HALF MEASURES ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Well, I promised to let you know how this dish turned out. Can you see me moving my hand back-and-forth and saying “So-So”. The casserole was tasty and there were no leftovers. But, it really could have been better. I will do this dish again, but with two changes. I think the changes will make it a winner. Then, it will go into the recipe file under POTLUCKS. That’s a new category, and it is just for winning recipes! (Of course, that leads to the question…..why would I ever consider keeping a non-winning recipe?) (Hmmmm, I see a need to clean out my recipe file.)

And, I have to tell you about the problem of shopping for the ingredients. The recipe called for a can of enchiladas. So, I’m in the store looking for canned enchiladas and all that I can find are canned tamales. This is a fairly large store so I begin to suspect that something is wrong. Then, I remember being a little confused when I read the recipe directions. The directions called for removing the paper from the enchiladas before placing in the dish.

Then the light dawns! Enchiladas don’t have paper! Tamales do!

I have managed to pick out a recipe where the list of ingredients is wrong and where the name of the dish is even wrong! Oh great! Do I change plans and prepare something else? Are you kidding? I make the only decision I am capable of making…..I decide to go ahead and get the tamales and cook the dish anyway. What choice do I have? I am not a cook. To me, the grocery store is not a treasure chest of wonders…..it is a maze where I am constantly getting lost!

So, this “simple” task of bringing a dish for the potluck turns into this blog. I am definitely reconsidering my potluck strategy. I am thinking that the fella who brings a cake still in its store-carton plastic may have the right idea.

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

P.S. I’m definitely reconsidering the first paragraph where I state that I’ll do this recipe again!

I love going to potlucks. It’s always interesting to me how they seem to work out. How is it that 12 cakes don’t arrive….or 12 potato salads? I don’t know. I have heard about that infamous potluck somewhere back East (or out West) where 12 potato salads did arrive. But I’m starting to suspect that that story is an urban legend.

The only thing I don’t like about potlucks is figuring out what to cook or bring.

Last month, I cooked Armadillo Potatoes. I found the recipe on the internet and decided to give it a try. The name alone seemed to assure success. (After all, I do live in Texas….armadillo country.) The cookbook claimed that if I set out this dish of “roly-poly, bread crumb-topped armadillos”, it wouldn’t be long before I heard a chorus of "Please pass the potatoes!" And it worked. Everyone wanted to have one of those potatoes. This recipe was designed to appeal to youngsters, and the youngsters at this potluck (aged 60 to 90) loved it.

Tonight, I am going to try Half Measures Enchilada Casserole. The name doesn’t grab you, but the ingredients sure sound like a winner. Enchiladas, chili, cheese, and Ro-Tel tomatoes. I’ll let you know how it comes out.

So long for now,
Suzanne

Three days ago, I got a flat tire. I picked up a nail on my way home. It didn’t cause any damage…..I just pulled over at a gas station and called my road-side service and waited. After an hour or so, the service arrived and put on my spare. But when I looked at the spare, I knew that it had a short life expectancy. I could see signs of dry-rot. I figured that I could get home…..just a couple of miles away…..and then I could decide when and where to fix the problem.

I opted to wait a day or two before fixing the problem. I know, I know…..that was risky, but I decided to do it anyway and take the chance that I wouldn’t desperately need the car. That worked out OK.

And then I decided where to go. I would go to this nationwide tire place. After all, I travel quite a bit. I want to be able to get service on the tire guarantee if I need it. So, I’m the second person in line to get service early yesterday. And then I notice that the desk clerk is looking a big tired and haggard. And then I notice that the first person in line does not have a relaxed appearance at all. The body English is saying ANGER, AGGRAVATION, FRUSTRATION. So, I tune in to hear what is being said.

But, I can only catch snatches of conversation. I hear phrases like “tire defect” and “honor the guarantee”. Oh great, why couldn’t they be discussing a battery? And the conversation ends with “Don’t put that tire back on my car. I’ll never buy tires from ?????? again.” And then, that person walks away.

I’m next in line. Decision time for me. Do I stay and buy a tire from this place?!? Is this the wrong place to be?

I really didn’t know. But, I did decide to stay and buy that tire. I figured that I knew nothing about that person and that I knew nothing about their driving habits. Did I make the right decision? I have NO idea!

But, so far, so good!!!!

So long for now,
Suzanne

CUTTING OUT DRYWALL MISTAKES

Before going on this project, I went to the local hardware store and bought the tools needed for drywalling. I did not know what to buy, but the store employee knew, and he helped me out. One tool that he threw in my basket was a utility knife. I did wonder about the use of that item, but I figured I could always use it somewhere even if I didn’t use it for drywalling.

Well, on my last day drywalling, I learned what the utility knife was for. It’s for cutting out mistakes!

I learned that bulging drywall tape cannot simply be mudded over. That bulge had to be cut out. And….once that mistake was cut out, it had to be remudded not once, but twice. And that meant more sanding and more dust!

By this last day, I was definitely tired of the drywalling dust. The dust would be so thick on me that it looked like I had my own personal cloud hovering around me. If I sat down, the cloud would rise up a little and then settle down on whoever or whatever was nearby. The backs of my hands had little white lines crossing back and forth where the dust had settled into the skin. This was definitely not a glamorous job.

The shower at the end of the day was the only way to get it off. It felt so good to get rid of it. My fellow workers would no longer mind if I sat next to them…..at least until the next day at work!

Take care,
Suzanne

DRYWALL MUDDING

Like I’ve said before……I’m an untrained handyman. I really would like to know how to do things. I look at steps and wonder how to build them. And how do you build a ramp or install a door or connect water lines? And what about drywall? When I mention my desire to learn these things, the usual response from trained handymen is “Oh, there’s nothing to that.” But that only reminds me of my teaching days when I was constantly telling my students…..IT’S ONLY EASY IF YOU ALREADY KNOW IT!

I now have two and a half weeks of training on drywall installation! And guess what….it’s really not easy.

Before going to Moss Point, I went to the internet to read up on how to drywall. All of the websites emphasized the importance of getting the right consistency of mud. They all said…..

It’s important to get the mud right. If it’s too thin, it won’t do the job. If it’s too thick, it won’t do the job.

And that was the end of the instructions on mudding.

So, I go to Moss Point. My leader there instructed me and another lady on the joys of drywalling. His instructions for mudding were….it’s important to get the mud right. If it’s too thin, it won’t do the job. If it’s too thick, it won’t do the job.

You’ll be proud of me. I didn’t burst out laughing. Instead, I tried to get the mud right. And I made some progress! I learned that the mud out of the bucket is almost always too thick. For the first coat, that mud needs to be watered down a little. For the next two coats, a lot more water needs to be added.

In just the second week of instruction, my friend and I tackled an archway and a ceiling. I really did not have much hope for that archway. The mud had to be thick enough to cover the edges that were poking out. And the mud had to extend quite a way from the edge so that there wouldn’t be funny-looking bulges. It certainly required more than three coats. But, it ended up looking really good!

So, I can now list drywalling as one of my skills. On the next trip, I plan on learning how to hang drywall. But maybe I shouldn’t learn that!

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne