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  • Food. It’s Really Not That Hard…

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    Continued from $750.00 Later…

    Now, at this particular juncture, I am certain that some of you – mostly the male readers, though not all I’m sure – are just dying to know about the hottie in the hooker shoes…

    Well, you see, it’s like this… She was a Goth nurse for the RAF back in WWII. Yes… She was way ahead of her time as far as fashion trends go… But anyway, I had been dropped behind enemy lines. Problem is, they forgot to give me a parachute. Fortunately, I bounce.

    I was on a mission to steal Hitler’s mustache. Unfortunately, there was an ambush and I was horribly wounded… The bouncing hadn’t helped, trust me. After crawling for 40 days and 40 nights through muddy trenches and seedy Schnitzel Dens, surviving on what little beer and potato salad I could manage to steal undetected, I finally gave in to exhaustion. When I eventually awoke, I was in a hospital bed and the first thing I saw was…

    Okay, enough of that crap.

    At any rate, we finished dinner while Joyce handled the crisis on the phone. The crisis being the $750.00. What about it? I’m not going to tell you yet.

    So… Where was I? Oh yeah… So anyway, the next day, following more doctoring from Joyce, I was treated to a driving tour of Fort Hood by Butch (remember Butch, Joyce’s husband? Good…) who also happened to be my official “handler” for the weekend, and a guy who can fix up one hell of a breakfast. Let me tell ya’, Butch saw to it that I started the day out right, with everything from Santa Fe Omelets, to French Toast, Biscuits, Bacon, Sausage, and all the trimmings. In short, the rest of the country of Texas could take a few lessons from Butch where food is concerned.

    Following the tour I did a meet and greet at the store proper. This is where I came face to face with “Bouncy Brandi” the perkiest non-blonde I’ve ever met. I had heard plenty about her already, especially her price tag – remember that phone call about the $750? But we’ll get to that eventually…

    Later that evening we gathered at Lolly Central, out on the range, so to speak. Srsly. I kid you not, the directions to get to Lolly and her husband Doug’s house are, Take the highway, go over the river, through the woods, turn off onto the gravel road, then turn off onto the dirt road.

    Not kidding.

    So, anyhow, we had a BBQ that couldn’t be beat – Chicken, brisket, salmon, and all sorts of trimmings, along with beer. I met and had a chance to chat for a moment or two with Dr. Steven Farmer, the other author guest speaker for the event. Very nice guy with all kinds of interesting things to talk about. During all of this Joyce was still doctoring me with the “Skunk Jooce” and “Healer Tea.”

    My buddy Althie, the crazy German woman of Texas, who has been promising me sauerbraten was there too. Guess what? She didn’t bring me any sauerbraten. But that’s okay. She’s been really busy, and she did the next best thing – she brought me the necessary pre-packaged fixin’s, straight from Germany, to prepare my own sauerbraten and Knödel. Just add beef. So, I’ll be whomping that up in the very near future…

    But back to the hooker shoes…

    During all of this, “Bouncy Brandi” leans over to me and says, “Just so you know, I was really nervous about meeting you. So… for you, $750.00…”

    “What?” I asked.

    “$750.00,” she replied, all matter-of-fact and businesslike.

    Since her husband was sitting just across from me I said to him, “Dude… I think your wife just propositioned me.”

    “Yeah,” he said with a nod. “She’s like that. No worries though, we need to finance a room addition so we could use the extra cash.”

    “But… $750?” I asked.

    Bouncy Brandi leaned over again and said, “Hey, I’m giving you a discount because you’re my second favorite author. Best $750.00 in Texas right here…”

    That’s me, ya’know. Always second fiddle to someone.

    I told her to let me think about it, because I really wasn’t sure what E K would think of me spending that much money on a perky Goth nurse from WWII.

    “Okay,” she said. “But don’t wait too long, or the price goes up.”

    …And not a lick of that has anything to do with why this particular entry is called, “Food. It’s Really Not That Hard…” To understand that, we have to jump into the wayback machine and set the dials to OstaraFest 2008…

    To Be Continued in Lolly, Lolly, Lolly… coming March 30, 2011…

    More to come…

    Murv

  • Turkey Salad On Whole Wheat…

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    I love me some Cracker Barrel. I’ve never made a secret of that.

    Whenever I’m on a driving book tour, Cracker Barrel is my number one choice for a quick meal. The Country Boy Breakfast can’t be beat, and if I’m in a hurry, the Chicken ‘n Dumplings are always hot and ready to go. There’s a song by one of my all time favorite bands, Styx, called Music Time. One of the lines says, “I like fast food, the burgers always taste the same.”

    Well, that’s one of the great things about Cracker Barrel. They have those Chicken ‘n Dumplings down to a science, and they always taste the same no matter where you are in the country.

    But The Redhead isn’t a big Cracker Barrel fan. It’s not that she dislikes it. It’s more that she has her own favorite, that being Arby’s. Why Arby’s? Definitely not for the roast beef, I’m here to tell you.

    Nope… Fact is, Her Supreme Leather Clad Goddessness-ness is all about the Market Fresh Pecan Chicken Salad Wrap. So, whenever we are on the road together – she has her Evil Appearances ya’know – she dictates the meal stops, and if it has to be fast and can’t be a local cuisine type of bistro, her choice is almost always Arby’s.

    Therefore, in keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving leftovers and feeding The Evil One, we have another recipe…

    *     *     *     *     *

    MISTRESS KAT’S FAVORITE TURKEY SALAD

    Makes enough to feed “Satan in High Heels” for around 1 week of lunches. Adjust quantities as necessary.

    INGREDIENTS:

    3 Cups diced turkey
    1 1/2 Cups red seedless grapes, quartered
    1 – 2 (depends on size) Jonathan Apples, cored and diced – note: after dicing toss with a tablespoon of lemon juice to prevent discoloring from oxidation.
    2 Ribs Celery – hearts preferably – diced
    1/2 Cup chopped walnuts
    1/2 TBSP Ground Rosemary
    1 TBSP Parsley Flakes
    1 tsp celery seed
    1 TBSP Yellow Prepared Mustard
    3 TBSP Mayonnaise
    3 TBSP Plain Greek Yogurt
    Salt and Pepper to taste

    DIRECTIONS:

    Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Adjust amount of mayonnaise/yogurt if you desire a “drier” or “wetter” turkey salad. Refrigerate.
    I suggest allowing it to sit in the icebox overnight before serving, in order to give the flavors a chance to blend.
    The Redhead likes this served with a sprinkle of shredded Monterey Jack or Mild Cheddar, rolled into a whole grain wrap. I will also occasionally garnish with baby spinach or frisee.

    More to come…

    Murv