Desert Drivel

We began the month by continuing to enjoy having our oldest son Eric home from the Army. On his last day home, he decided to take advantage of the free meal being offered by Joe's Real BBQ to all military who wear their uniforms. He had to wear it for his flight anyway, so what the heck? I snapped this photo with my iPhone of all things - Eric and his good buddy Joey. We've been having cold and wet weather! It's kind of nice to have once in a while but this is getting ridiculous. We live in Arizona! One of the worst parts about it is that the firewood I got is soaked so we can't even enjoy any nice fires in the outdoor fireplace, that is, even if we wanted to hang out outdoors. Now that our holiday guests are all gone, I'm hoping to get some sewing done. I have a quilt for our bedroom that I'm trying to complete, and then once that's done I need to quick-sew a comforter cover for the down duvet we have now, which we'll be giving to Justin. At th...

Wow - was May really the last time I posted? As you can see I've taken some time off from the blog. Apparently monthly updates were too much to handle! At any rate, here's what we've had going on for the remainder of 2012... June Football pre-season started. This is from a scrimmage. Justin is the whitest kid that ever lived! I started working on a quilt but then had to postpone for a bit. Hoping to pick it up again in January. July Took a cake decorating class at Michael's. This was my final project. August Hoover Dam bypass bridge Terry and I went to Las Vegas to see Toby Keith in concert and have a mini-getaway.  On the way back we stopped at  the Hoover Dam and took some photos. Pretty interesting. September Goodbye Eric! We said farewell to our oldest who went on to bigger and brighter things. He joined the Army and left for Basic Training in September. It was hard to let go, but we are so proud of him! In September, we also moved!...

I first tasted these little guys a few years back at an event. The hotel where I was having a meeting served them on the buffet as a vegetarian option for our large vegan population, and I instantly fell in love. After searching for a similar recipe I nearly gave up - these babies aren't something you see everywhere, yet I don't understand why? I finally just happened to be watching Food Network one day and saw Sunny Anderson making them - I was so happy! I made her recipe but tweaked it a bit here and there to suit my taste and the ingredients I prefer to use. This recipe is easy, uses basic ingredients and is super delicious! You can bake them ahead of time and serve them at room temp - they will be just as good. You can easily transport them to a picnic or potluck and the recipe works great when doubled or tripled (or halved to serve two!). Enjoy! Baked Stuffed Tomatoes Baked Stuffed Tomatoes by Jen Merkel Notes: Figure on about two tomato halves per person if s...

Well it's been downright hot here in Arizona. I know it's supposed to be like that at this time of year, but it seems like summer came earlier than usual. Then we had a bit of a 'cold snap' for a day or two, then hot again. I think we probably won't see any more of those cooler days until at least October now. September if we're lucky. At least the nights are still beautiful - we have about a month left of that before they too become unbearable. Aside from the insane heat, we had a lot going on this month as usual. We started off the month by celebrating Terry's birthday with good friends at our favorite dive bar. We also learned that cab fare home is only $15, and made a pact with our friends to go there more often. They have live country music and dancing on weekends, but with no food to speak of dinner for me on those nights usually, and very sadly, consists of cheese balls and pretzels. And beer of course. Justin, Suzie and Eric Of course w...

A deli nearby has a terrific black bean and corn salad and I've been searching for a recipe that comes close. I found one courtesy of Rachael Ray at Food Network, and below have adapted it to bring it closer to the deli's version. It is simply delicious, and a great addition to a summer picnic or barbecue. Enjoy! Black Bean and Corn Salad by Jen Merkel (adapted from Rachael Ray @ Food Network) Ingredients 1 can (14 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained 1 package frozen corn kernels, about 2 cups (not thawed) 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped into very small pieces 1/2 red onion, chopped into very small pieces 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons hot sauce (your choice - I used Frank's Red Hot but Chalula works well too) 2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, washed and chopped Cracked black pepper to taste Instructions Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand at least 15 m...

Within the past few months I've been fortunate enough to upgrade my personal technology to and iPhone and an iPad. I'm no expert on these devices, but I've found some pretty cool apps I wanted to share with you. By the way, they are all FREE. Flipboard Excellent way to quickly read through your subscribed feeds in just about any social network. I most often use it for Facebook, Google Reader and Instagram, but you can also connect Twitter, Flickr, LinkedIn, Tumblr and a whole bunch of others I've never heard of. You can even customize a section (I've got one for my own Flickr photo feeds) or read everything all bundled together. Flipboard also suggests feeds for you if you like - but if you don't want them they are easy to delete. Photos in this reader appear absolutely stunning on the iPad, in a format that makes you feel like you're reading an e-magazine customized to your interests. Flipboard works on the smaller-screened iPhone too, but it's...

Wishing moms everywhere a day filled with love and laughter!