Another Culinary Concoction

I'm tired of the birds...remember that movie "The Birds" 

(an Alfred Hitchcock classic)

...scared the crap out of me when I was young

I bet you think I am going to share my 

black bird pie recipe with you...Ahhh, never...

Wednesday morning I caught a glimps of Rachel Ray...she was preparing some sort of ratatouille that looked mighty fine...I am sure her site has the recipe. I was bored last night, so I had me a nice glass of vino and started to cook..remembering her segment but not going to her site, I thought I'd give it a try...well I got a little bit out of control and my ratatouille turned out to be more of a casserole or veggie lasagna...it looked pretty...

check it out!

It's in the oven now...smells good, 

if it tastes good, I will share my version

TTFN

Window Treatment

Since I have squirrel issues....

my finches prefer a little window treatment!

Fluttering Finches or Not!

Come on girls...tsannie and MPM...did you really expect me to post about my yard birds...

I don't think so Lucy!...The joke is on me...

I put up the sock of food and all I got was a big fat furry headed squirrel!

So instead of marvelling at their beauty, I found humor in their fluttering....

I'm just sayin'

Wild Kingdom.....it's for the birds!

So....my cocktail corner friends, mental and tsannie, did a post re the birds they are attracting to their yard...la, la, la, so I decided OK,  fine,  I'll put something up in my yard and see how it goes.  So, off to the store I go...got the Shepard's hook, a hanging feeder, a sock full of seeds, a window feeder and bird food that I can eat as trail mix in a pinch.  

At first, I thought oh how sweet...

look at the little birdies, aren't they cute

Then...wait what's that big fat furry tail hanging upside down from the feeder... squirrels!!  How do they get up there? Well apparently, those lovely creatures have the ability to jump 4 feet from the ground 

and 8 feet from a roof or wall.

Why do I know this information?

 

Anyway, I spent the majority of the past 3 days chasing and screaming at the squirrels to leave...like they could understand~~most of the time the squirrels would saunter up the hill and look at me like "WTF lady, you put it out there...someone gots to eat it"~~that's squirrel speak...Did you know that squirrels must eat constantly or their teeth will over power their head? (speaking of teeth, check out Noble Pig today...hmmm, I'm just sayin')

...more useless information...

Back to the store I went....apparently, I am a baffoon....

these bird feeders also require a squirrel baffler..

the baffler is designed to make it impossible for the squirrel to get to your feeder

...Ahhhh, doesn't seem to be working all that well..

I tried to get a picture of the squirrels however, they all ran off 

and all I was left with was this..ewwwww

GOT 'EM!

...I'm just sayin'

Cinco De Mayo

In honor of Cinco De Mayo, I thought I would share 

one of my favorite Mexican meals...

Flank Steak Fajita Bar

The Steak/Marinade

1 1-2 lb Flank Steak

1/2 c Worcestershirer sauce

1/4 cup tequila (optional)

2-3 limes (juiced)

Penzey's Seasonings:

Fajita, Northwoods, Lemon/Pepper, and Bavarian

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

Flank steak is a relatively tough cut of beef, however, a good marinade 

and cutting the steak properly will give you a succulent piece of meat.  

Mix Worcestershirer, tequila, lime juice and seasonings in a large Ziplock, 

add flank steak and let sit on counter for an hour.  When ready, grill meat over medium to high heat about 4-5 minutes each side.  Cover with foil and let sit on a grooved cutting board for about 4 minutes...the steak will continue cooking.  Now here is the tricky part, position meat so it is horizontal on the board.  With a v-sharp knife, slice meat at an angle across the grain in thin strips.  Cover with foil on board until the rest is prepared.

The Sides

3-4 red peppers (remove seeds and cut in strips)

1 large onion (cut in 1/4 inch rounds)

2 Tbs butter or margarine

Melt butter or margarine in a skillet 

(I prefer a well seasoned cast iron skillet),

 add peppers and onions and cook over medium heat until 

onions and peppers are caramelized. 

Remove from heat and set aside.

~

1 can of refried beans

1 c Velveeta cheese (cubed)

Place beans in a sauce pan with Velveeta, 

cook over medium heat until cheese is melted

(tsannies Fav)

~

Box of your favorite Spanish rice 

(Old El Paso is pretty good)

The Condiments

White or wheat flour tortilla's (I use the large size)

Home made* or store bought Salsa

Shredded Lettuce

1-2 bags of Shredded cheddar cheese

Sour Cream

*3-4 tomatoes chopped (retain juices)

1 medium onion (chopped)

1/2 cup Fresh Parsley (finely chopped)

1/2 c Fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)-optional

1-2 limes (juiced)

1 Tbs Olive oil

Place above ingredients in a bowl, 

mix together and set aside.

The Bar

To set the fajita bar place items on a 

table or bar in this order...

Plates/utensils

Flour Tortilla's...fill with the following...

Refried Beans (spread on the tortilla)

Flank Steak

Red peppers and Onions

Shredded Lettuce

Shredded Cheese

Sour Cream and Salsa

Spanish Rice

Add a pitcher of margarita's (check out the yummy recipe on Noble Pig) 

and I'm just sayin'...Ole'

Words to live by.........on any given Sunday

Be silly, 

Be honest,

 Be kind.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Run for The Roses....

Remembering our animal "athletes", their spirit, their physique,
their awesome inspiration

Let's all hope we get the chance of a lifetime!