Let me apologize at the outset.  This post is a bit rambling.  It covers a lot in as short a space as I can fit it into.

Many of you know that we’ll be moving to California in the near future.  As of today that move is scheduled for 28 days from today, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we want to get done before we leave, nor does it mean we’ve been sitting around playing video games while we wait for the movers. (Though there are days that I wish that’s what we were doing.)

My wife went to school just outside Houston Texas and before we left we thought we should go see a few of her old friends and see some of the places she hung out while in high school. I was all for it not only for her sake, but for the sake of trying out a few new paces to eat along the way.

Texas Best Smokehouse

The trip started well enough.  We shot past Fort Worth on our way south to Houston.  At about three hours it was time to grab a bite, so we stopped at a chain BBQ place called Texas Best Smokehouse. While I’m not sure that I would call them the best I’ve had in Texas by any stretch of the imagination, I will say that their sausage was good and that the experience did not leave me feeling uninspired. (Yes, smoked jalapeno sausage.  I usually don’t try brisket from a chain.)

The rest of the trip, while long, was uneventful.  we were in more of a hurry to make our final destination than we were to stop at the more interesting places on the way. (At least one of which I will be visiting this weekend.) With a Hotel finally located and a very filling dinner at Joes Crab Shack under our belts we turned in from a very long day of driving.

As is only fitting on a Memorial day weekend, we visited my Brother-In-Law’s grave to pay our respects. My wife has not been to visit in years and the experience for her was was bittersweet. I never had the opportunity to know K.C., but I’ve heard enough about him to feel like I know him and it was a bit wrenching for me as well. the memory of this visit is now on of far too many I’ll hold with me on Memorial Day weekend.

From there we toured my wife’s old high school, a few small towns she used to pop into in her youth and I sat along for the tour.  It’s always interesting to see how coming home affects people, since “home” has a way of growing up without you.  when they say you can never go home again, they are right.  it will never be what you left no matter how badly you want it to be.  Both you and the town have changed.

A nice country day in TX

After the tour we headed into the deep countryside of Texas to visit with my wife’s best friend from high school. My wife and her friend dissapeared for hours of catching up and I spent the day playing with Lil B. and getting to know her husband, a genuinely nice man that I admire.  Lil’ B. had a blast exploring the garden and playing with the dogs while the adults talked about everything from the state of the economy to the best place to get a good dinner in the area; which leads us to:

The Little Burro. A great Tex-Mex meal by any estimation.

The El Burrito (Or Little Burro). I’ll tell you right now that there are gems out there if you look hard enough.  This is one of them.  Portions were huge, the food was fresh. The flavors were amazing, but avoided the North Texas habit of adding enough spice to make a veteran Thai food lover wince. I wish I could have stayed in the area long enough to eat there again.  If I ever find myself in this part of TX again, I’ll be stopping here.

For anyone that’s going to be in Cleveland TX, or just in the Houston Area you can find this reataurant here.

BFFL

At the end of the evening we bid our farewells and made ready for the last day of the trip, a picnic in my wife’s honor.  The picnic was nice, but short.  We had to head back by two if we wanted any sleep at all. Of course we were so tied up in the bevy of people there that we both forgot to snap a single photo. I’ve really got to hone my on location skills!

We picked up a few interesting goodies on the way that I’ll be writing about in the next few days, so stay tuned for that.

The following week was spent dealing with issues for the impending move and the weekend on another road trip with friends to Oklahoma.

Next week will be spent with family visiting.  following that we plan to play tourist in our own town before we leave.  It’s very doubtful we’ll ever see Wichita Falls Texas again.  It’s been an interesting experience but I have to say that I’m ready to be back in California and done with the whirlwind that we’re riding now.

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Thanksgiving this year was both a challenge and a pleasure. The pre-Turkey Day prep didn’t go as planned, which left us making a full dinner, both indoors and out in less than four hours. (And Thank God for smoker grills!)  I’m not totally used to our new oven, and there just isn’t enough room for the two of us in that kitchen.  Thankfully we’ll be looking to buy a home at our next duty station.

The meal, however frazzled its prep may have been, was fabulous.  I started things off with something that was traditional at all of my holiday gatherings as a kid.  Growing up in a predominantly Italian community, the antipasto platter was present at any large gathering, and I couldn’t have friends over without laying out one of my own.

This one featured Prosciutto, Mortadella, Sopresetta, Mozzarella, Italian Dry Salami, Garlic stuffed olives, ripe black olives, pepperoncini, pepper jack cheese (a nod to Sonoma, my home town and the place that pepper jack was invented) a variety of veggies and the ranch dip that came with the store-bought veggie platter. Poor thing never had a chance

From there we moved to an abridged version of my original T-Day menu, but really there was still more than anyone could have put a serious dent into.

This year’s dinner was turkey, ham, roast beef, traditional Southern cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, ham gravy collard greens, rolls and twice baked sweet potato casserole.  More than enough for four adults and 1 1/2 kids, wouldn’t you say?

The surprise star of the show was the ham.  Since I didn’t have enough time to cook it as I had planned to the night before, I fired up my smoker and tossed its spiral-sliced butt (pun intended) into a tray and into a 350 degree smoke box.  I’ve never had better, and it just became a hodidy prerequisite.  It’s simple and its fabulous.

After several hours of chatting and absorbing good company, we went our respective ways and a good portion of the food was packaged up.  The turkey I made the day before Thanksgiving, half the leftover dressing and the cranberry sauce was delivered to the dormitories for Airmen that could not make it home for the holidays.

My wife was showered with thank-yous and even a few tears. Good wishes sent to me through her and in the end, a few people that would have otherwise had a less than enjoyable holiday got to go to bed happy and full with a home cooked meal to warm them.  Whatever trouble I went through to make that happen was worth all the effort, and has already been forgotten.  I’ll do it again, happily.

And there you have it folks, a perfect day of giving thanks.  i’ll remember this one for a very long time.

Oh, and be looking for the perfect apple pie recipe to show on my front page very soon.  The one our friends brought is the best I’ve ever had.  Of course I got the recipe.

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For those of you with an interest in what will be on other people’s tables this Thanksgiving, I thought I’d lay out our plans for the holiday.  For us, Holiday dinners are a week-long affair, and like any other holiday, I’ve already begun on this one.  I’d rather spend the actual day chatting with my friends and family than being “the cook”, because the whole point of a holiday like this one is enjoying each others company, don’t you think?

Well, that and the leftovers…  I love that part.

Our 2008 Thanksgiving Menu

• Deviled Eggs, 2 types.  One spicy and one not
• Crab dip and a platter of “stuff” to dip into it with
• An Antipasto platter
• Roast Turkey (2 of ‘em)
• Cranberry Sauce
• Turkey giblet gravy
• Brown gravy
• Southern cornbread dressing
• Ham braised in wine, onions, apples and cloves
• Garlic and herb smashed potatoes
• Cloverleaf dinner rolls
• Twice baked sweet potato casserole with crispy bacon
• Green bean casserole (for the rest of us)
• Butter and herb sweet corn
• Collard greens with bacon and garlic
• Pumpkin Pie
• Bourbon pecan pie
• about 6 kinds of cookies

And to top all of that off, our guests are bringing a rosast and an apple pie.  Think that’s enough food?

We had worked out a schedule for the week prior, but I’ve already pretty much blown that.  Tomorrow will be hectic!  At this point I’ve made turkey stock, got the cornbread for the dressing done and have my shopping list ready to go.  Changes may still happen.  I’ll keep you posted on what we get done throughout the week, because come Turkey day the only things I want in the oven are things that have to be cooked right then and there!

Happy Holidays everyone.

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I’d like to introduce our newest family member.  Say hello to Cocoa.  Cocoa is a chocolate chihuahua that sort of adopted the family.  I found her playing in the yard one day with Charlie and Lil’ B.  Her owner came and retrieved her after a bit, but she’d still be back every day until she was taken home. One day the lady told us we could have her if we wanted her.  All it really took was to see Lil’ B. having fun with her.  Of course we said yes.

Cocoa is still very much a puppy at just three or four months old.  she’s happy to play with anything and everything, and like most dogs her size, she has absolutely boundless energy.  A perfect companion for the explorer that is Lil’ B.

And he seems to like her, too.

I think we made the right choice, don’t you?

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Say hello to Lil’ B. (a.k.a. Mr Seat of his Diaper, though that distinction won’t last much longer.) Lil’ B is Autistic, though you couldn’t tell from the picture of the happy child above. In fact, at most times you’d have problems noticing that there is anything different about him unless you spend time with him.  That’s when you begin to notice that there are a lot of things a two year old should be doing that Lil’ B. simply does not or cannot do.

For one thing, Lil’ B. does not talk, or at least not very much.  In total we think he uses about 8 words.  Of those only Dada, Straw, Momma, Num-Num and Dawg (yes, he has the Texas accent) are clearly spoken.  The others are really just approximations, though we know what he means. He tries to speak fairly regularly, but the frustration of failure leads to some pretty high-tension moments.

Lil’ B. Also does not like to play in the normal sense.  He’d rather be left alone to pursue his favorite pastime, which consists of examining every blade of grass in the yard one-at-a-time to see if it is the same as the last blade of grass.  The fact that they aren’t the same seems to puzzle him and he’s been working on this project since June.

We received the professional Pre-diagnosis of Autism on Wednesday.  Since then our lives have been a whirlwind of activity that, at least for the moment, will end on Monday. There have been staff meetings, meetings with specialists, meetings with Mental health (today) and on Monday we’ll have the first of his therapist meetings.  These are slated for once a week, I believe.

The meeting with the Exceptional Family Members program at Mental Health today will determine our future, at least as far as the location of our home goes.  Their job is to evaluate which Air Force bases best provide the resources to help our son through the issues he will be facing.  There are several bases that provide these services, ranging from California and Washington to Florida and Maryland.  The final choice of destination should be made within two weeks, and I don’t believe that we have any real choice in the matter at this point.  I’ll keep you all updated on that.

Since I made the announcement here that our son was Autistic, we have received a slew of comments, emails and private messages from readers all over the world.  your wishes of good fortune and positive words have helped a lot in a time of very stressful events and I just wanted a moment to express our heartfelt thanks for all that you’ve said and done for us over the past weeks.  Expect to have regular updates posted here as we have more information.

Just in case anyone was wondering, we do not require donations or other monetary help.  For the moment at least our insurance handles these things tidily, with a very minimal co-pay that we are more than capable of meeting.  I am not now, nor do I ever foresee myself asking for help in this venue.  if you feel that something tangible is in order, feel free to email me, and you can send Lil’ B an e card, or if I know you well enough, you can send a card through snail mail.

if you still feel a need to donate something, I do accept advertising, but in this instance I’d prefer that donations be made to the Autism Society of America or one of the other very respectable charities out there.

OK, off to do “normal” things, like clean the kitchen so I can actually post something food related before halloween gets here!

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You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been posting as much as usual lately and when I do manage to get a post up, it isn’t with the same enthusiasm I’ve had in the past.  I’ve also been slow to answer comments or to leave comments on my friends blogs.  It’s not a good place for a blogger to be, but there are reasons for my being mostly absent and I thought I’d fill everyone in on the details.

Life has been busy in the Russell household as of late..  Most of our time has revolved around our son, Lil’ B, who just turned 2 this past August.  It’s been obvious for some time that he wasn’t developing at quite the same rate as “normal” kids his age.  He’s only spoken a few times in his short life.  He has no interest in other children or in most activities that most two year-olds are happy to participate in. It’s been worrying his mother and I for quite some time.

This past week we received an assessment result that points to Autism. While this is a disturbing piece of news, it’s not the end of our, or his life.  Lil’ B isn’t completely withdrawn and he’s trying, at his own pace and in his own way, to communicate and do things that most kids do.  In a very real sense having the diagnosis will be a blessing more than a curse, since as a Military Family, we have the resources at our disposal to give him the best care available.

This is not yet an official diagnosis.  At this point we know that he falls under five of the six warning signs.  It will be about a month before we can see a specialist on the matter. Until that time we’re trying to pull that part of our lives back into something like a regular holding pattern.

Then of course there are the stresses brought on by more normal issues.  There are pressures from work on both sides of the table, pressure from family, financial pressures and a sundry of other little things that serve to distract from what’s really important.

And what’s that, you ask?

When things go badly it’s easy to forget the simple truths in life. Thant even though there are pieces of our day that are out of our control, as long as we are in good health, surrounded by people who care about us and whom we care about and have the capacity for hope, then there really isn’t anything more that we, as human beings, can ask for. Bad things happen to everyone, no matter how good a person they are.  If we dwell on those things, life isn’t really worth living, is it.

So, dear readers and good friends, I’m doing my level best to get the distractions of “what could go wrong” out of my fuzzy middle-aged brain and get backt o the things that mattter. Family, friends, food and of course, to this blog and my other projects.

I have things I’ve started and then been distracted from, and they will be coming in rapid-fire succession over the nest few days.  I also have a huge stack of ideas I need to star wading through over the course of the next few weeks.  Then we have the holidays coming, which ads another metric ton of things that I’ll be focusing on.  It’s going to be a very busy three months.

I hope you’ll share the ride with me.

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I wish that this entry was one of the titles I’ve been working on for the past several days.

I wish that I could entice you with one of four recipes I have in the queue, or that I had the time to post a series of observations that has been keeping my mind bustling over the past half week.

I wish I could, but I can’t.

We received news that My wife’s Stepfather has been rushed to the hospital, and we’re making preparations to take the two hour drive to Dallas to visit him for what may be the last time. So much for attending a co-workers’ wedding this evening.

I’ll be back at the keys either very late tonight or early tomorrow with a few new tidbits, and a rant that I’ve been working on over the past few afternoons.

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Until tonight then!

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Today finds me taking a break from posting recipes. Mostly because last night’s dinner attempt was an utter failure and I’m not willing to discuss the details just yet.

I know. I know. You all want to hear the horror story, but my therapist told me over the phone a little bit ago that I should just let it go.

Instead of raising my therapy bill by discussing the dire mistakes of last night, I thought I’d take a moment to introduce some very special people in my test kitchen staff. All of whom have helped me far more than I care to admit on a regular basis, but without whom, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

And without further adieu, I present my sous chef’s: Read more…

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