The day arrived with clouds in the sky.......and cooler temps. I had my Fr. Roast as I watched a bit of the Today Show......and then a bit after 9am I drove into town to pick up some ingredients for the Jambalaya that I always enjoy preparing.....AND consuming!!! Tonight was the night I had promised to provide the main dish for dinner with Mac and Gail.
I went to Walmart....and found what I needed there....except I couldn't get ANYONE to bag me some fresh shrimp from the seafood dept. There were several others waiting in line there ahead of me.....and after more than 5 minutes I became irritated and just gave up on the idea. I picked up a bag of frozen shrimp and then headed for the check-out......still irritated!!! If a store is going to sell something that requires a human to count, weigh, and bag the item.....then they MUST have someone working in that area ALL the time!!!!!!!!!!
I drove on west on the the main drag of Casa Grande and found Food City......a smaller market type store that seems to cater to the Latino/Mexicano citizens of the area. Went inside and wandered around looking for some of the items that I had purchased in Progeso, MX last month. Couldn't find any of them, but did find the freshly baked tortillas that are sugared and then broken apart into large pieces.......OMG, but are they ever wonderful!!!! Gail had purchased some over the weekend and I couldn't stop eating them. I also stopped by the bakery area and purchased a couple of.....hmmmmm, the Mexican name excapes me, but they are a very light and crisp pastry....much like layers of phylo(sp?) dough shaped much a like wings.....with sugar on them. I had one in Progreso.....but these were even better than I remembered!!!!!! SOOOOOO good with coffee!!!!
Went back to TheHowserHouse.....and before long it was time to start the preps for the kettle of yummy jambalaya that was to cook all afternoon. Chopped up onions, garlic, celery, red and green peppers, sliced a few fresh mushrooms, sauteed all of this in olive oil. Then I added the rice and the pound of smoked sausage that I had sliced into quarter inch slices. A can of Rotel tomatoes and chilis, and then a can of chicken broth. As this cooked down.......more cans of the broth were added during the afternoon of simmering. During the last 30 minutes I added a can of western beans.....and during the last three minutes I added the pound of shrimp that I had thawed out and removed the tails...... They only need about 3 minutes before they begin to get a bit tough, which I don't care for.
At 6pm I carried this large pan of simmered goodies, a new loaf of semolina bread, and a bottle of dark red medicine over to their park model.........and with the ensalada that Gail prepared.....we had a really great meal. They had never eaten this before......and I warned them that it was not only hot from the cooking process, but hot from the ingredients. I think they enjoyed it........at least they ate more than one bowl(didn't you??).
This evening......as it did on and off all afternoon,.....the rains came down. Not drenching rains....in fact, they hardly wet down the street, but it sure was strange to have moisture/humidity in the air!! It made it seem sooooooooo thick and heavy outside.......do I REALLY want to return to Misery??????? Hmmmmmmm.........better not answer that online!
Not looking forward to leaving in a bit less than three weeks, but I am excited about spending a few days in Las Vegas. Plan to see a former student of mine.....and his growing family......who live in Henderson....a suburb of Vegas. He was a trumpet player of mine....graduating in 1985....and I last saw him at their class reunion 1.5 years ago. For those of you who are Eldonites, it is Zane Simpson that I will be seeing. He NOW performs on the Police BagPipe Band there in Vegas, as he is a city policeman, but is currently "on loan" to the FBI unit there. He took up the bagpipes a few years ago and really enjoys playing them.
The 1st Lady is with her mother now.......will be in F'town for one day this week prior to flying back out here on Friday. Think she is enjoying herself...........
And so........as I said above, there is not much new with me. Tomorrow is supposed to bring more rain and still cooler temps, so it might not be toooo enjoyable outside........DAMN!!!! I love getting outside, even if only to ride my bike for an hour or so!!!!
And in doing just that.......or even not riding my bike.......
Life is GREAT.....and I hope it is for all of you, also!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment