I must be still really tired because the novella’s edit just drained me to nothing. I stopped cooking and cleaning. I just edited for like 2 weeks straight and my brain feels like it’s just done. So in an effort to focus on the positives, behold my list of Yays.
- Novella has gone out to the beta readers. Yay.
- Septic tank has been pumped. Yay.
- Kid 1 ordered a cleaning service for Friday. Yay.
- End of edits celebration dinner accomplished yesterday. Yay.
- I woke up with a horrible headache, but Ibuprofen and Excedrin are working. Yay.
- Exterminator is coming tomorrow to spray for bugs and scorpions. Yay.
- Kid 2 sent another chunk of her project. Yay.
- I am going to take another mental day off today. Yay.
Some yays require further explanations.
The so called novella is now even longer, almost 45,000 words. ::stares at the offensive novella:: Why are you so long?
The official length for fiction works are as follows:
- Short story: under 7,500
- Novelette: between 7,500 and 17,500
- Novella: between 17,500 and 40,000
- Novel: over 40,000
So this novella is 7,000 words longer than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Joy.
We tried to cut things. But most of the editorial feedback was “put more things in.” We did. Oh well.
Septic tank yay. It is amazing how much peace of mind pumping the septic tank can bring you. The second house we ever lived in had a sewage issue. It came up into the yard. It came up into the house. We had no money to fix it and Gordon’s mother who owned the house either wasn’t able to or didn’t want to admit the problem existed. I am forever traumatized by sewage. We’re good for at least a couple of years. Hopefully.
Celebration dinner. Before you ask, it was soft tacos/fajitas with mango pico de gallo and cantaloupe cucumber salad. Kid 1 made her trademark guacamole. We used shredded Mexican Cheese mix for the fajitas.
For meat, we had steak and chicken. Steak was marinated in a mix of lime juice, a bit of taco sauce, chopped cilantro, salt and HEB Beef fajita spices. Chicken was 4 chicken breasts, marinated in Urban Accents Chili Taco Simmer Sauce, cilantro, and HEB Chicken fajita spices with a splash of lime juice. HEB should pay me for product placement.
The simmer sauce can also be bought from Urban Accents website. I found it lacks acidity to be very effective as marinade, so adding about a lime’s worth of lime juice does the trick. I am planning on making my own chili sauce with a bit more sweetness. I found a recipe online and I will report back on results.
Both chicken and steak can be grilled. Chicken can also be baked in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Yes, I know recommended time is 20, but I like to be thorough. When I bake this particular recipe, I rest the chicken breasts on a wire rack set in the pan and I think it adds to cooking time. Steak can be broiled. Don’t forget to wrap the soft taco size tortillas in foil and stick them in the oven while the chicken is baking. They will come out nice and warm.
Pico de gallo is traditionally made with serrano peppers, but we skip them in our family because Gordon prefers mild foods and the chicken is relatively spicy already. Every Texas family has their own spin on salsa and pico de gallo. For mango pico de gallo House Andrews style, you will need ripe tomatoes, sweet onion, mango, salt, lime, and cilantro. Chop everything up, salt, squeeze a lime into it, and mix. If the meat is less spicy than chili chicken, I sometimes add a dash of chili powder to pico de gallo to add a bit of heat.
We do it by volume: 2 parts tomato, one part onion, one part mango. So if you chopped up a cup of tomatoes, you will need half a cup of onion, half a cup of mango, and enough cilantro to make it look pretty. I normally buy one bunch of cilantro and use half. Sometimes I use more. Cilantro is like garlic. Everyone has their own tolerance.
You can also put peach into pico de gallo instead of mango. But it needs to be firm.
I like these assemble-your-own style of meals because everyone gets what they want. Fajitas and tacos are my favorite.
Now I am going to go outside and mow the back yard with electric mower while Gordon mows the front. I love the electric mower so much. No fumes, no gas, no weirdness.
From an avid reader-
I’m okay with a longer novella. ????????????
Your celebration dinner sounds so YUM I am now hungry.
We will be trying your fajitas recipe as soon as possible! Your carnitas recipe has been shared many times and is an absolute favorite. I did convert it to instant pot as I can never get my act together to use a crock pot. I continue to recommend your series and treasure the excitement of reading a new installment. It is better than Christmas to see how you have woven a new tale in these amazing worlds. Thanks again for supporting your fans addiction.
You know us so well. 🙂 Your celebration dinner sounds delicious and I think I’m going to shamelessly steal your mango pico de gallo recipe. Have a great day!
Whenever my grandmother came to visit she would make rye bread. She learned how to make it from her mother-in-law. The family immigrated to the United States from Czechoslovakia before my grandfather was born. I asked my grandmother to give me the recipe and teach me how to make it. There was no recipe but she did teach me. You put warm water in a bowl with the yeast. Let the yeast soften. Add rye flour and caraway seeds. Stir, then add white flour until it is the consistency of thick whipping cream. Let rise about an hour. Add salt and more white flour until dough can be handled. Place dough on a floured counter and knead. Pick up the dough and slam it down on the counter to work in the flour. Slamming the dough helps you work out you frustrations. Grandma said that is why Czech women were happy. When the dough feels right you place it in a pot that has been greased with leftover bacon grease. Punch your fist into the center of the dough and name someone you love. If they love you back, it will be a good batch. Cover and let rise for about an hour. Turn out the dough on the floured counter top. Divide into four pieces. Shape each piece into an oval loaf and place on a flour dusted cookie sheet. Rub the loaves with more bacon grease and let rise. Bake at 375 F for about an hour. When they are done butter the tops of the loaves.
I asked grandma to let me measure everything out before she added it in so I could have a recipe. I can half the recipe for just 2 loaves or shape them more roll size.
Soooo many of my dad’s recipes had bits that he taught “when it feels right” “when it’s the right consistency”and my favorite “until it’s done.” I had to learn to translate these to teach others.
YAAYs with you!
Thanks for the recipes…I’ve recently (only 2 weeks ago!) discovered pico de gallo and am happy to know about variations.
Here in Singapore, we can get lovely mangoes year round.
YUM!
(Sorry I don’t have anything more articulate to say, but I wanted to go with my true heart’s reflection.)
Love your recipes, both here on the blog and in the books. Have you considered hosting a section on your site just for the recipes?
Hey Malachi,
If you go right under the title and click on the Recipe tag you will find that section already curated ????.
Bon appetit ????!
Coming in late to suggest the BEST marinade for fajitas (chicken or beef) is a 50/50 mixture of pineapple juice and soy sauce. No more than 20 minutes for chicken, up to 45 minutes for beef. Tenderizes the meat and leaves enough residual sugars to caramelize everything nicely on the edges without being at all sweet. Pat meat dry, season as you like with dry rub/spices, and grill.
Hungry now. ????
I am definitely going to try your mango pico de Gallo…
I moved from Central Texas to Montana nearly 4 years ago. I love MT but I was raised in the Hill Country (New Braunfels). Went to college and worked in San Marcos for over 10 years and lived in Central & South Austin for over 10 so I do miss it at times – but not the heat & humidity! I love hearing little bits and pieces about your everyday lives as it reminds me of home. And I do miss HEB! Can’t wait until they start shipping again.