Well, I don't want to offend the vegans amongst us, but I hacked up a whole chicken tonight, and very much enjoyed some barbeque. It warmed up the house too, and went down well with some wine coolers. The thicker parts of the chicken I stewed up to make lunchmeat. I can't eat store bought lunch meat because of the high salt content. It's been a lovely evening of relaxing with a movie, taking a break for a walk, and I'm off shortly to the bath with a good book. Up at 5:15 am tomorrow!!! UGH but the good news is, I'm off early. Looking forward to a weekend of fixing up my camper shell.

OH and I made barbeque sauce with cheap wine and ketchup (and a little garlic). It was quite tasty!!! Stewed the rest of the chicken with rosemary and sage from my own garden.

I love fresh baked sourdough or french.... yes with olive oil..... man you're making me drool! I went out of my way to get these "Mariner" dogs, have the baseball logo all over them, they are huge and plump up.... I throw those on my lean mean grilling machine (Foreman grill) and eat with a fork, no dishes dirtied! That and a salad are my dinner tonight, which I must go get going. A movie, and sorting out receipts tonight for me.

I'd go for an Italian diet except it's so heavy on pasta, and I could easily get addicted to that. I do have my own pasta machine, maybe I can start making pasta from less insidious components than wheat gluten. Like spinach. Pumpkin makes good pasta they say...

Dinner time!
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Since our band always seems to be interested in curry, I thought I'd share this seasonal recipe. I haven't tried it, but it looks good. Sorta "squashy"

Pumpkin Curry soup

2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Onion, minced finely
2 Teaspoons Curry Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground White Pepper
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Can Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 Can Carnation Evaporated Milk
1 Lime, juiced

Melt butter in stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute.
Add broth and pumpkin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk. Add lime juice. Serve.

source: http://www.fredmeyer.com/great.....lGA3BD5W5Y

I glean too.... I wish I had you here this last month, I have this plum tree that is a real over achiever. I was forced to make plum liquor out of it. %} Sure is good. Have you ever had an Asian pear? They are round like an apple, textured like a pear, and very very sweet.

I didn't go into Fruitlandia, I was at the burrito stand down the street. However, I do enjoy my dried mangoes.... I swear mangoes are a miracle fruit, my digestive tract has been in marvelous shape since I started eating them.

Oh just stew up the chicken breast in a pot of water, throw in some rosemary, garlic, a little wine (cooking sherry) soy sauce.... let it simmer. Then slice off chunks of breast meat for your sandwich. I make chicken salad too sometimes, just like tuna salad, great for sandwiches. Tuna alas is getting pricy, I do like it.

OK Luna's home remedy for colds again (from the British side of the family, probably goes back to the Revolutionary War)

One shot of whiskey (about a jigger full)
Juice of half a lemon, or a healthy squirt from the bulb
One huge dollop of honey (must be honey, don't cheat and use sugar)

Put all this in a mug. fill up the rest with boiling water, stir. Sip slowly, let trickle down your throat. Take some aspirin, vitamin C tabs (I do 1000 mg horsepills) and go to BED with a heavy blanket and get some sleep. Take a good book, and turn off the television! Or watch something mindless for escape, but above all, rest. Bananas and multiple vitamins are also very good when health is bad. Green tea too. No caffeine!!!

I found some really good muffin recipes today and promise to post them when I type them up. Did Home Ec (cooking) today.... what a skate day!

BTW Gray posted over on FB thanks for all the well wishes for Justin. I'm sure he'll figure it out.... bless him, just over stressed.

On the mangoes.... I do mean my gizzards are downright SLEEK to cop a phrase from Bill Bryson. It's a marvelous discovery!!! I highly recommend mangoes to one and all. I get them in large bags dried at Costco. Good snack food too.

Rock Bottom Inn In Milwaukee;
Great food, great drink and wonderful dinning with the "cult" after the Milwaukee gig, wonderful folks and will miss them until the next gig.

EEUUUUU
know what that looks like?
a brain stuck on a giant fork.
At least it does with my blurry eyeballs.

ugh.... gotta say, food fights aren't high on my radar. The video puts me in mind of a ladies' mud wrestling match. I've avoided a few over the years, pretty much by ducking under the table. The USN is not always a pretty place. We tended toward fights with freon and lubricating grease.

Was in a cooking class the other day and ran across a really nice "ober" muffin recipe. I love warm muffins with butter. Check this out.

Muffins

2 c. flour (for whole wheat, substitute one c. whole wheat flour)
1.2 c. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to *400 F.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl

In another bowl, combine milk, oil, egg and beat. Dump this mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir until just moist (it should be a little lumpy). Divide equally into 12 muffin cups (which you have cleverly put cupcake papers into prior, either that or grease them prior). Bake for 20-25 min, and do the toothpick test before taking out of oven. Serve warm.

Variations

Apply muffins: Drop sugar to 1/4 c, add 1 tsp cinnamon, add on peeled chopped apple to the "wet" ingredients. Substitute apple juice for the milk. Bake 18-22 min

Blueberry Muffins: stir in 1 c. fresh or frozen berries (don't thaw them first). and add 1 tsp grated lemon zest or orange zest. This all goes into the "wet" ingredients.

Chocolate chip: add 3/4 c. mini-chips with the dry ingredients. After the muffin mix is in the tin, make the topping. Mix 3 T. of sugar, and 2 T. brown sugar. Sprinkle evenly over the tops before baking, or into the batter as you divide it.

Jammy muffins: Put 1/2 tsp jam on each muffin before baking, press into the batter. Spring with finely chopped nuts (unless there's a nut allergy in the house of course)

Lemon or Orange muffins: Add 1 T. zest to the flour. Substitute orange juice for the milk.

Streusal Muffins: In a small bowl, mix 1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar, 1 T. margarine, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 c. chopped nuts or flaked cocoanut. Stir until crumbly, and sprinkle over the top like praline.
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Back to the food fight topic: There's a scene in the first *Fast and Furious* movie that just makes me howl, and I think it's right before they lubricate that poor guy the hard way with MolyB. This one chick comes in and looks at another and says distinctly "I smell skank". I about fell on the floor laughing when I first saw that. So Los Angeles!!! I have no idea if people in other parts of the world use the word "skank" but it's a pretty descriptive word for an unsavory woman, in mind body and spirit.

URP

That's the best scene in the movie IMHO!

I have a funny story for everyone. We'll see how it's received. Now I really am trying to be kind to other fans, but last night, there was a gal sitting behind me in Pit 2 pretty much right in front of John. I'd seen her earlier in the VIP thing, she was dressed in a white ruffled skirt and I think some pink fuzzy ugh boots. She was about my age (no spring chicken) attractive enough in her war paint. Dressed a little young IMHO, I wouldn't go that far, but to each his own. Anyway I happened to look back at her (I'm weird, I'll be in the front rows, and periodically turn around to see what the band sees). This gal was sitting there spraddle legged, with her skirt hiked up a bit. I think she was giving John (and possibly Justin) a bit of a show!!!

Honestly..... when does it all end??? (In the grave, as Mr. Natural used to say). I don't know about you guys, but my daddy raised me to be a lady, and tho I was in the front row and wearing pants, I found myself sitting quite primly with my legs neatly crossed... as well as my hands, in a perfect ballerina crossed-hands pose. it's just natural for me.

Thoughts? I mean, it's nice she was giving them a little show (men will be men), but ............ sheesh I'll never heckle people again for passing them flowers!

If this lady is reading, I apologize in advance for discussing your sitting position... perhaps I'm misinterpreting things. I have this happen all the time in classes, and I always whisper to the girls "We can see everything, you might want to cross your legs"..... some gals just don't know any better.

I really do have to sign off and get to packing...