Andy

Home Cookin' 5

This week we decided to make a soup so that we might have an easily duplicated meal that could last several days or be frozen. Though we were looking for something somewhat exotic that we handn't tried, this Corn-Acopia Soup ended up tasting surprisingly like minestrone. This is a good recipe, but don't use it expecting something to surprise you.

Home Cookin' 4

Today's recipe: Beef Burgundy. This ranked right up there with the basil and tomato fish recipe from week 1, but were I to repeat, I would season the meat separately and perhaps use a more tender cut. Still, great stuff. I've been wanting to have this again for years.

The Trip is Over

The folks got back at about 7pm tonight, and I'm kind of relieved. I usually enjoy having the house to myself when they take trips like this, but the last 3+ weeks have really been more sobering than enjoyable. Most days when friends weren't around to help out I really didn't have anything left after taking care of the necessities, like paying bills, getting mail and cooking. Once those were out of the way I typically just had to sit in a chair and watch tv. I really had effectively no independent thought for these weeks either. It's really scary stuff.

Regardless, I'd like to thank Aunt Mary, Uncle Clyde, both of the Russels, and Jen for helping me out or checking in on me on a regular basis. It's comforting to know that, were something major to go wrong, I would not be in a catastrophic situation. This condition really throws everything into a cloud of uncertainty and it's a great help to know backup is around the corner. My friends Amy, Kevin, Amanda, and Joe also chipped in to the "excuse for dinner cause", or the "get me to an appointment" cause, as did Ernie Johnson and Rich Connelly from Mt. Carmel. Thank you, guys.

Home Cookin' 3

Today's we opted for a scallop and pasta recipe using tomato and mustard seed among other things. This was pretty good, but I didn't feel it was up to the standard set by the other two weeks. Still, I have no regrets preparing this at all.

Saving Private Ryan

I missed seeing this movie when it originally debuted, but having just seen even the (slightly) sanitized version airing on TBS right now, I just have to thank God that I live in this country in an environment so free from strife and rich with freedom and opportunity. I think I do that already, but today I'll do it that much more.

God Bless America.

First Crash of the Year

Perhaps not entirely surprisingly I suffered my first big system shock of the year while playing tennis yesterday. While I suppose I have been somewhat lucky not to have been through several of these by now, this still happened at an unfortunate time. I'm wiped out today, but thankfully I am prepared with what I need to eat tonight and have a physical therapy type appointment tomorrow, which could go a long way to getting me back on track. Sure hope so.

Home Cookin' 2

Given the success of our first cooking venture, we decided to repeat the process today, this time with taragon chicken. While I wouldn't say this was as great as the fish recipe, it was still quite good and worth repeating. If you plan on using this recipe yourself, I suggest cutting the tarragon by about a third for a milder flavor.

Week 1 - Complete

One third of my bachelor time here at Rancho Mosmillero is up, and it has honestly been pretty hard. I have been doing very little when friends have not been here other than the bare minimum I need to eat and handle mail. I wish I could do more, but my health just can't support me doing normal things. It's very discouraging even while I enjoy having a place to myself for a time.

Troy

Wow is Troy a bad movie. I went into it expecting it to be bad, and it still manage to stun me. So... bad. Wow.