foodyvett

I have a friend who likes to make dinner using one pot only. That's it. No other pans or dishes. One pot. She often complains that she doesn't really like her own food. I'd like to suggest that she maybe use a little variety but I know that is out of the question. I thought about her last night while I was making dinner. I think it would have been her absolute nightmare. For green chile enchiladas, I used . . . .

- one pot to make the roast (the enchiladas are quite tasty when made with nice, tender roast. I like them that way rather than chicken)
- one pot to boil beans
- one pan to refry the beans
- one pot for spanish rice
- one saucepan to boil tomatoes for chile sauce
- one pan to make the green chile sauce
- one pan for the tortillas
- a baking tray to melt all the cheese on the enchiladas

Of course I don't have that many burners, so not everything is being made at the exact same time. Oh, and for your info, I'm still on the low-carb deal. Sucks. I had salad with some of the meat on it. I was practically drooling over Rodrigo's plate. Anyway, all this talk of food reminds me of a meme I saw on Jodi's page. Here are my answers . . . .


The Rules:

Type your answer to the questions into Flickr search.
Using only the first page of results, pick an image.
Copy and paste each of the URLs in the Mosaic Maker

And now for the questions:

1. What is your favorite restaurant? My local favorite is called Poca Cosa

2. What is your favorite type of cuisine? I love Asian cuisine. I know that's broad, but that's my answer.

3. What is your favorite comfort food? Soup. I loves me some soup!

4. What is your favorite childhood food? Chop Suey. Really. I grew up on Mexican and Chinese food. There's a really good explanation too, but that's for another day.

5. What is your favorite dish to prepare for company? I love making mole for people who have never had it. I love the "you're feeding me chicken with chocolate and red chile?" look. But by far the dish I get the most compliments for is what I made last night . . green chile enchiladas. So I'll have to go with that.

6. What is your favorite wine? I'm not a good wine drinker, so a Riesling because it's light and good for beginners. And I only know that because a sommelier told me.

7. Who is your favorite chef? Rocco DiSpirito. Yes, please. By the way, I made his shells with cheese and bacon recipe and it was soooooooo good! So not only is he easy on the eyes, but he really can cook! : P

8. What is your least favorite food? Avocados. I hate them, hate them, hate them, hate them. Don't try to change my mind. Many have tried. My throat constricts just thinking about them.

9. What is the most adventurous food you’ve eaten? Cow tongue. Known as "lengua". To my defense, I was a kid and my mom didn't tell me what it was. We were at her friend's house and that's what she served us. I don't know how it was cooked (fried or boiled or what) but it was in a tomato sauce with cilantro. I didn't like it, but then again I didn't like to eat anything back then. If I'd have known what it was, I wouldn't have tasted it. I won't now either.



Play along!

feeling: time has been flying lately
listening to: Clay Aiken (O Holy Night)

chubby face

One of the first things Badger does each morning is go outside. He'll then scratch at the door when he's done and is ready to come back in. One morning last week, I noticed he looked a little weird a little while after he'd come back in. He was fine when he woke up, but at that time, his snout was looking like it was getting a little bump. I remember when I was a kid one of my dogs was bitten by some ants and the swelling reduced with milk. I thought Badger might have been bitten by an ant, so I gave him some milk too. The morning progressed, Brianna went off to school, Rodrigo left for work and I took Alec to school. As soon as I got back from dropping off Alec, I noticed that Badger had gotten worse. His snout was completely swollen. It looked all roundish like Snoopy. I immediately called the vet and was asked to take him in.
They took his temperature and vitals and everything looked good. It turns out that he either got stung by some sort of insect or maybe ate some insect. Either way, he got an allergic reaction and that's why he was all swollen. Badger wasn't telling us what had happened. : ) He received two shots and we were on our way. I love my vet and her whole staff. They were all kissing Badger and calling him "Chubby Face" trying to make him feel better. I'd be giving him treat as they took his temperature and when he got his shots. I think he likes going there because of all the attention and treats he gets. His tail is always wagging when we're at the vet's.
We had to give him Benadryl twice a day for three days after that and just monitor him to make sure he didn't have any reaction to the medication. By that afternoon, all the swelling was gone. I felt very relieved and I'm sure Badger did too. So, we had Benadryl for the kids at this time (the liquid kind) but we weren't prepared for Badger. I realized I have to prepare for him as well, so I'm putting together a Doggy First Aid Kit. My furry baby tends to get into more mischief than my two-legged kids, so I think this is a good idea. Now I just need to find the perfect box for it.



feeling: I know I'm going to be a wreck when I watch Marley & Me
listening to: U2 (Miracle Drug)

the last election post

Unless I get invited to the inauguration ceremony or something, I pinky swear this will be my last post about the election. (hold out your pinky and hook it with mine). It actually even isn't about the election as much as it is about Brianna. See, she is super upset that neither Rodrigo nor I are old enough to run for president. She is a really into what is going on with the Obama girls. She wants to be pens pals with the one that is her age and is always talking about how she likes the clothes the girls wear. I guess as a little kid, it is super exciting to think of all the things that you'd do if you got to live at the white house. Her latest reason for wanting to be a first kid is because she heard news that the Obama girls are invited to be on any Disney show any time they'd like. Yesterday during dinner, she and Alec were discussing what shows they'd be on if they could. (It ended up in a fight and with Alec crying, as usual).
One other thing that has her really concerned is the puppy. I think that was her favorite part of the acceptance speech because she talked about it for a long time after the speech. She did some research (she has several books on dogs) and has come to the conclusion that the girls should get a Bichon Frise. Now she wants to be pen pals even more so that they can discuss puppies. I think it's really cute. My apologies to Brianna for not being old enough to be the president. Maybe I'll be the president of the PTA and that way I can run for VP in 2012. Yeah, I had to throw that in.

feeling: even though we have most bills sent electronically, we still get a ton of mail
listening to: Radiohead (High & Dry)

catching up with yvett . . . . mode

It's been so long that I don't even know when to start.

- I have 18 drafts of emails I started and have never sent. I've you've sent me in an email in the last two months or so and are expecting a reply, it's coming. Slow and steady.

- Brianna's Halloween party went off without a hitch. The food was all up to their gross standards. I haven't even uploaded the pictures, but you'll see when I do.

- The election. Ah, the election. That day I was helping out at the kids' school. They had a mock election there. The person who didn't win in the national election won at the school. What I found interesting, though (and by "interesting" I mean sad) was the things the kids were saying about Mr. B.O. It was unbelievable! I mean, Alec is in kindergarten and they already had things to say. Obviously it was from hearing the parents but I think it was a little extreme. Things like "my daddy says Ob@ma wants to come and steal our money". To which I thought, "yeah, your non-existent money". Another little boy was saying that his dad said he wanted to "beat him up". Alec was telling them that they couldn't beat up a president because then they'd go to "jails". I felt uber proud. Brianna's class had their own voter cards and were asked for them at random. They read up on both candidates' biographies and on some of their stances on issues. I nearly laughed out loud when one kid said that Ob@ma would raise every one's taxes. The teacher then asked "And just what are taxes?" Of course he didn't know.
That night I let the kids stay up late. I can't imagine them as adults thinking about this election knowing that mom made them go to bed. We were all awake watching. When the announcement came, I started sobbing. So that's where I was . . . on my couch with Rodrigo and the kids, all of us in pajamas. I called my grandma shortly after the announcement and she was crying too. I cried again the next day and still get a little teary once in a while.

- Since I'd been glued to the TV, the house was starting to look a little, uh, dirty. I spent a few days doing all the stuff I'd been neglecting and I feel a whole lot better. I'm sure my family does too.

- While putting away all the Halloween decor, I really considered just skipping the Thanksgiving stuff and decorating for Christmas early. Lots of families have their tree up by Thanksgiving, right? I really, really thought about it and almost did it, but I'm just not in the mood yet. It's hard to get into the Christmas spirit with these Arizona temperatures. Sandals and Santas don't make a good mix. You know on Halloween night we were in the 90's (temps). Seriously. We've only been in the 80's these past few days, but still it's no hazy shade of winter around here.

- I miss reading blogs. I'm about to do that now. . . . . . .

feeling: -sigh- good to be back
listening to: Depeche Mode (Blasphemous Rumours) <-- hence the post title