Why would one of my posts take off like a scared rabbit? I mean, yeah, I'd love to be a popular blogger and see all of my posts reach into the 100s and beyond, consistently. I'd love comments, too. I'd love to get to know each of you because I do have a certain number of regular readers, I hope!
But one of my posts has gone well over 100 views, and mostly from Europe. Call me suspicious, but with all the 'bots and trolls, I have to wonder why THAT post has gone up and up and up.
And I have no idea. It wasn't controversial. It wasn't particularly funny... Hmmmmmmm. The things you contemplate with a mug of tea on a Saturday night...
Whole 30...
So I'm on Day 6, and I think I just might have used a dressing with sugar in it. I'm not planning to start over, which is technically in the rules. I'm just going to chalk it up and move forward. What I did today was some prep work. Hubby helped by grinding up about 2 lbs. of pork for me to make my own "pork sausage," which involved the use of Penzey's Spices, their "Tsardust Memories" blend. It's really yummy!! I made Non-Scotch Eggs for a "portable" breakfast. I figure I can zap one in the microwave and eat it on the go, which is usually how I'm managing breakfast these days... The photo at the right is one I grabbed off the internet. Mine aren't so pretty. But they'll do.
The recipe is my own version of a Paleo one that I was given. If you haven't read a sausage roll package lately, take a look. Lots of "stuff" in there that you need a dictionary or a chemistry degree to decipher.
I had 2 lbs. of ground pork, 1 large shallot, a tablespoon of Tsardust spice blend, two turns of the pepper grinder, and an egg. I didn't add any extra salt because Tsardust has salt in it. Oh, and I tossed in a quarter-sized pile of tarragon leaves.
Saute the diced shallot in a pan with a little olive oil, just till it softens and gets a little golden. Drain it. Add it to the meat mixture and all the spices, with the raw egg. Mix it all very well. Start the oven - about 325 will do.
You need hard-boiled eggs, peeled. About 4 or so... Doesn't even matter if they "peel pretty" because you're going to cover them up!
Grab a portion of the meat mixture and roll it up, then flatten it out to a thin-ish patty. Set a hard-boiled egg in the center, and then wrap the egg in the sausage mixture. Repeat with all your eggs. Set them in a rimmed baking sheet (I lined mine with non-stick tin foil because I hate to scrub pans!) and bake for about 35 minutes. You want the internal temperature to get to 165, since you're using pork. I also sprinkled a little paprika on the top of mine, since they didn't brown the way I liked, but they did cook nicely. Let them set for 10 minutes, if you're planning to eat them right away, or you can let them cool slightly and then store them for your breakfast-on-the-run. I used 3 hard-boiled eggs, then made 3 separate patties. I'll figure it all out...
Still eating the fritatta and again - I'm lucky because I'm not easily bored eating the same thing several days running. Honestly, with my schedule, it's become a habit - it's necessary unless I have time (which I don't) to cook or think up something different each day.
As for the solution to the "how to store a half of avocado" -- I dipped this one in lemon juice and wrapped it tightly. We'll see how it looks in the morning.
Shen Yun...
Took my mom and sister to see Shen Yun today at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. It's been remodeled, and we've been a couple of times. I think we have a tradition going.
We ate at Leland's Legends, which is where I might have screwed up with the dressing... Ah well... We got our "usual" parking spot: in a handicapped space at a dentist's office about 1/2 a block from the theatre. Which is nice, because my mom and sister both are handicapped - one bad leg and one bad hip.
I drive because I'm the "anal sister" who likes to do the driving when I can. I'm a little troubled, because for the past several months, I've had an issue with my right leg where it hurts to sit for too long - the chiropractor has been working on it and he thinks it's an alignment issue. I've been practicing and teaching yoga all the way through - I can't really stop teaching, but I do watch what I'm doing. Just hurts to drive, which is kind of another story.
Anyway. If you get a chance to see this show - do it! It's an amazing show, and what surprised me was that it's actually been "stalked" if you will by the Chinese government. I've provided a link above, so check it out. My mom and sister loved it, and our seats, while in the "nosebleed" section of the Paramount, were decreed by them as "keepers" and "you need to get these seats again when we come next time." So I guess I'm the official booking agent... Seriously, though, we were at the very top of the balcony and they were good seats. My mom is short and this was great because there was no tall person in front of her. It wasn't cheap, even for those seats; if you order them online it's a little over $200. But my brother kicks in (he says he'll pay for lunch as long as we don't make him go!).
The music was lovely, and not too loud. And the dancers? Well, no spoilers here, but it was a combination of athletic and artistic at the same time. And the costumes left us breathless. And that's all I'm telling you. It's a great show, child-friendly, too, if the kiddos can sit for 2+ hours.
Madame is Not Happy...
Well. Tippi's done it... A while ago, she had a tumor removed from her right back foot. It was benign, thankfully. But for some reason, she's now "worrying" it... to the point where we put her in the Inner Tube of Shame, and used some (supposedly) dog-proof self-adhesive tape on it. The first one, she managed to get off. You can see how thrilled she is. I don't think there's anything brewing in there, but we have to keep her from nagging at it, and we want it to dry out. If it doesn't clear up, off to the vet we go. As a therapy dog, she's at the vet pretty regularly, and they usually are able to get her fixed up.
We'll see if this lasts overnight.
Random Picture...
This is my grand-cat, Larry, in her pickle box. I can't even tell you the cat toys and "cat houses" I've purchased for this critter. And she loved the pickle box that Kid #1 used to transport a boat-load of homemade pickles one day. Larry is a strange bird. I've actually never met her. I've seen her, but she's the shy, retiring type who really only likes Kid #1. I felt bad at first, but then Kid #2 told me that Larry hated him, too, so I don't feel so bad anymore.
Larry now lives out of state with Kid #1 and I'm hoping to go out there this summer. I have to arrange it with him, and I have to figure out why my leg is bugging me, because I want to drive out. It's only about 10 hours, and I don't mind driving alone.
It'll be nice to see him, and I've never been to where he lives. And with my own car, if I want to leave, I can! Not that he's going to be overwhelmed with my visit, but I plan to get a hotel. It's just me. I like to be by myself when I travel, because I like the solitude.
Maybe this time, I'll get to see Larry for more than a nano-second. And maybe, if I'm really lucky, she'll let me pet her!
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