Frankie's Swans.

Every time we go to the park, these black swans swim right up to the bank as Frankie stands at the water's edge. It's funny.

Blogging in the park...more plums.

Got a few more plums 2day. I got the number for the mgmnt office of the property to see if I can gain access to the other side of the wall. I just know there's a lot more over there to be had! :o)

Laundry dog.

U can't even bring a fresh load of laundry from the dryer w/o Frankie jumping up on the bed waiting 4 the dump out...

Saturday mornin' pancakes!

Listen kids, Fiber One pancake mix ROX...& it's GOOD 4 U! Okay, maybe not w/ a stack as big as this...I got a lil' carried away. :o) Hey, I did yoga this morn, worked up an appetite!

Out of the tree of life...

...I picked me a plum...well, a whole bowl as a matter of fact!

So, across the street from where I live, on the sidewalk where I walk Frankie, I saw these mysterious, spherical, golden fruits-sprinkled about like little mini suns in the shrubbery & groundcover. A few weighted trees overhead were the culprit.

It wasn't until I saw one smooshed one day, revealing a tiny pit, & exhibiting these orangey/yellow velvety innards, that I figured out, "Hey, those are plums!". One quick whiff off the exposed flesh confirmed my assumption.

I've been told that these large marble sized beauties are called sand plums, or Mexican plums...either way, they're cute as a button & ripening on my counter. I'm collecting them on our walks each day, gonna take a whack @ plum jam! I will report back.

The Indian (dot not feather) Feast!

Last Sat we all got together & had Indian potluck! I did the tumeric rice - hey, Indian/curry is not something I really do! Lol

But it was all very tasty & not pictured here is the HUGE pan of Naan bread Kanita brought...it was SO yum! :o)

Got me some shiny wheels!

All fixed up from the rear ending when returning from the farm last month (see previous post).

Best thing about it, they detailed it! I like when my ride is shiny...I don't treat it 2 a bath often enuff.

Central 214 the whole kit & caboodle!

There was some yummy AND naughty food 2 B had @ Central 214. The atmosphere was a bit hectic & it seemed @ times that the restaurant crew was somewhat "in the weeds". But that most certainly could have been due 2 the fact that filming for The Naughty Kitchen, (premiering this Fall on the Oxygen network), was going on during the busiest week of the year for Dallas chefs & restaurateurs!

I counted no less than 3 camera guys, a few audio/grip guys, a few production peeps & a boom mic operator (gawd their arms must hurt!)

Everything had good flavor...we especially loved the pimento cheese & smoked trout spreads that came w/ the bread...SO good! I'm uploading these from my Crackberry, so the descrips may B out of order, but you'll drool all the same. :o)

Fried green tomato, Maytag bleu cheese wedge salad, roasted chick w/ gb's, ribs w/ beans & cole slaw, grilled scallops, strip steak w/ peach & mixed greens, choc trifle cake, peach turnover, bread w/ spreads & chef Blythe shooting table interviews.

Central 214 pt. 3

Cayenne shrimp deviled eggs...Mmmm!

Central 214 pt. Deux

Chef Blythe Beck overseeing her dishes go out.

Restaurant Week: 2nd Dinner

@ Central 214 @ Hotel Palomar & they're shooting The Naughty Kitchen right now! It premiere's on the Oxygen network this Fall!

Work work work...

What ur looking @ here is a screen capture of my inbox. With the exception of a few e-mails above that 2 week marker, I've received approx 381 e-mails in the last 2 weeks.

If U don't know me, this drives me crazy b/c I like 2 keep my inbox CLEAN...I treat it like my 2do list! Needless 2 say, 2day is e-mail org day!

Restaurant Week: 1st dinner

@ Grace in Ft. Worth. Onion rings & cherry limeade martini. Yuuummm!

1st acorn of the season

For Sandy. :o)

Mobile blogging - loves it!

I just set up mobile blogging on my Crackberry...nothing is off limits now...y'all betta' watch out! :o)

RJ Mexican Cuisine in the West End

Lunch today...mmm. :)

Go visit the West End this weekend local ppl...there are lots of restaurants to be experienced, even if the shops have gone the way of non existent. Here's hoping this neighborhood will make a comeback soon. :)

Where onions go to die...

...into my LeCreuset oval dutch oven. After I've sautéd sweet Italian turkey sausage, I sweat them out in the same pot adding a bit of beef stock. All those dark bits come up from the bottom of the pot and melt into the stock.

This is an onion's heaven! :)

This served as a base for the soup I made for dinner last night.

Last night's meal: baja chipotle glazed chicken tacos!

• 2 chicken breasts pounded flat in a large zip-loc
• throw in Lawry's baja chipotle marinade, let sit for 10 mins on counter
• grill up in a 12" skillet
• combine 1 C low fat sour cream with one avocado, sea salt, and cilantro, blitz in food processor
• grill corn totillas in same pan chicken came out of

Put together and top w/ the 'bucket o' salsa' you made the night before (all varieties of tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, red and white onion, granulated garlic, and salt), and voila:

Eat THIS!

My FAVE caterer of all time, Ann Rivers with Great Endings, makes these "pillow" cookies. Choc. chip cookie w/ a brownie stuffed inside! SHUT-UP! She's also working on a peanut butter variety...I will report back soon!

LOVE storms!

I think one of the greatest things about living up high, is watching the amazing storms roll in from the South and West. Some of last week's storms...oh, I miss the rain. :( C'mon Fall!

Cherry fig jam.

From figs we picked on the farm!

East Texas...finale.

While in Edom, TX, we perused many of the shops on the "strip" (read, 50 ft., at most! ha). There were cute little antique, jewelry, pottery, and craft shops. Including one of all birdhouses and hummingbird feeders, which are entirely made by hand! The bases of these awesomely fantasy-like birdhouses are either made from hollowed out tree trunks or gourds! Quite amazing work. Arbor Castle Birdhouses - check 'em out!

And then on the way home, THIS happened. :( We were all alright, just a bit startled to be sitting at a red light chatting away, and then BAM! All's good though, truck going into the shop this Thurs. morn. :) The other guy got a lot more damage than I...good ole' trailer hitch. :)

East Texas...c'td.

Shawn had heard about this lil' cafe in Edom, TX, called 'The Shed'...so we set the navigation, and on the road we were again. Edom is about 40 miles from Terrell, just after you pass thru Canton, TX (good idea to set up an East TX trip when it's Canton's First Monday Trade Days - kill several birds w/ one stone!)

There were so many great treasures to be found in Edom, as well as Ben Wheeler, TX, which is 8 miles before you reach Edom...pull over in these tiny towns, there are treasures to be had! More about those in the next post. :)

(l-r): Ben and the menu - sign behind him says 'whole pies $13.99'...and lemme' tell ya', they got pies! The list there has about 20 diff kinds of pies, and cobblers, and brownies, etc. I had the buttermilk pie and it was really good. Kanita poses w/ our lovely waitress.

East Texas...you should try it sometime!

Back at Akin Farm Organics, pickin' purple hull peas (l-r): Ben and Avi out in the field, a bee takes flight from a pea blossom, Shawn pickin' peas, Ben displaying our 5 gallon bucket bounty, and one of the cats on the farm caught a mouse, and the rest began to stalk him. :)
Then we were off to Ham's Peach Orchard to check out the harvest, lovely canned goodies, and their famous peach ice cream! (l-r): Shawn and Avi goin' in, Kanita, Shawn, myself, and Avi partaking of the peach ice cream...it was so good! :)