Yikes...IKE! And Lunch with the Ladies.

UPDATE 4:33pm Tuesday, Sept 9

Hurricane Ike Advisory #34Valid: 04:00 PM CDT Tuesday September 09, 2008
Current Status
At 4PM CDT, Hurricane Ike will be near the northern coast of Cuba at 22.8N/83.7W. Maximum sustained winds are estimated to be 75 mph. Movement is to the west-northwest at 9-11 mph.
Changes From our Previous Forecast
New model guidance suggests that the expected northwest turn prior to landfall along the Texas coast will occur earlier on Friday. Because of this, we have adjusted the final landfall point to near Matagorda Bay early Saturday morning.
Our Forecast
Model guidance is coming into better agreement that an approaching cold front will begin to turn Ike to the northwest on Friday morning, a little earlier than previously forecast. This would take Ike inland farther up the coast to near Matagorda Bay. Once inland, Ike should begin to accelerate to the north and north-northeast along the frontal boundary, reaching the Texas/Oklahoma border by Sunday morning.
We think that once Ike is over the Gulf of Mexico for 24-36 hours it should begin strengthening at a steady pace. Our forecast takes Ike to a Category 3 hurricane with 120 mph winds as it approaches the Texas coast. However, our confidence in the exact intensity at landfall is low. Ike could make landfall with sustained winds anywhere from 100 to 135 mph.
Other Possibilities
The main concern remains the exact timing of the northwest turn prior to landfall. Any delay in this turn will increase the landfall threat farther south toward Corpus Christi. Should the turn occur a little earlier, the landfall threat increases along the upper Texas coast, including the Houston/Galveston area. We won't be very confident in the precise landfall point until within 12-24 hours of landfall once the turn begins on Friday.
Our next full advisory will be issued by 11PM
Meteorologist: Chris Hebert
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We are all getting a little weary of these storms...watching and waiting, trying to decide, "Shall we run, shall we stay? Do I buy a generator this time?" Nobody wants to leave...too much work! So our fingers are crossed....

I'm going to update the hurricane possibilities often during the next few days. These two pictures show the projected path and what the different computer models think. Following that is the latest marine advisory which gives us some hope that Ike will hit north of us.

Hurricane Ike - Intermediate Advisory 33a Issued: 12:54 PM CDT Tuesday September 09, 2008
At 1PM CDT, the center of Ike is located near 22.6N/83.5W, or inland over western Cuba. Movement is to the west at about 10 mph. Maximum winds are estimated to be in the 75-80 mph range.
We're starting to get new model guidance in that suggests Ike could make the expected northwesterly turn a little earlier than previously forecast. This could mean that landfall will occur north of Corpus Christi, perhaps as far north as Matagorda Bay on Saturday morning. We anticipate making a northward track shift on our next advisory, probably indicating landfall between Corpus Christi and Matagorda Bay.
There are also some indications that Ike could reach the Texas coast earlier than had been predicted, perhaps as early as late Friday evening vs. near sunrise on Saturday.
Because of this, we are going to wait for the remainder of the model data to arrive before issuing out next advisory.
We expect to have our next advisory out by 4:30PM CDT.
Meteorologist: Chris Hebert
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No news yet concerning He-who-shall-not-be-named, and his filing an appeal (deadline last Thursday). I think the court system and the lawyers down here operate under a completely different time schedule. Manana truly means "I'll get to it sometime, later, maybe."
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The current park ladies put off worrying about hurricanes or law suits or mosquitoes...we all went to lunch at P.F.Chang in Mission. They have a very imaginative menu and we loved every morsel. I had the lettuce wraps, one of their signature dishes. Delicious! They offer a great idea for dessert, which several ladies ordered. Over sized shot glasses layered with tempting classic desserts. Everything from tiramisu to lemon pie...but in a smaller size.

Here is a recipe for a copycat of the lettuce wraps...sounds good!

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 cup water chestnut
2/3 cup mushroom
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce:
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 teaspoons water
1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Directions
1.Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2.Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3.Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4.Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5.Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6.Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7.Saute chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8.Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9.Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10.As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11.Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12.When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13.With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14.Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15.Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce"cups".
16.Top with"Special Sauce".