Fiesta de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo, or as I like to say, Fiesta de Mayo. 

I love this vintage tablecloth with the bold red and black designs. The bullfighter is my favorite on the cloth. I found the red stripe glasses at an antique store. This table uses Post-86 Fiesta in Scarlet and Black.  It also has P-86 Ivory with red stripes on the salt and pepper and the disk pitcher. The gravy boat, creamer and sugar are HLC nautilus with delicate red and black stripes.

So, are you ready for the Fiesta with Fiesta?

I am participating in Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.

Hyacinth Approves This Message!

One of my favorite restaurants in Oklahoma is Cantina Laredo in Oklahoma City. I love their salsas (a warm one and a cold one) and guacamole. I searched online and actually found a video on youtube from the kitchens of Cantina Laredo demonstrating how to make their guacamole.  Now, if I can just find the salsa recipe, I will be in heaven.  Below is a picture of the ingredients.

Cantina Laredo Guacamole

Ingredients:

1/2 lime

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1-2 Hass avocadoes, large (ripe, slightly soft to squeeze)

2 tablespoons red onions, diced 3/8-inch

2 tablespoons jalapenos, finely diced and seeds removed

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/3 cup tomato, diced 3/8-inch (remove all insides except tomato flesh, no seeds)

Preparation:

Squeeze lime into bowl. Add spices and stir. Add avocado and mash. Add remaining ingredients and stir.

NaPoWriMo #4

This Day

Feeling unwound,

Unraveled, out of sorts.

Unsynced, frayed, just feeling my way

Through a dark room.

Hand on the wall, inching my way around it,

Hesitant, stumbling, inching slowly.

Turn upon turn, twisting.

What to make of a day?

How to figure out which way

To pivot?

In my escape, I am on the island, waves lapping

across my feet,

Sunlight,

skies spreading out to meet the ocean,

Plenty of light.

No worries. No need.

NaPoWriMo #3

Me and F. W. Woolworth Co.

The Woolworths on Main

Is where I found my summer dream.

It called my name;

I clung to it, had to have it.

It transported me when I wore it.

Delirious visions of summer

Floating through my head.

Sun drenched days spent leaping through the sprinkler,

Freedom!

Cold splashes of water, mingling with perspiration

On warm skin.

Running through wet grass,

Giddy and barefooted,

Water squishing between my toes.

I lived for those days,

Hot days,

Bold days,

Joyful play in the sun days.

NaPoWriMo

Ms. Parton, Did You Have to Go There?

I was visited by Dolly Parton on my way to work today,

And now I am a bit worried because I didn’t have my cup of ambition,

And I have to face distracted drivers applying makeup and texting on the streets on my way to barely making a living.

Ms. Parton said it would drive me crazy if I let it.

Crazy, indeed.

I might go crazy waiting for my ship to come in as I deal with those more crazy than myself.

We all are,

You know. We have to be to survive our nine to five.

So, I rumble down the road, in my ’96 dream, bobbing to Parton’s frothy concoction of a melody, wondering how this day will go,

And wondering whether there is at least one cup of ambition left for me,

Or if the guy down the hall took the last one.

NaPoWriMo

April is National Poetry Month. The folks over at http://www.napowrimo.net/ are promoting 30 Poems in 30 Days. The goal is to write a poem a day for 30 days. I have no idea if I have the energy to do this, but what do you say, we give it a try!

For today, a haiku.  Haikus are short, and yeah, they may all be haikus for the next 30 days, but today for sure. It was a long, grueling Monday on very little sleep.

Yo, Spring

First day of April

Seems like it is still winter

Memo:  Spring, it’s time!

Happy Easter

This was the best tasting Easter meal! Ever! 

Easter Menu

Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

Roasted Asparagus

Scalloped Garlic and Cheese Potatoes

Deviled Eggs

Sweet Pickles

Notice the salt and pepper shakers--Mr. and Mrs. Kitty dressed for Easter.

The pork chops were so flavorful. The recipe came from One Perfect Bite.  See recipe below.

I love any opportunity to use my Fiesta Egg Tray. This one is turquoise, but they come in different colors. Pretty and appetizing!

The Fiesta Egg Tray holds 6 eggs or 12 halves.

This is the Fiesta signature plate, one of my colorful Easter presents. They display these with their Fiesta at JC Penney's and I tried to buy it many times at three different stores, and they refused to sell it. So, I went to Bon Ton Department store, and ordered it online. It was on sale and I got free shipping with a coupon. Take a memo Penney's if you want to stay in business.

Finally, the piece de resistance--the vintage Fiesta Cake Lifters.  Such beauties, and they go so well with my Kitchen Kraft cake plate, also vintage. The bunny was good to me this year!

Salt and Pepper Pork Chops

Adapted from One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons cornstarch (I was running out of this, so I ended up with about 1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper (I was out of fresh cracked pepper, so I used ½ teaspoon black ground pepper)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 pounds boneless thin-cut pork loin chops

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Preparation:

1) Combine soy sauce, cornstarch, pepper, sugar and salt in bottom of 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan. Stir with a fork until all ingredients are combined and marinade is smooth. Add chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Refrigerate, turning occasionally, for 1 to 24 hours.

2) Heat oil in a large frying pan set over medium high heat. Add pork, working in batches if necessary. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to serving plate or serve from pan. Yield: 4 servings.