half thai texan

the memoirs (or a fascimile thereof) of a newly wed half thai half caucasian transplant from Florida to a small town in West Texas. the main purpose is to provide updates of west Texas life for friends and family, but also to possibly edify/bless anyone who reads it - about nutrition, food, Scripture, spirituality, hobbies, and whatever else comes our way. we try to serve the Lord as best as we can. we are most blessed.

the main characters of this blog are:

halfthaitexan: an RD consultant for a company that employs RDs throughout TX. the wife of a preacher, and sunday school teacher for the 2-3 year olds. frequently mistaken as being latina/hispanic.

the Hubs: preacher of a small (but slowly growing) church which has been around for a while. slightly eccentric but very loving, very witty, very goofy, has a big heart for God, and great work ethic. has ADHD and takes daily meds. very smart, sometimes too much. if he isn't in his office studying and preparing awesome lessons/sermons, he's out in the community helping members of the congregation, visiting folks at home/in hospitals, helping people build stuff, etc. has slimmed down a lot since the wedding (June 2010) and it isn't fair. self described "boy scout" for the church and town.

Samson: skittish dwarf sheltie who is very aware of his size but occasionally displays bouts of "big dog syndrome," i.e., flipping out when he hears the doorbell or someone knocking. loves his mama. he will tolerate dad but mama's the best thing ever. (as the Hubs says "Dad is the Law, and Mama is Grace.") has recently learned to talk, or a facsimile thereof. is only able to answer the question "where's mama?"

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  1. nice n’ chunky potato and green hatch pepper soup. okay, loaded potato soup. we’re hoping by eating cold weather food, some cold weather will come to us. once again made by the Hubs. inspired not by the fact that we love starches, but that the potatoes in our pantry were going soft. which meant instead of roast potatoes later on, it was either mashed potatoes or a potato soup now. that’s the danger of a two person (and two dog) household doing major grocery shopping at Sam’s Club - the potential for a lot of food waste is pretty high. :/also inspired by the fact that the Hubs loves peppers. we decided to buy a 30 lb bag (looks like the sackcloth the Old Testament Jews would wear during mourning…i half expected to find a little bag of complimentary ashes to throw on my head) of green hatch peppers. i hope there’s enough room in our freezer…contains good ol’ red potatoes, green hatch peppers, bacon, red onion, milk, mozerella cheese, garlic, tons of spices, and some green onion.

    nice n’ chunky potato and green hatch pepper soup. okay, loaded potato soup. we’re hoping by eating cold weather food, some cold weather will come to us.

    once again made by the Hubs. inspired not by the fact that we love starches, but that the potatoes in our pantry were going soft. which meant instead of roast potatoes later on, it was either mashed potatoes or a potato soup now. that’s the danger of a two person (and two dog) household doing major grocery shopping at Sam’s Club - the potential for a lot of food waste is pretty high. :/

    also inspired by the fact that the Hubs loves peppers. we decided to buy a 30 lb bag (looks like the sackcloth the Old Testament Jews would wear during mourning…i half expected to find a little bag of complimentary ashes to throw on my head) of green hatch peppers. i hope there’s enough room in our freezer…

    contains good ol’ red potatoes, green hatch peppers, bacon, red onion, milk, mozerella cheese, garlic, tons of spices, and some green onion.

     
     
  2. tilapia ceviche, made by the Hubs. i married a gourmet chef! usually eaten with ketchup on top. that’s how the Hubs ate it during his time in Costa Rica. chopped tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, cilantro, and tilapia, marinated in lime juice. for those wondering about eating raw fish, the acid from the lime juice cooks the fish by denaturing the protein. cool, eh? the Hubs: do you like fish? me: yeah, it’s not bad. the Hubs: well, do you like sushi? me: sure. the Hubs: well this will taste nothing like it. (he was right!)

    tilapia ceviche, made by the Hubs. i married a gourmet chef! usually eaten with ketchup on top. that’s how the Hubs ate it during his time in Costa Rica. chopped tomatoes, red onion, cucumbers, cilantro, and tilapia, marinated in lime juice. for those wondering about eating raw fish, the acid from the lime juice cooks the fish by denaturing the protein. cool, eh?

    the Hubs: do you like fish?

    me: yeah, it’s not bad.

    the Hubs: well, do you like sushi?

    me: sure.

    the Hubs: well this will taste nothing like it.

    (he was right!)

     
     
  3. a fun snack for the kids to make. whole grain sandwich thins (the ones that are already split in two for you), your favorite nut butter,  and chopped fruit (or dried) of your choice. i used crunchy peanut butter, chopped apples, and topped it off with a little whipped cream. i added a sprinkle of cinnamon because i was feeling fancy. a caveat with dried fruit - dried fruit, while a healthy snack, is devoid of most of its former water content (i kid you not!). because of that, the serving size shrinks, and you could be eating way more (and getting more calories/sugar) than you need to. plus it gets all caught in your teeth.

    a fun snack for the kids to make. whole grain sandwich thins (the ones that are already split in two for you), your favorite nut butter,  and chopped fruit (or dried) of your choice. i used crunchy peanut butter, chopped apples, and topped it off with a little whipped cream. i added a sprinkle of cinnamon because i was feeling fancy.

    a caveat with dried fruit - dried fruit, while a healthy snack, is devoid of most of its former water content (i kid you not!). because of that, the serving size shrinks, and you could be eating way more (and getting more calories/sugar) than you need to. plus it gets all caught in your teeth.

     
     
  4. whole grain orzo pasta with sauteed garlic, english peas, bell pepper, and an italian cheese blend. tossed with homemade italian dressing - i’m so frugal. :D  make it as you would any cold pasta salad - only saute your garlic first, and if you’re going to use english peas, cook them along with your orzo so they’ll soften. you can go even further with chopped spinach, tomatoes, olives, etc. i made this for a potluck supper our church is having to celebrate one of our members graduating this year. (go Logan!)

    whole grain orzo pasta with sauteed garlic, english peas, bell pepper, and an italian cheese blend. tossed with homemade italian dressing - i’m so frugal. :D  make it as you would any cold pasta salad - only saute your garlic first, and if you’re going to use english peas, cook them along with your orzo so they’ll soften. you can go even further with chopped spinach, tomatoes, olives, etc. i made this for a potluck supper our church is having to celebrate one of our members graduating this year. (go Logan!)

     
     
  5. we did pizza again last night. this time with whole grain naan (Indian flatbread) as a crust. it didn’t crisp as pita bread does and was a bit softer. but tasty nonetheless. topped with sauteed spinach (home grown!), sun dried tomatoes, onions, garlic, goat cheese, and jalapenos.

    we did pizza again last night. this time with whole grain naan (Indian flatbread) as a crust. it didn’t crisp as pita bread does and was a bit softer. but tasty nonetheless.

    topped with sauteed spinach (home grown!), sun dried tomatoes, onions, garlic, goat cheese, and jalapenos.

     
     
  6. homemade pretzels. not for those who are carb intolerant. the Hubs had a hankering for them. during his time in Europe doing mission work, he had authentic Bavarian pretzels and decided to make his own. don’t worry, we’re not on the Adkin’s diet. (not like i’d allow it!)

    homemade pretzels. not for those who are carb intolerant.

    the Hubs had a hankering for them. during his time in Europe doing mission work, he had authentic Bavarian pretzels and decided to make his own. don’t worry, we’re not on the Adkin’s diet. (not like i’d allow it!)

     
     
  7. pizza time. whole grain toasted pita topped with roasted red peppers, red onions, and goat cheese. oh yes. RD tested, Hubs approved. serve it on blue flower Corel that your mom handed down to you. add a baby spring mix salad and be proud of how healthy you’re eating. then blow it by eating two bowls of chocolatey cereal. j/k ;)

    pizza time. whole grain toasted pita topped with roasted red peppers, red onions, and goat cheese. oh yes. RD tested, Hubs approved.

    serve it on blue flower Corel that your mom handed down to you. add a baby spring mix salad and be proud of how healthy you’re eating. then blow it by eating two bowls of chocolatey cereal. j/k ;)

     
     

  8. Wow, I haven’t updated in a bit. We are still trying to get back to normal, whatever that is. If you find out, let me know. The first week of February kept me in the house and out of work due to the weather and icy hazardousness of the roads. I travel a lot for my job; there’s seldom a day when i’m not out of town. In order to work, I have to travel. So this slowed me down to say the least. A fortunate aspect of my current job is its flexibility. If I do happen to miss work, I can always rearrange my entire month’s schedule, as long as I have approval from the adminstrators of each facility I’m contracted out to. Come to think of it, they don’t really have a choice in the matter if they need me to come in and get my contracted hours accomplished for that month. I did have to shortchange one facility a day’s wages due to everything that’s happened. Plus Feburary is a short month. I don’t know why that is….  where do you get the nerve, February? You’re throwing people’s schedules off. And nobody is able to spell you correctly. In other news, during my forced down time I took pictures of the snow, because that’s what a Floridian who has played in snow maybe two times in her entire life does.
     
    After the inclement weather passed through, the Hubs’ granddad (his dad’s dad) passed away on the 5th. my dad-in-law mentioned that he told him he had a bit of the flu, and the next morning, his sister (the Hubs’ aunt) found his grandad (Paw Paw) in his recliner, gone. So on Monday, we made the 6 hour trek to Oklahoma, Samson in tow, as did the Hubs’ parents, sisters, a brother in law, and a niece and nephew. The resulting camraderie once we were united was good for all of them and good for me to observe, despite the circumstance that brought us all together. We stayed with my mom-in-law’s parents - Maw and Paw - good, kind, hard-working people who own a ranch and are crazy enough to work in it when the snow is 5-10 inches deep. that’s the norm out here i suppose. I guess the cattle aren’t going to feed themselves. (remember, i’m from Florida.) I won’t share all that happened (last will and testament type of stuff) as I respect the privacy of the Hubs and his side of the family. I’ll just say that meeting his dad’s family was educational and interesting. And a little sad, aside from obvious reasons. The funeral was held the following Tuesday, and it began to snow. One of Paw Paw’s relatives (an ornery old coot like himself) joked that it was just like him to pass away on one of the coldest days of the year and drag us all out in it.
     
    The snow blew in Tuesday night, and the next morning the evidence was everywhere. Never did the phrase “blanketed with snow” ever ring truer on that Oklahoma ranch. I was missing even more work, but Paw Paw’s death combined with the weather disrupted all of our schedules and triggered a sort of disconnect, and it all didn’t really matter at that moment. In extreme times of life, time tends to stop. And of course, that’s what happens to everyone in this situation. We all spent the following day inside - well, the women folk did. The men folk braved the cold (the Hubs with his silly ear flap hat), because someone had to feed the cattle and break up the ice so they would have something to drink. I learned that cattle tend to eat and drink a whole lot more when they sense the weather is going to get cold(er). Samson spent the whole day traipsing about in the snow with Maw and Paw’s dog Odie. I don’t think he was certain what to do about all the snow outside. Or about actually being outside all day long.
     
    This event has allowed me for the first time in our married life to see the Hubs cry. At first instinct I wanted to fall to pieces myself - my beloved is distraught and crying, for Pete’s sake - but I knew I needed to be strong for him, and just be there at his side. For the funeral itself it was hard for me to be emotional - I had never met Paw Paw, alive at least. The Hubs whispered to me during the funeral that Paw Paw and I had finally been formally introduced. It’s funny now that I think about it, but I’m still sorry I never got to know the man, even a little. The picture that the Hubs painted for me was not exactly the most graceful or gracious portrait of Paw Paw. Once his wife passed away - over twenty years ago - he was a broken man and never truly recovered. He was a gruff sort and entertained his nicotine and alcohol related vices quite often. Despite this depiction, the Hubs was greatly influenced by him. He used to hut a lot with him when Paw Paw was able. When he was very young, the Hubs had made fun of his cousin who has Down’s Syndrome, and Paw Paw proceeded to discipline him for it in a way that he hasn’t yet forgotten. It taught the Hubs a fond respect for those that aren’t as able as the rest of us; his best man has Down’s, incidentally.
     
    I suppose the reason I’m writing about all of this is because I wanted to provide a tribute, in my own fumbling way, to Paw Paw, and also to the Hubs’ dad, a dear man. These two men shaped the Hubs into the man he is now. I am quite proud of him. During our time in OK I got to thinking of my own Papaw, my dad’s dad, a quiet man who was gentle but aloof - yet not on purpose. I never got to know him very well, as I was hardly a social butterfly myself, and not even in high school when he passed. I try to remember what I can of him and appreciate it. He and my own dear dad shaped me into who I am now.
     
    We headed home that Thursday in weather as sunny and perfect as the day we left to Oklahoma, with the occasional snow drift passing by. I think everyone is still tired. My work schedule is ridiculously out of whack, but if the worst thing about it is that I have to work during the rest of the month’s Saturdays, I’ll be okay.

    The most poignant thing of all of this is, when we found out Paw Paw had passed away, the Hubs was working on a sermon encouraging the congregation to decide on the Son of Man. “And he said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’ Immediately they left and followed him.” (Matt 4:17-25)  “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) Today is the day of salvation, because you might not have a tomorrow. Obviously that’s not the only reason why you choose to follow Christ, but I trust you already realize that.

     
     
  9. mama’s little model. such a pretty boy. the camera makes him nervous.

    mama’s little model. such a pretty boy. the camera makes him nervous.

     
     
  10. Halusky (hah-LOO-schkee), or potato dumplings with cabbage. This version called for sheep’s cheese (we didn’t have any laying around so we used goat cheese, which provided a perfect tartness), bacon bits, and red onion for color. delicious! the Hubs made it as a tribute to Slovakia. he had spent a couple of summers there and fell in love with it all - the land, the people, and of course the food. he also has a very dear friend (hi Roman!) over there, also working in ministry, whom he worked closely with during his time there. this is slightly healthier than the original version, which called for melted clarified butter poured on top as the last step. we decided to skip it. one of these days the Hubs plans and hopes (Lord willing) to return to Slovakia and take me with him.

    Halusky (hah-LOO-schkee), or potato dumplings with cabbage. This version called for sheep’s cheese (we didn’t have any laying around so we used goat cheese, which provided a perfect tartness), bacon bits, and red onion for color. delicious! the Hubs made it as a tribute to Slovakia. he had spent a couple of summers there and fell in love with it all - the land, the people, and of course the food. he also has a very dear friend (hi Roman!) over there, also working in ministry, whom he worked closely with during his time there. this is slightly healthier than the original version, which called for melted clarified butter poured on top as the last step. we decided to skip it. one of these days the Hubs plans and hopes (Lord willing) to return to Slovakia and take me with him.