A GUN FOR ALEC - GLORIS DAYS & NORTH POLE OF TEXAS - 7 NAPKIN HAMBURGER

A gun for Alec.

Her and I have been NRA pistol instructors for quite a few years now. Early on I wanted a "tool" to help teach sight alignment and grip. I wanted it to be a safe gun teaching aid and also safely be a hands-on teaching aid that students could pick up, point and readily see/practice grip/sight alignment. 

And within all of the use of this tool, we mandated and reminded students to exhibit safe use when pointing and learning. The use of such teaching tools always reinforced the basic gun handling safety rules. 

I see now where Alec is saying that he did not pull the trigger. So here is a gun that Alec can absolutely present with that argument in hand. There is no trigger. 

All of this absurdity and an actual plea that he was some how "absent" within the act of physically grabbing, cocking, pointing, trigger pulling and killing another human being, is beyond me.  

Is it possible that Alec is blowing smoke where the sun don't shine? Not sure.

I will though remain open minded to see how the experts sort all of this out. 

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HORSE AGAIN ON THE LOOSE

Just wants some green grass and good eats. The horse is now in "time out" in a near by pasture. 

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GLORIOUS TEXAS

This week is text book comfortable weather. Daily forecasts come down to "warmer than yesterday." All sun, brisk mornings, gentle breezes, t-shirt afternoons. Some rain every 10 days or so, but not enough for what the lands want or need. Dew well coats anything green and growing and it appears this seems to help all of this hold its own. The ponds are down to "too low."

CChip, Sugar and Cranberry Oatmeal. All with some crunch.

Her is into the seasonal cookie bake, granola bake and I am going to try making Chex mix from the recipe on the back of the boxes. Maybe tweak it somewhat. Everyone will get cookies and home-baked items for gifts this season. 

Neighbors dropped off enough gumbo after Thanksgiving for her and I to have our fill. Old family recipe. The flavor heat was one notch over my red line. The short version of all of this moment is that now my red line is one notch higher and I am have found that craving in flavor heat that says one more bite, one more bite, one more bit until the bowl is empty. 

Cleaned the fridge out of all the T-day leftovers. Turkey soup in the freezer. 

In an attempt to cut down on all of the high carb meals, all lunches this week and next will be some zero carb(s) soup. Well, as close to zero as I can get. And only one helping. Diet Eating healthy and losing that fracking 30 pounds again is the anvil over my head. Will ease into this with a 90% effort. 

I Watched this simple cabbage soup video.  Have made similar soups before like this and fully enjoy them. I do like all of my vegetables and do not tire of eating them. Flavor comes in those first minutes of cooking mixed veggies.

Fired up outside cooking island to make cabbage soup, less the cabbage.

Decided to go with leftovers in the veggie try, the freezer and fresh from the garden. Added tomato past, white wine and one medium home grown/roasted red pepper. 

Cooking station not fancy but full function and room to work.

Leftovers of last batch of roasted red peppers. A few folks will get a small jar of my home grown/roasted red peppers this Christmas.

Soup: celery, carrots, onion, one russet potato, neighbors turnips from the freezer, 1 small can tomato paste (use a half can if you want more of a brothy feel), salt, pepper, Adobo seasoning, fresh garden cut spinach, one medium red roasted red pepper, the juice from a half lemon (use a whole lemon from the market), basil, thyme, a very good steady splash of white wine, jar garlic, a box of chicken broth, one bottle of water, and fresh cut parsley stirred prior to the first bowls for lunch. Simmered all of this for about 30 minutes. 

Making soups is always a work in progress. No matter the size of the container I cook in it always fills up before I am done adding ingredients. Her just shakes her head and every time. Yep, every time. She did give me the look when trying a taste. I told her I did not add peas to which she said nothing. 

One medium roasted red pepper here, finely chopped, gave this whole batch prefect heat flavor.  Adding one of the larger peppers would have been closer to my red line. The power of peppers.

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I want the 1962 white convertible. 

If I could own a 1962 Corvette now, it would be parked in our living room on a protective carpet. The top would be off. A dust rag would be close by and I doubt that a day would go by where I did not sit in it, left hand on the steering wheel and the right on the gear shift lever.  Could not resist moving that dust rag over some of the best design lines in the history of time several times a day. I would never tire of this visual and mechanical work of art. 

Maybe it would be parked so we could sit in it and watch the tv on the wall when we wanted to. I would have no problem being obsessed with all of this. 

My bet is that her would allow me this indulgence. Somehow, some way, we would find room for that art display inside the house. And be damn sure it would also be driven often. 

A white one, please, if you have an extra 1962 Corvette that needs a loving home.  Great conversation piece, huh?

Just made myself laugh!!

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A NEW FIND FOR US

A new eatery. Have driven by this small market/gas station too many times.

Less than 10 minutes of back roads to a popular dollar store, across from which there is this market.

A few weeks back our patio deck contractor told us that this marketplace makes the best hamburgers anywhere around here. 

Neighbors shop there, but have never eaten there. Local lake folk visit there regularly for most anything from dining to fresh farm eggs and any type of stop and shop needs.

Friday we were on the road at lunch time, picked up a few items at the dollar store and noticed this market again and decided to give it a try. A local bucket list for us. 

Surprise surprise. Now the best hamburger in east Texas we have found and we have found some great hamburgers. 

The gals who work, cook and run the front counter could not be nicer and more helpful. Like old friends with a "hon" here and there thrown in like melting butter. 

We ordered two hamburgers, "all the way", I sat down at one of the many country-style tables while her went to the back corner of the store for farm fresh eggs. Two killer burgers delivered five minutes later along with a Dr. diet pepper. Seasoned fries.

Seven napkin hamburger. No knife or fork used.

Hamburger ordered "all the way" with seasoned fries. I doubt that many food photos do justice to the moment. Worth a try though, huh?

I visited with the gal who said, "I made your hamburger" as we started to leave. I told her on a scale of 1-10, that the hamburger was an 11.8. She beamed and I told her we were regulars now. The menu is large and if all of the other offering's are as good as that hamburger, we have just found another  gold mine in our back yard. 

On those Friday or Saturday nights when the dinner hour arrives and we have nothing planned, excellent eats/choices are just a few minutes away. 

It is the little things in life.

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TIS THE SEASON

Drove with neighbors to the North Pole of Texas Friday night for the lights and merriment of folks enjoying the rides and a visit with Ms. Claus. Simple relaxing fun outing. 

Appreciate the visit this week. Will leave you with farm fresh eggs. Enjoy!