With Death Comes Food

Maybe it's because I was especially hungry and possibly eating away some repressed emotions (my Grandma Hart passed away today), but I used some of those yellow pear tomatoes to make a delicious Cherry Tomato Tart. I paired it with a glass or two...ok... three (as of posting) of McMannis pinot grigio. Not sure if pinot grigio was the best pairing, but it was the only white I had chilled. It was a little too sweet for my preferences, especially since I had several glasses. Bleh.

As you can see, the tart was a big hit. Sorry for the sub-par food photography. lol

If there is one memory I associate with my Grandma Hart, it is food. I guess that is more like a memory "genre," huh? She was always cooking and always the last person to eat at family gatherings, despite everyone insisting she sit down and join us. Since she did not drive, Grandma worked as a lunch lady at Ruby Young Elementary, which was walking distance from her house. Occasionally, she would show up in the cafeteria at my elementary school as a substitute lunch lady and buy me an ice cream when I got my school lunch. My Aunt J compiled several of her recipes and other family recipes into a handy notebook and gave them to us as presents one Christmas. It was a great idea!

Yep. That's Grandma Hart on the cover of the family cookbook. It is a wonderful way for her to live on through one of her talents. Rest in peace.

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So the tomato crop...

Did I mention I grew several varieties in the garden this year? haha June is officially Tomato Month here at Casa del Arnold. I promise no more tomato related posts for at least another year, then look out!

The whole reason I came across the aforementioned tomato tart recipe is because I needed to use a bunch of tomatoes, quickly. Right now, I have Lemon Boy, Black Krim, and Celebrity (pictured below). With more tomatoes than I knew what to do with, I made salsa. Just threw 'em in the ol' food processor (cause I was too lazy to dice) with some jalapenos from the garden, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Added shot of lime and a bit of salt and presto! Now I have 10 cups of salsa. It is tasty, but what the heck am I going to do with 10 cups of salsa?!

I think I may have to make some South Beach Mexican Chicken Soup (haha or "Salsa Soup," as mycousinamanda and I accidentally made the first try). I like to call this soup "Skinny Soup" because after eating it for about 3 days for lunch and dinner, I feel skinny. Of course, that was when Joe was overseas and I could eat soup for 6 meals and no one would complain. Joe is not a soup fan. I think it's a man thing.

Mmmmm... you know you want some garden fresh salsa! Holla!

Nobody Puts Mr. Stripey in a Corner!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I pretty much wrote off my Mr. Stripey tomato plant. He grew so big that he pulled the tomato cage over. So I assumed that it was a matter of time before he snapped and croaked.

Look what I found today.

He lives! One teeny tomato. Hopefully, Mr. Stripey is just getting warmed up. Maybe there's hope for my tomatillo plant.

And check out these lovelies...they are the yellow pears and I have a bazillion if you need salad tomatoes.

Wow

To say that I have been busy in the past couple of weeks is an understatement. Here's what we've been up to:

Joe and I celebrated 5 years of marriage on June 6.

We were living the "suite" life at LoneStar Park on June 5. It was awesome. My one and only bet paid off. Who cares if it was the favorite and I only won $4.75?

I got a new MacBook Pro. I lurve it.

My brother and his girlfriend visited over the weekend. Will was in from North Carolina and his gf flew in from Pensacola. They all went to the lake and got really sunburned while I stayed in the A/C and read, once again. Here's Joe and my brothers, Will and Jon.

Phoebe's puppies are home. Well, the little boy is still with the breeder because he requires a lot more attention. Here they are!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

I read 2 books and wrote an 8 page personal survival story. I just turned it in last night and am anxious to find out how I did. It's been a looooong time since I wrote under pressure and with length requirements, so it was challenging. But I did enjoy it. The next paper is another 8-10 pager but will be an argument rather than a narrative. Bring it on!

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Garden update: Tomato crop= fail. I over fertilized, I think. The plants I didn't fertilize are producing at least. It looks like I will have Lemon Boys, Black Krim, Yellow Pear, and Celebrity (I bought one Celeb at the last minute..just in case), and maybe a couple of Cherokee Purple. German Queen and Mr. Stripey grew big and flowered, but the blooms just fall off with no fruit. :( So sad. I was really rooting for Mr. Stripey. lol

I was a dummy and didn't plant two tomatillo plants. By the time I realized they weren't self-pollinating, I could no longer find a mate for my lone tomatillo plant. It has a zillion flowers but no fruit. Another fail. The jalapenos are starting to produce though and my parents have an abundance of tomatoes, squash (butternut, yellow, and 8-Ball Zuchs), onions, and soon, okra. Looks like we'll be just fine in the produce department.

Survival

Aside from getting splashed with grody road water by a passing car as I waited in the median to get back to my vehicle, my first night of school went well. My first task for Survival Lit. is to write an 8-10 page personal survival story. Given the extreme nature of the stories we've been assigned to read, anything I could have possibly gone through seems a bit trite in comparison. I do have a couple of ideas but they certainly aren't as dramatic as surviving a plane crash in the Andes or scouring the burnt countryside for food and water post-apocalypse.

I've had a pretty uneventful life in that regard, and up until now, I've considered myself lucky. Now I feel a bit pathetic and will most likely need to resort to embellishment to create a compelling story. Hmmm it seems I've doled out this advice to my own students.

How about you? Have you ever faced a life and death situation?

Post #101

I hit the ground running today trying to figure out final exam exemptions and tying up loose ends, so this is going to be short and sweet (and scatter brained).

-It is the last week of school! Yay!

-Teacher inservice Saturday. Wait. What? Saturday? I have a date in a suite at Lonestar Park on Saturday!

-I start class tomorrow. Woowhoo! I am a little nervous.

-UPS never found my books and the Islam and Politics class didn't make. Boo!

-My former student and cheerleader/current talented hair stylist gave me highlights Saturday. Sorry about the cleavage.

- Got my eyebrows waxed FINALLY. A student noticed today. They must have been outta control before.

- I bought some summer dresses at Target over the weekend. Yes, I take pictures of myself in the dressing room in the potential outfit. That way I can decide later if it was really that cute. It cuts down on impulse buys. I thought this was $19.99 cute. It also looks good with a cardigan or denim jacket.

- I spent time with my family over the holiday. While everyone went on a booze cruise on the lake, I stayed home with my parents and napped and read for my upcoming class. It was nice. :)

- I am officially ready for summer! Delirium has set in. It is 6:30 and I am still at school.