Where are we?

You might have been wondering about the shortages of posts from the Idiosyncrazies board of directors.

Here’s the thing.

After three years of challenges, rants, recipes, scrapbooking and plain old reminiscing, we feel that we have explored all that we have or all that we have in us at this time.

We will not be posting regularly.  Some of us may get the itch to put something up here or share a recipe, but I don’t want to put a weekly date on it.  Life is crowding us with other things that we want to do or have to do.

We are not taking down the site for those of you who like to grab our recipes from time to time, so Idiosyncrazies will always be out for you.  (or if WordPress does something to it!)

So, from all of us, Fannie, Farie, Felia, and myself….so long…goodbye…auf wiedersehen, adieu!

love,

Fae

It’s here

Happy Easter from all of us at Idiosyncrazies!

 

The most excellent tuna salad. Evah.

Years ago, near where I worked was a small deli that we all would traipse over to for lunch.  It had standard deli fare: chili, different soups for each day, sandwiches on wheat, white or rye…you know the plan.  Once I just didn’t ‘feel it’ reading the specials of the day and decided, instead, to have a tuna fish sandwich.  My mom showed me how to make them very early on but I had tweaked her original method to something a bit more.  But let me tell you about this deli version….man, oh man!  The absolute best tuna salad I had ever had.  I asked the owner (Bruce? Ned? I forget now) what he used in it to make it taste so good.  He told me that it was his mother’s creation and he couldn’t share it.

Sad face.

I ate a tuna fish sandwich there every week for as long as they were open.  And since, I had them to make it for me, I didn’t worry about not have the ingredients.  And then they closed and I cried.  Dang it!

Back at the home front, I attempted many, many ingredients to try to match his.  And the following tastes just like it.  I found the secret ingredient they had used!  And I really stumbled upon it, too.  You know how the saying goes, “A little of this and a little of that” is how it came to be.

See?  This is all the ingredients…..

I like a little crunch in my tuna salad and a combo of celery, shallots and pickle work out just fine.

I diced up about two tablespoons of each but only used one each.  And the little pickles I had were only about two inches long.  I used all of that.

For the usual 5 ounce can of tuna, I use about 1.5 tablespoons of mayonnaise.  This is the paleo mayonnaise that I make.

And the next ingredient is the secret ingredient that just makes this tuna salad the best!  Who knew?  Worcestershire Sauce!  I used 3 teaspoons of this in my salad finishing it off with salt and pepper.

Some people like more of a ‘soupy’ tuna salad with using much more mayo than what I do.  That’s ok with me….I just prefer mine in the sandwich category not the soup category. 😉

Mix it well and then?  Scoop out the insides of a whole tomato and stuff the tuna into that.  Or, make yourself the all time sandwich using lettuce, tomato, and avocado.  Also, you can use either the dill pickle relish or the sweet pickle relish.  Either taste great here.

Tuna Fish Salad

• 5 oz canned tuna in olive oil, drained
• 1.5 T mayonnaise
• 2 T chopped dill pickle
• 1 T chopped celery
• 1 T chopped shallot (or green onions)
• 3 t Worcestershire Sauce
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix well and eat!

Love,

Fae

 

And then? My brain exploded.

Most recently I have put my ‘retirement’ on the back burner for a bit.  I have been helping out a family member and their brand new business.  And you know me, the math hater?  Back in the ol’ accounting chair once again.  This makes four times that I have ended up doing this.

I love helping out and getting out of the house.  Since I’ve taken care of old scrapbooking issues (like getting my kid’s albums done.  Finally.)  my days off from taking care of grandkids tend to be slow.  Not that I’m not busy; I have been teaching myself more software programs to become more proficient at my scrapbooking.  I can only talk to myself for so long before I make myself crazy.  And by the time Mr. Fae comes home, I’m blind from working on the computer all day.

But back to my new hours.  When I worked at a local TV station here, my brain would not turn off when I got home and tried to wind down.  There was so much going on at work and I was on call 24/7 that work never got put on the back burner.  They say that your brain is a muscle and you must exercise it to keep sharp.  Back then, my brain had bulging biceps.  Once I left that career and could slow down a bit, it felt like heaven not needing to go 100 mph.

But now?  I’m hoping that my brain has muscle memory.  In these past few weeks, I’ve managed to have my brain run two marathons, the Iron Man, and the Olympics.  I haven’t had to think of business accounting, the detail of it all, in a long, long time.  And?  I’m enjoying it all again.  I have always been a detail minded person so making sure each column adds up credit and debit, is satisfying.  Some people, when balancing their bank statement, can’t even up with the bank by $50 or less, adjust it off.  Seriously?  One cent and I’m back churning through check registers and bank print outs…I’ll find it or die.

I am a bean counter…not in the professional strictness sense of the word but one I’m comfortable with.  And I hope they are comfortable, too.

Love,

Fae

 

 

Trying to clear the decks

I am cleaning up here on the old computer.  Sifting through files, organizing supplies and photos, gearing up for our spring time get together of scrapbookers.  My organizing doesn’t take much any more; when I buy something or download a freebie, if it doesn’t get done right then and there, then the next time I sit down to do something, it goes into it’s correct place.

As Mary Poppins would say, “spit, spot!”

But while I was tidying up, I saw some layouts that I have not shared with you yet.

Here goes:

Yes, I’ve run the gamet from grandkids to crossfit.

Enjoy.

Love,

Fae

Tomato, avocado and BACON Salad

Hahahahahaha!!  It is listed as a salad!  Hahahahaaa!  And one more HA!

When I saw this, I thought to myself, “They’re joking right?”  But no, it truly was listed as a vegetable side dish.  It is more like a BLT sandwich without the bread.  And trust me when I tell you…DOUBLE THE INGREDIENTS.  Because I know you.  You and I are alike.  You will be nibbling on the chopped bacon, spooning heaping handfuls of diced avocados into your mouth.  See?  I just gave you some ideas, didn’t I?

BACON.  TOMATOES.  AVOCADOS.

Short of having your feet massaged while eating this, it just can’t get any better.

Yes, I’m even giving you the salad dressing to make.  But really, look at the ingredient list.  Bacon, tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, red onion (shallots for us), EVOO, and red wine vinegar.  You can whip this up in no time flat.

Combine the oil, vinegar, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper.  Whisk it all together.

If you’re like me when the recipe calls for 6 slices of cooked bacon, you cook the entire package as your due.  Then you chop up only what the recipe calls for while eating the remainder of the bacon as your own personal appetizer.

Same goes for the avocados.  Who can resist their creamy goodness?  Not me.

Dice up the onion and place all the veggies in a container large enough to mix thoroughly.  Add the bacon and drizzle the dressing over it all.  Stir gently.

Your ‘salad’ is done.

BUT….I knew that was not going to be enough for Mr. Fae.  I grabbed some lettuce mixture and plopped the newly made salad onto of the lettuce.  Voila.  A BLTA.  Pair that with a nice steak and you’re good to go.

BLTA Salad

• 6 slices bacon
• 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 large avocados, pitted and diced
• 1⁄2 red onion, diced

Place bacon on a paper towel-lined plate; microwave on High 2 minutes or until crisp; chop bacon. Or bake your bacon or cook it on the stovetop.  Your choice.  Combine oil, vinegar, cilantro, salt and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Combine tomatoes, avocados, onion and bacon in a large bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over tomato mixture; toss gently.

Love,

Fae

I’m a bad blogger. No, really.

Well, last time I posted, I promised I would finish up a blog and post it the next day.  That was 10 days ago.  And you’ve been waiting, right?  Right.

Here’s the back story, if you will.  I attended two funerals in one week.  And last week, my daughter had surgery to correct a deviated septum.

My creative writing mojo left town.

But I’m back, a little slower at it right now than I normally like but I expect to be up to speed in no time.

Can I add I’m that I’m suffering from a sore knee, too?  Waaahhhhh……

Anyway, despite my sore knee, Mr. Fae and I took a little hike yesterday since our temperatures bounded into the 70’s.   What was supposed to be a ‘little’ hike turned into more than a five mile hike.  Our destination was only three miles away.

Hiking tip:  satellite photos of destination are misleading and not to be trusted.

We, ok, I read the map incorrectly.  It looked like it was correct complete with greenery at streams and paths to our target.  BUT IT LIED.  Or, on the other hand, I am a moron.

Earlier this year, our local newspaper published an article about some concrete arrows built in the 1920’s that help guide airplane pilots to airports ahead.  At the time, they poured the concrete arrows pointing to the next airport and built a radio beacon for them as well at the arrow.   Not that many of them exist any longer and those that exist have fallen into disrepair.  When I read the article, I saw that the arrow near us was NEAR US.  Literally, right down the road and up a few hills.  Just follow the yellow brick road, if you will.  We climbed more hills than we should of, you’re welcome Mr. Fae, I got my cardio workout in.  But in the end, he spied it from the top of a mountain we were standing on and scratching our heads.  ‘Where the hell is the damn arrow??’ we kept asking ourselves.

Oh, look!  Over there, on that other hilltop…where that group of people are?  Yeah, right there.

Off we huffed and puffed.  Ok, me.  I huffed and puffed, due to the extreme elevation.  And at long last, we stood on the US Air Transport, Beacon #18, arrow included.

It was a fun hike, really.  The weather was great, a little windy by the time we finished.  If you live in the area, it is west of our town.  Here was the original map of all of them.

And you can read more about the history of the beacons and arrows built in the 1920’s here.

Oh, yeah, and there is a geocache there but me in my stupidity, forgot to look up the coordinates and hints.  I don’t know if I want to return anytime soon to find it though.

Love,

Fae

About today…

I’m heading off to a funeral in a little bit, so my post will appear tomorrow.

“I’ll be back!”

 

love,

Fae

Well, it was the first of the year and all

You know how at the beginning of the new year, everyone makes resolutions, if not out loud, but perhaps to their inner self?  I did that this year with a little goading from some people here.

In January, Fannie and Farie invited me to come to their hometown and run in one of those 5K fun runs where the spectators throw colored dye on the runners?  You end up looking like something from the early Laugh In show, all tie-dyed with a multitude of colors dripping from you.

I seriously have never once considered running one of those things, because?  Well, dripping powered dye on top of sweaty runners?  Yech.  Not my idea of a summer afternoon visiting with friends, no?  But, as you know, friends can be persuasive and I signed up for it.

I knew that any training for this would be by myself alone and so the running app on my phone was being used.  Again.  ‘Couch to 5K’ in 9 weeks coaches a person to start with three runs per week and advancing in distance each week until at the end of that eight week, you are running a very comfortable 3 miles.  Or to be quite European about it, 5K.  It doesn’t matter to me if you call it 3 miles or 5 kilometers…that’s quite a distance for a non-runner such as myself.

In addition to this madness, I let Mr. Fae talk me back into doing CrossFit again as well.  I lapsed during last spring and summer with back issues and frankly, didn’t want to hurt myself again.  There is absolutely no logic in my thinking because if I strengthened my back with exercise, I wouldn’t have the back problems.  So, he started my conditioning…again.  My schedule was to Crossfit 4 days a week with running 3 times a week.  It sounds like a lot but I only double up on one day a week with the two workouts.  And my crossfit workout on my double up day isn’t anything but a mobility time with just stretching (also good for my back).

But last week, week 6 of running, I noticed that my heels and achiles were killing me during my running.  Off to buy new running shoes and a visit to my chiropractor fixed that up in no time.   But then?  My lower discs in my back started singing a song of ‘you better watch out’……

Off again to the chiropractor, no running, and absolutely no compression exercises in crossfit.  So, for the last week, my exercise has almost come to a standstill.  I’m hoping to gear it up again starting today.

And with all this sweat and time put into my training, what has happened?  Well, according to Mr. Fae, there is some definition where cellulite used to take up space.  My arm strength has improved so much with the pull ups and push ups I’ve been doing that, I’m very close to achieving what is called a butterfly pull up…however, before you start clapping away madly (and I know you want to) is that my pull ups are also achieved by using a thick green band that I stand on.  It’s like a rubber band on steroids and it helps me get my chin above the bar.  So, no, I can’t do several pull ups without the band but it is my goal to do so.

And one of the nicest things to happen in these 6 weeks of insanity, is that my scale now shows a weight that I haven’t seen since before my children were born.

Yesterday, the announcement for the 2014 Crossfit Games movements for week one appeared.  Two members of my family will be competing to be invited (oh, good Lord, what are you thinking?  I am NOT one of those members!)  But we are all excited about this time period.  At the end of each of the six weeks, people will be able to see how they rank over all IN THE WORLD with their fellow Crossfitters.

Game on….

Love,

Fae

 

Matt Damon!

I just came across a picture of Matt Damon on Facebook, and I just started smiling.  You see, Matt Damon makes me happy.

Even Biff agrees with my love of Matt Damon! He is our favorite actor, hands down.  If he is in the movie, we will watch it.  Don’t get me wrong: Biff prefers movies with Kat Dennings or Zoe Deschanel, but he loves Matt, just like I do.

Matt (yes, we are on a first name basis) was even in Boise on the day that my sister got married!  The first Bourne Identity premiered in Boise on the same day, and during the reception, which was around the corner from the movie theater, some of the guests went over and met him.  I missed out on this, but I wish I hadn’t because I was looking GOOOOOOOOD that day.

But here is the story I want to share with you today.  A few years back, my friends and I were playing Taboo.  We had two teams: girls and boys.  The boys, of course, thought they for sure had the game in the bag, because, I don’t know, they are dudes? However, Taboo is a game of communication, and what do girls excel at? That’s right.

So, it is our turn. If you don’t know how to play Taboo, here is the gist: there is a timer, a person who tells clues about a word without saying the “taboo” words listed on the card, and people who guess the answer.  The group with the most correct guessed answers wins. So, a friend is giving us clues.

Friend: OK, he’s really hot.

Me:  MATT DAMON!

Friend: Yes! (She flips over the card and goes onto the next.)

Boys:  NOOOOO!  Come on!  That’s not fair!

So, you see, Matt Damon makes me smile every single time I see him, because he reminds me of that day.