LET'S HAVE COFFEE

Luckily the weather is holding out in my little corner of the world.  The mornings are perfect for coffee on the patio ... almost chilly in fact.  It's worth it however, for the peace and quiet ... well except for the garbage trucks that run an early morning route  ... and the train tracks one mile away that sound like they are 50 feet from my back door ... and the Air Force based turned into a UPS hub with huge planes taking off at 3:30 every morning.  Okay, so it's not so quiet after all!!

So when one of my bingo cashiers said let's have coffee ... which she has said probably 35 times and I always said no ... I finally agreed.  Grannies Pantry was the destination.

As you know I'm not a coffee person.  I arrived first and was instantly met with a huge cup of the strong stuff.  CREAM PLEASE.  Let's face it ... I don't get out much any more.  I could not find the sugar to save me.  I went through a bucket of six different kinds, all fake sugar.  Give me the REAL stuff please!  I need to make this as close to my fake coffee as I can.  

Suddenly it dawned on me ... that big container of white stuff is the sugar.  No, I don't get out often at all!

That's when they brought the menu.  I thought I might have a little breakfast until I read it.  Are you kidding me?  Breakfast was over $20 for two eggs, two pieces of bacon, hash browns and toast.  YIKES!!  When did THAT happen?  I finally settled for ONE ENGLISH MUFFIN to the tune of $5.75.  I can buy SIX for that!!  No kidding, I was really shocked.  This is a small town hangout of regulars.  I guess that's why when I came in there were six empty tables when normally on a Saturday you would wait for an hour to get a table.  The lunch menu wasn't any cheaper!

Anyway, we talked all things Bingo and how to remedy the current situation.  My only thought at this point is to quit the bingo kitchen, right behind my friend who wanted to quit yesterday!!  It's a dilemma I won't go in to.

Once home two hours later, the wind came up like gangbusters.  That made it cool enough to hang out on the patio for a while trying to change my skin color a bit.  Let me just say that TANNED OLD skin doesn't look much better than WHITE old skin.  What a revelation for someone who spent hours at the lake getting that perfect tan.

Of course Miss Kitters had to bother me the entire time. Meow meow meow ... purr purr purr!

Here's the bad news of the day.  I woke up with a scratchy throat and a runny nose yesterday.  It's not as bad this morning, so maybe it was the REAL coffee, but I was sure feeling like a cold was coming on.  So instead of heading out on a shopping spree for new summer clothes, which can only be found around here in the winter, I stayed home and did some bookwork of my own.  

I paid some bills ... my oh my how the prices of things have gone up ... and lamented over the three tops I bought from Amazon that were as thin as paper and were all too big.  Return, return, return!!  My 20 year old truck insurance is now as high as it was when I bought the thing.  I won't even mention the VAN insurance.  All I can say is thank God I have a good retirement or I would be selling stuff right and left, including the van.

I kept Mr. Cooper company on the couch and watched a little rodeo until dinner time.  I planned three trips, even going so far as to almost hit the reservation button, but I know Cooper won't be comfortable and I'm afraid of more damage to his leg, which by the way seems to be getting better, although slowly.  The rugs on the floor have made all the difference.

In no time, dinner rolled around.  I don't know why I keep trying to make pizza.  I suppose it's because I have the ingredients and it's a challenge.  I pulled the last frozen dough piece out of the fridge where it had thawed overnight.  Oh my Great Aunt Suzie ... something was certainly wrong the second I opened the package.  I can't even explain the smell.  It was so acrid and BAD that I immediately threw it in the trash can just so I could breathe.  What the heck happened to that??

Now what?? I remembered a recipe online for 15 minute pizza crust.  Okay, I'll bite.  I was thinking this wasn't going to be good at all ... and I was right.

Here's the problem.  I used amazing Miss Terry's recommendation for putting down provolone cheese first to keep the crust from getting soggy.  I then smothered it with sauce, more cheese and toppings.  After ten minutes in the oven, I looked in to see cheese melting and pepperonis floating off the top down onto the heating element.  Flames erupted!!  I think maybe I used too much baking powder.  The crust was almost an inch thick in the middle.

NOOOOO!!  I pulled it out, pushed all the cheese back up on top, placed it in another pan and stuck it back in.  That burned pepperoni smell will go away, I'm sure.  

So here's the final product.  It doesn't look all that bad, but a quick check of the bottom and I was sure it wasn't fully cooked.  Oh heck ... I'll just scrape off the toppings and eat that!!  Actually it turned out not to be TOO terrible, since the crust did get pretty much cooked, just not browned.  I instantly threw that recipe in the trash.  

I'm going to eat it because it has a lot of expensive cheese on top, but I'll reheat it in the air fryer.  That should make it MUCH better!!  On the other hand, I've given up.  There will never be another homemade pizza in my house EVER!  Ummm but I did see a recipe using tortillas ...........

And so ended another day as the three of us headed off to bed.  I'm trying all my homemade cold recipes today, though my throat is not sore at all.  We shall see how far I get!

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

DEADMAN'S CURVE

 Mother Nature is as fickle as they come.  April showers never showed up and May flowers are lagging way behind.  There is nothing but green in my back yard, which in my case is good because it means I haven't killed anything ..... YET!

Afternoons have been warm, but not hot enough to require shoes on the concrete patio.  That's a plus.  On the other hand, not even the birds are happy about the weather because not a single one is singing.  Not even the mockingbirds that dot the landscape.

OH LOOK ... BREAKFAST!!  Not really, but this one came close to living at my house for a month or so.  This is an Elvis special!  Banana, chocolate chip, PEANUT BUTTER!!!  I mean really, what could be better?  The next time I see this one, I'm buying THREE pieces.  One to eat immediately and two for good measure.  Actually that would be very nice since I woke up with a cold.  Where it came from, I've no idea, but I can feel the miserable coming on!

I did actually get out of the house for a time on this day.  I was on the very last day of that Amazon return, so there was no choice in the matter.  THIS became the problem of the day.

I truly have been staying home because fuel is so expensive.  I haven't been regen driving the rig either, because $7.69 is just not acceptable, even if I CAN afford it.  Oh, and by the way, our lovely governor whose name I refuse to speak has raised fuel taxes once again in California.  

Anyhoo ... I went to my regular station, not for diesel, but for gas to fill the Jeep.  It's less expensive, but not by much.  The cheapest gas was $6.79 a gallon.  I pulled in any way, just to get enough to get around town.  I put in my credit card.  CANNOT READ CHIP.  Oh here we go ... it's why I HATE this station.  I put in another card.  CANNOT READ CHIP.  I put in my debit card.  CANNOT READ CHIP.  I went inside, asked why their readers never work, and the gal just stared at me.  "I don't know" she stated.

Thank you, I'll go to another station.  Off I went, passing three more with signs reading $6.99 and up for gas.  Finally, in a last attempt to find SOMETHING, I stopped at the last Arco station.  At least their pumps worked and this was the price.  By the way, California ONLY buys foreign fuel, even though they can produce MORE THAN ENOUGH for their own state.  I'm guessing there are Governor kickbacks included in that.  That and more fuel tax to pay for the new teeth Los Angeles wants to give all Meth addicts so they can look pretty, as well as free diapers for every baby, and it's enough to make you scream.  

I know, I should move.  But where?  Prices for houses everywhere are through the roof.  I would have to make all new friends, move an entire huge house full of furniture .... and at my age, that just does not sound like fun!!

I continued on my way, to be stopped on a narrow two lane road behind the creek.  A BIG creek.  This is Dead Man's Curve.  It was home to the last moments of a few of my high school friends who decided to drink and drive too fast.  This guy almost killed his wife and two kids.  He tried to say it was a tire blowout, but I don't think anyone believed him.

This turned into a fun extraction.  The tow truck, plenty big enough, backed up WAY too close to the edge, not giving himself enough room to maneuver.  Nor did he or his compadre really want to get in the water, mostly because of the blackberry bushes.   No kidding, they threw the hook and chain over the roof rack and pulled it right of the car.  Needless to say, the car didn't budge.

In desperation, the truck DRIVER finally jumped in himself, shoes and all, and dove underwater to hook it up, losing his ball cap in the process!  

This guy is the one that didn't want to get near the bushes.  At any rate, they were finally able to get it out far enough to let the water drain and hook up a second cable.

You know how you just want to go over there and tell them???  Well no one did, and so they ended up here.  No cable left, the truck too close and the car still mostly down over the hill.  While they contemplated that, I finally turned around and left.  I'm sure they got it out somehow.

Just another fun day in small town California.

I had DEF on my list, but really didn't feel like a Walmart adventure, so I headed back home to my kid who was happy as a clam to see me, as was the weird one.  Does she not look like the Day of the Dead?  I see half a black mouth and half a skull with teeth.  

The skull side even has the white eye!!  She goes out about 3:00 am, then comes running back in with a little mew?  Like she's calling my name.  I "mew" back, and she comes running to me like I've got a big piece of steak for her.  Alas, she does not get people food because she won't eat it.  That's weird too!

That was it ... my entire day in a nutshell.  Not so exciting when fuel has become unaffordable.  Except for your neighbors who had a party yesterday from noon until 3:00 am this morning.  I'm thinking concrete wall .. you know, like the ones along the freeway?  I wonder just how TALL they will let me build it?

Not Much To Write Home About

 It is an absolute LOVELY 57 degrees out this early morning.  There's no frost on the pumpkin, but there sure is dew on the grass.  It looks like I had the sprinklers on all night long.

That makes Cooper tiptoe through the tulips, or grass as it were, getting his feet soaking wet.  It's a good thing I have all those rugs in the house to sop it up.  No one said Kitters was the only great white gopher hunter.  Cooper has his talents too.

No he didn't catch him but he did notify Kitters that she was laying down on the job (literally) and she needed to get back to work.  On this day however, there were no gophers hurt .... that I know of anyway.

On the other hand, there were lots of treats that disappeared because he's such a GOOD BOY!  There have been no leg mishaps that I've seen and he seems to be doing much better.  There HAVE been many many trips to the treat counter in the kitchen because he thinks I forgot to reward him for going outside.  No worries, each one is now cut into FOUR pieces instead of one!  I should do the same with MY diet.

By 9:00 in the morning, I was laying out in the sun trying to get a bit of a tan.  Soaking up vitamin D has become a lovely pastime.  It would be better if Missy La La would leave me alone, but alas, there she sits, purring and making little squeaky meow sounds, looking for more pets and scratches.

That was followed up by several phone calls since it's time for the Elks monthly Trustee Meeting.  It's always good to get your ducks in a row BEFORE being challenged to a duel right there in River City.

I ate something for lunch, but it was so unexciting that I don't even remember what it was.  I followed it up with HALF a piece of pie.  I'm on a diet don't ya know!

That was followed up with a shower and a long phone conversation about sourdough starter and whether you should feed it every day or let it starve in the fridge for a month!  The Callee said she has left hers for up to 3 months without feeding it.  YIKES!!  Now THAT'S a DIET!!

Still thinking about keeping Mr. Cooper quiet, I went into the sewing room again.  It's not that I'm enjoying sewing so much right now, but it keeps him sleeping on the floor for a few hours so he rests that leg.  

I have four quilts that need backing.  The size is a problem.  It's too big for just a single piece of fabric, meaning I have to cut TWO pieces to the required size and then add another piece to make it large enough.  Putting them at the top and bottom doesn't work since when I quilt, as it never seems to come out even.  I saw another blogger picture that said put it in the middle, so that's what I did.  I've now got four ready to quilt.  So if nothing else, Cooper is keeping me on my time schedule.

When it was time to head out to the Trustee Meeting, I put on my EXTRA heavy duty armor.  It was definitely needed since I had to not only be head of the Trustee meeting, I had to be the Secretary of the night and take minutes.  No problem, I have a tape recorder ..... except 30 minutes into the meeting, the battery died.  So for 2-1/2 hours, there were no minutes other than what I took by hand.  OH THE JOY!

And so ended another epic night of fun (NOT) that will result in me spending the next two hours writing all this stuff down for the THREE meetings we had.  No worries about that either since I will say a big resounding NO the next time they ask!!!!  I am NOT a Secretary!

HAVE A GREAT DAY AND ENJOY THE SUNSHINE!!

WEIRD CAT AND PIE!!

 The weather guessers have changed their guesses once again.  We seem to be staying in a lovely range of under 85 degrees.  I'm good with that!  As long as the AC doesn't have to be turned on to keep us from melting, I'm a happy camper.  If that happens, I may be camping in my rig by the garage with the PROPANE generator running the AC unit.  

Kitters on the other hand, LOVES the warm.  I don't know how a black cat can lay on the concrete in the midday sun for over an hour.  Maybe she knows better how to shed all that winter fur, because it's coming out in handfuls.  Every day she gets brushed several times.  I need a mask just to keep it out of my face!!

Speaking of weird ... the eyes get me every time.  Follow that up with a pink nose and a split-right-down-the-middle chin and mouth color, and it makes you wonder just WHO was in the woodpile!!  

Right now she's focused in on the visitors outside the front door.  She's funny ... she will not go out of the back yard to the front, no matter how many lizards are basking in the sun.  She stops dead at the gate and just watches.  At this moment, she is chasing her tail UNDER the biggest rug on the floor.  Yup she's WEIRD with a capital W.

You might think both of my kids would love these duck eggs.  Janice brought another dozen to me at bingo.   That would be a NO.  I thought Cooper would gobble them up ... and I thought "I" would love them.  But alas, they do have a different flavor.  I'm thinking I will scramble them for the neighborhood kitties.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day resting up.  Those late nights running around the bingo floor beat me up a bit, especially after a night of little sleep.  

The most exercise I got was unplugging the van, hoping the solar would stay on this time.  I'll check it again today.  

I did finally bite the bullet and register this thing.  There are many out there not as complicated to operate, but few of them work with this rig because of the newer electronics.  First I had to find a password on the unit itself, meaning I had to go plug it in to the van to get it to turn on.  I think there is a cord you can attach to your computer, but I don't have one.  

I then tried to get a reading again, but it came up with a bunch of stuff I didn't understand.  Just numbers with either S or a $.  I had no idea which one to pick, so I just turned it off.  Hopefully today I can find a video on how to use the darn thing.  Instead of selecting the highlighted one, I think I should have just hit I/M.  Of course I always figure it out AFTER I unplug it!!

I had lots of plans to quilt ... I didn't.  I had lots of plans to cook ... I didn't.  But finally, very late in the day, this pie living in the freezer since last year, was screaming my name.  BAKE ME OR THROW ME OUT!  Well who in their right mind would throw out a fabulous (the best I've ever tasted) Dutch Apple Pie!!!

Nothing makes the stress, wear and tear go away faster than PIE.  It would have been even better if I had gotten up off my duff and picked up some milk from town to make ice cream.  Alas, I did not, but I definitely WILL today!!!

Speaking of food, I got the results of the Mothers Day Breakfast.  Goodness ... people were calling me complaining about how terrible it was.  The ham was mushy ... weird, that one.  I learned later that they poured all the juice from three huge cans of fruit cocktail into the pan and actually BOILED it.  Ohhhh that does not sound good at all!!

The hash browns were cold, the sausage looked like it had been cooked the day before and reheated, the scrambled eggs were WAY overcooked and dry as the Sahara desert, the Mexican casseroles were made with barely cooked hamburger, then burned on the bottom.  I'm guessing there won't be many customers coming back NEXT year, even if it was free for the ladies!!  Most folks said they just ate the waffles and threw the rest away.  What a shame!!  Maybe next year will be better.

Summer is coming on FAST.  I was sure it was still March, but here it is mid MAY!!  I think I'll get a little sun on the patio before running a few errands.  There's also a Board Meeting at the lodge tonight.  That should be fun.  I have something like ten items to bring up.  No worries, every single time I have little to nothing on the agenda, I'm going to play hookey!!  

It's now time for breakfast PIE!   HAVE A GREAT DAY!

BINGO ... OR MAYBE NOT!

 It's a cool, little bit breezy morning in Central Cal.  There's even a tiny sliver of moon in the sky.  It rather amazes me that just last week, the moon was clear over on the other side of the house, setting like it was the sun.  Now here it is way over THERE.  I would love to have one of those mechanical things to set on the table so I could actually see where the plants are and how they move.  It fascinates me ... not that I ever want to go out in space, it's just amazing that we are on this big rock floating around the universe.

That's WAY too deep of thought for the morning after Bingo ... so here we go.  Where am I you might ask?  I'm hiding.  When you have to deal with so much drama, you find places to hide in the dark.  This is our Memorial Room.  Covering the walls are metal plaques with the names of every member who has passed away since they built this building in the 1930's. 

Needless to say, we are running out of room and will soon have to move to the anteroom.  There is one thing about Elks, they remember their members who have passed.  It's the perfect spot to soak up a little peace before the chaos of Bingo!!

Let the GAMES BEGIN!!  I started out on the cash register, but Janice came in like she always does.  What a GREAT volunteer she is.  Always with a smile on her face and stories to tell.  I think she has something like 14 grandchildren, one of whom was just born on Mothers Day.  How appropriate!!

I immediately let her take over so I could run the gamet.  It helps a lot if there is a runner to the table out front selling pull tabs.  Drop off the latest game and grab all the cash.  At one point I even had to sit and count out little groups of ten cards each.  A box of 500 cards sells out in minutes.

It's amazing how much money people spend on these.  Each game is different, but three of them have THREE $500.00 winners each, and one game has one $1199 winner.  Hundreds of dollars are thrown at you trying to win that $1199.  Why $1199?  Because at $1200.00 you have to notify IRS.  It's absolutely a madhouse from 4:30 until 6:30 when the games begin!

I don't know if I've told you the exact reason the pitchforks and flaming torches come out.  Every week I turn on a total of SEVEN televisions around the room that show a picture like this.  The machine kicks out several balls into a syphon like thing.  You move the first one around until you can see the number on the TV.  This is the NEXT number to be called.  That's the impetus for SO many fights!

We have a lot of new folks who don't catch on to the rules.  They scream BINGO when they see that number.  BUT WAIT ... that is the NEXT number to be called.  If it has not been called yet, you do not win.  Oh the moans and groans that come from the mouths of the players!!

Runners then grab their card and call out the serial number.  The machine will tell you if it's a winner or not.  THIS IS A NOT!  Oh my gosh ... those poor new players get raked over the coals.  When it finally calms down, the caller calls the number 51 and BINGO rings out over the entire room.  Sometimes there is only one winner, sometimes there is four ... and one night there were TWELVE.  You can imagine the ruckus that caused.

If the number is correct, all of the numbers called with show up in yellow.  Only one shows up here, so that's a NO WIN!!

By now I'm tired of running all over, so I camped out at the cash register for a while.  I checked on the kitchen several times during the night to see they were slammed too.  We had 134 people, mostly because they all have a chance to win a total of FOUR $1199 jackpots every night.  That brings in the crowds!

FINALLY ... it was time to cash out and hit the road.  I was exhausted, but still had to check the kitchen.  I helped the cashier count her money, cleaned up the counters, turned off all the fans and locked the freezer and walk-in.  I ran out like I had a bear on my tail.

I'm a little beat up this morning, but alas, accounting calls.  I'm hoping to make it a very short one.  I've got a mountain of paperwork to get ready for tomorrow nights Trustee Meeting.  

By the way, I heard the Mothers Day breakfast was terrible.  The ham was mushy.  How can that be?  Didn't they roast it in the oven?  The hash browns were cold and barely cooked, the sausage looked like it was cooked the day before and the casseroles burned on the bottom.  Goodness gracious ... sorry, but NOT SORRY!!   It's time someone else pick up the slack!!  See?  I'm learning!!!

JUST TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT

 GOOD MORNING from sunny California.  As you can see, it's sunny and it's summer.  I'm trying to figure out just what day I will turn the AC on.  They have once again changed the hours of electricity usage around here, meaning my solar credit is down to zero at the beginning of summer.  That's not good ... not good at all since you know how CHEAP I am.

Every morning I open the back door and turn on the fan so it pulls cool air inside.  Lucky for me this house has GREAT insulation and stays cool most of the day.  

Here's my morning kids hanging out while I type, both wishing I would feed them so they can go back to sleep!

Mr. Cooper is doing better each day, though the leg doesn't seem to be all that strong yet.  In trying to figure out how to help him, I gathered all the old rugs I had in the garage (I knew they would be good for something some time) and placed them all around the kitchen island.  That seems to be where he goes crazy ... because that's where the food is of course.  This kid eats like a horse!!

Here's the other side.  My house looks like a crazy person lives here, but I don't care.  As long as he doesn't slip, his leg gets better.  He is back to trotting out to the grass.  Hopefully it just gets back to mostly normal very soon.

Since it was kind of cool, I went outside to do some weed spraying.  Yup ... the problem child is still there, laughing at me from behind the wall.

All the flower beds are a disaster ... full of weeds ... because you know, the gardener doesn't DO flower beds.  I just can't figure that out.  I am more and more disillusioned with gardeners.  Like all of them, this one started off like gangbusters and now does the very minimum.

That included hitting this sprinkler time and time again, knocking it completely out of the ground.  I've dug up and reset this one four times.  I figure it needs a steel cage around it.  I unscrewed it down to the very bottom (it has an extension on it since the pipes are so deep in the ground) and replaced all of it.  Even an entire new sprinkler.  We shall see just how long it lasts this time!!

All the while, Miss Kitters slept on her table.  She actually prefers to sleep outside in the mornings, then comes in when it gets warmer for the softer chair.  She sure is a talkative thing ... saying good morning at 3:30 am when she saunters in through the doggy door ... THREE times.  She's like the alarm bell you want to throw across the room!!

So at long last, I got up the nerve to go plug this thing in to the van.  I really need to figure this one out.  I remembered on my truck ... key off, plug it in, key on but do not start.  How the heck do you turn the key on when you have no key?  That took another 30 minutes of searching for answers.  

And of course the answer I found was WRONG.  Unlock the door so it knows you are there and press the start button once without your foot on the brake. 

It didn't work.  This was my result.  Another hour of searching was required.  Finally I found one that said push the button TWICE.  Why are there not specific instructions on how to do this???  I should try again today, but honestly I think it would be easier to go to the Smog Shop and beg for help.  If they show me exactly what to do, I can do it and maybe get results.  

At this moment I'm praying I didn't make anything reset so I have to go through all the driving part again.  Not that I did it correctly the first time .............

I gave up and made cookies.  If you are going to screw up a task, you might as well have something yummy and sweet to take away the sting of failure.  YUM!!!

With the weeds sprayed, the sprinklers fixed and my sweet tooth satisfied, I went back to sewing so Mr. Cooper would settle down and LAY down on the carpet.  He did ... and I finished this quilt.  It's a little different since the fabrics are patterned, though you can't see it in the picture.

Dinnertime came around, but I didn't have the motivation to spend 45 minutes making crispy birria tacos.  I just made regular drippy soggy ones that didn't taste even CLOSE to the real thing.  

Cooper just would not settle down, so back in the sewing room we went.  Here's the next one ready to be quilted.  That's five down and three to go.  

And so another day passes and I try to figure out just what armor to put on for tonights Bingo gig.  The troublemaker has not returned to the scene of the crime, making it fun once again.  I'm just trying to figure it out ... how to keep everyone happy so no one gets stuck with a pitchfork or burned at the stake!!

HAPPY TUESDAY!!!

BIRRIA WHAT??

BIG SIGH.  There have been lots of them around here lately.  Mr. Cooper sat down too close to the fridge and could not get up, hurting his leg once again.  I spent almost the entire day in the sewing room because he lays down and sleeps.  He's better this morning, but basically we are starting all over again.   That put most everything else on the back burner.  

Thankfully, Miss Kitters hasn't brought in any critters lately, adding to the mayhem.  Yup ... I see the same black blob.  It used to scare me, but now I'm used to it.

She loves to play in the mornings, so I try to give her five minutes with the feather.  She's so fast, she snags it every time!

When you're sitting for long hours, you think up weird stuff.  Hey ... let's cook up some Mexican Birria.  Where that came from, I have no idea.  I found a great instant pot recipe and figured I would give it a shot.  It would keep my mind off everything else going on at the moment.

I made a quick trip to Save Mart.  This could cause a heart attack.  No wonder people can't afford food.  This is just as ridiculous as it comes.  A cheap chuck roast should cost $2.99 a pound.  Check out the $14.99/lb price tag.  They don't really think they are going to sell this stuff, do they?  What happens to all the product they DON'T sell??

This one is even worse.  I laughed out loud and got an ugly look from the meat case guy.  $13.49 a pound for hamburger????  NO ONE IS GOING TO BUY THIS!!  My idea of Birria or meatloaf went right out the window.

Even this one was ridiculous.  Hamburger for $5.99 a pound.  It was the cheapest thing they had in the meat case.  

Maybe I'll check out the local Mexican/Korean market and see what they have.  Sure enough ... there it was, two beautiful chunks of pot roast for $4.99 a pound.  STILL too expensive, but I bought both of them.  Birria is once again on the menu.  

That's when I smelled it.  Roast chicken.  I should have gone to Costco, but I was hungry, and with the price of fuel, it would have cost me the same to drive there.  The tortillas were hot, but the sauce was a scorcher.  They must have put ghost peppers in that stuff.  It went straight into the trash can.  There's no way I could eat it and survive.

I admit, rarely do I ever make anything that is absolutely delicious.  Probably because I'm always missing an ingredient or two.  This time however, my salsa came out perfect.  This is an old ranch favorite.  On rare occasions, we would make deep pit barbecue.  The best stuff you've ever tasted.  We always made salsa to go with it.  This brings back memories of the back yard pit and wet gunny sacks which we wrapped the meat in to cook over the coals.

Then I began cutting and hacking up the birria ingredients.  Peppers, lots of spices including cinnamon, loads of onions and FIVE garlic cloves.  My eyes watered until I couldn't see!! 

Once done you take out the meat and blend the sauce until everything is liquid.  Oops ... I forgot to take the bay leaves out.  Back goes the meat, now shredded, stir it up and it's ready to taste.  Really, I'm not a fan of cinnamon with meat, but boy does this stuff have GREAT flavor.  

Now to make the tacos.  It almost went wrong here ... dip the tortillas in the fat from the pot, but there WAS no fat ... only sauce.  Put them in a hot frying pan with lots of cheese and spoon on the meat.  Fry until crispy.  Yeah well they didn't get very crispy before almost getting too well done.  

As I said, rarely do I ever make anything spectacular ... but THIS ... this was amazing!!  I relished every single bite!!  Finally, a success in two weeks worth of trials and tribulations.

I'm exhausted from all the problems hitting me at once.  I guess the good news is it's not from slinging 25 heavy pans of food in and out of the hot ovens at the lodge on Mothers Day.  I'm smiling over that one!!!

Here's hoping Mr. Cooper gets better again.  I have one more big rug in the garage I will bring out today and try to cover the entire kitchen floor.  I'll do just about anything for this sweet boy!!

Big thanks to Mr. Ed for sending me an email with all things Mercedes REGEN on it.  I'll do some more research and maybe more driving today.  Hopefully I can find the instructions on how to use the OBDII reader and not erase anything that will make it start all over again.  It seems there may even be a way to check it on the steering wheel controls.  I won't hold my breath!