Mexican Food.. or is it all Tex Mex?

Ask my wife what my favorite food is and she will tell you it's Mexican.  Whenever we go out and I ask her where she'd like to go, she usually asks back where I'd like to go and then realizes her mistake too late because she knows what I am going to say! Oh yeah baby!  But is what I eat truly Mexican food?  I would have to say that 85% of the time it is actually Tex-Mex cuisine.

So where did my love of Mexican food come from?  Maybe it started from eating dinner next door when I was about 11 or 12. The family next door was the Serna's. Mr. Serna was in the Army and he had a son and a beautiful daughter named Jennifer.  No one really knew this, but my first crush was on her. I remember our family eating over there one day. The only thing I can recall is the frijoles. I think I ended up having thirds caused I liked them so much. Jennifer thought I was nuts and when I asked her if she liked them she said they had them all the time and was tired of them. For me it was my first taste. I can't even remember having tacos nights at this time. I do remember having tacos at home later, but not till I was in my teens and it was Old El Paso brand stuff.

What came next was the Del Taco restaurants and then Taco Bells. I really miss the Del Taco chain. I would stop at one on my way to or from work at the Home Depot and I preferred them to Taco Bell which was everywhere as a teen.  I still eat at Taco Bell once a month or so as it is quick and so damn good.

But I prefer is a sit down place with good salsa.  The first one I started to go to on a regular basis was El Toro Mexican restaurant in Valdosta, Ga where I was going to college after my accident.  The salsa is a basic red with plenty of heat. My favorite meal ended up being the chicken flautas. Whenever I am down we still go here if time permits and that is what I have. It never tastes the same at the other places I go to.  Now at the time I had no other exposure to salsa other than theirs. Boy was my world about to turn upside down!


Once I got married and moved back to the south of Atlanta area I started to look for more Mexican restaurants. The first one we started to go to was La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant.  Wow, right then I learned that not all salsa was created equal! It had small bits of onion and tomato and OMG the cilantro! For me that's what I like best. Cilantro! Now I judge the places based on their cilantro content. My wife really liked La Hacienda when Diego was working there. He was older like ourselves and sounded like he belonged in a swanky upper class restaurant! Eventually he left and my wife got sick from something with chicken so we don't visit very often. Also they played the music way too loud.

The next place for me to frequent was Frontera's Mex- Mex Grill in Conyers since I was working down the street from it.  Now I know what I said about I judge these places on salsa but Frontera's a little different. They have a roasted tomato/pepper salsa which is really really good and a basic red. What I liked about this place was the service. After about a year I figured I knew who the best waiter was and requested his section every time. He was good and I went there so much he knew what I drank and wanted so when I sat down he came to my table with my sweet tea with an extra cup of ice and extra salsa for my chips.  My normal fare is the Xochilt soup and Carnitas "Michoacan".  I don't go here as much as Carlos has now moved on to New York (according to co-workers). Good service is a really big deal to me!

While going to the above on a frequent basis I discovered a place called San Diego grill located in Mcdonough. The salsa was very much like La Hacienda and I went here so much that one of the guys knew me by sight and service got really good. I think his name was Gambino. He even introduced me to his wife and kids!  Now here it was all about the salsa and good service! I almost always got chips and salsa to go! This place was my favorite place and is where my wife and I went to whenever we ate out. Sadly, Gambino stopped working there and I felt service really suffered. Next thing I know they closed up shop but there is another one in Locust Grove that I visit. Sadly, they changed the salsa recipe to exclude onions and it's not my favorite anymore.  We still stop by here and there but I've just be so unhappy. At least it still has Cilantro, but not as much as before.

Recently my bride and I tried a new place in Stockbridge called Pueblo Viejo. Salsa is good and comparable to San Diego Grill before the change. Service was nice and food was really good. Will have to visit more to know more. I paid cash as I read things online about this place warning use of credit cards. :)

This next is called Toribo's located in  McDonough by the Applebee's. I have visited before and I was not happy with the salsa. No cilantro! Anyway my wife and I went out and decided we would try it again. OMG! they have cilantro in the salsa again! Apparently from what I read they had been going back and forth on this and finally settled on this as it got more positive feedback. The server was good and I got something that was oh so good. I checked their website and it's not on the online menu but it had steak,chicken,shrimp and chorizo with onions and lots of cheese served in a giant volcano rock mortar! Sooo good!

One last place is called Pacho's in Covington. The food is good, but it's usually in the opposite direction that we need to be for shopping so we go here very little. I know a former co-worker that loves this place as does my dad. Every time I go I just haven't been comfortable. Just doesn't feel friendly.  It's been so long that I can't even remember what kind of salsa they have.




Well. That's pretty much it. Gonna take a break from Mexican and cook some Italian tonight. What do you like about Mexican food? Just leave a comment! Adios!

I want to go fishing today...

Actually I want to go fishing every day. Of course I have responsibilities and this Georgia heat keeps me indoors during the summer, but when the kids are grown and out of the house and my lovely wife has retired I'd like for us to live on a river or lake. If on a river, I want the house on a hill 20 feet higher than the flooding area should that happen of course. I fancy I'd like to live right off an inlet from the ocean and try my hand at salt-water fishing. I have never tried that!  I honestly wouldn't know how to begin either. Come to think of it, I have never fished from a river either. It has always been a pond or lake. My father lives in a swanky neighborhood that has a wonderfully large pond. I'm talking boat and trolling motor size pond. He has permission from a resident to leave his boat on their property and use their outlet to charge the battery. He and Uncle Tim (not my real uncle but I've always called him that) apparently go fishing their quite often.  He was just telling me last week that they were out there and Uncle Tim caught a huge bass and my dad got a huge catfish that was twice the weight of the one I caught.. so that would put it around 8 to 10 pounds.  He had put it on a stringer, the kind with individual swivels, and the sucker broke the swivel!  Now I know you are thinking "yeah right, sounds like a fish tale" but I know my dad well enough.  The place is well stocked with big and small. I really want to catch a large bass.

That catfish I caught  (above) is the largest fish I have ever caught and I know their is bigger in that place!

So what do we use?  My dad is almost always using a dark green plastic worm. I on the other hand simply do not have the patience that he has when it comes to fishing with that. I take two rods, one with a plastic worm like his and another with a swivel so I can change lures out.

 I found out that they absolutely love Rooster tails. (note: I do not endorse any of these brands, it's just for visual). I have one or two of these that I have had for 20 years and never used till my last trip! Next trip I'm going to use it more often.

Soft baits. I love these and have gone through an entire package already (stupid tree). I have caught bream, bass, crappie and I do believe I caught a small catfish with it. I recently bought some larger ones.

Beetle spin. I've used these longer than any other artificial lure. I've caught many a bass from a farm pond with these. I have often attached a artificial grub with curly tail or half a artificial worm. Have caught bream with it too. Always a favorite. This and the soft bait above work half the time I have fished this particular place. I've only used the rooster tail once but it was highly successful.

In this particular place I have not tried it (live bait) and honestly I haven't used in quite some time. My dad says it isn't too good at his place and have seen other people trying it with no luck. Apparently there is so much food sources in the pond that they just don't notice.




Have used top water lures and Rapala's with no luck. I don't even know why half my tackle box contains them!

Yeah.. I want to go fishing... Maybe this weekend after my son's birthday party! I better call my dad!

Awww.. Just a baby!

Bream caught with the soft bait.

Childhood memories....

From newborn to age 18 my family live in a total of 4 or 5 homes. I'm pretty sure it is 5 but I can only remember 4 of them. The first one I remember I was entering the toddler stage. I believe it was two story and we rented. I remember having a nightlight or I am thinking of the light switch in my room. Weird how I retained that memory. I also remember getting a wading pool which was set up in the front yard on the side. I vividly recall seeing bugs (baby mosquitoes) in the water one day and I thought they were sea horses. These are my first and only memories of that home. Our next home was on Horsepen Rd in Richmond, right on the corner of Broad street. There has been a lot of construction and new building right there and I think the home and the neighbor home was bulldozed. Again I have only a couple of memories. I remember sitting in the attic with my dad watching a baseball game and eating butter pecan ice cream. To this day I dislike that flavor ice cream but I love that memory. I also remember the old couple next door, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman. They treated me like a grandson and would give me treats. I can't remember their face or anything else except the smell. No no, not that kind of smell! Mr. Freeman was a pipe smoker and I remember that smell. It's one of my favorite smells and for a few years I was a pipe smoker also (in the Navy). I used Captain Black Cherry blend, not so much for the taste but for the smell. I suspect it is near the same blend that Mr. Freeman used. I have said that if I ever started to use tobacco products again, it would be a pipe (but I would find a better tasting blend!). Many years later, 15 years or so, we drove by and stopped to see if the Freeman's still live there. Sadly Mr. Freeman had passed away but Mrs. Freeman was there and invited us in. She talked about me of course but most of my attention was on the smell of his pipe that still lingered. Do any of your have a memory that can rekindled by scent alone. I can still smell it!

New paragraph = new state! At nearly 4 years old my parents and I relocated to Georgia. Jonesboro to be exact. It was in a large subdivision called Bonanza. The homes had been built in the 60's, maybe late 50's. We got a 1500 sq ft home, two story with crawl space under it. We moved in in '74 I think. Here's a photo (it's backwards) from 1977.

Not long after this my dad with help from me repainted it a blue color and it does not appear to have been painted since! I drove by a few months ago and it's a dull old blue color.  A lot of my childhood memories come from this location as we were there for 10 years! My little sister was born while we lived in this house

And also my little little brother

<----- that's me!

It was at this house my first dog and best friend , Pat,  died (see yesterdays post). It was while at this house that my best friend , Ernest, across the street died. It was here that I met Michael, who after 20 plus years, finally reconnected on Facebook!  My first crush was on a girl next door named Jennifer. It was here I learned what a bully was. There so much more, but there is a scent I remember that I haven't forgotten.. Melted crayons. What? Yeah, I melted crayons on the baseboard heater in the family room. It just fascinated me! People with new homes probably don't know what that is. Here ya go:

I bet the mess is still there!

The final house was off Noah's Ark Rd. It was larger with a full basement and after building a room downstairs we all had separate bedrooms. Unlike the previous house we had a dining room and 2 full baths, plus basement. That basement flooded so many times it just isn't funny. We had a much larger plot of land, maybe an acre which was wooded in the back. I used to find so many scorpions and black widow spiders downstairs. I would catch snakes out back or in the woods. I got my first two cars while living there. etc..etc.. The neighborhood was much nicer than Bonanza too but I always go back to thinking of Bonanza. Must have been those melted crayon fumes I inhaled....

What scents take you down memory lane?

You never truly forget do you?

A friend of mine lost his dog, of 15 years i think, Athena, last week. He really took it hard and from what I know his dog Jacques is at that age too. He's taking it pretty hard. I don't think people without dogs and cats or other pets that interact with us so closely understand the bond that a family pet has with it's other members of the household. It's like losing your best friend really. I don't know if I would equate it with losing a child or parent, but I'm pretty damn sure it's up their with losing a friend as I have lost both friend and pet.

My first pet, Pat, was an Irish Setter that my dad picked up from the pound/animal shelter. It was sickly and did not do well in a moving car. I was an infant moving up to toddler stage when he brought him home. We lived in my home state of Virginia. Pat and I became close friends as I didn't have anyone to play with really. The house on Horsepen Rd was off a highway and there was just a few houses beside us. I remember the Freeman's living beside us and I'll save that for another story. Pat was very protective of me. If I was in the backyard and the garbage guys came to pick up the trash, Pat would stand over me and not let them near me. I had a foot that was turned inward and so I had to wear a heavy brace and I would take it off and hit him in the face and he never bit me or growled or ran away. He would just take it. So we grew up together. I'm pretty sure he was meant to be my Dad's dog but I claim him as mine as I spent so much time with him. With proper nutrition and vet visits he became a healthy dog with a beautiful coat. Then the day came, I think he was 11 years old when his stomach flipped and when we took him to the vet it was too late and they put him down. Writing this part is still hard to do after so long. That night I woke up and heard crying and I crawled out of bed and my Dad was in a chair in the living room crying. I went down to him and sat in his lap and cried with him and he would tell me stories about pat. I think it helped both of us that night to be together for each other.

Our second pet was a Cocker Spaniel named Honey-pup and we kept a mutt from her last litter too, but we got rid of both when we moved and had no place for them so it was sad to see them go, but no pain.

I had a box turtle I had found in the woods and brought home. I kept it in our strawberry patch and besides strawberries I fed it lettuce and other veggies. I called it Fred and it would gently take food out of my hands. I had a friend try to feed him and it bit him.  I think I spent a little time with Fred every day and enjoyed having something so exotic. It was summer time and we went on vacation and I figured he would be find eating strawberries. It was really hot and I think he fell out of the raised strawberry patch and couldn't get any food. I searched for him for a few days and figured he got out. I was sad but not heart broken cause I figured it survived. After about a month I was getting the hose out and found it's skeleton remains underneath. That did it. I don't remember crying but to this day I feel absolutely horrible knowing it died of starvation and dehydration and I was responsible for that. Knowing how long they live it could still be alive today!

I've had fish before and never felt bad at all about them dying except when I named them. But it was never anything like the others as you could not pet them or anything really.

Many of you know I was raising some ducklings and recently gave the survivors away. Their deaths have been hard and I spent a good deal of money raising them. I still miss Naili and Omelet the most out of the 8 that hatched.

The most recent death was Lucy. She and the other adult ducks live out back in the pond. There has been a total of 10 ducks and now it is down to 3. There are two wild mallards out there but I suspect they might move on shortly so I don't really count them. Lucy was special out of the group that survive for this long. After a storm passed she somehow broke her top beak making it hard to eat and I had been hand feeding her ever since. I'm sure she got some food in the pond somehow but she was always the hungry one and since her passing it shows how much she depended on me. She was always the first one to come to my whistle, she was the one that led them to my back door and would peck on the door to let me know. If I was too slow she would try and peck my leg and she was always underfoot! Her "QUACK" was different from Daisy after breaking the beak and it became louder.  She had been attacked twice after that accident and I thought she was going to lose her foot after the last one but she kept on going and to her death her walk was normal after it healed. Then one day I went out cause they were at my back door and got the corn and just had this feeling and as I was putting the corn in the bowl it struck me that she wasn't beside me. I looked around and she was not there. I checked the bushes and whistled but no reply and then I saw her body in the pond in about 6 inches, maybe more, of water being eaten by a snapping turtle with a head about 3 inches in diameter!. That's a large ass snapper! At first I had hope as the snapper was underwater and Lucy's head was underwater and I thought she was trying to feed. Then I noticed some feathers on the water and thought maybe she got stuck in trash and was about to try and get out there when the body stopped twitching and the turtle head popped up. Then I understood. That was hard for me. Since her death the others still come to my whistle, including the Mallards, but they don't stay as long and they are never at my back door anymore to let me know they want food. They haven't even jumped in the pool of water. I still feel choked up when I look at her photo from my earlier postings. I feel better knowing that I kept her from starving as I'm pretty sure she couldn't get enough food like the others and that is why she was always at the back door. I sure do miss her "QUACK"

Buddy, our AHT, is laying down behind me as I type all this. He's 8 or 9 years old now. We switched his diet to EVO and his skin looks so amazing and last night he wanted to play with a ball and chase it. He hasn't behaved like this in a few years so I know the food is working but I worry about the time when he leaves us. I think he's got another 6 years or more but I can't help but feel sad about it already.  It's a damn shame they age so quickly.

So, I guess you really don't forget. :(