gunstream girl

Name:
Location: Cleveland, Ohio, United States

I'm a Southerner, born and bred (though you'd never know it from my accent, I'm told). I like to eat 'til I'm tired out from eating, hear good storytelling 'til I can recite the stories in my sleep (Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.), watch people, look at sparkly things, listen to good bluegrass music, dream about owning a dog, tell crazy stories about my family, and organize things.

20 March 2006

Spellbound

So I was walking with some friends to brunch yesterday when I passed a brilliant yellow poster advertising the 15th Annual Adult Spelling Bee of Cleveland Heights.

I can't express my joy over the discovery. And my delight at the very cool poster.

7:00 tomorrow night.

I'll be there.

17 March 2006

Happy Birthday, Sirrom

Happy Birthday to my Dad.

He means more to all of us than you might ever know.
I can't begin to imagine how many lives he's touched through his wonderful example of how to live life.

I love you, Dad...

...for your three-legged dog jokes
...for your amazing ability to relate to all people
...for your humility
...for your smarts
...for your practicality
...for your pride in your family
...for your example.

I wish our favorite blessing to you on your special day:

May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind blow at your back,
May the sun shine warmly on your face,
May the rain fall softly on your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hands.

16 March 2006

Greens

A couple of years ago, I offered to bring greens to Nanny's for the holiday potluck...I don't recall what holiday it was. That's not so important of a detail. So all of the family members bring a dish...usually a starch covered in baked cheese. I thought I'd give all of our arteries a break and contribute something more healthy (it seems like I was on a pretty healthy kick at the time). So I made greens. Just steamed. With some garlic. Which didn't go over well. I remember being heartbroken that no one ate my greens. Not even sympathy spoonfuls.

Horrifying.

So I learned the secret to cooking greens the hard way: Salt Pork.

Never again will my greens be passed by with a sniff and a sneer.

Here's how I do it.

Saute some onions and garlic in a very large pot on medium heat (I use an old pressure cooker that Nanny gave me). Throw on some salt pork (about a good spilling over handful of it, cubed). Let it all brown. Throw on several bunches of greens (I like to mix collards, mustard, turnip, and kale) that have been thoroughly washed and coarsely chopped. After they have wilted down/sauteed a bit, pour quite a bit of chicken broth over the greens (I usually use about three boxes of broth...i really kind of eyeball it). Add crushed red pepper (for a little kick!) and regular salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for a long time. (the more wilted the vegetable, the more Southern it is!)

Tasty!

Serve it with pepper sauce/vinegar (optional).

Also serve with pinto beans and cornbread.

And fried chicken, too, if you have the time.

Can you tell what I'm cooking for dinner tonight? :)

14 March 2006

Tommy's Chili

I think a few of you had asked for Tommy's Chili Recipe.
Here it is....so delicious! Let me know how it turns out if you decide to make it.

He usually just uses a lot of one kind of chili powder instead of getting so involved with buying the separate chili powders. Also, he cuts the meat into tiny little cubes vs. using a ground meat. It's much leaner that way.


Dog Breath Chili
Source: www.chilicookoff.com

Ingredients:

6 ounces regular breakfast sausage
2 teaspoons Wesson(R); Oil
3 pounds tri-tip beef, cut into small pieces or coarse ground
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) beef broth
1/4 teaspoon oregano
3 tablespoon cumin
7 cloves Gilroy garlic
2 tablespoons Gebhardt(R) chile powder
1 tablespoon hot chile powder
1 tablespoon mild chile power
5 tablespoons red chile powder
1 can (8 ounces) Hunt’s(R) Tomato Sauce
1 can (10 ounces) Ro*Tel(R) Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
3 Dried California chile peppers, boiled and pureed
1 Dried New Mexico chile peppers, boiled and pureed
5 Dried Cascabel chile peppers, boiled and pureed
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 teaspoon Tabasco Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Juice of one limesalt to taste

Instructions:

Brown the sausage, dry, and set aside. Heat oil in a pot, and brown the beef. Add the cooked sausage to the pot. Add the onion and beef broth to cover the meat. Boil for 15 minutes. Add oregano and half of the cumin. Reduce heat to a light boil, and then add the garlic. Combine the chile powders into a mixture, then add half of that mixture, and cook 15 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and Ro*Tel with the puree from the dried peppers. Add the chicken broth for the desired consistency. Cook for one hour, stirring often. Add the remaining chile powder mixture and the remaining cumin, and simmer for another 25 minutes on low to medium heat. Turn up the heat to a light boil, and add the Tabasco, cayenne pepper, brown sugar, lime juice and salt.

01 March 2006

#44

This just in.

Viszlas ranked number 44 in the list of top dog breeds for 2005. I can't believe that Bob was beat out by 43 others:

For the 16th year in a row, the Labrador retriever is once again America’s favorite purebred dog, according to registration numbers tallied by the American Kennel Club. The AKC released the figures and, as in past years, the Labrador far outstrips the second-most favorite – the golden retriever.

There are 154 AKC breeds totaling 920,804 registrations in 2005. This is down 4% from 2004 when registrations totaled 958,641.

The Entire Ranking of 2005 AKC Dog Registrations
Rank Breed
1 Retrievers (Labrador)
2 Retrievers (Golden)
3 Yorkshire Terriers
4 German Shepherd Dogs
5 Beagles
6 Dachshunds
7 Boxers
8 Poodles
9 Shih Tzu
10 Miniature Schnauzers
11 Chihuahuas
12 Pugs
13 Bulldogs
14 Pomeranians
15 Spaniels (Cocker)
16 Rottweilers
17 Boston Terriers
18 Shetland Sheepdogs
19 Maltese
20 Pointers (German Shorthaired)
21 Doberman Pinschers
22 Miniature Pinschers
23 Welsh Corgis (Pembroke)
24 Great Danes
25 Siberian Huskies
26 Bichons Frises
27 Basset Hounds
28 Spaniels (English Springer)
29 Weimaraners
30 Brittanys
31 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
32 West Highland White Terriers
33 Mastiffs
34 Australian Shepherds
35 Papillons
36 Collies
37 St. Bernards
38 French Bulldogs
39 Lhasa Apsos
40 Scottish Terriers
41 Cairn Terriers
42 Bullmastiffs
43 Havanese
44 Vizslas
45 Chinese Shar-Pei
46 Newfoundlands
47 Bernese Mountain Dogs
48 Pekingese
49 Retrievers (Chesapeake Bay)
50 Bloodhounds
51 Akitas
52 Airedale Terriers
53 Chinese Crested
54 Rhodesian Ridgebacks
55 Border Collies
56 Italian Greyhounds
57 Great Pyrenees
58 Alaskan Malamutes
59 Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers
60 Brussels Griffons
61 Whippets
62 Bull Terriers
63 American Staffordshire Terriers
64 Chow Chows
65 Silky Terriers
66 Shiba Inu
67 Setters (Irish)
68 Japanese Chin
69 Old English Sheepdogs
70 Australian Cattle Dogs
71 Portuguese Water Dogs
72 Parson Russell Terriers
73 Pointers (German Wirehaired)
74 Spaniels (English Cocker)
75 Samoyeds
76 Fox Terriers (Wire)