I haven't been intentionally ignoring you, I've just been trying to get caught up from being out of the office for two days. I think I had somewhere in the range of 250 email messages to either delete, respond to or obtain work from. UGH!! That took the better part of yesterday alone.
With that being said, I'm pretty well caught up today and I've been reading Connie's Mom's cookbook while on my lunch break. It has some very interesting sections pertaining to glasses; which ones a proper hostess will set on her table when expecting guests, silverware and/or flatware; how to arrange it and which pieces are commonly used for breakfast, luncheon, dinner and supper, and plate service; how many plates and for what usage, how far from the edge of the table to set them, which ones to remove from the table as each service is completed and believe it or not, the size of each service plate.
Now I'm not one to formally entertain like the rest of you are (ha ha ha ha ha) so I found this to be somewhat complicated. Thankfully, the book provides pictures so I can see what my formal and even informal table should look like. I'm pretty sure I don't have space for storing all the dishes required to entertain even a small service of eight. Not to mention my table only seats 5. It would seat 6 but one of the chairs took a flying leap from a truck when the set belonged to my dear, sweet, younger brother, Dougy. I've looked underneath the table but it doesn't provide much in the way of information on how to replace it. For now, I'm not expecting that many people to be sitting at my table so I guess I'm safe with my 5 chairs. Hey, if you're that hungry, you'll sit on the couch, right? lol
The book is fun to read though. It tells about how the host and hostess will leave all the serving aspects to the "attendants." Did you know the main reason for retiring to the library or living room with your coffee and smokes (the book actually used the word "smokes") was so the maid could clear the table and attend to her duties quickly and efficiently so as not to bother the guests? Jeez, if you're at my house, don't expect to retire anywhere until after you bring your plate to the kitchen and scrape any leftovers into the dog bowl :) ha ha ha ha ha. If you happen to be younger than I am - it'll be your pleasure to actually do the dishes! Calm down, we have a dishwasher... I don't allow everything to go in it but you'll be safe with plates, glasses and silverware.
When it's just me and Wally, I prefer to just wash them by hand. I know they're clean and they are ready when I need to use them again. It takes us a week to fill up the dishwasher and then I have to inspect the dishes before they get put away. It's just easier to hand wash them most times.
My trip to FL was short and sweet. I was happy to visit with Kaylee & Mikey - they grow so fast when you don't see them all the time. It was also nice to visit with Derek and his dad. After recently losing Mrs. Mercer, the whole family is still making adjustments and it was good to see him out and about. Instead of trying to list everyone here, let it suffice to say that I enjoyed seeing everyone again and it was fun laughing and getting caught up. I had to buy some tickets for that basket while I was there - it's just full of yummy looking goodness! Should I win, whoever comes up next will have to bring it to me... please?????? lol
Friday night I made chicken & dumplins at my Mom's apartment and a few people came to visit. Aunt Karen was as funny and Uncle Dee gave me hunting tips. Bruce kept the beer rotating from fridge to freezer and did a fine job of ensuring everyone had plenty to drink. The kids were entertaining as always and Britney brought me her old digital camera. Between her and Ernie I think I may have learned how to use it. I haven't tried since I've been home but those colors are changing more each day so I'll be getting out there before too long.
Bev ensured I had transportation everywhere I needed to go so a BIG THANK YOU goes out to her for giving up her weekend in order that I could get around town. Neccy and Jack loaned me their big green dutch oven so I would have the perfect vessel for the dumplins and Kelly kept me laughing the whole time we were together. I don't miss the traffic!! I don't miss the humidity!!! I do miss all of y'all!!!
I flew home to 80 degree weather which promptly turned into 70 degree weather and it appears it's going to stay there. It's now getting in the 60s at night so it's great camping weather if anyone is looking to do that. I now live in the woods so camping has kind of lost its appeal for me but if you need a great spot to pitch a tent or park a camper, c'mon up. You'll love the grounds and the attractions!! the cook isn't too bad either :)
I also flew home to only 6 roosters. Apparently one of them fell prey to a stray dog that was hanging around the cabin while I was gone. Wally ran her off but she kept coming back. He found feathers off the back porch, under my clothesline. Now, the rooster may have gotten away, off into the woods, and found another home if that makes you feel better... It wasn't the Lone Ranger though because he still hangs out over by Dizzy's apartment. He's been renamed the Lone Rooster. The other five still stick pretty close together having nothing to do with the Lone Rooster. They are coming closer to the cabin since I've been back. I saw them on the porch under the deck on Sunday. The dogs were sleeping about 10 feet away - keeping a real close eye on them roosters...lol!
The new picture is of part of our dinner. I just thought the cornbread and turnips looked so pretty sitting side by side like that so I took a picture. We had broiled salmon to go with it. I found a marinade by McCormicks that can't be beat for salmon. I think it's called citrus & lime something or other. Anyway, it's worth a try if you like tangy, moist fish. It can hold up to the heat of the broiler too - without burning.
The cornbread is the basic recipe but of course I added my own touches to it. I put in some shredded cheddar, a couple of chopped up jalapeno peppers from the CSA basket and about half a can of corn, drained. I didn't have any leftover bacon (imagine that) or it would have gone in too. It came out very light, moist and tender. My cornbread usually falls apart on the plate but this one held together without crumbling. When I cut a triangle fresh from the cast iron skillet, I didn't even slice it open, I just put a pat of butter right on the top and watched it melt down and drip off the sides like frosting on a cupcake that didn't get to cool off enough. We're talking "finger lickin good" here folks!
Since the cornbread was hopped up a little bit, I did make the turnips more healthy than usual - no fat in them at all. I used ham bouillon and Goya sazon. Those two packets really did the trick. You still get the pork flavor that makes you think there's chunks of ham or bacon grease in the pot but there aren't. The turnips simmered slowly until I had the entire sinkful cooking down in my big red pot. I don't know why but for some reason I thought I had to pull all the stems off the greens. Wally said just throw them in the pot and they cook until they're soft just like the leaves. He sure was right and I sure was glad I didn't waste my time pulling those stems off! It was taking forever and I just wanted to eat... lol!
With any green, it seems like you're going to have way more than you need, when after about an hour of simmering on the stove top, it turns out you have just enough for dinner and maybe a few leftover for tomorrow. Darryl brought me a couple batches. The first batch filled both sinks so I cooked one sinkful and rinsed and froze the other one. Then, the day after I got home from FL, he brought me another box full of them. He uses the Bud Light beer boxes (like they have at the Oriole's) to carry them in so that should help you get a good idea of how many there were. The boxes were full to the brim.
These turnips were picked at just the right time. They had no bugs whatsoever and very little grit. They were so easy to clean and cook that it was actually enjoyable rather than the grueling task of soaking, rinsing, draining and then starting all over again and again until you're just about sick of greens altogether. These were very well worth the little bit of effort they took to make.
Not to bore you with food but I do have a couple more meals to talk about... sorry, if it does bore you just skip on to the bottom...
I found a recipe for oatmeal cooked overnight in the slow cooker. It calls for 2 cups of steel cut oats (not the quick cooking kind), 1/3 cup of dried apricots, 1/3 cup of cranberries, 1/4 cup of honey, 1/4 tsp of salt and 8 cups of water. I had to make a substitution because I had a cranberry-raisin mix and my steel cut oats were ground instead of whole. This just means they wouldn't take quite a long to cook so I was okay with that.
You combine everything in the pot, set it to low and let it cook for 7-8 hours or overnight. Talk about making the house smell like grandma's house - oh my goodness it smelled wonderful!! It was about 63 degrees outside, I got up and took my shower, went into the kitchen and had to have a bite right then and there. It was deliciously warm, mildly sweet from the honey and silky smooth from cooking so long. This will be on the list for all wintertime breakfasts to come. I hope you'll be here when I make it next time :) You will surely be warmed all through with just a bite or two out of the bowl.
Finally on the food front, I thawed out a venison roast and marinaded it in onion soup mix, Dale's Steak Seasoning and a beer. It sat overnight and then I dumped all of it (making a stupid mess on the cutting board first thing in the morning) into the slow cooker (the leftover oats were in the fridge by now) and set it to low while I went to work. When it had cooked for about 6 hours, sliced carrots, sliced onions and a can of peas were added. It made a very tasty venison stew that we devoured for dinner last night. It would have been really good with a couple of big, fat, yeast rolls but they aren't on my list of healthy foods so we did without. The meat was falling apart, slightly salty but sweet and overall very nourishing and filling. There's no fat in venison so you get just the high protein and vitamin content. Not to mention full! :)
My Mom made it through her knee replacement surgery and has moved to the rehab center. She's not real pleased with the attention (or lack thereof) and would just as soon go home. We're hoping that will be this Friday if at all possible. If anyone would like to call and check on her, her room number is 407 628 2326.
Our thoughts go out to our dear friend Ernie as her husband William is in the hospital after having had a stint put in his heart. What he thought was indigestion turned out to be small heart attacks. Keep them in your thoughts as he makes his way to a speedy recovery.
Rebel and Smokey paid me a visit yesterday. They started whinnying as I was bringing the clothes in off the line. I hollered their names and told them I'd be there in a minute - surely they understand English? LOL I gathered their buckets and tried to lift the bag of sweet feed but it was just too heavy for me. I ended up scooping it out with my hands and then dividing it between the two buckets. The horses have no patience for my antics and were stomping and snorting and chasing each other around. Since they were behind the gate I wasn't worried about them overtaking me and getting to the feed... lol I wouldn't be worried about that anyway - all I have to do is act like I'm trying to catch Smokey and he'll take off. Rebel would put up more resistance but he can be shoo'ed too. Remember when I was nervous around them when I first got here? Not so much anymore :)
So their buckets were filled and I headed over to the stall to feed them. Maybe it's the cooler temperatures but they were very playful with each other. Rebel went galloping off down towards the trail with Smokey in hot pursuit and then they both just stopped and turned around and came back to where I was. I put Rebel's bucket down first since he came to me first and then I held Smokey's bucket out to him to see if he would come. Sure enough, he came right over and dipped his head in for a small taste.
I set his on the ground and he went to eating too. He let me pet him all the while and even seemed to enjoy it. He didn't shy away even once. Maybe the ride we took a week or so ago did the trick - ha! we're talking Smokey here... I seriously doubt it was anything more than just the fact that I brought food. They are both just starting to get their winter coats so they look a little fatter than usual plus they've been down in their pasture where the grass is high and green, just waiting for them to eat it. They take full advantage!
Until tomorrow folks...
"Some people get lost in thought because it's such unfamiliar territory." ~G. Behn
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Last posting until Monday...
I'll be in FL for a couple days and probably won't have time to log in for an update but rest assured I'll fill you in on everything upon my return. I won't have much time for socializing since the visit is for another doctor's appointment but I'll try to see as many of you as I can.
Mom had her knee surgery on Monday and she's coming along as well as can be expected. Naturally there is some pain and then there's the delectable hospital food that she gets to enjoy daily. I'll be stopping in for a visit to her as soon as I get in town.
After that, my schedule is somewhat open until my Friday doctor's appointment. Then Friday evening I'll be visiting with the kids and Aunt Karen and Uncle Dee. Saturday I fly back to Tennessee where the temperature is expected to reach only 84 degrees. That will be pretty darn nice if you ask me.
So I was reading Connie's mom's cookbook and came upon this section which describes a sandwich loaf which is something the homemaker would serve at lunchtime or provide in a lunchbox meal. I never heard of this before and I don't know whether or not you have but I thought it was kind of appealing just because it's something no longer made. I should say, no longer made that I'm aware of. I posted a picture and you can actually see the colored flowers of cream cheese. Here goes:
"Sandwich Loaf: Slice an uncut loaf of day old white bread (I have heard of that but you rarely see it anymore) horizontally, making 3 or 4 long slices 3/4 of an inch thick. Remove crusts. Spread each slice with creamed butter (not sure how that's different from regular butter?) and stiff mayonnaise (I have no idea what stiff mayo is?), then each with a different chopped salad or sandwich mixture. Chicken, shrimp, salmon, or tongue (yep - that's what it says!) salad. Stack and cover the top and sides with soft cream cheese,garnish with flowers of colored cream cheese, paprika or chopped parsley. Chill."
Truthfully, how many of you have ever had "tongue salad?" I'm on a mission. I've cooked beef tongue which several of you tried and actually enjoyed much to your own surprise and delight but I've never heard of making a tongue salad. Wouldn't Wally be surprised to hear me say, honey - lunch is ready - we're having a tongue salad." ha ha ha ha ha oh I crack myself up sometimes. :) I'll keep you posted on my research. I knew this book was going to provide me with some interesting things to look into!
I have to tell all of you what a wonderful customer service experience I had last night while picking up a few things at Publix. Every single associate was polite, professional, smiling, helpful and knowledgeable. I was so impressed that I wrote a long letter to the corporate offices letting them know about it. I know Publix is sometimes (not always) more expensive but I'll tell you what, it was worth it to be treated so decently. Keep service in mind when you're shopping and by all means, let someone know when things go wrong and also when they go right. The management people love to hear from their customers.
Tonight I'll be packing what little I'll need for my trip and I'll also be putting up some food for Wally to eat while I'm gone. Top on the list is "Lizard's Amazing Meatloaf." I know I mentioned this before and it's always such a big hit. I figured it would last Wally a couple days be he says he likes it so much, it might not make it through one day let alone two. That's a pretty high compliment :)
I'm also leaving him with Garlic and Herb (Lipton seasoning packet) chicken breasts (thanks to Jessica for leading me to it), green beans cooked with chopped onions, a cantaloupe that I cut up last night, sugar-free chocolate pudding and the recent favorite, soft serve banana ice cream. He should be okay until I return.
He told me about a festival that is being held this weekend in Columbia (where we went for the Mule Pull). This is one celebrating all foods fried. Doesn't sound very healthy but it sure does sound good. I'm thinking we might just have to make the trip for this one - lol - maybe I'll try the fried "Little Debbie" in honor of me Diz :) ha ha ha In reality, my stomach probably can't handle one single thing on the menu but I'd still like to see what it's all about.
I'd like to fit in a horseback ride upon my return but we'll have to see how the days go by. I'm not sore anymore from the ride we took this weekend but I do still have some lingering stings that itch like crazy. I think I might even have a stinger or two that the little bees left behind. Remember when I thought chiggers were bad? LOL not anymore :)
I never made the shopping trip with the girls. Claudia had her grandson over and I was sore from riding all day so we cancelled. You can imagine my disappointment - he he he We said we would do it another time but I think I'll just go by myself over to the Goodwill store in Dickson. It's kind of close to the Walmart which doesn't really tell you anything unless you've been here but Walmart is about 20-30 minutes away from the cabin. I hear they have their winter inventory out already so maybe I'll find just what I'm looking for - whatever that might be. Jeez where's Neccy when I need her? She did all my clothes shopping for me when I was in FL. That was so nice.
Fortunately for me, my new edition of Southern Living magazine came in the mail yesterday. Now I have something to read on the airplane! woo hoo!! I simply can not fly without reading material any more than some of you can go to the bathroom without it. Reading makes the time go by and since this issue has all the fall decorating ideas, I'll just be in hog heaven looking through it the whole way there. I intentionally left it in my car so I wouldn't be tempted to get started on it before my trip. That magazine actually makes a two hour flight sound appealing.
I remember a funny story Dizzy Debbie told me about her flight to Orlando. She was all hyped up (as usual) and when she got to her seat on the plane, the lady next to her was reading a book. Everyone knows that's like a universal sign telling you that the person isn't interested in conversation with you or anyone else. Do you think that stopped Debbie from talking to her? Nope, not a bit. She talked and talked and talked the whole flight and likely drove that lady up the walls. LOL I'm sure it was funny and I would have loved to have seen the lady's face. Better yet, to hear her conversation with whoever picked her up from the airport... ha ha ha!! Just thinking about it makes me laugh to this day. Aren't you smiling just picturing it in your mind?
Darryl brought me a big old mess of turnip greens yesterday. When I got home they were soaking in water in both sides of the sink. Lots of greens I tell ya! I rinsed them a couple times and then we put them into the biggest pot we could find. We added some ham bouillon, some black pepper and water to cover. Once they came to a boil it didn't take them long to cook down to a little tiny mess of turnip greens lol We did have enough put back to go in a freezer back for another day but we're eating the other ones for dinner tonight.
We'll have white beans with that creamy white gravy that comes naturally from them, ham steaks that the pretty piggy gave up and those tender, salty turnip greens. I'm making some cornbread and fresh brewed tea and to top of the greens, some homemade pepper vinegar that Sherry's dad gave me years ago. Sounds like an episode of Hee Haw when everyone hollers out "Hey Grandpa, What's for Supper?" LOL
The time has come for me to depart for the day. Sorry for the shortness of the posting but you can bet I'll have lots to write about upon my return. Until then, enjoy your time away from this part of the internet :) and maybe I'll see you in the next couple days.
"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." ~Lin Yutang
Mom had her knee surgery on Monday and she's coming along as well as can be expected. Naturally there is some pain and then there's the delectable hospital food that she gets to enjoy daily. I'll be stopping in for a visit to her as soon as I get in town.
After that, my schedule is somewhat open until my Friday doctor's appointment. Then Friday evening I'll be visiting with the kids and Aunt Karen and Uncle Dee. Saturday I fly back to Tennessee where the temperature is expected to reach only 84 degrees. That will be pretty darn nice if you ask me.
So I was reading Connie's mom's cookbook and came upon this section which describes a sandwich loaf which is something the homemaker would serve at lunchtime or provide in a lunchbox meal. I never heard of this before and I don't know whether or not you have but I thought it was kind of appealing just because it's something no longer made. I should say, no longer made that I'm aware of. I posted a picture and you can actually see the colored flowers of cream cheese. Here goes:
"Sandwich Loaf: Slice an uncut loaf of day old white bread (I have heard of that but you rarely see it anymore) horizontally, making 3 or 4 long slices 3/4 of an inch thick. Remove crusts. Spread each slice with creamed butter (not sure how that's different from regular butter?) and stiff mayonnaise (I have no idea what stiff mayo is?), then each with a different chopped salad or sandwich mixture. Chicken, shrimp, salmon, or tongue (yep - that's what it says!) salad. Stack and cover the top and sides with soft cream cheese,garnish with flowers of colored cream cheese, paprika or chopped parsley. Chill."
Truthfully, how many of you have ever had "tongue salad?" I'm on a mission. I've cooked beef tongue which several of you tried and actually enjoyed much to your own surprise and delight but I've never heard of making a tongue salad. Wouldn't Wally be surprised to hear me say, honey - lunch is ready - we're having a tongue salad." ha ha ha ha ha oh I crack myself up sometimes. :) I'll keep you posted on my research. I knew this book was going to provide me with some interesting things to look into!
I have to tell all of you what a wonderful customer service experience I had last night while picking up a few things at Publix. Every single associate was polite, professional, smiling, helpful and knowledgeable. I was so impressed that I wrote a long letter to the corporate offices letting them know about it. I know Publix is sometimes (not always) more expensive but I'll tell you what, it was worth it to be treated so decently. Keep service in mind when you're shopping and by all means, let someone know when things go wrong and also when they go right. The management people love to hear from their customers.
Tonight I'll be packing what little I'll need for my trip and I'll also be putting up some food for Wally to eat while I'm gone. Top on the list is "Lizard's Amazing Meatloaf." I know I mentioned this before and it's always such a big hit. I figured it would last Wally a couple days be he says he likes it so much, it might not make it through one day let alone two. That's a pretty high compliment :)
I'm also leaving him with Garlic and Herb (Lipton seasoning packet) chicken breasts (thanks to Jessica for leading me to it), green beans cooked with chopped onions, a cantaloupe that I cut up last night, sugar-free chocolate pudding and the recent favorite, soft serve banana ice cream. He should be okay until I return.
He told me about a festival that is being held this weekend in Columbia (where we went for the Mule Pull). This is one celebrating all foods fried. Doesn't sound very healthy but it sure does sound good. I'm thinking we might just have to make the trip for this one - lol - maybe I'll try the fried "Little Debbie" in honor of me Diz :) ha ha ha In reality, my stomach probably can't handle one single thing on the menu but I'd still like to see what it's all about.
I'd like to fit in a horseback ride upon my return but we'll have to see how the days go by. I'm not sore anymore from the ride we took this weekend but I do still have some lingering stings that itch like crazy. I think I might even have a stinger or two that the little bees left behind. Remember when I thought chiggers were bad? LOL not anymore :)
I never made the shopping trip with the girls. Claudia had her grandson over and I was sore from riding all day so we cancelled. You can imagine my disappointment - he he he We said we would do it another time but I think I'll just go by myself over to the Goodwill store in Dickson. It's kind of close to the Walmart which doesn't really tell you anything unless you've been here but Walmart is about 20-30 minutes away from the cabin. I hear they have their winter inventory out already so maybe I'll find just what I'm looking for - whatever that might be. Jeez where's Neccy when I need her? She did all my clothes shopping for me when I was in FL. That was so nice.
Fortunately for me, my new edition of Southern Living magazine came in the mail yesterday. Now I have something to read on the airplane! woo hoo!! I simply can not fly without reading material any more than some of you can go to the bathroom without it. Reading makes the time go by and since this issue has all the fall decorating ideas, I'll just be in hog heaven looking through it the whole way there. I intentionally left it in my car so I wouldn't be tempted to get started on it before my trip. That magazine actually makes a two hour flight sound appealing.
I remember a funny story Dizzy Debbie told me about her flight to Orlando. She was all hyped up (as usual) and when she got to her seat on the plane, the lady next to her was reading a book. Everyone knows that's like a universal sign telling you that the person isn't interested in conversation with you or anyone else. Do you think that stopped Debbie from talking to her? Nope, not a bit. She talked and talked and talked the whole flight and likely drove that lady up the walls. LOL I'm sure it was funny and I would have loved to have seen the lady's face. Better yet, to hear her conversation with whoever picked her up from the airport... ha ha ha!! Just thinking about it makes me laugh to this day. Aren't you smiling just picturing it in your mind?
Darryl brought me a big old mess of turnip greens yesterday. When I got home they were soaking in water in both sides of the sink. Lots of greens I tell ya! I rinsed them a couple times and then we put them into the biggest pot we could find. We added some ham bouillon, some black pepper and water to cover. Once they came to a boil it didn't take them long to cook down to a little tiny mess of turnip greens lol We did have enough put back to go in a freezer back for another day but we're eating the other ones for dinner tonight.
We'll have white beans with that creamy white gravy that comes naturally from them, ham steaks that the pretty piggy gave up and those tender, salty turnip greens. I'm making some cornbread and fresh brewed tea and to top of the greens, some homemade pepper vinegar that Sherry's dad gave me years ago. Sounds like an episode of Hee Haw when everyone hollers out "Hey Grandpa, What's for Supper?" LOL
The time has come for me to depart for the day. Sorry for the shortness of the posting but you can bet I'll have lots to write about upon my return. Until then, enjoy your time away from this part of the internet :) and maybe I'll see you in the next couple days.
"No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow." ~Lin Yutang
Monday, September 20, 2010
What a Great Time We Had...
The weekend was great! Friday evening was very peaceful and relaxing. I needed that after the week I had at work :) We did absolutely nothing - ahhhhhhh how nice. I did make dinner but it was quick and easy. Afterwards we just sat in our respective chairs and watched tv until time to go to bed. I can't tell you the last time we did that. Do you remember the last time you did that? Please share :)
We had smothered red okra (from the CSA basket) with onions, green peppers and tomatoes, field peas with snaps and thinly sliced pork chops seasoned with adobo and black pepper then just lightly pan fried. It probably took 30 minutes from start to finish.
While everything was cooking I filled the bird feeders once again. I've been told that they should have already left to fly south for the winter but since they keep hanging around, I feel like they still want to be fed. They are really getting fat now though. It used to be they would hover and drink from the feeders. Now, if there is a perch on the feeder or anything nearby they can perch on, they do. Their bellies are so full looking it's as if they might topple any minute. Somehow they manage to remain upright.
The roosters have started hanging out closer to the cabin but still not right up along the porches. The dogs could care less. Oh, by the way, now that they are coming closer, it appears we have all roosters. There is possibly one chicken but we haven't been able to get close enough yet to tell for sure. Over the weekend, we somehow ended up with 7 instead of 6. We don't know where he came from but he hasn't been 100% accepted by the others as of yet. As he is usually wandering all by himself, we call him The Lone Ranger. He's the only one we've named :)
One of them is apparently too young to have completely developed his cock-a-doodle-doo and sounds more like a teenage boy going through puberty. It's pretty funny sounding! I continue to throw scratch out for them in the hope that they'll venture closer to the cabin but that will come in time. For now, they spend most of their morning in the front yard over by Dizzy's apartment. When it starts getting warmer, they move off into the shade on the other side of her apartment. When late afternoon starts closing in, they move about freely. I saw them walking through the outdoor kitchen yesterday and was surprised to see them that close up. That's when we figured them to be mostly roosters.
Just before it starts to get dark is fast becoming one of my favorite times of the day. This is when they "get their rooster walk on" (as opposed to getting their drink on) like only roosters can do. They all end up over behind the cabin in a stand of trees where they roost every night... and then the noise begins. "Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!" "cock-a-doodle-dooooo!" over and over until, by whatever means they decide, it immediately becomes quiet as a church on Monday morning. They flutter their wings and up into the tree they go. One last cock-a-doodle-doo and everyone settles in for the night. They go to bed before I do and that's pretty darn hard to beat!
After everyone is settled in, then the dogs decide they want to go catch roosters. Ha! They know they don't stand a chance catching them while they're in that tree but that's probably why they wait until this time. In any event, they get under that tree and start barking their heads off. They're so excited they turn circles and bark and act like they really did tree them there roosters all by themselves. lol!! Maybe it's just me or maybe you have to see it in person but it cracks me up every time!
They might beat me to bed at night but I'm awake way before they are in the mornings. Everything is very quiet when I get up and come downstairs. I even have time to get my shower and get dressed before they know I'm about. Once I start making my lunch though, it's not long before the light from the kitchen awakens them and off they go to crowing. Wally said that they quiet down again after I leave and he turns off the light. Lazy roosters! They go back to sleep!
Saturday we went horseback riding. As you can see from the pictures, the horses, while very beautiful, were none too happy with us for saddling them. Wally showed me how to put the saddle on Smokey and then showed me again with Rebel. I'm not a fast learner. We had to let them stand there for a little while so we could tighten the girth (new word for me!) around their bellies. They puff up when you first saddle them and then let it out after a while. At that point you have to tighten it back up or risk the saddle being too loose to stay in it.
As you can see by the distance from where their lead ropes are tied to the hitchin post to where it clips under their chins, we have to keep them pretty tight. Smokey will untie his rope and take off. Rebel is a very well behaved horse but even he would bolt if given the opportunity at this point. So after about 5 minutes, we went back over to them and mounted up. I almost made it all the way up all by myself! I had to have Wally give me that extra little push to get my fat butt over the top. But once up there boy it sure did feel good. Smokey's not one to linger so Wally handed me my reins, unclasped Smokey and away we went.
This being his first ride in over a year you can imagine his excitement (ha ha - that's a joke) at having me on his back. It's been a while for me too so it took us a little getting used to each other before we fell into a rhythm. We were headed down the driveway by Dizzy's apt. in no time and Wally, on Rebel, was quickly closing in on us.
I had some re-learning to do since it's been so long. I had to remember to hold the reins tight and keep my legs straight in order for Smokey to know to get in his natural gait. They're both TN Walking Horses and Rebel will naturally fall into his gait. Smokey can but won't typically unless you want him too. It makes for the smoothest ride you've ever been on. There's no bouncing or hard hitting in the saddle, just a slight wiggle of your backside and you know your in it. Of course it's that same backside that tells you later on just how long you were in that saddle!
We rode down through the holler to the barn where Darryl was and hung out there for a while. It was so pretty riding down through there on the horses. It smells so fresh and outdoorsy and with the trees towering overhead, the temperature was nice and cool. The guys did some mechanic-ing while I rode Smokey down the road to where the pasture is. He didn't much like being away from Rebel so we headed back up to the barn. Before we even got near him, we could hear Rebel whinnying for Smokey to come back. They've been together for so long I guess they get worried when they aren't.
After a while we got back on them and rode up to the cabin. I like when we ride up a slight incline because I get to let Smokey take over and use whatever speed he needs to get to the top. It's so exhilarating on the back of a horse! Indeed, they always go faster than I ever expect :)
We gave them some water and we all took a break and hung out for an hour or so before getting back on them. This time we went up through the new trails by the gate and Wally hung the "Hunting By Permission Only" signs. Rebel was pretty well behaved but Smokey didn't want anything to do with it. He went but he wasn't happy. A couple times I had to walk him up the path a little ways and then turn him back around so he could see that Rebel was coming along.
We started back down the holler when I saw that something was bad wrong with Rebel. He was bending his head down and biting at his legs, belly, everywhere he could. Before I knew what was happening Smokey started getting wild too. He climbed straight up the embankment (I didn't even know he could!) and was snorting and biting at his legs too. In a split second, Wally told me we were in a bunch of bees and in that same second, Smokey turned on a dime, just missing a big tree, and was running full speed right back out of there onto the driveway and up towards the cabin. Oh my goodness what a ride! Smokey and I both still had bees on us and with Wally behind me he could see where they were and swat them away from me while I swatted them away from Smokey. Bees really do follow you if you get into them!
Gosh, I needed a break. I was breathing heavy and feeling a little anxious. I was also very thankful that Smokey's instincts kicked in when they did or I would have been covered in stings. As it was, I ended up with about 10 of them. He got me out of there so quickly I really didn't have time to think about it until we got home. We got off the horses and petted them to calm them down and then I had to come out of my shirt and rinse off. I think my adrenaline kept the stings from hurting me because I didn't feel them at first. Then, after about 15 minutes, the pain started. I held a cold rag to my skin so the throbbing would quit and then Wally sprayed me with some anti-itch spray. That felt so good. I was still kind of hyped up so we just chilled on the front porch going back over what had happened.
For all his stubbornness and mostly not wanting to come to me, that horse was a life saver. He performed perfectly and I can't brag on him enough for doing what came natural to him. I just happened to be on his back when he needed to do it. I petted him and thanked him and petted him some more. We had to ride them again so their last memory wouldn't be of getting in a bee swarm so again I got back on him. He was very calm and collected this time and we all headed down the front yard and through the gate to more new trails.
We rode them down to the spring where they enjoyed a cold drink of fresh spring water and Wally and I enjoyed the breeze and beauty of the scene around us. If I don't take you anywhere else on the farm, I have to take you to the spring on the back of a horse. Like the very best president of the United States of America once said "The best thing for the inside of a man is the backside of a horse." He couldn't have been more right and I was really feeling it at that moment.
We decided to take the trail up through the woods that leads to the side of the cabin where my garden is. Since the horses live down here most of the time, they already know this path even if their eyes were closed. With Rebel leading the way, up we went. We found that they have a very different path than the one we would have taken (lol) and it was pretty cool to just let them go and make their way to the top. They don't need much room that's for sure. Many a time I thought I was going to be unsaddled by a branch or a tree trunk but I held on and they kept going. Before long I could tell where I was... ha ha ha everyone else knew but me :)
We hitched them back to the post and started taking off their saddles. I'm not strong enough for most of the undoing but Wally helped me and showed me what to do. We brushed them down and gave them some carrots and then walked them over to the gate to let them go. We took off their lead ropes and thought they would make their way down the hill but they stayed there, just inside the gate, eating the tall, sweet, grass all around them. We poured out some sweet feed and then left them to their own devices.
We showered!!! My goodness you can get dirty on horseback. I'm not sure how it happens, since you're up that high and so far away from the ground and all things dirty but we were both pretty darn filthy. The shower felt wonderful on my stings and who knew I had so many leaves and stems in my hair. It was even in a ponytail and I still had stuff in it. lol! Probably looked like a scarecrow.
It was a day to remember for me and my rear end is still reminding today of just how much I enjoyed myself :) That night we had chili for supper. I probably drank a gallon of water with it. Not just because it was spicy, which it was and has to be, but also because I was craving it, I was so thirsty. We watched a little tv and then headed upstairs to bed. Talk about stiff, oh yeah, that was me.... I got in the covers, got my pillow situated and I don't think I moved the rest of the night...ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Sunday was as relaxing as Saturday was invigorating. I did my laundry, made the quince preserves, finished my fall decorating and watched racing and football all day. I brought the quinces into the living room with me so I could watch the race and peel them at the same time. It took a while but they had softened up quite a bit so it wasn't as bad as my first attempt. I got them cored and into the pot of sugar water and let them boil for about an hour and a half. The recipe called for an hour but they weren't completely cooked down at that time so I let them keep going. I poured them into the jars, set the lids and seals and waited for the "pop" to come. It took probably 10-15 minutes before the first pop and then they were all popping like crazy! I get so excited when that happens and Wally just laughs at me.
I have 11 jars of them. I hope someone likes quince preserves because Wally can only have just a little bit at a time due to the sugar. They aren't really sweet, in fact, I should have probably used more sugar. Rather they are kind of tart - not a bad tart - but tart like a green apple. I might try to figure out a way to bring some when I come down this week. We'll see. If it's too much trouble I'll just wait until someone else comes up. The jars will keep :)
The race was pretty decent although I would have liked to see Tony win for mama Joyce and Wally. Kurt Bush (sorry Kris) needs to be fined, suspended or at the very least warned about his intentional bumping that is really starting to cost the other drivers some serious time, money and points possibilities. That's all I'll say about that.
The games were all quite surprising with the exception of the Manning Bowl II. Most surprising of all to me was the Dallas loss. Not that I'm a big fan but c'mon...? Tonight the Saints and 49ers go at it and I'm looking forward to hearing Hank Jr. belt out "Are You Ready For Some Football? A Monday Night Party...!!" Too bad for my QB, better luck next week Brett. Too bad for AZ too - who would have guessed they'd get spanked like that by the Falcons? Onto next week...
For Sunday night supper we had ribeyes, corn (not on the cob) and pea salad. Not too filling, not too light, all in all, it was just right. :) ha ha I'm a poet and didn't know it... get it? lol Enjoy!
"In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have. Eleven-hundred pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs - it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster. " ~Author Unknown
We had smothered red okra (from the CSA basket) with onions, green peppers and tomatoes, field peas with snaps and thinly sliced pork chops seasoned with adobo and black pepper then just lightly pan fried. It probably took 30 minutes from start to finish.
While everything was cooking I filled the bird feeders once again. I've been told that they should have already left to fly south for the winter but since they keep hanging around, I feel like they still want to be fed. They are really getting fat now though. It used to be they would hover and drink from the feeders. Now, if there is a perch on the feeder or anything nearby they can perch on, they do. Their bellies are so full looking it's as if they might topple any minute. Somehow they manage to remain upright.
The roosters have started hanging out closer to the cabin but still not right up along the porches. The dogs could care less. Oh, by the way, now that they are coming closer, it appears we have all roosters. There is possibly one chicken but we haven't been able to get close enough yet to tell for sure. Over the weekend, we somehow ended up with 7 instead of 6. We don't know where he came from but he hasn't been 100% accepted by the others as of yet. As he is usually wandering all by himself, we call him The Lone Ranger. He's the only one we've named :)
One of them is apparently too young to have completely developed his cock-a-doodle-doo and sounds more like a teenage boy going through puberty. It's pretty funny sounding! I continue to throw scratch out for them in the hope that they'll venture closer to the cabin but that will come in time. For now, they spend most of their morning in the front yard over by Dizzy's apartment. When it starts getting warmer, they move off into the shade on the other side of her apartment. When late afternoon starts closing in, they move about freely. I saw them walking through the outdoor kitchen yesterday and was surprised to see them that close up. That's when we figured them to be mostly roosters.
Just before it starts to get dark is fast becoming one of my favorite times of the day. This is when they "get their rooster walk on" (as opposed to getting their drink on) like only roosters can do. They all end up over behind the cabin in a stand of trees where they roost every night... and then the noise begins. "Cock-a-doodle-doooooo!" "cock-a-doodle-dooooo!" over and over until, by whatever means they decide, it immediately becomes quiet as a church on Monday morning. They flutter their wings and up into the tree they go. One last cock-a-doodle-doo and everyone settles in for the night. They go to bed before I do and that's pretty darn hard to beat!
After everyone is settled in, then the dogs decide they want to go catch roosters. Ha! They know they don't stand a chance catching them while they're in that tree but that's probably why they wait until this time. In any event, they get under that tree and start barking their heads off. They're so excited they turn circles and bark and act like they really did tree them there roosters all by themselves. lol!! Maybe it's just me or maybe you have to see it in person but it cracks me up every time!
They might beat me to bed at night but I'm awake way before they are in the mornings. Everything is very quiet when I get up and come downstairs. I even have time to get my shower and get dressed before they know I'm about. Once I start making my lunch though, it's not long before the light from the kitchen awakens them and off they go to crowing. Wally said that they quiet down again after I leave and he turns off the light. Lazy roosters! They go back to sleep!
Saturday we went horseback riding. As you can see from the pictures, the horses, while very beautiful, were none too happy with us for saddling them. Wally showed me how to put the saddle on Smokey and then showed me again with Rebel. I'm not a fast learner. We had to let them stand there for a little while so we could tighten the girth (new word for me!) around their bellies. They puff up when you first saddle them and then let it out after a while. At that point you have to tighten it back up or risk the saddle being too loose to stay in it.
As you can see by the distance from where their lead ropes are tied to the hitchin post to where it clips under their chins, we have to keep them pretty tight. Smokey will untie his rope and take off. Rebel is a very well behaved horse but even he would bolt if given the opportunity at this point. So after about 5 minutes, we went back over to them and mounted up. I almost made it all the way up all by myself! I had to have Wally give me that extra little push to get my fat butt over the top. But once up there boy it sure did feel good. Smokey's not one to linger so Wally handed me my reins, unclasped Smokey and away we went.
This being his first ride in over a year you can imagine his excitement (ha ha - that's a joke) at having me on his back. It's been a while for me too so it took us a little getting used to each other before we fell into a rhythm. We were headed down the driveway by Dizzy's apt. in no time and Wally, on Rebel, was quickly closing in on us.
I had some re-learning to do since it's been so long. I had to remember to hold the reins tight and keep my legs straight in order for Smokey to know to get in his natural gait. They're both TN Walking Horses and Rebel will naturally fall into his gait. Smokey can but won't typically unless you want him too. It makes for the smoothest ride you've ever been on. There's no bouncing or hard hitting in the saddle, just a slight wiggle of your backside and you know your in it. Of course it's that same backside that tells you later on just how long you were in that saddle!
We rode down through the holler to the barn where Darryl was and hung out there for a while. It was so pretty riding down through there on the horses. It smells so fresh and outdoorsy and with the trees towering overhead, the temperature was nice and cool. The guys did some mechanic-ing while I rode Smokey down the road to where the pasture is. He didn't much like being away from Rebel so we headed back up to the barn. Before we even got near him, we could hear Rebel whinnying for Smokey to come back. They've been together for so long I guess they get worried when they aren't.
After a while we got back on them and rode up to the cabin. I like when we ride up a slight incline because I get to let Smokey take over and use whatever speed he needs to get to the top. It's so exhilarating on the back of a horse! Indeed, they always go faster than I ever expect :)
We gave them some water and we all took a break and hung out for an hour or so before getting back on them. This time we went up through the new trails by the gate and Wally hung the "Hunting By Permission Only" signs. Rebel was pretty well behaved but Smokey didn't want anything to do with it. He went but he wasn't happy. A couple times I had to walk him up the path a little ways and then turn him back around so he could see that Rebel was coming along.
We started back down the holler when I saw that something was bad wrong with Rebel. He was bending his head down and biting at his legs, belly, everywhere he could. Before I knew what was happening Smokey started getting wild too. He climbed straight up the embankment (I didn't even know he could!) and was snorting and biting at his legs too. In a split second, Wally told me we were in a bunch of bees and in that same second, Smokey turned on a dime, just missing a big tree, and was running full speed right back out of there onto the driveway and up towards the cabin. Oh my goodness what a ride! Smokey and I both still had bees on us and with Wally behind me he could see where they were and swat them away from me while I swatted them away from Smokey. Bees really do follow you if you get into them!
Gosh, I needed a break. I was breathing heavy and feeling a little anxious. I was also very thankful that Smokey's instincts kicked in when they did or I would have been covered in stings. As it was, I ended up with about 10 of them. He got me out of there so quickly I really didn't have time to think about it until we got home. We got off the horses and petted them to calm them down and then I had to come out of my shirt and rinse off. I think my adrenaline kept the stings from hurting me because I didn't feel them at first. Then, after about 15 minutes, the pain started. I held a cold rag to my skin so the throbbing would quit and then Wally sprayed me with some anti-itch spray. That felt so good. I was still kind of hyped up so we just chilled on the front porch going back over what had happened.
For all his stubbornness and mostly not wanting to come to me, that horse was a life saver. He performed perfectly and I can't brag on him enough for doing what came natural to him. I just happened to be on his back when he needed to do it. I petted him and thanked him and petted him some more. We had to ride them again so their last memory wouldn't be of getting in a bee swarm so again I got back on him. He was very calm and collected this time and we all headed down the front yard and through the gate to more new trails.
We rode them down to the spring where they enjoyed a cold drink of fresh spring water and Wally and I enjoyed the breeze and beauty of the scene around us. If I don't take you anywhere else on the farm, I have to take you to the spring on the back of a horse. Like the very best president of the United States of America once said "The best thing for the inside of a man is the backside of a horse." He couldn't have been more right and I was really feeling it at that moment.
We decided to take the trail up through the woods that leads to the side of the cabin where my garden is. Since the horses live down here most of the time, they already know this path even if their eyes were closed. With Rebel leading the way, up we went. We found that they have a very different path than the one we would have taken (lol) and it was pretty cool to just let them go and make their way to the top. They don't need much room that's for sure. Many a time I thought I was going to be unsaddled by a branch or a tree trunk but I held on and they kept going. Before long I could tell where I was... ha ha ha everyone else knew but me :)
We hitched them back to the post and started taking off their saddles. I'm not strong enough for most of the undoing but Wally helped me and showed me what to do. We brushed them down and gave them some carrots and then walked them over to the gate to let them go. We took off their lead ropes and thought they would make their way down the hill but they stayed there, just inside the gate, eating the tall, sweet, grass all around them. We poured out some sweet feed and then left them to their own devices.
We showered!!! My goodness you can get dirty on horseback. I'm not sure how it happens, since you're up that high and so far away from the ground and all things dirty but we were both pretty darn filthy. The shower felt wonderful on my stings and who knew I had so many leaves and stems in my hair. It was even in a ponytail and I still had stuff in it. lol! Probably looked like a scarecrow.
It was a day to remember for me and my rear end is still reminding today of just how much I enjoyed myself :) That night we had chili for supper. I probably drank a gallon of water with it. Not just because it was spicy, which it was and has to be, but also because I was craving it, I was so thirsty. We watched a little tv and then headed upstairs to bed. Talk about stiff, oh yeah, that was me.... I got in the covers, got my pillow situated and I don't think I moved the rest of the night...ahhhhhhhhhhhh.
Sunday was as relaxing as Saturday was invigorating. I did my laundry, made the quince preserves, finished my fall decorating and watched racing and football all day. I brought the quinces into the living room with me so I could watch the race and peel them at the same time. It took a while but they had softened up quite a bit so it wasn't as bad as my first attempt. I got them cored and into the pot of sugar water and let them boil for about an hour and a half. The recipe called for an hour but they weren't completely cooked down at that time so I let them keep going. I poured them into the jars, set the lids and seals and waited for the "pop" to come. It took probably 10-15 minutes before the first pop and then they were all popping like crazy! I get so excited when that happens and Wally just laughs at me.
I have 11 jars of them. I hope someone likes quince preserves because Wally can only have just a little bit at a time due to the sugar. They aren't really sweet, in fact, I should have probably used more sugar. Rather they are kind of tart - not a bad tart - but tart like a green apple. I might try to figure out a way to bring some when I come down this week. We'll see. If it's too much trouble I'll just wait until someone else comes up. The jars will keep :)
The race was pretty decent although I would have liked to see Tony win for mama Joyce and Wally. Kurt Bush (sorry Kris) needs to be fined, suspended or at the very least warned about his intentional bumping that is really starting to cost the other drivers some serious time, money and points possibilities. That's all I'll say about that.
The games were all quite surprising with the exception of the Manning Bowl II. Most surprising of all to me was the Dallas loss. Not that I'm a big fan but c'mon...? Tonight the Saints and 49ers go at it and I'm looking forward to hearing Hank Jr. belt out "Are You Ready For Some Football? A Monday Night Party...!!" Too bad for my QB, better luck next week Brett. Too bad for AZ too - who would have guessed they'd get spanked like that by the Falcons? Onto next week...
For Sunday night supper we had ribeyes, corn (not on the cob) and pea salad. Not too filling, not too light, all in all, it was just right. :) ha ha I'm a poet and didn't know it... get it? lol Enjoy!
"In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have. Eleven-hundred pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs - it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster. " ~Author Unknown
Friday, September 17, 2010
TGIF!!!!!
Whew! I don't know about y'all but I'm glad to see this work week come to a close. As you know I have been filling in for a teammate who is on vacation. Well, between trying to keep up with my work and then trying to keep up with her work (which is much harder than mine) I feel like I've been running in a circle. You know the one - like the chicken with its head cut off? At least my computer didn't give me any problems this time so that made it a little better :)
While I'm on the subject of chickens, we did finally get some! Wally went and picked them up yesterday. We now have four roosters and two chickens - at least I think that's the count. I've only seen them from afar as they are too "chicken" to come near me... ha ha ha ha ha!! pun intended :) I stopped at Tractor Supply and picked up some sweet feed for the horses and some scratch feed for the fowl.
Wally said when they first got to the house they were making all kinds of racket. He let them out of the cage and of course the dogs tried catching them. Well the guy from whence they came said they were dog-proof and apparently he was right. Those dogs couldn't catch em for nothin. LOL I suppose Wesson probably could have if he really, really wanted to but Smith just doesn't have the hind end to carry it off. Poor guy, Wally said he gave it his best but those hind legs just won't go with the front ones anymore. Meanwhile the birds were all out in the woods in fear for their lives. In the hope that they would return, we threw some scratch feed out over by Dizzy's Apartment and within about 1/2 hour they were all over there just pecking away at it.
Just before it started to get dark they must have decided to let the crowing begin! One of the roosters was out in the woods behind the house and another one was over by the burn pile. They were cockadoodle- dooing back and forth for a good 1/2 hour and just cracking me up the whole time! I think the one in the woods must have lost his way and was calling for the other one to come and get him - ha! fat chance of that, he would have to get past the guard dogs LOL.
Until we build a chicken coop we'll likely end up with eggs everywhere... that's okay, once the tomatoes have finished coming in, we're going to let them use my garden area. They can roam during the day and then have a place to stay at night - especially once it starts to get cold. As an added benefit, I'll have all the chicken poo I need for next year's garden :) and I won't have to shovel it this time - just add some compost and till it over a few times. Free fresh eggs and chicken poo. Tell me I don't have it made folks :)
So on to supper... (not a great follow up to chicken poo but who cares). I caught the ground chuck deal at H.G. Hills Supermarket where they had it for $1.79 lb. This isn't run of the mill ground beef, it's ground chuck y'all. I don't know that I've seen it that low since I was here last October. I put about a pound of it in a bowl and mixed it with some Worcestershire sauce, water, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Into my trusty cast iron skillet they went and man did that cabin smell good. Beefy good. You know what I mean. After flipping them and adding the softened, mild cheddar slices, I let them sit and rest for a few minutes.
I found some really fresh, whole wheat buns at Food Lion so I got those out and spread them with mayo and mustard (for Wally), just mustard for me and since I still had a few of my homemade pickles left I put a couple slices of those on them too. Then onto the buns the burgers they went! We had some green beans that were sauteed with onions on the side and dinner was served. Talk about being stuffed... ever wish you wore your stretchy pants for dinner? That was me :)
Oh yeah, we went to check on the horses. Over the weekend, if you caught the blog posting, we let the horses go back down to the pasture where they normally stay. There's plenty of fresh, sweet, grass growing down there and we knew they would go to town on it. Well, when we got there Jimbo was right by the fence in the upper pasture which surprised us both. We thought he would stay down by the spring but I guess he had other ideas. Smokey and Rebel were up in the shade near the condo (a.k.a. mobile home) getting their fill of grass too. Good ol' Rebel comes right over even if he doesn't right away spot any food in your hands. lol Smokey, well, he came over too but as always it took a while.
We filled a bucket with some sweet feed and let Rebel start eating out of it. Slowly but surely here comes Smokey wanting to get some too. He nipped at Rebel's backside and Rebel moved away. They did a little circle dance and, by whatever means they decided, Smokey won out. He came and ate from the bucket and let me pet him while he was at it. He seems to be softening up for a while and then NOPE, not havin nuthin to do with the likes of me. But I have had the pleasure of petting him twice in one week and that could be a record.
We ended up pouring the rest of the feed on the ground in two different places so they could both finish it up. This morning Wally took them and had new shoes put on and we are definitely riding tonight or tomorrow.The weather is nice so it won't stress them (or us) out and we've been petting them and feeding them from our hands enough that they aren't shy anymore (stubborn, yes, but not shy). I'm excited! Those trails are perfectly suited to riding side by side on horses and there are miles to travel... what a great way to spend some time together. When are you coming up?
Claudia gave me some quinces from her trees and I started peeling them last night in preparation for getting ready to make quince preserves. Those little buggers don't peel easily...maybe they aren't ripe enough I don't know but it took me 20 minutes just to peel about 6 of them. I put that aside and figured I'd give them a day or two to maybe soften up a bit before I try it again. I've never had quince before but all recipes warn against eating them raw so I can't tell if they're ripe or not since I'm not supposed to taste them. The recipe is very simple once they're peeled and cored. All you do is put them in the pot where you have three cups of sugar and a half gallon of water boiling rapidly. After the quince slices are added, they'll turn red and get soft. Within about an hour they're ready to be poured into 1/2 pint jars. I just happen to have some of those handy :) thank you Ernie. Supposedly, after cooking down to release their juices and combining with all that sugar, they get really sweet in the form of preserves. I'll keep you posted on how the quince-preserve-making episode turns out. If it ever does... lol
I found and had developed a roll of film from when I was here in January during the biggest snow storm in who knows how many years...the pictures are pretty cute and I'll try to remember to bring them when I come next week. There was soooooo much snow! The car was under the deck and it still got snow all over it just from it blowing in. Yes, I have to come down for a little medical procedure. No big deal but necessary nonetheless. I'll only be in FL the latter part of Thursday, Friday (is the procedure) and then I'm flying back out Saturday morning.
I'll try to visit with as many of you as possible but you know how that is. My Mom is having knee replacement surgery on Monday and will likely still be in the hospital so my first stop will be to visit her. After that, it's up in the air.
I found the boxes that had my Fall decorations -woo hoo!! I have scarecrows decorating the little side table, another one in the bathroom on a little step stool we have and my table runner is on the coffee table with a really pretty fake pumpkin in the center of it. On either side of the pumpkin is a little collection of red Indian corn all tied together with raffia and a little collection of acorns that are kind of woven together. In all they make a fine fall picture without over doing it. My supper table has the ceramic turkey on it, flanked by the Publix "Pilgrim People" dish towel and matching pot holder.
I'm gonna have to get to the trailer to get the rest of the Pilgrim People out of storage but I'm good for now. The rest of it is really for serving food and it's not Thanksgiving yet... but just you wait! I bet Ernie has all her stuff out already :) any takers on that???? lol
The Steelers are coming to town to face the Titans and the Vols are up against the Florida Gators. My money is on the Titans and the Gators. Big Ben is still on suspension and unless their second string QB is off the injured list, the Steelers will be playing their third string QB. I prefer the Steelers win but if it came down to the money, I'd have to bet on the Titans. You don't win by betting with your heart... lol I'm pretty sure the Gators will take the Vols - it could go either way though now that the Gators lost their star play (my daughter's future husband). I'll probably play this one safe and not bet at all. Either way, it'll be a good football weekend here!
Seeing as how we now have roosters I kind of expected to hear from them first thing this morning but nooooooo, those roosters were still sleeping when we got up! I turned on the light in the kitchen so I could pack my lunch and left it on so I could see the way to my car. I guess that finally woke them up because Wally called me before I was even on the main road and I could hear them all in the background just going at it. ha ha! After he turned the light off, they went back to being quiet, probably sleeping again - guess they didn't appreciate me waking them up :) You know it's pretty bad when you leave so early in the morning that you are responsible for waking the roosters! Either that or we have some seriously lazy roosters... lol
You watch, the one day that I am actually able to sleep in, that's when they'll get me back.
The horses are shod, the chili pot is out and awaiting the addition of ingredients, we have a huge burn pile just ready to be lit up and both Saturday and Sunday have good football. Sounds like our weekend is pretty well laid out for us. I hope your plans include just as much fun...
While I'm on the subject of chickens, we did finally get some! Wally went and picked them up yesterday. We now have four roosters and two chickens - at least I think that's the count. I've only seen them from afar as they are too "chicken" to come near me... ha ha ha ha ha!! pun intended :) I stopped at Tractor Supply and picked up some sweet feed for the horses and some scratch feed for the fowl.
Wally said when they first got to the house they were making all kinds of racket. He let them out of the cage and of course the dogs tried catching them. Well the guy from whence they came said they were dog-proof and apparently he was right. Those dogs couldn't catch em for nothin. LOL I suppose Wesson probably could have if he really, really wanted to but Smith just doesn't have the hind end to carry it off. Poor guy, Wally said he gave it his best but those hind legs just won't go with the front ones anymore. Meanwhile the birds were all out in the woods in fear for their lives. In the hope that they would return, we threw some scratch feed out over by Dizzy's Apartment and within about 1/2 hour they were all over there just pecking away at it.
Just before it started to get dark they must have decided to let the crowing begin! One of the roosters was out in the woods behind the house and another one was over by the burn pile. They were cockadoodle- dooing back and forth for a good 1/2 hour and just cracking me up the whole time! I think the one in the woods must have lost his way and was calling for the other one to come and get him - ha! fat chance of that, he would have to get past the guard dogs LOL.
Until we build a chicken coop we'll likely end up with eggs everywhere... that's okay, once the tomatoes have finished coming in, we're going to let them use my garden area. They can roam during the day and then have a place to stay at night - especially once it starts to get cold. As an added benefit, I'll have all the chicken poo I need for next year's garden :) and I won't have to shovel it this time - just add some compost and till it over a few times. Free fresh eggs and chicken poo. Tell me I don't have it made folks :)
So on to supper... (not a great follow up to chicken poo but who cares). I caught the ground chuck deal at H.G. Hills Supermarket where they had it for $1.79 lb. This isn't run of the mill ground beef, it's ground chuck y'all. I don't know that I've seen it that low since I was here last October. I put about a pound of it in a bowl and mixed it with some Worcestershire sauce, water, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Into my trusty cast iron skillet they went and man did that cabin smell good. Beefy good. You know what I mean. After flipping them and adding the softened, mild cheddar slices, I let them sit and rest for a few minutes.
I found some really fresh, whole wheat buns at Food Lion so I got those out and spread them with mayo and mustard (for Wally), just mustard for me and since I still had a few of my homemade pickles left I put a couple slices of those on them too. Then onto the buns the burgers they went! We had some green beans that were sauteed with onions on the side and dinner was served. Talk about being stuffed... ever wish you wore your stretchy pants for dinner? That was me :)
Oh yeah, we went to check on the horses. Over the weekend, if you caught the blog posting, we let the horses go back down to the pasture where they normally stay. There's plenty of fresh, sweet, grass growing down there and we knew they would go to town on it. Well, when we got there Jimbo was right by the fence in the upper pasture which surprised us both. We thought he would stay down by the spring but I guess he had other ideas. Smokey and Rebel were up in the shade near the condo (a.k.a. mobile home) getting their fill of grass too. Good ol' Rebel comes right over even if he doesn't right away spot any food in your hands. lol Smokey, well, he came over too but as always it took a while.
We filled a bucket with some sweet feed and let Rebel start eating out of it. Slowly but surely here comes Smokey wanting to get some too. He nipped at Rebel's backside and Rebel moved away. They did a little circle dance and, by whatever means they decided, Smokey won out. He came and ate from the bucket and let me pet him while he was at it. He seems to be softening up for a while and then NOPE, not havin nuthin to do with the likes of me. But I have had the pleasure of petting him twice in one week and that could be a record.
We ended up pouring the rest of the feed on the ground in two different places so they could both finish it up. This morning Wally took them and had new shoes put on and we are definitely riding tonight or tomorrow.The weather is nice so it won't stress them (or us) out and we've been petting them and feeding them from our hands enough that they aren't shy anymore (stubborn, yes, but not shy). I'm excited! Those trails are perfectly suited to riding side by side on horses and there are miles to travel... what a great way to spend some time together. When are you coming up?
Claudia gave me some quinces from her trees and I started peeling them last night in preparation for getting ready to make quince preserves. Those little buggers don't peel easily...maybe they aren't ripe enough I don't know but it took me 20 minutes just to peel about 6 of them. I put that aside and figured I'd give them a day or two to maybe soften up a bit before I try it again. I've never had quince before but all recipes warn against eating them raw so I can't tell if they're ripe or not since I'm not supposed to taste them. The recipe is very simple once they're peeled and cored. All you do is put them in the pot where you have three cups of sugar and a half gallon of water boiling rapidly. After the quince slices are added, they'll turn red and get soft. Within about an hour they're ready to be poured into 1/2 pint jars. I just happen to have some of those handy :) thank you Ernie. Supposedly, after cooking down to release their juices and combining with all that sugar, they get really sweet in the form of preserves. I'll keep you posted on how the quince-preserve-making episode turns out. If it ever does... lol
I found and had developed a roll of film from when I was here in January during the biggest snow storm in who knows how many years...the pictures are pretty cute and I'll try to remember to bring them when I come next week. There was soooooo much snow! The car was under the deck and it still got snow all over it just from it blowing in. Yes, I have to come down for a little medical procedure. No big deal but necessary nonetheless. I'll only be in FL the latter part of Thursday, Friday (is the procedure) and then I'm flying back out Saturday morning.
I'll try to visit with as many of you as possible but you know how that is. My Mom is having knee replacement surgery on Monday and will likely still be in the hospital so my first stop will be to visit her. After that, it's up in the air.
I found the boxes that had my Fall decorations -woo hoo!! I have scarecrows decorating the little side table, another one in the bathroom on a little step stool we have and my table runner is on the coffee table with a really pretty fake pumpkin in the center of it. On either side of the pumpkin is a little collection of red Indian corn all tied together with raffia and a little collection of acorns that are kind of woven together. In all they make a fine fall picture without over doing it. My supper table has the ceramic turkey on it, flanked by the Publix "Pilgrim People" dish towel and matching pot holder.
I'm gonna have to get to the trailer to get the rest of the Pilgrim People out of storage but I'm good for now. The rest of it is really for serving food and it's not Thanksgiving yet... but just you wait! I bet Ernie has all her stuff out already :) any takers on that???? lol
The Steelers are coming to town to face the Titans and the Vols are up against the Florida Gators. My money is on the Titans and the Gators. Big Ben is still on suspension and unless their second string QB is off the injured list, the Steelers will be playing their third string QB. I prefer the Steelers win but if it came down to the money, I'd have to bet on the Titans. You don't win by betting with your heart... lol I'm pretty sure the Gators will take the Vols - it could go either way though now that the Gators lost their star play (my daughter's future husband). I'll probably play this one safe and not bet at all. Either way, it'll be a good football weekend here!
Seeing as how we now have roosters I kind of expected to hear from them first thing this morning but nooooooo, those roosters were still sleeping when we got up! I turned on the light in the kitchen so I could pack my lunch and left it on so I could see the way to my car. I guess that finally woke them up because Wally called me before I was even on the main road and I could hear them all in the background just going at it. ha ha! After he turned the light off, they went back to being quiet, probably sleeping again - guess they didn't appreciate me waking them up :) You know it's pretty bad when you leave so early in the morning that you are responsible for waking the roosters! Either that or we have some seriously lazy roosters... lol
You watch, the one day that I am actually able to sleep in, that's when they'll get me back.
The horses are shod, the chili pot is out and awaiting the addition of ingredients, we have a huge burn pile just ready to be lit up and both Saturday and Sunday have good football. Sounds like our weekend is pretty well laid out for us. I hope your plans include just as much fun...
"Trying to maintain order during a legalized gang brawl involving 80 toughs with a little whistle, a hanky and a ton of prayer." ~Anonymous referee, explaining his job
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Final Product...
If that picture doesn't do my smoked bacon justice, I don't know what would. You can see the redness of the meat from the smoking process, you can see the crunchy, black, smoked, top layer of fat (pork fat rules, baby!) and you can see the shine of the sun gleaming down on top of it all. I'm so glad I was able to get that picture sent to my email so I could post it. It makes me hungry for a BLT! LOL
And that black, crunchy, top part - it didn't last long. Sorry Dizzy Deb, if you were here you could've had some but I just couldn't let it go to waste in your absence. It was incredibly delicious!
As you can see from the pictures, Labor Day turned out to be very relaxing and full of pork. What more could a girl ask for... ha ha ha!
Well, you'll never believe what I had to do the other day... it's terrible. I had to buy a new satchel! Marcia has been in charge of my satchels for so many years I can't even remember the last one I bought. My little brownish-orange one ended up sitting in a puddle of that beautiful pork fat and soaked it up almost to the zipper. I tried Greased Lightning, no good. I tried Dawn, no good. I figured if those two couldn't get it clean, nothing could. I had to throw it out. sniff, sniff I miss it.
Shopping doesn't make me happy and shopping for a new satchel was worse than I ever remembered. Truly if Marcia were here, even she would have been challenged to find me the perfect one like she always has before. I went to TJMaxx first. It's close to work so I went on my lunch break. They have probably 6 or 8 rows of purses and they are stacked on bars 4 and 5 purses deep. There is a top row of bars and a bottom row of bars so you have to really dig up, down and through them to see every purse being offered. I never saw anything like it. And there were at least 10 women, including me, searching through them! All their fancy perfumes mingling that close together made my stomach get upset.
They were all huge, blingy, tacky, obnoxious looking things that made me wonder who in their right mind would actually carry something like that. UGLY I'm telling you. And for all their ugliness, they were extremely expensive to boot!! I saw one that was $154.00. Now c'mon. Really. For a purse. I don't think so.
As I was walking out the door, I noticed a really pretty pair of boots. Too bad they were $599.00 Prada's or I might have considered buying them...ha ha ha I didn't even know what Prada was until I read the book. My only other choice of stores close to work is Steinmart. I've picked up some tops in Steinmart before and it wasn't a horrible shopping experience but after the TJMaxx thing I wasn't really getting excited or hopeful.
The purses are in a much better viewing position in this store. They are on shelves much like bookshelves. Very orderly, very well organized by color and none of the tackiness of the TJMaxx selection. Within 5 minutes I had found my new satchel and was out the door. It's bigger than my last two but it was the smallest they had. It'll do until I can express my concern to Marcia in the hope that she'll take pity on me and honor me with another of her great finds.
At least that chore was over.
I picked up my CSA basket yesterday and was delighted to see more butternut squash, a whole bunch of radishes, basil, arugula, peppers, potatoes, green beans and okra. Trish topped it off with a little bouquet of zinnias also grown on the farm. Everything looks and smells so fresh in that basket I can hardly bear to put it all away. I'll be cooking the okra tonight in a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It's a stewed okra, tomato and pepper combination that really brings out the flavor of the red okra. And it's not sticky so don't go getting all grossed out. Indeed, when cooked long enough the okra loses that sticky texture. Some of you can just never be convinced though, can you? ha ha ha
For the arugula I'll be making my shrimp pasta with garlic butter and top it with the arugula and some parmesan cheese. Sounds pretty tasty, huh? The radishes will go in my salad, if they make it that far. I ate two of them last night when we got home. Couldn't help it, they were just too tempting... rinsed off, sliced up, salted and devoured. ahhhh
The butternut squash has many options for use but I still like the puree recipe that Terri gave me. I put a little pat of butter in the hole and sprinkle on cinnamon, nutmeg and just a dash of red pepper flakes. The halves roast in the oven until the pulp/flesh is really tender. From there all you have to so is scoop it out and eat it. I did add some sugar-free maple flavored syrup but even without it, it's good. Try it and let me know what you think. Thanks go to Terri for passing on the recipe!
I have my irises and my hostas from Claudia so I'll be digging in the dirt when I get home tonight. Thankfully they don't have to go in the ground very deep. You know my problem with the rock issue here. I figure the hostas will go between the day lily and the tiger lily off the front porch. The irises will be scattered about the farm but especially over by Dizzy Debbie's apartment. There is a tree stump in the back yard that looks like it needs some color so a couple iris bulbs will go over there and then some for my little flower bed too.
Debbie's apartment is a weathered wood color so I think the bright orange of the day lilies combined with the dark blue of the irises will be a very complimentary combination. Sounds like I have my work cut out for me :) It's work I enjoy so I'm looking forward to it and even more so I'm looking forward to seeing the flowers bloom in the spring. I know you're looking forward to seeing the pictures of them!
I'm reading a cookbook that Connie Bass gave me when her Mom passed away. It was her Mom's book and it is simply wonderful to read. The first printing was in 1938 so you can imagine the words of wisdom and the advice being bestowed on the novice cook. It's called "The American woman's Cook Book" by Ruth Berolzheimer. It's an 824 page volume and it even has the little black reference cutouts on the pages so you can easily find your way through it. So far I've read about maintaining an even temperature in newly manufactured electric ovens, how to keep your kitchen sanitary and germ free and how to feed your family healthy food while maintaining a housewife's budget. All things that were very important in 1938.
It even has the directions for rendering lard... yep, I used them! Does anyone know what "Timbales" is/are? What about "Timbale Cases?" Both are mentioned but I have no idea what the heck they are.Most of the recipes serve 6-8 people presumably because families were bigger back then as opposed to the modern day families. I am thoroughly enjoying this read and encourage everyone to dig through your cookbooks or your Mom's cookbooks or even her Mom's cookbooks. The way of life was so different and can only somewhat be appreciated by reading what the women went through just to prepare food for their families. I find it interesting even though some of you may not.
Well, if you come across any old cookbooks that you won't be using or that you just don't want, send them my way. I'm a glutton for them :)
Of course, many thanks go to Connie for choosing me as the recipient of her Mother's book. I do so appreciate it.
Oh yeah, the picture of the gang at the swimmin hole is from left to right, Claudia, me, Daniel, Daryl, Tenesha, Kurt and Beverly. You'll meet them all when you come visit.
The leaves are beginning to change. I didn't realize it would happen this month. For whatever reason I had it in my head that October was the month they would change. We already have trees that have turned yellow and red. I posted a picture of the first ones I could reach. There are so many that I'm considering buying one of those foam rings and making a wreath with them. If you have any suggestions on this subject, they are welcomed. I'm hoping my wreath making will be as successful as my basket making. That would really be cool... lol!
I'm also reading the 2011 edition of the Farmer's Almanac which was just released last Friday, I think. It is simply packed full of information and it's all I can to do keep from reading it while I'm working. Doesn't that just drive you crazy? I have to leave it at home. It has a cute saying for September that goes like this, "Now Autumn's golden stores behold, with fruit each tree is crowned; peaches in suits of red or gold, each twig bows toward the ground." There will definitely be more on the blog from this book.
On the menu tonight - banana ice cream. I know I wrote about this before - surely I must have. All you do is slice up a ripe banana, put it on a sheet pan and stick it in the freezer. After 4 or 5 hours, take it out and put the slices in the blender. Blend them up, scoop it into bowls and you have soft serve banana ice cream. How about that? Sprinkle some chopped nuts on top and it's even better!
I may not make it back to the blog this week. I have to be back up for a co-worker who is taking the rest of the week off. Her job takes my whole day plus some overtime so it's hard to write a post on those days but I'll see what I can do.
"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." ~Elizabeth Lawrence
And that black, crunchy, top part - it didn't last long. Sorry Dizzy Deb, if you were here you could've had some but I just couldn't let it go to waste in your absence. It was incredibly delicious!
As you can see from the pictures, Labor Day turned out to be very relaxing and full of pork. What more could a girl ask for... ha ha ha!
Well, you'll never believe what I had to do the other day... it's terrible. I had to buy a new satchel! Marcia has been in charge of my satchels for so many years I can't even remember the last one I bought. My little brownish-orange one ended up sitting in a puddle of that beautiful pork fat and soaked it up almost to the zipper. I tried Greased Lightning, no good. I tried Dawn, no good. I figured if those two couldn't get it clean, nothing could. I had to throw it out. sniff, sniff I miss it.
Shopping doesn't make me happy and shopping for a new satchel was worse than I ever remembered. Truly if Marcia were here, even she would have been challenged to find me the perfect one like she always has before. I went to TJMaxx first. It's close to work so I went on my lunch break. They have probably 6 or 8 rows of purses and they are stacked on bars 4 and 5 purses deep. There is a top row of bars and a bottom row of bars so you have to really dig up, down and through them to see every purse being offered. I never saw anything like it. And there were at least 10 women, including me, searching through them! All their fancy perfumes mingling that close together made my stomach get upset.
They were all huge, blingy, tacky, obnoxious looking things that made me wonder who in their right mind would actually carry something like that. UGLY I'm telling you. And for all their ugliness, they were extremely expensive to boot!! I saw one that was $154.00. Now c'mon. Really. For a purse. I don't think so.
As I was walking out the door, I noticed a really pretty pair of boots. Too bad they were $599.00 Prada's or I might have considered buying them...ha ha ha I didn't even know what Prada was until I read the book. My only other choice of stores close to work is Steinmart. I've picked up some tops in Steinmart before and it wasn't a horrible shopping experience but after the TJMaxx thing I wasn't really getting excited or hopeful.
The purses are in a much better viewing position in this store. They are on shelves much like bookshelves. Very orderly, very well organized by color and none of the tackiness of the TJMaxx selection. Within 5 minutes I had found my new satchel and was out the door. It's bigger than my last two but it was the smallest they had. It'll do until I can express my concern to Marcia in the hope that she'll take pity on me and honor me with another of her great finds.
At least that chore was over.
I picked up my CSA basket yesterday and was delighted to see more butternut squash, a whole bunch of radishes, basil, arugula, peppers, potatoes, green beans and okra. Trish topped it off with a little bouquet of zinnias also grown on the farm. Everything looks and smells so fresh in that basket I can hardly bear to put it all away. I'll be cooking the okra tonight in a recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It's a stewed okra, tomato and pepper combination that really brings out the flavor of the red okra. And it's not sticky so don't go getting all grossed out. Indeed, when cooked long enough the okra loses that sticky texture. Some of you can just never be convinced though, can you? ha ha ha
For the arugula I'll be making my shrimp pasta with garlic butter and top it with the arugula and some parmesan cheese. Sounds pretty tasty, huh? The radishes will go in my salad, if they make it that far. I ate two of them last night when we got home. Couldn't help it, they were just too tempting... rinsed off, sliced up, salted and devoured. ahhhh
The butternut squash has many options for use but I still like the puree recipe that Terri gave me. I put a little pat of butter in the hole and sprinkle on cinnamon, nutmeg and just a dash of red pepper flakes. The halves roast in the oven until the pulp/flesh is really tender. From there all you have to so is scoop it out and eat it. I did add some sugar-free maple flavored syrup but even without it, it's good. Try it and let me know what you think. Thanks go to Terri for passing on the recipe!
I have my irises and my hostas from Claudia so I'll be digging in the dirt when I get home tonight. Thankfully they don't have to go in the ground very deep. You know my problem with the rock issue here. I figure the hostas will go between the day lily and the tiger lily off the front porch. The irises will be scattered about the farm but especially over by Dizzy Debbie's apartment. There is a tree stump in the back yard that looks like it needs some color so a couple iris bulbs will go over there and then some for my little flower bed too.
Debbie's apartment is a weathered wood color so I think the bright orange of the day lilies combined with the dark blue of the irises will be a very complimentary combination. Sounds like I have my work cut out for me :) It's work I enjoy so I'm looking forward to it and even more so I'm looking forward to seeing the flowers bloom in the spring. I know you're looking forward to seeing the pictures of them!
I'm reading a cookbook that Connie Bass gave me when her Mom passed away. It was her Mom's book and it is simply wonderful to read. The first printing was in 1938 so you can imagine the words of wisdom and the advice being bestowed on the novice cook. It's called "The American woman's Cook Book" by Ruth Berolzheimer. It's an 824 page volume and it even has the little black reference cutouts on the pages so you can easily find your way through it. So far I've read about maintaining an even temperature in newly manufactured electric ovens, how to keep your kitchen sanitary and germ free and how to feed your family healthy food while maintaining a housewife's budget. All things that were very important in 1938.
It even has the directions for rendering lard... yep, I used them! Does anyone know what "Timbales" is/are? What about "Timbale Cases?" Both are mentioned but I have no idea what the heck they are.Most of the recipes serve 6-8 people presumably because families were bigger back then as opposed to the modern day families. I am thoroughly enjoying this read and encourage everyone to dig through your cookbooks or your Mom's cookbooks or even her Mom's cookbooks. The way of life was so different and can only somewhat be appreciated by reading what the women went through just to prepare food for their families. I find it interesting even though some of you may not.
Well, if you come across any old cookbooks that you won't be using or that you just don't want, send them my way. I'm a glutton for them :)
Of course, many thanks go to Connie for choosing me as the recipient of her Mother's book. I do so appreciate it.
Oh yeah, the picture of the gang at the swimmin hole is from left to right, Claudia, me, Daniel, Daryl, Tenesha, Kurt and Beverly. You'll meet them all when you come visit.
The leaves are beginning to change. I didn't realize it would happen this month. For whatever reason I had it in my head that October was the month they would change. We already have trees that have turned yellow and red. I posted a picture of the first ones I could reach. There are so many that I'm considering buying one of those foam rings and making a wreath with them. If you have any suggestions on this subject, they are welcomed. I'm hoping my wreath making will be as successful as my basket making. That would really be cool... lol!
I'm also reading the 2011 edition of the Farmer's Almanac which was just released last Friday, I think. It is simply packed full of information and it's all I can to do keep from reading it while I'm working. Doesn't that just drive you crazy? I have to leave it at home. It has a cute saying for September that goes like this, "Now Autumn's golden stores behold, with fruit each tree is crowned; peaches in suits of red or gold, each twig bows toward the ground." There will definitely be more on the blog from this book.
On the menu tonight - banana ice cream. I know I wrote about this before - surely I must have. All you do is slice up a ripe banana, put it on a sheet pan and stick it in the freezer. After 4 or 5 hours, take it out and put the slices in the blender. Blend them up, scoop it into bowls and you have soft serve banana ice cream. How about that? Sprinkle some chopped nuts on top and it's even better!
I may not make it back to the blog this week. I have to be back up for a co-worker who is taking the rest of the week off. Her job takes my whole day plus some overtime so it's hard to write a post on those days but I'll see what I can do.
"Everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." ~Elizabeth Lawrence
Monday, September 13, 2010
Um, okay, 53 degrees overnight...need to get a coat.
While the temperature is still pretty high in the afternoon (87-91), the evenings are showing a definite cooling off period. We shut off that air conditioner Saturday morning and didn't need to turn it back on the rest of the weekend and into today. Tomorrow might be a little different story but for now, we're really enjoying being outside and being able to open the windows and doors. I will have to get a real coat and some gloves though because it won't be long before it's really, really cold outside and my hands just don't want to cooperate when they get cold. As I type for a living, this presents a major problem.
So you might be saying to yourself, if I work inside then what's the problem? They keep it freezing-_ss cold in here LOL Not that I'll be able to type with gloves on, although I can see myself trying, but at least my hands will be warm until I get here. Claudia and Beverly have offered to take me to Columbia where they say I'll be able to stock up on some winter necessities; coat, gloves, turtle neck sweaters, wool socks, etc. I'm not looking forward to the shopping experience at all. :( But I have no choice. It's the same as going to Wal-Mart, I know I have to do it but I sure as heck do not want to. They both enjoy shopping so you can imagine what my day will be like. We're supposed to go this Sunday coming up. I'll let you know how I do.
Well Friday was peaceful for us. The guys had finished working for the day and were gone by the time I got home. It rained just a little bit when I stopped for beer. No rain prior and no rain after but just while I had to get out and back in the car - naturally! Otherwise the drive was very nice coming home. The schools were all on half days so I didn't have any school zones to worry with and I didn't get stuck behind any buses.
Traffic? Almost non-existent. It feels really good to say that too :)
So I made us some dinner, we watched some tv, and hit the sack early. Saturday we were up with the birds and off to breakfast in Centerville. I'm not one much for going out to breakfast when I can easily make it at home with the ingredients of my choice but we had to go to the dump and we needed to fuel up the truck so off we went. Fuel was $2.46 a gallon. I don't know what you're paying there but this is the cheapest we've seen in a while.
We headed to the dump and got rid of our garbage (aren't you excited to hear that!) and then off to the Homestead Restaurant in Centerville. While en route we figured we better stop at Fred's and get some freezer bags because we needed to slice up and bag the whole ribeye Wally bought from the Value Plus Grocery store. We hit Fred's and then drove to the Homestead Restaurant. HA! Apparently everyone in Centerville decided to go there for breakfast the same morning we did. If you know me, you know that standing in line for food (or just about anything else) is just not happening. I have zero patience for lines. I don't know how it developed or if it was inherited but it doesn't matter - I simply can't do it.
We decided to go to the diner instead. There were a few people in the diner but nothing like that Homestead place. Not to mention the fact that the Homestead is a buffet, while the diner lets you order off the menu. Actually, you can just ask them if they have what you want and they'll cook it for you anytime of day or night if they have it. Since Wally is a regular there, we asked if we could get cheeseburgers and were told it was no problem. Did we want regular or waffle fries? LOL Waffle for Wally, regular for me :) Forget all that egg, bacon, biscuit thing - the burgers were just what my mouth was watering for. It was delicious! You can get the regular breakfast fare and they do a really good job of cooking it how you want it but if you're in the mood for a burger, around here, the diner can't be beat. Kat, I'll keep you in mind for it when/if you come visit!
After breakfast we made it back home only to find Daryl, Claudia and Daniel at the gate. Daryl was just opening it up as we arrived so we pulled on through with them. Kurt, Beverly and Tenesha were down at the other gate awaiting our arrival so the guys could put the finishing touches on the swimmin hole. Instead of going through the holler, we loaded up and took the long way to the other gate so Claudia could see what that end of the property looks like. Us girls stuck around for an hour or so but then we started getting hot and bored so we left and went back up to the cabin. Tenesha stayed with the guys - she has a little crush on Daniel :)
Beverly and Claudia helped me wrap that whole, smoked ham that has been sitting in the refrigerator. It wasn't going to go bad but it sure did take up some room. Not only that, every time we opened the door, we wanted to pull a hunk of it off and eat it - it smelled so darn good! It was in the best interest of the ham that we get it in the freezer. Beverly held it up while I spread out the plastic wrap in two overlapping rows. Claudia made sure we didn't miss wrapping any part of it and helped me keep the cutting board clean while this was going on. After the plastic wrap was on, we wrapped it again in butcher paper. That was a little bit tricky since the ham isn't round or oval but rather a little of both. We got the butcher paper on it and wrapped it one more time in plastic just to make sure all the air was out so it would remain freezer-burn free. I felt better knowing it was in the freezer and I could reorganize my refrigerator so that everything is back in its rightful place. whew!!
We grabbed our chairs and headed for the front porch. What a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the little humming birds were feasting and the horses were grazing about in the front yard. We sat there talking for the rest of the day. It was just idle conversation but it was with my new friends and it was nice to visit. They've known each other for years so their stories were fun to listen to. They had also been out the night before and had some good stuff to tell about the night's events; who drank too much, who got into fights, etc. Sound familiar? Sounded like the Oriole's but with a different cast of characters! lol
The day before the horses had been tied up and given their last round of sweet feed. While they were tied up, Smokey decided to untie his lead rope so he set himself free. The only problem was that his lead rope was hooked to his harness under his chin. For two days he wandered around with that thing dragging the ground. As you know he's not the most likely candidate to come up to me, even for food, so he was pretty much stuck with it. I got him to eat out of my hand but he wouldn't let me bring my hand up to the clip. He would just walk off every time I tried.
Well the guys got back to the cabin a couple hours after we did and Wally decided to try and catch him. He wanted to send them all back down the hill to the real pasture so they can do some much needed mowing down there. Rebel and Jimbo came right up with no problem but Smokey, as usual, was a different story. I think it took probably 20 minutes to catch him but Wally was patient and wasn't giving up. I'm not sure which one is more stubborn... lol
After he caught him, he tied him to the hitchin post so we could pet him before he would be let go again. He stands there with this completely sorrowful look in his eyes like he's in trouble and shies at the very slightest movement. I try to talk in a very calming voice and I always wait until he's looking my way before reaching up to pet him. Even though he's tied, he can still kick if he wants and I wouldn't want him to hurt himself or me :) He's a brindle color now that he's been in the sun all summer long. He still shows a little of his pitch black winter color but there's a lot of tans and browns now too. He's truly a specimen. If I can ever get my phone to send a picture again, I'll post his and Rebels on the blog.
It was nice to pet him. His hair is smooth as silk, his mane is long and full on both sides and his muscles are big and strong. When I stand beside him, my head doesn't even come up to his back. You could almost feel sorry for him having to stand there if you didn't know what we went through to catch him.
Wally took them both to the gate and set them free and then they loaded Jimbo in the trailer to take him down to the bottom pasture. He's a real loner so we didn't want to put him in with the other two since he doesn't know his way around and might not be able to find the spring. Smokey and Rebel were already in the pasture by the time Jimbo was loaded and on the road. He was dropped off where the spring is so he knows how to find water and he has more grass than he'll be able to eat in a lifetime.
Everyone started getting ready to leave and I started cleaning up the porch. There were some beer cans, some cigarette butts in the ashtray, hair from Beverly giving Daryl a haircut and a couple Mt. Dew cans. It probably didn't take 10 minutes to clean up and then we got ourselves cleaned up. We still had Mel's birthday party to go to and it wasn't until 7ish so we had time. I got a load of clothes up on the line while Wally got showered and then it was my turn.
At that point we could have easily stayed home for the night. The air was cool and refreshing blowing through the doors and windows and all my chores were done except finishing the laundry which I had planned for Sunday anyway. I started reading an old cookbook that my cousin Connie gave me that had belonged to her mother. It is very cool and I plan to quote some of the sayings in it on the blog when I remember to bring it to work with me. It talks about refrigeration and newly modeled electric ovens. It takes me back to a time before I was born - although, I probably should have been born back then - and it gives me a greater appreciation for all that our grandmothers and grandfathers had to do to keep foods fresh while still providing plenty of nutrients. Most of the recipes say they serve 8-10. That was a normal family back then.
We went to see Mel for her birthday and stopped at Pee Wee's on the way. Mel happened to be there so we stayed for an hour or so and then came home. They were going on to keep partying but we were ready to be back at the farm, sittin in our chairs in the cabin. We watched the race and called it a night. I was ready for a good, long sleep but of course that didn't happen. lol I woke up at 3:30am fired up and ready to go. It was way too early to actually get up so I made myself lay there enjoying the morning quietness and knowing that I still didn't have to get on a plane and go back to FL. No offense but I really like knowing that.
I did all my laundry Sunday and I made a pot of chicken soup. The picture doesn't really do it justice but at least I was able to get my phone to send it over. The picture is the stage when the chicken has started cooking and all the vegetable scraps have been added. At this point there has been no seasoning added but I have skimmed off the foam that comes up. After letting it simmer for an hour or so, I strained the veggies out and let the chicken pieces cool off enough to be able to pull the meat from the bones and toss it back into the pot. I added carrots, celery, onions and a little cilantro along with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. When it came to a boil, I added the pearled barley, tasted it to adjust for additional seasonings and put the lid on it. After 40-45 minutes it was hotter than a firecracker and ready to eat! Whew did it ever make me sweat :) That's how you know it's good! I put some in a bowl for lunch and stored the rest in the refrigerator.
There were two deer in the yard while I was cooking and even when I was changing out the laundry, they didn't run off. Silly of them. They shouldn't trust me so whole-heartedly. There will come a time when one will have to go the way of the freezer but that time isn't yet upon us. :) hee hee
The house was clean and smelled good, the laundry was blowing in the wind and the deer were in the yard. In my mind it seemed like it must have looked like a Thomas Kincaid portrait. Wish you were here to enjoy it with me. C'mon!! :)
"As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It's time to start making soup again." ~Leslie Newman
So you might be saying to yourself, if I work inside then what's the problem? They keep it freezing-_ss cold in here LOL Not that I'll be able to type with gloves on, although I can see myself trying, but at least my hands will be warm until I get here. Claudia and Beverly have offered to take me to Columbia where they say I'll be able to stock up on some winter necessities; coat, gloves, turtle neck sweaters, wool socks, etc. I'm not looking forward to the shopping experience at all. :( But I have no choice. It's the same as going to Wal-Mart, I know I have to do it but I sure as heck do not want to. They both enjoy shopping so you can imagine what my day will be like. We're supposed to go this Sunday coming up. I'll let you know how I do.
Well Friday was peaceful for us. The guys had finished working for the day and were gone by the time I got home. It rained just a little bit when I stopped for beer. No rain prior and no rain after but just while I had to get out and back in the car - naturally! Otherwise the drive was very nice coming home. The schools were all on half days so I didn't have any school zones to worry with and I didn't get stuck behind any buses.
Traffic? Almost non-existent. It feels really good to say that too :)
So I made us some dinner, we watched some tv, and hit the sack early. Saturday we were up with the birds and off to breakfast in Centerville. I'm not one much for going out to breakfast when I can easily make it at home with the ingredients of my choice but we had to go to the dump and we needed to fuel up the truck so off we went. Fuel was $2.46 a gallon. I don't know what you're paying there but this is the cheapest we've seen in a while.
We headed to the dump and got rid of our garbage (aren't you excited to hear that!) and then off to the Homestead Restaurant in Centerville. While en route we figured we better stop at Fred's and get some freezer bags because we needed to slice up and bag the whole ribeye Wally bought from the Value Plus Grocery store. We hit Fred's and then drove to the Homestead Restaurant. HA! Apparently everyone in Centerville decided to go there for breakfast the same morning we did. If you know me, you know that standing in line for food (or just about anything else) is just not happening. I have zero patience for lines. I don't know how it developed or if it was inherited but it doesn't matter - I simply can't do it.
We decided to go to the diner instead. There were a few people in the diner but nothing like that Homestead place. Not to mention the fact that the Homestead is a buffet, while the diner lets you order off the menu. Actually, you can just ask them if they have what you want and they'll cook it for you anytime of day or night if they have it. Since Wally is a regular there, we asked if we could get cheeseburgers and were told it was no problem. Did we want regular or waffle fries? LOL Waffle for Wally, regular for me :) Forget all that egg, bacon, biscuit thing - the burgers were just what my mouth was watering for. It was delicious! You can get the regular breakfast fare and they do a really good job of cooking it how you want it but if you're in the mood for a burger, around here, the diner can't be beat. Kat, I'll keep you in mind for it when/if you come visit!
After breakfast we made it back home only to find Daryl, Claudia and Daniel at the gate. Daryl was just opening it up as we arrived so we pulled on through with them. Kurt, Beverly and Tenesha were down at the other gate awaiting our arrival so the guys could put the finishing touches on the swimmin hole. Instead of going through the holler, we loaded up and took the long way to the other gate so Claudia could see what that end of the property looks like. Us girls stuck around for an hour or so but then we started getting hot and bored so we left and went back up to the cabin. Tenesha stayed with the guys - she has a little crush on Daniel :)
Beverly and Claudia helped me wrap that whole, smoked ham that has been sitting in the refrigerator. It wasn't going to go bad but it sure did take up some room. Not only that, every time we opened the door, we wanted to pull a hunk of it off and eat it - it smelled so darn good! It was in the best interest of the ham that we get it in the freezer. Beverly held it up while I spread out the plastic wrap in two overlapping rows. Claudia made sure we didn't miss wrapping any part of it and helped me keep the cutting board clean while this was going on. After the plastic wrap was on, we wrapped it again in butcher paper. That was a little bit tricky since the ham isn't round or oval but rather a little of both. We got the butcher paper on it and wrapped it one more time in plastic just to make sure all the air was out so it would remain freezer-burn free. I felt better knowing it was in the freezer and I could reorganize my refrigerator so that everything is back in its rightful place. whew!!
We grabbed our chairs and headed for the front porch. What a beautiful day it was. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the little humming birds were feasting and the horses were grazing about in the front yard. We sat there talking for the rest of the day. It was just idle conversation but it was with my new friends and it was nice to visit. They've known each other for years so their stories were fun to listen to. They had also been out the night before and had some good stuff to tell about the night's events; who drank too much, who got into fights, etc. Sound familiar? Sounded like the Oriole's but with a different cast of characters! lol
The day before the horses had been tied up and given their last round of sweet feed. While they were tied up, Smokey decided to untie his lead rope so he set himself free. The only problem was that his lead rope was hooked to his harness under his chin. For two days he wandered around with that thing dragging the ground. As you know he's not the most likely candidate to come up to me, even for food, so he was pretty much stuck with it. I got him to eat out of my hand but he wouldn't let me bring my hand up to the clip. He would just walk off every time I tried.
Well the guys got back to the cabin a couple hours after we did and Wally decided to try and catch him. He wanted to send them all back down the hill to the real pasture so they can do some much needed mowing down there. Rebel and Jimbo came right up with no problem but Smokey, as usual, was a different story. I think it took probably 20 minutes to catch him but Wally was patient and wasn't giving up. I'm not sure which one is more stubborn... lol
After he caught him, he tied him to the hitchin post so we could pet him before he would be let go again. He stands there with this completely sorrowful look in his eyes like he's in trouble and shies at the very slightest movement. I try to talk in a very calming voice and I always wait until he's looking my way before reaching up to pet him. Even though he's tied, he can still kick if he wants and I wouldn't want him to hurt himself or me :) He's a brindle color now that he's been in the sun all summer long. He still shows a little of his pitch black winter color but there's a lot of tans and browns now too. He's truly a specimen. If I can ever get my phone to send a picture again, I'll post his and Rebels on the blog.
It was nice to pet him. His hair is smooth as silk, his mane is long and full on both sides and his muscles are big and strong. When I stand beside him, my head doesn't even come up to his back. You could almost feel sorry for him having to stand there if you didn't know what we went through to catch him.
Wally took them both to the gate and set them free and then they loaded Jimbo in the trailer to take him down to the bottom pasture. He's a real loner so we didn't want to put him in with the other two since he doesn't know his way around and might not be able to find the spring. Smokey and Rebel were already in the pasture by the time Jimbo was loaded and on the road. He was dropped off where the spring is so he knows how to find water and he has more grass than he'll be able to eat in a lifetime.
Everyone started getting ready to leave and I started cleaning up the porch. There were some beer cans, some cigarette butts in the ashtray, hair from Beverly giving Daryl a haircut and a couple Mt. Dew cans. It probably didn't take 10 minutes to clean up and then we got ourselves cleaned up. We still had Mel's birthday party to go to and it wasn't until 7ish so we had time. I got a load of clothes up on the line while Wally got showered and then it was my turn.
At that point we could have easily stayed home for the night. The air was cool and refreshing blowing through the doors and windows and all my chores were done except finishing the laundry which I had planned for Sunday anyway. I started reading an old cookbook that my cousin Connie gave me that had belonged to her mother. It is very cool and I plan to quote some of the sayings in it on the blog when I remember to bring it to work with me. It talks about refrigeration and newly modeled electric ovens. It takes me back to a time before I was born - although, I probably should have been born back then - and it gives me a greater appreciation for all that our grandmothers and grandfathers had to do to keep foods fresh while still providing plenty of nutrients. Most of the recipes say they serve 8-10. That was a normal family back then.
We went to see Mel for her birthday and stopped at Pee Wee's on the way. Mel happened to be there so we stayed for an hour or so and then came home. They were going on to keep partying but we were ready to be back at the farm, sittin in our chairs in the cabin. We watched the race and called it a night. I was ready for a good, long sleep but of course that didn't happen. lol I woke up at 3:30am fired up and ready to go. It was way too early to actually get up so I made myself lay there enjoying the morning quietness and knowing that I still didn't have to get on a plane and go back to FL. No offense but I really like knowing that.
I did all my laundry Sunday and I made a pot of chicken soup. The picture doesn't really do it justice but at least I was able to get my phone to send it over. The picture is the stage when the chicken has started cooking and all the vegetable scraps have been added. At this point there has been no seasoning added but I have skimmed off the foam that comes up. After letting it simmer for an hour or so, I strained the veggies out and let the chicken pieces cool off enough to be able to pull the meat from the bones and toss it back into the pot. I added carrots, celery, onions and a little cilantro along with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. When it came to a boil, I added the pearled barley, tasted it to adjust for additional seasonings and put the lid on it. After 40-45 minutes it was hotter than a firecracker and ready to eat! Whew did it ever make me sweat :) That's how you know it's good! I put some in a bowl for lunch and stored the rest in the refrigerator.
There were two deer in the yard while I was cooking and even when I was changing out the laundry, they didn't run off. Silly of them. They shouldn't trust me so whole-heartedly. There will come a time when one will have to go the way of the freezer but that time isn't yet upon us. :) hee hee
The house was clean and smelled good, the laundry was blowing in the wind and the deer were in the yard. In my mind it seemed like it must have looked like a Thomas Kincaid portrait. Wish you were here to enjoy it with me. C'mon!! :)
"As the days grow short, some faces grow long. But not mine. Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. It's time to start making soup again." ~Leslie Newman
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Happy Friday Eve!!
Gosh, sometimes a four day work week can be harder on a person than a 5 day work week...do you ever feel that way? Well, one more day and we're done with it (unless you have to work the weekend...ew).
Well our weekend is steadily getting busier and busier. Friday is Daniel's birthday and Saturday is Melanie's birthday. I have to get cards for them tonight when I stop at Food Lion. You should have seen the card I sent Dizzy Debbie - it was perfect! We're invited to go to a little bar called Memories and from what I hear, the Pee Wee's crowd will all be there... lol, like that's much of a crowd :)
Claudia was sick from Friday through Monday so she wasn't able to deliver the irises and hostas. She's planning to deliver them this weekend at some point so I'll have some planting to do for sure. They say it's going to rain Saturday and that would certainly make the planting much easier - wet ground is preferable to dry, hard, rocky ground... :) The Grinder Switch Music and Arts Festival is in downtown Centerville this weekend. They have the obvious music (bluegrass and gospel) and art (I assume local?) and of course more food than you can imagine. I would love to go but it sounds like it might get rained out and if I have all that planting to do I don't see how I can fit it in. Soooooo much to do, sooooooo little time!
Sunday, the Titans are playing the Raiders and I plan to be in front of the tv watching the game with a pot of beef-barley stew cooking on the stove! Calm down - I'm not converting to a Titan's fan but when in Rome... besides, I don't get the same games here that you get in FL. Brett Favre is playing the Saints tonight and I know you'll all be cheering for him to win :) ha ha ha ha ha
My CSA basket delivery resumes on Monday - Yeah!!! I'm told there should be radishes, arugula, okra, and potatoes. Now that we know diabetics can have potato salad (or any form of cold potatoes), it's kind of like a treat in our home. I always do the ranch dressing recipe with bacon bits and scallions - yum! I miss making it for all y'all at the Oriole's... maybe next time I'm down for any length of time. With the weather cooling off, I'm thinking a big ol' pot of gumbo is where the okra will end up and the arugula and radishes will make a fine, crispy, spicy salad for my lunches. I saw a recipe where you soak the radishes in really cold water for a couple hours then slice them super thin. You take a slice of bread (preferably whole wheat but not mandatory) and spread it with butter (the real stuff people!) then top it with the radishes and sprinkle some sea salt on top. Sounds good to me - how simple can it get?
Arugula is a kind of peppery tasting lettuce so a sweeter dressing is usually best on it. I'm thinking maybe a raspberry vinaigrette would be good... some chopped up walnuts and the radishes - sounds like a plan. I'll let you know how all that works out.
Yesterday we had to turn the air conditioner back on...:( It just didn't stay cool enough to leave it off and I can't be too hot or I get, well, cranky I suppose you could say... lol With any luck maybe it will cool off again this weekend because it was so nice having the doors and windows open for those few days.
I picked a whole bunch of tomatoes off my plants and have been trying to eat them all up before they go bad. Those plants are really putting out some fruit. As I said before, they are little pear shaped tomatoes and not the kind I can put in canning jars but they taste delicious and work well in salsa, salads, or just plain right straight from the bowl. I eat a handful every day! I picked a yellow squash and there's another one that's just about ready. My sage is growing like a weed and I've been pinching off leaves every other day. The basil was blended into pesto with walnuts and olive oil. It's in the freezer for another day. My little cilantro plant is about 3 inches tall... lol it's so funny when I compare it to the cilantro in the store. I've never successfully grown cilantro and I don't know what it is I do wrong but it's quickly replacing the geranium as the sacrificial plant in my garden... ha ha ha
A little history on that... Aunt Karen and I used to each buy a geranium every year and every year our geraniums would die. We could never figure out why so we called them the sacrificial geraniums. I haven't tried growing one here yet but I will - gimme time, gimme time! Never a dull moment with Aunt Karen - I think we sacrificed geraniums for a good 10 years... ha ha ha
Last night we had roast beef sandwiches for supper. It might sound boring when presented in that manner but let me tell you, I kicked them up a notch! I chopped up some onions and mushrooms that I sauteed in butter with salt, pepper and oregano. I chopped up the roast beef into really thin slices and added that to the onion mixture. When it was all heated through I put it on a whole wheat bun, spread with horseradish cream, topped it with provolone cheese and put it under the broiler for a few minutes... gooey, melted, salty cheese on top of warm, juicy, roast beef mmm good! That's it, that's all we had. Pretty cool, huh?
I cleaned up the kitchen, filled the bird feeder and hit the sack. I think I probably made it through one episode of Everybody Loves Raymond before slipping off into slumberville zzzzzzz I must have been tired because I slept until 5:00 this morning. I'm usually on the road by then so I don't know what happened. It was okay though because on my way to work I saw about 20-25 turkeys feasting on the church grounds on Sneed Road. They could be there every morning for all I know but it's always dark so I wouldn't be able to see them if they were. Going in late does have its benefits :) Having to stay late... uh, not so much.
I think we're cooking on the grill tonight and I know for sure I'm making the butternut squash puree recipe that Teri gave me. I love cooking those squash because they make the whole house smell so good - kind of like those pumpkin spice candles you buy around this time of year. I might even have a few of those in my candle stash...
Hey, if anyone is having a Pampered Chef party, let me know. I have a few things picked out that I'd like to get but if the order could count towards a party for someone, I'll wait to put it in.
I'm still trying to get the lard making pictures to go to my email but they still aren't going. I can't figure out why one day, all the pictures will go and then the next day, nothing. It makes no sense at all. It's times like these when I need one of the kids up here with me so they can figure it out LOL!
Sorry the post is so short today - work keeps getting busier and busier...ugh! Maybe I'll have some time to get on here tomorrow, we'll see :)
"He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day... needs to reorganize his life." George Matthew Adams
Well our weekend is steadily getting busier and busier. Friday is Daniel's birthday and Saturday is Melanie's birthday. I have to get cards for them tonight when I stop at Food Lion. You should have seen the card I sent Dizzy Debbie - it was perfect! We're invited to go to a little bar called Memories and from what I hear, the Pee Wee's crowd will all be there... lol, like that's much of a crowd :)
Claudia was sick from Friday through Monday so she wasn't able to deliver the irises and hostas. She's planning to deliver them this weekend at some point so I'll have some planting to do for sure. They say it's going to rain Saturday and that would certainly make the planting much easier - wet ground is preferable to dry, hard, rocky ground... :) The Grinder Switch Music and Arts Festival is in downtown Centerville this weekend. They have the obvious music (bluegrass and gospel) and art (I assume local?) and of course more food than you can imagine. I would love to go but it sounds like it might get rained out and if I have all that planting to do I don't see how I can fit it in. Soooooo much to do, sooooooo little time!
Sunday, the Titans are playing the Raiders and I plan to be in front of the tv watching the game with a pot of beef-barley stew cooking on the stove! Calm down - I'm not converting to a Titan's fan but when in Rome... besides, I don't get the same games here that you get in FL. Brett Favre is playing the Saints tonight and I know you'll all be cheering for him to win :) ha ha ha ha ha
My CSA basket delivery resumes on Monday - Yeah!!! I'm told there should be radishes, arugula, okra, and potatoes. Now that we know diabetics can have potato salad (or any form of cold potatoes), it's kind of like a treat in our home. I always do the ranch dressing recipe with bacon bits and scallions - yum! I miss making it for all y'all at the Oriole's... maybe next time I'm down for any length of time. With the weather cooling off, I'm thinking a big ol' pot of gumbo is where the okra will end up and the arugula and radishes will make a fine, crispy, spicy salad for my lunches. I saw a recipe where you soak the radishes in really cold water for a couple hours then slice them super thin. You take a slice of bread (preferably whole wheat but not mandatory) and spread it with butter (the real stuff people!) then top it with the radishes and sprinkle some sea salt on top. Sounds good to me - how simple can it get?
Arugula is a kind of peppery tasting lettuce so a sweeter dressing is usually best on it. I'm thinking maybe a raspberry vinaigrette would be good... some chopped up walnuts and the radishes - sounds like a plan. I'll let you know how all that works out.
Yesterday we had to turn the air conditioner back on...:( It just didn't stay cool enough to leave it off and I can't be too hot or I get, well, cranky I suppose you could say... lol With any luck maybe it will cool off again this weekend because it was so nice having the doors and windows open for those few days.
I picked a whole bunch of tomatoes off my plants and have been trying to eat them all up before they go bad. Those plants are really putting out some fruit. As I said before, they are little pear shaped tomatoes and not the kind I can put in canning jars but they taste delicious and work well in salsa, salads, or just plain right straight from the bowl. I eat a handful every day! I picked a yellow squash and there's another one that's just about ready. My sage is growing like a weed and I've been pinching off leaves every other day. The basil was blended into pesto with walnuts and olive oil. It's in the freezer for another day. My little cilantro plant is about 3 inches tall... lol it's so funny when I compare it to the cilantro in the store. I've never successfully grown cilantro and I don't know what it is I do wrong but it's quickly replacing the geranium as the sacrificial plant in my garden... ha ha ha
A little history on that... Aunt Karen and I used to each buy a geranium every year and every year our geraniums would die. We could never figure out why so we called them the sacrificial geraniums. I haven't tried growing one here yet but I will - gimme time, gimme time! Never a dull moment with Aunt Karen - I think we sacrificed geraniums for a good 10 years... ha ha ha
Last night we had roast beef sandwiches for supper. It might sound boring when presented in that manner but let me tell you, I kicked them up a notch! I chopped up some onions and mushrooms that I sauteed in butter with salt, pepper and oregano. I chopped up the roast beef into really thin slices and added that to the onion mixture. When it was all heated through I put it on a whole wheat bun, spread with horseradish cream, topped it with provolone cheese and put it under the broiler for a few minutes... gooey, melted, salty cheese on top of warm, juicy, roast beef mmm good! That's it, that's all we had. Pretty cool, huh?
I cleaned up the kitchen, filled the bird feeder and hit the sack. I think I probably made it through one episode of Everybody Loves Raymond before slipping off into slumberville zzzzzzz I must have been tired because I slept until 5:00 this morning. I'm usually on the road by then so I don't know what happened. It was okay though because on my way to work I saw about 20-25 turkeys feasting on the church grounds on Sneed Road. They could be there every morning for all I know but it's always dark so I wouldn't be able to see them if they were. Going in late does have its benefits :) Having to stay late... uh, not so much.
I think we're cooking on the grill tonight and I know for sure I'm making the butternut squash puree recipe that Teri gave me. I love cooking those squash because they make the whole house smell so good - kind of like those pumpkin spice candles you buy around this time of year. I might even have a few of those in my candle stash...
Hey, if anyone is having a Pampered Chef party, let me know. I have a few things picked out that I'd like to get but if the order could count towards a party for someone, I'll wait to put it in.
I'm still trying to get the lard making pictures to go to my email but they still aren't going. I can't figure out why one day, all the pictures will go and then the next day, nothing. It makes no sense at all. It's times like these when I need one of the kids up here with me so they can figure it out LOL!
Sorry the post is so short today - work keeps getting busier and busier...ugh! Maybe I'll have some time to get on here tomorrow, we'll see :)
"He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day... needs to reorganize his life." George Matthew Adams
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Back to work... wishing I could stay home another day and then some
Oh well, not all wishes come true and that one certainly didn't but it's okay. I always have something to look forward to when I'm at work - going back home at the end of the day!
The weather was beautiful, the birthday party was fun, the smoker was fired up and smoking, the target practice went pretty well and all the food was great! I guess I could stop there for those of you who don't like it when the posting is real long (Dizzy Debbie), but then those of you who prefer it never end wouldn't be happy and you by far outnumber her... lol So, here goes.
The weather really was very nice all weekend long. I was able to roll the windows down in my car again after not being able to during those hot days of summer. We had temperatures in the high 70's to mid 80's during the day and in the high 40's to mid 50's during the night. It was a little chilly for me Friday and Saturday night but not to worry as I always have my gray jacket with me so I can get warm if I need to. This week they're predicting upper 80's to low 90 degree temperatures but they also say it's going to rain most every day. That usually keeps things a little cooler.
When I got home Friday, the guys were celebrating Jeff's birthday. His party wasn't until Saturday but his real birthday was Friday so it goes without saying that the party had to start Friday. We sat around on the porch and looked out over that spectacular view all the while enjoying the sunshine and the cool breeze carrying the very slightest scent of the Fall weather to come. The peacefulness is indescribable. You'll just have to come visit and experience it firsthand.
We were up before sunrise Saturday morning and I had a laundry list of things to do - as always! I actually stayed on task and got a bunch of things scratched off my list this time. I had all that hog fat to render, about oh, say 3 or 4 loads of laundry to get done, bird feeders to fill, chicken feet to go in the pot for chicken broth, clean sheets to go on the bed in the spare bedroom, and dirty rice to make for the party. On top of all that, we still had lots of pork to bag up and get into the freezer. Whew, just writing it makes it look like a lot to do but I had 3 days to do it all so I wasn't worried.
I started the first load of clothes, made breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen and filled the bird feeders. Those little birds are quite vicious when it comes to protecting their territory. I was watching them while I was hanging out the clothes and I mean they were going at it. Two of them were fighting so much so that they ended up down on the porch with one standing on the other! Seriously, they were so tangled up that they actually fell off the porch and were still tangled on the ground. I was standing at the clothesline end and there must have been 6 or 8 of them alternately buzzing the feeder. They chirp and tweet and sound like helicopters when they fly by my head. The tree by the clothesline is one where they sit and wait until they can get back to the feeder so I was able to more closely observe them. Some are brown with white on the inside of their tail feathers, probably female. Some are a shimmering, bright, yellow-green color and are likely the males. They fight with abandon when it comes to letting another near that feeder. It's kind of comical to watch.
I can tell they are getting ready to depart for their winter flight to South America because they're starting to pack on some weight. Indeed they are looking fat! LOL Just like a skinny person, when a little, tiny bird gains weight it's easy to recognize. Us fatties don't really show a gain until it's like 20 pounds... ha ha ha! Soon they'll be off and I'll be missing them until they return in the springtime. I'm hoping some other birds will come during the winter so I have my other bird feeder already hanging off the back porch in anticipation. I had to hide it from Rebel - if you read that post, you know why and it was pretty darn funny. I'm kind of surprised he hasn't found it yet but he doesn't hang around the back porch much so that's probably why.
I made my dirty rice to take to the party. I use the box but I always add to it and what I add depends on what I have available. This batch came out exceptionally well due to the addition of some fresh pork sausage along with the ground chuck. I had a cayenne pepper from the last basket delivery so I chopped that up in it, I added a few splashes of my Trappey's Bull Hot Sauce and finally a couple spoons of a cilantro base called Recaito. Don't ask me how to pronounce it, I have no idea, but I use it all the time. It's always in the Spanish section of the grocery store if you go looking for it. It's good in beans, rice dishes, soups, etc. The dirty rice made the whole cabin smell simply delicious! Oh my - yes it was super-duper tasty and just a little spicy! Wish you could have shared it with us. Off to the party we went.
There were lots of people already in attendance when we arrived. Pee Wee and Daryl were both there, which is kind of unusual since one of them has to run the bar. Wally asked her who was running it and she said she closed it so they could both go to the party. How bout that? Well, everyone who would have been at the bar was at the party anyway so it was a good business decision on her part. The guys were frying catfish, frog legs and french fries, the party-goers were all mingling about and pick-up trucks were backed up into the yard, tailgates down and filled with coolers.
I never liked frog legs before because they always tasted like lake water to me but these definitely did not. They were seasoned with cajun seasoning and battered in cornmeal before being fried. I have to admit they were very good as frog legs go. Daryl tells me the difference is that they came from a pond rather than a lake, I'm not sure of the difference between a pond and a lake other than the size but he says frog legs from a pond are sweeter. Okay. All I know is that they were good and I would eat them again.
All the food was good and the dirty rice was a big hit. As always a couple of people wanted my recipe. They never believe it when I tell them it comes from a box. The karaoke was hilarious and the dancers even more so. We danced in the grass under the moon and stars, we met new people and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as the night wore on. Well, you know how we are, we aren't much for late night hours anymore so we headed for home around 10:00 or so. That was pretty late for us!
Sunday dawned and it was a brisk 57 degrees outside, brrrrrrr :) The animals needed watering, there was more laundry to do and fat to render into lard. I got the fat out and started cutting it up and adding it to my big red pot (thank you Neccy and Jack) and turned the stove to medium heat. I added the little bit of water it calls for and left it to do its thing. Which is to say, the fat begins to melt down, the water begins to boil and eventually evaporates, the sound of it cooking changes to a crackling sound and then, after about 45 minutes, it's done. It has to cool down for a little while but then it gets poured (very carefully) into a cheesecloth lined colander.
My first batch was just so, so. I think I let it go too long because the cracklins were dark brown when they should have been a very light beige color. They were also soggy and terrible tasting. Batch number two came out perfectly! Nice, crunchy, salty, cracklins and doughy, soft, white lard. I ended up with about a gallon of it and there's still more to come. I'll be donating some of it to Daryl's dad for letting us use his place for the processing of the piggy. I took pictures but for some reason they aren't being accepted by my email. I'll try again tomorrow.
We salted the ham, bacon and jowls and let them sit out on the bar until Monday when we planned to put them in the smoker. We wanted to keep them in the salt longer than that but they ended up getting frozen so we were limited. We bagged up the hocks, the shoulders, the ribs, the tenderloins and the sausage. I'd say there's enough pork in that freezer to feed an army - especially when we added the bacon, ham and jowls to the mix.
I was able to get all my laundry done while the fat was being rendered into lard and I got my chicken broth started. It seems I'm busy in the kitchen all day but really I'm not. I'm all over the place due to being easily distracted from one room to the next. The chicken feet look so gross that it's hard to believe they can turn plain water into something so tasty and healthy. I added my vegetable scraps and some salt and pepper and let it do its thing too. That batch cooked for about an hour and a half and was then poured through the colander and left to jell/gell (?) for however long that takes. Like I said I'm easily distracted so I don't really know how long it takes. Once cooled and jelled, into the freezer bag it goes in anticipation of chicken noodle soup to come! Woo Hoo!
The scraps go to the dogs, who without realizing what they were, completely devoured those chicken feet. They did leave the end of a zucchini in their bowl but not to worry - Rebel was right there to eat that for them. Ha!
We had ribeye steaks, cooked on the grill, with sauteed peppers, mushrooms and onions. We opened a jar of my Zellwood Sweet corn from 2007, poured it into a pot and heated it on the grill too. I brought place mats, plates, knives and forks to the picnic table and we dined like royalty. I should have taken a picture of us! Darn my forgetfulness. It was a very productive day, a filling supper and an evening of relaxation for me and my honey. I just don't see it getting any better than that - but how many times have you already heard me say that? lol We watched what we could of the race before falling asleep. I think Wally might have made it to the end but not me. I crashed out and it felt good!
Monday - time to get smokin!! lol Daryl got to the cabin around 7:30am. They got the smoker going and the ham, bacon and jowls loaded into it while I made breakfast. We were having venison cube steaks, biscuits, brown gravy and cantaloupe. I had to feed them good knowing they would probably be out at the smoker for the better part of the day.
I had a little decoration hanging on the front door that was representative of springtime. Since the weather is indicating Falls approach, I figured it was time to change it out. I bought a new decoration at the dollar store for $3.00. It has a little scarecrow, dressed in blue overalls, sitting on a wooden fence that has a sign on it proclaiming "Happy Harvest." He has on a straw hat and a checkered shirt. Aw - how cute!
Wally showed me a tree where some leaves had already turned red so I got the loppers and went and cut off the little branch. It's sitting on my kitchen table in a mason jar with a little water to, hopefully, keep it fresh for a few days. This is going to be fun, fun, fun!!
I finally got in some target practice. I used Wally's gun and out of 7 shots, I hit four in a really close pattern, two very close to the bulls eye and one that would have been a gut shot if it was a real deer I was aiming at. Not bad for having not shot in about 4 years. I used ear plugs for the first few shots then decided to try it without them. Quickly I learned what a mistake that was and went back to stuffing my ears. I have an orange hat so all I need now is my orange vest and I'm ready to go hunting... too bad I have to wait until November. lol!
I had the pleasure of slicing the bacon slabs into strips and the same goes for the jowls. All that pork served to make me very, very hungry! We all shared some of those seriously crunchy cracklins that came off the jowls, even the dogs got a few of those treats, and then I bagged up the rest for later - we were in cholesterol overload just from the taste testing. It tasted GOOD I tell ya!! :) like gold candy!
Wow - that was a lot of stuff for you to read. I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend as much as I did although I'm quite sure yours was spent much differently. Indeed, who would have ever thought I would spend one like I just did? :)
If you're going to the Oriole's and she happens to be there, please give Kat a birthday hug for me. Happy Birthday Kat!
While the quote is unrelated to the posting, I still thought it was pretty good... see what you think.
"No one can say the egg industry isn't brutally efficient. With the ten largest producers controlling 135 million hens, they can poison millions of people in a single swoop." Tom Phillpot
The weather was beautiful, the birthday party was fun, the smoker was fired up and smoking, the target practice went pretty well and all the food was great! I guess I could stop there for those of you who don't like it when the posting is real long (Dizzy Debbie), but then those of you who prefer it never end wouldn't be happy and you by far outnumber her... lol So, here goes.
The weather really was very nice all weekend long. I was able to roll the windows down in my car again after not being able to during those hot days of summer. We had temperatures in the high 70's to mid 80's during the day and in the high 40's to mid 50's during the night. It was a little chilly for me Friday and Saturday night but not to worry as I always have my gray jacket with me so I can get warm if I need to. This week they're predicting upper 80's to low 90 degree temperatures but they also say it's going to rain most every day. That usually keeps things a little cooler.
When I got home Friday, the guys were celebrating Jeff's birthday. His party wasn't until Saturday but his real birthday was Friday so it goes without saying that the party had to start Friday. We sat around on the porch and looked out over that spectacular view all the while enjoying the sunshine and the cool breeze carrying the very slightest scent of the Fall weather to come. The peacefulness is indescribable. You'll just have to come visit and experience it firsthand.
We were up before sunrise Saturday morning and I had a laundry list of things to do - as always! I actually stayed on task and got a bunch of things scratched off my list this time. I had all that hog fat to render, about oh, say 3 or 4 loads of laundry to get done, bird feeders to fill, chicken feet to go in the pot for chicken broth, clean sheets to go on the bed in the spare bedroom, and dirty rice to make for the party. On top of all that, we still had lots of pork to bag up and get into the freezer. Whew, just writing it makes it look like a lot to do but I had 3 days to do it all so I wasn't worried.
I started the first load of clothes, made breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen and filled the bird feeders. Those little birds are quite vicious when it comes to protecting their territory. I was watching them while I was hanging out the clothes and I mean they were going at it. Two of them were fighting so much so that they ended up down on the porch with one standing on the other! Seriously, they were so tangled up that they actually fell off the porch and were still tangled on the ground. I was standing at the clothesline end and there must have been 6 or 8 of them alternately buzzing the feeder. They chirp and tweet and sound like helicopters when they fly by my head. The tree by the clothesline is one where they sit and wait until they can get back to the feeder so I was able to more closely observe them. Some are brown with white on the inside of their tail feathers, probably female. Some are a shimmering, bright, yellow-green color and are likely the males. They fight with abandon when it comes to letting another near that feeder. It's kind of comical to watch.
I can tell they are getting ready to depart for their winter flight to South America because they're starting to pack on some weight. Indeed they are looking fat! LOL Just like a skinny person, when a little, tiny bird gains weight it's easy to recognize. Us fatties don't really show a gain until it's like 20 pounds... ha ha ha! Soon they'll be off and I'll be missing them until they return in the springtime. I'm hoping some other birds will come during the winter so I have my other bird feeder already hanging off the back porch in anticipation. I had to hide it from Rebel - if you read that post, you know why and it was pretty darn funny. I'm kind of surprised he hasn't found it yet but he doesn't hang around the back porch much so that's probably why.
I made my dirty rice to take to the party. I use the box but I always add to it and what I add depends on what I have available. This batch came out exceptionally well due to the addition of some fresh pork sausage along with the ground chuck. I had a cayenne pepper from the last basket delivery so I chopped that up in it, I added a few splashes of my Trappey's Bull Hot Sauce and finally a couple spoons of a cilantro base called Recaito. Don't ask me how to pronounce it, I have no idea, but I use it all the time. It's always in the Spanish section of the grocery store if you go looking for it. It's good in beans, rice dishes, soups, etc. The dirty rice made the whole cabin smell simply delicious! Oh my - yes it was super-duper tasty and just a little spicy! Wish you could have shared it with us. Off to the party we went.
There were lots of people already in attendance when we arrived. Pee Wee and Daryl were both there, which is kind of unusual since one of them has to run the bar. Wally asked her who was running it and she said she closed it so they could both go to the party. How bout that? Well, everyone who would have been at the bar was at the party anyway so it was a good business decision on her part. The guys were frying catfish, frog legs and french fries, the party-goers were all mingling about and pick-up trucks were backed up into the yard, tailgates down and filled with coolers.
I never liked frog legs before because they always tasted like lake water to me but these definitely did not. They were seasoned with cajun seasoning and battered in cornmeal before being fried. I have to admit they were very good as frog legs go. Daryl tells me the difference is that they came from a pond rather than a lake, I'm not sure of the difference between a pond and a lake other than the size but he says frog legs from a pond are sweeter. Okay. All I know is that they were good and I would eat them again.
All the food was good and the dirty rice was a big hit. As always a couple of people wanted my recipe. They never believe it when I tell them it comes from a box. The karaoke was hilarious and the dancers even more so. We danced in the grass under the moon and stars, we met new people and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves as the night wore on. Well, you know how we are, we aren't much for late night hours anymore so we headed for home around 10:00 or so. That was pretty late for us!
Sunday dawned and it was a brisk 57 degrees outside, brrrrrrr :) The animals needed watering, there was more laundry to do and fat to render into lard. I got the fat out and started cutting it up and adding it to my big red pot (thank you Neccy and Jack) and turned the stove to medium heat. I added the little bit of water it calls for and left it to do its thing. Which is to say, the fat begins to melt down, the water begins to boil and eventually evaporates, the sound of it cooking changes to a crackling sound and then, after about 45 minutes, it's done. It has to cool down for a little while but then it gets poured (very carefully) into a cheesecloth lined colander.
My first batch was just so, so. I think I let it go too long because the cracklins were dark brown when they should have been a very light beige color. They were also soggy and terrible tasting. Batch number two came out perfectly! Nice, crunchy, salty, cracklins and doughy, soft, white lard. I ended up with about a gallon of it and there's still more to come. I'll be donating some of it to Daryl's dad for letting us use his place for the processing of the piggy. I took pictures but for some reason they aren't being accepted by my email. I'll try again tomorrow.
We salted the ham, bacon and jowls and let them sit out on the bar until Monday when we planned to put them in the smoker. We wanted to keep them in the salt longer than that but they ended up getting frozen so we were limited. We bagged up the hocks, the shoulders, the ribs, the tenderloins and the sausage. I'd say there's enough pork in that freezer to feed an army - especially when we added the bacon, ham and jowls to the mix.
I was able to get all my laundry done while the fat was being rendered into lard and I got my chicken broth started. It seems I'm busy in the kitchen all day but really I'm not. I'm all over the place due to being easily distracted from one room to the next. The chicken feet look so gross that it's hard to believe they can turn plain water into something so tasty and healthy. I added my vegetable scraps and some salt and pepper and let it do its thing too. That batch cooked for about an hour and a half and was then poured through the colander and left to jell/gell (?) for however long that takes. Like I said I'm easily distracted so I don't really know how long it takes. Once cooled and jelled, into the freezer bag it goes in anticipation of chicken noodle soup to come! Woo Hoo!
The scraps go to the dogs, who without realizing what they were, completely devoured those chicken feet. They did leave the end of a zucchini in their bowl but not to worry - Rebel was right there to eat that for them. Ha!
We had ribeye steaks, cooked on the grill, with sauteed peppers, mushrooms and onions. We opened a jar of my Zellwood Sweet corn from 2007, poured it into a pot and heated it on the grill too. I brought place mats, plates, knives and forks to the picnic table and we dined like royalty. I should have taken a picture of us! Darn my forgetfulness. It was a very productive day, a filling supper and an evening of relaxation for me and my honey. I just don't see it getting any better than that - but how many times have you already heard me say that? lol We watched what we could of the race before falling asleep. I think Wally might have made it to the end but not me. I crashed out and it felt good!
Monday - time to get smokin!! lol Daryl got to the cabin around 7:30am. They got the smoker going and the ham, bacon and jowls loaded into it while I made breakfast. We were having venison cube steaks, biscuits, brown gravy and cantaloupe. I had to feed them good knowing they would probably be out at the smoker for the better part of the day.
I had a little decoration hanging on the front door that was representative of springtime. Since the weather is indicating Falls approach, I figured it was time to change it out. I bought a new decoration at the dollar store for $3.00. It has a little scarecrow, dressed in blue overalls, sitting on a wooden fence that has a sign on it proclaiming "Happy Harvest." He has on a straw hat and a checkered shirt. Aw - how cute!
Wally showed me a tree where some leaves had already turned red so I got the loppers and went and cut off the little branch. It's sitting on my kitchen table in a mason jar with a little water to, hopefully, keep it fresh for a few days. This is going to be fun, fun, fun!!
I finally got in some target practice. I used Wally's gun and out of 7 shots, I hit four in a really close pattern, two very close to the bulls eye and one that would have been a gut shot if it was a real deer I was aiming at. Not bad for having not shot in about 4 years. I used ear plugs for the first few shots then decided to try it without them. Quickly I learned what a mistake that was and went back to stuffing my ears. I have an orange hat so all I need now is my orange vest and I'm ready to go hunting... too bad I have to wait until November. lol!
I had the pleasure of slicing the bacon slabs into strips and the same goes for the jowls. All that pork served to make me very, very hungry! We all shared some of those seriously crunchy cracklins that came off the jowls, even the dogs got a few of those treats, and then I bagged up the rest for later - we were in cholesterol overload just from the taste testing. It tasted GOOD I tell ya!! :) like gold candy!
Wow - that was a lot of stuff for you to read. I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day weekend as much as I did although I'm quite sure yours was spent much differently. Indeed, who would have ever thought I would spend one like I just did? :)
If you're going to the Oriole's and she happens to be there, please give Kat a birthday hug for me. Happy Birthday Kat!
While the quote is unrelated to the posting, I still thought it was pretty good... see what you think.
"No one can say the egg industry isn't brutally efficient. With the ten largest producers controlling 135 million hens, they can poison millions of people in a single swoop." Tom Phillpot
Friday, September 3, 2010
Don't you just love holiday weekends???? I sure do!
It's not so much that I don't have lots of vacation time, it's just that it's nice to have a free day off once in a while. I don't have anything planned for Monday but as we all know, that could change in one little second. We do have a birthday party to attend Saturday night and guess what? The overnight temperature is supposed to be - are you ready? 47 degrees!!! Hello, isn't it kind of early for that? I haven't even had time to get a real coat and the only gloves I have are my Florida gloves, aka a pair of Jarrett's socks... lol!!
It's times like these when it sure would be nice if Neccy lived here too. She loves to shop and I absolutely do not. I'm not in good enough with anyone who does like to shop so it's pretty much looking like I'm S.O.L. sigh :(
I'm almost done with the pork packaging. Wally and I got all the ham steaks bagged up with the new vacuum sealer I bought from Wal-Mart (yes, I hated every minute of being there so don't even ask). I think we ended up with 32 of them - whew! that pig definitely made the ultimate sacrifice :) Tonight, depending on how the day goes, I'm hoping to get the bacon, jowls, ham and ham hocks salted down for their 4-8 week curing period. The ham alone is about 32lbs!
After they are done curing, they go into the smoker. The bacon and ham hocks won't take very long but that ham will have to be in there for quite a while. Once it gets done, I'm told to wrap it in brown paper and then put it in a pillow case. I can then gather the ends of the pillow case, tie it together, and hang it anywhere in the house. It will keep for years that way - pretty awesome, isn't it? Of course it won't last that long with me around but it's nice to know it could. I'm thinking Easter... lol!
With cooler temperatures approaching, everyone has started talking about the leaves changing. It's funny how each person has a different way of determining when the change will start and how prolific it will be. It's usually based on some old wives tale or what someone's uncle first removed used to say or how their bones feel, etc. I think I'll go with the Farmer's Almanac :) It seems to be tried and true and it's a wealth of information if you need to know all things weather-wise like me.
The nurseries are all advertising "Fall Plants Have Arrived!" I wish I knew what that meant - in FL, they're all the same. ha ha ha I know mums are a big one but that's the extent of my knowledge. I've been reading what I can on the internet but it's really hard to decide unless the plant is in front of me. If something can withstand the cold weather, it's news to me. More research is in my near future :)
I did read that iris, tulip, daffodil and one other one (that I can't remember) should all be getting ready to go in the ground now so they'll be ready for spring. Claudia is bringing over some irises and some hostas this weekend but I'll have to buy tulips if I want them. I'm guessing Lowe's might have them? Suggestions are welcome folks! I'm dividing the day lillies and planting a bunch of them over by Dizzy's apartment. They'll be so pretty against that brown wood background come springtime.
There are a couple of tree stumps in the back yard that would look pretty with those day lillies all around them too - I certainly have plenty to divide! So between digging up lilly bulbs, planting iris and hostas, bagging pork and going to a party Saturday night, I should be pretty darn tired come Monday. It's a good thing I'm off!
Wally brought me a 2010 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide so I can read up on the seasons and regulations. Since I have his permission to hunt on the property, there aren't too many restrictions on me. I can only kill one deer a day with a total of 3 per year. I can't get too gung ho with that being the case. Although, since I'm not on public property, those counts may not even apply. I have to finish reading my guide so I'll know what I can and can't do. For regular gun season - it's Nov. 2nd. That's a Tuesday. I'll be at work. Dadgum-it!! I'll have to be sure that I don't have to stop anywhere on my way home that day ha ha ha I want to get home in time for at least one hunt before the sun sets. You know it will be on the blog the next day if I'm so lucky as to get one :)
I invented a new recipe last night. It's a lot like the okra stew recipe that Joe Brack gave me but I used hamburger meat instead of ham. It was very good y'all :) You really want to use ground chuck for this one, ground beef would be too greasy, I think, unless you plan to drain it. So as your meat is browning, chop up and add an onion, a green pepper (I think I had 2lbs of meat) and a couple cloves of garlic. If you use the jarred garlic, probably a tablespoon would do. But hey, if you really like garlic add however much you want.
I poured in about 4 cups of beef broth, a dash or two of hot sauce, two tablespoons of Recaito (in the Spanish section - it's a cilantro base) and some black pepper. After that gets going, add some frozen okra, frozen speckled butter beans and frozen field peas. Let it all come to a boil and then turn it down to simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The field peas take longest to cook. I would taste it as you go and see if it needs salt. Mine did but that's because I really like salt. You may not. However, I think I read somewhere that salt will help the beans tenderize better.
In any event, you can serve it over rice, which I didn't, or whole wheat noodles, which I didn't, or you can just eat it right out of a bowl - which I did!! It was incredibly filling so don't overload your bowl on the first trip. You'll be surprised how much you CAN'T eat of this one. You might want to serve it with bread and butter since there is some gravy in the bowl that you really don't want to waste. Bread would be the perfect sopper-upper. Yeah, you laugh, but how would you say it? lol By the way - the okra is not slimy when it's cooked this long. It's a little bit soft but in no way slimy. Enjoy! I never would have thought of the okra and beans together so my thanks go to Joe Brack for the beginning of a wonderful recipe - he might even like my version of it if anyone would care to make it and share with him. ha ha ha - I know better than that. :)
For dinner tonight I think we're having venison cube steaks with brown gravy and barley with diced carrots cooked in that deliciously brown, glimmering, beef broth. I'm getting low on beef broth so next week I'll have to focus on chicken broth. If the weather stays cool, I'm thinking a nice big pot of chicken noodle soup loaded with tender carrots, peas, celery and onions might just be in the making. Instead of white noodles I buy the whole wheat thin spaghetti and break it into little pieces before dropping it into the simmering broth.
My tip for a truly tasty chicken broth - add lots of celery tops when you cook it. You can always skim them out if you don't like to eat them but the flavor they impart is second to none. Give it a try and let me know if you don't agree :)
I didn't come up with that idea myself, by the way, it was told to me by Edith Ripper (may she rest in peace) back before I really knew how to cook. She was my Dad's bartender and the Mom of a really good friend of mine. I was at her house one day and saw her chopping the tops off a bunch of celery and putting them in the freezer. Of course I had to ask why. She said she adds celery tops to her soups and told me if I didn't do the same I would never make a soup worth feeding to the dogs. She was German and a real treasure of a lady. I don't think I could make chicken soup to this day if I didn't have a bag of celery tops in my freezer!
Neccy can tell you if it's any good. She raids the pot if she happens to be anywhere near it when it's ready. The true test was when Tammy Jo tried it. She doesn't eat soup (unless it's Campbell's Chicken Noodle - but whatever) and she hates any kind of broth. I was making it one day and she happened to be there so I told her to just give it a try - you never know until you do. She actually liked it and had a whole bowl of just the broth all to herself! LOL The rest of the soup was devoured by the human disposal otherwise known as "Bud." ha ha ha ha ha
I have many more soup stories and recipes to share with you as the weather changes and the need for a steaming bowl of it grows greater. I saw on tv where there is a big soup competition coming up in November. Wally says I should enter the beef-barley-vegetable soup. mmmmmm that one makes me hungry just thinking about it! When did you say you were coming up? lol
Soon I'll be making the trip down to the barn where my "Christmas" trailer is parked. It's actually Wally's motorcycle trailer but for right now, it has all my decorations in it. While I'm getting them out to use up at the cabin, I can take the time to re-box and properly pack all of it. It's been a few years since I've had the time to do that and it's in desperate need. All the snowmen need to be together - that's for sure. In the move, my very favorite one got his little carrot nose broken off. I'm going to have to come up with a substitute - he just doesn't look right without his nose. I must say that if you are a snowman collector indeed you are well aware of the hazards of packing them so as to not break off their noses. How it ever got started I'll never know but I think I have a hundred of them. This year will be the perfect time to count them. :) I'm pretty sure they'll all fit in the cabin... oh the pictures!!
I don't want to be like Wal-mart and rush into Christmas before Thanksgiving ever gets here so I'll be getting out the Thanksgiving decorations first. I have the Publix Pilgrim People collection that I just love! I have a really pretty ceramic turkey that goes on the table. It has a candle holder on either side of the base so I can burn my Pumpkin Spice and Apple Cider candles (Ernie has it too!). They really make the house smell like fall is in the air.
I have some little scarecrows from the Dollar Tree that I would normally stick into a bale of straw but I don't think a bale of straw will last with the horses up at the cabin. They would really get into some trouble if they tried getting up on the porch to get to it. They don't really like straw but it so resembles hay that they wouldn't know the difference until it was too late. Maybe I'll put it down by the gate and decorate it there instead. I'll still see it every time I come and go but I won't have to worry about the horses eating it. Of course, there could be other critters in the woods that would eat it...... ssscccaaaarrrryyyyyy
I hope you have some plans made for relaxing over the holiday. If I know you, and I pretty much do, you'll probably be at the club for at least part of it. :) Tell everyone hi for me. I feel like I need to make a basket or something... lol!
Happy Birthday to Dizzy Debbie out there in Arizona and Happy Birthday to Kat (a little early but just in case I don't make it back on the blog by Tuesday - enjoy your day!)
"If soup isn't hot enough to make a grown man wince, it's undrinkable." ~Grey Livingston
I really do believe that one too - it's got to be smokin!!!!!!!!!! :)
It's times like these when it sure would be nice if Neccy lived here too. She loves to shop and I absolutely do not. I'm not in good enough with anyone who does like to shop so it's pretty much looking like I'm S.O.L. sigh :(
I'm almost done with the pork packaging. Wally and I got all the ham steaks bagged up with the new vacuum sealer I bought from Wal-Mart (yes, I hated every minute of being there so don't even ask). I think we ended up with 32 of them - whew! that pig definitely made the ultimate sacrifice :) Tonight, depending on how the day goes, I'm hoping to get the bacon, jowls, ham and ham hocks salted down for their 4-8 week curing period. The ham alone is about 32lbs!
After they are done curing, they go into the smoker. The bacon and ham hocks won't take very long but that ham will have to be in there for quite a while. Once it gets done, I'm told to wrap it in brown paper and then put it in a pillow case. I can then gather the ends of the pillow case, tie it together, and hang it anywhere in the house. It will keep for years that way - pretty awesome, isn't it? Of course it won't last that long with me around but it's nice to know it could. I'm thinking Easter... lol!
With cooler temperatures approaching, everyone has started talking about the leaves changing. It's funny how each person has a different way of determining when the change will start and how prolific it will be. It's usually based on some old wives tale or what someone's uncle first removed used to say or how their bones feel, etc. I think I'll go with the Farmer's Almanac :) It seems to be tried and true and it's a wealth of information if you need to know all things weather-wise like me.
The nurseries are all advertising "Fall Plants Have Arrived!" I wish I knew what that meant - in FL, they're all the same. ha ha ha I know mums are a big one but that's the extent of my knowledge. I've been reading what I can on the internet but it's really hard to decide unless the plant is in front of me. If something can withstand the cold weather, it's news to me. More research is in my near future :)
I did read that iris, tulip, daffodil and one other one (that I can't remember) should all be getting ready to go in the ground now so they'll be ready for spring. Claudia is bringing over some irises and some hostas this weekend but I'll have to buy tulips if I want them. I'm guessing Lowe's might have them? Suggestions are welcome folks! I'm dividing the day lillies and planting a bunch of them over by Dizzy's apartment. They'll be so pretty against that brown wood background come springtime.
There are a couple of tree stumps in the back yard that would look pretty with those day lillies all around them too - I certainly have plenty to divide! So between digging up lilly bulbs, planting iris and hostas, bagging pork and going to a party Saturday night, I should be pretty darn tired come Monday. It's a good thing I'm off!
Wally brought me a 2010 Tennessee Hunting and Trapping Guide so I can read up on the seasons and regulations. Since I have his permission to hunt on the property, there aren't too many restrictions on me. I can only kill one deer a day with a total of 3 per year. I can't get too gung ho with that being the case. Although, since I'm not on public property, those counts may not even apply. I have to finish reading my guide so I'll know what I can and can't do. For regular gun season - it's Nov. 2nd. That's a Tuesday. I'll be at work. Dadgum-it!! I'll have to be sure that I don't have to stop anywhere on my way home that day ha ha ha I want to get home in time for at least one hunt before the sun sets. You know it will be on the blog the next day if I'm so lucky as to get one :)
I invented a new recipe last night. It's a lot like the okra stew recipe that Joe Brack gave me but I used hamburger meat instead of ham. It was very good y'all :) You really want to use ground chuck for this one, ground beef would be too greasy, I think, unless you plan to drain it. So as your meat is browning, chop up and add an onion, a green pepper (I think I had 2lbs of meat) and a couple cloves of garlic. If you use the jarred garlic, probably a tablespoon would do. But hey, if you really like garlic add however much you want.
I poured in about 4 cups of beef broth, a dash or two of hot sauce, two tablespoons of Recaito (in the Spanish section - it's a cilantro base) and some black pepper. After that gets going, add some frozen okra, frozen speckled butter beans and frozen field peas. Let it all come to a boil and then turn it down to simmer for about 20-30 minutes. The field peas take longest to cook. I would taste it as you go and see if it needs salt. Mine did but that's because I really like salt. You may not. However, I think I read somewhere that salt will help the beans tenderize better.
In any event, you can serve it over rice, which I didn't, or whole wheat noodles, which I didn't, or you can just eat it right out of a bowl - which I did!! It was incredibly filling so don't overload your bowl on the first trip. You'll be surprised how much you CAN'T eat of this one. You might want to serve it with bread and butter since there is some gravy in the bowl that you really don't want to waste. Bread would be the perfect sopper-upper. Yeah, you laugh, but how would you say it? lol By the way - the okra is not slimy when it's cooked this long. It's a little bit soft but in no way slimy. Enjoy! I never would have thought of the okra and beans together so my thanks go to Joe Brack for the beginning of a wonderful recipe - he might even like my version of it if anyone would care to make it and share with him. ha ha ha - I know better than that. :)
For dinner tonight I think we're having venison cube steaks with brown gravy and barley with diced carrots cooked in that deliciously brown, glimmering, beef broth. I'm getting low on beef broth so next week I'll have to focus on chicken broth. If the weather stays cool, I'm thinking a nice big pot of chicken noodle soup loaded with tender carrots, peas, celery and onions might just be in the making. Instead of white noodles I buy the whole wheat thin spaghetti and break it into little pieces before dropping it into the simmering broth.
My tip for a truly tasty chicken broth - add lots of celery tops when you cook it. You can always skim them out if you don't like to eat them but the flavor they impart is second to none. Give it a try and let me know if you don't agree :)
I didn't come up with that idea myself, by the way, it was told to me by Edith Ripper (may she rest in peace) back before I really knew how to cook. She was my Dad's bartender and the Mom of a really good friend of mine. I was at her house one day and saw her chopping the tops off a bunch of celery and putting them in the freezer. Of course I had to ask why. She said she adds celery tops to her soups and told me if I didn't do the same I would never make a soup worth feeding to the dogs. She was German and a real treasure of a lady. I don't think I could make chicken soup to this day if I didn't have a bag of celery tops in my freezer!
Neccy can tell you if it's any good. She raids the pot if she happens to be anywhere near it when it's ready. The true test was when Tammy Jo tried it. She doesn't eat soup (unless it's Campbell's Chicken Noodle - but whatever) and she hates any kind of broth. I was making it one day and she happened to be there so I told her to just give it a try - you never know until you do. She actually liked it and had a whole bowl of just the broth all to herself! LOL The rest of the soup was devoured by the human disposal otherwise known as "Bud." ha ha ha ha ha
I have many more soup stories and recipes to share with you as the weather changes and the need for a steaming bowl of it grows greater. I saw on tv where there is a big soup competition coming up in November. Wally says I should enter the beef-barley-vegetable soup. mmmmmm that one makes me hungry just thinking about it! When did you say you were coming up? lol
Soon I'll be making the trip down to the barn where my "Christmas" trailer is parked. It's actually Wally's motorcycle trailer but for right now, it has all my decorations in it. While I'm getting them out to use up at the cabin, I can take the time to re-box and properly pack all of it. It's been a few years since I've had the time to do that and it's in desperate need. All the snowmen need to be together - that's for sure. In the move, my very favorite one got his little carrot nose broken off. I'm going to have to come up with a substitute - he just doesn't look right without his nose. I must say that if you are a snowman collector indeed you are well aware of the hazards of packing them so as to not break off their noses. How it ever got started I'll never know but I think I have a hundred of them. This year will be the perfect time to count them. :) I'm pretty sure they'll all fit in the cabin... oh the pictures!!
I don't want to be like Wal-mart and rush into Christmas before Thanksgiving ever gets here so I'll be getting out the Thanksgiving decorations first. I have the Publix Pilgrim People collection that I just love! I have a really pretty ceramic turkey that goes on the table. It has a candle holder on either side of the base so I can burn my Pumpkin Spice and Apple Cider candles (Ernie has it too!). They really make the house smell like fall is in the air.
I have some little scarecrows from the Dollar Tree that I would normally stick into a bale of straw but I don't think a bale of straw will last with the horses up at the cabin. They would really get into some trouble if they tried getting up on the porch to get to it. They don't really like straw but it so resembles hay that they wouldn't know the difference until it was too late. Maybe I'll put it down by the gate and decorate it there instead. I'll still see it every time I come and go but I won't have to worry about the horses eating it. Of course, there could be other critters in the woods that would eat it...... ssscccaaaarrrryyyyyy
I hope you have some plans made for relaxing over the holiday. If I know you, and I pretty much do, you'll probably be at the club for at least part of it. :) Tell everyone hi for me. I feel like I need to make a basket or something... lol!
Happy Birthday to Dizzy Debbie out there in Arizona and Happy Birthday to Kat (a little early but just in case I don't make it back on the blog by Tuesday - enjoy your day!)
"If soup isn't hot enough to make a grown man wince, it's undrinkable." ~Grey Livingston
I really do believe that one too - it's got to be smokin!!!!!!!!!! :)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
