Christmas repeat ~ Horney Frogs ~ Cream Puffs

Good 26º morning. Everything out there is frozen!!!

Yesterday I watched the Rose Parade, reliving a lot of memories of being a small child and watching it on the TV in front of a TV tray with my grandmother's cherry cake and egg nog, marching in the parade playing the glockenspiel 

with the LA Sheriff's Boy's Band

(I don't think I wanted my picture taken!), to working the parade as a deputy. My corner was Orange Grove and Colorado. I escorted Sheriff Block to his seat on a couple of those occasions, pulled chained together demonstrators off the parade route who sat down in front of the Queen's float (getting my 15 seconds of fame on TV with my nephew calling my sister and yelling, "I JUST SAW AUNT SUE ON THE TV!) Each memory special. Well, except that in the band we marched behind the Sheriff's Mounted (Eugene Biscailuz, then retired, and US and Sheriff's flags) and the horses left those wonderful little 'surprises' for us to step in! White boots were brown!

Noonish I went over to Jen and Brian's for present opening. Tucker and

Sami had fun,

 while Brian put together the new wazoo barbecue I gave them.

And even Atlas opened his own package (rawhide chews) ....

Sami entertained us dressed in her "princess" outfit  with her Groucho Marx glasses and trumpet....

Jen, Tucker, Sami, and I played "Sorry". Been a long long time. Jen won, Tucker was second, Sami lost interest, and Bobo came in last.

:o(

Came home after some grocery shopping and plopped in front of the TV. Found the Rose Bowl Game on ESPN and enjoyed it. Great game!

YEAH for Texas Christian University and the Horned Frogs!!!!! Way to go!!!

TCU 21 and the Wisconsin Badgers 19.

Andy Dalton a great quarterback for the Frogs and a handsome boy, undoubtedly made his mama proud, will probably go far.

 While not exactly intimidating at first glance, the horned frog provided some intimidating competition in the 2011 Rose Bowl. A horned frog isn't a frog at all.   It is actually a horned lizard found in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico.   It is commonly referred to as either a horned frog or a horned toad depending on which part of the country you happened to be visiting.  The amphibian nicknames come from its facial resemblance to both the frog and the toad.  When you add on some wicked looking horns, it becomes one tough reptile!  It uses those spikes to fend of predators and can even spray out blood from its eyes to confuse its potential attackers.  The Texas horned lizard (aka the horned frog) is the official state reptile for the state of Texas. 

Historically this date....

1974 – President Richard Nixon signs a bill lowering the maximum U.S. speed limit to 55 MPH in order to conserve gasoline during an OPEC embargo

1999 – A brutal snowstorm smashes into the Midwestern United States, causing 14 inches (359 mm) of snow in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and 19 inches (487 mm) in Chicago, where temperatures plunge to -13 °F (-25 °C); 68 deaths are reported


And births this date include....
1909 –Barry Goldwater, American politician (d. 1998)

1936 – Roger Miller, American singer (d. 1992)

"Dang me, dang me.... they ought to take a rope and hang me. HIGHHHHH from the highest tree... Oh woman will you weep for me?"

"You can't roller skate in a buffalo herd..."

Great songs!!!

1947 – Jack Hanna, American zoologist

and my friend Ann down in Hiouchi California. Happy Birthday!!!

Ok, all I know. Need to get organized now after all this hoopla. Have a great Sunday. Ciao.

xo Mom/Soupy/Sue
January 2nd
National Cream Puff Day

1-1-11 HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ Tamale Lasagna

Good 28º morning. HAPPY NEW YEAR! It never got over 35º yesterday. Burrrrrr all day.

What a great way to start the new year.... I picked up my mail yesterday but didn't read it until just a few minutes ago... and in the mail was a lovely thank you from a soldier in Afghanistan! I had mailed a box of "snacks" to an old friend's daughter. I know Nick Cabrera from Lakewood Sheriff's Station and his daughter Teresa is a Sgt in the Army stationed in Kandahar. Thank you Teresa for your service to our country!!! My heart and prayers are with you. ♥
♥

♥

The tamale casserole turned out good. I made a lot in anticipation of 11 of us eating, but there was more 'drinking' that eating! LOL I'm sure a few of my pals are nursing New Year's hangovers today! Menudo, kids, menudo!

Anyway, I used a 9x12 pan and 12 tamales. I think 3-6 would work fine, depending on the pan you find to fit them.

12 XLNT tamales (steamed for about 5 min) or use any other tamale of your choice

1 can black beans , rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes with lime, drained

1 can diced green chilies

1 can creamed corn

1 med onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, sliced

cilantro

grated cheese

1 can black olives, each cut in half

(there is enchilada sauce in this picture, but I didn't need to use it)

I reconstituted the dried sliced garlic in the water I steamed the tamales in.

Unwrap steamed tamales and cut each in half. Line the bottom of the dish with the tamales, meat side up....

Next, mix all the canned goods and add the garlic and cilantro (I used a cap full) and spread half on top of the tamales.

Then add a layer of cheese and start the layers again so you have two layers.

Top with cheese and olives.

Bake covered 350º about 30 minutes, remove foil and bake another 30 minutes (until bubbling throughout)....

I was pleased, it came out AWESOME!

Along with that, Patty had a sliced ham she glazed and heated which was wonderful, and her potato salad. We had various chips and Patty's goope along with some Brie cheese and crackers. Tom made pumpkin pie to top it all off. Wonderful meal.

Debbie, Tom, PatC, and Tim left just ahead of us. Dave, PJ, and I left about 10pm. It was snowing wildly! Some places in the road the lines were not visible, but you could see the 'bump' at the edge of the road. Dropped them off and made a snuggy fire and promptly fell asleep in my chair! Whoopee.... wild night life. Woke up at 6 this morning and everything is snow covered.

Today, hopefully, snow permitting, I'll go to Brian and Jen's for 'our' Christmas!

Kristen is now selling Avon. Her web page is:

www.yourAvon.com/ktollen

(Her last name is Follen, but Avon has it screwed up listing on the link "tollen"!) Right now a special is going on, "free shipping with a $30 order".

  

Historically this date..........

1890 – The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, is first held.

1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.

1954 – NBC makes the first coast-to-coast NTSC color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of Roses Parade

1962 – United States Navy SEALs established.

1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.

And births on this first day of the year include....

1735 – Paul Revere, American patriot (d. 1818)

1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress (d. 1836)

1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American FBI director (d. 1972)

1930 – Ty Hardin, American film actor 

 Wow, on his 8th wife!!

1935 – B. Kliban, American cartoonist (d. 1990)

 

   "Love to eat them mousies. Mousies what I love to eat.

    Bite they little heads off and nibble on they tiny feet."

1938 – Frank Langella, American actor

1980 – Elin Nordegren, Swedish model

Here is a shot of the moon this morning coming up over our mountain....

All the good wishes for a year of good things!

xo Mom/Soupy/Sue

January
National Hot Tea Month

That's what I'm having right now... green tea with lemon. Mmmmm...