News Of The Day

My Magic Kingdom hangover is cured and my skinned lip is finally healed up.  I'm on a roll!!  I ran some errands yesterday, including a stop at one of the local tire companies to check on new tires for my Jeep.

There are SIX tire stores in this small town.  They are a dime a dozen, kind of like the SEVEN Dollar Stores, with new ones popping up all the time.  That's why I shop out of town, although I do occasionally hit a dollar store when I feel the need for cheap plastic stuff or cleaning products.  It pains me to enter those stores, what with all the product cascading to the floors where it usually stays.  I'm getting off track here.

My first stop for an estimate was the husband of a friend, but unfortunately he wasn't there.  After waiting for ten minutes (a long time for me) the guy finally asked me what kind of Jeep I had.  Well ... it's a four wheel drive Jeep Liberty.  But a Liberty WHAT?  Apparently it makes a difference.  I had the sizes and wanted mud and snow tires, but I guess there are a LOT of those to chose from. The estimate came in at $1,095.00.  YIKES!!!

When I got home, I double checked the Jeep ... it is a Liberty Lattitude with Goodyear Fortera HC tires.  I'll be a little more prepared for the next estimate!

For those that don't read the news, me included, they have found a new species of spider in La Paz on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.  Although that was on my bucket list to see, I think I'll just scratch it off.  They reported this to be the biggest spider ever found in the world.  Funny though, they didn't mention just HOW big it was.  Although it bit one of the members of the crew, he didn't die, so I suppose you're safe there, but the thought of running into a spider bigger than my hand just creeps me out.  So much for the important news of the day.

One of my stops was at a new "used" furniture store some distance North of town.  They posted this table on Facebook and I was hooked.  I'm probably jumping the gun here a little bit, but this soft turquoise table will fit quite nicely in my new Arizona home.  It's my signature piece that everything else will be built around.  The most crucial factor is it will fit in the back of my Jeep for transport South.

It wasn't hard getting it IN my truck to get it home, but getting it OUT was a challenge in weight distribution.  My truck sits really high, so it took some jockeying around to get it to the ground without damage.  It needs a little more sanding for that antique look and a coat of something to protect the finish.   

Then it was off for groceries since I totally forgot this weekend was Easter and I'm cooking the ham for lunch at a friends house on Saturday.  I like ham, but I like it better when it's not $25.00 like the Smithfield hams I love so much.  At that price, I could have bought an entire pig two weeks ago.  This $12 Hormel will have to do.  I'm not sure how I'm going to cook it ... ham is not my forte!!

In the meantime, I tested out a new appetizer recipe from KingsHawaiian.com.  You've probably seen this one before.  Cut a pack of rolls in half, fill with ham and cheese, then bake.  I was in trouble right off the bat when Kings Hawaiian rolls could not be found at my local grocery store.  Remember, I'm in booney heaven here.  I substituted the only other sweet rolls in the store.  That was the first mistake. 

Although the recipe called for Dijon mustard, I only had honey mustard in the fridge.  Mixed with mayo, it was pretty yummy for the sauce.  I placed what I thought was a sufficient amount of thin sliced ham over the rolls, then covered that with Swiss cheese slices.  I put the tops on and mixed the sauce to be poured over the top.  

I went a little askew there also, as I forgot to halve the sauce recipe as I did the rolls.  That was a LOT of butter, mustard and onion powder for just nine rolls.  Oh well ... onward and upward.  I baked them for the required 10 minutes, whereupon even the BUTTER did not melt, let alone the cheese.  Another ten minutes and they were getting toasty on the top, so I took them out, cut them apart and went in for the taste test.

Let me say the flavor of onion and butter was delicious.  I almost couldn't find the ham, and the cheese never melted.  FAIL!!!  It needs three times the ham and double the time in the oven, with only half the sauce on top.  I heated two up in the microwave for dinner and it was MUCH better.   Gosh ... I only have SIX more to eat!! 

I spent the rest of the evening watching the Giants lose AGAIN ... I mean really, they are in LAST place and just can't seem to get their act together.  It would definitely make a difference if the umps called the outs that are so obvious on the replays and quit calling strikes on balls that are thrown below the knees ... but that's how it is in baseball!!

If you're traveling for Easter, please drive careful and drive slow.    We all want you around for a LONG time!!