Friends, Food and Fun in Texas Hill Country

Well. I'm supposed to be working, playing catch-up from being with my gal pals in San Antonio and the surrounding Hill County last weekend. Instead I'm in town working, drinking an extra, extra strong back tea with not quite enough honey, and um, I'm working.

Really. Can't you tell?

I just couldn't stand it any longer. So here's a preliminary post as I catch up, get my pics in order and beg Yvette for the recipe to her version of Chicken Cordon Bleu that was fantastic. Hear that Yvette???
Check back soon as I add more from the trip or better yet subscribe...I know shameless self promotion.
By the way I didn't catch the name of the butterfly above but this was one of the beautiful inhabitants at the butterfly house on the property of Wildseed Farms in Fredericksburg, TX. Goal for the weekend a slide show added to the page so you can see all of the cool places we visited.

Bitter Greens

Last night my mom cooked dinner for the first time since she came down with pneumonia. So, I think sometime in early February. She'd been pretty sick. Apparently she'd had about enough of my cooking and damn it I'm a good cook, but mom is old school. OK, Old School and from North Carolina. In short, Southern cook, that happens to have freaking skinny genes. (Which is just plan not fair!) At 70 something she has a right to be old school, but sometimes cooking for her can be really difficult.

Last night she wanted pork chops and greens and apparently she wanted nothing to do with anything I would choose to fix. She made real old school pork chops, fried in a bit of bacon grease. Now I love pork chops, heck, who am I kidding, I love pork. I won't lie, I was looking forward to having the pork chops. But when I came into the kitchen for some sweet tea I saw the greens. At first I thought she'd stopped at the market on here way home from her volunteer work at the elementary school. (She's just started back)

I was wrong. Very wrong.

This was not collards or chard which are very common at our house if I was not mistaken she's been out in the yard pulling up Chicoria, "dandelion greens!"

Wow we haven't had those in a long time but here they were ready to go. I knew she didn't get these at the market, but she'd been out in the yard. I was a bit concerned cause I knew she was gonna do them just like she does collards or chard but these things are BITTER. So I let her. Being mom she would never give into the fact that I might be right about something. So when it came time for me to put them on my plate I just drizzled them with a bit of olive oil, a dash of wine vinegar and pepper and ate them first.

She took a bite and stopped and I just looked at her. "Ok," she says to me, "I'd forgotten how bitter they could be. How would you do them?"

"Heck mom." I said, "This is when I'd totally do them Old School ya know? I'd saute 'em in a pan with bacon and onion, or garlic and red pepper something to just take that bitter edge off and then sprinkle them with wine vinegar."

"Hmmm," she says, "That might be a pretty good idea, next time you do them."

So next time, I will.

On the Road to Recovery

Ok. So it's been months. I have a weekly reminder to write but do I nooooo. I also don't do "THE DAMN REPORT" for my regular job either until I have to and I enjoy my blog a million times more. But that's another story. I've been sick with strep throat and mom's had pneumonia for what seems like months even though it was really weeks. Several weeks, and saying she's not a good patient is an understatement. At least I've been entertained by bad Little Kitty. See how his ears look a bit like horns. Rotten kitten, he refused to move and I thought grandma was gonna kill both of us.

Spring is springing into view. I've got bunches of daffodils all over the house to brighten up the place. I think it's helping some too. I didn't think these flowers had a smell but they do. It's really nice and fresh.
If only the frigid weather would just move on out. Not that I don't love the rain and the creek running etc, etc, etc, if the cold would just move on I'd be so thrilled.
I picked up a big bag of Meyer Lemons. They smell so fabulous I can hardly stand it Now what to do with them. Lemon Bars? Lemon Pound Cake? Lemon Curd? I'd love lemon meringue pie, but it has that meringue on it. I'm not fond of that kind of meringue. Oooo or what about Pineapple Upside Down Cake.
Well I'll get back with what I decided shortly.