May 2008 Archives
Don't diss it. Spam is back.
"Sales of Spam -- that much maligned meat -- are rising as consumers are turning more to lunch meats and other lower-cost foods to extend their already stretched food budgets," according to Yahoo.
If you're Filipino or Hawaiian (and there are many Hawaiians of Filipino descent!) Spam is comfort food, almost every day food. The Spam of my childhood is fried and served with fried rice (yes, fried is a theme!) I've served Spam in omelettes, sushi rice, and pasta.
There will always be cans of Spam and Vienna sausage in any truly Filipino pantry (yes, these are the same households with cholesterol-lowering meds in their cabinets.) Thrifty? Sure. Yummy? Always.
Just ask all the Spam chefs who compete at the Spam recipe contest at the L.A. County Fair every year.
My best Spam recipe is sugared Spam. Just roll the sliced Spam lightly in white sugar, then fry on medium heat. Serve hot over steamed rice. Oh, and let's not get started on all the different kinds of Spam out there today (classic, low sodium, turkey, lite, hot and spicy, hickory smoked and even golden honey grail, in honor of Monty Python's Spamalot musical.
"Sales of Spam -- that much maligned meat -- are rising as consumers are turning more to lunch meats and other lower-cost foods to extend their already stretched food budgets," according to Yahoo.
If you're Filipino or Hawaiian (and there are many Hawaiians of Filipino descent!) Spam is comfort food, almost every day food. The Spam of my childhood is fried and served with fried rice (yes, fried is a theme!) I've served Spam in omelettes, sushi rice, and pasta.
There will always be cans of Spam and Vienna sausage in any truly Filipino pantry (yes, these are the same households with cholesterol-lowering meds in their cabinets.) Thrifty? Sure. Yummy? Always.
Just ask all the Spam chefs who compete at the Spam recipe contest at the L.A. County Fair every year.
My best Spam recipe is sugared Spam. Just roll the sliced Spam lightly in white sugar, then fry on medium heat. Serve hot over steamed rice. Oh, and let's not get started on all the different kinds of Spam out there today (classic, low sodium, turkey, lite, hot and spicy, hickory smoked and even golden honey grail, in honor of Monty Python's Spamalot musical.
We were running late, headed home on the 605 after a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's in La Mirada. Firstborn had school tomorrow, and Hubby was planning to put in a 10-hour day too, so we would have been zipping on the carpool or fast lane of the 605, a trip we've taken with our two boys hundreds of times.
But my husband was tired, so he decided to stay on the No. 2 lane and drive a leisurely 70 or so. There wasn't much traffic, thank goodness, or else we'd be on the carpool.
We never saw him coming.
But my husband was tired, so he decided to stay on the No. 2 lane and drive a leisurely 70 or so. There wasn't much traffic, thank goodness, or else we'd be on the carpool.
We never saw him coming.
Continue reading Close call on the 605.
There was the guy in a Walnut car shop who convinced me I needed a new car battery. (He even showed me some printout from a little computer.) Turns out I DIDN'T need the $100+ item. (Our truck was barely two years old!)
Then there are the guys who insist I needed a new filter, some of this, more of that, and while some of the repairs are legit, the prices certainly aren't.
I'd come to expect getting gouged on car repairs because I am female, and more to the point, know next to nothing about cars. I also have a healthy horror about being stuck on the side of the road somewhere, so yeah, draw the bullseye target on my forehead already.
But no more. I have found an honest mechanic, and if you promise not to get in front of me when I'm in there with my car, I will tell you who he is.
Then there are the guys who insist I needed a new filter, some of this, more of that, and while some of the repairs are legit, the prices certainly aren't.
I'd come to expect getting gouged on car repairs because I am female, and more to the point, know next to nothing about cars. I also have a healthy horror about being stuck on the side of the road somewhere, so yeah, draw the bullseye target on my forehead already.
But no more. I have found an honest mechanic, and if you promise not to get in front of me when I'm in there with my car, I will tell you who he is.
Continue reading Found: An Honest Mechanic.
I love rainy days, just not too many of them in succession. As all three of us have bad colds, I decided to keep Firstborn home from school today and declare a "Stay In Your Pajamas All Day".....day. Everyone except for poor Papa who had to schlep off to work today.
Now that I'm not running around town with errands and dropoffs and stuff, I actually have time to write here! Watch out, I've been keeping a running list of things I have to write about here, first off being the most honest mechanic EVER (he's in Arcadia.)
But now the boys have discovered I've left them and they're playing around me, tossing Lego Star Wars figures and racing Hot Wheels on the carpet. So for something quick and fun: a Friday Feast!
Now that I'm not running around town with errands and dropoffs and stuff, I actually have time to write here! Watch out, I've been keeping a running list of things I have to write about here, first off being the most honest mechanic EVER (he's in Arcadia.)
But now the boys have discovered I've left them and they're playing around me, tossing Lego Star Wars figures and racing Hot Wheels on the carpet. So for something quick and fun: a Friday Feast!
Continue reading Safe at home.
I met Patti Patton-Bader three years ago when I wrote a story about her Soldiers' Angels support group for soldiers and their families. Then, as now, she was a whirlwind of energy, inspiring many to fulfill the charity's mission that "no soldier go unloved." During the course of our interview, Patti was on the phone, assuring a soldier's wife of help; hugging a volunteer; and talking passionately about men and women in service.
From her Pasadena home, she was an impressive picture of what a woman, what a mom, can do. Even though she suffers from hepatitis C and liver problems, she is always cheerful whenever I call her for yet another story about how Soldiers' Angels is helping out.
Patti started her mission when her son Brandon was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and he started sharing the care packages she regularly sent with soldiers who never got any. Soldiers Angels is now one of the biggest, all-volunteer military support group in the country, with more than 200,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen adopted by Americans.
Now Brandon is nominating her to be "America's Favorite Mom." Go here for more info.
From her Pasadena home, she was an impressive picture of what a woman, what a mom, can do. Even though she suffers from hepatitis C and liver problems, she is always cheerful whenever I call her for yet another story about how Soldiers' Angels is helping out.
Patti started her mission when her son Brandon was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and he started sharing the care packages she regularly sent with soldiers who never got any. Soldiers Angels is now one of the biggest, all-volunteer military support group in the country, with more than 200,000 soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen adopted by Americans.
Now Brandon is nominating her to be "America's Favorite Mom." Go here for more info.
Continue reading America's Favorite Mom.
