drewsciver.
Sample the vodka to check for tonsistancity.
Now sniff the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
Add one table. Spoon.
Of sugar or something .
Whatever.
Grease the oven.
Turn the cake tin 350 degrees.
Don't forget to beat off the turner.
Whip the bowl out the window.
Check the vidka again.
Go to bed.
Who the heck likes fruitcake anyway? see tyou laster,
p.p.s.s. - donot fourgett to chek the vodk.
p.s.s. - Sorrry abot thespeeling,But i'am get n alil drunk and In cann't find the spackbase button.

Martha Stewart, Move Over

Step 1:  Thaw the turkey

Step 2:  Rescue turkey from pack of dogs

Step 3:   Enlist the help of others

Step 4:   Clean out the refrigerator

Step 5:   Chop everything into indistinguishable, miniscule pieces

Step 6:   Call it dressing

Step 7:   Immunize the bird against bird flu

Step 8:  Have the bird taste-tested & inspected

Step 9:  Immerse bird into hot grease...Wowouch !

Step 10:  Find the fire extinguisher !

Step 11:  Burn Baby Burn

Step 12:  Check temperature of bird with rectal thermometer, oh, that's the wrong end...

Step 13: Check temperature of bird with neck thermometer

Step 13:  Be  thankful for our family