Author Archives: kzmclain

On the Road Again

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Road travel is fun, and often funny as well. Especially travel through Arizona and New Mexico.

Today we began the trek home to Denver. No matter which direction we’re going, we always take it easy, and make the drive in two days. We spend the night in Albuquerque, and then drive the balance the next day. It’s about 7 hours each day, give or take. We have made this same drive, oh, I don’t know, maybe 800 times. Not much surprises us, but we always enjoy it.

We have a box of travel goodies. You know, those are the things that you wouldn’t eat at home in a million years, but somehow seem okay if you’re on a road trip. We each have our weakness. Bill can’t resist those little white powder sugar donuts. I gravitate towards Slim Jims. I wouldn’t buy a Slim Jim at my grocery store at home for anything, but I can’t resist them on a road trip. Today, however, our goodie box included M&Ms, Oreos, peanut-butter-filled pretzels, grapes, and Cheetos. Don’t quite know how the grapes made it in there.

A couple of funny observations. As we left our neighborhood, I saw a couple of large birds flying around at the end of the block. When we got close, I realized they were vultures. Seriously. Vultures. Right in our neighborhood, where people have little tiny dogs. The coyotes that I can hear at night if I leave my window open must have gotten ahold of something that they didn’t finish. Or else they found Jimmy Hoffa.

The second funny thing I observed, or rather overheard, took place at our hotel. We always stay at a hotel in Albuquerque that has a happy hour each evening. It’s a nice hotel, but not fancy. Always really nice staff. Tonight the bartender was a 30-something woman who was very outgoing. She seemed friendly to everyone. But I couldn’t help but eavesdrop as she was talking to a truck driver who was quite obviously flirting with her. At one point, I heard her tell the young man, “My current husband used to be a truck driver.” I laughed out loud, and suggested to Bill that he never introduce me to anyone as his current wife, Kris.

When we are in Albuquerque, we eat in one of two places – Frontier Restaurant (a joint near the University of New Mexico that features absolutely fabulous New Mexican style food, which mustn’t be confused with typical Mexican food) or Rudy’s Barbecue Restaurant (a Texas-based barbecued meat market that sells their food by the pound). Tonight we chose Rudy’s. We always over-order at Rudy’s, and it pains me that we can’t take the leftovers home. I particularly like the pinto beans. The barbecue sauce (or sause, as they spell it) is delicious. I found this copycat recipe, but frankly, I don’t trust it. The sauce I eat is quite spicy, and this recipe only has a scant bit of cayenne pepper. But it’s worth a try.

Rudy’s Barbecue Copycat Sauce

Ingredients
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 c. ketchup
½ c. brown sugar
2/1/2 T white vinegar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. lemon juice
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. coarse black pepper
¼ t. cumin
1/8 t. cayenne pepper

Process
Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer until slightly reduced, about 30 min.

Now it’s time to hit the road again. It’s cold in Colorado, and I’m not looking forward to that. But I am looking forward to seeing my grandkids.

Flocks of Snowbirds

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Coloradans call the winter ski visitors “turkeys.” The skiers are called this because their faces get sunburned from being on top of the mountain, basking in the state’s lovely winter sunshine, but the rest of their bodies remain winter white. Like turkeys. Well, sort of. Takes a bit of a stretch of the imagination. Hey, I didn’t come up with the term.

In Arizona, the winter visitors are called “snowbirds.” I didn’t come up with that term either. I just know that when I’m in Arizona, I’m one of them.

I recently read that the Phoenix area population increases by somewhere around 400,000 residents starting sometime in October or November and begins diminishing around Easter, mid-April to early May. As we were driving here recently, we passed many large RVs with license plates from Minnesota or Missouri or South Dakota. But having spent a couple of winters here, I can tell you that the population hasn’t peaked yet.

There are still no long lines to get into restaurants. The streets are relatively quiet. There were places to sit at Mass yesterday. But it won’t be long. And, much as I hate to admit it (seeings as they are me), the snowbirds really are enough to drive a sane man or woman mad. Many drive too slow (especially merging onto the freeways, where they somehow feel it is perfectly appropriate to merge at 25 mph). It takes forever to pay a bill at a restaurant or go through a check stand because each person needs to make sure they are getting the best deal they can get. And my husband refuses to sit at the front of a restaurant that is located in a mall parking lot because inevitably, every year there are stories about someone hitting the gas instead of the brake and driving through the front window of a storefront eatery.

But, my Arizona family and friends, I must remind you of that number – 400,000. That is a lot of people who are bringing money into your economy. So smile, put up with us, and just know that someday in the future (and it will come sooner than you think), you will also be coming up on 60 or 70 years old and having to watch your pennies.

Bill and I are headed back to Denver, but we will return soon to spend the cold months of winter here. When we return, I will try to maintain my speed, keep track of which is the accelerator and which is the brake, and slide over in the pew on Sunday.

In the meantime, my sister had us over for a bon voyage dinner of brats, corn on the cob, and pasta salad. Here is the recipe for the salad (photo and recipe courtesy of acedarspoon.com):

Mexican Pasta Salad

Ingredients
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
¾ of a box of pasta
½ green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
¼ c. corn (fresh or frozen)
½ c. grape tomatoes, halved
½ c. cilantro
¼ c. olive oil
2 T lime juice
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of oregano
Salt to taste

Process
Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse under cold water to stop cooking. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, green pepper, red pepper, corn, and tomatoes, and mix well. Add pasta and continue to mix.

In a small food process, combine the cilantro, olive oil, lime, garlic powder and oregano. Blend well. Drizzle this dressing over the pasta salad and mix.
Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Family Ties

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We only have a few more days here in the desert before we pack up the few things we’re taking with us and head back to Denver. I’m looking forward to seeing my kids and grandkids, as always. But I leave here, also as always, with some sadness because I leave family behind in AZ as well.

Last night my brother came over for dinner. He was alone, as his wife was working and his youngest daughter was off doing grown-up college kind of things. He had called me the day before with a special request. Liver and onions. Go figure.

I was happy to comply, because both Bill and I like liver and onions on occasion, though I rarely make it for just the two of us. But I would have made my brother anything he asked for because there is no one I enjoy cooking for more than David. He loves to eat the things I make. And there is nothing a person that enjoys cooking likes more than seeing someone enjoy what they cooked!

But even more than the meal, I enjoyed the time we spent on our back patio yakking while he and Bill smoked a cigar and I waited for my onions to soften and my potatoes to cook. We talked about our kids and our grandkids. We reminisced about our favorite meals that Mom cooked us when we were small. We gnashed out all that was wrong with the world today. We talked and talked as the sun went down and the color of the sky softened and the birds became quieter.

That time with my brother reminded me that we have to appreciate every minute we have with those that we love. We can never get time back. Somber thought, but joyful as well if you look at it in the right way.

I read Killing Jesus this week (see yesterday’s book review), and one of the things that the book made me realize is that up until the very end, Jesus’ followers – even his closest friends – kept waiting for him to do something majestic, something to overthrow the regime. That last week, as they were walking to Jerusalem for what was to be the Last Supper and Jesus’ imminent death, John and James were arguing with the others about who would be Jesus’ right-hand men in the new regime following his overthrow of the Roman Empire. Up to the very end they didn’t really appreciate Jesus for what he was. Jesus must have wanted to slap his forehead and say, “Oy vey! Have you not listened to a thing I have been telling you about my suffering and death?” Clearly, the disciples eventually realized and understood it, but not until after Jesus and died and rose from the dead.

I am determined to strengthen my relationship with Jesus, working on it every day through prayer. And I am also determined to appreciate the people I love that are here with me now, and strengthen my relationship with them as well. A bit early for a new year’s resolution, but better now than never.

And, by the way, the liver and onions was delicious, but I won’t bother with the recipe. You won’t make it anyway.

Haboobs

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I feel like an 8-year-old boy who is saying a naughty word. Haboob. But that’s the actual word for the severe dust storms that take place in desert areas like Arizona. And while yesterday’s weather change certainly didn’t constitute the title of haboob, it definitely was a dust storm. This photo, by the way, is a stock photo of a haboob, not yesterday’s storm.

Because the weather in the Phoenix area doesn’t vacillate much from day to day, it’s amusing to see just how excited the news people get in Arizona when they have an unusual weather situation of any kind or magnitude. The occasional rainfall brings about great excitement. If there’s a bit of wind, the news programs invariably show photos of a swaying palm tree to illustrate the windy danger. When the weather drops below 70, well, brrrrrr. Seriously. Last night we were told to make sure we remembered to put on a jacket when we left the house because the temp was only going to get to 71. It makes me laugh.

We have never been here for an actual haboob. They are apparently very interesting to see, and can be pretty dangerous. The clay dirt (which is incredibly hard, making it nearly impossible to put anything into the ground) begins to blow around, making it very difficult to breathe.

Yesterday’s weather didn’t come close to being a haboob, and yet it was really interesting to see.

I’m not sure my photo captures it, but the air turned a different color. Superstition Mountain, which is such a beautiful sight usually visible from our street, was gone, invisible in a cloud of dust. The birds were squawking, as if they knew something was not quite right.

It was a good afternoon and evening to stay inside.

Here’s what I made for a side dish:

Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Salad

Ingredients
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 garlic clove, minced or put through a press
6-8 basil leaves, chopped or julienned
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. cider vinegar
1/2 T. honey
2 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Process
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Let sit, refrigerated, for at least a half hour to let flavors blend.

Nana’s Note: I have also used the juice of a lime instead of vinegar. It gives a different flavor, but equally delicious.

It’s the Small Things

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Less than a week after posting a blog entry in which I emphatically declared that Bill and I loathe shopping, I feel forced to admit to you that yesterday Bill and I went shopping. At IKEA.

You know IKEA. The store that sells everything, but everything it sells is a bit smaller than at other stores and has an unusual Swedish name. Take the wok I bought today. It seems to me that woks (or any other utensils or appliances used for cooking) should not be named Skanka. Even if it has two circles over the “a” which I’m unable to duplicate on this non-Swedish keyboard. But I digress….

We actually both love to wander around IKEA. Inevitably Bill will find something he absolutely MUST HAVE for his office, which he will then use exactly once. Similarly, I will find something for the kitchen that is beyond me to understand how I’ve gone nearly 60 years without owning that I will then use exactly once.

Here is a list of what we purchased today:

6 pant hangers
1 extra-long shoe horn
4 storage boxes
2 doors for a storage cube Bill already owns
2 drawers for that same storage cube
1 smaller-than-normal wok
1 abnormally small sauce pan

As sort of a side note, I remember when my mother started buying things in small sizes. She would buy, for example, dish soap in a container that held something like 8 ounces. I don’t know where she even found items that small. I recall that about the time she was buying things in tiny sizes, I was cooking for a family and couldn’t imagine why she would buy something that small. Now, 35 years later, she would be pleased to see just how happy I am today to have found my smaller-than-normal wok and abnormally small sauce pan. When you’re cooking and cleaning for two, you look at life a bit differently. Cheers, Mom.

But back to IKEA. I think one of the things I like most about the store is the shopping carts. You know the ones in which all of the wheels can turn 360 degrees so that you can go down the aisle sideways. Not that I would ever do that.

So, I’m off to make my smaller-than-normal stir-fry in my smaller-than-normal wok. Here is the recipe:

Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients
1 T. vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ginger, minced
½ c. green onion
2 c. broccoli florets
12 oz. skirt steak, sliced
½ t. sesame oil
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. cornstarch
Juice of 1 lime

Process
Heat oil in a wok or skillet, and then add beef. Stir-fry for 5-7 minutes, until brown. Remove beef and set aside. Add garlic and ginger to pan and cook for 2-3 min. Add green onion, broccoli, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Cook 6-8 min. until broccoli softens and is bright green. (You can add a little water if necessary) Add meat back to the wok and cook until meat is again heated through.

Mix cornstarch with ½ c. water and add to pan. Bring to a boil. Add lime juice. Serve over rice.

Nana’s Note: The stir fry didn’t have as much flavor as I would have hoped. It needs a lot more soy sauce, and something else; maybe a little sherry. I’m open to suggestions.

One more little side note/follow-up. Remember a couple of weeks ago when I bought my sweet little third-born granddaughter a pair of pink mittens and pink ski socks to make up for the fact that she was having to wear her brother’s hand-me-down ski coat? Well, today I got this in the mail. So sweet. I particularly like the illustrations of the mittens and socks. It’s a remarkable resemblance.

Sabotage

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In yesterday’s post, I said that I wasn’t so good at healthy cooking. That’s not really true. I can cook healthy food as well as the next person. What I’m not so good at is healthy eating.

The day started great, with a yogurt smoothie, full of mango and strawberries and bananas. Healthy. Off we went to 24 Hour Fitness.

Again, that went very well. We both worked out hard, and felt good that we seemed to perform pretty well considering we had been sick with colds and had only worked out once last week.

After our good workout, we drove to Sprouts Market and got the fixings for a healthy dinner later that evening. Again, good job Kris.

Unfortunately, as we drove home from Sprouts, our car, practically on its own, pulled into the parking lot of the Chicago hot dog place, where the hot dogs are every bit as yummy as any I’ve ever eaten in Chicago, and the fries are better.

There, I’ve said it. Chicago friends, don’t be haters.

Seriously, the French fries are so hot they practically burn the roof of your mouth. Delicious. Worth every calorie. I barely thought about how Weight Watchers tells you not to let yourself get too hungry because that’s when you make bad choices and overeat.

I am really not making light of the fact that I had a not-so-healthy lunch, but I have learned something over the years. Deprivation doesn’t work well for me, especially when it comes to food. I have also learned that if you’re going to eat something that isn’t particularly healthy, then make sure it’s something that tastes really good. And I enjoyed every bite of my hot dog and fries.

Last night, to make up for the hot dog, I fixed some spicy Thai noodles that were simply delicious, and very healthy.

Let’s not talk about the cute little single containers of ice cream that I couldn’t resist buying on sale at 99 cents each. I took a picture of them next to an artichoke so you can see how small and harmless they really are, and also to show you that I bought something healthy too! Again, the ice cream was worth every bite.

Spicy Thai Noodles

Ingredients
1 lb. spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1-2 T crushed red pepper
¼ c. vegetable oil
½ c. sesame oil
6 T. honey
6 T. soy sauce
½ c. green onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
½ c. cilantro, chopped
¾ c. peanuts, chopped

Process
Cook the pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the sesame oil, the vegetable oil, and the crushed red pepper over medium heat in a small pan for two minutes. Watch closely and keep moving the oil around.

After two minutes, strain out the pepper and save the oil. Discard the pepper. Whisk the honey and the soy sauce into the heated oil.

Drain your pasta. Pour the oil mixture into the pasta and toss. It takes a bit of tossing for the pasta to absorb the oil mixture.

Put the pasta into individual bowls, and finish off each bowl with the green onions, cilantro, and peanuts.

Serve warm or cold.

This recipe came from asmallsnippet.com.

Nana’s notes: I cut the recipe in half for my husband and me, and it was the perfect amount. Last night I added frozen raw shrimp to the pasta water during the last three minutes it was cooking and served the noodles topped with the shrimp. In the past, I have used cooked chicken, either leftover or stir-fried. Also, personally, I find sesame oil to be fairly overpowering, so I recommend you really watch the amount of sesame oil you use. For me, less is more.

It’s a pretty dish.

Lighten Up, Girlfriend

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When I commiserated recently with my sister that I was having trouble maintaining my Weight Watchers fighting weight, she pointed out that the majority of my blog recipes as of late have involved a great deal of butter. Humpf. She thinks she knows everything! Granted, I did have to start buying my butter at Costco, and I’m only cooking for my husband and me. But, really….

Anyway, in deference to you-know-who (and also to perhaps be kinder to my heart and ratchet down my cholesterol count), this week I am going to feature tasty, yet healthy, recipes.

I’m not great at cooking healthy. I’m much more like Paula Deen than Ellie Krieger (though I can safely say under oath that I have never used the “N” word to describe a person. Well, except when it used to be part of the “eenie, meenie, miney, moe” thing when I was a child. Wow. That’s weird to think about. You Baby Boomers know what I’m talking about.)

Anyhoo, back to cooking healthy. It’s just never really been my thang, doncha know. I love the taste of butter. I have always preferred chicken thighs over chicken breasts. Nothing tastes better to me than a really nicely marbled (read, FAT) rib-eyed steak. I know the BEEF: IT’S WHAT’S FOR DINNER people tell me a sirloin steak has the best flavor, but seriously?

But I have come to realize that healthy cooking doesn’t have to be flavorless, or even calorie-less. Weight Watchers has taught me that it’s about the combination of calories and fiber, protein and carbs in the right way. And furthermore, it really is about portion control instead of deprivation. So, unlike the olden days, pasta isn’t a no-go. And really, pan frying isn’t a no-go either. Just use a little oil instead of butter, or at least combine the two.

Some of the recipes I will feature for the next few days are recipes I have tried, and some are recipes that look good to me. We will see how it goes.

This is a recipe I plan to make tonight.

Greek Chicken Cutlets (from Martha Stewart, perhaps from prior to incarceration).

The recipe feeds four.

Ingredients
1-1/2 lb. thin chicken cutlets (about 8)
1 pint grape tomatoes
½ c. fresh mint
1/3 c. Kalamata olives, pitted
Salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
4 oz. feta cheese

Process
In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, olives, feta, mint, and 1 T. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill. Season cutlets with salt and pepper. Grill, working in batches, until chicken is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Top chicken with tomato mixture and serve.

Nana’s Notes: Instead of grilling the cutlets, you can use a large skillet over high heat, adding 1 T. olive oil per batch. Also, I will use basil instead of mint because I prefer the flavor and it might annoy Martha Stewart should she stumble on this blog. That’s a good thing. By the way, the image is courtesy of Martha Stewart’s website. I really shouldn’t be so mean to her.

Pumpkin Schmumpkin

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I like pumpkin pie. In fact, all things considered, it’s probably my favorite kind of pie. Homemade pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream, well, it’s just delicious.

And I don’t even mind pumpkin muffins, or pumpkin bread, or even pumpkin roll. But I guess I just am not a big fan of the everything-pumpkin that happens about this time every year.

I have to be careful so that I don’t come across as just crabby. I began complaining to my niece about my weariness of all things pumpkin and she told me she is so very happy this time of year because she can find pumpkin muffins and pumpkin lattes and pumpkin pancakes. So I recognize that this is just a matter of personal taste.

Still, at Bath and Body Works, there is a display of candles and body creams and fragrances that include Blueberry Pumpkin Patch and Pumpkin Pecan Waffles and Pumpkin Apple and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin and Pumpkin Cupcake and Pumpkin Carving. Can Pumpkin Cupcake really smell that much different than Pumpkin Pecan Waffles? And frankly, after carving a pumpkin, I can’t wait to get that mess cleaned up because I think it smells really bad. I burn a citrus candle to get rid of that smell.

I have seen recipes for pumpkin chili and pumpkin alfredo and pumpkin grilled cheese and pumpkin deviled eggs and (this one’s hard for me to even write) pumpkin vinaigrette. Just not appealing to me. It reminds me that many years ago I made a pumpkin soup for my first course at Thanksgiving dinner, and it just didn’t go well. Maybe that accounts for my negative bias.

So, I look forward to a time (and very soon, judging from the early appearance of Christmas decorations at Target, Walmart, Hobby Lobby and Michael’s) when we will, instead, be doing everything peppermint. Now that’s a fragrance and taste I can get my nose and taste buds around.

The preceding blog post is not endorsed by Google, nor a single member of my family.