Favorite things Friday: Tex-Mex

This is my favorite casserole. I got it out of a little recipe booklet that was included with a box of Bisquik many many years ago. I still have the booklet, which today has torn pages and ingredient stains all over it, but the recipe is intact. I was making it the other night and spent a frantic 10 minutes searching for the booklet. Why this thing isn't firmly committed to memory by now I don't know.

Anyway, I did a quick Google search for this, hoping to find a photo that I could post with the recipe. Alas, there are no photos. You'll just have to imagine. But there are quite a few listings of this recipe, sometimes called Tex-Mex Turkey Bake (because one version of it has turkey instead of ground beef), sometimes called Tex-Mex Spinach Bake. I just call it Tex-Mex, even though I know that's an adjective. I was elated to find it on the Internet -- just in case I lose that little booklet.

Here it is, revised to suit my family's tastes:

Tex-Mex

Crust:
2 cups Bisquick
1/2 cup cold water (more if needed)

First layer:
1 pound ground beef (the original uses ground turkey)
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 cup water

Second layer:
1 pkg. frozen, chopped spinach (thawed and squeezed dry)
1 cup ricotta cheese

Third layer:
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 egg

>>>Heat oven to 375°F.
>>>Grease rectangular 13x9x2" pan.
>>>Mix Bisquick and 1/2 cup water until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom of pan using fingers dipped in Bisquick.
>>>Cook ground beef; drain. Stir in seasoning mix and 1 cup water. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
>>>Spoon beef mixture over dough.
>>>Mix spinach and ricotta cheese; spread over beef mixture.
>>>Mix cheddar cheese, sour cream and egg; spoon evenly over spinach mixture.
>>>Bake 30-35 minutes or until set. (Helpful hint: The Bisquik crust will rise a little bit, so set the casserole dish on a flat baking sheet in the oven to prevent spills.) Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

By the way, store the leftovers in the fridge. It heats up well in the microwave for the lunch the next day.
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The last and possibly most awesome word on William F. Buckley

William F. Buckley, conservative writer, editor, columnist, novelist, debator, TV talk show host and all around terrific voice of the right, died yesterday at the age of 82. This cartoon, grabbed from Lucianne.com, says it all.

Blog-pimping "Stuff White People Like"

Found a link this morning via Lucianne.com to the blog Stuff White People Like. At first I was taken aback by the name (it's sounds so ... well, so racist, and we caucasians are supposed to be horribly offended and apologetic and forever groveling asking forgiveness about these things even if we didn't do them or sanction them or agree in the least with them. Am I right, people?), but because Lucianne recommended it, I gave it a read.

Holy crap, you guys, this thing is hilarious. It's very well written -- witty and spoofy and sarcastic without being biting and all the great things I expect from my favorite blog peeps.

His "about" page says: "This is a scientific approach to highlight and explain stuff white people like. They are pretty predictable." Which for some reason just cracks me up. And he's numbering the items -- up to #76 as of yesterday -- so I'm predicting a book will come out of all this eventually.

Show-pimping AND site-pimping "Best Week Ever"

You must check out this Web site / blog -- BestWeekEver.tv, the written form of the hilarious show on VH1. Best part? No commercials.

Laurie went to Rome and all I got was a blog posting

Laurie Perry over at Crazy Aunt Purl is talking about her trip to Rome, and let me just say that, even though there are some long postings, it's well worth the read. Plus she has photos.

Her trip was spontaneous, ridiculously cheap ($600 for a round-trip ticket to Rome? Sign me up next time, Laurie!) and something of a personal triumph for her. It's quite the inspirational read, whether she meant it to be or not.

It's also written in her typical hilarious style. (My favorite header: "Yes, I went to Rome and now they are all out of wine.")

Read it. Get inspired. She makes me eager to get on a plane again.

Favorite things Friday (redux): the library on board

I didn't notice until last night that I had not done a "favorite things Friday" post this week. What the heck? You know you're having a swamped kind of week when you forget that it's Friday. Or at least to post about the fact that it is.

So here on Sunday -- and Sunday evening at that -- is one of my favorite things: the library on a cruise ship. That probably sounds weird -- a library? On a cruise ship? What for? No really, it's one of the quietest places on board. And trust me, quiet is hard to come by on the ship, what with the wild and crazy pool parties and the lounges with the bands and the throngs (that's throngs not thongs!) walking around the promenade -- quiet is a rare commodity.

I love libraries anyway -- with or without the rest of the ship to accompany them. It's all about the books. Books ... mmm! There's something about surrounding yourself with them that nurtures the soul.

Here's a photo of the library on the Victory, which we'll sail on in May. Doesn't it just feel all old world and warm and inviting? Can't wait to go hang out in here!

It's "caturday": or rather "Katurday"

Here's Holly's baby, Katherine, whom I have dubbed Katie-cat, wearing the fur-lined sweater I gave her. Quite the little fashion plate, isn't she? Never too soon to be aware of fashion, I always say.

Explaining the McCain thing

This should explain what's up with the NY Times trying (unsuccessfully I might add) to fry McCain:

New York Times Recipe for Republican Fries

1. Grasp GOP candidate firmly by privates.
2. Dredge liberally through slime, making sure all parts are coated.
3. Roll in tar, dust liberally (heh) with feathers.
4. Place in window of most public place possible; have rent-a-mob on hand to react appropriately.
5. Discard when done to a turn.

Found on a posting at Lucianne.

Mission accomplished ... go Navy!

So apparently they hit it. (At left, a sailor presses the button.) From the story:

"Officials say the missile likely destroyed its intended target, a 1,000 pound tank of toxic hydrazine fuel."

Next time, satellite people, use unleaded.

Watch the sky tonight

A story from Fox News:

The last total lunar eclipse until 2010 occurs Wednesday night, with cameo appearances by Saturn and the bright star Regulus on either side of the veiled full moon.

With the next one scheduled for Dec. 20, 2010, you don't want to miss this one.

But there's a catch. Another story notes that, because the dimmed moon allows greater visibility (for target practice in the sky, that is), the Pentagon may try to shoot down the failing satellite on Wednesday.

If they do, it will certainly ruin someone's view.

Oscar red carpet goes green

Here's the headline for a story on Yahoo News:

Red carpet goes green as Oscars stars opt for eco-limos

Apparently the stars (or "Hollywoodites," if you will) are getting environmentally conscious and want to be sure everyone -- by which I mean the press -- sees them being environmentally conscious by hiring these "eco-limos," hybrid or bio-fuel vehicles, to take them to the Oscars.

I would've just shrugged off the story except for this comment by Y Fray, the owner of Eco-Limo:

"I'm very grateful to the Hollywood community because people look at celebrities to set the trend, to do the right thing."

People look at celebrities to do the right thing!? What planet is this woman from?

Vaca brag: Santorini

This is one of the stops on our Med cruise in October: the Greek island of Santorini, also known as Thira, which many believe is Atlantis.






There's a lot of evidence to support the theory -- a volcanic eruption around the time when Atlantis was believed to be in existence, archeological findings from that time period and writings from Plato describing the cataclysm (not that Plato was such a great reporter, but we figure he wouldn't have just made it up). Thira/Santorini is also a more believable location than the Bahamas.

We will anchor out and have to take a tender in -- then go to the top of the mountain either by elevator or on a donkey. What a choice. But what a view! Can't wait to see this place. When we booked the cruise, we were aiming for one that had both Naples (for close proximity to Herculaneum) and Santorini on the itinerary.

For serious book lovers only

This bookcase -- cleverly built into a staircase (or, conversely, a staircase built into a bookcase -- your choice) -- is so awesome, it makes me want to move into a 5-story house just so I can have one. Or five.

I have enough books to do justice to one of these, but not sure I can get past the problem of needing the same size books to make it look right. (Found at ApartmentTherapy.com via Doppelganger at 50 Books.)

It's "caturday": friendship

Jay and Cocoa hang out together a lot. I think it's because Milenko and Tabby told Jay he was a dog. And I think he believed them. It wasn't until recently that Jay started jumping high onto things like the linen cabinet in our bathroom.

But they do look cozy ...

Favorite things Friday: Alexis!

Alexis is coming to visit us soon! (Here she is demonstrating how to eat. We're pretty sure she's a lefty.)

While she's here, we'll have her birthday (a week early, but so what?). This is one of the options for the party decorations. Given that she's a descendant of a pirate, we thought it appropriate.

Jewelry is a gift possibility.

Here she is playing with the dollhouse I made her for Christmas. Can't wait to see her!

Ad rant: Toyota ("out of gas")

You know the commercial with the guy driving the girl home and he turns the key off and coasts to a stop and says they're out of gas ... and then the girl starts laughing? I hate that commercial. The whole point (the "sales" point) is that the car gets a ka-jillion miles to the gallon so theoretically it should never run out of gas. Which, ha, yeah right.

But did she have to humiliate him like that?

This is the second Toyota commercial that has gotten on my nerves. Starting to see trend here.

Mapquest is no friend of mine

This morning I had to go to Orangeburg for a media event and mapquested the directions. They were fine until I got to the last step. It said to turn left, but actually I was supposed to turn right. I drove a long way before I could get turned around and get my bearings -- and then I realized that mapquest had foiled me again. Lesson learned: To be sure of where you're going, call for directions.

Blog referral

My daughter Jackie forwarded me this info -- a blog by a Lowcountry soldier, Capt. Shawn Keller with the Army Reserves in Iraq. I've added him to my blogroll and sent him an email to let him know I'm following his blog -- and praying for him every day.

We wants it, precious, we WANTS it

Oh the humanity, part 2

Disturbing news from BusinessWeek:

"With green and eco-friendly designations popping up on everything from lightbulbs to auto mechanics, more chocoholics may be asking that question this Valentine's Day, when 45% of us of are expected to give or receive candy as a gift. But be warned: If you are looking to make a serious ecological statement with chocolate, it may be simpler to just pass on that box of bonbons."

That bombshell is followed by opinion by the "expert":

" 'There is no way chocolate can be made green when the major ingredient has to be shipped thousands of miles from where it's grown to where it's processed into chocolate,' argues chocolate expert Clay Gordon, author of Discover Chocolate (Gotham Books)."

And then comes the reason:

"Indeed, chocolate is harvested in rainforests close to the world's equator, although some growers are experimenting with crops in Hawaii and the southern tip of Florida. But putting aside the distance food travels from the point of production to consumption, many chocolatiers are trying to make a social as well as environmental impact on the way chocolate is grown, manufactured, and distributed."

My commentary: Stop trying to green everything! Or rather, green all you want, but leave chocolate alone. Ask yourselves this: Is a rainforest-laden world worth it if we must give up chocolate?

Movie review: Random Hearts

The movie "Random Hearts," starring Harrison Ford and Kristin Scott Thomas, has some of the best character portrayals I've ever seen with both Ford's character, "Dutch" Van Den Broeck, and Thomas' character, Kay Chandler.

The plot: Van Den Broeck's wife and Chandler's husband, who were having an affair, were killed in a plane crash, after which the two main characters find out about the affair and figure out how to deal with it.

One of the best parts of the movie is when Van Den Broeck, a police sergeant, says that he gets paid to notice things, to know when people are lying, and he had no idea what was going on with his wife. It's an agonizing confession for him. The entire movie is a great study in his character almost becoming unhinged because he simply can't figure it out -- even after the fact and knowing that once he figures it out, there's nothing he can do about it. He just can't not know. To capture that on screen is a stunning feat -- and I say that as someone who isn't a huge Harrison Ford fan.

Chandler, who is a congresswoman running for re-election, is controlled and serene for the cameras, but behind the scenes she too is falling apart, but she's eager to get it all behind her. Thomas is perfect in the role. Her character's let's-move-on mindset combined with Van Den Broeck's let's-review-it-again perspective is a completely balanced friction between characters. Their interactions are reasonable, and the ending is not sappy or predictable but rather believable (which, let's be honest, is a rarity for Hollywood).

Sydney Pollack directed -- and I think he's awesome -- and he also has a minor role, which I love to see because he's also a good actor. Other actors include Bonnie Hunt in a rare serious role. Love to see her too, because in my opinion, she can do no harm. Charles S. Dutton, one of the most underrated actors of our time, played Ford's partner to perfection.

I didn't realize until I looked it up on imdb.com that the movie was based on a novel. Now I have a mission to go find the novel and read it and see if it was written as well as the screenplay.

Recommendation: Rent it tonight!

Caturday example of my exercise regimen

Found at LOLcats.

Favorite things Friday: Hawaii 5-0

I know some of you don't remember this show, but it was my favorite way back when. Compared to today's police/investigative shows, it's a bit "meh," but back in the day it was right there -- from the scenery (shot in Hawaii, what more can you say?) to the signature "book 'em Danno" (which I'm not sure he ever actually said) to Jack Lord's hair (it was the 70s; we will forgive).

The theme song itself was the most awesome on the air the entire decade. I still love to hear it.

Vaca brag: Herculaneum

First, let me recognize today's birthdays: Happy birthday, Mom! Also, happy baptism birthday, Connie!

For today's vacation brag, here's one of the excursions for the Mediterranean cruise in October: the ruins of Herculaneum, when we stop at Naples.

Herculaneum was one of the victims of the Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD, although, unlike Pompeii, it was buried under mud and lava, which helped preserve it. It wasn't discovered until the early 1700s, so there was less plundering than at Pompeii.

This is one of the reasons we chose this particular cruise. We looked for an itinerary that included both Naples (for Herculaneum) and Santorini. The full itinerary is:

>>> Leaving from Barcelona, Spain

>>> Villefranche (Nice), France

>>> Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy

>>> Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

>>> Day at sea

>>> Mykonos, Greece

>>> Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

>>> Piraeus (Athens), Greece

>>> Santorini, Greece

>>> Day at sea

>>> Naples, Capri, Italy

>>> Day at sea

>>> Return to Barcelona

As you can see, there's plenty of fodder for "vaca brags"!

Joy from ashes

Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. I usually do some type of discipline, ranging from giving up eating out Friday night to increasing my exercise schedule to reading various spiritual books.

This year I decided to focus on giving thanks in everything. It actually says in 1 Thessalonians to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." In "The Message" it reads: "Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live."

Sounds like a commandment to me. This is how God wants me to live, therefore I must obey. And so, for the next 5 weeks, I will give thanks in all things.

Some things are easy. For instance, this little girl I give thanks for every day. Maybe Lent won't be so difficult this year after all.

Alexis Annette Summers

Belated "Kat-urday" post

Holly of Venti Chocolate Mocha had her baby the other day -- on Saturday, February 2, to be exact, and had I known at the time, that would have been my post, as in: "It's 'caturday': introducing Katherine 'Katie-Cat' Fisher."

Here's a link to the official all-things-Katie-Cat site. Seeing as how it was groundhog day, I'm hoping Holly didn't have to go through childbirth hundreds of times -- a la the excellent movie with Bill Murray.

(It also occurred to me today that I'm grateful that there wasn't an Internet back when I had my babies, because I was not at my best, photo-wise, after popping those kids out, and only the family and friends who visited in person, as opposed to the World Wide Web, could see just how not-at-best I was.)

Holly and baby look like they're doing well. And from the look of that little girl's full head of hair, I'm thinking Holly will have to invest heavily in scuncis. Looking forward to seeing tons of photos of Kate on the site.

Congrats, Fisher family! :D

Politics made confusing

Found this chart on Lileks' blog.

Ordinarily I'm all about charts and graphs and data, but as a representation of the choice of who's the best to lead our country, this leads me into second-guess hell. Lileks points out that it's interesting that personal freedom and economic freedom are seen as competing values. I agree, except I'd use the word confusing. At least I have until November to figure out this chart.

The ad everyone in Charleston is talking about

This just scares me:

Show-pimping House M.D.

Here's another show I got my family hooked on: House M.D., starring Hugh Laurie and ... um ... who cares who else is on it? Hugh Laurie is the best. My only regret is that he's having to do an American accent and we don't get to hear his delightful British accent. There's a new episode tonight right after the Superbowl -- which I don't watch because I don't "get" football ... no, don't try to explain it to me, I don't care -- and as far as I'm concerned this is the only reason to have the TV on today. Also, let me recommend another blog that dissects House: Polite Dissent, written by a doctor. Love his analyses -- very insightful and often funny.

It's "caturday": introducing Lemon Pepper

Ok, just one more cat to introduce and then I think we're done here with the feline intros for a while (I hope).

This is a shot of Blackberry (at right) and Lemon Pepper, another stray who hangs around our house a good bit. He isn't a regular visitor enough for me to catch up with him to get to a vet appointment, so I have no idea what shape he's in. We're also not sure he doesn't belong to another family in the neighborhood. When I find him on the front porch, I give him some food -- and to a cat, that means he can make himself at home. Which he does. You can't tell from this photo, but Lemon Pepper is a little larger than Blackberry, he's not as fluffy and he has yellow and black markings. Hence his name -- which Amanda and Steven pinned on him.

He's very friendly -- never hisses or bares his teeth. He usually just meows politely when I go out the front door. I don't see him in the evening, so I hope he has somewhere warm to go. He and Blackberry seem to get along pretty well, as evidenced by how well they work together to guard my office -- at least the roof of it. (Doesn't Blackberry look like he's taken full ownership of the company? Such a "this is my domain" look he has.)

Favorite things Friday: Ken Follett

This guy is my favorite author, hands down, no questions. He first intrigued me with the Eye of the Needle. I still consider it one of the most perfectly written works ever.

Then he blew me away with Pillars of the Earth. It's a long book, but it's so spellbinding I couldn't put it down. Even now, when I read it again -- and I usually reread it once or twice a year -- I still can't put it down. That's how good it is.

Now he's done it again with the sequel to Pillars of the Earth: World Without End. I don't consider it better than Pillars (how could it be?), but it's just as good.

I have all of his books, and something I've noticed about his writing is that he manages to make each book so different -- but each a worthy read -- so they're not formulaic, the way some writers write the same book over and over with different characters and settings.

This is a writer whose work I would read no matter what -- and I'm talking full price retail hard cover. Check him out at his Web site.