If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

We used to love to read this charming story to our boys. But these days, I have my own version.

It is called If You Buy a New TV. Here is how it goes...

If you buy a new tv to replace the old floor model, you will probably need to buy a stand for it also.
If you buy a new stand, you will probably find that it doesn't fit in the corner where it needs to be. So you will have to take out the built-in cabinet under the window.

If you take out the built-in cabinet under the window, you will find that you need to change the heat register, since it used to blow out through the cabinet.


If you change the heat register to the floor, you will notice that the brick from the side of the fireplace was removed to make room for the cabinet you took out. The brick will have to be replaced, because now you can see the side of the hearth.

You will want to hook up the surround sound that has been in the family room for 12 years and not used. Because after all, it's a new tv and the speakers have been just sitting there.

So when the sound guy hooks up the surround sound, he will tell you that the surround sound never worked before because you need a new receiver.

When you buy a new receiver and get the sound guy back, he will hook everything up. Three hours later, he will tell you that because of the way it was wired originally, some components sit under the tv and some are behind the couch in the armoire. In order to adjust the volume, you have to click over your shoulder, and have the doors to the cabinet open. So you will probably need to buy a new radio controlled remote, or never close the doors when the tv is being used.

When you buy the new remote, it comes with a guy to program it. It takes him three hours to program the remote, and it is very complicated. When he leaves, everything is fine. The next day, for some reason beyond our understanding, the tv has no sound. We have a Packer party planned, and there is no sound! After many frantic calls to the store, a salesman reached the remote control programmer, who does not work on weekends, and convinces him to make a house call on Saturday.


When the programmer comes on his day off and fixes the sound, you are grateful. You give him a big tip and have the party.


At the party, a guest says "Gee, that tv stand is kinda junky. The doors are hard to open and it sticks out into the room. I see you had to remove the cabinet to get it to fit in the corner. Now you need to fix the bricks and the vent. Why didn't you just have me make you a stand for the new tv?"


So you check to see if the old one can be returned, then say "OK" and hire him to build a new cabinet for the tv...


Do you see where this is going? Everything touches something else, and nothing is easy!

If this were only the end, that would be one thing. But no! There's more. Because nothing is easy, remember?

Pretty Cheesy

The Pop'rs Family was again crying in their Beer Cheese Soup on Sunday, as their once Proud Green Bay Packers took themselves out of the Playoffs~and effectively out of our hearts~for the season. We pretty much had to punt at Aunt Julie's Packer Party, as Our Team lost to the Lowly Jacksonville Jaguars.

"The jig's up, the season's effectively over and the Green Bay Packers have been dismissed from relevancy for 2008," writes Bob McGinn of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "They can't beat anyone, not even the Jacksonville Jaguars with maybe 45,000 semi-interested souls watching at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium."

The Pack needed Divine Intervention to help them on Sunday. Guess the lovely couple above wasn't enough! And looks like we'll be following the New York Jets for the rest of the season. Just remember~Brett's a Jet!

"It's a Rebuilding Year"

Susie, over at Susie's Homemade, is a Green Back Packers Fan, just like those of us over here in The Pop'rs Family. She says there's no reason to be too upset about The Pack's recent losses. Her mantra? "It's a Rebuilding Year."

Time to take solace in The Packers' storied past, and its quirky fans, who are parodied in the recent Packers Pro Shop commercials running in our area. This one features the Crazy Packers Fan and Wide Receiver Donald Driver, Number 80. I swear, these commercials make some of us laugh instead of cry in our Leinies! Oh, and more about our Family Connection to the Leinenkugels Brewery in an upcoming post!

Not a lot of Happy Campers at Sunday's Packer Party. But I guess if you're not gonna have a winning team, you should have Cool Gear. Or at least funny commercials about that gear.

Packers 31, Fans 0

After the Less-Than-Stellar performance of Our Beloved Packers in yesterday's game against Carolina, many of the Cheeseheads around these here parts felt a little like this fella this morning. Mr. Frowny Cheesehead comes to us courtesy of Mr. G's Thoughts for Free.

Aunt Julie and Soccer Boy went to the game at Historic...but Chilly...Lambeau Field. Meanwhile, we tuned into the Jets after the Packer loss, hoping for Redemption, since Brett's a Jet and all. But the Jets tanked (34-17, even worse than The Pack!), too, in their performance against the Broncos.

The Pop'rs Family is pretty bummed. Not even a Packer Party could perk us up at this point!

Aunt Julie Hosts *Recipe Week*-Part Deux

We had such a Fun and Successful *Recipe Week* in September, that Aunt Julie has decided to do it again! Every day, between now and next Sunday, we'll be sharing Yummy Recipes with all of our Bloggy Friends, as part of Aunt Julie's *Recipe Week*--Part Deux.

At the end of the week--next Sunday, to be precise--we have a little ol' surprise in store for ya! We'll be asking readers to submit Yummy Dishes of their own to share, as the lead-up to our Next Pop'rs Giveaway!

Today's recipe is an Old Wisconsin Favorite, which we start thinking about just as the leaves begin to turn. Hot Beefs go really well with Cold Beer, and put us in mind of a Packer Party. The above pic, BTW, captures Uncle Lynn and his Mom, Pearl, right in the midst of tailgating at Historic Lambeau Field.

So, think about us Packer Fans as you're pulling out your crock pot, browning the meat, and setting the whole thing on "low" so it can simmer throughout the day. Go, Pack!

Aunt Julie's Hot Beefs
1 chuck roast (three to four pounds)
Small amount of olive oil
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 envelope Lipton's Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 beer, can of beef broth or water (your choice)
Whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted

Brown the roast on top of the stove in a little olive oil on both sides. Sprinkle the roast with salt & pepper as you're browning it. Transfer the browned roast to a crock pot. Add the envelope of Lipton Soup Mix, and about an inch of water, canned beef broth, or beer. The Pop'rs Family prefers the "beer option." Let the roast cook on "low" all day. At dinnertime, the meat will shred very easily with a fork. Stir it all up, and serve with a little juice on toasted buns. Aunt Julie likes sliced pickles on hers, and maybe a little ketchup. Moker and Veggie Mom love sliced raw onions and ketchup. Maybe even a little Texas Pete instead of ketchup!

Lay's Kettle Cooked Jalapeño Chips are a lovely accompaniment to this delightful repast. And have another bottle of beer, while you're at it!

~Tomorrow: Aunt Julie's Beef Stoganoff!~

*Recipe Week*, Day #6: Moker's Poker Jambalaya

Here we are at Day #6 of *Recipe Week*, and we haven't asked you that All-Important Question: Are you having fun yet? We sure are!

Today we visit the Gulf Coast--specifically Dawn's Neck o' The Woods--and sample the culinary delights of the Great State of Louisiana! We came upon this recipe, though, in the oddest of ways.

You've met Moker, correct? He's my Hubz, Aunt Julie's Big Bro, and the one who introduced us to Texas's Banana Split Cake. Now that we've got that settled, let me explain about Moker's Poker Jambalaya.

We used to live in DC. As in Washington. Our Nation's Capital. Named for Our First President of the Good Ol' U.S. of A. While residing in The Capital City, we saw the sites, inhaled the ambience, and found lots o' fun things to do on the weekends!

One of those things, for Moker, at least, was playing poker. A friend of his introduced him to a game run out of a carpentry shop in suburban Maryland. And these craftsmen could cook! Moker never brought home much in the way of winnings, but he did bring home a few winning recipes! And over the years, we've taken those recipes, and tinkered with 'em a bit, and made 'em our own!

So, there you have it. Louisiana Jambalaya, by way of a suburban Maryland poker game, while we were living in DC. Got it? Well, get this!

Moker's Poker Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/2 lb. smoked sausage, sliced (we like andouille)

1/2 lb. ham, cubed

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

5 stalks of celery, chopped

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 16-oz. can tomatoes; do not drain!

1.5 cups of water

1 Tsp. thyme

1/2 Tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 Tsp. black pepper

1 Tsp. salt

1.5 cups rice

1.5 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce

2 lbs. peeled shrimp

Directions:

Sauté sausage and ham until lightly browned.

Add onions, pepper, celery, green onions and garlic. Sauté until tender.

Add tomatoes, with juice, thyme, papper and salt; cook 5 minutes.

Stir in rice.

Add water and Worcestershire Sauce.

Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, add shrip, and cook uncovered for about 30 minutes, until rice and shrimp are done.

Tomorrow, we've got a Packer Party Treat for ya, so stay tuned!

Go, Pack!

The season starts tonight, Sports Fans, with Aaron Rogers' debut, as The Green Bay Packers face their arch-rivals at Lambeau Field.

Aaron's got a lot riding on this, folks. His predecessor, Brett Favre, had a pretty good Coming Out Party down in 100-degree Miami yesterday!

We're all Packers Fans around here, don'tcha know. Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn always put on a Packers' Party in their Family Room. We all gather 'round the boob tube and partake in a delightful repast, usually consisting of brats, beer and other Yummy Football Food. It's sorta like Tailgating in front of the TV.

The Wild One, she of Great Brett Enthusiasm, is Rooting for Rogers to win tonight. "The way I see it," she says, "Brett's already made his name in history. Anything he can add to that legend, even if he plays for the New York Jets, is just icing on the cake. Aaron's a good QB. He needs to focus, and he'll get the job done!" Fingers crossed, just in case!

BTW, The Wild One is an artist. Pictured above are two coffee mugs she did in her 3-D Art Class last year. Brett's on the left, and his favorite Packer receiver, Donald Driver, is on the right. This classy art adorns our fireplace mantle. We'll have to put these breakables away tonight, though, in case things go downhill and Moker starts throwing things!