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I promised Margo that I’d post the recipe for my Albondigas Soup.

It’s one of the very few recipes that survived my mother’s cooking. (She’s improved greatly, for the record.) The recipe was handed down by my aunt, I believe and is best with fresh tortillas, but store bought will do.

Albondigas Soup
(Mexican Meatball)

2lbs ground beef
2 bunches green onions
2 cans chopped green chilies
2 cans diced tomatoes (sub fresh if possible)
3 qts water
4 (or more) cloves of garlic, minced
1 bunch cilantro (divided)
3 cans beef broth (or equivalent amount beef base + water)*
1 egg
1/2 cup rice
Tabasco, salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot place 3qts cold water, at least 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 can green chilies, a good amount of ground pepper, a small amount of Tabasco, and the bulbs of the green onions, minced finely. Add the broth and bring to a boil. (I don’t salt the broth until just prior to serving as it’s very easy to oversalt this soup, particularly if canned broth and tomatoes are used.)

Seperately mix the 2lbs ground beef, 1 can green chilies, 1 bunch green onions, 1/2 bunch cilantro, 2 cloves minced garlic, egg, & salt/pepper and Tabasco. Roll into small meatballs. The flavor can be checked by dropping into the broth. When the meatball floats, it is done. Over the years I’ve learned to bake the meatballs until just done on a broiling pan and then let them drain on paper towels. This lets me eliminate the obnoxious step of defatting the broth. Add the meatballs to the soup. The longer they simmer, the better the flavor.

I add one can of tomatoes with the meatballs and some of the remaining cilantro, reserving the last for just prior to serving. With the broth at a boil add the 1/2 cup rice. When the rice is tender, add the second bunch of green onions, the second can of tomatoes, and the last of the cilantro.

It’s a colorful, flavorful soup best enjoyed with soft flour tortillas. Well, that and margaritas.

Enjoy.

*I use Better than Bouillion as it is lower in salt and does not contain MSG.

FYI According to my research*, Southern Home (Bi-Lo’s offbrand) raisins are far better than either Dole or Sunmaid’s.

Why? They are much plumper and not shriveled little nubs of crystalized sugar.

Carry on.

*That means buying whatever was on sale.

I have avoided talking about this, because I know it has been discussed to death. However, I was finally able to pin down why I am not a fan. Ivy was having far too much fun calling me on my hypocrisy. I am a Libertarian and do not believe in a nanny state. However I have misgivings about Plan B.

The concept of Plan B is fine with me, I get it. It is supposed to be safe, effective back-up birth control.

I have endometriosis; consequently over the years I have been on hormones of many kinds and done who knows what kinds of damage to my body trying to fix the problem, so this is a sore spot for me. Progesterone only birth control pills are only available via prescription. Mostly, it is to force women to have their yearly pap smears, but it is also to screen against certain health conditions. Birth control pills are not safe for everyone. Birth control pills are also about 95-97% effective.

Plan B® should be taken within 3 days (72 hours) of unprotected sex and can reduce the risk of pregnancy by 89%. But the sooner you take it the more effective it will be.

Condoms are 98% effective when used properly and help prevent STDs. I will not be surprised if there is a bump (notice I did not say spike) in the rate of STD transmission over the next few years. Perhaps it is a good thing the HPV vaccine is also being released. I have this nagging doubt that there are plenty of idiots out there who will not understand that Plan B is for when the condom breaks, not because it is Valentine’s Day and Cindy-Lou wants to make it extra “special.”

I do not see Plan B as the panacea some do. Ivy called me on my hypocrisy and I have been trying to figure out how to come to terms with it. If the warning labels are clear, I will try to quit worrying about women causing harm to their bodies by misusing this option. After all, I have never been on a soapbox about smoking or drinking, so why should I worry about this?

Lastly, I guess the woman of WaPo editorial fame will not be able to blame Bush for her next abortion. Maybe some good has been done.

So, I got bored and decided to redecorate.

I added a couple of new links and toys, including Haloscan. (Thanks for the help, Chip. If you have a moment, say hi to Connie. She hails from Minnesota, but she’s as misplaced as I used to be, bless her heart.

If anyone had been wondering why my posting had suddenly become erratic, we can blame the rugrats. Someone told them it was alright to wake up at 5:45 and 6:00am. This seriously cut into my alone time and I have not been happy about it. Seriously not cool.

Also, I ended up taking Aidan to the doctor because he just didn’t get over that stomach bug. Well, it wasn’t a virus. It was a parasite he probably picked up at the waterpark and was kind enough to share with the entire family. We are all bug free now and safe to socialize with.

It is now raining more heavily than we saw all day on Thursday, with no hoopla.

I think a nap is in order.

I fixed myself a PB&J and proceeded to cut it into small pieces.

I tried to post this yesterday, but Blogger was being tempermental.

It is funny how no matter how hard I fight it, life seems to get so hectic. My father came in on Thursday, the AC went out on Friday, my stepdaughter left on Saturday, and my father left on Monday.

Mark will be one on Sunday. Aidan will three in two weeks.

I have been out of the work force for over three years now. I find that strange, but I cannot imagine it any other way. I was planning on having the baby and returning to work immediately. October first was my due date. July first I went into the hospital because I was contracting and things changed. I thought I was just going to get a shot of Terbutaline and everything would be fine. The nurse checked me, while chatting away, and her face fell. That moment was life altering for me.

The next thing I knew I was hooked up to IVs and magnesium sulfate was poured into my system. A little at first, then a little more and a little more. The contractions eased and there was a sense of relief. Well for everyone else. Tim went to work that morning and the waiting began. I saw St. Paul’s firework display as colored shadows on my window. The mag sulfate made concentrating difficult and time slowed to a crawl.

A woman I know went into the hospital the very same night. We had the same due date. We also had very different outcomes. In September, I had a healthy baby boy. She had a baby girl that night; a year of hospitalizations, surgeries, procedures, and heartbreak. She has only memories. I have a healthy, headstrong little man. There are times when I forget how lucky we are. Thinking of Calla reminds me.

I just realized that you can tweak the search engines in Firefox’s toolbar! I used to keep a tab open for Webster, but now it has been added to my toolbar.

Sweet.

I think this blog is going to find a new home. I just have to make a decision as to where.

I have mentioned before that my husband is an electrician. I can only say that we all and most especially our budget, owe him so much for this weekend.

Late Friday night the air conditioning went out. He was able to quickly troubleshoot and identify the problem. Whoever installed our unit did a lousy job which was definitely not up to code. The house and unit are only five years old.

While Tim took Mikala to Myrtle Beach to meet her flight, my father and I shopped for a new motor. The gentleman at Brunson’s Appliance Parts was quite helpful, although we were staggered by the cost of a simple motor and capacitor.

Mikala’s flight was delayed three times for a total of 5 hours. Thanks Northwest! By the time Tim returned to the area, it was over ninety in the house. Thankfully, installation didn’t take long.

I cannot imagine the cost had we been forced to call in an HVAC tech.

I think I’ll keep him.