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!!!!!!!!!! :)
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