Category Archives: food

The Santa Fe Sampler

Posted on May 13, 2011 | 2 Comments

Hey! Didya notice anything miss me?!

We at chez Let the dog in! packed up and changed planes a bunch took an actual vacation, or “vaca” which is said VAY-KAY, not VAH-KAH, which is Spanish for cow and see how educational this trip was Mrs. Second Grade Teacher?

We headed south to dry out our moist and moldy toes the lovely Santa Fe.

Okay, technically we headed east and south and then west, but I planned it, so…winning!
The historic Santa Fe Plaza. See the accordion player singing “Black Magic Woman?”

We saw a holymillion numerous churches, some very old, like this one.
Nice Jesus rays, right??

And some with fanciful tales of magically built staircases, like this one.
Up until some pagan investigated certain documentation…

We went to a history museum.
So thankful for that sign, because I don’t know about you, but whenever I see a mud wagon, I want to. touch. it. Also, hello? No mud.

We also visited a folk art museum with an astounding collection of miniatures (from a personal hoarder collector).
As the kid so eloquently put it after seeing about 2,000 with another 8,000 to go, “Mom, I’m sick of mini-a-tures.”

So, of course we had to take her outside to see more old stuff ancient cliff dwellings and climb ladders and complain about how dry her lips were at Bandolier National Monument.
To her credit, it was extra dry this year…
Hm, seems like I’m forgetting something….oh yes! Thirst!
If you’re dedicated, with some serious hunting you can usually dig up a margarita somewhere in New Mexico.
Anyone else need some drying out? I’d head on down or over and down and back again to Santa Fe!

Seriously, if you need any touring help, just contact my aunt Kay. She’s a professional tour guide who can give you the downtown walking tour, the shopping tour, the margarita and guac natural history and cultural tour…you name it! Email her at kaywbarber at gmail dot com.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Share

→ 2 Comments

Posted in brilliant ideas, education, events, food, life is good

Eggs and Hot Glue Guns, a Cunning Easter Egg Craft or Pure Misfire?

Posted on April 21, 2011 | Comments Off

Warning: numerous eggs were harmed in the making of this post.

You all know how the Hubs is into all his power tools, right? No task too big or too small to bring some apparatus to plug into a socket.

Easter is apparently no different.

This year, besides his usual take-your-time, draw-it-out-ahead-of-time approach, the Hubs decided to experiment with a hot glue gun.

We started with plain, boiled eggs (I don’t recommend brown eggs but I’m dumb and lazy and used what we had…)

and the usual dye tablets plus vinegar.

There may have been other liquids involved so that I could handle the slooooow pace of this hot gluing and can we just dye them already??.

So, just make your design (either planned out or wing it, *ahem*) on the egg.

Be careful with the glue gun! We did have a small incident totally not related to beer.

I’m just sayin’, they don’t call it a hot glue gun for nothin’.

Then submerge in your color of choice.

So, the Hubs’ plan was to peel off the glue once the color is on the egg to reveal his special pattern in white underneath, but guess what?

Glue sticks to stuff! Oh, shit.

As you might imagine, many eggs were eaten as a result of the peeling-off process.

As a side note, if you want to peel your eggs easier, just put a bunch of hot glue on them. Works like handles!

But one or two turned out pretty cool.

And most importantly, a certain someone enjoyed eating eggs watching the process and spending quality time with her pack.

Happy Easter!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Share

Comments Off

Posted in brilliant ideas, creativity, events, food, kid, parenting

It’s Farmers’ Market Time!

Posted on April 10, 2011 | Comments Off

Are your local farmers’ markets up and running now? Ours here on Bainbridge Island just started yesterday under cloudy skies and 46 degree temps, but it started so I might have to stop pretending it’s February and deal with this butt-freezing spring!

If you’d like to see my pictures (there IS a baby lamb I almost KIDnapped), hop over to my post at the Kitsap Sun Mom Squad blog!

And eat your veggies, people!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Share

Comments Off

Posted in Bainbridge Island, WA, events, food

Are you a sharer?

Posted on January 31, 2011 | 5 Comments

There are two kinds of people in this world:
those who share when they order Chinese food and those who don’t.

It can be hard to identify them outside the Chinese food sector. The non-sharers behave practically like everyone else. The shock of discovery can be kinda like finding out your best friend loves lima beans or hates Modern Family.

You what?!

Illustrating the usual sick, twisted sense of humor that God has, these two types often marry each other.

*Ahem*

Girls, learn from my mistake. Add this to your list of Man Requirements and ask, preferably before that first wowser of a kiss so you’re still thinking clearly.

For you non-sharers out there (Hi HUBS!), let me tell you how dining at a Chinese place is supposed to go:
1. Everyone at the table reads the menu.
2. Everyone then discusses the pros and cons, the best combinations, their current hankerings, their arguments for their faves.
3. One person orders while everyone else mentally checks their correctness.
4. When food arrives, everyone shares, plates are passed around, and everyone gets a bit of everything (I’ve even cut egg rolls in half!). You in effect create your own Chinese buffet, custom-ordered.

Voila! Joy! Perfectamundo!

This is how Chinese food dining with non-sharers goes:
1. They silently read the menu.
2. If you’re lucky before the waiter arrives, they ask “What are you having?”
3. You file for divorce.

Yes, God, you are hilarious!

But non-sharers beware! Married to a sharer means that someone will probably be quietly stealing bites from your plate! We sharers have our ways of making you share….

So, confess, my child. Are you a sharer or a non-sharer?

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Share

→ 5 Comments

Posted in brilliant ideas, education, food, marriage

A Tool for Green Tea?

Posted on January 28, 2011 | 3 Comments

I’ve said it before, the Hubs is a gearhead.

Which made sense when we met and he lived on a big, old wooden boat. That made sense.

But what that 65ft boat hid was the fact that the Hubs would be a gearhead without any reason at all. You can take the work project away from the gearhead but you can’t take the gear….oh, whatever. You know what I’m going for here.

So, he’s transferred his gear curiosity to other venues, such as creme brulee (Yes, an early and obvious choice for a culinary gearhead. Who could resist a tiny torch?!) and later, as we discussed, the electric eraser for his artistic gearhead side.

Now comes a new, albeit unplugged, tool – the chasen!

Isn’t it cute? Who could find a use for resist a tiny, bamboo whisk?

Yes, you common, green-tea-drinking losers out there might be plopping a bag (gasp!) in your cup or dodging loose tea leaves as you sip, but here we whisk our tea.

You have to be drunk shopping online buy a special, fine, powder tea called macha, a special whisk and a bowl (Please don’t tell the Hubs there are actually “tea bowls” out there he could buy!).

You can even go nuts online learning the “right” directions to whisk your tea. Am I right, you tea geeks? Some say a “W” shape but an unconventional “U” shape pattern with wrist flick makes certain rebels happy…

And, omg, after living 10 years with this gearhead, I believe our healthy green tea could be made even better swirled in a spiral pattern while adding cold vodka.

Have you tried macha tea?

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Share

→ 3 Comments

Posted in brilliant ideas, food, life is good, marriage