S**t Kickers

Yeah, I want a pair. In their own way, I think they're fabulous.






Who can resist these? Seriously, It's a wonder every teen in America isn't running around in cowboy boots! Or maybe they are and I've just never seen them. I do live in flip to da flop land.

At any rate, I went online to see if I could wrangle myself up a pair.

And I found THE CUTEST boots ever.

Robert Cavalli. I'm in love. Will you look, just look at that stitching? And what's that design? Are they Autumn looking vines? I don't know but I love 'em. You can do practically anything in 'em! Shoot, if I had that pair, I could've nailed the junk audition I did for the George Clooney movie. With these boots, I know I would've had the courage to actually talk to George Clooney when he sat one table from me on set. I would've walked up to his picnic table and said, "Hey . . . can I take that dirty plate for you?" (if only I had these boots).

Instead what did I do? I stared, ogled, drooled while he was telling a funny story to the producers. And I knew it was a funny story because he was so demonstrative while telling it and the producers laughed. Like really laughed! And oh, how I wished I was a producer! And with these boots, I bet I could've been.

Yeah, I told Tevita about George Clooney and seeing him UP CLOSE. I told him how embarrassed I was when he caught me staring at him. So embarrassed that I looked down immediately and never looked up again until the shoot was over. 7 HOURS LATER. Tevita listened with interest and the next day, he was all, "Mornin', sweetie, you over George yet?" ha!


Needless to say, I was so excited to get me a pair and guess what?

THEY COST $1200.00!!

Dude, George, you're gonna have to wait a little longer for me to clean off a table you eat at because these bad mamma jammas are close to the bottom of the list of things I could do with that money. Right below laser hair removal and just above implants. . . . and yes, this is a family type blog and that word right there just bumped this post up to PG-13. But talk of cowboy boots and George Clooney could've easily gone a different direction so be grateful I kept it clean and didn't also add in the sub-plot of the pot selling former pro wrestler on that set who looked for any reason to talk to me. . . . Oh, how I wish I had those boots!

Homeless Man Under Pressure.mov

I posted this video on my Facebook page awhile ago. But 'tis the Season to think of those less fortunate, so I'm posting here too.

This man is not homeless, but doing this performance to raise awareness.

I love this song and for some reason, this video has a powerful impact on me every time I watch it.

Go Big Red!

I forgot for a minute how to post a photo on my blog. This logo took a couple of minutes for me!

It's been that long.

And I can't believe I even picked up a subscriber since I last posted!

Anyway, life's been handing us a couple of fun adventures lately and since I no longer watch TV, I thought I'd sit down and share.

Ok, I did watch The Next Iron Chef. And then I regretted it. MING TSAI WAS VOTED OFF!!
Look at that face! WHO DOES THAT? It was a bit of a heartbreak.

Speaking of heartbreak, a really doozey happened for us last week.

And I'm giving you fair warning. If you don't like high school football or if you think it's for small town folks with small town minds. If you are one of those who roll their eyes when a community comes together for the big game or when a sophomore becomes a local hero for running 3 touchdowns in by half time, THEN PLEASE DO NOT READ ON!!

A couple of months ago, our hometeacher invited us to go to a Kahuku football game. Now, I have a history with sports. I take them seriously and some might say too seriously. I don't shave my head (or my lawn), I don't wave the foam finger or body paint my face. I don't even wear team jerseys. But I have been known to pull a Charlie's Angels stunt or two at the TD Garden in Boston to get a glimpse of Karl Malone and Jon Stockton. Also, I once threw a plastic lei in the car window of Bryan Russell and thought myself quite the bad mamma jamma for doing so . . . And if you don't know who Bryon Russell is, then you don't know me.

Needless to say, I do get really really really into the game, the players, the calls, the fouls, the fumbles, the interceptions, etc. (I'm mixing sports here, I know).


So basically, I avoid sports. Too emotional, too stressful, too draining.

But first Kahuku Football game and we both were hooked. I kinda never want to move from Laie now just so I don't miss out on seeing the Red Raiders play.

Anyway, you all probably know what happened this season.

We were undefeated. To the point of using the mercy rule with many teams (when one team is so far ahead of the other one, the winning team begin to play their reserves so that the losing team does not get humiliated by the point stretch. Hence, the mercy rule).

And then two days before the OIA finals, which we would've won, probably using the mercy rule then too, the principal got an anonymous phone call saying that one of the players was a fifth year senior.

Turned out that a third string player was in the 9th grade for 2 weeks before they realized that he was held back and so he was sent back to the 8th grade. This apparently made him a fifth year senior. Make sense? I THOUGHT NOT!

Anyhoo, all the politics of the association forced Kahuku High to forfeit their #1 standing in the league and forfeit the finals to the team they were going to play. (read: don't be a hater cuz u ain't a red raider!).

Honestly, my heart is breaking even as I'm writing this.

So six members of the team are in our ward and Tevita spends every Sunday with them in Young Men. He was completely heartbroken as well.

Anyway, the day we found out, the community mobilized. Ti and I had to be with the our friends, Ti wanted to see his boys in our ward, and I just wanted to show my support.

Uh, yeah. We got a tad bit excited.

There's Ti! He said he hadn't been a part of a demonstration since Utah was going to pass an English Only law! YEARS AGO! I think protesting suits him. ha!

Anyway, Ti went on to take photos with all the team members in our ward. And also, with some family. How cute are Sia's daughters?!!

Below are some of the Mothers of the team players. I'm not posting photos of the players themselves because it's sad to see them struggle. You can tell there's a real sadness in their eyes and I don't know if they or their families would want me to post the pics.
But don't you love Ti with the Moms? he!

Anyway, they went to court to appeal the OIA decision and they lost. Kahuku is officially out this year. They have to forfeit all the games the "5th year" senior played in and this will effect their standing in the OIA. It's a total injustice to these boys.

Yet, this is kind of the kicker for me. The part where I say, "Huh. I think our future is in good hands." and "Wow. Wow. Wow. They had that in them? Wow."

Those same players who were at the rally with their jerseys, those same players who conditioned even before practices and also after practice, those same players who were total gentlemen on the field (eg. the local hero sophomore has been seen on camera helping a member of the opposing team straighten his shoulder pad or giving the football respectfully to the ref after he made a touchdown).

These same players made it to the Temple dedication practice the next morning. Early morning.

Also, the local newspaper wrote that these boys had great character and then went on to quote them:

“This was suppose to be our year, but its OK, shake it off, smile.…This is going to inspire the next generation of Red Raiders,” said Tyrone Brown, Kahuku football player.

“We just believe its part of life. We just have to take from this experience and learn from it,” said Kahuku football player, Dallin Muti. (Dallin is one of the best blockers the Red Raiders has seen in a long time. He's going pro in about 4 years. I know it).

Kind of amazing, isn't it?

Oh, and in case you're wondering. YES, we were one of those wards who talked about it during testimony meeting yesterday. In fact, I believe it was the awesome Bishop in red you see above that spoke of the team, their hard work, this trial, their dignity throughout the process, and how inspired he was by them over these last weeks.


And since I can't think of a proper way to end this post, I think I'll say simply in all the many layers of these boys that I've had the privilege to see this past week:

GO BIG RED!

Drummer Man Cookie Jar

Eggplant

K, Tevita does not enjoy the incredible edible egg(plant). Heaven knows he's tried. But it's just not for him and heaven also knows that he's had to make adjustments to his taste buds since marrying me. . . let's just say his wife loves garlic only second to her husband. So I don't fault him for setting a boundary, drawing a line if you will, in our menu. And it's not like he hates eggplant, he just prefers not to eat it if given a choice.

Anyway, eggplant was in abundance at the farmer's market so I bought it. And since Ti has his preferences, I basically ate it all by myself. Which I love because have you ever had roasted eggplant on crusty bread with olive oil and kalamata olives? Divine.

So basically, I roasted all the eggplant in batches.

That's the before photo up there, sliced eggplant with olive oil, salt, and minced garlic.

And below is the "after" picture! They come out with the skins on! It's an eggplant miracle.!

Yeah, obviously one batch is peeled and another is not. I like the skins on but wanted to try something different. It's a pain to peel Japanese eggplant and since I like the flavor, I leave the skins on.

I put all the batches of eggplant in a bowl for storing and made some pretty tasty dishes:

Flat bread with eggplant spread (heated and mushed roasted eggplant from above), feta, and tomato. Cook in 450 degree oven till the edges of the bread is brown. I added kalamata olives after I took the photo.

There's another photo. Just playing around with my camera. This was a really good dinner. I think I ate it with sliced apple.

Another night, I added that same eggplant mush to these:
Added more garlic and heated it all up in a pan! Then added the sauce to:
and Gah! I can't find the photo on the gobs of pictures on my camera. But basically, it's a yummy and very filling pasta (duh.), dish! And also the only one that Ti tried and enjoyed!

And look at this!
It seriously looks disgusting. Ew. It's a veggie and polenta bake. But it tastes WONDERFUL. So I'll end this post with this recipe and hopefully, somebody will dare to try it and take a more appetizing photo.

Veggie and Polenta Bake

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium eggplant, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1/2 cup water
1 10oz bag of baby spinach (a couple of handfuls)
1 1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 8x8in pan, polenta already cooked
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided (omit if dairy free)
pinch of hot pepper

Heat oil in non-stick skillet and add the next four ingredients. Stir till tender and beginning to brown. Add water and spinach; cover and cook till wilted, stirring just once. Stir marinara sauce and hot pepper into the vegetables and heat through (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Sprinkle polenta with 3/4 cup cheese, top with veggie mixture, add remaining cheese.

Bake in 450 degree oven until bubbling and cheese has melted (about 15 minutes).

And enjoy!

Tuscan Bean Soup

This soup is delicious. I promise you, it'll knock your socks off. It's one of those dishes where you don't realize or you forget just how tasty it is until you take that first bite. I haven't made it in awhile and am going to make it tonight. This big pot lasts us about 3 or 4 days in my house. Crusty bread and sliced apples or crusty bread and a bowl of berries are excellent side dishes to this soup. And is it a soup?? I don't know about that. It "eats like a meal". And sorry for the 80's reference, I can't think of anything creative right now. My head is exploding with love for our Capitol, which is where Ti and I have been the last week. We're in love with Washington, D.C.

The recipe might seem daunting at first because of all the chopping. At least it did for me. But ultimately, it's a dump and cook recipe. See all those beans? With the red potato and the barley? I can't find the spinach in these photos but it's in there! . . . Come to think of it, maybe I forgot to add it in this batch but it's great with the spinach.

Tuscan Bean Soup

1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped, including some of the greens
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil ( I end up using triple that. Just keepin' it real).
1 tablespoon of flour (can omit if gluten-free)
1 tablespoon of rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary (I used dry and the teaspoon is overflowing)
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme (again, overflow)
1 large bay leaf
black pepper to taste
4-14.5 ounce cans organic chicken broth (I like the salt. You can use reduced salt and it will still be flavorful)
1 cup frozen baby lime beans, rinsed (not a science. I throw the whole frozen package in)
1 15oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can red beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup barley, uncooked (brown rice for gluten-free)
1 medium red potato cut into cubes (I used three)
2 sliced carrots
1 cup packed, slivered spinach leaves

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the oil 2 to 3 minutes; stir in the flour, herbs, garlic, and pepper, and saute until the onions are tender. Add the chicken broth, beans, and tomato paste to the saucepan; heat to boiling. Add the barley, potato, and carrots. Return to a low simmer, and cook for 25 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and fish out bay leaf!!

I hope hope hope somebody out there tries this and shares in the joy!!