Butterfly on Marigolds

I looked out and saw a butterfly flitting around on my marigolds. I have the marigolds planted in plastic salad bowls, and have eight bowls full sitting between my container garden veggies. This butter fly seemed to want to go to each different bowl of flowers, so a was able to get a couple up close photos.

Bottled Water?

I received this information in my e-mail and thought it was worth sharing. My husband uses bottled water to carry in his cooler in the summer. He also refills the bottles for himself to keep in the frig. He makes me laugh. He has a "system" for everything. NEW bottles of water have the label on them. The ones he has refilled for himself he removes the labels. I know he is pretty awesome!

These bottles of Ozarka water say Natural Spring Water Straight from Nature to You...since 1905...Source: A blend of Piney Woods Springs, Wood County, TX and Clear Springs, Wood County, TX OZark Spring Water company Division of Nestle Waters North Armerica Inc. Greenwich, CT They also say please recycle.

Personally I use tap water. I figure if the tap water ever gets bad I can invest in a filter system to use on the tap. We are lucky to have Oklahoma Well Water in our community. So, what I am saying is I am only offering the information not giving an opinion either way.

Say "No" to bottled water......Take the pledge to Take Back the Tap!

As we're fighting for change across the country, Earth Day (which was April 22) is a good time to remember all the things we can do in our own lives to make our food healthier and our water safer — like avoiding bottled water.

Bottled water is a bad deal. The industry claims it's better than tap water, but in reality, bottled water is held to lower standards than tap water in the United States, and is much more expensive!

Actually, almost half the time, it is tap water, bottled in factories across the country, then shipped (with a high carbon footprint) to you. While the communities around bottling facilities are drained of their most essential resource, you're paying a premium for something you can get virtually for free from your tap at home.

The movement against bottled water is growing. We are working with college campuses, businesses and families that are making the switch back to tap water. Will you join them?

This Earth Day, we're asking you to sign the Take Back the Tap pledge and promise not to use bottled water. It's easy to make the switch. Just start drinking tap water at home. If the water in your home doesn't taste great, invest in a filtered pitcher or a filter for your faucet — it'll cost much less than bottled water, and it'll taste great. When you're out and about, carry a reusable water bottle with you, and fill it while you're on the go.

If you're already bottled water-free, that's great! Take the pledge to let us know you're with us.

Take the pledge:

http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10210

Thanks for taking action,

Jo Miles
Education & Outreach Organizer
Food & Water Watch
cleanwater(at)fwwatch(dot)org

P.S. If you want to know more about the quality of your tap water, check out our Take Back the Tap Guide to Safe Tap Water.

Container Garden Update

I am excited to start seeing veggies on my container garden plants. I have regular bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and cherry tomatoes starting to produce. I think saving my Cats Pride kitty litter containers and turning them into pots for my veggies is turning out ok.

Friday Foto

OUT TO PASTURE - WESTERN OKLAHOMA

OLD FORD ALONG HISTORIC ROUTE 66

Kewpie Dolls

First drawn in the Ladies Home Journal by Rose O'Neill in 1909, the Kewpie doll was a small and mischievous but kindhearted little human figure with a tuft of pointy hair. The cartoons became so popular that production of real dolls, initially from bisque and celluloid, began in 1913. Though Kewpies are still made today, these originals are the most highly valued.

My Aunt Sharon has an extensive collection of Kewpie Dolls and a snapped a couple photos of the ones she has in her china cabinet. I love these little Kewpie dolls. You can't help smiling when you look at them.

Johnny's Fried Onion Burgers

I have written about my husband making the family recipe Fried Onion Burgers on this blog in the past. Today I want to show you my brother-in-law Johnny's Blue Goose on the Loose Fried Onion Burger set up. This was a day when he only made 80 of them. First he has a good size grill top with a gas burner under it. This batch of burgers was for a family gathering so he just backed the pick up under the edge of the carport and set up the grill. Blue Goose was a restaurant owned by the family many years ago. One of their specialities was Fried Onion Burgers. The "on the Loose" part came about when Johnny made and served the burgers at large events. No matter if they are made in the house or outdoors, they are really good burgers!

Hamburger meat rolled into balls

(approximately a heaping 1/4 cup each)

Very thinly sliced onions - lots of them

Hamburger Dill Pickle slices (3 per burger)

Small hamburger buns

Regular yellow mustard

Put the hamburger on the grill top with lots of onions and smash them flat. Johnny is using a spachala and a block of wood, that his father used in the restaurant, to smash the onions into the meat. When he flipped the burgers he added more onion to the other side and smashed again. Look at the steam as he if flipping the burgers.

The part that I think really makes the burgers good is putting the buns on the grill and getting them good and toasted. Note that I backed up a bit to capture the fire wood in the photo. It has nothing to do with the Fried Onion Burgers, but I like the way it looks between the carport native stone posts. Also, on the pickup tail gate is the assembly for the burgers. Each one gets 3 dill pickle slices and a squirt of mustard. Then they are wrapped in restaurant paper and put into the cooler to stay warm until all are cooked and ready to serve.

Johnny, Dennis, Allen

Salad Dressings

Do you have a favorite salad dressing? We have several we keep on hand in our refrigerator. I never really paid much attention to the calories, until I thought about writing this blog. Nor did I even look at the labels until now.

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing has 140 calories in 2 tablespoons.

So, I am consuming a lot of calories when I am "eating healthy"

and dipping my veggies in the wonderfully creamy yummy white stuff.

Honey Dijon says dressing and dip on the label

and has 100 calories in 2 tablespoons.

I loved to dip chicken strips in this stuff.

Catalina dressing my all time favorite for lettuce salads,

has 100 calories in 2 tablespoons.

Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette says dressing and marinade on the label.

It contains 60 calories per 2 tablespoons.

This stuff is really awesome on pasta salads!

Roka Blue Cheese dressing and dip has 120 calories in 2 tablespoons.

I love BlueCheese dressing.

OK...so I guess if I really tried to eat healthy I should be better at reading the labels.

What is your favorite salad dressing? Do you read the labels?

Buffalo Pearl at Full Circle Bookstore

Pearl the Buffalo graces the entrance of the Full Circle bookstore in Oklahoma City.

These enhanced buffalo statues can be found all over the state of Oklahoma and were decorated by artists. Each artist had a certain theme to make the hundreds of buffalos a true work of art.

Can you imagine putting all these pearls on and creating such a beautiful design?

Bird Watching Cats

Lizzie Tu and Callie Ann go to the bathroom and "ask" us to open the window.

They jump up in the window and look around outside. On this day they were being teased by some kind of black birds in the bush. Look at the top of the next photo and you can see two of the birds.

Those birds knew, full good and well, that Lizzie Tu and Callie Ann could not get through the screen and get them. I don't think I have ever heard birds sing so loud, as those black birds were doing while teasing the cats. I saw at least five birds land in the bush for the show.

Li

Lizzie Tu and Callie Ann were not amused that I was taking photos from behind them, while they were trying to bird watch.

Cinco de Mayo

We have many friends and family members who celebrate Cinco de Mayo...many of whom can't really tell why it is celebrated. I wanted to find a simple guide the the holiday and in my search found this article by Christopher Minster on About.com. It is Cinco de Mayo - the Basics. This post is in memory of our beautiful niece Sunday Michelle Landeros Withrow who passed away on May 5. She so loved to talk about her Mexican heritage and how she was named after her Daddy Domingo Landeros who has also left us too early. We miss you both.

Cinco de Mayo - the Basics

By Christopher Minster, About.com Guide

Basic Guide to Cinco de Mayo:


Cinco de Mayo is probably the holiday most often celebrated that no one understands. What’s it all about? How is it celebrated? What does it mean to Mexicans? Here are the answers in a handy guide.


What is Cinco de Mayo?:


Literally "the Fifth of May," Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Holiday celebrating the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862. In 1861, France sent a massive army to invade Mexico, as they wanted to collect on some war debts. The French army was much larger, better trained and equipped than the Mexicans struggling to defend the road to Mexico City. It rolled through Mexico until it reached Puebla, where the Mexicans made a valiant stand, and, against all logic, won a huge victory. It was short-lived, as the French army regrouped and continued; eventually taking Mexico City, but the euphoria of an unlikely victory against overwhelming odds is remembered every May fifth.


Isn’t it Mexico’s Independence Day?:


That's a common misconception. Mexico celebrates its independence on September 16, because it was on that day in 1810 that Father Miguel Hidalgo took to his pulpit in the village church of the town of Dolores and invited his flock to take up arms and join him in overthrowing Spanish tyranny. Independence Day is a very important holiday in Mexico and not to be confused with Cinco de Mayo.


How Big a Deal is Cinco de Mayo?:


Cinco de Mayo is a big deal in Puebla, where the famous battle took place, and it's a national holiday, but it really isn't as important as most people think. September 16, Independence Day, is a much more important holiday in Mexico. For some reason, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated more in the United States of America, by Mexicans and Americans alike, than it is in Mexico. One theory for why it is more popular in the USA is that at one time, it was celebrated in all of Mexico and by Mexicans living in former Mexican territories such as Texas and California. It was ignored in Mexico after a while but still celebrated north of the border, which never got out of the habit of remembering the famous battle.


How is Cinco de Mayo Celebrated?:


In Puebla and in many USA cities with large Mexican populations, there are parades, dancing and festivals. Traditional Mexican food is often served or sold. Mariachi bands fill town squares, and a lot of Dos Equis and Corona beers are served. It’s a fun holiday, really more about celebrating the Mexican way of life than about remembering a battle which happened 150 years ago. It is sometimes referred to as a “Mexican St. Patrick’s Day.” In the USA, schoolchildren do units on the holiday, decorate their classrooms and try their hand at cooking some basic Mexican foods. All over the world, Mexican restaurants bring in Mariachi bands and offer specials for what’s almost certain to be a packed house.

Friday Foto

Some of Mom's Tulips...

Tofu Cutlets

I found this really good sounding recipe and wanted to share it with you. I am not normally a tofu person, but lately I have been reading lots of recipes that use tofu. If you would like to see other awesome tofu recipes you can find them at:

 http://ohmyveggies.com/

 formally known as The Type A Housewife

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu, drained, rinsed
and cut crosswise into eight 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2  large shallots, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups sliced cremini, or white mushrooms (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine, (see Ingredient note)
1 cup vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Whisk 1/4 cup cornstarch, flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Pat tofu with paper towel to remove excess moisture.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge 4 tofu slices in the flour mixture, add them to the pan and cook until crispy and golden, about 3 minutes per side. Place the tofu on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with another tablespoon of oil and the remaining tofu, adjusting the heat if necessary to prevent scorching.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, shallots and thyme to the pan. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the shallots are slightly soft and beginning to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in Marsala and simmer until slightly reduced, about 1 minute.
5. Whisk the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch with broth and tomato paste in a small bowl. Stir into the mushroom mixture, return to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy, about 4 minutes. To serve, spoon the hot sauce over the tofu.

Tip:
Ingredient Note: Marsala, a fortified wine, is a flavorful and wonderfully economical addition to many sauces. An opened bottle can be stored in a cool, dry place for months - unlike wine, which starts to decline within hours of being uncorked.

Nutrition information

Calories 334, Total Fat 18 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Monounsaturated Fat 12 g, Sodium 256 mg, Carbohydrate 25 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 11 g, Potassium 562 mg. Daily Values: Calcium 25%, Iron 15%. Exchanges: Starch 1,Vegetable 1,Medium-Fat Meat 1,Fat 3. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

This recipe and photo was found on one of my other favorite sites:

Check out Recipe.com, because they also direct you to savings in your area on the recipes they feature. I love the nutrition information and other tips they include.

Walking or Running Be Safe

I see lots of people out walking and running in the evenings. I want all of them to be safe, but I don't think they use their brain before they leave the house. If it is getting dark they should be aware of how hard they are to see in their dark clothing! If you are a walker or runner please wear bright clothing and reflective clothing if it is going to be getting dark before you return home. Even in the daytime, it is hard for drivers to see people or bicyclists will all the distractions around us. It is wise to wear something bright that contrasts with the environment.

Another consideration for walking or running is to wear a comfortable shoe, supportive undergarments and sunscreen. If you are going farther than around the block you might want to get a waist pack to hold the house key, safety whistle, cell phone or whatever other small items you might need. Of course, a water bottle holster is also a good thing to have. A pedometer is a neat thing to have to count the number of steps you've taken to keep you motivated.

I see lots of walkers and runners with earphones in both ears listening to music. I don't think that is the safest idea. I fear they will be so distracted by the music they will not hear the traffic. I hope everyone who walks or runs remembers to be safe.

Iris

My Mom has the most beautiful flowers all around her house. These Iris are behind the house at the patio overlooking the creek. I really love the white ones. She has every color of Iris planted in various beds. I only took a couple photos, but hope you enjoy their beauty.

Ree Drummond - The Pioneer Woman Book Signing

My friend Pat came from Arkansas last month to spend the weekend with us and go to the Ree Drummond - The Pioneer Woman book signing in Oklahoma City. We got up and made the drive to OKC. We went to my daughter's house and picked her up and then off to the Full Circle Book Store. OK...none of us had ever been to a book signing before.

We arrived at the bookstore at 1:00 pm the advertised time for the book signing. We went in a purchased our books. The clerk gave us a piece of paper with a number on it. I ask "what does the 12 mean".......she said you will be in the 12th GROUP to be called to get in line for the signing. OH! She suggested we go find something to do and keep calling back to find out what group they were on...there was like 50 people in a group and there was other groups behind us!

Ree Drummond and Pat having her book signed at 7:30 pm.

Ree made a wonderful funny presentation that we enjoyed.

The closest we could get was up on the second floor of the mall.

This is a fuzzy photo of Ree....I used my zoooooom on my point and shoot.

The place was wall to wall people...many of them had 6 copies of the new Pioneer Woman cookbook at $30 a book. I love Ree, but I could not afford that many books.

This is a photo of Ree, myself and my daughter, Kennda, having our book signed at 7:30 pm!

Yes, 1:00 pm to 7:30 pm was longer than we expected...and it was hot and we were tired. Now I know if you are going to a book signing...preorder your book and get your group number a couple days or more ahead of the actual date. We handed the camera to a guy who was taking photos for people...it is fuzzy too.

I must say after all those hours of getting up really early and driving to Oklahoma City and signing hundreds and hundreds of books....Ree Drummond is AWESOME! She was so sweet and thanked us for coming and signed our books with the personalization we requested. And SMILING...oh my goodness I don't know how she does it. Hats off to Ree!



Cupcakes

Sweet 405 mailed cupcakes to our office!

Amazing they arrived just perfect.

All of the stuff to set up for The Wizard of Oz theme birthday party.

How cute is this?

The white ones are wedding cake and the brown ones are turtle flavor...OMG!

Before when I posted about Sweet 405 cupcakes,

 you wanted to know what flavors they were.

Well, the ones on my 4-16-12 post were red velvet cake and vanilla.

We have had so many different flavors to try I do not have a complete list.

She creates some of the most mouth watering cupcakes ever!

The Wizard of Oz cupcakes were for the baker's "baby girl,"

who works in our office,

Happy Birthday!