Ancestry and Graveyards

I had lunch with my cousin Amy yesterday, and mention I though I might go to Toledo Memorial Cemetery to see the graves of some of my ancestors.  Kind of a morbid, depressing thing to do, but I'll admit to not understanding my own motivations.

Amy explained that when she was little her folks owned a rental property in Waterville, which was right across the street from a cemetery.  Amy and her girlfriends would all go and get a Popsicle, then go over to the cemetery and enjoy the summer weather - or do whatever they did.  I'm sure the residents didn't mind.

Here are the results of what amounts to a scavenger hunt at Toledo Memorial Cemetery.

Recipe: Hummus

I learned to make Hummus from Ellen's daughter Karen, who has a penchant for Mediterranean cuisine.  It's an easy recipe to make, but it's also easy to screw up.  When I did my grocery shopping yesterday, I couldn't find an essential ingredient for hummus: tahini sauce.  This afternoon I visited a store which specialized in Mediterranean foodstuffs, and naturally there were several brands of tahini.  I chose one and two hours later my hummus was ready to eat.  In short, it was perfect.  Here's the recipe.

Recipe: Gazpacho

A long time ago, early one Saturday afternoon, I was feeling the aftereffects of Friday night, and I didn't think things would get much worse.  The girl I was dating (Linda) suggested I might like some gazpacho, which I'd never had before.

In short, the gazpacho was excellent, and is the only known sure-fire cure for overindulgence on Friday night.

Learning to Cook

Glen over at the Thunderbox left a comment stating he wished he knew how to cook, which put me in mind about how I first learned to cook something besides peanut butter sandwiches.  It was a real learning and growth experience, let me tell you.

Non-Paying House Guests

This morning I was up early thanks to my three borders.  After fixing them breakfast, I started assembling my own morning meal.  I'm standing in the kitchen, watching the coffee maker like a semi-comatose mental defective, when Mister Zeus charged my feet and made a classic feline pounce-swat.

He missed.

Mister Zeus with Muzzle, Untidy In.

Not his fault, as he moved faster than I've seen him move in years, and the target managed to make hard cover.  My own nervous system is so poor I didn't even flinch during the entire business.

So now I have a house guest that is uninvited and is not paying rent.  Eviction procedures will commence around noon today, which is when I'll get back from the store with a nice, new trap.  Not a live animal trap, either.  A nice whack - their dead trap.

Recipe: Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

When my old father was a child, spaghetti was a brand new item.  People bought it and then didn't know what to do with it.  One recipe - possibly the only recipe - that involved spaghetti was slumgullion.  My paternal grandmother (Jess) used to make it, and according to my father it was every bit as appetizing as the name suggests.  The dish featured spaghetti noodles, beef grease, and a random selection of overcooked vegetables.  When Dad got older he refused to eat it, and would go out and buy his dinner at a diner down the street.  My grandfather (Marion) would eat it, mainly because he was too much of a Scottish tightwad to do otherwise.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Chop Stroganoff

Tonight we're having pork chops stroganoff.  I've made this one before, and it's always turned out very nicely.  It's easy to freeze single serving portions in one quart freezer bags.

Pork Chop Stroganoff