Home of McIlhenny's

My favorite McIlhenny's Tabasco Sauce

is made on Avery Island in Louisiana. :-)

"Acadiana"

As we drove into Lafayette, I encounterd a word I had never heard before.

"Acadiana"

What did it mean?

"Acadiana is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large French speaking population. Of the 64 parishes that comprise Louisiana, 22 parishes, or about one-third of the total, make up Acadiana. In 1971 the Louisiana state legislature officially recognized 22 Louisiana parishes for their unique Cajun and Acadian (French Canadian) heritage and made Acadiana the official name of the region." ~ from Wikipedia

Vacation Fun

What happens when Daddy gets done early

with his work in Louisiana? ;-)

He takes you go-karting!

Fun! :-)

Have Knitting ~ Will Travel

I rarely leave home these days without a knitting project in hand.

During this week in Louisiana,

I am working on a poncho for a sweet family friend.

And, I'm trying a new yarn ~ Lion Brand Jiffy, in "grape". :-)

On the Banks of the Bayou Vermillion

We looked and looked and looked a bit more

for alligators in the Bayou Vermillion.

But, no luck.

All we found were some crocs. ;-)

Supper on the Bayou

I am very unfamiliar with Cajun food and reading the menu tonight was a bit like being in a foreign country to me. ;-) My daughter was our little cajun cuisine fan, loving her gumbo.

My son stuck to his Texas roots, though, and ordered a steak and a baked potato. ;-)

We tried rice dressing, Cajun fries and corn macque choux. I loved the corn - spicy and sweet in a little biscuit pie! Mr. H. enjoyed "shrimp stuffed with pepperjack cheese and tasso, wrapped with apple wood-smoked bacon...fried golden and set atop crawfish cardinal sauce". He's obviously on a health kick. ;-)

Cajun fine dining! ;-)

And, how fun - my family back in Texas went to Prejeans and watched us on the web cam! :-)

Late Afternoon Beauty in Louisiana

Headin' to Cajun Country

~ Casey Jones Bar B Que ~

a special place from Mr. H.'s childhood :-)

Location...Cut and Shoot, TX

Highway 105

east Texas piney woods

Welcome to Louisiana! :-)

The Lord of the Rings
The Return of the King

Baked Ratatouille Boats
(from Taste of Home's Heathly Cooking magazine)
8 servings

2 cups cubed eggplant
1 medium zucchini, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 medium green peppers
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese or part-skim mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 pieces
2 teaspoons minced fresh marjoram or 3/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
for topping
3 tablespoons panko (Japanese) bread crumbs (I used regular bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place eggplant and zucchini in a large bowl; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water; drain and pat dry. In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add eggplant mixture, tomatoes, pepper and remaining salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, cut green peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Place in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Place about 3 tablespoons eggplant mixture in each pepper half; top with a piece of cheese and sprinkle with marjoram. Top with tomato sauce and remaining eggplant mixture. Cover and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until peppers are tender. Combine the topping ingredients; sprinkle over peppers. Bake, uncovered, 3-5 minutes longer or until topping is golden brown. Enjoy!

Rainy Afternoon

For the past few days,

we've been enjoying the last hurrah

of wintry cold and wet weather.

Nothing is better when there's rain on the window pane

than a spirited game of monopoly! :-)

And, it's especially fun to use your little lego men

as your playing pieces. ;-)

Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal
6 servings

2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups oats
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine eggs, oil and brown sugar. Combine oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; add to egg mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Serve warm and enjoy!

Breakfast ~ the most important meal of the day! :-)

Show and Tell Friday

For Show and Tell Friday, hosted each week by Kelli, I would like to share the letters that my children brought home from the Space Exploration Day for Home School Students at the George Bush Library and Museum. While touring the library center they received a "personalized" ;-) letter from President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush answering a question that they chose to "ask" them. My son's was from President Bush and my daughter's was from the First Lady. I thought the letters were so nice.

Thank you for visiting the George Bush Presidential Library Center. We hope you enjoyed your day with us.

You ask, "Is there a quotation that best expresses your outlook on life?"

From an early age, I have enjoyed reading, and there are a number of favorite passages from the Bible and from writers such as Lincoln and Churchill that have given me great inspiration. but I think my favorite quotation is one I chose for the frontispiece of my autobiography, Looking Forward. The quotation is from Edward Everett Hale, Chaplain of the United States Senate and author of the book The Man Without a Country.

Look up, and not down;

Look out, and not in;

Look forward, not back;

And lend a hand.

That quotation captures the spirit of how I have tried to live my life, to be optimistic, to look for the best in people,and to do what I can to help others. Something of the same spirit led me to start the Points of Light initative when I was President, to encourage Americans to become involved in one on one voluntary efforts to improve our communities, to make community service central to their lives and work. I have often noted that any definition of a successful life must include serving others.

Again, thank you for spending time in our Library.

All the best,
George Bush

Thank you for visiting the George Bush Presidential Library Center. I hope you enjoyed every minute of your time here.

You asked which First Ladies I most admire. That's a hard question to answer, because I admire every woman who has accepted the great privilege, and responsibility, that comes along with that daunting title. But I will choose three: Pat Nixon, Lady Bird Johnson and Laura Bush.

Patricia Nixon was a woman of enormous grace and quiet, unshakable dignity. She was kind and considerate to everyone she met, an excellent mother, and a strongly devoted wife to her husband, through good times and bad. I will always remember her presence and her air of serenity. And most people don't know how much Pat Nixon did to make the White House a more beautiful, gracious place for visitors and residents alike. She is also responsible for the White House being lit at night, a beautiful sight for visitors.

Lady Bird Johnson was a wonderful, funny, generous woman who personified Texas hospitality. She had a buoyant sense of humor, and she too was a loving wife and mother. As First Lady, Lady Bird chose a cause that is very dear to my heart, the beautification of America, and I can never see flowers growing along a highway without thinking fondly of her.

Laura Bush is a strong and intelligent woman who I am proud to have as a daughter-in-law and First Lady. Her calmness and composure after September 11, 2001, brought comfort to the nation as it dealt with this great tragedy. As an advocate of literacy myself, I am happy that Laura chose reading as one of her major causes, in addition to women's health, and preserving our nation's cultural and natural heritage. She also has become a wonderful ambassador abroad for her husband and our country.

All First Ladies have brought something special to the role. For me, I know one thing for sure: I had the best job in America. Every single day was interesting, rewarding, and sometimes just plain fun.

Warmly,

Barbara Bush

Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder

Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder
6 servings

1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2 cans (14-3/4 ounces each) cream-style corn
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese
chopped cilantro

Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in the broth, soup, chicken and chilies until blended. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; stir in the corn, milk, chili powder and cumin. Heat through (do not boil). Sprinkle each serving with cheese and cilantro and enjoy!

Greek Chicken Penne

Greek Chicken Penne
6 servings

2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 small onion, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1 cup artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and chopped
1/3 cup Greek olives, sliced (I just used regular black olives)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon Greek seasoning*

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, place tomatoes in a small bowl; add boiling water. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. In a large sauce pan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Drain and chop tomatoes; add to the pan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Drain pasta; add to the pan and heat through.

Space Exploration Day for Home School Students

The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum hosted a Space Exploration Day exclusively for home schooled students. My children and I (and 250 others!) had the great pleasure of attending today. The programs were fascinating and lots of fun!

We attended a class entitled "Reaching the Future", given by a NASA Aerospace Education Specialist, where we learned about the Constellation Program. The program is designed to send human explorers back to the moon, and then onward to Mars and other destinations in the solar system during the next decade.

A NASA space shuttle project engineer, specializing in space suit technology, talked to us about how space suits are designed and tested. We got to see and touch the parts of a space suit and we learned a lot of interesting facts about life as an astronaut!

A NASA mission control employee of Johnson Space Center taught us about the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle during his talk entitled "Help Us Take the Next Human to the Moon and Beyond". (In this class I learned that my son knew the names of all five shuttles...and I did not! ;-)

We also enjoyed a self-guided tour of NASA's mobile "Driven to Explore" exhibit where we touched a moon rock! And a self-guided Museum tour of the current display "Beyond the Moon: NASA's Continuing Mission" which will be at the Library through August 2009.

There was a small amount of time for a brief stop through the main part of the museum to learn a little bit more about the lives of our 41st president, George Herbert Walker Bush and first lady Barbara Bush. :-)

love this!

having a "chat" with President Bush :-)

taking a peek into the White House

an actual piece of the Berlin Wall

We are very blessed to have such wonderful educational opportunities so close to home. Please visit The George Bush Library to learn more about the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum and NASA to explore the wonders of our great nation's space program!