Carne Guisada y Arroz

Yesterday, I made Carne Guisada for the first time.

And I have to tell you, it was GOOD!

I put a little too much flour in at the end and had to adjust the spices, but it came out tasting seriously similar to Grandma's. Of course my rice still needs a lot of work.

It looks like her rice, but the taste is not right. I will keep trying though.

Wish you were all here to try this!

The Commissary Just Got Cooler!

When I was still researching Finland, planning my escape, before we got Spain orders, I learned that they pay a small fee for plastic bags in stores. Many people there, then, keep those bags and reuse them in other stores. I thought it was a fantastic way to cut down on waste. And I HATE having all those plastic bags in my house, but I cannot bear to throw them away! It is almost like littering now.

Not long after that, I saw that Ikea (a Swedish company) started the policy of charging for bags. Or you could by a sturdier bag that was better for more uses. I was so proud to see it in the U.S.

Around that time, in entertainment magazines, stars were seen carrying the ultra chic and super expensive bags used for shopping with these words on the front of the bag: I AM NOT A PLASTIC BAG. See? Even the cool kids were doing it!

Soon after that, Vonns started carrying lil black fabric bags to be used in place of grocery bags. They were 99 cents, and I picked up a couple everytime I went, and eventually had enough to not need those plastic bags! Even Target began carrying cute lil red bags that folded up and zippered close. They were small enough, that I began carrying them in my purse to be used in any store, so that I could avoid a plastic bag. Also, MANY stores have the policy of a small discount if you bring in your own bag!

Then I went to visit Jess in Hawaii, and being the ultra-hippie she has become since Maggie (way to go Maggie!), she had a ton of Chico bags. Fabric bags that squish up even smaller, so they are easier to carry around at all times. They run a lil higher in cost, but they are made of sturdier material.

Completely hooked on the no plastic-bag solution, I went to visit Grandma in TX. Even in the stix of TX, they had the lil black fabric bags for sale at the grocery store. I explained what they were for to Grandma, and told her that we may someday go the Nordic route of charging for plastic bags. Grandma said that she would wait until they "made" her buy the fabric bags. Can't win them all, eh?

After TX, I went to CO. I began preaching my bag politics to them. They patted me on the head, listened politely, and ignored me. Then I bought a few of the bags from the grocery store and a few from Target and actually put one in Grandma's purse. I am hoping I have planted the seed.

Mom made the good point that the plastic bags can be useful at home. And she is totally right. But inevitably, you will be somewhere without your fabric bag, or you will forget to use it, and you will bring some plastic home. This smaller amount of plastic bags, I am sure, would be all you need for things like the kitty box or trash.

Now here is the cool part! Yesterday, I saw that in the commissary here on base, we now have lil green fabric bags for sale!! I am so excited to see that the military family is jumping on the bandwagon! YAY!

Are you on the bandwagon??

BTW, here is an Post on this from another funny blog.

Texas Adventures!

John and I spent the second week of December in the great state of Texas!

My family (Dad's side) has a ranch a couple hours outside of Corpus Christi. I lived in CC for 2 years (although, I deny it many times-) My grandparents live there now with my Uncle Arnold and now my Aunt Hilda, who moved down there just a couple days after we arrived! My Uncle Greg lives on another ranch close by.

Grandpa Greg, Rodney, Grandma Edna, Me

John loved it there just like I knew he would, but we ran into a couple problems.

First, I was a lil under the weather when I got there. The day after I got there, I was downright miserably sick. I was coughing so much that I hardly slept each night and lost my voice completely! I tried to pretend nothing was wrong! Yeah right! I was drinking a bottle of cough syrup a day. It was horrible.

The only thing that could have made it worse::: happened!!! It was Record Freezing Temps for the whole time we were there!! The day we got in, the day we left- in the 80's! They had the air conditioning on! Between that- BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! We could really not even go outside most of the time. We did anyway, because we were determined to get the full TX experience!

John and Aunt Hilda

John tried to make friends with the ranch cows. I told him that they were not the friendly type being that they were MEAT cows not like the milking ones that you give names to and see every year- nope- MEAT cows. Mean and UNfriendly. Poor John.

John and mean MEAT cows

Luckily, on my Uncle's ranch they have 2 cows that are not for meat and have names, so we got to go and see them. They also were looking after a horse for a cousin, so we go to pet him.

John and nice cows, Mable and Cochino

We also went on a few walks around the ranch to see the sights! Like I said Aunt Hilda came a couple days agfter we got there (My cousin, Rodney, drove her and went back to Camp Pendleton a couple days after that) and we went on a big walk and found an old river bed that was so gorgeous! It looked like the secret garden!! We took lots of pictures, because compared to the rest of the land, it is amazing! Trees and green.

You be the judge:

River Bed

What the rest of the land looks like!!

We got a lil lost, and ended up being gone longer than antcipated, but we came out OK in the end. You just walk until you find a fence and then you follow it back until you find the house.

Grandma fattened us up good. We had some amazing meals, but I have my Tia Lydia to thank for the munudo! It was so good even John ate a bunch!

BTW, the whole time we were there John was known as Juan Dos. My Aunt Irma who I have been compared to for many years is also married to a John and he apparently shares many traits with my John, so to my TX family they have Juan One and Juan Dos. John loved it! He even signed a card to Grandma Edna as Juan Dos!

Sickness aside, we had a wonderful time. Rodney and Uncle Arnold and Juan Dos got along great. And Grandpa had fun talking to John about his time in the army in WWII. Quite different of course! First of all, all the "colored" people went to the bottom of the ship! Yeah- different times!

I am so glad we were able to go for so many reasons, but the main reason I am happy is that John got to meet Grandpa Greg for the 1st time.

For ALL the pictures of our Tx adventures, click HERE!!!

More to come on all that you have missed while I was away...