That Was Nice

Valentines Day will mark the second anniversary of Mrs Hades foolish decision to hang out with me for a while.

Of course I'm working on Valentines Day this year. But, since it's on a Tuesday (that's tomorrow guys, you have only one day to get your flower shopping in) she has to work as well. So instead of celebrating on Valentines Day we took the weekend off and drove the convertible to Myrtle Beach. It was an absolutely fantastic weekend.

Although Friday's temperatures never climbed out of the fifties, both Saturday and Sunday were in the mid to upper 70's (and in fact I saw 80 very briefly on my dashboard thermometer Sunday afternoon). Cruising Myrtle Beach, ragtop down, with my lady by my side...yeah, life just doesn't get any better than that.

This week will see temperatures back in the "seasonal" range (meaning highs in the 50's and lows in the 30's). Oh well, back to the daily grind I suppose, but it was nice while it lasted.

Tis The Season

The Subaru is fixed and once again on the road. It has been running now for a couple of weeks, but time will tell how well the fix took this time.

Eldest Son will no longer be driving it, though, he finally scraped enough money together to get his car back on the road. One less yard ornament in front of the house.

Speaking of yard ornaments, the tree is up and decorated but I have not put anything up outside. I might not since we are once again going to be traveling for Christmas.

And speaking of Christmas, the lovely Ms Heyworth would like to wish you a Merry one.

August

August marks yet another year of y'r humble correspondent circling the drain sun, for a half century now. Funny, I don't feel a year over 49.

In other news, I think I've just about gotten this Chicken Marsala recipe down pat:

1/2 C flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground oregano
6-8 chicken breast filets (or whole boneless breasts, pounded 1/4” thin)
4 T olive oil
8 T butter, divided
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 cups mushrooms
2 cups Marsala cooking wine
3 T chopped parsley (or 2 T dried parsley flakes)
1 tsp rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb pasta of choice

 Combine flour, salt, black pepper and oregano. Dredge 2-3 chicken filets at a time in flour and brown in olive oil in skillet, 4 min each side, on medium high heat. Remove to platter.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in skillet. Saute mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until browned, 5-8 minutes. Deglaze pan with Marsala and add parsley and rosemary. Swirl in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat. Return chicken to pan, stir well to coat all chicken pieces with sauce. Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes. Cook the pasta according to package directions as the chicken simmers. Serve over pasta.

This is perfect for date night, served with a nice Riesling wine.

And since it is my birthday, I'd like someone to sing Happy Birthday to me.

Oh yes. She would do nicely.

4th of July

Happy Independence Day!

This is my second 4th of July with M's family, and even though there were no fireworks due to the weather we still had a pretty good turnout for the party.

I also finally got to meet her Uncle Mark, who is a Syrian Orthodox priest, and he did a little something for us, in her family church, with her Mom and Dad in attendance, and her newlywed brother and sister in law joined us.

If we had opted for the big ceremony it would have been held here, and her uncle would have officiated, so in a way she got the wedding she wanted without all the hassle involved. This makes her happy, and making her happy makes me happy.

So it's been a pretty good holiday. I hope yours was just as good.

Father's Day Weekend

For me the "weekend" started on Wednesday.

I put slotted rotors on the Mustang on Thursday.

I played trains with my grandson on Friday.

Yesterday we had a cook out in the back yard and made s'mores over the fire pit.

Unfortunately today it's back to work.

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there.

Beginning The New Year

It's been a busy year.

It's been a good year for me, but it's been busy.

I wish you all a good year this year.

Nice To Be Home Again

Eleven states and both families have been visited in the past ten days. Gifts and greetings have been exchanged and a good time was had by all.

We got back home today in the rain to find the roof still leaks in the kitchen and bathroom. As I type this missive I am listening to pieces falling off the kitchen ceiling.

I guess for the new year I'm going to break down and put a new roof on the Refuge...and one on the Mustang as well, for the same reason.

Be it ever so waterlogged, there's no place like home...

Merry Christmas Everyone

Road Worthy

Yesterday I washed M's car and vacuumed it out for her. While I was at it I checked the oil and lights. This morning I got up and scraped the windows clean for her.

 I do these things not because I want her to leave, but because I want her to be safe.

She headed out for Pennsylvania about an hour ago to spend the first part of the week with her family. I will join her Thursday for Thanksgiving at her brother's house in Virginia.

 As she drives, my heart rides with her.

Happy Ground Hog Day

Enjoy!

This Is The End, My Friends

Of the year, that is.

Come this time tomorrow 2014 will have shed this mortal coil and the upstart 2015 will have usurped its place. As in years past foul play will not have been suspected, although once again the timing certainly is convenient.

And at the end of the old year, allow me to suggest a theme...some none of my lies are true.

(click on pic for Dave Barry's column)

Everyone stay safe tonight, see you next year!

Merry Christmas

Santa's secret weapon: a 400+ horse open sleigh.

So jump in bed and cover up your head, Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

NOW it's Christmas!

Larry Correia has just put up the latest installment of Christmas Noun.



Merry Christmas everyone!

Party Time

Mustang Club and company parties both tomorrow, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.

I have a cheesecake in the oven for the Mustang Club party right now. I've pulled a couple out of the book that I've never tried before, one peppermint and one eggnog. The peppermint has candy sprinkles on the top that didn't work as well as I had hoped, they melted and sunk down in causing holes in the top. If I ever make this one again I'll put the sprinkles on after the cake has baked. I also made this one in the springform pan and it didn't work out as well as I had hoped, I'll use a pie pan crust next time.

The second is in the oven now, I'll have to see how it worked out when it is done. It smells pretty good in the oven, though.

Peppermint Cheesecake

To the basic recipe add 1/2 cup peppermint candies that have been crushed fine, I used a food processor to do the deed and found that 16-18 candies made a half a cup. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, sprinkle another 1/4 cup (8 candies or so) crushed peppermints on top, then allow to cool.

Eggnog Cheesecake

This one is for the springform pan, but if you want to use ready made pie crusts it would work the same. If you use a springform pan the recipe says to press the crust up the sides of the pan 1 1/2 inches.

To the basic recipe (for the pie crusts) add 1 1/2 tablespoons flour when you blend the sugar and vanilla in. Only use one egg, then add 1 1/2 tablespoons rum, 1/2 cup heavy cream and two egg yokes. Bake at 325 for an hour. For the springform pan double everything and bake at 325 for 75 minutes. Turn the oven off and allow the cake to cool in the oven, this should help to prevent cracks.

If they taste as good as they smell they shouldn't last very long.

48

Yay me.

So I got myself this. You should get one, too.

ADD: Oh, and look...Feral Irishman got me something, too! (deliciously NSFW)

Happy Mothers Day

to all the mothers who read my pathetic attempts at scribbling..and to at least one who doesn't.

Happy Mothers Day Mom. You're the best.

Happy Urf Day!

Looks like I'll be driving the 'stang in to work tonight...

Have A Happy Easter!

Your Sith overlords command it...

Keep Alive Posting

Happy Easter everyone!

The first rule of blogging is to post every day, and this month I have shattered that rule into so many fragments that I will never find all of them. So, in an effort to at least partly make up for my long silence, I offer the following:

I finally got the chance to take the Mossberg out and sighted it in and even with me behind the trigger it will shoot Minute of Bambi groups at 100 yards, so I think I'm ready for North American Hoofed Rat season. It's not a precision shooter, but then again neither am I so it all works out.

The Mustang 50th Anniversary bash is happening in Charlotte, three hours from me, but I didn't go. I had to work the first two days of the festivities and I really didn't want to deal with the crowds and the traffic. I have friends in Charlotte who are reporting in regularly so I'm getting a good idea of everything going on. The new 2015 is reportedly even better in person than in pictures, so it might be a good thing I didn't go. I'm talking myself out of a 2015 base model GT coupe with Brembos, I don't really need it and I really don't want a car payment.

The Mustang I do have needs a windshield washer pump. I have it in hand, and one day when the weather clears up I'll pull the front bumper cover off and put it in. While I have it off I'll take it over to my body guy and see if he can't fix the dog damage on it. I didn't notice it at the time, but when the bumper cover hit the bumper it put a small split in a place where it can be seen.

It also split behind the front valence, but it can't be seen there so I haven't worried about it. I noticed the visible split when I was cleaning the car up for Lenoir. Since I have it off anyway this will be a good time to get it fixed in both places. If he can't get to it right away I'll have to put it back on with the split and get it done another day, it has to be done fairly quickly so it will be ready for a road trip next month.

It looks like I'll be making another Midwest trip then, my niece is graduating high school (we hope) and her sister who is in college in Winchester VA is going to split the gas with me to go out and attend. Of course we are taking the convertible, so hopefully I'll be able to get that bumper cover fixed before then. I'll have to take my dog this trip because there won't be anyone at home to take care of him.

Middle Daughter, Son In Law and Youngest Grandson are moving back to Florida on the 3rd of next month, they are excited to be going. Son In Law's mother lives in Jacksonville (I call her Grandma In Law) so they will be staying with her until they get settled. They've been here for 3 years, so it might be a while before they get settled. GIL doesn't seem to mind, though.

Youngest Son's birthday is tomorrow, but we did all his birthday stuff yesterday. He got his sisters old Droid X, she got my old Droid Razr and I got a new HTC and then we went skating that night - or rather he went skating while I sat in the corner with the laptop. He's happy with his phone, and Dad pays the bill so it all works out. Unfortunately it wasn't a perfect day for him.

To mar his perfect day, tragedy has struck close to home. My youngest son's teacher, who I call Sis because she is close enough to be family, lost a grandson late last Thursday night. He was at some girls house, pissed her off, she called someone and when that someone knocked on the door told him to answer it. He did and got a chest-full of 9mm for his troubles. He was 22. Youngest Son was his little buddy, so he isn't taking it well. The funeral is next Thursday so I'm taking Youngest Son to it.

And that's the news from the Refuge.

Happy Pi Day!

And to commemorate the occasion, I would like to announce that this recipe works just as well with peaches. Just substitute peaches for apples and add a half teaspoon of ground nutmeg in with the flour and cinnamon and prepare as per the recipe.

I've got part of one sitting on the kitchen counter, but if I don't have an empty pie plate by this evening I'll be very surprised.