Bad Mom. Good American.

I'm extremely busy today and just won't have much time to share any crazy dreams I've had on my Nyquil trips.  And as I've been a bad Mommy and haven't taken any recent pictures of Monkey, I have nothing cute to share either. So instead, today I want to share with you a radio interview that David Martosko from HumaneWatch.org did on NRA News Radio.  If you haven't heard of HumaneWatch, I would highly suggest taking a few minutes out of your day to check it out.
 

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Let me tell you story, if I may.

I was at a county fair with some friends of mine.  We were enjoying the sites and sounds, eating our fair share of greasy food, walking by the beef barn checking out some fine lookin bulls and loving every minute of it.

Suddenly, out of nowhere this lady in white screams bloody murder and takes off running past us. We are obviously concerned:  Is she a city girl that stepped in a pile of horse poo?  Maybe a carnie hit on her a little too much and she freaked out? 

It was then that a very large shadow overtakes the entire area.  The lady in white is still running when an enormous beak takes her head off! Blood is shooting everywhere; I remember thinking that the lady in white is now a lady in red.

People are panicking.  It's a complete mad-house. 

I look up and there is a Godzilla-sized ostrich! I'll call her Lucy.  (If you aren't aware, ostriches love shiny objects.  We had neighbors growing up that raised ostriches and when I would do the chores for them I'd have to be careful not to wear shiny earrings because they would try to grab them.)

Lucy wasn't any different.  She loved shiny stuff too and noticed a pretty necklace around another woman's neck.  Before the thought even registered that I should take off my jewelry, her head was gone too. 

So we run underneath a tent and lower the sides on it.  I don't know what tent we are in, but there are tons of onions.  Lucy can smell them and wants them.  We start throwing the onions out of the tent and she's pecking at them and gobbling them down.  I remember thinking what terrible onion breath she is sure to have.  Which then makes me wonder how bad her human head breath already smells.  Maybe the onions will be an improvement. 

Lucy then gets underneath the tent and pecks away at another lady who didn't want to take off her jewelry, I told her to, but she wouldn't listen.  She thought I just wanted to steal her jewelry.  Hmph.  Like I would steal her jewelry, it wasn't even my style!  Lucy gets the side of the tent torn off and then... and then...... I wake up.

I've determined one of the main ingredients in Nyquil must be LSD.

Wordless Wednesday

I love seeing the TRUTH put out there.  My hat's off to HumaneWatch!
(I know it's a little hard to read, for a bigger image click here.)

 

For more Wordless Wednesdays click here!

Toon Tuesday

For more cartoons go to The Center for Consumer Freedom.

I Feel Like a Cheater

I love beef.  Seriously, I love it.  I don't think there is anything that can beat a nice juicy steak or even a perfectly cooked hamburger.  There just isn't.

I'm not just saying that because I grew up raising beef cattle, I'm saying it because it's the truth.  My mouth is salivating right now just thinking about it.

With that said, I've tarnished the family name.  I've made turkey burgers.... and liked them.  GASP!

Don't worry Dad, turkey will never replace beef in our household, but I think it may be a good recipe to add to the mix when we feel like eating something just a bit different.

Turkey Burgers With Slaw

What You'll Need

1 tablespoon Butter
1 small red onion, 1/2 chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 lb ground turkey
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons pickle relish
2 cups shredded cabbage mix
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 rolls
4 slices of cheddar cheese

What You Do

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add chopped onions, garlic and tomato paste, cook for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon sugar and remove from heat.  Let cool in a bowl.

Add Worcestershire and hot sauce to tomato paste mixture.  Add chicken and then grill seasoning and combine well.

Make into four patties.

Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a nonstick skillet or grill pan.  Cook patties approximately 6 minutes on each side.

Combine 1 teaspoon sugar, lemon juice, remaining EVOO in a bowl.  Add relish, cabbage mix and sliced onions and season with salt and pepper.  Toss the slaw to coat and refrigerate.

Serve burgers on toasted buns with a slice of cheese and top with slaw.  I like to add a little bbq sauce on as well.

Don't Mess With Old People

When a woman knocked on the door, Donald Kaighn—an NRA member, World War II veteran and gun collector—opened it. Her car had broken down so Kaighn allowed the woman inside to use the phone, a favor she returned by spraying the 84-year-old's face with lighter fluid and hitting him in the head with the can. Kaighn grabbed a Colt .32-cal. pistol while his assailant ran upstairs. He confronted her. "She said something like 'Stop or I'll shoot,'" Kaighn explained. "I immediately fired the gun." The woman briefly returned fire before leaping from the second story window with some of Kaighn's possessions. "I'm a member of the NRA and I subscribe to its policy of not being a victim," Kaighn said. "I don't want to hurt anybody." (WPVI-ABC6, Philadelphia, PA, 12/01/09)

For more Armed Citizen stories go to America's First Freedom.

Wordless Wednesday: Sucker!

We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day in our house.  A card is as much as we do.  I just don't think it's a real holiday.  I want JC to treat me as his 'valentine' all year long, not just on one day.  So when I woke up the other morning and saw these on the kitchen table I knew there had to be a reason....  yep, the Women's Auxiliary were selling these cookie bouquets and they knew JC would be a sucker so they hit him up! 

Thanks baby, and the Women's Auxiliary thanks you too. 

Yellow Tail = Epic Fail

Raise your hand if you drink wine.... 

Now raise your hand if you've ever purchased Yellow Tail wine....

Now raise your hand if you plan to purchase any more Yellow Tail wine...

And finally, raise your hand if you support the Humane Society of the United States (clarification: the HSUS is NOT affiliated with your local animal shelters)...

Hmmm... I'm guessing most of you that are in the know lowered your hand on those last two.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me give you a short explanation.

I've mentioned before on here how HSUS isn't what they portray themselves to be.  They spend 95% of their budget on travel and lobbying against family farmers and ranchers.  Less than one-half of 1% of the funds raised actually go to helping animals.  Nothing surprising for us there, but some people get swept away by their flashy and elaborate web pages and ads filled with lies and distortions.  Looks like Yellow Tail is one of them.

Yellow Tail wine is a brand owned by Casella Wines, a family-owned and operated winery that goes back for six generations. Until last week, they were the Cinderella story of the wine world, having gone from small family beginnings to international distributor of Yellow Tail wine. Then they made a mistake... a BIG mistake, that has certainly cost them their reputation and could end up costing them their business.

The Australian-based winery decided to donate $100,000 to HSUS for their Tails for Tails program.  The backlash from US consumers was quick and vehement. Within hours of the announcement, Yellow Tail was hit with a blizzard of e-mails and the Yellow Tail fan page on Facebook quickly filled with strong statements of condemnation. Hundreds of Yellow Tail drinkers said they were pouring the wine down the drain and would never buy the product again.  A Yellow Fail fan page was even created, and within a few days had over 2,000 fans. 

People are not happy about this.  How can a company that is based in agriculture support a a group that is trying to end it as we know it?  Yellow Tail may not raise cattle, pigs or corn, but they DO raise a crop.  And without that crop they wouldn't even have a business. 

Yellow Tail officials attempted to do damage control, but their response fell far short of the mark: “We’ve listened to your recent feedback and it was very helpful to us - in fact it prompted us to specifically choose the areas where we’d most like to celebrate animals. Here’s what we’ve decided: We’ll still honor our monetary commitment to the HSUS, but now we are specifically directing our $100,000 donation to HSUS’ Animal Rescue Team, which launches on-the-ground missions to rescue animals in peril.” 

The problem with this?  Let's look at one of the truths about HSUS and go back to Hurricane Katrina... HSUS raised a reported $34 million in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, supposedly to help reunite lost pets with their owners. But comparatively little of that money was spent for its intended purpose. Louisiana’s Attorney General shuttered his 18-month-long investigation into where most of these millions went, shortly after HSUS announced its plan to contribute $600,000 toward the construction of an animal shelter on the grounds of a state prison. Public disclosures of the disposition of the $34 million in Katrina-related donations add up to less than $7 million. 

So they may say they are putting that $100,000 to Animal Rescue, but is that where the money is really going?  Probably not.

Let's cut to the chase.  Yellow Tail made a big mistake that has now cost them many customers, including myself.  If you feel the same way I do, then go to their Facebook page and let your thoughts be heard.  Pass the word along and don't buy anymore Yellow Tail!  Let's not support the HSUS agenda.

Shrimp & Sausage Pasta

What You'll Need

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 can diced tomatoes (I recommend the Italian seasoned kind)

1 can tomato sauce

4 green onions, chopped

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deviened

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced

1 pound spaghetti or linguini

Fresh basil, chopped

Red pepper flakes, to taste

Salt & pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, grated

What You Do

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for a minute.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and green onions.  Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Simmer over low heat.

Fry up sausage and add to sauce. 

Cook pasta for 5-7 minutes, it should still be firm.

Add shrimp to pasta sauce for a minute or two.  Add spaghetti to pot.  Toss, and throw the entire mixture into a baking dish.  Cover and bake for 15 minutes.

Serve and top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Pyro Baby

I think we may have a pyro on our hands, friends. 

I left Monkey in the living room the other day for literally 2.7 seconds.  I walked back in and this is what I found.

Just look at her reach for it!

She was trying so hard to reach it, even up on her tip toes. 

Then she saw me and she had this little impish grin.

Seriously think we might have a problem here. 

Yo Quiero Oklahoma

I'm baaaaack! 

Oh, you didn't even know I was gone?  Well I completed two things on this list, oh wait, actually make that three!

1. We took our first family vacation/road trip.

2. We made it to Oklahoma to visit these amazing people.

And the third thing, you ask?  Well Annie and I drank wine while we were there... and it was wonderful!  No cutting back on that vice for this gal, no sirree.

We had a wonderful trip and the only complaint that I have is that I wish we could've stayed longer.  Spending time with Annie just makes me remember all too clearly how much I miss her being here.

Monkey did great the whole trip.  I couldn't believe what a great traveler she was. Twelve hours in a car is a long time and it didn't faze her at all.  Once we got there she had so much fun.  She got along famously with their two dogs, Diesel and Nova.  Actually I think Diesel made a new best friend. 

She loved dancing and clapping to Elvis along with Scott's mom.  Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it!  I actually didn't get many pictures all weekend.  I don't even know why, I think we were too busy being Chatty Cathy's to even think about whipping out the camera.

Here are a few that I did manage to snap....

 I wish I would've taken more pictures, but there is always next time!  Thanks for having us Scott and Annie, we had a blast!

Wordless Wednesday: Sisters

Toon Tuesday

For more cartoons go to The Center for Consumer Freedom.

In Remembrance

Happy birthday Jonny L.  We miss your laugh, smile and friendship every day.

Flashback Friday

Can you tell I loved the Care Bears?

I Scream, You Scream....

How many of you vowed to lose weight this year?  How many of you still find yourself going to the freezer after the kids are in bed for a little nip of ice cream? 

Yeah, your not the only one!  I actually didn't make a resolution to lose weight, but I would like to stay where I am and not gain any.... ice cream doesn't help that cause. 

I've found an amazing and simple way to fix the problem, yet still enjoy your ice cream! 

It's something called One Ingredient Ice Cream (but, I don't just stick to one ingredient, I'm crazy that way).

And that one ingredient?  It's Bananas!

This is what you do....

Start with some ripe bananas.  Not banana bread ripe, but ripe.

Then peel them and freeze.  You can slice them or freeze whole.  I find they blend faster if they are cut up. 

After freezing, throw in a food processor and start processing.

At first they will crumble up and not really blend, looking something like this.

But keep going.  It'll start looking like soft serve ice cream.

Now you can stop here and enjoy or you can mix it up more and add other ingredients.  I think it's just a little too banana-y if you stop here. 

Is banana-y a word?

So I tried a few different things. 

I added vanilla....

                            

And blueberries...

                             

And strawberries....

Blueberries AND strawberries....

                           

Chocolote syrup....

                            

Peanut butter...

                           

And Nutella.....

                            

Once you have it the way you want, you can eat it.  It will be the consistancy of soft serve ice cream.  If you throw it into a freezer-safe container and freeze it again though, it will turn into harder ice cream.  It is so good!

                           

One thing I noticed though, was if I added fruit, the excess water made it more of a smoothie consistancy rather than icecream.  While it was still good, I thought it should just be used for a breakfast smoothie.  Two birds one stone, right?

I threw a few scoops of the frozen mixture into the processor again and mixed it up.  I then poured in maybe 1/2 cup of orange juice.

                           

And poured it right into a cup for a nice cold smoothie.

                            

Try it and let me know what other concoctions work for you.

Oh yeah, please excuse any messiness you see... I had a little helper in the kitchen that day.

                                       

Wordless Wednesday

Look Mom, I can stand AND jump!

Toon Tuesday

For more cartoons by Wayne Stayskal click here.

#1 Farmhand

My Dad's dog, Hailey, loves to help out around the farm. She's always ready to jump in the truck and go feed the cows, or nip at their heels when we are trying to round them up.

But her favorite thing to do on the farm?

It's riding the four-wheeler.  Even when there doesn't seem to be ample room for her, she makes room.

Just look at that smile.  Is that not the happiest dog you've ever seen?  And when was the last time you've seen three different species on one four-wheeler??

She's a very patient girl as well. 

Just look at that sweet face. Don't keep that dog waiting Dad, get out there and take her for a ride!