annie blog

A few months ago, I stumbled across a musician.  Not literally stumbled, you know, but somewhere in all my internet ramblings I was introduced to Pokey LaFarge.  All I can say is that I was immediately smitten with his music.  His songs sound like vintage Americana while somehow sounding entirely modern, too.  I read a bit more about him and found out his band is known as the South City Three.  And, why are they named South City Three?  Because they’re from MY south city — St. Louis.  Turns out, Pokey lives here too.  How cool is that?

They’ll be playing this Wednesday FOR FREE at the Whitaker Music Festival at the Botanical Gardens here in St. Louis.  Needless to say, I’m planning on going.

If you’re interested, the folks at NPR had Pokey and his pals in for a tiny desk concert.    It’s only 9 minutes long and worth a listen.

Also, on NPR, you can listen to the new album, Middle of Nowhere,  in its entirety.

Need to know more?  This is a good review.  This is too.

Want to join me?

For those of you who follow J’s singing on Wacktopia, there are some new songs on there.  Here is his newest posting.

I hope y’all are having a good Monday!

Or, as he spelled it, the Doock of Notra Don.

Here we have the "Doock" unfurling his proclamation.

Just so you know, the proclamation read:  He should get all he wants for free.

Then, this buster of a Doock made himself a throne.

Every throne needs a dolphin....and a bug net, didn't you know?

I live with imaginative folks.

I heard this tip somewhere….but, honestly I can’t remember if it was on some show or other or if it was in the grocery line.  I’d like to give credit where it is due but I just can’t.

I buy natural peanut butter.  I won’t go into the whys but that is what kind I buy, specifically, Trader Joe’s Organic Salted Peanut Butter.  You know natural peanut butter, right?  All of that oil that collects on top that you have to stir in before you use it.

Well,  the way around that is, before you’ve opened the jar for the first time, turn it upside down and put it in your refrigerator for a few hours.  The oil will redistribute perfectly with no need for stirring.  When you’re ready to use it and the peanut butter has chilled, open the jar and then leave it upright from that moment on.  You’ll never have to stir it and the oil will remain conveniently mixed.

Now, the only thing you have to do is remember to put it back in the fridge when you’re done.

 This tip got me wondering…do any of y’all have a cooking or cleaning or living type of tip to share?  Then, please, lay it on us. 

Happy Friday, y’all!

My youngest son “borrowed” a seashell from the library last week.

This did not go over well, as you can probably imagine.

Anyway, before we left to return the shell and make a plea for forgiveness, my boy said, “Hey wait, Mom, this shell is just like you!”  And, so that his point could be quickly made he plunked it down on my arm.

Me and the spotted shell.

Nice.

Then he sort of clucked his tongue and said, “Mom, I’m sorry, but you just don’t have enough melanin.”

Tell me something I don’t know.  What I want to know is, where did he get his melanin?  Check out those brown little fingers.

Oh well.  All I know is that those little fingers had better not bring home anything else that isn’t his.  Buster.

I don’t know how many of y’all are So You Think You Can Dance fans.  So, you might not be interested, but, did y’all catch Sasha and tWitch last week?  I loved this dance.  Of course, I’m partial to tWitch, but Jon and I have also liked Sasha from the start and were happy that she got such a strong partner and choreographer for that dance.  I’m including the dance here.  Warning:  Like most dances on TV in this day and age, this dance is a wee bit sexy.  Just wanted you to know…..

Sasha and tWitch dance to “Misty Blue”

The song of the day is “Stagger Lee” by Beanland.  This was a band that I saw many times in college.  We always had a great time at their concerts.  It is kind of a rollicking song — just right for cleaning up a mess from early morning doughnut making in my kitchen.  And, it’ll sound just as good at 9 p.m. when I’m making milkshakes and every minute in between, too.

Click the link and then on the arrow to play the song.

Happy Tuesday!

I posted this recipe on my blog a few years ago but I wanted to re-post it because it fits right in with my plan for summer cooking — my plan consisting of mainly not turning on the oven.  Except for bacon….I’ve decided that oven cooked is the only way to cook bacon and so I’ll always make an exception.  Bacon, how I love thee…..

Anyway, I made this the other day with grilled chicken tenderloins but you could very easily just shred up the  meat from a rotisserie chicken and toss it with the finished peanut sauce.  I also included a raw red bell pepper (sliced) and a peeled, seeded, cucumber (cut into tiny spears) in the final toss and omitted the scallions and peanuts.  I think the scallions weren’t missed but I’d rather have the peanuts in there.  So use them if you’ve got them.

It’s funny, but some of my boys didn’t like this dish as much as they did last time.  Curious.  I think that they just want their pasta to appear only in Italian-inspired dishes.  When they chose to try the noodles and then take their cold cereal option I almost cried…..tears of joy, mind you, because it just meant MORE FOR ME.  Terrible of me, but true.

It’s yummy!

Ingredients:

3 cloves garlic , minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons hot sauce
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken for grilling or the shredded meat of a rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup peanut butter
Table salt
1 pound spaghetti
6 scallions , sliced thin (optional)

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 cucumber, seeded, peeled and cut crosswise into 3 sections and then into mini spears

1/2 cup or so chopped peanuts

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil over high heat. Meanwhile, whisk garlic, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, hot sauce, brown sugar, and oil in small bowl. Toss chicken with 3 tablespoons garlic mixture in bowl. Puree remaining garlic mixture and peanut butter in blender until smooth. (If I was using rotisserie I’d just up the peanut butter by a tablespoon or so and, of course, omit the step about taking out liquid for marinating.)

2. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain well, rinse under cold running water until cool, and drain again. Toss noodles, peanut sauce, and scallions, peppers, cucumbers and peanuts in large bowl. Adjust seasonings.

3. If grilling, grill the chicken breasts over high heat until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Slice chicken and toss with the noodles or serve alongside.

Happy Monday, y’all!

Sorry, a bowl full of cherries, looks like summer to me.

But, what to do with the cherries?  Eat them raw?  Cherry cobbler?  Cherry pie?  Any recipes to suggest?

Happy Saturday!