Wednesday, May 03, 2017

The May bees have all gone south Hodgepodge


Wednesday again -- and time for the first Hodgepodge in May.  To join in, head over to From This Side of the Pond and get the questions from Joyce, then answer them on your own blog.

Guess I should quickly explain the title I gave my hodgepodge post.  When in conversation with my Great-Aunt Bessie, if there was too much "maybe this" or "maybe that" speculation, she would invariably interject, "The May bees have all gone south."  That phrase just jumped, or maybe I should say buzzed, its way into my mind as I looked over the questions Joyce is posing this week.  She begins:

1. Can you tell I'm embracing a Cinco de Mayo theme here this week? Do you like Mexican food? What's your favorite dish? How about on the side-black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, rice? What about heat-mild, medium, hot? Will you celebrate with Mexican food and drink on May 5th aka Cinco de Mayo?

We love Mexican food.  I would be hard-pressed to choose a favorite dish, but one of the favorite ones that I make is this Chicken Chili Lasagna
Photo from Taste of Home
which is not a lasagna at all but just a wonderful layered chicken, sauce, and tortilla dish.  On the side, I like this Southwestern Rice Bake.

Or, if there's not time to make that, then a purchased yellow rice mix (the one below is my favorite)

works well.  And with any Mexican meal I love to serve this Fruit and Nut Tossed Salad

Photo from Taste of Home
which to me is just perfect with the spicy flavors.

As for level of heat, I like my salsa no hotter than medium.  And as to whether I will serve Mexican food on May 5, I really have no idea.  I haven't planned my meals yet.  It's possible, I guess, but this isn't a holiday I usually celebrate.

2. Ever been to Mexico? For work or holiday? Love it or no? If you haven't been is this a place you'd like to visit? Can you speak Spanish?

Haven't been there, never learned Spanish, although like most people I can recognize a few words and phrases.  I think I would probably enjoy visiting Mexico, but it's not on my bucket list or anything.

3. What's one thing you may accomplish this month?

Finally getting our trip to Nevada planned, finalizing dates and getting airline tickets.  I said I may accomplish this.

4. If you were mayor of your village, city, or town, what's one thing you'd like to see changed, done away with, revamped, or accomplished? Is serving in public office something you've ever seriously considered?

We don't have a mayor.  Cities, even small ones, here in New Hampshire, have mayors, but towns have selectmen: usually a board of three men and/or women.  If I had the power (which I wouldn't necessarily have even as a selectperson), I would do away with that stupid roundabout at one end of town.  Nope, never seriously considered running for/serving in public office.

5. What's something that may be popular, but that you just don't get?
Image from Pinterest
That men's hairstyle that looks like a combination of Dracula and a kewpie doll. Tintin's style (from 1929, I think) isn't exactly like it, but close enough for my purposes.

6. Can't let this week slip by without mentioning Thursday May 4th is Star Wars Day. As in 'May the 4th be with you' ahem. Are you a fan of the Star Wars series? Exactly how much of a fan are you? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being 'I've seen every film, own the action figures, might have dressed as Darth Vader for Halloween one year', and 1 being, 'what's a Vader?' -where do you land?

I guess I would give myself around a 3.  I'm not really what one would call a fan, although I've seen some of the films,  am aware of the general story line and could recognize a number of the characters.  I have grandkids who love Star Wars, as evidenced by an answering machine message at their home very like this one:

"Reached the Smiths you have.  Come to the phone we cannot.  Leave a message you will."

7. Scroll back through your blog posts and in three sentences or less tell us the general theme of your fourth blog post. Does it still ring true today? Is it a topic you re-visit on your blog from time to time?

The general theme of my fourth blog post, written in August 2005, can be summed up by its title: Saving money in the kitchen, and other thoughts.
 Yes, it still rings true today and I still use all of the recipes in it.  And it is definitely a topic I revisit on my blog from time to time.  Check out the "frugality" label in the label cloud to see how often.

8.  Insert your own random thought here. 

Question 7 prompted me to look at the general theme of my fourth post on my Christmas blog.  It is: The story of my Christmas hutch, which tells how we acquired our hutch.

It still rings true today, of course, and I often revisit the general topic as I decorate the hutch for the seasons.

And that wraps it up for this week's Hodgepodge.  Happy Wednesday, everyone!

22 comments:

  1. Isn't it amazing how Mexican food is so popular even way up here in the Northeast? I had never had Mexican food until I lived in AZ. Now we can get some great food out, but also make our own Mexican recipes at home. I love it! How fun that your themes have not changed in the years you have been blogging. You are a consistent blogger!

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    1. It is amazing, isn't it, Vee? I remember the first time I tasted authentic Mexican food was in the mid-1970s on a visit to Colorado. We seldom eat Mexican food out, but we do like making and eating it at home. Yummy.

      When I saw Joyce's question about the fourth blog post, I had no idea what I would find. I found it very interesting that this has indeed been a theme I've referred to frequently over the years.

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  2. You have a lot of great recipes on this post and your fourth one. The variety of mixes certainly would save a lot of money. It was interesting to read how your local government is set up. That's quite different than what we have here in Minnesota. Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Hope you enjoy the recipes if you try them, Ann. They are all tried and true, I can say that much.

      I'm not sure how many New England states have the selectboard type of town government. I think maybe Vermont does, but am not sure at all about that.

      Thanks for visiting, and you have a great week as well!

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  3. Yes, those are definitely Star Wars fans with an answering machine message like that! Loved your Mexican menu - everything looked delicious.

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    1. Mm-mmm, and it is delicious. Made myself hungry posting that one, even though I just made the chicken dish and the fruit salad a few weeks ago for my daughter's birthday. Hope you enjoy the recipes if you try them.

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  4. I love Mexican food and we have several great places here in Decatur. The Salcido family owns three of them and their food cannot be beat!!

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    1. You're making me hungry, Arlene. I hope we can get to visit your area someday!

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  5. That Chicken Chili Lasagna looks amazing! I've never tried yellow rice, but I will now!

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    1. I hope you enjoy the chicken dish if you try it, April! Our daughter and son-in-law introduced us to the Vigo yellow rice. It is very good. Thanks for your visit!

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  6. I don't think I've seen that men's hairstyle. Now I'm really curious! LOL Our grandkids are way into Star Wars too. It's kinda fun to see another generation all loving Star Wars, although one movie was really enough for me. :-) I used to use the Vigo yellow rice. I LOVE rice, almost any kind of rice, but unfortunately the Vigo gave me a headache. I loved that stuff! It's great with meatballs too.

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    1. I can't make myself do a search of that hairstyle to show you a photo. But I'd say that maybe Tintin comes as close to picturing it as I can get. So I'm going to add in a picture of him. I think the "Dracula" part comes into my description because a couple of guys I've seen sporting this style have a widow's peak.

      I stopped using the Vigo rice too, but it does have great flavor. I imagine it may contain MSG?

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  7. That Mexican style baked rice dish looks good, and I will definitely be trying. We tend to go out for Mexican, although I do make my mamas enchiladas on occasion. They are labor intensive, but worth it : ) Have a great day!

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    1. Oh, I hope you enjoy the rice dish, Joyce. We like it!

      Yes, enchiladas are a lot of work. This chicken dish has a similar taste to enchiladas, but much easier to prepare.

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  8. I enjoyed reading your answers! So you've been through Fancy Gap?! It is actually on our direct route when we go home to OH or to visit our son in TN so we still get to see this lovely area quite often. You know, there are many things popular now that I don't quite get...never thought about that rather silly haircut...lol! It looks a bit retro if you ask me...remember those dos of the 50s and 60s? We are definitely a culture that like to jump on board a new fad, aren't we?

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    1. Yes, we've passed through Fancy Gap quite a few times in the past, especially when our daughter and son-in-law lived in SC. Now they live in NV so most of our trips are in a Western direction and by air or rail.

      You are so right that our culture (and not just in the US) likes to jump on board a new fad. I get tired of seeing it happen, but that's just how it is. There are lots of things that I don't get -- some of them, like tattoos, were mentioned by other Hodgepodgers. Piercings, especially facial ones, are inexplicable to me, yet people think they are really cool.

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  9. My grandkids all love star wars too which is probably why I still have any interest at all now that I think about it, lol. And I agree with the others...that rice dish sounds wonderful and definitely caught my eye. I have a chicken tortilla soup I make, but other then that I don't make many Mexican dishes myself as they are kind of a lot of work, lol. I love the idea of seasonally decorating your hutch! Enjoy the rest of your week!

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    1. Always nice to see you here, Debbie! Hope you enjoy the rice dish if you try it; it's quite easy.

      Have a wonderful weekend!

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  10. Haha! Love your answer to #5. That answering machine message is fabulous! I enjoyed reading your hodgepodge!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Ellen! I'm glad you enjoyed your visit!

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  11. njoyed your answers today! Have a great evening! That hairstyle is a RIOT!

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    1. Isn't it? And yet every guy I've seen sporting this style looks exceedingly pleased with himself. Whatever!

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