Somewhere in Europe…

Somehow, when the genes were being passed out, I got passed over. At least, in the kitchen prowess department. Now, my Mom is a terrific cook…she loves new recipes, and she loves feeding her family. We love it when she calls us over to eat. Joy is also a great cook. She does ‘from scratch’ cooking like Mom. She makes her own egg rolls, for goodness sake! But, the thought of chopping veggies and onions, cutting meat into little pieces, smashing garlic, etc. has about as much appeal to me as sitting in the dentist’s chair for a root canal. I can do it, and have. But my motto is FROM THE CAN TO THE PAN TO THE MAN! When I told my Granny Merritt that many years ago, she laughed so hard…and said, “You’re a smart girl!” And then she had me write in down for her because she couldn’t remember it. When she died several years ago, that old piece of paper was in a box of her papers. She obviously though it had merit. (Her last name was Merritt, by the way!:))

Anyway…here’s my recipe for TACO SOUP…

1 1/2 -2 pounds ground beef….brown and drain
1 onion…chopped (or onion flakes…or you can buy frozen chopped onions)
1 package taco seasoning
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1 can pinto beans..do not drain
1 can black beans…do not drain
1 can whole corn…do not drain
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes…do not drain
2 cans stewed tomatoes…do not drain
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Here, my recipe says: add the dry mixes to the browned ground beef…mix.
Add the beans and vegetables…mix
Heat to simmer for 35-45 minutes.
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Now…Tonja’s version…
I put it all into my crock pot and cook it on low until I get back to it. I have added kidney beans, too. But, we prefer the black beans and pinto beans. If there is room in the crock pot, I’ll add 2 cans of the beans…or corn..whatever I have on hand. This is better the second day…and the third, if it lasts that long! I serve it with grated cheddar cheese on top. You can also pour it over corn chips, if you like…we don’t like.

So…that’s it. It tastes like you spent way more time on it than you did…and there’s no reason to tell anyone any different…just hide all the cans!

Enjoy!

What an unusual day. A day that did not follow my plans. In fact, nothing went like I wanted it to today…oh, well.

First of all, I told you how my menu was taco soup with everyone stopping by when it was convenient. And, the family was all fine with that. See, there is hardly anyplace to sit…the table is stacked with sets of dishes to be packed…the den is filled with boxes stacked high…so there is no ‘conversation area’ anymore. And, I wanted to use the day to finish packing the bedroom and closet.

Don had other ideas. He wanted a meal…no, he wanted a MEAL. And, so, on Wednesday night, off to the store he goes. And, into the house he comes…laden with fixins for a MEAL. Now, to his credit…he did all the cooking. He grilled pork tenderloin, a giant pot of butterbeans, corn, and dressing he bought from a local restaurant. I had gotten up early and made banana nut muffins, and later made brownies (see post below). But, no taco soup was made in the Owens home on Thursday.

Mom and Pop are both sick. Pop is having medication issues with some of the meds that control his heart rhythms. Hopefully, we are on the right track now, since they have just changed them again. Mom, however, is in much pain. Her arthritis is really hurting her, and she is waiting to hear from an MRI that she had on Wednesday. I can’t stand to see my sweet Mama is so much pain. If the doctor doesn’t call her by a reasonable time today, I will be calling him.

Anyway, so I knew they wouldn’t be coming over. Now, Joy and Tommy had plans for a quiet day, too. Joy has been dealing with a broken foot and lugging a cast around. And Tommy is having several health issues that are not being resolved quickly. (Really he is just OLD…but don’t tell him I said so). They had plans to go out for lunch, but my niece, newly engaged to Ben, guilted her into cooking since “this will be my last Thanksgiving as a single girl living at home, sweet Mama, oh, please…” And, Joy caved. So, I knew they had their own plans.

Suzanne and Adam were going to her Mom’s for lunch, and I knew Mary would have a feast for them. And, I knew they would not be hungry again for a while. So, all that to say, this is why my plans consisted of a laid back day.

Ian came over around 4 and Don had his feast ready. Don, Alex, and Ian were about to chow down when Adam and Suze arrived. We all had prayer together, and Don, Alex and Ian heaped plates full and proceeded to pig out. Oh, it looked good, and smelled good, too. They were all praising Don’s cooking skills. Adam and Suze were sitting politely by watching them eat…as they were stuffed from Mary’s feast. I decided to try some of the tenderloin, as it smelled so divine. The first taste of it was good…a little sweet and tangy, but in about 10 seconds the fire hit! Oh! My! what did you put on this meat? It was burning my mouth and throat! Oh, Don then explained that it was probably the cayenne pepper…and he may have used a tad too much. YA THINK?????

Adam and Suze were tired so they left after about an hour, and Ian was also ready to hit the hay, so he was gone quickly. I washed up all the dishes, and went to bed, too. Alex and Don proceeded to the couch, where they watched a movie. I do not know what they watched, but it was all about airplanes fighting each other. And they fought for 2 hours, complete with surround sound, which had the majority of the bombing happening right over my bed. LOUD BOMBING…MANY, MANY AIRPLANES…MUCH WAR!

So, there ya go…nothing according to plan…and nothing accomplished that was on my agenda. But, inside my refrigerator sits about 2 gallons of butterbeans, and some hot, VERY HOT pork tenderloin, a little dressing, and half a plate of brownies. Supper for the next 2 nights, wouldn’t you say?

And, there, sitting out on the counter, are all the fixins for taco soup. Ready to be cooked…one day…but, not today…Thanksgiving 2008.

It could seem, I’m sure, that these past few encounters I have shared with you, must be ‘made up’. But, as strange as it is…they have all happened…just as I have told them to you. I think the Lord is teaching me something…in fact I’m sure of it after today…

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I had to make a quick run to Wal-Mart this afternoon for some cooking oil. I wanted to fix Ian some brownies and I did not have enough to make 1/2 cup. I parked near the Garden Center and hurried in. I located the oil and headed to the check out counter. Because it was the middle of Thanksgiving Day, the store was not very full. Wal-Mart, in our town, is notorious for not opening up enough lanes to accommodate the people wishing to check-out…but today there were several lanes with no one waiting. I picked the express lane, since I never qualify for the ’10 items or less’ on my regular trips to shop there. And…right there…waiting for me…was …another one…

The clerk who was working was an older lady, who was not where she wanted to be on Thanksgiving Day. The customer was a man around the age of 70, dressed in overalls, a long sleeved T shirt, a flannel shirt, a down vest, and heavy work boats. He had a full beard, and a pony tail that reached to the middle of his back. Topping it all off was a knit cap. It was 73 degrees here today…he was way overdressed.

The man was in search of some “snuff…the green box…got little pouches in it…and it feels a mite cold in yer mouth.” Well, that is about as good a description as a body could want. The clerk, however, didn’t get the picture quite so easily. “You want something that tastes ‘cold’? None of this says cold on it,” she told the man, “and all we got here comes in a tin box. They ain’t no pouches.” The man tried his best to explain, “hit don’t say cold on it, but it just feels a mite cold in yer cheek, see. It’s just them little pouches in the round box, and it’s green.” “So, you’re looking for a green, round box in a pouch?” she asked. “I don’t know ’bout all that, I just want my snuff…the cold kind…in the little bundles,” he explained. The clerk had reached her limit, so she yelled across the aisles…4 to be exact. “Mary Sue, you ever hear tell of a bundle of snuff that comes in a round box and tastes cold?” Mary Sue, bless her sweet heart, came over and said, “Velma, I don’t know beans about snuff. But, Granny dips a little, and she likes that Cooper’s Ment kind. Here see if this is what he wants.” Friends, I kid you not, this is not a lie…it was Copenhagen Menthol! But, Cooper’s Ment sounds so much like Copenhagen Menthol, I can see where she would get confused.

Well, the old fella’s face lit up. “Yep, that’s it! That’s just what I been hankerin’ today. This’ll do me some more good! How much is it?” I began to feel a little Deja vu as he pulled a hand full of coins out of his overall pockets and dumped them on the counter. “That should cover it, I reckon,” he said. Velma was not at all happy to have to count out the mound of coins, but she plunged right in to the task ahead. First, she separated them into groups…quarters with quarters, dimes with dimes, etc. Then she commenced to counting. And, I commenced to praying…”O, Sweet, Lord, please let this man have enough money to buy this snuff. I cannot deal with the dilemma of whether I should help him out or not. I know snuff is not good for a body, but , what would you have me do? It’s wrong to help someone if helping them is really causing them to do harm to themselves. Lord, I know there is a right answer to this, but for the life of me, I just don’t have the wits about me to figure it out today. Please let him have it the $1.87″ As I was praying, Velma was drawing on her grammar school math lessons to count the coins…”57…67..77″ she counted. I cringed…I knew what was coming…”Sorry, Mr., you don’t have enough. You need another dime.” “Oh, Lady”, he said, “That’s all I got…they ain’t no more.” He looked at her, and she looked at him…and I put my hands in my pockets. My fingers touched something small and round and hard…I pulled it out…and you already know what it was…a dime! I promise you…there was a dime, sitting all alone in my pocket! Just sitting there…waiting…to be used…to do a kindness to someone I did not know. “Well, Lord, I’d say that is a pretty clear answer as to what I should do.”

And, so, I pulled out the dime and laid it on the counter next to his pile of coins. He turned and looked at me, and, in the humblest of voices, he said, “I’ll pay you back next time.” And, I replied, “That’ll be just fine.” He already had the wrappings off the round tin of Copenhagen Menthol in pouches, and was getting ready to pop it in his mouth, and “feel the cold.” He had it out of the tin and into his mouth in one swift move. “Ummmmm”, is the only other thing he said. “Happy Thanksgiving, Mr.”

I hope your Thanksgiving is full of good food, good fun, and lots of good laughs!