SRSLY? A tick touched me!!

OOOHMYGOD! I was startled. I may have leaped off the couch. In 53 years, born and raised in Michigan, camping, hiking and just existing I NEVER EXPECTED TO BE SITTING ON MY COUCH to get my FIRST TICK.

I know, I KNOW!! (my daddy taught me right) that after tall grass adventures check for ticks. It is a fact of life. I didn't have any tall grass. I haven't ever had one on MY PERSON. I have seen them on dogs and other people.

Yesterday, IN THE MORNING, I stomped around in my own little back yard "grove"it barely counts as wild or woods, picking up some windblown road litter, maybe hoping for morels, mostly wondering if that really was an eagle we heard screech or just a fat ass hawk. The whole lovely day goes peacefully by.

Sitting on couch in the evening (watching old Qi episodes on Britbox cuz it is keeping me sane) undoing my braid and playing with my hair at night like ya do, I felt something fall out of my hair onto my collar bone. I expected a tree bud or maybe a bit of stick? BUT IT CRAWLED... FUCK! I instinctively SLAPPED IT. CAUGHT IT. PINCHED IT and leaped to the well lit kitchen. It squirmed horribly, caught between my thumb and forefinger. "That is the girthiest toughest spider ever!" I thought to myself. "BABE GRAB MY GLASSES PLEASE", my rapid movement and the urgency in my voice alerted "Mister Questions a lot of My Requests' to just do as he is told... immediately...for once...

...there on the white paper of examination... lay a big fat TICK. No doubt in either of our minds. EWWWWW. The good doctor (while telling me a gruesome story about a pre Rona Patient covered in ticks) checked me out (complete with smutty comments and unprofessional innuendos I am sure he has been saving for years). CLEAN. No bites. No rings. No rash. I haven't showered that thoroughly since the poison ivy near my eyeballs event two years ago. UGH. SO WEIRD.

So, Theories: Option A: It got on me in the morning *ugh* or Option B: It came in on a doggo (who are treated for fleas and ticks) decided doggo was a bad idea, hopped off then found me. UGH. VACUUM ALL THE THINGS. UGH. Anyway yeah... it is Tick Season. Happy Spring.

Hybrid Jazz Riff

My contribution to the kids' gene pool has a hefty 50% French Canadian. Pete is 100% Hungarian. The two cultures have very little cross over, but srsly... opposites attract. Much like our amazing kids...this Hybrid-- Rocks! Chicken Paprikas is a heart attack inducing chicken sour cream and onion dish that is traditional Hungarian Cuisine. Whole chicken, butter, sour cream... deliciously decadent. Google it. Or we can have a day when I actually teach ya'll the Flint Church Ladies version and my almost healthy version.

BUT For Meatless Monday... during The Rona. I just cooked for my fam.

Paprikas Poutine

Three softball sized yellow (white would be fine) onions sliced into long bits
bacon fat (1/4 c?)
olive oil (2 tbsp to start onions)
Penzy's Smoked Spanish Paprika* (like 3-4 tablespoons... srsly go heavy)
Garlic... ummm... you do you. My crew? This was 3 tablespoons of Penzy's powder. If I was doing chicken It would have  been fresh crushed.
celery salt... enough
1.5 c sour cream (greek yogurt is nice healthy swap)


1. Sauté/caramelize onions slowly for 2-3 hours (If this were legit Chicken Paprikas the chicken parts would go in here. Stir in sour cream (again if chicken were involved... some broth may help get a nice consistency) and stir till you get a nice smooth gravy.  Adjust seasonings.

2. Dice up and let come up to room temp 1 lb of Mozz. This SHOULD BE cheese curds from Wisconsin-- but bitch we in a damn siege kitchen here. Just let  it hover on the counter till the tots are  an acceptable level of crisp.

3. Tots.  Real poutine should be big steak fries, (but it should also be beef gravy-- so feel free to swap out  your starch of choice here...) BUT TOTS EXTRA CRISPIED!

4. When the tots/fries have achieved extra crispy status, dish it up! Put the cheese on top of hot tots. Then bury it in onion gravy/faux paprikas.

5. Cracked black pepper on top.  NOM.

The Rona Diaries: Family Happy Hour

CHEERS! We are all adults. With the onset of "Safe at Home" the first couple weeks we were just like, "Hey want a beer?" when the guys got home.  Or... "I am opening this wine? Want in?" When we realized that we should formalize this ritual and now, before we prep dinner, we have Five O' Clock Family Happy Hour. We have a lot of odds and ends and random liquors--bitters and Costco sized Goose that we use as inspiration to craft new to us drinks. Peanut has been posting them to Insta but let's get you caught up at least with the last few...

Izzy's Fav

Zoli's 25th Bday

Z turned 25 yesterday. On April Fool's Day...during the pandemic. (We are all perfectly fine. Even had a nice conference call with Matty at breakfast. Looking fwd to everybody playing MarioKart online again this weekend!) Despite being grateful for those things, I really kinda had a moment. I can't find this silly banner. I made cut out felt letters about 15 years ago. They spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I put it up for each person's bDay. I am damn sure I remember putting it back in the ziploc baggy but I CAN'T FIND IT. I just wanted that one tradition. No Festifools, No big dinner out at Connor O'Neils. AND the $gift$ he asked for is totally on hold because VIRUS. I just wanted something familiar and sane. NOPE. I looked EVERYWHERE. I may have teared up a couple times.

He also wanted caramel INSIDE chocolate cupcakes.  I made caramels. But they sunk. I was unimpressed. I need a tip/technique that is like coating fruit in flour to get it to "hover" in batter, like blueberries in pancakes? Anyway, Iz and I made like three diff variations of caramel lava cakes and he proclaimed them all delicious. One batch we left w/no caramel factor just so dessert would be civilized. He chose pork chops, mac and cheese and green beans.

The cupcakes w/out caramel.

Snakebites (cider & Guinness Black & Tans)