Just been busy, that's all...

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