The Texas Mama

Sometimes, it take so little to make me happy.  A couple of weeks ago, I was forced to make one of the dreaded late night grocery store runs (Jeremy was trying to sell his car).  I just needed a few fresh items like milk, fruit, veg, eggs, etc. so a quick run into HEB fit the bill perfectly.  It was nearly eleven o’clock, so you can imagine how hot I was looking.  Sadly enough, I was flirted with- the night manager was bored I suppose. 

After a few minutes of browsing their wide crafting and home decor magazine selection, I hit the gold mine.  TABOULE (or tabouleh)!  I cannot tell you how excited I was!  You’d have thought I was getting, um, well, ehem.  Anyways, I have been searching Krogers whenever I run in there (not often- too expensive) for this Near East mix, which is what my in-laws use and where they told me to find it.  Never did.  So imagine my delight when I spotted it after years of searching! It sounds dramatic, but I really have been looking for a few years now.  I bought four boxes- all they had out.  So I ran around like the madwoman I am, grabbing all the other ingredients I would need to make it and suprise my husband.  On my way to the check out counter, I passed through the bakery, and there was even fresh pita bread! Yum!  I could eat taboule and pita bread every day for a week!

If you are not familiar with taboule, you should be! This explains how to make it if you get confused by my instructions. It’s so flavorful, delicious, and healthy.  It has a very unique, tangy, fresh, minty flavor to it and is a very light salad.

A few days later, I quickly mixed up some delicious taboule salad.  You just follow the directions on the back (almost).  Pour the contents of the box into a large(ish) bowl and completely cover with boiling hot (I just use very hot) water.  The directions will tell you only a cup or two, but I add way more, because (1.) the wheat really soaks up the water amazingly and (2.) you can always drain and squeeze out any extra water.  The seasons will float up to the top- its okay.



Let it soak in the refrigerator for at least an hour- the box says 30 minutes I believe, but I usually let it soak for several hours so that it has a chance to really absorb well.  This is what it looks like after it has soaked and you stir it up:




While it is soaking, you can chop up your vegetables.  I don’t like tomato (I know, I know, I’m weird- it’s genetic I think) so I don’t add that, but it is traditional to add that.  I do love cucumber though, and most recipes for taboule do call for a couple of cucumbers.  Chop them well.  Also chop as best you can- I have a really hard time chopping it- one large or two small bunches of flat leaf Italian parsley (although the curly variety will do in a pinch if you just couldn’t find the flat Italian):



Taboule varies from one middle eastern country to the other.  Some countries will add peppers, some onion, some olives, additional mint (there is dried mint in the herb mix included in the box), etc.  I make a very basic kind- no olives, no peppers, sometimes tomato if I am feeling generous towards Jeremy, usually not onion (Jeremy can’t digest them well), occasional a few additional dried mint flakes, extra lemon juice, extra oil, low salt.

Once your burghol (wheat) has soaked long enough and is soft, make sure there isn’t any extra water in the bottom of the bowl, then add your chopped veggies.  The recipe calls for one tablespoon of olive oil.  I have used canola oil and it was fine.  I also just drizzle it liberally over the top, so it’s probably more than a tablespoon.  Squeeze everything you can out of one large lemon.  I usually end up mixing everything together, only to add more lemon, so taste test it before serving (the best part of cooking!).  Salt it as you prefer- I add only about a half a teaspoon.

Mix it all up and soak in the refrigerator for several hours- overnight even.  It’s like tomato products.  Always better the next day.  A serving of this is just over 100 calories and it includes so many of your daily requirements for vegetables and whole grains!  I always eat this with some pita bread and maybe even some kibbeh.  Yum!


(sorry, blurry pic- for a good one, click on the link in the beginning of the post)

Marrying Jeremy, who is of Lebanese descent has broadened my palate.  Before we dated, I don’t think I would have tried any of the traditional middle eastern dishes that his family makes!  But I loved them as soon as I tried them- no “acquired tastes” here, and I am a picky eater.  See, there are a few reasons why I am glad I married Jeremy!

I have been composing this letter to our street for a few months now, and it seems I continually have more to add to it as the weeks go by.  I sure love to complain about my neighbors, and they sure make it easy to do. Notice that I use no names. That is because I only know one person’s name out of all that are mentioned here.  Because no one else has come over and introduced themselves. And I am antisocial:

Dear _____ Street Residents:

Hey! How are ya’ll?! Ready for the hurricane? Sheesh!

How ’bout all the rain this summer! We haven’t had to water all summer! Neither have you, apparently single mother across the street from us who’s yard always looks like crap. Looks like it got so bad that the landlord actually had to put new sod down because the old stuff just plain died. You’re probably the reason that there is a specific watering clause in our lease. 

 Also, you may want to consider dragging some of your kids stuff inside before it gets blown away this week.  I must say I am really hoping that the rain will be keeping you inside when you are on the phone, because if I have to listen to you SCREAM at someone on the phone while I am trying to put my daughter to bed one more time, I may have to scream back. I get mad at telemarketers too, but come on!

 Maybe screaming is just “your thing”.  Is that why the Best Buy guy only stayed over twice? Tell me, what attracted you to him? The way he was able to set up your new tv or whatever reason it was that he was there in the first place? Must have been a “big job” if it took him all night! I bet it was the shorts. That’s it, isn’t it?! Oh, and your son scares my daughter when he rides up to her and growls. Please tell him to stop.  And teach him words.

Shame on you, married neighbor lady next to her- I noticed the Best Buy truck over at your house just days later! Was a discount involved? Did your neighbor give you a coupon or something?

Nice middle aged man who lives with his very very large wife and daughter, please PLEASE put a shirt on! I know it is dang hot outside- it is Texas, but even those dirty tee’s with the hacked off sleeves would be an improvement.  Perhaps you should stop rebuilding your transmission ’cause you’re bored and work on your daughter’s car.  I can’t tell you how many mornings I woke up last winter to the sounds of her trying to get the piece of crap to stay running long enough to get down the driveway. 

Finally, please keep all three your dogs off my yard.  As much as I love the smell of fresh dog poo in the morning, it’s just not nice to let your dogs do that.  All the time. Calling them back whenever you notice that I’ve walked outside doesn’t magically make it better, either.

Nice middle aged man’s wife, please do not go outside wearing only shorts and a sports bra.  I bet you’ve got nearly a hundred pounds on me and are a couple inches shorter than I am.  I will not even wear my old lady bathing suit without shorts over it in my front yard.  Nobody wants to see my fat twenty-something butt showing that much skin, what makes you think they want to see someone twice my age and size wearing even less?  Have some modesty!  Have some pride!  Stop the inhumanity! Let your husband into the house!

Random people who live and/or come and go from red bricked house- please turn your sweet and totally bangin’ systems down just a smidge when you pull onto the street.  I’m all abizout da gansta rap, yo, but that’s some heavy shizit for my three year old.  Admittedly, you did make me laugh the other day when you pulled up blaring “Let’s Get It On”. That is some hard core.

Frequent car pool buddy of sports fanatic middle aged couple: must you honk to let them know you are there? Repeatedly? Are your legs broken? I’ve seen no handicapped tag on your Expedition.

Those two couples at the end of the street with lots of kids: you guys will start putting the kids down earlier once school starts, right? Seriously. Between you and single lady, you guys yell loud at night!  Like past ten. I know I am younger than all of you, but you are making me feel like a strict cranky old lady- wanting to put my child to bed before ten ‘n all. Silly me. Also, quit honking at each other and your husbands.  They know you’re pulling up! There aren’t that many cars driving through our little cul-de-sac.

Gosh! I feel better! You guys enjoy the rest of the summer! Quietly, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. PLEASE. I will bake cookies and bring them ’round if you do. 

My list of things to do before Dean hits- don’t worry, it probably won’t directly hit us, but we will get a butt-load of rain (what?! MORE! NOOOO!) and wind:

Buy:

- water (should have this anyways for storage- bad Mormon!)
- shock kit for the pool (in case we need to bathe in it- its pretty nasty now with all the rain we’ve been getting and no cleaning)   
- lighters
- diapers (yes, I know, she’s three)
- crafty things to do with Hali (we’ve been so bored stuck inside so much this summer- we need more things to entertain us)
- small broom and mop with wooden handle (to cut down for Hali- ’cause I’m big into child labor)
- brackets for Hali’s desk
- Diet Pepsi ( I only have like 10 left, and I can’t go without!)
- yummy treats that come in wrappers and require no cooking

To Do Outside:

- clean pool
- shock pool
- bring floats, chairs, balls, plants, hose, etc. into the garage
- bring out garbage cans to the street, then put them in the garage after trash pick-up


To Call:

- the church to let them know we will stay at home or be at in-laws
- insurance company about renter’s insurance
- landlord
- Britney
- Mom (she needs to hear me complain about everything, I’m just sure of it!)

To Do Inside:

- put together a craft bag and a game bag in case we go to the in-laws if the power goes out
- put together bag/suitcase with clothes, file w/ important paperwork and documents, laptop,cell phone chargers, and toiletries in case we go to the in-laws
- call doctor about anti-depressants in case we go to the in-laws
- eat all the popsickles with Hali and Jeremy
- make something with lots of chicken so the bag in the freezer doesn’t go to waste

Hopefully we don’t get directly hit, and our power, water, and/or gas doesn’t go out.  But if it was like, really rainy and windy (but not enough to make a tree fall on our house) so that Jeremy couldn’t go to work, that would be pretty cool ‘n stuff.

The tree falling on our house/ large branch destroying something scenario worries me, because our house is surrounded by many, many trees. Oh, and our house backs a creak. Yay.

Hopefully the water doesn’t actually come IN our house. Or garage. Huh. Sounds like I kind of have my specifics on how I want the storm to behave… I am so picky.  I’ll try and check in and let everyone know how we are in the next few days here. 

                                                   

Sorry, I caved! I had to do it too! Go on- go do yours! It’s fun! I did Hali and Jeremy and their’s were awesome, but for some reason wouldn’t save onto my computer properly.

As a kid, we were not supposed to watch The Simpsons, but did it occasionally anyways (thus is the extent of my inner rebel).  As an adult I have been known to partake in the occasional viewing of The Simpsons.  It’s been a few years, though, I have to admitt. 

I wish Hali’s had saved- she looks like the cutest thing you’ve ever seen! I mean, in real life, she looks like the cutest (and sounds like when she’s not screaming or whining) thing I have ever seen, but I may be a bit partial, and Jeremy looks like a sexy stud all Simpsonized and whatnot!  One can’t help but notice I still seem to have kept up my plump look, even as a Simpson…