Marlboro Man

Our neighbors have a new puppy and as cute as he is, I am not tempted to rush out and get one for us. For one reason, our senior citizen Cocker Spaniel is a full time job. He has some health issues with skin and eyes and ears that we treat on a daily basis. Cockers are prone to these, especially as they age. He also takes thyroid medicine twice daily, we have to do the hot dog trick to get him to take it. We love him though and no matter how much work we would never think of giving him away. But we have had to do that with one dog we took in as a stray.

Our youngest daughter Amy brought home the cutest little pup one day from work. It had obviously been dumped and wouldn't have lasted long on a busy parking lot. Our intentions were to find a home for her, but in no time she had worked her way into our hearts! The vet guessed she was part Great Dane and part Catahoula, a breed known for their herding abilities. She got big quickly, you could almost "hear" her growing from day to day. She wasn't an easy puppy to love though, she would bite our ankles, eat the lawn furniture and eventually started attacking our pool cleaner, the machine...not the man! We tried Lord knows, but after nearly a year I put my foot down (she promptly bit it) and said we were going to find her a good home. I advertised her as a healthy, spayed dog who needed a new home on a ranch with room to run.

The very first day a man called with a thick Texas accent.

"Ma'am, I saw your ad and I wanted to know what kind of dog she is?" I told him the vets' best guess was Catahoula and Great Dane. He wanted a good cattle dog he told me and made plans to come by later in the day. My heart fluttered a little as I hung up. I was at my wits end with this dog who just wasn't cut out for city life, but I wanted to find her a good home that would work.

When you live in Texas, it's not uncommon to see the big "Dually trucks," loaded down with bales of hay on flatbed trailers. I could hear his diesel engine when he pulled into the driveway. He left it running and when I opened the door, there he stood... Marlboro Man! He had on jeans and western shirt, leather chaps, gloves and a cowboy hat that was bent and dirty from hands that had done ranch work.

"I've come to look at the dog," he said. I told him she was in the backyard and to just come on through the house. As he stepped into the foyer, I glanced at his boots. They had layers of dried mud caked around the sole. He had a strong quietness about him that made me think Julie had found the right master!

She was chasing the pool cleaner around when we went outside. The hose-like contraption would circle over and over under the water, it had become an obsession with her. She would jump wildly into the pool diving and biting at the "Undersea Monster!" I called to her and she nearly knocked me over coming to a stop a few steps from him. He raised his gloved hand and simply said "Sit." Julie immediately sit, and stayed. It was a miracle, I had never seen her do anything like this. No matter how hard we had tried, we could not tame her wild ways. In one second he had accomplished what we had been unable to do in a whole year.

He explained to me he wanted a good cattle dog that had the stamina to live outside, watch over his property and work the cows. He said, "She'll do good." I tried to give him her outside toys but he declined, telling me they would just be a nuisance for his wife to have to pick up every time SHE mowed....I couldn't help but smile at that!!

"Well then, you'll need her leash," I said as we walked around to the gate. Julie had always been walked on a leash, we'd never let her run loose.

"Nope, she'll have to mind me or this won't work." My heart sank. I just knew she'd take off, never to be seen again. He flung open the gate and she took off like a bullet, all 100 pounds of her. He whistled sharply and motioned for her to get up on the flatbed loaded with hay. She obeyed him like she had been doing it all her life. She easily jumped to the top of the bales and then into the back of his Ford F350, wagging her tail wildly!

As he pulled out of the driveway, the sun was just going down in the West and the hot Texas day was giving way to the cool evening breezes. I stood there and watched as they drove away. Julie never looked back. She was looking forward to new frontiers and her life with Marlboro Man!

Street Tacos

One of my favorite places to eat when we are in Texas is Taco Cabana. Once you get to the Dallas area, or anywhere south of Dallas... they are everywhere. It's a chain like Taco Bell, but the food is far superior. The difference? Well, they have real cooks in real kitchens making real Mexican food--by hand. That means they are chopping the cilantro, roasting the peppers, stirring the beans and making the tortillas everyday.

My love affair with Taco Cabana started on a balmy March day in 1996 when we had just moved to South Texas. It was icy in NW Arkansas when the movers came to pack us up, but a pleasant 80 degrees as we enjoyed our meal that night on the patio. Over the next 5 years we ate at nearly all of the famous Mexican restaurants in the San Antonio area. As memorable as they were, Taco Cabana is etched in my heart as a favorite!

They have street tacos on the menu now, and while we were in Texas I had them 3 times... they are THAT GOOD!  Little corn tortilla treats filled with seasoned chicken, brisket or pork and topped with a variety of fresh sauces, they are the perfect lunch, dinner or snack.  

I bought this great magazine at Sam's Club in Dallas while we were there and spent the trip home planning the recipes I'm going to make. Better Homes and Gardens publication Mexican is the real deal, authentic dishes from the many regions of Mexico. Inside the covers are the treasured recipes that are so hard to duplicate on your own. This weekend we tried the Beer Braised Chicken Verde, I took a shortcut and made the recipe with rotisserie chicken. The filling was delish, very much like the ones at Taco Cabana♥♥♥

Beer Braised Chicken Verde
1 tablespoon canola oil or vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano or dried oregano, crushed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 12 ounce bottle Mexican beer (such as Modelo Especial or Pacifico)

1 11 - 12 ounce can tomatillos, drained

2 4 - 4 1/2 ounce can diced green chile peppers

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins

1. In a 4-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add butter, cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Cook and stir until butter melts.

2. Add beer, tomatillos, and chile peppers. Bring to boiling. Add chicken. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink, stirring every 5 minutes to break up the tomatillos. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken from the cooking liquid to a cutting board. Gently boil the cooking liquid, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, using two forks, pull chicken apart into shreds.

3. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup of the reduced cooking juices; stir to moisten. Use chicken mixture as filling for quesadillas or tacos; pass the remaining cooking juices.

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Tacos el Pastor

1 medium peeled and cored fresh pineapple

8 dried pasilla and/or guajillo chile peppers

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup vinegar

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoonsalt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch slices

16 6 inch corn tortillas

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

Snipped fresh cilantro

Lime wedges

Bottled hot pepper sauce

1.Cut pineapple into 1/2-inch-thick slices, reserving juice; cover and refrigerate pineapple and reserved juice separately.

2. Remove stems and seeds from chile peppers. Place peppers in a medium bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Allow peppers to stand about 30 minutes or until soft; drain, discarding water.

3. In a food processor or blender combine chile peppers, any juice from the pineapple, the orange juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, cumin, and cloves. Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth.

4. In a 3-quart baking dish arrange pork slices in a single layer, overlapping slices as necessary. Pour chile pepper mixture over pork slices, spreading evenly. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade. Stack tortillas and wrap in foil.

5. For a charcoal grill, place tortilla packet on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals. Place pork slices and pineapple slices on the grill rack alongside the foil packet directly over medium coals. Grill pork and pineapple slices for 6 to 7 minutes or until pork slices are slightly pink in the center and juices run clear (160 degrees F), turning once. Grill tortilla packet for 10 minutes, turning once. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Grill tortilla packet, pork slices, and pineapple as directed above.)

6. Coarsely chop pork and pineapple and combine in a large bowl. Fill warm tortillas with pork and pineapple mixture. Sprinkle each taco with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and, if desired, hot pepper sauce.
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Roasted Tomato Salsa ~Yes, this IS that great restaurant salsa recipe!

2 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes (about 15)

3 fresh jalapeno peppers

1 medium head garlic

1 teaspoon salt

2 medium white onions, finely chopped

2/3cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, snipped (1/4 cup)

4 teaspoons cider vinegar

Tortilla chips

1. Core the tomatoes. Place in one side of a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Halve the jalapeno peppers. Remove stems and seeds. Place, cut side down, in the other side of baking pan with tomatoes. Peel away outer skin from garlic. Cut off the pointed top portion with a knife, leaving the bulb intact but exposing the individual cloves. Add to pan. Roast, uncovered, in a 450 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and pepper skins are charred. Cool.

2. Remove tomato skins. Press to remove garlic paste from individual cloves of garlic. Place garlic, jalapeno peppers, and salt in a food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend with a few pulses until finely chopped. Add half of the tomatoes; cover and process or blend with a few pulses until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add remaining tomatoes to food processor bowl or blender container; cover and process or blend with a few pulses until coarsely chopped. Stir into tomato mixture in bowl.

3. Stir onions, cilantro, and vinegar into tomato mixture until combined. Cover and chill several hours to blend flavors. Serve with tortilla chips. Makes about 4 cups.

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Ki Yi Yippie Yippie Ay

I'm pretending I'm in Texas this morning... it's a typical Saturday and we've slept in a little. Coffee and paper, we had a bowl of cereal and now we're beginning to get hungry for some lunch. Lot of choices but only one if you want BBQ! Just a few miles up I-10 and Highway 80 north (exit 628) is Luling City Market! About an hour east of San Antonio, it's the best barbecue you will ever put in your mouth! We were lucky enough to share many meals here with good friends BW and Carol. I don't know if it was the company or the food, but this place remains in my memory as one of my favorites! Rough-around-the-edges, City Market offers few amenities. You have to fetch your meat the old-fashioned way, waiting in line. When you enter, the delicious smell hits you like a ton of bricks!

At the back of the dining room a swinging door leads into a shadowy, cave-like room illuminated by the glow of burning logs in pits. I can remember the first time we visited City Market, the anticipation I felt as we waited in line. Towards the back of the line we were visiting, laughing and taking in all of the "local flavor" of the place. But as we got close to the enclosed area, the pit, our moods changed. There was a reverence that came over us, just like the scene in Seinfeld when George realized he needed to order the soup in a very particular way.

The meats are cooked long and slow in a brick smoker that holds enough food to feed Luling plus the hundreds of visitors that come each day from far and wide. As you enter the pit, men take your order, cut and section the amount of meat you want, and assemble everything on a big sheet of pink butcher paper. They gather the edges of the paper together so it becomes a boat-like container that serves as both carrying device and eating surface. Once you get your paper-wrapped order of meat, you leave the pit and carry it back into the comfy pine-paneled dining room.Find a place to sit and join the citizens of Luling who are kept alive by the sauce and BBQ! John Wayne, Tommy Lee Jones and Dubya thought it was worth the trip!


Tender smoky brisket, succulent ribs that fall away from the bone or links that have been made the same way for 50 years...you can't go wrong if you choose a little of each. My favorite was the links, cut and placed on a slice of bread and doused with the orange BBQ sauce that Luling is famous for. No other sauce, anywhere tastes like this. First time users aren't sure, then BAM...you're hooked. You need the stuff for everything!

Sides are basic, white bread, pickles and onion...

Don't forget the sweet tea, or maybe Texas' favorite Big Red!

Besides having no plate for your meal, City Market deems all you need to enjoy this feast is a plastic knife, fork and spoon. They're right, the meat is so tender it cuts like butter!

Take a minute and soak up the relaxation this YouTube video will impart.

Just like being there, well almost!

A RE-RUN, too good not to share again!

Texas Sausage-Cheddar Kolaches

Kolaches on the brain here lately, I get this way when I can't find Texas food. There was this little bakery just off the Judson Road exit in northeast San Antonio that made the best sausage-jalapeno-cheese Kolaches. Our grandson Jackson would spend Friday night and on the trip home Saturday mornings... somewhere around Garden Ridge on I-35, he'd remember the cream filled donuts at this little place and beg for one. It didn't take much coaxing because we knew we could order Kolaches!

If you have the time to make the dough, it's definitely worth it. But if you have a craving AND you have Rhodes frozen dinner rolls in the freezer, you can easily make these if you plan ahead the night before! We had them for breakfast this morning and I feel better now. The world is round and life is good...

Texas Sausage Cheddar Kolaches
Rhodes dinner roll dough, thawed
hardwood smoked jalapeno sausage, cut in 2" chunks
Vermont cheddar cheese, sliced/chunk
Thaw rolls in fridge overnight. The next morning flatten the roll into a 4-5" circle and add a 2" chunk of smoked sausage and a slice of cheese, fold dough up around the deliciousness and pinch closed. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet and allow to rise for about 1/2 hour in warm place (I turn oven on, then off and set them inside with door open) all the while Jerry was like "How much longer???"  Bake 375 for 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven. Serve with spicy mustard.

Craving Kolache

When we lived near New Braunfels, Texas in the mid 90's, we were lucky to have not only the best Tex-Mex food, but descendants of Czech immigrants continued the rich tradition of making the kolache. In central Texas, kolaches outshine doughnuts. “Koláče (the Czech spelling) are little square pastries that hold a dollop of fruit (apricot or prune, apple, strawberry or blueberry) rimmed by a puffy pillow of dough. Fruit and cheese kolaches are old-world standards but a sausage link version, Czech klobasniki (pigs-in-a-blanket) are a Texas breakfast favorite. Bakeries offer regular and hot-sausage versions, adding cheese and jalapeño peppers and even sauerkraut. Americanized meal-in-one kolaches with pockets of bacon, egg and cheese are served at convenience stores along side sausage biscuits.

Naegelin's Bakery in New Braunfels turns 144 years old this year, being the oldest continuously operating bakery in the state of Texas. The fresh cookies, pastries, pies and cakes from the family-run bakery are of historic proportions and a timeless quality. The Granzin family still uses recipes developed by the Naegelin family during more than a century of experimentation to get just the right ingredients.

As you walk into the front door of the bakery the sweet smell of baked foods engulfs you like a warm blanket. The glass cases are full of what seems like an almost endless array and rainbow of cookies and pastries.The bakery is still famous for their strudels that Naegelin perfected years ago. The Granzin's have added terrific sausage kolaches to the menu of fruit filled ones.

This recipe is from the Texas Holiday Cookbook by Dottie Griffith

(Dottie is Dining Editor and Restaurant Critic for the Dallas Morning News).

It's my go~to cookbook for treasured Texas recipes that are hard to find...

Kolaches

(Czech Sweet Rolls)

2 packages dry yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm (105~115 degree) water

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugarKolaches

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

5~6 cups flour

Fillings (see below)
Sprinkle yeast over warm water, stirring to activate. Set aside.

Heat milk to almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir to melt. Add sugar and salt. Pour into large mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm. Stir in egg and add yeast mixture.
 

Add flour gradually, about 2 cups at a time, stirring after each addition to make a soft, sticky dough. Do not add too much flour or kolaches will be dense and dry. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Begin preparing fillings while dough rises.
 

Grease a baking sheet well. Rub hands with grease too. Using well greased hands, shape dough into 2- inch balls. Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using your thumb, make and indention in the center of each roll, leaving a 1-inch rim. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Fill with about 1 tablespoon fruit or cheese filling and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.
 

Makes about 3 dozen

Fillings

*Combine 1 cup dried fruit (6-ounce package of apricots, prunes or apples) in just enough water to cover in a small saucepan. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft, about 10-12 minutes. Drain fruit and chop fine. Return to saucepan along with 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons butter. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture thickens like jam, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

*Combine 1 cup cream cheese or dry curd cottage cheese with 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Mix until smooth.
Printable Recipe

The version I'm craving today is the breakfast Sausage and Jalapeno Kolache that Texans enjoy at their favorite drive-thrus! Easy to make, simply wrap a three-inch flattened piece of dough around a two-inch piece of sausage and a couple of pickled jalapeno slices. Bake 375 for 12- 15 minutes. If I could just get my hands on some Meyer's Elgin Sausage....


Mi Tierra Bunuelos

(Pictured above, second row, they are  a crispy cinnamon sugar cookie)

One of our favorite places to go for the day, El Mercado in downtown San Antonio had the kind of shops you'd find in Mexico. Beautiful handmade jewelry, clothing and purses and best of all Mi Tierra Restaurant and Bakery with their amazing pastries and confections!

Texas Bunuelos ~shared by Mary Rosales of Mi Tierra Bakery in San Antonio

4 c. flour

1 T. white vinegar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

3 T. shortening

1/2 c. orange juice

warm water

oil for frying

sugar and cinnamon

Combine flour, vinegar, baking powder, egg, shortening, and orange juice. Add water to make a dough. Slice chunks of dough and roll very thin into the desired disk size. In a skillet large enough to hold the rolled disks of dough without bending, heat oil. Drop disks, one at a time, into the hot oil and fry until crisp. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Blogworthy

I think it's safe to say I cover about every subject on this blog. I love to share things that I think are Blogworthy. Looking back over the year I've yapped about Martians and Limo Rides... 

Motorcycles and Dirty Cars, 

even Wrinkle Cures and a Surefire Way to make you feel 6 again! 

I can't go a week without telling you about a Fun Place to visit or even a Great Place to eat! 

I love to share recipes, I'm always searching for something new to eat so we've visited 

Flavor Town, Super-Town and I keep my eyes open for the Good Stuff... 

things like Turtleman and Hedgeapples and Party Lines! 

Finally, I have a Facebook friend that says she loves to come to my blog and CRY... is that a compliment? She swears it is... I certainly don't intend for you to feel sad but there are posts that just tug at the old heartstrings like HOME and FAMILY and MEMORIES. 

I was thinking the other day I don't have anything to blog about... but I can see that didn't stop me this past year and it probably won't stop me in 2013 either! 

La Fonda Tamales

La Fonda on Main- San Antonio

The New Year is here and just in case you didn't partake of some good luck black-eyed peas, there's still time! Thanks to Good Taste with Tanji, I can travel back to San Antonio's famous La Fonda Restaurant for my good luck...

Black-eyed Pea Tamales 

Masa Mix:
3 1/2 c. Hill Country Fare Corn Masa Mix
3/4 c. Canola oil
1/2 c. Favorite Salsa like Tomatillo or Chipotle
3 1/2 c. Chicken or Vegetable Broth (hot)
1 T. Baking Powder
1 t. Salt
Mix in electric mixer to mash potato texture. Set aside.
1 bag Corn Shucks, soaked in hotwater 20 minutes or more.

Filling:
2 cans (15 oz each) Central Market Black Eyed Peas, rinsed & drained
1/2 c. Chopped canned Jalapenos, drained
1 c. Crumbled Cotija Cheese
1/2 c. Small diced Red Bell Pepper for color
Mix and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Assemble:
2 T. Masa mix spread 4 to 5 inch sq on corn shuck base.  Leave 1/2 inch clear for masa expansion in cooking. Add 2T of filling down center and roll tamale.  Fold tail under.  Complete the 3 – 4 dozen. Place in steamer pot or basket, tail end down) of pasta pot with enough water to avoid base of basket.  Cover tightly, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 2 hours (checking water level every 30 minutes) till masa peels away from corn shuck. 

Pappy's Paradise~ The Texas Cabin

Our trip down to Texas this past weekend was so much fun! Our favorite way to visit the kids is a getaway and this was our second visit to Pappy's Paradise near Lake Texoma. It's about 5 hours from us and a little over an hour from our daughter's family in Denton... perfect! We stayed at their new Texas Cabin, 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths it would sleep 10 if you add the loft game room that was outfitted with sofa beds. Wii, Xbox and Kinect~games galore, plus a book corner with a huge chair and a half to fit me plus my GRANDson! 

We had plenty of room to set and talk, it had everything we needed for a relaxed weekend. 

Julie and Billy Vier are the proprietors of Pappy's Paradise that sets on 12 beautiful wooded acres near Pottsboro, Texas. They couldn't have been more hospitable, Julie spoils her guests with a delicious breakfast casserole that's waiting in the fridge with milk, juice, sodas, bottled waters, butter, eggs, condiments....plus a pan of brownies, still warm from the oven, setting on the kitchen counter!

I took two casseroles and fixin's for lunches, since I knew the cabin was furnished with cereals, sweet rolls and coffee. We were there three glorious days and the weather actually cooperated for once! It was in the 80's making hikes and outdoor activities fun!

As I get older, I really like the comforts of home. I guess camping years are behind us, but the rustic cabins are just the right amount of "roughing it" for us!

Friday night we attended a Family Festival sponsored by the Pottsboro Ministerial Alliance. So much fun, and every single activity was FREE. The games, the rides, the food... even booths set up with school supplies for the kids, free haircuts, toys and books. The fair began 6 years ago and has grown to a huge celebration for the small community of Pottsboro. It sure didn't feel small that night, everyone was there and having a wonderful time!

Ewan couldn't wait to climb the stairs and slide down!

It wasn't hard for him to pick out a favorite toy... the cars won!

The Cotton Candy line was long but worth it!

So good!

Can you tell he liked it?

Jelly biscuit... yum!

S'more fun!

Thanks Julie and Billy, we had THIS much fun! 

Love, Ewan

Cherry Days

Home again, missing kids and grands. It's always a few days of this whenever we come back from Texas. I miss Ewan asking "Nana, do you know about the core of the Earth?" He's very smart and he reads books that are well beyond his 5 years. I'm a little proud of him, can you tell?

We had long conversations about his favorite things to do and what he loves to eat and going to school for the first time this week. He was a little nervous but he's going to do just fine. For one thing, he's never met a stranger! His attitude will take him far in life, it's good to be able to schmooze with the masses! He called his cousin in Cincinnati while we were setting out on the front porch at the cabin. Just to talk. He asked him if he knew about the core of the Earth... it's on his mind!!!

Tumbler gifs

Ewan also told me he loved cherries, the ones without seeds. We were walking down to the duck pond and he just thought about it when he looked at the red polish on my toenails. Kids are like that, they go wherever their minds take them. That allows them to travel to wonderful places, it's a very good thing!

Dirty Car Art

I'd never heard of Scott Wade when we lived in Texas, he evidently lived about 15 miles from us near the small town of San Marcos. His amazing artwork comes from living down one of the packed caliche dirt roads in Texas. Wade says his minivan or his wife's old Mazda were his canvas! His ability to turn a dusty rear window into a masterpiece has parlayed into a career as a "Earth artist," meaning he works with temporary mediums that don't impact the Earth. You just enjoy it while it lasts...

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

Onion Rings... if you love them, you can name in a second the best ones you've ever had! For me it was Clear Springs in New Braunfels, Texas. Friday nights we'd head north on Highway 46, halfway between Seguin and New Braunfels set an old dancehouse. They were famous for their catfish, and even if you weren't in the mood for fish... you'd most likely order it because it smelled so-dang-good!

Our GRANDson Jackson would be with us, we'd almost always start with an order of onion rings. We only made the mistake once of ordering the "Texas Size," surely they mean it's big enough for ALL of Texas! They were as close to perfect as you can get and be an onion ring. I have a recipe that's worthy to be called "close." It comes from Cooks Country and it's more than just measurements, it troubleshoots the common mistakes that restaurants and home cooks make when preparing. All you ever need to make the best onion rings you ever put in your mouth....DANGEROUS!

Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Serves 4 to 6
2 sweet onions, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds (use a sweet Vidalia)
3 cups beer (use a dark beer like Shiner Bock)
2 teaspoons malt vinegar (next to the other vinegars at the grocery)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1. Soak onions: Place onion rounds, 2 cups beer, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a zip-lock bag; refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
2. Make batter: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees.
While oil is heating, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in 3/4 cup beer until just combined (some lumps will remain). Whisk in remaining beer as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until batter falls from whisk in a steady stream and leaves faint trail across surface of batter.
3. Fry rings: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Remove onions from refrigerator and pour off liquid. Pat onion rounds dry with paper towels and separate into rings. Transfer one-third portion of rings to batter. One at a time, carefully transfer battered rings to oil. Fry until rings are golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through frying. Drain rings on paper towel-lined baking sheet, season with salt and pepper and transfer to oven. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining onion rings and batter. Serve.

Troubleshooting Beer-Battered Onion Rings
Problem: Crunchy onions.
Solution: Soak in beer. Soaking the rings in a combination of beer, vinegar and salt softens and flavors the raw onion. Just don't soak longer than 2 hours or they get too soft!
Problem: Bad battering.
Solution: Add beer gradually. If the batter is too thick, the rings will be doughy; too thin and it will run off. Add the beer gradually until the batter falls from a whisk to form a ribbon trail.
Problem: Fused onion rings.
Solution: Don’t crowd the pot. Fry the battered onion rings in small batches and transfer them one at a time to the hot oil so they don’t stick together.
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*The land where the restaurant now sets was originally surveyed by James Bowie, a hero of the Alamo, in 1825. Clear Springs Hall and Store was built in 1873 for storing cotton. At the height of cotton production it was normal to see cotton wagons backed up long distances to be weighed. It was also common for the drivers to spend their waiting time shopping and visiting at the Clear Springs Store. The store and saloon were the only establishments of their kind for several miles. The dance hall, now the restaurant, provided for community gatherings, such as dances, parties, plays, school functions, and political rallies. The historical Clear Springs Hall and Store now houses Clear Springs Restaurant which has preserved the historical atmosphere of the structure and the memory of the early German community.

Close Calls

We have had several close calls, natural disasters or dangerous incidents in 41 years of marriage. Some of them were too close for comfort. The first brush with Mother Nature came the very first year we were married, 1970. Springdale, Arkansas had a tornado and we lived only 10 short miles from the destruction. We slept through it and were shocked when we found out the next day that the area had a tornado!

The next time was in North Highlands, California 1972 when Army ammunitions exploded on railway carriers near our apartments. This also happened at night and when they came to the door to have us evacuate, we hadn't heard a thing! No, we are not deaf...we are just sound sleepers evidently!

We lived in Sacramento, California from 1972-1976 and made many trips into San Francisco. I would comment sometimes as we would be in the "sandwich" of overpasses, what if we had an Earthquake? My husband always assured me the roads were built with safeguards. In 1989 the Loma Linda Earthquake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale caused a 50 foot double decker section of the Bay Bridge to collapse. In disasters like that, nothing could withstand the force of Nature.

Another scare came in 1975 in Sacramento when Squeeky Fromme tried to assassinate President Ford...no less at a park where we often took our young daughter Stephanie.

Fast forward to Harrison, Arkansas in April 1977 when a freak cold front dumped a foot of hail on us. We had gone up to Branson, Missouri for the weekend and couldn't believe the "snow" we were seeing as we got into the city limits of Harrison. A new roof was required from the beating it took with the hail.

The following year the telephone company in Harrison blew up from a gas leak. We lived a few miles away and the only damage we had were broken windows. Just a few miles closer and we would have had major structural damage.

Another close call came when we lived in Russellville, Arkansas. A mass murder, then said to be the worst family mass murder, happened in 1987. Russellville was a small town with practically no crime, when Ronald Gene Simmons went on a killing spree around town...hitting the same places I had just been paying water bills and buying gas. Eerie!

By far the worst and closest brush with Mother Nature came in Seguin, Texas 1998 when the Guadalupe River flooded after 27 inches of rain in 24 hours. We lived on Lake McQueeney which was fed by the Guadalupe River. When the dam broke, our subdivision was flooded. We were evacuated and had no idea we would be returning to a dry house after a long night of rain that sounded like rocks on the roof of the shelter where they took us. The homes that were waterfront all had 12 foot of water ruining everything. We lived two blocks up in the subdivision and the water came just to the edge of our garage. Flood insurance paid for damage to some of the homes that were devastated, but the important things you have in your home can't be replaced. The photo albums that were ruined, Grandma's china that was broke, the things your children made in First Grade...those things are priceless. It was a terrible time in our lives, my heart was broken for our friends and neighbors that were going through this. Hard to write all these years later.

Some of you may ask me where I live and then not move anywhere CLOSE!!

Last week was a bad one for the residents of New Braunfels, Texas and Caddo Gap, Arkansas who both had flooding. Lives were lost and the areas are devastated with damage in the millions of dollars. Both storms happened during the night causing rivers to jump their banks and the power of the rushing water was unbelivable.

We lived only a few miles to the south of New Braunfels, on Lake McQueeney in 1998 when heavy rains caused massive flooding. Our neighborhood was a disaster along the waterfront with 12 foot of water in homes. We were evacuated by the National Guard and didn't have any idea that we would come back the next day to a dry house. Since we lived 2 blocks up from the waterfront homes, our house escaped flooding. It came to the edge of our garage, you could see the water mark up along the bricks. There were weeks of clean-up, you don't know where to start after the water takes it all downstream.

Regardless of whether you have flood insurance, so much is lost. Not just furniture and clothing, it's the important things like family albums or china that had belonged to your Great Grandmother can't ever be replaced. Gone. We pulled together and helped with whatever we could during those weeks that stretched into months. Something as simple as a meal or clean clothes means the world to someone who's lost their home.

The city of New Braunfels draws their lifeblood from the emerald green waters of the Guadalupe River with many tourist related buisnesses all along the banks. The hot Texas days can be killer, but floating on the river or spending the day at Schlitterbahn Water Park in New Braunfels makes memories for thousands of visitors each year.

My heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones and homes and to the businesses all along the river that now have to rebuild, again.

Snowing in Texas!

We just returned from a visit with our kids in Texas. Amy and family live at Denton, about 6 hours away from us. GRANDson Ewan has just turned 3 and he is just the cutest, most lovable little boy! He was glued to us for the weekend and we loved every minute!

The distance, work and obligations to aging parents keep us apart. I need my grandchildren in my life to feel happy, that's just the way I am!

We stayed at Hidden Oak Cabins on Lake Texoma.

The first night we had a fire in the pit and set outside after a balmy 60 degree Texas day.
Trails led down to Lake Texoma with woods all around. We hiked down to the lake on Saturday afternoon and after the long winter in Arkansas, it sure was great to get outside and enjoy the nice weather. But in the night a cold front sneaked in with thunderstorms that shook the cabin and made a muddy mess outside, keeping us cooped inside with just videos.
How many times can you watch a SpongeBob video? Well, if you are 3 you can watch it over and over...it's funny everytime!
We did have a wonderful visit though and it was down time for our busy kids.
It's snowing at Denton today, this has been a CRAZY winter!

*If you are headed to the Lake Texoma area near Pottsboro for a getaway, visit Hidden Oak Cabins website HERE! Owner Cort Henderson made our stay very enjoyable. If the weather had cooperated we would really have taken advantage of all of the outdoor activities. Thanks Cort!