A View of a Family

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  

This is one of my favorite family photos. It was taken - obviously  - at a horse show, but there was so much more going on than just a horse show.

This was taken the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 1998. 

I'll tell the stories starting at the left...

The first guy is my dad.  I don't think that he was ready for the picture to be taken.  He was a little out of it because he always likes to be the most knowledgeable person wherever he is and  he knew nothing about English riding.  Which irritated him to no end.

Next is Larry.  Three days before he had just returned from a year-long assignment to Saudi Arabia.  Two weeks before that he was thrown off a horse and was still pretty bruised and battered and walking was slow. And painful.

Then there is my sister-in-law Sarah.  She looks like something is bothering her.  Something was.  His name would be Travis, but she wouldn't know that for a couple of weeks.  She just knew that something was off.  And being in a house of coffee drinkers was just something that irritated her.

Right in front of Sarah is Mary.  Mary is happy because she did fairly well at the show and was in love with the horse she rode. His name was Doc and he was a sweetie.

Audrey is standing on the other side of Doc.  She is less than pleased with life.  She had an amazing growth spurt and it had been a couple of months since she'd worn her show clothes.  Nothing quite fit and she wasn't as in love with Doc as Mary was.  Doc liked to jump really big and a comment from the audience when she did her jump course was "Wow.  I bet she could see my house from there!"

My bother Bryan is right behind Audrey.  He had run in a 50 mile marathon the day before. Being a fit Army soldier he figured he'd just get in there and do it.  He determined at about the 25 mile marker that maybe he should've prepared better.  He too was pretty bruised and battered.  And walking was slow.  And REALLY painful.

And then there is me.  I am so happy to have my husband home!  And I am happy to have my family visiting!  And just a little exhausted - Larry got home on Thursday afternoon, my dad got there Thursday night (Yeah, go figure) Bryan and Sarah showed up Friday afternoon and we had a big welcome home dinner party Friday night.  Saturday we messed around at the 50 miler and we got up at zero dark thirty on Sunday for the horse show.  Whew.....

Busy weekend. Busy family.

And yes, I miss those days like crazy!!

Blue Angels pack plane full of toys for kids displaced by Sandy

Blue Angels pack plane full of toys for kids displaced by Sandy

I am writing this because the Blue Angels and their plane the Fat Albert that was packed full of toys for Toys for Tots to distribute to kids that were displaced by Sandy was a great thing that happened.

And because it brought joy to lots of children.

And because I played a small part in it.  (Well, my Isuzu did - it transported banners and signs and Audrey to the event!)

And because my coworkers worked their collective rear ends off coordinating the Blue Angels events in Atlanta, Washington DC and Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst in New Jersey.  (You guys Rock!!)

But mainly, I am posting this for my brother Bryan and my friend Sue who are not Facebook regulars and missed this when I posted it on Facebook.

Now you can join us and play Where's Audrey? our version of Where's Waldo?

So click on the link above, watch the video carefully and you will see Audrey in several different places in the background of the film clip.  She has sunglasses on and her hair is up.

Go forth - and Find Audrey!!!

(And donate to Toys for Tots!  Little kids depend on it!!)

Short Ribs - Just Like the Chef at Universal Studios Makes!!!

When we went to Las Vegas to visit my brother over Thanksgiving, I may have mentioned that we went to LA and toured Universal Studios.

Bo and Sarah treated us to the VIP Tour, and part of the package (which included looking down at the little people who didn't get to get out and wander around the sets and who had to stand IN LINE to ride the rides) was a buffet lunch at a fancy restaurant with cloth napkins and a chef in a white jacket and toque and everything!!

In the buffet line there was a lot of seafood - it was California, after all - and then I spied the short ribs!!  The chef smiled approvingly as I grabbed one - he told me that I had made an excellent choice!  And he was correct - they were so good!

So yesterday while Mary and I were at the commissary, seeing if we could in fact spend ALL the money in my bank account, I remembered to pick up a package of short ribs.

Short ribs used to be a kind of a scary cooking proposition until one day when I was at work at my old job at Alvey's a little family run grocery store that had the best butcher and the freshest meats in the area.  They showed us how to cook them so that they were tender and flavorful - yum!

Beth at the fancy buffet.

So here is my recipe for Short Ribs!  Enjoy!!

You will need:

One package of short ribs
One envelope of dry Lipton Onion Soup mix.
3 cups water
1 cup good wine - red or white
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 onions sliced in large slices
8 oz of mushrooms - optional
olive oil, salt and pepper
2 packages of brown gravy mix
one can of mushroom soup

Brown the short ribs on all sides in hot olive oil on high heat in a large skillet. Salt and pepper them. 
Set a  dutch oven on a burner and add the water, wine, bouillon cubes, and soup mix and bring to a simmer.
When the short ribs are browned place in the liquid in the dutch oven, and saute the mushrooms in the skillet that you browned the short ribs.  Salt and pepper them, then add them to the dutch oven.  Add the onions to the skillet and lightly brown them.  A(dd a little more olive oil if the pan looks a little dry.)  When the onions are browned, put about a cup of the liquid from the dutch oven into the skillet to deglaze it and add all to the dutch oven.
Put the lid on the dutch oven and set in a 325 degree oven for 3 or 4 hours til tender.
Take the short ribs out of the pan and set aside in a warm spot.  Put the dutch oven back on the burner and set on medium high heat.
In a quart size mason jar, dump a cup of water, the contents of the gravy mix and the undiluted mushroom soup.  Put a lid on the jar and shake until it is thoroughly mixed.\Pour the mason jar mixture into the dutch oven and stir quickly with a whisk until the gravy is thickened and bubbly.
Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes or rice or noodles.
YUMMMM!!!

Short ribs, mashed potatoes and gravy and cauliflower and cheese....

Adventures with my Brother Spaghetti with Brown Butter

Larry and I did something we haven't done in awhile this Thanksgiving - 

We Went Away.  

On a plane.  

To Las Vegas!!


We went to visit my baby brother Bryan and his wife Sarah and their kids Travis (14) and Beth (11) And their dogs Jack, Belle and Tattoo. And oh my goodness, we had such a great time!!

It started out with Bryan and Sarah buying our tickets as a graduation present for Larry AND then using their points to bump us up to first class on the long Charlotte to Las Vegas leg of the trip.
After being in first class, I don't know how I've ever flown before.  or will ever fly again.  Sigh. It was SOOOOO sweet....  they treat you like humans and serve you food and drink and smile at you.  We sat down and they offered us ice water before the plane even left!  Then the steward came around and asked us what we'd like to drink. Larry said Bourbon.  All they had was Jack Daniels, and Larry said that's fine.  The steward asked if he wanted it with ice or water and Larry said no, I'll take it neat.  "Ooohh...you are hardcore!!" the steward said. "I'll have to keep my eye on youuuu!!!

On Weds Larry went along on a dog walk.

Bryan, Sarah and Travis

I had to ask Sarah what it was like - living in an area where the sun shines and the sky is relentlessly blue!!!

On Thanksgiving Day we had wonderful dinner with my dad and Sarah's parents Mary and Walt.

Family Portrait!

Our dad.

Then on Friday morning we got up at 3:30 in the AM and took off for Universal Studios in Los Angeles.  
(My dad stayed behind to catch up on his sleep, watch the dogs and try to figure out Bryan's TV.)

Universal Studios was a blast!!  We had VIP tickets - Just like first class!!!

8am. Just before our VIP Tour started.

The gas station from Back to the Future!

the bates home from Psycho!!

Tom Cruise's War of the Worlds

The whole lot of us!!!

After we left universal Studios, we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory and met with Susan, Sarah's twin for dinner.  Yummo!!!  

Here is one of the dishes that we had there and which I made for dinner tonight.  Simple and tasty!!

I'll write more later about the Strip and Bingo and more cool stuff we did!!

So try out this spaghetti!!  Easy and SOOOO good!!!

Old Spaghetti Factory's Spaghetti with Brown Butter
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
Serves/Makes: 4    |   Difficulty Level: 3    |   Ready In: < 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup Mizithra cheese
pasta of choice

Directions:
Browned Butter Procedure: Cut butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and place in a 2-quart sauce pan. Place the pan of butter on a burner on medium heat. Bring butter to a slow boil (about 5 minutes).

Once the butter begins to boil, stir constantly to prevent residue from sticking to the bottom of the pan. As the butter cooks, it will start to foam and rise. Continue stirring, otherwise the butter foam could overflow (about 5 minutes) and catch fire.

Once the butter stops foaming and rising, cook until amber in color (about 1 to 2 minutes). It will have a pleasant caramel aroma.

Turn off the heat and remove pan from burner. Let the sediment settle to the bottom of the pan for a few minutes.

Pour the brown butter through a strainer into a small bowl. Do not disturb the residue at the bottom of the pan.

The brown butter can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated in a microwave as needed.

Boil the pasta of choice until Al Dente. Drain pasta and divide into four servings. Spread 1/4 cup of Mizithra over each pasta serving. Top with 1/4 cup of hot brown butter.

Cook's Notes: There is a terrific dish served by The Old Spaghetti Factory chain, called Spaghetti with Browned Butter,. It is served topped with shredded Mizithra cheese (a Greek hard cheese). If mizithra is not available (I am able to easily locate it St. Louis at cheese shops and some supermarkets), a blend of ricotta salata and romano is suggested.