Deep breaths ...

Laid on the hammock this afternoon for two hours and read a great book. Wow. What a feeling. Very relaxing. Rosie was asleep and Steve was at work. No drama. No criticism. Peace. Except for the neighbor's mower...

Yesterday Rosie and I drove over to Canaveral National Seashore and had a picnic lunch on the beach after church. Even though we froze, it was a lot of fun. I love the ocean, something about all that water. I've always loved it. Then we did the boardwalk at Turtle Mound. Rode through Eldora. Took a bunch of silly pictures. Those moments are so rare now that she's 17. Have to make the most of them when they come.




Made potato soup tonight, left it on the stove too long and had to add more fluid. Oh well. It tastes ok, but would have been better with onions. Also made a roast chicken with stuffing. Nice change.

So my question of the day is: why do people criticize others for something that has no bearing on the person doing the criticizing? Why does it seem to be human nature to be critical of things you don't understand or don't do? And is it a learned behavior or a genetic behavior? I loathe it. If you're supposed to be doing a job and you don't do it right, I can understand criticism to a point. But criticizing someone's likes or dislikes, what is that really about?

Maybe someday I'll get to be at a time in my life when I can live without criticism.

Shrimp and grits

I worked at the Speedway yesterday. It was cold and a bit frustrating. It feels weird to be out of my element. I feel comfortable talking to scientists, even when I'm not totally familiar with the subject, but chasing around NASCAR drivers that I don't recognize on site? Different story.

I did get to have a conversation with Richard Petty, which cracked me up. Details will not be forthcoming, but suffice it to say my new favorite phrase is "yeah, whatever."

So arriving at my truck in the parking lot, I realize I have a flat tire. Unbelievable after a long, cold day. Seriously wishing I could call over one of these pit crews. Grabbed the spare and promptly sliced my finger wide open. I was bleeding all over the place! A couple came up to help and incredibly this 62-year-old woman made short work of my jack and my tire while I stood there! I kept asking her to let me do it and she wasn't moving.

Came home tired and hungry. Didn't want to cook but knew the shrimp I had in the fridge needed to be cooked.

I've always wanted to try shrimp and grits, I'd heard about it from several people, but I was not terribly enthused over frying cold grits. So last night I decided just to try my own version. It was awesome!

First I started the grits cooking, four cups water, one cup grits and a half teaspoon salt.

Then I melted 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat, added two tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, a sprinkling of basil, cumin, thyme, garlic and onion powders, white pepper and crushed red pepper. Blended with a spatula and slowly stirred in a pint of whipping cream. When it started to bubble, I added a pound of shelled shrimp and covered and left on lower medium setting.

When grits were done I stirred in thyme, white pepper and about a cup of cheese. I used a blend of white and yellow sharp cheddar.

When shrimp turned pink, I took the skillet off the stove.

Top a serving of shrimp with a serving of the sauce and a few grits and voila!

It's cold!!!

We're freezing again. Came home to find a window open and Steve huddled on the couch with a blanket. Let's close the window dear! It was mid-40s by the time I got home around 9:30. Going to be a cold, cold morning.
I am soooo tired of cold weather. We're just not equipped for this, not our blood or our clothes or our houses. I'm really ready to move to the Caribbean.
This is a nutso week with so much going on. I called one friend this week just to read her my to-do list and say "it's not just me, is it?"
And, for the second time in a week, one of my interviews vanished into thin air. What's up with that?
Two recipe inventions this week so far.
One a Southwestern style soup:
Sauteed onions and garlic in a little oil. Add two cups of homemade chicken broth, two cans of corn and one can of spinach. A little salt and cilantro. YUM

Second, sauteed shrimp in olive oil with garlic and several seasonings -- oregano, thyme and basil -- till shrimp was pink. Removed shrimp, stirred in a little water and cook. Tossed with cooked orzo into which I'd dropped some frozen broccoli at the last minute then drained with the orzo. Top with paremsan cheese. Very tasty!

Now planning food for the breakfast/brunch shower this weekend.