Big Billy's Mexican Stew - a weekend recipe

Big Billy liked to cook and he also liked to eat, apparent by his weight of three-hundred pounds. A connoisseur of many cuisines, his favorite was Mexican, and not necessarily the Tex-Mex variety served almost everywhere in the southwest United States.


Here is a recipe for a very hearty beef stew derived from the highlands of southern Mexico and brought to the States by immigrants.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb. beef, cubed

• ¼ c. all-purpose flour

• 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• ¼ c. soy sauce, naturally brewed

• 3 carrots, medium, 1” pieces

• 2 tomatoes, medium, chopped coarsely

• 2 onions, medium, chunked

• 1 can whole kernel corn (8 oz.) drained

• 1 ½ teaspoon oregano, crushed

• ½ teaspoon cumin, ground

Directions

Coat beef cubes with mixture of flour and garlic powder, reserving excess. With hot oil, .brown beef in large pan. Stir in soy sauce and 1 ¼ c. water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Add carrots; simmer covered for 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, onions and pepper; simmer 25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in corn, oregano and cumin; simmer 5 minutes. Combine reserved flour mixture with ¾ c. water. Stir into meat mixture, bring to boil and cook until slightly thickened. Enjoy.

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Murder, Cattle Rustling and Pagan Revelry in Central Oklahoma

My first novel, Ghost of a Chance was published in 2005 and introduced cowboy private investigator Buck McDivit. Buck is finally back in his first full-length novel in five years.This modern-day western takes place in central Oklahoma when a wealthy rancher hires him to investigate a murder, cattle and oil theft and a pagan compound populated only by women. He must also contend with a shape-shifting black panther, a giant wolf dog and a beautiful woman with a rattlesnake tattoo.


Morning Mist of Blood is presently available only as an ebook. Yes, I prefer the heft of a hardback you can take to bed with you and read late into the night by lamp light. Still, the ebook generation is here and now, Amazon reporting that it made more money selling ebooks last quarter than it did paper versions. Morning Mist of Blood is available for the Kindle, Nook, Sony, Apple and most other ebook readers, including PDF which you can read on your computer. Best of all, you can download half the book for free to see if you like it before you ever spend a penny.

Morning Mist of Blood debuted today at Smashwords.com but will soon be available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, KoboBooks, Diesel Ebooks, Sony and Apple. If you get a chance, please check it out at the Morning Mist of Blood page on Smashwords. Hey, and thanks for reading my blog.

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Big Easy Book Trailer

Big Billy's South Padre Meat Loaf - a weekend recipe

Although born in Arkansas, Big Billy lived in Texas most of his life. The State is so big, it can easily be divided into many regions, any one of which is bigger than most other states. The people populating these regions have their own ethnicity, cuisine and culture. Big Billy was an expert on each of these regions and adept at cooking their many dishes.


South Padre Island is an area all to itself, unlike any other part of Texas—or the world for that matter. The inhabitants of South Padre Island come from all over, its culture and cuisine just as varied. Here is a dish Big Billy discovered, and made his own, while on a trip to the island.

Big Billy’s South Padre Meat Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. beef, chopped
• 1/4 lb. salt pork, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• Dash paprika
• Pimento, strips

Directions

Mix all ingredients except pimento strips and then sprinkle with paprika. Grease a bread pan and put in half the mixture. Place strips of pimento over the top. Add the rest of the meat and bake in moderate oven for 45 minutes. Serve with hot boiled rice and tomato sauce.

Connecticut AG Mulls Apple and Amazon Ebook Dealings

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/03/technology/03ebook.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Eric'sWeb

Whirlwind to Louisiana

Marilyn and I drove to Vivian last weekend for my Dad’s funeral. The gravesite ceremony was wonderful. Two young soldiers came up from Fort Polk. One of them blew Taps on his bugle. They performed the flag ceremony, presenting me with the flag.


I was surprised by the number of people that attended, considering my Dad’s age and the short notice. My two cousins, Skip from Austin and Sonny from Georgia were there, along with their wives, my Aunt Marguerite, Brother Jack, his wife and four kids.

Leaving town, Marilyn and I stopped at the drive-in bar on the Louisiana/Texas border. Marilyn took pictures because it is hard to believe there are still places in this country where you can buy a bourbon and swamp water from the window of your car.

My Dad is finally home in Vivian, at rest beside my Mother. As Marilyn and I plopped down on our couch soon after making it to Edmond, I knew how he must feel.

Eric'sWeb

My Dad Died Yesterday - Jack Pittenger's Obit

My Dad died yesterday after a long battle with Alzheimer's. We are burying him Monday in Vivian. Below is his obit. Like all obits, it is no more than a book blurb for a novel that took a lifetime to write.

Jack Howard Pittenger, a true American hero, passed from this earth on July 21 at the Norman Regional Veteran's Center in Norman, Oklahoma, three days shy of his ninety-first birthday. Jack was born in Trees City, Louisiana on July 24, 1919. He served in the U.S. Army from 1941 through 1945 where he took part in the campaigns of Normandy, Dinard, Brest, the Crozon Peninsula, and Luxembourg. In Germany, he saw action at Haertgen, from the Roer to the Rhine, and in the Ruhr Pocket, and was in the Elbe River area on V-E Day. He earned the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Good Conduct Medal, and the European Theatre of Operations Ribbon with four battle stars.


He married Mavis Lela Pittman in 1943. They settled in Vivian and were married sixty-three years at the time of Mavis' death in 2006. Jack was a talented builder and built many homes in Vivian before becoming a pipefitter. He was a lifetime member of the Plumber's and Pipefitter's Union and retired in 1982.

Jack is preceded in death by wife Mavis, Mother Dale O'Rear Rood, step-father Oscar Rood and sister Carmol. He had two sons Jack Jr. and Gary (Eric), and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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