Mary had a little lamb

NO -- I didn't have that particular little lamb. I was too busy eating to take pictures.

Lamb Chops with Braised Root Vegetables, Colcannon, and Irish Soda Bread

Lamp Chops

This was, by far, the most difficult part of the process.

Go to Trader Joe's -- buy lamb chops - follow directions. WHEW I'm worn out just thinking about it.

Braised Root Vegetables

2 tablespoons butter
1 pound packaged baby carrots
1 rutabaga, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

Heat a skillet with a cover over medium to medium high heat. Add butter, carrots, rutabaga and onion. Cook veggies 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add broth or stock, bring to a simmer, and reduce heat and cover. Cook vegetables 15 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from heat and set aside.

Colcannon

2 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 slices bacon
1/2 small head cabbage, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted

Put potatoes in saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Cook bacon in skillet over medium-high heat. Drain, reserve drippings, crumble and set aside. In drippings, sauté cabbage and onion until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
Drain potatoes; mash with milk. Add salt, pepper, bacon, cabbage and onions. Transfer to serving bowl. Serve with butter.

Irish Soda Bread

On the south side of Chicago, near 63rd and Cicero is a GREAT Bakery called Winston's. They make GREAT Irish Soda Bread. It's about a 45 minute drive from my house (each way).

Across the parking lot from Trader Joe's in Naperville, is a place called Great Harvest Bread Company. They make a REALLY REALLY REALLY good Irish Soda Bread. It's a 6 minute drive from my house.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

(P.S. to Crem -- Colcannon at Chez Van MUCH better than Colcannon at Ballydoyle)

'Tis herself

In case anyone had any doubt, I now have scientific proof. (It MUST be true, I read it on the Internet)

You Are Guinness

You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world.Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them.When you drink, you tend to become a bit of a know it all - especially about subjects you don't know well.But your friends tolerate your drunken ways, because you introduce them to the best beers around.

What's" Your Beer Personality?

Lovely Day for a Guinness.

Yep - that's me alright.

You are 79% Burned Out

You Are 79% Burned Out

You are very burned out.You need a huge break from your responsibilities, starting as soon as possible.And you need this time to reevaluate what you really want out of your life.Because you're working hard and going no where... and that would burn anyone out!

Are You Burned Out?

YIPPIE!!!!

A while back, Chip and I were sitting, and I was reading parts of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to him. It was rather disconcerting on MY part as he'd have me read bits, and then I'd get tired of reading and then he'd read on ahead and then a night or two later I'd be reading from further ahead.

During this time, I remember reading the "flight to freedom" scene of the Weasley Twins. For those that have read the books, it's where Fred and George decide they've had enough formal education, and leave Hogwarts (in a rather, ummm, distinctive, fashion).

Chip and I were rolling while I was reading that, I don't know whether I had forgotten how funny it was, or if it was more amusing while being read aloud. One thing I remember us talking about at the time was how we hoped that that particular scene would be included in the movie.

So today I was poking around and discovered .....

Bye Bye Fred, Bye Bye George, don't forget to write.

121 days. I think he plans that I'll be taking about 1/2 the 4th going on 5th grade boys to the midnight movie. Uncle Crem are you joining us this time I remember how much you enjoyed it last time (especially the next day).

Riddle me this

Why on EARTH did someone pay money for a van, and hire people to do this???

I mean I know of a few hundred people that would be more than happy to trade the beginning product for the end result.

THIS is MY life. If you've EVER ridden in my van, read this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEFE3B0Rje0

Make Mine Chocolate

If you look at the front page of my blog, you might notice some bunnies in the upper right hand corner. I meant to write more about this.

THIS is a good example of an Easter Bunny


THIS is another good example of an Easter Bunny

Personally, I prefer choice #2, as choice #1 will likely be eaten by the dog, and choice #2 will likely be eaten by Rambling-mom.

THIS is a house pet. It could live for up to 10 years. As a former child (some people would disagree with the use of the word "former") and as I mom, I can assure you that no matter how much the kids tell you "please, we promise we'll take care of it," they won't. Three weeks before Easter, ask the owner at any pet store where they $ell rabbit$ what they think of giving someone baby bunnie$ for Ea$ter and they will $ing the joy$ of rabbit owner$hip. (And actually, if you check out the House Rabbit Society website you can find some wonderful things about owning a rabbit). Three - Four months AFTER Easter, ask the rescue workers at any animal shelter or Rabbit Rescue society what they think about live Easter Rabbits and they'll tell you a different story. They'll tell a story of abandonment and neglect.

Now I'm not saying don't go out and get a rabbit. I'm just saying think about it, are you in it for 10 weeks???? Or 10 YEARS. ME, I'm in it for 10 minutes -- make mine chocolate.

OH -- and since Crem doesn't much like chocolate, and has no use for rabbits as pets, and since his dog Fuzz(forbrains) would destroy a stuffed rabbit in less than 5 minutes I've included a picture of an Easter Bunny just for him.

All you need is love

Okay friends, we're going to get together here to help out another friend of mine. I want to have the combined intelligence of all my readers help out with this one.

My handsome and talented friend Crem has gotten himself involved in a project put on by our young friend, KayLee. KayLee has actually written (rewritten more accurately) a production that will have its world debut on Easter at a family gathering. (It will actually be the first and last showing). At Thanksgiving we did our first production, which involved KayLee, Chip, DNiece#4, DNephew#1, Princess, and yours truly (the only adult in the production). In her second production Crem got a role (mind you, he didn't audition). Crem was very excited to get this role drafted and the other day he was wondering WHY he allowed himself to be drafted.

My immediate answer was "because you love KayLee." (I mean really why else would someone allow themselves to get suckeredvolunteered.) Crem often has the honor of being abusedpaid attention to by the kids at family gatherings.

Now, I don't know what the deal is with Crem -- I'd say he's a sociopath but that's MY gig -- at any rate he claims he's very confused about the entire definition/emotion of love.

Of course, me being the great friendsmart ass that I am, I pointed out that I've HEARD him tell his dog Fuzz(for brains) that he loves him. Crem points out that it's different with dogs. Ain't that the truth. Dogs carry a lot less emotional baggage.

Then I point out that love is a verb. I believe this quote has been attributed to Stephen Covey -- but I believe it's older than that.

Anyway being older and wiser than Crem I point out that actions speak louder than words, and his actions show that he has human relationships pretty well down. All the kids adore him (in my book any human that is adored by children and dogs is "good people" way deep down -- children and/or dogs don't love you -- well then you're suspect in my book too). And when a friend needs something he's there if he can be (but not to the point of letting himself be taken advantage of.)

I believe a concern of his might be if he actually lets ON to people that he really cares about them then they might take advantage of him.

YEAH HONEY -- like that's stopped any of us to date!!!

This weekend was not the first time we've discussed this issue, and I am MORE THAN happy to discuss this at length anytime (especially if there's a Guinness in front of me).

But I was wondering if my dear readers might have any insight about love. Don't limit this to romantic love -- friends, siblings, parent/child, other adult/child, who/whatever.

Interestingly enough, back in January on Scott Adams Dilbert Blog, Scott did a Romance Survey and asked his readers about the most romantic thing they've done. His comments on the survey are here where he noted that most people found the doing of household chores romantic. Scott, your readers are brilliant people.

All you need is love

All you need is love

All you need is love, love

Love is all you need

(Okay -- so all you need is love and someone to fold the laundry).

40 years of Loving.

I was reading this article in the Chicago Tribune.

Due to copyrights (and length) I won't put in the entire article but I'll toss in some high points. A couple (Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter) got married. Moved back home to Virginia and got arrested. Why??? Well, white men and black women don't get married -- at least according to the Virginia laws at the time. In June of 1967 the Supreme Court ruled on Loving vs. Virginia which overturned rules against interracial marriage.

A cultural taboo fades

Since then, there has been an almost fourfold increase in interracial marriages, according to a report released last week by the Council on Contemporary Families, though such unions still make up only 7.5 percent of all married couples.

Hey -- on my little teeny court of 14 houses in suburbia, there are 3 interracial marriages. (HORRORS -- what ARE we teaching the children??) Of those marriages, there are 9 (count em) 9 half breeds. What *IS* the world coming to?

In 1972, 39 percent of Americans still favored laws banning them. Thirty years later, that figure had shrunk to 10 percent--and even less among young people, according to the report by the council, a non-profit organization based in Chicago.

But in 1967--13 years after Brown vs. Board of Education declared school segregation unconstitutional--interracial marriage was still taboo nationwide and illegal in 27 states. It was in that hostile climate that the Loving case started in rural Caroline County, Va. Mildred Jeter, 18 and black, fell in love with Richard Loving, 24, a white man whom she had known all her life.

"Almighty God created the races, white, black and yellow ... and placed them on separate continents, and but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages," Bazile said from the bench.

Umm -- first I totally disagree with the statement, but I'm trying to figure out where that judgement fits with "separation of church and state"???

That same year, the once scandalous debate was prompting discussion everywhere. "Star Trek" aired the first interracial kiss on national TV. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" hit movie theaters, reminding Americans that it was still considered courageous to wed across color lines--even with a groom as elegant as Sidney Poitier.

And when the daughter of Secretary of State Dean Rusk married a black man in 1967, the private decision was considered so politically risky that Time magazine gave it cover treatment.

Politicians daughter??? Marrying the "wrong person"?????

A more diverse country has created more opportunities to meet a melting pot of potential mates, experts say.

Is the country more diverse now than it was in 1967???

Additionally, as couples delay marriage, parents have less influence over the choice of their children's spouses.

Yeah -- my Mother-in-law was sooooooooooo thrilled when Spouse brought me home.

When [Brian Powell] interviewed 1,500 Americans on gay marriage, opponents sounded "eerily similar" to those who once justified laws that banned race mixing, he said.

Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune

Sometimes I look at our country, and our world, and think that there are a lot of backwards notions and closed minded people. On a lot of issues we've come a long way. On many issues we still have a long way to go. But, I wouldn't necessarily give up hope.

From the text for the Loving Decision ...

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival. To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discriminations. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State.

And, for today I'll leave you with a quote from on of my favorite philosophers. Fellow by the name of Keith Koebel, a former pastor of mine. From a private conversation circa 1987

I'm only closed-minded about closed-minded people.
Ain't it the truth Keith, ain't it the truth.