Administrativia

It being "the thing to do" on New Years Eve, here are some of the things that came to my mind about the last decade: Houston & the Weather Tropical Storm Allison flooded Houston causing more than $5.5 B in damage and 41 deaths -- as usual, the story was overlooked by the national media because a) it was happening in Houston and b) they were manically covering the Timothy McVeigh execution countdown.  Were it not for 9/11, Allison would have been the largest disaster of 2001. Hurricane Katrina devasted the central Gulf Coast, flooding New Orleans with water and Houston with evacuees.  While the nation watched the Bush Administration fail in its duties, Mayor Bill White and the people of Houston stepped into the void -- providing shelter and a path forward for countless "new" Houstonians. Hurricane Rita taught us that our own hurricane plans were inadequate. Hurricane Gustav taught us how quickly a major storm could develop. Hurricane Ike showed how re...

This is a family favorite recipe from the Stephenson's Farms Old Apple Farm Restaurant  recipe book.  An iconic landmark restaurant in Kansas City -- along side the apple & peach orchards (and strawberry farms) -- I'm sad to say closed shop in 2007.  The recipe booklet I have is from 1987 but was first published in 1967.  It has several favorites of mine that I will post here from time to time. 1 cup milk 1 egg, beaten 4 tablespoons margerine 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 orange, rind and juice 1 cup apples (chopped fine) 3 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon vanilla Beat egg.  In a mixing bowl, combine the milk, egg, sugar and melted margerine.  Add the orange juice, rind and chopped apples (skins can be left on) and vanilla.  Sift together flour, salt, baking powder.  Stir into milk mixture with a spoon until blended.  Do not overmix.  Preheat oil in a skillet to 350°F....

3 medium sweet onions 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 tablespoons butter 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese, divided 1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk 2 teaspoons soy sauce 6 slices (1/2" thick) french bread Preheat oven to 375° F. Slice onions crosswise; cut each of the slices in half.  Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook onions and mushrooms, stirring continuously, until tender.  Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2 quart baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1 cup of Swiss cheese. Combine soup, milk and soy sauce.  Pour on top of cheese.  Top with bread slices and sprinkle with remaining cheese and parsley. Cover & refrigerate for 4-8 hours.  Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to cooking and let stand at room temperature. Bake covered for 30 minutes.  Uncover and bake 15-20 additional minutes prior to serving.

Part 1 of 3 Part 2 of 3 Part 3 of 3 Merry Christmas -- however you celebrate it!

Need a non-traditional dish to help get rid of the turkey left-overs?  Try this variation on a simple quiche. 1 large pie shell (deep dish 9") 6 large eggs 1 cup light cream or whole milk 1 pound chopped cooked turkey 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder dash black pepper Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs then add cream (or milk), cheese, onion, turkey, garlic powder and pepper.  Stir well until turkey and cheese are well coated.  Pour into the pie shell -- use a fork to make sure the ingredients are evenly distributed. Bake for ~35-45 minutes -- the quiche should be golden brown. Garnish with a little left-over cranberry sauce & serve!

From the American Museum of Natural History...

This is a test of the Dragon for iPhone software to see whether or not this is actually something I couldn't use to blog while I'm on the go versus trying to test everything out on my little iPhone screen

As noted on Pam's House Blend , while the House version of Health Care Reform (HCR) eliminates the perverse tax penalty for GLBT-families who's employers provide them the same benefits as their heterosexual counterparts, the just-passed Senate version does not. No doubt, the Obama folks will ignore any efforts to rectify this -- after all, teh gay is icky and controversial...

I found a template generator -- Artisteer -- and am learning the product so I can change up the look & feel beyond what you get with the standard Blogger templates. So, if you happen by over the next few weeks and notice everything changing -- call it a learning curve -- especially as I try and figure out how to enable some of the tools like LinkedWithin that seem to only come back sporadically.  (I'm thinking a conflict with the CSS, but can't be sure.)

1 1/4 pounds lean ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped green chile pepper 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 2 teaspoons chili powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided 1/2 cup sour cream 1 egg, lightly beaten Preheat oven to 375º F.   In a large skillet, brown the ground beef, onion and green chile pepper; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, chili powder ,and garlic salt. Simmer while preparing the biscuits.   Separate biscuit dough into 10 biscuits. Pull each biscuit into 2 layers. Press 10 biscuit halves on the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish to form bottom crust. Reserve the other 10 biscuit halves for the top layer.   Remove meat mixture from heat, and stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheese, sour cream, and egg; mix well. Spoon over bottom crust. Arrange remaining biscuit halves to form top crust, and spoon remaining cheese evenly over the top.   Bake in preheated...

Gougères are fancy-titled puff pastries -- pâte à choux -- that utilize the high moisture content of the dough to create steam during baking instead of a rising agent to create the 'puff'... this recipe makes about 60 1" puffs or 2 & 1/2 dozen 2" puffs. 1-1/2  cups water 1/2  cup butter, cut into pieces 1/4  teaspoon salt 1-1/2  cups all-purpose flour 5  eggs 1-1/2  cups crumbled blue cheese 4  teaspoons Dijon-style mustard 1 tablespoon rosemary, finely chopped 1/8  teaspoon ground white pepper 1/8  teaspoon cayenne pepper Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the water, butter and salt over a medium flame until the butter melts. Do not boil. When the butter is melted, dump in the flour all at once and stir vigorously until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan, and then for one additional minute. Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from ...

Although Mayor-elect Parker is not Houston's first gay mayor (see Hoffienze & the Chutes leather bar back-room bust in the late 70's), she is the second female mayor, first openly gay mayor and the first mayor-elect in a generation that beat out the back-room selected candidate of the business-elites. It was a campaign that, for many of us, is a sign of the ascendency of Houston's LGBT power base - and a hopeful sign for things to come.

This is a basic chili recipe that we've made in my family for, well, years... it's something of a midwestern staple. 1 1/2 pound lean ground beef 1 cup chopped yellow onion 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper 3 tablespoons chili powder 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 cans (16 oz.) red beans, drained 3 small cans (8 oz.) tomato sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt In a large pot, season the ground beef with the chili powder. Brown the meat on medium high heat until most of the pink is gone. Add the onion, peppers and garlic while continuing to cook the meat through. Reduce heat to medium and add red beans. Stir in the tomato sauce. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, then add the salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45 minutes or until ready to serve -- stirring occasionally. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, grated sharp cheddar cheese & your favorite saltines.

The portion size on this is enough for 2 -- but why share?! 4 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons cocoa 1 egg 3 tablespoons milk 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or butter, melted) 3 tablespoons chocolate chips 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large microwave-safe coffee mug Add dry ingredients to the coffee mug and mix well with a fork. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Add milk and oil and continue to mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips and vanilla extract beat until well mixed. Microwave for about for 3 minutes on high (assuming a 1000 watt oven -- lower the time if your oven is higher wattage.) The cake will rise like a souffle. Carefully remove from the microwave (use a pot-holder!) and let cool for few minutes before serving. Works well directly from the coffee cup or tip it out onto a plate and serve with a scoop of ice cream.

4 tablespoons of chopped onion 3 tablespoons of melted butter 1 cup of milk 2 tablespoons of flour Salt and pepper 2 eggs separated 3 cups of leftover mashed potatoes Paprika Chopped chives (garnish) Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a small skillet, brown the onion in butter, add flour and then milk over medium heat. In a medium mixing bowl, add potatoes, milk & onion mixture and egg yolks. Mix well. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until frothy and peaks begin to form. Gently fold into potato mixture. Pour into a greased baking dish or casserole. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Sprinkle top with paprika and chopped chives for garnish prior to serving.

And of course, Elizabeth Hasselbeck makes a bizzare statement while Sherri Shepard looks uncomfortable -- not because of the blond idiots question, but because she's anti-gay marriage and knows she can't even sound as incoherent on the subject as Hasslebeck.

Today was a rare day -- a snow day -- in Houston... and this makes my 600th post since starting my blog in December of 2007.

For those that like the taste of a Monte Cristo, but don't want the hassle of battering up sandwiches before grilling, this is an easy substitute. 12 slices bread 2 tablespoons butter 8-10 oz deli-thin sliced ham 8-10 oz. deli-thin sliced turkey (or chicken) 12 slices Swiss or Gruyere cheese 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk dash salt 1/4 cup confectioners sugar (powder sugar) 1/4 cup strawberry preserves Preheat oven to 350F. Butter one side of four slices of bread and place butter-side down on the bottom of an 8x8 glass baking dish. Evenly layer the ham over the bread. Lightly spread mustard on four more bread slices and place on top of ham layer. Add turkey and cheese and top with the rest of the bread. Press the sandwiches down slightly and pre-cut diagonally. Beat eggs with milk and salt. Pour over sandwiches and allow to soak into bread. Place in oven and bake for about 45 minutes -- top should be golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar and add dollops of straw...

2 tablespoons roasted red pepper, drained, finely chopped 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled 8 oz. (1 package) cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter, softened 2 tablespoons chopped green onions 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and beat on medium speed until well-mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with vegetable crudités or crackers.

Despite all the advances in science, the HIV bug still manages to elude a vaccine. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 20 years worth of World AIDS Days before a cure is found.