Sweet rain, sweet produce

We have had a period of really nice rain and it definitely shows in the garden. I picked some of my Kentucky Wonder Stringless Green beans today. I picked some green onions and then moved my lettuce into a container and placed it in the shade on the deck because it had gotten too hot for it in the garden. I took the beans and onions, cut them up, added bacon, and new red potatoes for part of our supper.

Mike is grilling some more pork chops (am I starting a pork chop Thursday tradition?) but we are all out of the GOOD BBQ sauce. Store bought will have to do. I'm adding fresh tomatoes and romaine lettuce to finish our feast.

Homemade BBQ and Frijoles a la charra

Mike was able to take the day off yesterday, so we made the most of it-a trip to Home Depot for some new plants and items for home improvement, and lunch out with my daughter. For supper, we found some great pork chops. We also had been saving a jar of homemade BBQ sauce that one of the State Troopers had made. The combination made for some really good grilled pork. I'm hoping the Trooper will share his sauce recipe with me soon...I really need it.






I had made these beans the day before and they were even better today.
Frijoles a la Charra:
Cook a pot of pinto beans (1 1/2 to 2 pounds) after washing and soaking the beans. Drain.
Cover the beans with several inches of water and cook until tender. Salt and pepper to taste.
Add :
a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
several slices of chopped bacon
1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilis
a small handful of chopped, fresh cilantro



Simmer the beans for several hours, adding hot water if needed, until they are thick and creamy.
Like this:

The weather was really warm and beautiful. I sat on the deck and watched Mike grill the meat. Very relaxing.

Meet Andre

My son and his girlfriend went home to visit her mom this weekend and they picked up a little something to bring home. This is Andre (my guess is he is named in honor of Andre the Giant) and he is half daschund and half the little hound next door. Mike meets Andre and Andre climbs up his neck and lays there.

Andre bites Mike's hair.

Amos jumps up in Mike's lap and meets Andre. Amos only weighs 10 pounds and it looks like he is the Giant now.

Ohhhhh, it's my turn! He likes to bite the collar of my T-shirt. See his little eyes looking over my shirt...he's a keeper.

Big Saturday

Just about everything in our house is big. The Living room is big, very tall-and we bought a TV yesterday that fit right in. Just to put it in perspective, that fireplace is 6 feet wide and 20 feet tall. The new TV, which Mike has wanted for years but wouldn't buy for himself, is a 50 inch model.

After looking at about 40 kinds of big screen TVs, we picked this one. Mike said he could see it perfectly from the back bedroom. It is really fun to watch a TV like this one. It's like a movie screen. Imagine watching the Super Bowl on this!

Easter, Texas style

Here are a few scenes from a great Easter weekend. Mike barbequed on Friday and on Saturday, we had our traditional egg hunt and fish fry. As you can tell, at Granny's house, all the grandkids participate whether they are 11 (the youngest) or in their 20's.Big boys trade candy among themselves. Apparently, Reese's peanut butter eggs are highly prized. Note the cowboy boots and shorts on one of my nephews. It isn't a fashion statement but standard dress when using a boat in the creek to check the fishing lines.

My brother-in- law and my 2 sisters prepare for frying the fish outdoors.

Mike grabs a quick nap while waiting for everyone to arrive for the egg hunt.

The youngest grandchild hunts next to the 2nd oldest one.

I snapped this picture of the new baby calf peeking from behind the mother. It is so blurry because we had all piled on a trailer being pulled by a tractor. It is such a fun way to ride down to the creek and look around.

Some of the boys used the boat to check the fishing lines they set in the creek. The creek had enough water to use the boat even though they had to all get out and pull the boat over a log at one point. The fishing was fun but no fish were caught this weekend.

It was a beautiful weekend, cool enough to enjoy a fire in the firepit, and the rain held off long enough to fry fish and hunt eggs. It was a true Texas, country celebration.

Sweet gift from a sweet friend

A pallet of strawberries given by a generous friend, washed, cored and sliced. Nine quarts of fresh berries packed with a 30% sugar solution, ready to freeze and use later.

One quart of the ripest ones to have with our supper. A delicious end to a day of Easter preparation and cooking. Thank you, dear friend for this special gift.

Introducing my family part 1

I think it is about time that I shared my family-who they are and what they look like. I love them so much. You've already seen Mike, and this is Lee. He is 20. He goes to school full time and has been a Corrections Officer for about 9 months now. He wants to follow in his Dad's footsteps and be a State Trooper.

I know I'm his Mom but I can truly tell you that he is kind hearted, smart, handsome and moral.

I'm very proud of him and pray that all his dreams are fulfilled. As my daughter says, he is an almost perfect son.

I asked him yesterday if I could put his picture on my blog and he took time to pose before he went off to work. Thanks Lee!