I’ll be Home For Christmas

There were a few times I wasn’t home for Christmas… and my sympathies are with those who are missing their loved ones this time of year… the lyrics to this song always spoke to me:

I’m dreamin’ tonight of a place I love
Even more then I usually do
And although I know it’s a long road back
I promise you

I’ll be home for Christmas
You can count on me
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents under the tree
Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light beams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love light beams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams
If only in my dreams

Wishing those serving and away from home well this holiday season.

Roger Freberg

My Best Salsa for Kristin

Salsa made with love for Kristin

I decided to play around with Salsas, primarily looking for something simple yet recognizable. There were certain given items when you look at a recipe like this… but there were a few ingredients that are very important to me… the least of which is GARLIC!

So, here is what I am enjoying as I write this blog:

‘Salsa for  Kristin

STEP ONE:
the juice of one lime
1 — large white sweet onion
1 — bunch cilantro (no stems)
4 — Chipolte Chilies
1/4 cup Garlic ( or more!)

STEP TWO:
place above mixture in your food processor and reduce to your preferred consistancy

STEP THREE:
move mixture to a large bowl and add:
2 — cans diced tomatoes ( with garlic/bell peppers)

STEP 4:
Season to your taste with the following —
Salt & Pepper
Adobo Sauce (from the can of Chipoltes)

for a even little more zest… add a dash or so of Parika and/or Cayenne Pepper

Next, break out the bag of chips (or make your own which is much better) and a little beer and watch a game!

Roger Freberg

What REALLY is Mexican Lasagna?

LaHermosaLaurasMexicanLasagna

The short answer is… WHO KNOWS?

I think nearly everyone has tried something called “Mexican Lasagna” or at least heard of it. However, like some of the other dishes I have written about… Beef Stroganoff and Chicken Tetrazinni for example… often the name is the only thing that any of the recipes have in common. Sometimes the recipes become so blurred as in the case of the Stroganoff and the Tetrazinni that the only difference is that one has beef and the other has chicken… this is just wrong.

In any event, researching something called “Mexican Lasagna” was particularly challenging. This would indicate to me that the recipe is a ‘fusion.’ That is… it is a concept that came from two different cultural identities. The word ‘Lasagna’ — for example — can be traced back to the Roman and then back to the original Greek meaning ‘ cooking pot.’ This should sound familiar… we use the name ‘casserole’ to describe almost anything that is cooked in a dish.

So what is “Mexican Lasagna?”

The way most of us today think of Lasagna is as food served in layers. In the case of Italian Lasagna, we have basic layers of noodles and cheese. Many Mexican Lasagnas have layers of cheese slipped between deep fried corn tortilla strips… although this isn’t always the case. Adding to the confusion, there are several dishes that resemble ‘Mexican Lasagna’ under the names of ‘Chicken Mexicali’ or ‘Mexican Cheese Bake’ and the like.

On Saturday, we will be fixing “Mexican Lasagna” and in the true spirit of ‘fusion’ cooking… it will take the best — I believe– of all worlds!

Roger Freberg

the best wine for the occasion? I would suggest something hearty … but beer (Tres Equis if you can find it) is wonderful!

NOTE: to those who have emailed me… I will post our recipe late Saturday, thanks!

Firefox vs. Internet Explorer?

karlas mascot battles intenet explorer vs. firefox
My daughter (Karla) likes Foxes. It is who she is… she tells me. I think that when FireFox first appeared those many years ago, Karla had to have it for her browser. Since then, we have all received emails and other sales pieces from Karla to try to get us to ‘switch.’

She emailed me these last two links:

Browser Showdown!
7 Reasons

Karla asked me to post this… and since she is our treasured web site artist… here it is!

Roger Freberg

PS. I still like Internet Explorer, sorry Karla

Ted Turner’s “Ted-istan” is one Big Little Country!

If I could be KingOkay, our friend Ted I-wanna-own-the-world Turner just locked up 2,000,000 acres. Now, I don’t know about you… but I suspected he always wanted to own his own little country… and now he has it. For the easy conversion, his holdings translate into approximately 3125 square miles ( or a block roughly 55 miles by 55 miles)!

Ted-istan is about 60% the size of Puerto Rico or about 2.5 times the size of Rhode Island.

There are a whole bunch of countries that could fit into his living room.

Lets make a list: the Italian land locked country of San Marino is a mere 24 sq. miles, Andorra (between Spain and France) is 180 sq. miles with 180,000 people, and Liechtenstein is a paltry 62 sq. miles (but they produce beautiful stamps). The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is less than half the size of Ted-istan … The list goes on and on .
I wasn’t going to mention it… but what does he REALLY want with all that land and should we be concerned?

Roger Freberg

Like many Americans, I do admire someone who can build so much from so little… but most Americans do worry about so much power in any one person’s hands.