I'm Tired

I'm tired of Mel Gibson.

I'm tired of Chelsea Clinton's wedding.

Though I love her, I'm tired of Sandra Bullock's marital woes.

I'm tired of commercials for personal injury attorneys.

I'm tired of political campaigns, and we're just approaching the primary!

I'm tired of the heat.

I'm tired of the humidity.

And, like everyone else in the world, I'm tired of the gulf oil spill.

In other words, I can't watch television, listen to the radio, go outside or look at the internet without being more tired. Good thing I've got a big pile of books to be read.

The Taste of Summer Sunshine

I brought home an assortment of tomatoes from my dad's garden last week. This year is not the bountiful harvest of the past, but I came home with enough to keep me in tomato sandwiches for a while.

And I've had a few.

I gave in to one of my dark desires over the week-end, however, and had my favorite breakfast. Toast and tomato.

I know, it sounds simple. But let me explain a couple of things. I only use real butter and I don't use a toaster to make toast. I either melt butter in a frying pan and toss bread into the melted butter or I spread butter on the bread and place it on a baking sheet under the broiler. Whichever way I choose, the bread is infused with real butter.

I top all of this buttery goodness with vine ripened sliced tomatoes and sea salt. It is divine!

Years ago, a baby sitter sliced open left-over biscuits and slathered them with butter. She then toasted them in the oven and placed a slice of tomato on each half as it came from the oven. I have loved it since but never have biscuits in the house. Thus, the toast.

The acidic sweetness of ripe tomato, the yeasty goodness of the bread, and the creaminess of the butter combine to remind me of what I love about summer.

Disoriented or Blonde?

I haven't been feeling well; I have all the symptoms of a sinus infection. Headache, earache, head and chest congestion, fever. I left work yesterday and headed straight home, walked in the door, petted the cat, put on my gown and crawled into bed. By 4:30.

I woke up feeling a bit out of sorts and looked at the clock. 6:35! I was in a panic, convinced I was going to be late to work. I ran into the bathroom and took the world's fastest shower. I honestly don't think I got wet all over. I hurriedly dried off and ran to the closet to decide what to wear. Then I looked at the clock again and saw the little light indicating p.m.

I put my gown back on and went back to bed.

Banana Pudding

I have never made an old fashioned banana pudding. My mother never made an old fashioned banana pudding. So yesterday, we had what my sister likes to call occupational therapy for my mom, and gave it a whirl. I scoured the Internet, the box of vanilla wafers, and old cook-books looking for a recipe we could work with, and finally came up with a hybrid of several different recipes.



New/Old Fashioned Banana Pudding

1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1 c milk (I used 2%)
4 egg yolks lightly beaten
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c Splenda
6 to 8 ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
vanilla wafers

Place milks in top of double boiler to warm but do not boil. Slowly add to egg yolks and then place back into the double boiler. Add sugar and stir often, cooking for 10-15 minutes. Puree' 4 bananas and add to custard when it is almost set. Set aside to cool. Add vanilla.

Line a casserole dish on bottom and sides with vanilla wafers. Pour a layer of custard and top with a layer of sliced banana. Repeat.

Meringue

4 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/3 cup sugar

Whip egg whites and cream of tartar until they start to foam. Add sugar and ship until soft peaks form. Place on top of pudding and place under broiler until top starts to brown.

Adding the pureed bananas to the custard intensified the flavor and made this a very rich dessert.

Happy Anniversary!

Thirty years ago today, the movie Airplane! opened in theaters. Bravo TV named it as #6 in their list of funiest movies of all time. Quite frankly, I can't think of a single more quotable movie.



I love Lloyd Bridges addictions...

"Guess I picked a bad week to give up sniffing glue."

Peter Graves

"Do you like Gladiator movies?"

Barbara Billingsley

"I speak jive."

Possibly the most famous two lines in movie history...

"Surely you can't be serious!"
"I am serious, and don't call me Shirley!".

And my personal favorite...

"What do you make of this?"
"I can make a hat. I can make a brooch. I can make a pterydactyl!"

So, if you're reading this, take a moment to contemplate selling Tupperware in third world countries, drinking problems, and slapping someone hysterical. And then remember how bad your sides hurt from laughing the first time you saw it.