Four Ingredients

to deliciousness.

When I was a little kid I loved getting the phone call from my grandma saying that they were having hamhocks and beans for dinner. Because it meant that I got to go over to their house and eat it with them.

My grandpa would mix up four ingredients and come out with my favorite dish - or one of two of my favorite dishes (the other being tuna fish casserole). One of my favorite memories is sitting there at that old metal table of theirs eating ham hocks and beans with my Pa.

My version:

Soak one bag of Great Northern beans overnight.

Brown 4-6 ham hocks on all sides in a large stock pot.
Remove ham hocks.
Cook 1 diced onion in stock pot (if need be, add a bit of canola oil so it doesn't stick).
Cook until translucent.
Add 2 quarts of chicken broth.
Add soaked Great Northern beans.
Return ham hocks to pan and bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hours.
Salt as needed.
Enjoy.

I have worked the kids up to eating the ham from the soup. And the other day Leif ate a bean accidentally that stuck to the inside of the ham. And it wasn't awful! I will have them eating ham hocks and beans. It is a family tradition on my side of the family that runs as deep as Swedies on AB's side.

These are a few of my favorite songs...

My music tastes tend to change with the wind. I can tell you what my favorite songs are now, but who knows if they will be my favorites in another week.

Same with books.

Lately I have found myself gravitating to the "oldies". Going back to the music I listened to growing up. I think this probably has a lot to do with my mom passing, but the songs that are hot on my iPod, weren't necessarily her favorites.

When I think of my mom's favorite music, I think of things like Mamma Mia and other contemporary musicals. These were her favorites most recently.

My music tastes as a kid reflected my parents. That's one of the advantages to having young parents... I KNEW who Ted Nugent was back when he actually sang instead of pontificated. (I suppose if at 3 years old you think that knowing the words to "Cat Scratch Fever" was an advantage...)

As I got older and lived further away from my parents, our tastes diverged, though my mom and I often compared notes. When I discovered Greg Brown recently, she was the only one on FB who jumped up and said, "he is one of my favorites right now".

My parents fell on the Stones side of the fence - not the Beatles side.

Me? Well this is one of my top played on my iPod right now.




Leif's first song he declared as a favorite was "Yellow Submarine". This was when I fully understood that 50% of his genes do come from his father.

When I was in high school I picked up "Tangled up in Blue" for my mom. Her copy was worn out.

I couldn't find a good video that wasn't a cover, but one of my favorite lines ever:

"I like the smile in your fingertips, I like the way that you move your hips, I like the cool way - you look at me. Everything about you is bringing me misery."

Another top song right now on my iPod.

One of my favorites now is an old song that I despised as a child... after all it was country and by Kenny Rogers of all people (everyone say "ewww" like an 8 year old little girl). Then I found this cover and the world changed.





Something about this one though just screams "like".

Next on my list of most played?

"Domenik the Donkey" (thank you Skadi) and "Who Let the Ghosts Out" (thank you Leif). We just won't go there. And yes, there is a reason that the play number of these two horrible songs is exactly equal.

My mom went through a Johnny Cash phase too. I don't know that "Long Black Veil" hit her favs, but it is getting loads of play in my car.

I haven't been able to touch some of my mom's favorites with a ten foot pole yet - "Me and Bobby McGee" for example. I suppose it is easier for me to skirt around the edges right now.

When I was at my mom's shortly after her passing going through the computer I went through her playlist. The song that blew me away on there was this one:



I went through a big Terence Trent D'Arby phase when I was what... about 14? I played this all.the.time.

I guess at 14 (or whatever I was) I was too absorbed in myself to note that my mom had fallen for this song too.

The funny things that we discover after the fact.

Oh and this one? I can listen to. Because my childhood memories don't include my mom singing along to this one.

The best ever...

spicy food?

Name your best ever spicy food meal, please.

(Just something we were talking about today, trying to come up with best meals can be hard. So many of my favorite meals are surrounded around events and I don't necessarily remember what I ate at some.)

My best ever spicy meals...

a few come to mind.

• Green chili from El Chapultapec in LoDo... before Lower Downtown Denver was actually cool and LoDo. I ate there when I was 18 with my then boyfriend. I cried their green chili burnt my mouth so bad. But for years after I went back for more.
• My husband's green chili - modeled after El Chapultapec's but with a twist - smoked pork loin.
• My first time eating Thai food when I was 18 also. It was spicy, and a bit hot, but the flavors were a taste sensation. I had never had anything so flavorful in my entire life.
• Spicy tuna rolls from Pete's Sushi restaurant in Alaska.

I love...

I am copying Pioneer Woman… Things I love (outside of my family and friends) in no particular order:

Sunset magazine
Dansko shoes
Snow
Red wine
Port
Dark Chocolate
Sushi
Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks
My camera
My hardbound dissertation
My iPhone
My car blue tooth transmitter
Cupcakes
My mom’s chocolate cake (made by her)
Pumpkin Pie
My house
My Toyota 4Runner
Visiting the cabin at Shelton
Beachcombing with my kids
Colorado
Washington
Alaska
My photo albums
Black and white photos
The Wii
Freya’s chew toys
Books
My daughter’s eyes, define the color, I dare you.
Fall colors
Music
Fresh produce
Farmer’s Market
Staying in a nice hotel
Pike Place Market
The Denver Museum of Natural History
Thermopolis, Wyoming
Spelunking
Cooking
The computer
Internet
Facebook
Cross stitching
Sewing
Hiking
Skiing
Enabling my husband’s dreams
The smell of the mountains
Pine trees
Christmas
Santa
God
Indian summers
Red grapefruit
Blueberries
Raspberries
Salmon
Salmon fishing
Pedicures
Little girl clothes
Finding bargains on cute little girl clothes
Beards
Flannel shirts
Gingerbread
Rose bushes in bloom
Rhododendrons
Lilacs
The iris field on Broadway in Boulder
University of Colorado
Science
Baby shoes
Nachos with fake plastic cheese
Our military personnel
The US
Coffee
Jack and Coke
Star Wars
Velvet
Wildlife
My husband’s BBQ
My charm bracelet
My engagement ring
My wedding band
Lake Tahoe

Dismal I tell you!

Most of the kids' books are pretty good. Love the Boynton books. Skadi loves them too. She is particularly fond of the Dora books, Goodnight Moon (which has to be read every night before bed) and also Yertle the Turtle. She LOVES Yertle.

Leif is now into having chapter books read to him. I started off with Little House on the Prairie - which he loved. And then we moved and apparently I packed the rest of the set. Must find them. We got a few Cynthia Rylant books, a Patrick Carman book about a park in Walla Walla and then AB started reading Harry Potter. I wasn't terribly thrilled about this, but let him go with it. At first Leif kind of balked. Hearing about Harry and his cousin and the room under the staircase, wasn't terribly interesting.

So AB skipped that section and jumped straight to Hagrid and his world has since been changed. They are nearly finished with book one.

So these are the good books.

There are other really, really bad books out there.

Let's start with "A Party in the Jungle". This one is so bad that whoever wrote it left their name off. It has no author. It's just a "glitter book" and available for a penny from many sellers on Amazon. Not only does the story drive me insane - an elephant named Toby is shy, but he is invited to a party and asked to dance and miraculously overcomes his shyness. This is not how shyness is overcome, I can tell you firsthand.

Add to that neither of my kids are showing signs of shyness. I think the book should hit the trash. Don't waste your penny.

The main reason for this is one sentence in this book. I can get past the simple concept of the book. But the sentence "Everyone came including a mouse to eat, sing and dance." What exactly is the mouse's purpose? To be eaten? So so very bad.

And Skadi loves this book. Of course.

It's the glitter.

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Moving on...

Tonight Leif picked out a book handed down to him from our prior neighbor boy. The Little Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Anderson. I was thrilled he picked this out. It was aimed at his age group with lots of pop up action and this is a classic author! My son was reading a classic with me!

Ok, has anyone read this story? Classics should probably just go away. I tried reading Robinson Crusoe to Leif a few months ago after remembering how much *I* loved that book. I was appalled. I put it away. Far away.

Back to the Little Tin Soldier. Great concept. A tin soldier made for a boy, gets lost, eaten by a fish, mom buys a fish at the market and cuts it open to find the lost tin soldier.

If it ended there I would have been fine. I would have remained a touch grossed out by the fact that they bought fish with guts inside, but fine.

But no, the story doesn't end there. It ends with the soldier being thrust into the fire because it was defective and the little balerina that fell in love with him jumping in after him and all that remains in the fire the next day is his head and her heart.

GULP!!

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Enter Captain Underpants. Another book passed on by the boy down the street.

Need I say more?

Actually even Leif isn't terribly interested anymore. He thought the concept was hilarious to start, but Underpants is currently lying under a huge stack of books awaiting the repair of the cheap book shelf in Leif's room.

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There is one last book of Skadi's that slays me. It is another one of those grammar violation books. Stay tuned...

(Because I am tired now and need to go to bed.)

Raising a bag lady

Since the day after my daughter was born we have known that she is a girl that wants what she wants. She is particular on her requests and vocal about it.

Skadi has established her favorites list:

Favorite teacher at daycare. (It only took five weeks to convince her someone else could care for her.)

Favorite book - 10 Little Ladybugs (And she was none too happy to find it in Leif's room this morning. She picked it up and marched it out - despite the fact that she uses his room as much as him.)

Favorite food - Mommy milk (I am starting to wonder if she will never wean.) After daycare today she had a Gerber "Cheetoh" in her mouth, when she eyed my chest, she reached up and scooped the "Cheetoh" out of her mouth (depositing it on the floor) and came over and lifted my shirt up. She is a different beast than my Leifer.

Favorite thing to do - go outside (opening the back door and closing it before she can toddle outside will cause a meltdown). She is an outside girl. Too bad for her she has this pale porcelain skin that is going to burn to a crisp. She will be forever coated in SPF 30.

Favorite activity once outside - the slide or eat sand.

Favorite thing to put in her mouth - rocks. (Oh so good on the teeth.)

Favorite song - Pat Your Tummy

Favorite activity inside - Stand in her wading pool (the dog's water bowl). This does mean however she gets to put on a new pair of shoes. See there is a reason why she has 14 pairs.

Second favorite activity inside - Have a tea party.

Favorite person to put her to bed - Daddy (make that only person allowed to put her to bed right now).

Favorite person to see at 2:30am - Mommy (make that the only acceptable person to see at 2:30am).

Favorite word - Mine (any surprise?)

Favorite sport - swimming, specifically gathering the balls up and putting them in the basket (parent-tot lesson game).

Favorite clothes - Dresses (ok, that might be mommy's insertion)

I thought Skadi needed a baby doll. I slaved over the decision until I finally actually went to Target to the doll aisle - who would have known? Going into a store as opposed to cruising aisles online? I have become a lazy shopper. If it isn't at Costco or Albertsons then I find it online.

I found too many actually. There were a ton of acceptable dolls. Kind of made me feel silly for writing that other post on my other blog. I labored over the decision avoiding the end of the aisle with the freaky motion sensing dolls that all giggled and coo'd when I got in front of them. Any wonder why there were still 10 out of 10 dolls there? No way in hell is one coming home with me. (And the other woman in the aisle agreed with me.) Sales tactic gone bad... don't actually make it respond in the store, wait until the doll gets home before revealing the obnoxious level.

I finally decided on a little baby doll in a cloth carry basinette with two bottles. I remember Leif's friend, C, had this one because his baby doll didn't have a cloth basinette with his dolly and this was a huge point of contention between the two friends.

I took the doll home and gave it to Skadi.

She looked at it, played a little (about 20 seconds), then threw the doll down and picked up the cloth basinette - tossed it over her shoulder and walked off.

She has not shown one iota of interest in the dolly. Only the cloth basinette. (As has the cat - he has adopted it as his bed.)

Oh and the pile of purses that were on my closet floor during the closet organization this past weekend? She couldn't get enough of them. She situated them (many at a time) on her shoulder as she headed out of the closet.

I have a girl who likes bags.

Baby dolls are still up in the air, but it isn't looking good for them.

My favorite things

Taking a cue from Jo (who needs to finish her list still - ahem!)... who took her cue from Oprah... these are 20 of my favorite things in no particular order:


1. Citrus Spice Herbal Tea


2. Thanks to my MIL for this addiction, Enstrom's English Toffee


3. Classic Coach purses


4. My great grandmother's sugar cookie recipe


5. Fleece pajama pants


6. Professional pictures of my kids


7. Sunset magazine


8. Washington Red blends - Fidelitas Optu, Canon de Sol, DeLille's D2 and even though I have only had it once Col Solare rocked my world.


9. My mom's pies.


10. Comfort foods, hamhock and bean soup, chili, Homemade chicken/turkey pot pies and V's Tortierre.


11. My bookshelf that AB built me for Valentine's Day 2003. (Laughing at how sparse it looks... oh the days.)



12. My gold and platinum diamond solitaire engagement ring.


13. Aveda Rosemary Mint Shampoo and Conditioner... so I can smell like a baby lamb... roasting (according to AB).


14. Books, my favorites - The Time Traveler's Wife, The Life of Pi, books by Jon Krakauer (Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, Under the Banner of Heaven)...


15. Volkl skis... should I ever move beyond demoing again someday.


16. Origins Ginger Float bath creme


17. My collection of unique wine stoppers... especially my Medusa, kind of like this one, but mine is frosted clear, it is better (and apparently now rare!).


18. Dankso shoes


19. Satsuma mandarins


20. Blue Moon Belgian White Ale