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Twas a Macrander eve before Christmas eve

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On the eve before Christmas eve and all through the nation, Mom and Dad were driving to Baton Rouge and trying to agree on a radio station.

Excited to visit Todd and Nick, and wave goodbye to their daughter,

Mom exclaimed, ‘Oh my! Texas couldn’t be hotter.’

So far in the trip Dad had visited his sister,

And Mom had bought some cheap shoes that dad swore would cause a blister,

Shout out to Kayla, the newest addition to us all,

Who was born at just over six pounds on Friday and oh so small.

Todd was busy cleaning, while Nick busy mixing,

Lots of treats to fill their home, Mom and Dad would surely find transfixing,

Sarah was still in Denver, though lonely was not she,

For the beauty of friends and mountains, how much better could life be?

So this morning, Emily sits at her computer not working, oh no, no,

Excited to see Jarrod and family, but more to the point Santa, ho ho ho.

God is great, Jesus is born, this is the reason for the season,

But getting to see the ones we love sure is extra pleasin’

So as we close this year before,

Let’s enjoy our moments together and plan for many more.

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Christmas in New Zealand

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Image and video hosting by TinyPicI will report out on my trip to New Zealand in another entry in the blog, but I thought this was perfect for a funny happenings entry.

The New Zealand that I saw from the air and in the brief taxi ride from the airport into town was a phenomenal landscape of mountains, coastline, and agrarian fields that were reminiscent of Hawaii and the Lord of the Rings movies. The town of Dunedin (pronounce doon-ee-dn), though, was nothing spectacular. Actually, it very much had the look and feel of a mid-sized Midwestern city, buildings 2-3 stories high sidewalks overhung by awnings on storefronts, small businesses, etc. There was kind of a barely prosperous look to the whole thing. My hotel was about a mile from the meeting sight, so I got in nice walks each day going to and from.

Similar to the city, the people were very English, not the most attractive people in the world. It was a combination of rosy-cheeked flat- faced young boys growing into stolid George Smiley (literary reference here) older men. And, there were pinch-faced girls trending toward stout Mrs. Doubtfire matrons.

The first two days were cool, overcast, and drizzly. The weather made me glad I had taken my gortex, and, leant an even greater sense of a community in doldrums. On the third day I hung in my room catching up on email and work until about 11, then, headed out under clearing skies and warming temperatures for the walk to the conference. With the great weather, the sidewalks were packed with shoppers that I realized were beginning to get serious about the Christmas holidays. I caught the festive feel and there was a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

Walking along, I became aware of a car driving down the street with the windows rolled down and a Christmas song blasting from the radio. The jingling bells and piano of the instrumental break were from jingle-bell rock. Looking at the car I saw a grundgy boy behind the wheel and a tattooed and pierced tough looking girl hanging a cigarette out the window with a smirk on her face. Ah, the wonders of Christmas. Even the young toughs have the spirit. How nice.

As the car passed me and the music began to fade, the next verse started up. “You make my d--- swell, as I moan and yell….” OMG! Did I really hear that? As the sound of the song faded into the traffic and street noise, I wanted to turn and chase the car to see if it was real or just my dirty mind playing tricks on me. But, the rest of the day, as I tried to listen to complex talks on whale genomics and sound propagation and exposure, those two lines continued to bounce around my head.

I did a search on Jingle Bell Rock spoofs and, indeed, the song is real and I heard correctly. It is so bad that I will not post the link here. WARNING. This is pretty graphic stuff and you may not want to forever have these lyrics in your head. DO NOT listen to this at work, unless you have earphones in. Having given these warnings, I know everyone will listen. Happy Holidays.

Nanni's Baked Mac 'n Cheese

Nothing says the holiday like a bunch of infidels telling you you're making your @Y%&^%! macaroni and cheese wrong. Well, people, round these parts, we bake it. Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Nani's Baked Mac n' Cheese

Set oven at 350 Bake time 40 min.

Ingredients 8 oz Cheddar Cheese cubed 1 cup whole milk 1/4 cup butter 1 package of elbow pasta 1/2 tbsp of flour for dusting 1 sleeve crushed saltine crackers

K, Macranders, if you do it differently, fine. This is how I do it.

Set your oven to 350. Boil you entire package of pasta. Go ahead and butter that bitch..I mean 9 x 13 pan. Cube up your cheddar. Drain pasta and pour into pan.Using an extended forefinger, push the cubed cheese into the noodles throughout the casserole.Spare a few cubes to put on top of the crackers. Dot the casserole with slivers of butter. Pour milk into casserole. Dust casserole with flour. Top with crushed crackers. Top again with remaining cheese. Dust with flour again. Put her in the oven for 40 or so minutes. In the last 5 min, put the oven up to 500 degrees and broil for a nice browned finish. Enjoy!

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Cookies and Cream Puppy Chow

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For Jarrod's graduation, I knew that there would be a lot of family in town. Where there is family, there is a lot of snacking. It's not a stress related response or anything... But whatever. When snacking, it might as well be something tasty, right? I offer: Cookies and Cream Puppy Chow.

Recipe Reference: MommyOnDemand

Jarrod's Graduation Puppy Chow

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Ingredients

"Cream " Puppy Chow
1/2 box of rice chex cereal
1 C. white chocolate chips
8 Oreos finely crushed
1/2 C. powdered sugar

"Cookies" Puppy Chow

1/2 box rice chex cereal
1 C. milk chocolate chips
8 Oreos finely crushed
1/2 C. powdered sugar

Extra Oreo cookies to break in half to add to the chex mix

Instructions

In a big bowl measure 5 cups of chex. In a small bowl add the crushed Oreos and powdered sugar. I crushed my Oreos by using my food processor. In a microwave safe bowl add the white chocolate until melted. Pour chocolate over chex until covered, add the crushed Oreos and stir until coated completely. Lay chex out on a cookie sheet until cooled and dried.

Repeat steps using the milk chocolate

When "cream" and "cookies" is completely cooled add the two flavors in a big bowl, breaking extra Oreos into chunks and add to the chex. Store in sealed container and enjoy!

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Holiday travels begin

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First, Mom and Dad visit Sarah in Denver for Thanksgiving.

Then, Mom flew from Denver to Houston to hang with me in Houston for a week.

Mom and I were blessed to be able to visit Brookewood, a home for functionally handicapped adults, on their open house! Many Christmas gifts were purchased.

Beer Macaroni and Cheese and Dr Pepper Chicken

Emily here. Over Thanksgiving weekend, Jarrod was in town and I wanted to make his dream meal. Also, I wanted to use up the leftover shredded cheddar cheese in the fridge from the last farm trip.

So after a little thought I came up with beer mac and cheese. Then, I thought, what would make Jarrod sing? Well, he loves all things Dr Pepper. I googled. The results were a hit. Best part? I didn't have to go to the grocery because I had everything in my pantry.

Forgive my food photography. It needs some work.

Dr Pepper Chicken

Original recipe comes from 30 Days of Homemade. I have modified for my tastes.

Ingredients

  • 4 -6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • ½ c. Dr. Pepper
  • ½ c. barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Chipotle BBQ)
  • ½ c. ketchup
  • A few squirts of Siracha
  • ½ Onion sauted till translucent
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Salt and pepper chicken and arrange in a 13 x 9 baking dish.
  2. Mix together wet ingredients and onion into a marinade.
  3. Pour it over the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 1 hour.
Beer Mac and Cheese

1 package (16 ounces) elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter

2 garlic cloves, minced (I used dehydrated garlic flakes)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

2-1/2 cups 2% milk

3/4 cup Shiner (duh)

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (I cut this, but might be nice for a creamier sauce)

3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

About 2 cups Bread crumbs (I used an herb blend mixed with parmesan I had in the freezer)

  1. Cook macaroni according to package directions for al dente.
  2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the flour, mustard, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually whisk in the milk, beer and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
  3. Reduce heat. Stir in 2 cups cheddar cheese.
  4. Drain macaroni; stir into sauce. Transfer to a greased 3-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar. Top with bread crumbs.
  5. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. End with a good broil.

Easy Southwestern Rice Casserole

Ingredients 

4 cups white (or brown) rice cooked
1 can Campbells Cream of Mushroom
1 can diced tomatoes and green chillis
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 large chicken breast (or two small); cooked
1/2 cup Garlic and hearb bread crumbs

Easy Southwestern Rice Casserole Preparation

1. Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs, using ½ the cheddar cheese. Put in greased 9 x 9 pan.

2. Use the rest of the cheddar cheese to top the dish. Top the cheese with the bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes. Let cool and serve.