S**t happens and it just can't be helped, right?

I arrived safely in Tampa Thursday about 4 pm after an interesting flight (NOT).  First, I fell asleep waiting for the departure from Syracuse and somebody actually woke me up--never heard the boarding announcements.

Then there was a SCREAMING child being dragged by his mother down the aisle to his seat on the flight out of JFK.  His father kept asking him when would it be enough crying.  The freakin' kid was about 1 1/2 years old; what did he expect for a response??  What he got was more screaming.  OMG!!!!  I figured it wasn't all bad, since I had a row all to myself.  Then a huge black lady said she wanted to sit in this row instead of where she was.  No idea why.  OK, no problem.  I move all the stuff on my lap and the middle seat, unplug my headphones, get up from my aisle seat and she gets in, window seat.  A few minutes into the flight, an old man stops in the aisle next to my seat and says he wants to sit in this row BECAUSE THE TV AT HIS SEAT DIDN'T WORK.  When did that become a criterion for happy flying?????  He got up (from the middle seat) to go to the bathroom no less that 4 times on the 3 hour flight.  The last time was right after we started our descent into Tampa, and he promised he wouldn't bother me again.  !!!!!  Really?

Had to drive through 5 pm traffic in Tampa and it was BAD.  What might take 20 minutes any other time took about an hour.  Bumper to bumper and CRAZY lane-changing drivers.  They really do scare me.

Checked into my hotel and had dinner in Gainesville at Steak and Shake, and when I paid my bill (with my sarcastic $1 tip) I told the cashier that I had been planning to have dessert, but the server just delivered my bill.  The cashier wanted to know if I wanted a dessert to go.  I really don't think she got it, did she?

Friday morning, I couldn't find a decent place for breakfast--just fast food restaurants, and I'm trying  to not eat there.  So I decided to just drive to my appointment.  I'll be early, but I can read in the car (maybe with the AC running, since it was 91 yesterday).  With a GPS, I couldn't find the place.  Finally I shut the stupid thing off, and searched on my own.  Stumbled on it with about 15 minutes to spare.  45 minutes for about a 20 minute trip.

The return, you ask?
Got done in Gainesville at 11:30, had lunch and drove got back to Tampa airport about 2 pm for a 6:50 pm flight.  Believe it or not, my flight is scheduled 5 hours in the future, and it is already delayed--until 9 pm. The plane scheduled for my flight was grounded in Newark due to severe (?) rain, and international flights take precedence over domestic flights when they release the restrictions.  Three hours for that plane to get to Tampa, deplane/clean/stock then board new passengers; doesn't look like I will make my connection in JFK.   The gate agent said maybe the JFK-Syracuse flight will be grounded, too, and long enough--doubt it!!  I tried for other flights since I was so early--no luck.  The gate agent said if I'd gotten there a little earlier, I could have taken a flight from Orlando (and how was I supposed to get there?) and still made my connection.  Suppose I could have skipped lunch, gotten there early and rented another car......

I walked all around the airport to get change for the phone to call Greg, got a busy signal when I called, and GOT NO MONEY BACK!!!  Just one more for the list.

So, I finally get to JFK around 12:30 am.   I am stuck overnight, at my expense, until 9 Saturday morning.  I am NOT going to cry.  I am going to alternate- nostril breathe and just accept the delay.  Nice try, Kath.

It's just money, right?  Another night in a hotel, another day on the parking meter.  I don't have anything important to do, right?  How about sell everything and live at camp? 

So I am just stuck.  Suddenly I realized I was NOT going to leave the airport, go out into NYC, hope for a cab and a hotel room, then come back to the airport, go through security again, etc., etc. Saturday morning.  So I "slept" from about 2-4 am, draped over the arm of a chair in the departure lounge with my head resting on my backpack in the chair next to me.  My back and neck do NOT feel good.

And I got to sleep for about half the flight to Syracuse.

What message is the Universe sending me?

No recipe to offer; sorry!  I did have a great hamburger at Sam Snead's in the Tampa airport:  guacamole, bacon, Jack cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce.  And seasoned fries.  And a nice glass of Riesling (I opted for the 9 oz glass instead of the 6 oz.--surprised?).

BTW, my next visit is January.  So picture this, and add snow, ice, and cold.

Creme Brule

Qty Measure Ingredient

------------------------------------------------------------

3/4 quart heavy cream  

6 egg yolk  

3 3/4 tablespoons sugar  

1 1/2 dashes salt  

Instructions: Scald cream until top wrinkles.  Beat egg yolks until thick and creamy; beat in sugar and salt.  Add hot cream to egg yolk mixture slowly, beating constantly with wire whisk.  Pour mixture in casserole dish (I use individual ramekins) and place dish in a pan of water that reaches two-thirds of the way up the dish.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes (an hour in my oven).  Chill.  Spoon sugar on top in a thin layer and melt with a kitchen torch until golden and runny.  Turn the dish continuously while heating to avoid scorching/burning, and to spread the sugar evenly.  Original instructions say to do this under the broiler, but I have not had any success with that method.

My tomatoes are just ripening, and they are incredible.  I have been waiting to post this recipe until now, and I will be making it with fresh tomatoes for dinner tomorrow night.  Absolutely delicious.  Credit to my friend Heather in the Rochester area.  Thanks, Heather!


Tomato pie


Qty Measure Ingredient
------------------------------------------------------------
1 1/4 Cup Flour
2 Teaspoon baking powder
1/4 Teaspoon Basil
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup sour cream
5 Large tomatoes, peeled and sliced
3/4 Cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon onion, chopped
1 Cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 Pound bacon, cooked and crumbled  (As Heather says, there is no such thing as too much bacon--knock yourself out!)

Instructions: Combine flour, baking powder, salt and basil.  Cut in shortening until crumbly.  Add sour cream and mix until dough is moist enough to hold together.  Pat into greased 9" pie pan (bottom and sides).  Place sliced tomatoes on crust; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with bacon.  Combine mayonnaise, cheese and onion; spoon over top and spread to cover tomatoes.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

Peach Cobbler

6 c peaches, sliced or cubed (recipe calls for frozen/thawed; I used fresh)
2 T agave (originally 3 T sugar)
1 T lime juice (I only had lemon)

3/4 c flour (I used Bob's Red Mill GF All Purpose)
1/3 c brown sugar
1/4 t salt
6 T butter
1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans (I had walnuts)
Original recipe also calls for 3/4 c toffee candy bar broken into pieces

Put six 1 1/4 c ramekins on a baking sheet.  Preheat oven to 350.

Mix peaches, sweetener and lime juice; spoon into ramekins.

Whisk flour, brown sugar and salt to mix well, then cut in butter until mixture clumps together a bit.  Stir in nuts (and toffee, if you are using it).  Sprinkle over peaches.

Bake until bubbling and golden brown (35 minutes for me).  Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Three recipes today!  Three of my favorites.  OK, I'm only posting my favorites!

First, thank my lovely sister-in-law, Suiko Fukushima, for this one.

Quiche

9-inch pie plate

3 eggs

1 c cream

3 oz shredded cheese (e.g. Mexican mix)

Any vegetables of your choice (e.g. onion, bell pepper, corn, carrots, broccoli)

Ham, bacon, other meats if desired

1)    Cut vegetables, ham, etc. to desired size. 

2)    Stir-fry meats/vegetables and season with salt & pepper.

3)    Beat eggs; add heavy cream & cheese and stir well. Add vegetables/meat.

4)    Pour mixture into greased pie pan.

5)    Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.   

*****

Second, better than any restaurant version I have ever had:

  

Egg Fu Yung

Website:  About.com

Qty Measure Ingredient

------------------------------------------------------------

1 Cup chicken broth

1 Tablespoon oyster sauce

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon cornstarch in 4 T water

6 Eggs

1 Tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry

bean sprouts

red pepper

green pepper

red onion

  any other desired fixin's

Instructions: 

Sauce:  mix broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce and cornstarch/water mixture; bring to a boil and stir until thickened.

Scramble eggs; mix in vegetables.  Pour into an appropriate size cast skillet (this is thick, like an omelet, not a thin little crepe!).  Cook over medium/low heat until bottom set.  While cooking, gently run a knife around the edge and tip/roll the pan so raw egg runs to edge.  Finish under broiler.  Serve with sauce.

*****

And last, but not least:  remember the Swiss steak they served in the school cafeteria?  This is NOTHING like that!!!!

Swiss Steak

     From:  The 150 Best Slow Cooker Recipes (Judith Finlayson)

1 T oil

2 lb round steak

2 medium onions, chopped

1 carrot, sliced thinly

1 stalk celery, sliced thinly

salt and pepper to taste

2 T all-purpose flour

28 oz diced tomatoes (undrained)

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

Brown the steak on both sides in oil.  Transfer to slow-cooker.

Cook vegetables until soft, about 5-8 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over veggies and cook 1 minute more, stirring.  Add tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil and cook while stirring until thickened.  Add bay leaf.

Pour over steak in slow-cooker.  

Low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.  (Discard bay leaf.)

We're having this for dinner tomorrow night.  It's all set up in the slow-cooker and the house smells GREAT!!

Best sandwich I ever ate in my life.


Egg salad sandwich with basil-honey-lemon dressing

Source:   Better Homes and Gardens, 3/11
Website:  bhg.com

Qty Measure Ingredient
------------------------------------------------------------
1/2 Cup carrot, coarsely shredded
1/2 Cup red onion, sliced thin, then rings cut in quarters
1/3 Cup kalamata olives, halved
1 Cup baby spinach
8 eggs, hard-cooked, sliced thick
1/4 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup basil, fresh
2 Tablespoon parmesan, shredded
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 Teaspoon Honey

Instructions: Toss carrots, onion and olives.  Line bread with spinach leaves.  Top with sliced egg and carrot mixture.

In a blender, combine oil, basil, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, honey and s/p to taste.  Drizzle over carrot mixture and egg.  Top with remaining bread.

GF banana nut muffins

 This is from recipe4living.com.  It makes 6 average (not overflowing the top, the way I like!!) Texas muffins.  Had them hot this morning; don't know how they will be tomorrow (all you GF folks know about GF baked goods the next day, right?).

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c brown sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 c sour cream
1 large, ripe banana, mashed
3/4 c brown rice flour
1/2 c potato starch (recipe called for potato flour, I didn't have any on hand)
1/4 c soy flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
I added about 1 c pecans, broken up

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs and beat well.  Add sour cream and banana and mix well.  Stir in dry ingredients and mix well.  Add pecans and mix well.

Spray Texas muffin cups with oil.  Fill 1/2-3/4 full.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.