JUST in case anyone attempted to make the mayonnaise biscuits, sorry for the incomplete and, as I later learned, wrong information. I wasn't trying to trick you or anything to make your biscuits come out crummy. I was just going by memory which we all know is pretty much a joke these days. Hey, I tried. So the real deal is this... it is 1 cup of flour (I used self-rising) and the milk amount should be just a 1/2 cup. I think I said it was 2/3 or something like that...anyway, go with the 1/2 cup of milk. Then you add your 2 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise and mix it all up. The batter goes into a greased muffin tin (for 6 muffins) and they cook in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. As my mother was quick to inform me I left that part out when I typed the instructions....for shame, for shame :)
So now you can go cook up your biscuits and they will be just as yummy as mine, maybe even more so :)
We had another batch this weekend and for whatever reason, they were a little different than the first batch. They tasted the same but the batter was much thicker, more sticky...more like a biscuit batter should be. They were still good especially when I split them open, still piping hot, and put that little pat of butter in the middle and closed them up again... I can't resist hot food. It doesn't burn my mouth at all and I'm so very happy about that :) I dunked my already buttered biscuit into some honey that had somehow made it onto my plate and bite for bite it was bliss. Do you have your muffin tin out yet? lol
The weekend weather was wonderful. I filled up my car on the way home Friday night so I wouldn't have to go back out if I didn't want to. When I got there Wally had been working on his Camaro all day and it was ready to take for a test drive.We went down to the barn to get it cleaned up and road worthy but things didn't go quite the way we had planned. The headlights gave us some trouble and it was having some trouble getting the fuel it needed to stay running. Don't quote me here because, as you know, mechanical lingo is not my strong suit but I think it was something to do with the carburetor...? When it came down to it, we worked (ha ha me mostly watching Wally work...) on it until we could do no more that evening. We were bummed out because we were really looking forward to taking it for a spin.
In the car's defense, it has been in the garage for a couple years as Wally has been working on other projects...including getting me up here, getting the outdoor kitchen completed, cleaning up after the flood, etc. It's not unusual for it to need some good attention time. Well, since we were now resigned to staying home, dinner was the question. I didn't take anything out because I thought we would be driving around in the Camaro and that we could stop for something while we were out.
I had to do some pondering to figure out what we would have. The best place to do that is in front of the pantry...As it turned out, I had some canned salmon in the pantry (yes, I keep it on hand the same as artichoke hearts...what?) and enough peas for pea salad. The pea salad went together pretty quick and while it chilled in the refrigerator, I got to work on the salmon patties. Of course we don't have saltine crackers in the house but I did have some whole wheat Ritz crackers so they made for a darn good stand in. I mixed in some very finely chopped onion and some dried dill weed and that was it.
While they pan fried I took inventory of the pantry. I've been going through one of those phases where I want to cook and eat what we have before going to the store for more. It's pretty challenging but I'm having fun with it. I've been going through those old cookbooks of mine for ideas and new recipes and it's working out pretty well. That's how I ended up with the mayo biscuit recipe. The pea salad recipe is from Sheila Crites at the Oriole's. She and Gary would always bring it for our functions and I just had to have the recipe. Now we have it a couple times a month if I can help it...you know I love peas!
We ended up chilling out Friday night. Sure we could have taken the truck or my car but it just wasn't the same when you have your heart set on a cruise in 69 Camaro....it wasn't so bad being home though. I rather like it there. I did go through the pantry and make my list and I then got some of my weekend chores done with the hope that we would be off and running come Saturday morning!
We got up with the thought that we would go finish up the car, go to the Diner for breakfast and then cruise around in the sunshine, enjoying the 50 degree temperatures. Nice thought huh? lol Well, it didn't go quite like that but it worked out just the same. Wally worked on the car and got everything running and we made a list for the parts store for the little things that wouldn't stop us from leaving but that would be needed to make the ride more enjoyable...like headlights, wipers, those kinds of things.
We were on the road in a couple of hours and by then a cheese burger was calling my name. We stopped at the parts store first and while Wally picked up the things we needed, I sat in the car day-dreaming and watching the people come and go. You could make a lot of money running a parts store around here. That place was non-stop busy the entire time we were there. I even saw two people who I knew and I haven't really been here that long... lol Absolutely everyone loves the car and they don't hesitate to say so.
The problem is, when they ask me what's in it, I just kind of shrug my shoulders and say something like, "um, I don't really know. It's my boyfriend's car and he'll be right out." They have a look on their face that says something like...."uh huh, just a girl..." lol No matter where we go, people wave. Men pull up next to us and rev their motors to get Wally to take off fast or go faster down the road. They even make a spinning motion with their hands to get him to spin the tires. I may not be saying that right but you know what I mean.
We had our breakfast around 11am and it turned into lunch instead - of course. We drove around town and over to Centerville and all the while, Wally was working out the bugs. He's such a good mechanic. He knows what every little sound or vibration means and whether or not it's okay. Me? I just sit there looking out the window at how pretty everything is. Sometimes he gives me a list of things to write down as he's driving. That's about my only job. I'm okay with it too :) lol
We stopped at Pee Wee's and Wally put the headlights on the car. We had a couple beers and cruised on back towards home. We had made a few other stops and had plenty to unload from the car so while he did that, I got started on dinner. By then it was probably about 4:30-5:00. We fed the chickens and cleaned the water bucket and called it a day.
For dinner, I fried some tilapia and attempted to make hush puppies but they were a big flop if you ask me. Wally like them but I wasn't impressed. They didn't have much flavor and they fried up so quickly that the middle wasn't any different than the outside. After 4 or 5 of them came out like that, I decided to turn the heat down and drop in a bigger spoonful. This was slightly more successful in that the centers puffed up like they're supposed to but they still fell short on flavor. I talked to Mom about them and she said she had never had a batch come out good either...guess this will take more trial and error on my part. The fish was good though :) "Louisiana Fish Fry mix with Lemon" and a bag of tilapia and you can't go wrong. It is altogether crunchy, a little bit spicy and very mildly fishy. Tilapia is so mild that you really should use catfish if you want a more fishy flavor. But it was light and it broke apart perfectly when we bit into the strips. The first time Jarrett tried it he claimed it tasted just like chicken strips! lol He's been eating it ever since.
That was our Saturday. I think it got up to 55 or something like that. It was so nice and warm that I kept pointing my face towards the sun so I could soak up some much needed vitamin D! The puppies, dogs and horses were all basking in the sunshine same as I was. The old dogs were napping on the front porch when we got home and the puppies were romping around in the front yard. The roosters had dug out little spots by the hitching post where they lay all cuddled up together. Minus the one of course...:(
Roo now roosts in the tree directly outside the back door. Who knows why... we could hear him crowing but we didn't see him anywhere. I walked over to look under the porch and when he crowed that time - I heard him sure enough right over my head!
Sunday morning dawned with the sun shining once again. We watched the news and the weather girl said it would be another nice day with temperatures in the 50s...well, that settled it for us. We fed the horses, started some laundry, had mayonnaise biscuits, sausage and gravy all washed down with some freshly brewed iced tea and we were off!! We hit the back roads in that car and we were not disappointed. It ran like a charm. We rolled down the windows and just cruised along, sometimes with the radio on, sometimes not. It was nice to be outside and it was nice to be back in the Camaro again. It was really cool to me that Wally fixes things so easily. It never ceases to amaze me.
We rode around like that for a few hours, stopped at a couple places and then stopped by Pee Wee's Place but they weren't open. Darryl was there so we could go inside but no beer is sold until after 1:00 on Sunday so that would have to wait. It was five minutes until noon. We had some in the cooler...lol I went through the sale papers and checked out the grocery ads and it wasn't long before we were headed back home.
Sunday we planned to get my winter ride into the barn so Wally could make a few repairs to it so I can drive it to work on snowy or otherwise poor weather days. It's such a cool truck to me. It's a full size Bronco and it's red. Hello? It's a 4 wheel drive (which I know nothing about but people around here always ask that first...) It's a 1986 model and when it was first purchased, whoever bought it must have ordered it special. It has all the upgrades for that year including a towing package, a removable top and a bunch of mechanical things that mean nothing to me but when Wally talks about it, the men seem to be impressed.
Well now that Bronco has been sitting longer than the Camaro so you can imagine what we were up against there. First we pulled it as far as we could up toward the barn then we pushed it as far as we could with the white farm truck. When we could go no further yet still had about 25 yards to get there, we went and got the four wheeler. We hooked the strap from the 4 wheeler to the Bronco and then put a tire in between the Bronco and the farm truck. Wally pulled with the 4 wheeler while I pushed in the white truck and together we were able to get it up there into the barn.
We got it on the lift - well, okay, Wally got it on the lift and then he started figuring out what he would need to get it running properly. It'll start and all that but there's something to do with the oil pan (I'm guessing maybe a hole in it?) that keeps me from driving it. Anyway, he's working on it now and it won't be long before I'm hitting the highway in my (new to me) 1986 Ford Bronco. I'm so excited!! Oh, by the way, he showed me how to lock in the hubs...how's that for mechanical lingo? lol!
As I remarked earlier, it was a fairly warm day so we decided to cook the ribeyes out on the grill. I'm pretty sure this was the first time grilling out since the puppies came to live with us. Those little guys weren't about to leave that grill. They were so cute with their little noses up in the air, sniffing away like there was no tomorrow. Even the big dogs came out of their house and joined us at the grill. I fed the roosters over by Dizzy's Apartment so they'll start digging over there. I want to plant some bulbs but it's not quite time yet...however, it won't hurt to let them do the digging! Go Roosters Go!!
With our steaks we had the honey-buttered carrots and some green beans that I had canned back in 2005. They were sealed so well that they made a loud popping sound when Wally took the lids off. Every time that happens I become a bigger fan of the canning process. Those beans were almost 6 years old and still as fresh tasting as the day I canned them. There's something to be said for those old preserving methods...I'll be a canning fool once again this growing season!
There's just nothing like a big, fat, juicy steak on the grill.... right? I mean, don't get me wrong, I cook a mean steak in a cast iron skillet - just ask the kids and Neccy, but the grill gives it that extra umph somehow. Wally is much better at the grill than I am. I don't have a good sense of timing so I can't tell when anything is done. I'm going to have to get me a timer or something for when we're out there just in case I get put in charge of anything on the grill... lol! Oh hey, that doesn't count for shrimp - those I know how to do very well on the grill! So does Ernie :)
We ate our dinner sitting at the table looking out at the last red rays of sunlight... When I had the kitchen all cleaned up, I went and sat in my rocking chair next to Wally. "Married With Children" was on so we watched that and then I asked what was the time. Oh boy... I was so tired I thought maybe it would be around 7ish...but nooooooo it was only 5:30. I'm telling you I was ready for bed. There's no way I could let myself go that early though - I'd be up and ready for work around midnight for Pete's sake...lol!!
ugh! So we watched a couple episodes of AFV and some of the Pro Bowl game. I folded some clothes and then we finally decided to go upstairs around 7:00. We started watching "Hogs Gone Wild" and I think I might have made it to the first commercial before I drifted off into a deep, nourishing sleep... zzzzzzzzz
Have you seen that show yet? Hogs Gone Wild? It's pretty crazy. These wild hogs are gaining in some serious numbers across America - you can google it and see what I mean. According to the show last night, the highest numbers are in CA, TX and FL. They grow to be 300-400 lbs (and higher) and are incredibly ugly! There is no ban on killing them because they are difficult, if not impossible, to control. The statistics show that these wild hogs triple their population in just 4 month's time. Each sow will produce upwards of 10-13 piglets and it just never ends. They are tearing up people's yards in Tampa, they are eating crops of macadamia nuts in CA and they are devouring the bovine food supply on the cattle ranches in Texas.
No one has a solution for stopping the take-over. One guy said when they kill them, they should donate the meat to homeless shelters...? Free fresh pork - what the heck?
So our weekend weather was warm and we spent many hours outside. The car is running well and we enjoyed getting out and about in it. The farm animals got lots of attention with us being outside so much and overall, we couldn't have asked for a better time - unless you could all be here with us :)
While we had all this wonderful sunshine and nice high temperatures over the weekend, today calls for rain, which we definitely received. Tomorrow calls for more rain and come Wednesday afternoon and evening...snow flurries lol! What else did you expect?
I hope you got outside and enjoyed the weather wherever you happened to be. I heard some folks did some sun-bathing and cooked out hotdogs on the grill..now that says warmth and summertime to me. We aren't quite ready for that here in TN but to those of you who are - woo hoo!!!!
"My childhood may be over, but that doesn't mean playtime is." ~Ron Olson
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