I Will Never Forget

Last Saturday, I participated in the 2^nd Annual Panama City Beach 9-11 Memorial Stair Climb at Laketown Wharf. The event was sponsored by Panama City Beach Fire Rescue, had 268 participants, and raised more than $12,000 for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

At random, I chose Lt. Michael T. Russo, SQ-1, from the photographs on the registration table. Not having a safety pin, I carried his photograph with me.

I kept Lt. Russo’s photo after the event. I wanted to look him up. I wanted to find a way to remember and honor him. A quick Google search brought me to Legacy.com where page after page was filled with fond memories and tearful love letters written by those that knew him best (his loving wife and two sons, friends from school, and family that missed him dearly) and people who didn’t know him at all (people who’d received memorial bracelets or had chosen his photograph at random just like me!). Entries dated back to December 14, 2001.

After reading several pages, I began to cry. Tears for innocence lost, a love that will never come home, and senseless acts of violence.

Thank you, Lt. Russo, for making the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you to his wife, friends, and family, for so openly sharing your love and pain. And thank you to all the brave men and women who put their lives at risk every day to help make this world a more safe, peaceful, and just place.

I will never forget.

Operation Playlist :: Home

I spend roughly a third of the month on the road. There is nothing I like more than getting back to my shower, my bed, my kitties, my man, my space after several days away. That feeling inspired this playlist. Mmmm, home. Sweet home.

Mom's Famous Taco Soup

My sister, "I didn't know Mom had a famous Taco Soup."

Me, "She does now."

*Can be made with out without a Crock-pot*

Ingredients

1-1.5 lbs ground sirloin or ground turkey

1 package taco seasoning mix (reduced sodium)

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1 21 oz can Bush’s Beans (Black Bean Fiesta)

8oz tomato sauce

2 cans Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes

4oz diced green chilies

1 cup chicken broth

½ sweet onion, diced

2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Sour cream & guacamole

Tortilla chips

Directions

1. Brown meat, chopping into tiny bits and drain.  Stir in onion, taco seasoning and dressing mix.
2. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 1 hour on stovetop or 4 hours on Low in Crock-Pot.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
4. Serve with sour cream, guacamole and chips.

50 States Playlist

Inspired by a recent commercial (for what, I can't remember ... nice marketing, fellas!), I decided to take on the challenge of creating a playlist that had at least one song from each of our wonderful United States of America. All genres welcome, the name of the city or state should be in the title or a lyric and should be a somewhat integral part of the song. Here is the final list in all it's 6.9 hour, 109 song alphabetical glory.

Everywhere

I've Been Everywhere - Johhny Cash

Heart of RocknRoll - Huey Lewis and the News

Rockin Me - Steve Miller

What I Really Mean – Robert Earl Keen

Alabama

Midnight in Montgomery – Alan Jackson

Bama Breeze – Jimmy Buffett

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynard Skynard

Alaska

North to Alaska – Johhny Horton

Stephanie Says – Velvet Underground

Arizona

The Painted Desert – 10.000 Maniacs

Arizona – Kings of Leon

Take it Easy – The Eagles

Arkansas

Arkansas – Damien Jurado, Mary

Queen of Arkansas – Bruce Springsteen

California

California Girls – Beach Boys

California Love – 2Pac

Maybe California – Tori Amos

Save Me San Francisco – Train

California Dreamin – The Mamas and the Papas

Going Back to Cali – LL Cool J

Colorado

Rocky Mountain High – John Denver

Colorado – The Flying Burrito Brothers

Connecticut

Kylie from Connecticut - Ben Folds

Delaware

Delawhere? – Gary Allegretto

District of Columbia

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight – The Postal Service

Banned in DC – Bad Brains

Florida

Florida – Modest Mouse

Miami – Will Smith

Miami Bitch – LMFAO

Woman Going Crazy on Caroline Street – Jimmy Buffett

Georgia

Georgia On My Mind – Ray Charles

Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight

Hawaii

Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby

Blue Hawaii – Elvis

Idaho

Danny Says – The Ramones

Private Idaho – The B52s

Illinois

Bad Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce

My Kind of Town – Frank Sinatra

Sweet Home Chicago – The Blues Brothers

Indiana

Indiana – Katy Robinson

Iowa

Cities in Dust – Siouxsie and the Banshees

Kansas

Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Judy Garland <-- Gimme a break. There are NO songs about Kansas (worth listening to) out there!

Kentucky

Kentucky Rain – Elvis

Blue Moon of Kentucky – Bill Monroe

My Old Kentucky Home – Randy Newman

Kentucky Bluebird – Wade Hayes

Louisiana

Louisiana Saturday Night – Mel McDaniel

Calling Baton Rouge – Garth Brooks

House of the Rising Sun – The Animals

Baton Rouge – The Nixons

Maine

Maine Island Lovers - Okkervil River

New Years Day – Slaid Cleaves

Maryland

Streets of Baltimore – Gram Parsons

Raining in Baltimore – Counting Crows

Massachusetts

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa – Vampire Weekend

Shipping off to Boston – Dropkick Murphys

Downeaster Alexa – Billy Joel

Michigan

Detroit Rock City – Kiss

Laughing River – Greg Brown

Minnesota

Minnesota Blues – Distant Cousins

Outshined – Soundgarden

Mississippi

Funky Mississippi – Rufus Thomas

Mississippi Squirrel Revival – Ray Stevens

Jackson – Johhny Cash & June Carter

Tupelo Honey – Van Morrison

My Head’s in Mississippi – ZZ Top

Missouri

St Louis Cemetery Blues - The Squirrel Nut Zippers

Montana

Wild Montana Skies - John Denver & Emmylou Harris

Nebraska

Omaha – The Counting Crows

Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen

Nevada

Leaving Las Vegas – Sherly Crow

Vegas – Calvin Harris

New Hampshire

The Thanksgiving Song – Adam Sandler

New Jersey

Livin on a Prayer – Bon Jovi

Woke Up This Morning – Alabama 3

New Mexico

Santa Fe – Anais Mitchell

Magdalena – Brandon Flowers

New York

Empire State of Mind – JayZ and Alicia Keys

New York State of Mind – Billy Joel

Fairy Tale of New York – The Pogues

North Carolina

Carolina (On My Mind) – James Taylor

Chapel Hill – Sonic Youth

Pretty Girl from Raleigh – The Avett Brothers

North Dakota

North Dakota – Lyle Lovett

Ohio

Bloodbuzz Ohio – The National

Cleveland is the Reason – Kid Cudi

Ohio – The Black Keys

Cleveland Rocks – Presidents of the United States

Oklahoma

Okie from Muskogee – Merle Haggard

Oregon

Portland Oregon – Loretta Lynn

Ain't it Fresh – Alcyon Massive 

Pennsylvania

Streets of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen

Motown Philly – Boyz II Men

Rhode Island

Rhode Island is Famous for You – Erin McKeown

South Carolina

South Carolina – The Outlaws

South Dakota

South Dakota Morning – The BeeGees

Tennessee

Dixie Chicken – Little Feat

Tennessee Sucks – Ryan Adams

Tennessee – Arrested Development

Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn

Rocky Top – The Osborne Brothers

Texas

All My Ex’s Live in Texas – George Strait

(That’s Right) You're Not From Texas – Lyle Lovett

I Can Only Think of One – Dierks Bently

Utah

The Great Salt Lake – Band of Horses

Vermont

Moonlight in Vermont – Ray Charles

Virginia

Virgina – King Konga

Who’ll Stop the Rain - CCR

Washington

Jet City Woman – Queensryche

Aurora – Foo Fighters

West Virginia

Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver

Wisconsin

Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – Gordon Lightfoot

Wyoming

Blame it on the Tetons - Modest Mouse

Chickepea Lentil Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups light vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 cup dried lentils
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
5 red potatoes, chopped
1 cup frozen lima beans
½ cup chopped parsley
10 oz. fresh baby spinach
Sour cream

Instructions

Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom and then add the onions.  Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the garlic.  Cook another 3 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and all the spices; stir 1 minute.  Stir in broth, water, and lentils.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Add chickpeas, lima beans, and half the parsley.  Cover; simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.  This dish can be made one day ahead of time.   Cover and chill.  Bring to a simmer before continuing.  Refrigerate remaining parsley for garnish.

Stir spinach into stew in batches until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls with rice.  Garnish each bowl with remaining parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Total Servings: 4