Grandpa and Guns

Yesterday I told you about fishing in Texas. Nothing beats fishing in the summer time deep in Texas country.

Sipping cold beer, silently casting into ponds with less than a care on the mind. It is simple. It is real.

But honestly what would be a trip to the country without shooting guns? Seriously folks.

We like to play.

This is CBS, J's older sister, the only other sibling. She has amazing red hair, the prettiest hair around. Her style is pretty much top notch. She is a straight shooter.

Meet Mama Bets. I love her to pieces. Yep, I love this lady. I am so glad that she is my family, family that is way too far away.

I was a little nervous to fire this little sucker. Focus.... steady.... fire!

See that little man behind me? He is always up to something. As we are shooting at this big piece of wood that J set up for us in a dry pond, Ralph sets up his own target. It is a small tear of paper dangling in the weeds.

Dead ringer. What more would expect from a generally sharp shooting man that celebrated his 90th birthday a few years ago? Seriously.

Meet J's grandpa, Ralph. Bubba Billy's dad. Together they still have a head of cattle (is that what it is called? head?) at the Triple S Ranch and work them together. Ralph gets out, tends fences, customizes his "mule" with horns and mirrors and has several farm dogs that faithfully follow him everywhere.

The steering wheel, yes that is a custom job.

My favorite farm dog, Hank. Sweet stinky Hank. Hank limps, Hank has a harder time walking than Ralph does. Ralph still gets around.

 Looking sharp for dinner.

I am pretty sure this is what J is going to look like in 60 years. I am totally okay with that.

Getting the Line Wet in Texas

We spent a nice long hot and humid week deep in the heart of Texas. As you know, there is a big huge gaping warm and gooey spot in my heart for my Texan. Put us together in the Lone Star State, surround us with wonderful family, spray Southern hospitality, stuff us full of Southern cooking and drench us in sweet tea and cold beer....

....you may never hear of us again. We will be fishing, shooting guns, picking pecans, planting a big garden in dark black Texas soil, chasing kids around, spending time in Austin listening to as much music as possible....Well until we touch back down in Washington and preach the love for the PNW and just dream of the country life that Texas offers.

The moment J landed back at the Triple S Ranch he spotted the fishing reels, guns, and the ORV to get us to big open pastures that beckon him with freedom and take him back to carefree childhood days. As we load the tackle, water, dogs and head to the fishing hole we dodge epic proportions of grass hoppers, J is reminded of years long gone when he would race down the same roads on a motorcycle, fish in every pond, swim in every pond, shoot rain gages, shoot birds..... 

A smile crosses his face and an easiness is present the rest of the trip. That is what Texas does best.

Did I say that the first thing we did was go fishing? Well, actually right after we had dinner, we are in Texas ya'll....

I will never tire of fishing these little ponds. Never ever. 

 

 As long as I have this red bearded Texan by my side.

CBS has a few years of fishing under her belt. She is a champ.

I honestly thought that J might change our flight, the very last day we started to catch cat fish, 10 pound cat fish. I don't have any pictures of that, it might just be fish tales or it might be the 110 degree heat that had me passed out on the shore too hot to even consider taking pictures.

Bubba Bill really did catch the biggest cat fish I have ever seen.

We had fried cat fish for lunch.


Next? We broke out a small arsenal of guns... there might even be a video!

Zesty Baked Onion Rings

I just spent the entire weekend watching hockey.

Sitting on the edge of my seat, enthusiastically cheering through out the last game of my cousin's high school hockey career, my voice raspy from hollering and my fingers raw and red from shaking my cow bell, I had an epiphany.

Honestly I had a few. Nothing new. Bright shiny objects... flashing lights....

This little ankle biter who I babysat through the better part of my teenage run is now going to college. He used to be half as tall as me and ask me if I would marry him. Seriously. Now he hovers above me, is the captain of his hockey team and is going off to play hockey on the other side of the country with girls lining up at his door. They will be lining up at his room if he doesn't have his hockey gear in there.

Words of advice from a lady to all hockey players:

Hockey has a funny smell.

Chicks will not dig it.

Get what I am wafting at you? You will have game on the ice but that is it. Don't store your gear in your dorm room. Enough said.

The other little *ahh haaaa* moment that I had was rather mind blowing, I love sports. I love the commitment, determination and passion that athletes of any age and ability posses. I am fascinated by people with natural finesse and grace, these gifted individuals make me want to work harder and challenge myself to become a better athlete.

The kiddo, my cousin, who was grown up into a fine young man, has been playing hockey since he started walking, or so it seems. By the end of the game I was ready to go find a pair of skates and take to the ice, the guys made tearing up the ice easy, fast and fun. I resisted the sudden impulse, knowing I would fall on my face and probably induce several unnecessary tears, breaks and most likely concussions.

I need another hobby like a hole in my head.


Instead of lacing up a pair of skates I did the reasonable thing, like eating onion rings and cleaning the grime off the wheels of my road bike, looked into the summer racing schedule and started to dream of being competitive again.

A little fire is lit inside me, the spark of determination ignited all the work I put in over the winter.

There was also a little heat from some Cajun spiced onion rings.

What is any sporting event whether one participates or spectates without some good grub. Sports and healthy appetites go hand in hand. Pub food, the real meal deal, fries, onion rings and burgers are crowd pleasers.

I love onion rings. The unique and distinct O shape, the crunch on the outside, tender sweet ribbons of onion perfectly cooked within a crusty shell has me hoarding piles of fried food.  Don't touch the rings. Sometimes sharing doesn't really work for me.

With the hopes of successfully racing my bike this summer, my onion ring fetish has taken to the oven rather than the hot oil. It works. I am not saying good bye to french fries and battered onion rings, they are going to taper a bit and enjoyed with a juicy burger after a long ride and not on daily basis.

I cannot resist temptation at times. When a girl wants onion rings, she wants onion rings.  Period. I baked them and I loved them. I got my cake and ate it too. Laugh.



Zesty Baked Onion Rings

Serves 2 hungry bike riders or hockey players*

*I am sure about the bike riders but not high school hockey players....

I used pre-seasoned bread crumbs from one of my favorite restaurant, The Rhododendron Cafe. The Cajun seasoning was perfect and made the onion rings a snap to whip together. You could season your own plain home made bread crumbs for extra credit with 2 teaspoons of your favorite Cajun seasoning or grab a can of seasoned bread crumbs at the grocer.

1 large sweet onion

1 cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray or use a silpat mat. 

Slice the onions into rings as large as you desire, then break them apart into rings. 

Put the flour in a bowl, the egg into a second, and the third is for the bread crumbs. 

Dip each onion ring into the flour, then egg and finally bread crumbs. 

Place them on the baking sheet and then repeat with the next ring. Ring after ring. You will work up an appetite. 

Bake them all for about 20 minutes or until crispy. 

J's Dipping Sauce 


This man of mine often surprises me with sage advice. This dip is a game changer. I don't really get that tickled for mayo until J throws a curve ball like this dipping sauce.

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup ketchup


1 tbs Dijon mustard




Mix. Dip ring or fry. Chow. Repeat.

Tastes even better washed down with beer.

Meyer Lemon and Cinnamon Scented Flan

I have this friend, even better folks - she is family, she is sweet like sugar, yep - she is mother - in - law, Mama B.

See Mama B. is a very passionate person. I love it. She is about as passionate as she is energetic, I enjoy spending time with her, she will run circles around me all day long then give me a massage after which she will sing you a song while playing her new ukulele. That really happens.

She is as talented as the day is long.

Mama B lives on a big ranch in the big 'ole state of Texas, I imagine she chases dogs, probably gets tussled by a few mutts and I hope she watches the sun set on the big open country sky.

She is fueled by her many passions which include....... none other but a deep and wide soft spot for caramel. She probably tastes like caramel if you lick her. Don't go lickin' her now!

Someday I will feature her secret technique for making caramel, I promise next time I am in the Lone Star State I will feature Mama B.'s special sauce.

The lady is gaga for the timeless sweet treat. GAGA. I can't look at anything that has caramel in it and not think of her. This makes it hard passing up caramel when it is around, just thinking about her getting excited about it makes me want to share in the enjoyment.

I made this flan for J and I. I wish I could have shared it with Mama B. the caramel would make her dance.

Besides caramel there is the subtle scent of cinnamon and lemon. J loves cinnamon, I love Meyer lemons. It works out.

The J and I both don't care for sugary treats late ate night, I will take a good night sleep instead.  Usually, we save desserts for the morning hours.

Flan happened this morning. Just sayin' - what did you have for breakfast?  Betcha not flan....

Since this flan is neither sweet nor heavy - I am going to go out on a limb and say flan is a perfectly acceptable breakfast. Healthy eggs, whole milk, a little bit of sugar. Brain fuel. Just trust me on this one. It is a serious treat paired with coffee. Breakfast flan - I can see/smell the wheels turning! It is the next big breakfast rave because, honestly if I read about poached eggs on toast or toast with spinach and poached egg.... well there are plenty of good uses for eggs....

Meyer Lemon and Cinnamon Scented Flan

 

 

Adapted from Food and Wine

Makes 4 medium sized ramekins. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for 2 days.

 

2 1/2 cups whole milk

 

Peel of  a Meyer Lemon

 

3 medium cinnamon sticks, broken

 

1 cup sugar 

 

1/4 cup water

 

5 large eggs 

1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Set 4 ramekins or custard cups in a medium baking pan. 
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, lemon peel and cinnamon sticks and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes; discard the lemon peel and cinnamon stick pieces.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cook 1/2 cup of the sugar with the water over moderately high heat, stirring just until the sugar dissolves. Lower the heat to moderate and let the sugar syrup simmer, without stirring, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 15 minutes. Immediately pour the caramel into the ramekins, tilting them as necessary to evenly coat the bottoms.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Slowly whisk in the warm milk, then strain through a fine sieve into a large measuring cup or a bowl. Pour the custard into the ramekins. Pour enough hot water into the baking pan to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for about 40 minutes, until a knife inserted into a flan comes out clean. Transfer the ramekins to a rack and let the flans cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the flans for at least 4 hours or overnight.
5. To serve, run a thin knife around each flan. Top each flan with an inverted dessert plate and unmold, letting the caramel run over the flans. Serve at once.

 There you have it folks, breakfast eggs. Just brilliant eggs in sugar and milk! FLAN. Check out Kitchen Play for other great breakfasts featuring eggs and thank you American Egg Board for the idea!