Stew

Not soup so not an contest entrant.

Santa Fe Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker.

Shhhh. I didn't let on to Mr Big Food but I messed up-- it's a complicated fancy slow cooker with a bunch of digital gadgets and lights and 0.7 timers and all. The cooker was prepared before he and Miss M ventured into the Real World today at about 7. All I had to do was to set the crockpot for 11 hours on low and turn the stupid thing on at 8.

It took me until 8:40 to figure out that I had been out smarted by a slow cooker.

At 8, I set it for 11 hours, but failed to turn the stupid thing on.

At the 11 hour mark-- that would be 7pm-- I was to increase the power level to "high" and insert some veggies.

I did some adjustments. I was 40 minutes late in turning the stupid thing on but the more I thought about it, the less important those 40 minutes were.

At 7:20 I powered it up to "high" and threw in the zucchini.

No one noticed. And that-- Hey Aggie!- is the joy of slow cooking.

Recipe: Homemade Chicken Soup

Topped with Fluffy Dumplings

Well, this is embarrassing. This soup was of course a contestant in our 2013/14 Fall and Winter Soup Contest. (More soup recipes at the link.) We enjoyed it back on December 30th. Mr. Big Food assures me we discussed its ranking at the time but I see no mention of it in my contest notes. I will have to poll the other judges.

For my money-- this is the clear winner so far. How can you possibly beat Homemade Chicken Soup with Fluffy Dumplings? (Dumplings substitute for noodles in this version.)

HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP  
Serves 8 

5-6 lb stewing chicken, cut up 
6 C water 
1/3 C onion, chopped 
2 tsp salt 
¼ tsp pepper 
1 bay leaf 
6 medium ears corn, kernels cut from cobs, cobs scraped (about 2 C) OR 1 lb can cream-style corn 
1 ½ C uncooked Homemade Noodles (see recipes in Casseroles … and Tex-Czech sections) 
1 C celery, chopped 
2 Tbsp snipped parsley 

In a large kettle, combine chicken, water, onion, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, bring to boiling, and simmer covered for about 2 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth and, when cool enough to handle, remove meat from skin and bones, cut meat into bite-sized pieces, and set aside. Skim excess fat from broth, discard bay leaf, and bring broth to boiling. Add corn kernels and scrapings or cream-style corn, Homemade Noodles, celery, and parsley, and simmer covered for about 8 minutes or until corn and noodles are barely done. Add chicken meat and heat through for about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Recipe: Fluffy Dumplings

Dumplings atop Homemade Chicken Soup

--> FLUFFY DUMPLINGS  
Makes about 10 

1 C sifted flour 
2 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp salt 
½ C milk 
2 Tbsp oil 

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine milk and oil, add all at once to dry ingredients, and stir just until moistened. Drop from tablespoons atop bubbling stew. Cover tightly, let mixture return to boiling, reduce heat, and simmer 12-15 minutes (don’t lift lid).

Recipe: Stuffed Pork Chops I

Into the oven

Out of the oven

Original recipe handwritten by Mr. Big Food's Gran  

STUFFED PORK CHOPS I  

6 pork chops, cut thick with a pocket
Flour (for dusting chops) 
Salt, pepper OR Creole seasoning, to taste 
3 strips bacon 
Medium white or yellow onion, chopped 
¾ C prunes, chopped 
1 C bread cubes, toasted and buttered 
1 C apples, chopped 
¼ C pineapple juice 
¼ C dry white wine 
2 Tbsp oil or shortening (for browning chops) 

Fry bacon in skillet until crisp. Drain. Saute onion in bacon fat and stir in prunes, bread cubes, apples, and crumbled bacon. Remove from heat. Dust outer surfaces of pork chops with flour, salt, and pepper OR Creole seasoning, and stuff insides with stuffing. (You can use toothpicks to hold stuffing in chops.) Brown chops on both sides in hot oil or melted shortening. Add pineapple juice and dry white wine. Cover skillet and cook 1 hour, turning chops once. Or bake covered in pineapple juice and wine for 1 hour in a 350° oven, removing cover for the last 10 minutes of baking time to brown chops

Recipe: Gilroy Ratatouille (Veganizable)

To veganize, omit sausage and cheese

“Enhanced by sausage and cheese, this ratatouille makes a complete meal. For vegetarians, just omit the sausage. (Recipe contest entry: Mrs. Gene Stecyk, Los Angeles, CA)”—The Garlic Lovers’ Cookbook (1980) 
GILROY RATATOUILLE  
Makes 8 servings 

5 cloves fresh garlic, minced 
2 onions, sliced thin 
1/3 C olive oil 
1 bell pepper, cut into thin rounds 
2 medium eggplant, unpeeled, diced 
2 medium zucchini, sliced ¼-inch thick 
20 oz Italian plum tomatoes (can use stewed, preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics and Canning … sections—or canned) 
1 ½ tsp basil 
1 ½ tsp parsley 
1 ½ tsp salt 
Fresh ground pepper to taste 
1 ½ lbs Italian sausage, cooked until done, drained well (preferably homemade—see recipes in Meats section) 
½ lb whole small mushrooms 
1 C (4 oz) grated Swiss cheese 

Sauté garlic and onions in olive oil until soft, add bell pepper, eggplant, and zucchini, and cook 5 minutes over medium heat, tossing well. Add tomatoes with liquid, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper, simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, then cover and simmer 15 minutes longer. Add mushrooms to vegetables during the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Add drained sausage to vegetables, sprinkle with grated cheese, cover, and simmer until cheese melts.

All on One Shelf

One shelf... so to speak.

Over the next few months I'm going to be making some changes to the blog. Not to worry. You won't be affected. The first change is that I'm (eventually) going to migrate to a WordPress platform rather than Blogger. Again-- not to worry. Nothing will change from your point of view. WordPress offers more blogging freedom and you might guess how I feel about that. But I need to learn WordPress.

I've also had seven, coming up on eight, "Books Bygone" essays published in my little local weekly newspaper. Most are published on the newspaper's website, but not all. (It's a pagination thing. If they stick me on the last page of the print version, I don't have a chance of making it to the online version.) My target audience is, of course, the readership of my local paper. But it's a Big world. No harm in opening up that choke and scattering "Books Bygone" essays to a wider flock. 

And so, I give you booksbygone.wordpress.com, a blog of essays about old books and what we can learn from them. The place where you can find all of the essays on one shelf. A transition work in progress where I can learn-- so be kind, if I knew how to insert page breaks, believe you me, I would have inserted page breaks already.

Ice Cubes in H-E-Double-Toothpicks

The chances of this passing both Mississippi houses, and being signed into law by the governor are slim.

That said, I have a proposal. Let's pass a law mandating the publication of the names, addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, birth dates, social security numbers, arrest records, marital status, number and names of children and grandchildren, elementary, middle, high school and college transcripts, dental records, and most ever unflattering bathing suit photograph of every single state representative who proposes something truly stupid.

I'll start with Omeria.

Here's her facebook page. Please note that her favorite athlete is Michael Vick. As Rocky would say, "RRRRRRRUUUUUUFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF."

Here she is on Project Vote Smart-- which apparently the folks in District 80 did not do. Husband's name is Charles.

She has lived in Laurel, MS, Jackson, MS, Natchez, MS, and Midland, MI.

Here we go...

 So there you go. Let her know what you think of her stupid little proposal.

Trail Cam Photos

Life on the Farm.

Courtesy of Nick's Camera set up at Copperhead Crossing. 

Words: Epicure

Believe it or not, we have resumed the Word of the Day Can You Use It in a Sentence game. (You can view all 54 "word" posts by clicking on "words" in the label list.) We had an especially good word-- left over from December 18th!-- to begin again. Especially good as we read our sentences after a fine meal of BBQed chicken-- which Mr. Big Food did on the grill!-- corn salad, winter squash flan (thanks, Alix), and spinach salad with Chris' quickly prepared vinaigrette.

Any epicure would be delighted to share in the regular feasts of the Farm.

--Nick

It is not possible to be a genuine epicure if one is unable to appreciate Southern cuisine.

--A. Leland

The epicure, sensibilities offended by the lack of proper butter knife, refused to eat the dinner rolls.

--Alix

While the husband was a simple man, his wife was an epicure and often sapped the family budget on fine wines and exotic delicacies.

--Chris

Don't let her fondness for Oreos fool you, she's a real epicure.

--Miss M

At the Farm, we chant, "Who's an epicure? I'm an epicure!" and then we eat.

--Marica

"Absinthe?" "No. Not Absinthe. Absence."

"Good Lord, Missy, you really should get your hearing checked. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Absinthe just makes you stupid."

"Oh. I see. So you think they are going to forgive you for being absent from posting? You're not worried that your ... (cough, cough) ... readership has moved on to other blogs that tend to posting on a more ... (cough, cough) ... consistent basis?"

"Ruff? Ruff."

"No, Missy. I'm with Rocky on this one. I think my loyal readers understand that I sometimes need to clean each and every book I own and that takes time away from blogging. And they understand that I don't have to take photographs and discuss every single meal I have with good friends."

"Ruff."

"Last evening's meal was enjoyable, wasn't it? It warmed my heart to see everyone in the kitchen at the last minute, pitching in to make salad and salad dressing. Oh! And to find the butter knife. Sorry about that napkin, by the way."

"RUFF."

"I know. I know. I am ashamed of my behavior."

"As well you should be. I cannot replace or repair that napkin, Missy. And it was really old."

"ruff"

"mmmrruuff."

"Well. You served your time. I do want to caution you to not mess with the dominoes. They are a choking hazard and the last thing I want to do is to put my arm down your throat to yank out a domino before you choke to death."

"ruff?"

"Those little ceramic tiles we've been laying out out on the coffee table and elsewhere."

"Ruff."

"I'll do my best."

"No. Young Lady. You will do better than your best and you will leave the dominoes alone."

"RUFF!"

So I "scored" a set of double 12s at Tuesday Morning. You get what you pay for. It's missing 1-9 and had a duplicate of 0-9. I'm figuring one of the Girls has a nail polish of the appropriate shade and I can turn the extra 0-9 into a 1-9.

In case you missed it

Double Sixes

One of my better Books Bygone essays:

Books Bygone: ‘Self-made’ means more than ever 
Marica Bernstein

Did you know “there are at present time three types of motor vehicles—steam, gasoline, and electrical?” Regarding electrical vehicles: “its sphere of usefulness is confined to city traffic or very short tours out of town” because its battery must be charged after 40 miles.

Did you know the first General Maxim for playing dominoes is to “endeavor to play so as to keep both ends open, so that you may be sure of being able to ‘go’ next time?” Maxim 2 advises to play heavy dominoes first, although Maxim 5 states there is an advantage to holding a heavy domino: you may obtain a good “follow.”

How about this: Did you know the rules of good etiquette dictate that “a ‘morning’ visit should be paid between the hours of 2 and 4 P.M. in winter, and 2 and 5 in summer?” And whatever you do, do not take your “favorite dogs into the drawing room when you make a morning call. If they are of too friendly disposition, they may take the liberty of lying on a lady’s gown,” or—Heaven forbid!—jump on the furniture.

Here’s one for sports fans. Did you know, according to the Regulations for American Football, “a drop-kick for goal counts five points,” just as a touchdown does? 

I don’t know if you knew these valuable bits of information, but I did not before I skimmed through “New American Encyclopedia of Social and Commercial Information: A Practical and Educational Compendium Suited to the Needs of Everyday Life” (1908). 

What a book! For folks in the early 1900s, it must have been like having the entire World Wide Web in one volume. With this book, you can teach yourself everything from French to how to play the cello. You can learn how to write poetry, do brass work— “well suited to ladies as it does not require any great deal of strength”— and how to purchase a horse. You can study the physics behind the steam engine, English grammar, American history, and astronomy. 

This book bygone has it all. That, of course, was the goal. The book’s editor believed “a practical education is the greatest wealth that a man or woman may possess. It is a property that cannot be alienated, yet one that may be shared with others without loss. Education is the legacy that all good parents must bequeath to their children. It is an investment that all young people should be persuaded to seek. Some part of every day should be devoted to the acquirement of a little more useful knowledge.” 

The problem, though, was in 1908 so much information was required to meet the needs of every day life that “no school or college supplies enough. ‘Self-made’ means more than ever, and much of the most useful knowledge … is acquired in painstaking home-study to which is devoted from a few minutes to an hour each day.” 

If we believe that folks used this book to learn, for example, “indoor gardening”— a cheap and effective means of home decorating “within the reach of all classes of people”—we might wonder where they found the time to spend a few minutes to an hour with this “manual of study and work of reference.” More than 100 years ago, folks had none of our modern time-savers. They had no microwaves, dishwashers, or programmable electrical washers and dryers. They didn’t have riding lawnmowers, power tools, or diesel engine air-conditioned tractors with or without satellite radio. They didn’t even have radios! They had to entertain themselves with dominoes for goodness' sake. Where did these folks find the time to educate themselves, to be “self-made?” 

I don’t know the answer (though I have some ideas). But I do know that if they could be “self-made,” I can resolve this year to learn dominoes, and maybe some American history—if I have time. 
~
“New American Encyclopedia of Social and Commercial Information: A Practical and Educational Compendium Suited to the Needs of Everyday Life.” James E. Homans, ed. P.F. Collier & Son, New York. 1908. Available to read or download at openlibrary.org and archive.org.

Good Lord Almighty! What a Day!

If you have been following along, you know we are having water issues.

Since time immemorial, or at least as long as they've been keeping records, Mississippi is a wet state. Not alcohol wet, water wet. We get about 59.2 inches of water per year. This is an average. Since time immemorial. Louisiana gets abut 60, Alabama about 58. The gulf coast is wet.

Despite all those inches and inches of rain, we have no water.

When I inquire, I am told there is a break but she doesn't know where it is and they are working on it.

1. Here's a thought. Thad. Listen Up. You want to get re-elected? Come home. How about thinking we may want to bury water pipes more than 6" beneath the surface. Think you can get some folks in Wisconsin to pay for that?

2. Seriously, Thad.  You've got a gazillion "research centers" named after you and I can't do my dishes.

It's time for Thad to go.

Meanwhile,

Here's my latest essay.

What has just happened?

If you are missing the boring old white background, rest assured I am too. I will tend to it just as soon as I get around to it. Thank you for your patience.

I will also figure out why the font is courier.

Good grief.

CRITICAL UPDATE | Apparently, I spoke too soon

This is a full-on blast of hot water.

UPDATE: THERE IS NO WATER ANYWHERE IN THE HOUSE. I called the after hours number which rolls over to the 911 operator-- there are fewer than 10,000 of us in the county, she can handle it-- and she asked if I live where I live because there's a problem where I live and she doesn't know what it is but the guy told her they were working on it.

Problem solved. 

~~


All is not well. The Worst is not behind us.

So it seems that the earth has not quite gotten the message: IT'S ALMOST SUMMER. The air temperature today was about 42-ish. And all was well during the glorious sunny daytime hours. But as I began to put the house to bed, I noticed that that the water was running a bit slowly.

Here we go again.

Open the Windows!

Let some fresh air in!

See? I told you. It's Almost Summer.

The Worst Is Behind Us

a schematic of southern plumbing

With all due apologizes to my Northern Friends who are still suffering from the worst cold spell the Devil has fraught in a coon's age, I think here in Mississippi we are on the up swing.

We had a bizarre assortment of frozen pipes and drains. But we were on it.

Except for the pipe that did burst. Now. I'm not casting blame, but I will note that the plumbing Daughter C and I were in charge of survived just fine. Sure. We had some nonfunctional issues. But we didn't bust any water pipes.

The same cannot be said for the pipes A. Leland was in charge of.

I hear that the water pipe repair goo is rated to -30 degrees.

And A. Leland is on it.

It's Almost Summer! Time to Buy Your Seeds

Let us review the four seasons of the Deep South:

1. Christmas
2. Almost Summer
3. Summer
4. Still Summer

As Christmas has past, it's Almost Summer and therefore time to buy your seeds. A couple of years ago I reviewed my favorite heirloom seed companies. Here are the links to those posts. (Some of the photos were lost in the Great Photo Snaffu of 2012. Sorry 'bout that.)

New Hope Seed Company

Botanical Interests

Victory Seed

Heirloom Seeds (At the the time of the post, this company was experiencing a family crisis and had limited operations. All is well now.)

Here's a post I did on seed company rackets which might be of interest.

Won't be long!

Frostbite: News I Hope You Do Not Need to Use

If chilblain is regarded as a chronic affection generally due to the action of cold, frostbite may be regarded as an acute affection due to the action of cold.

Handbook of Therapy Third Edition. Oliver T. Osborne. The Journal of The American Medical Association, Chicago. 1918.

I picked this crappy old book up yesterday at the Starkvegas Public Library book sale ($0.50). What with dealing with dripping / non-dripping faucets-- how can a sink faucet be okay and a tub faucet in the same bathroom be frozen?-- and putting away Christmas, and recovering from our travels, I haven't had too much time to study this book but it appears to me that if one is of a mind to tend to one's own minor medical issues, this is an excellent reference book.

To summarize... . Frostbite is a problem of degree. Mild frostbite slows the circulation of blood in localized areas (fingers, ears, etc.) which turn bluish and lose feeling. Acute frotbite, occurring when exposure to extreme cold is prolonged, slows the circulation in larger areas (hands, arms, etc.) to the point where "the entire part becomes congealed, and freezing and gangrene result." 

Restore circulation in mild frostbite gradually by "laying the patient down in a cold room," covering him, and give him hot tea or coffee. Rub the affected body part with snow or rags wrung out in cold water.

Sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but if you're suffering from acute frostbite and gangrene has already set in, "amputation is necessary." If gangrene hasn't yet set in but the patient appears to be on the verge of a coma, employ artificial respiration if needed and continue "for a long time, if necessary."

(In case you are wondering, chilblain is an inflammation of the hands and feet due to excessive cold and moisture.)

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. I am only quoting from a crappy old medical book. No part of this post is intended as medical advise. 

Okay. I get it.

Up at Drudgereport.com just now.

It's cold. Now let's get a grip on ourselves and try to put things into perspective.

The Jowell House built by George Jowell in 1872 after Indians burnt down his wood cabin.

Here's the story as told at the National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubock, Texas.

Click to enlarge and read.

The inside of the downstairs.

See that stove? That's it people.

And you want to talk about "life threatening?" 

Head stones from the final resting place of some of Jowell's descendents.

Franklin C. 1873-1876

James P. 1876-1878

Joel W. 1878-1878

Lona Bell 1880-1880

Euell Homar 1882-1883

Things don't seem all that bad today, now, do they? Maybe a little cold and windy. That's all.

Dress Codes? In Texas!?

As you may have surmised, Mr. Big Food and I are in Texas.

Here's the truck

having just crossed the Mississippi Line

We are visiting Mr. Big Food's Dad and Mr. Big Food Mom. Because there's no tellin' what we might do in Texas-- maybe eat some goose, maybe score some .22LR ammo-- I emailed Mr. Big Food's Dad and Mr. Big Food's Mom to ask what we should pack.

> Good morning!
>
> John tells me there is a goose in our future. Looking forward to that!
>
> Are there plans to do anything "dress up?" Or can we just pack Mississippi redneck clothing?
>
> Looking forward to seeing all y'all

In reply Mr. Big Food's Dad said

We'll probably have goose at the Grier's on Thursday evening...We're not planning to leave Georgetown so the only dressing up might be dinner at Wildfire in downtown...Men wear slacks and sport shirts...not very dressy..."dress red neck business casual" will fit right in...No camo...

To which I replied

Hum. The 'no camo' rule sure does put a crimp in my knickers. I'll see what I can come up with.

A flirty little chiffon skirt topped with a black tank top, over a pair of black leggings. Add 20 year old leather boots, and a camo jacket I hand made for Daughter C a couple of years ago. 

 

Check out the antique buttons

 We call it "Dress-Up Camo."

Acceptable.