There's a Recipe In Here Somewhere

I should totally be packing right now, taking advantage of a sleeping child so I can throw some stuff in a suitcase before we head out for a weekend excursion.  Of course, I hate packing and will do pretty much anything to avoid it, so instead I'm blogging.  Hoping that all of our stuff will Mary Poppins itself right into the appropriate bag at the appropriate time...  a girl can dream can't she?

We have really been having a good time here.  It's funny how being in Guam for only a year  (it seems like such a short time right now, but when I'm "in it" seems like forever), has already changed me.  I unknowingly have really adapted to the slow, less is mostly enough except when I want something and can't find it immediately lifestyle we are experiencing over there.  I am constantly amazed at how much stuff there is here.  And I wonder, after living in Guam, is it really ALL necessary?  Don't get me wrong, I won't ever NOT love Target, but it's interesting how much you take for granted when you are surrounded by everything you could possibly need and want 24/7 and not have to go too much out of your way to get it.  I'm sure when I get back to Guam, I'll be longing for these days, pinching myself for not buying something so trivial I couldn't imagine flying it back, only to "desperately" need it and not able to find it on the island.

In our almost two weeks of being here, Price has learned to say, "Target. Yay!," "cowboy boots," "doggie door," and a whole bunch of other terms.  He is having the best time being spoiled by grandparents, escaping from the house through the doggie door, going to the Children's Museum, playing on the farm, eating more hot dogs than a person could ever want, just being an active two year old.

Mom wanted to show him off to all of her neighbors who have to hear about us all of the time, so she came to me last Friday and said, "Terrell, I would like to throw an impromptu brunch TOMORROW for a few friends."  I kindly replied, "Ok Mom, whatever you'd like to do is fine.  Let me know what you need me to do."

It was then that I realized a few friends was about 50 people she's ever spoken to about Price of her closest neighbors, and by "throw a brunch" she meant, "I'm going to do all the inviting and you're going to do all the cooking."  Ahhh, mothers, you gotta love them.  Anyway, I really didn't mind cooking, especially since I made my favorite breakfast casserole and I've been wanting to share the recipe with you.

I have been making this super simple, make ahead casserole for about 10 years.  It is one of my favorites, every time I make it, people ask for the recipe.  It's perfect for Christmas morning, or any other occasion when you want something hearty and filling that doesn't require any effort on the day of serving.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, The Southern Living Breakfast Casserole.

For this recipe you will need:

1 lb ground pork sausage, browned and drained (I always use a combo of half regular, half spicy sausage.)

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 cups milk (or if you're feeling a little frisky or like you need to up your fat intake, take a walk on the wild side and do a cup of milk and a cup of cream)

6 eggs, lightly beaten

10 slices of the least expensive white bread you can buy

Plus salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp. dry ground mustard.

Brown and drain sausage.  While cooking sausage, lightly grease a 9x13 pan.  Cube (by cube, I mean tear into quarters, it doesn't need to be pretty) 10 pieces of bread and line bottom of pan.

Layer with cheese, then cooked sausage.  Be sure to cover bread evenly.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat eggs, add milk,  mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, stir until combined.  Pour over sausage.  Be sure to coat evenly. Cover and store in refrigerator overnight.

Take out of refrigerator 30 minutes prior to baking.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes until eggs are set.

The bread soaks up all the milk and eggs to form a custard, it's like a savory bread pudding.  You can thank me now, your taste buds will thank you later!

Blame It All On the Boots

It took almost a week, but we finally overcame our jet lag!  I have decided it's my personal mission to eat my way across the Lonestar State and to turn Price into a bonafide Texan.  I am succeeding in both areas...

A little boy in the back of a truck, could it possibly be better?

Well, maybe if you put him in a field of cows,

Maybe it wasn't a huge herd, and possibly only 6 head, and they weren't all cows, there were some bulls.  But, my little boot wearing one (oh yes, boots were bought for the occasion) realized he could  "mooooooo" with the best of them and spent a lovely few hours moooing and tossing cow treats into the pasture to feed the cows.  And he was quite content with that until he spotted the tractor.  And any thought that ever crossed my mind that he isn't 100% pure boy was quickly vanished as a chorus of, "tactor, tactor, red tactor, mommy tactor, tactor mommy" began to endlessly repeat itself ring across the wide open spaces.  And there was nothing left to do, but to let him drive the tractor.

So that is what I did, and that is how I ended up with the happiest, hungriest, dirtiest little Texan in the making.

Howdy!

I am not sure that I'm cut out for world traveling.  I think that as long as I have a two year old, I will stick to visiting locations that do not require me to be on a plane for 16 hours or cross 22 million time zones or the international date line.  I am exhausted, but unable to sleep.  I'm happy to be back in the land of plenty, but overwhelmed by how much of everything there is.  I haven't even ventured into Target yet, for fear of not enjoying it.  We haven't been able to get back onto any kind of routine or schedule, unless you consider waking up daily at 4 am a routine and passing out before 9 at night a schedule.  Or maybe Price's new fondness for a 45 minute screamfest each night in bed, one that can only be ended by me sitting in his room and singing any song I can think of over and over again, until I he passes out is our new routine.  I miss my happy to go to bed baby, and hope we get it together soon!!!  I'm still completely discombobulated and couldn't tell you what time or day it is, just that I'm in Texas, and that the math to figure out what time it is in Guam seems harder in this direction.

Other than feeling upside down and somewhat untethered, things are good.  It's great sharing Price with his grandparents and other family members.  And he really is, despite feeling as upside down, untethered and exhausted as I am, really well behaved and having a good time (until bed time rolls around).  And I LOVE that his granpeeeps like taking him places without me so I can stay home and actually take a bath instead of a five minute shower and even use the bathroom all by myself.

Each day gets a little bit easier, I am not as cranky as I was the first couple of days and haven't fallen into a midday coma on the couch since, well I can't remember what today is, but it's been a few days...  We are staying busy and having a good time.

Well, it's 5 a,m,, I;ve been up for an hour.  Guess it's time for me to stay on routine and try to go back to sleep for a bit.

Incoherently yours,
T

"Guamania... Sounds Like a Mental Condition"

Sorry I haven't been around in a while.  I've been enjoying the last few weeks of summer- participating in rainy 5ks, making marshmallows (yes, actual marshmallows, not s'mores, although I did use the marshmallows to make s'mores and well, who knew that snack could actually be improved upon?), taking advantage of having babysitters at my disposal, dealing with the ongoing saga of the Poo Poo Picasso, dodging lots of raindrops and puddles (the rainy season is definitely, for sure, back in full swing), and celebrating surviving one whole year in Guam!  Even though it always feels like summer here and I don't have a kid who goes to school, I had to soak up every ounce of summer vacation that was left, and I just didn't feel like spending that time on the computer.

I should be back to posting on a more regular schedule now that my mom and a few other folks have complained enough to shame me I've gotten the summer lazies pretty much out of my system.

The big news on Guam right now, other than there are only two working ambulances on the entire island (ok, this is not completely true, the military ambulances aren't included in this count), is that there is a BIG election coming up in November and the primaries are this weekend.  Signs are up everywhere for the candidates, and pretty much any time I go off base, I'm sure to pass a huge group of people standing on the side of the road waving a chanting for their candidate.  One of the people who is up for re-election is our Congressional Rep.  I don't know if anyone is even running against her, I do know that she wears suits all the time.  Even to the Liberation Day Parade, where it was approximately 400 million degrees and she had a suit and SCARF on and looked impeccable.  I on the other hand, had on as few clothes as possible, could have used a scarf to mop the buckets of sweat escaping from my body and any trace of makeup, deodorant, or impeccability I may or may not have had, vanished within five seconds of stepping outside.   Anyway, Stephen Colbert recently interviewed our Rep, Madeleine Bordallo.  And just like at the Liberation Day Parade, you never see her sweat!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Madeleine Bordallo
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News