Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Prepping 101

After a while, you learn to take these things in stride. 
Here's an expert:

"The earthquake is inevitable. The only question is when," said Lucy Jones, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. "It might not be another 50 years. Maybe even 100. Chances of us making it through the 21st century without the earthquake is very small.”
"Chances of us making it...  is very small." Are you reading that? I can't even on my worst day of not paying attention to what I was saying imagine saying that without at least hearing it and and immediately correcting it. 

That said, shit earthquakes-- just like tornadoes and snow & ice storms and hurricanes-- happens and you'd better be prepared for it them.

If you are prepared, you can get back to normal quicker. 

So if you're wiped out, but have photos-- stored not at you're wiped out house-- of all of your stuff (including serial numbers for valuables), the insurance claim goes quicker.

And if you are prepared, you will have accumulated the stuff you need to survive as close to normally as you can while you await real normal. Or, need to pack up as you exit. 

You need to have an exit strategy. Just think things through.

I need to fire up the generator. 

OMG! We went to the Army Navy Store in S'vegas the other day! 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Who's your daughter?

I'm catching up. Miss M's dress is finished. It has French seams. The hem is very nice. I refreshed my memory about how to sew a button hole. Miss M sewed on a button!! The clutch is done, too. 

Kat called!

Daughter C sent me a lot of photographs taken with her eye. 

This is what Missy & I talked about last evening.

Surprise Projects

Good afternoon!

Hope you enjoyed that completely unexpected Guest Post by Miss M. Poor Dear. She kept dropping hints all day. She baked me a quiche!  But I had decided to stay away from the World Wide Web and enjoy time with my family. Daughter C finally called to tell me to look at the blog. What a great surprise! Thanks, Miss M.

Anyhoo... we started some sewing projects yesterday. Stay tuned!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

“Ding! My Quiche is Ready!”




            Surprise! It’s a Mother’s Day guest blog post!
            When we were little girls playing house or kitchen or whatever it is we played, Daughter C would whip up the occasional imaginary quiche. When the chimerical culinary creation was ready, the “oven timer”, played by Daughter C, would alert all those within ear-shot with the piercing cry “Ding! My quiche is ready!”. Sure, most kids play pretend house and kitchen but do they all make pretend quiche? I doubt it. This sort of creativity is probably something unique to my mother’s daughters.
            Though her imaginary quiche was no doubt delicious, I don’t think Daughter C has ever actually made a quiche in real life. Kat, however, has probably made dozens of such creations. She is quite the cook. Luckily, Kat is “on call” for consults when Daughter C or I try to whip up some real food (thanks to Mr. Big Food’s handy work we don’t do this too often). Hopefully she’ll be available tomorrow as I attempt to make my very first Quiche Loraine in honor of Mother’s Day.
            Who deserves a Mother’s Day brunch more than Mrs. Big Food? She works harder than anyone I know. Mrs. Big Food works full time growing our food, keeping our home, caring for our pets, preserving our memories and history. For all of this work, she receives no salary and often no thanks but she continues to do it. To you, she may be just another blogger but to us she’s a real life hero, an inspiration, and the best mom there ever was.
            Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
                                   -Miss M

Friday, May 9, 2014

Scenes from America 2

John Wayne
That's not his real name. 


We visited his birthplace. 

Right next to the future birthplace of James T. Kirk.

In middle America.



Daughter C texteded to report that they had made it to LA.


Speaking of books...

I've got some strange books. 



But this one takes the cake.
Steve does literature. 

My guess is that he was doing what U. Grant and B. Russell, and WEBDubois did: Bankroll posterity. 

Royalties.

It is America, afterall. 

I Don't Like Book Banning

or book burning or book shooting.
I have never banned, burned or shot a book in my life.

Testify.

Miss M and I went to Palmer Home Thrift Shop this afternoon, after we went to Fabriholics. From an aisle over, she read the title out loud. I extended my arm with an open hand and ... poof! ... here is the book on my desk!!

It's world-wide. Apparently, there are people who keep up with this shit. And have been for quite some time. 

I've scanned about 1/2 of it and wonder why I don't have more of them. 

This opens up whole news doors to blogging when I have nothing to blog about. 

Thomas Paine got a bad historical wrap. I didn't like how they treated him later on.

But I remain objective. 

Recipe: Creamy French Dressing

Just another home grown salad with homemade dressing!
CREAMY FRENCH DRESSING
Makes 1 2/3 C

1 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
Dash cayenne pepper
1/3 C vinegar
1 egg
1 C salad oil

Combine paprika, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper. Add vinegar and egg, and beat well. Add oil in a slow stream, beating constantly with electric mixer until thick.

Recipe: Texas Style Barbecued Baked Beans and Variations

Delicious!
Mr. Big Food comments that the beans should be pre-cooked. This is a delicious dish but as made according to the recipe, the beans are a bit tough. 

Like “Ranch Style Beans”? Then try these.

TEXAS STYLE BARBECUED BAKED BEANS AND VARIATIONS
Serves 6-8

2 C dried navy or pinto beans (or a combination of both)
Water (to soak and cook beans)
8 slices bacon, diced
½ C chopped onion
2 Tbsp light corn syrup
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 small hot red chili pepper
¾ C catsup or chili sauce (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)
2 Tbsp prepared mustard (preferably homemade—see recipes in Basics section)
1 tsp salt
1 generous dash Tabasco (or more, to taste)

Soak beans overnight in water to cover. Next day, preheat oven to 350°. Fry bacon until crisp and drain drippings into baking dish or small bean pot. Add all remaining ingredients except bacon and soaking beans to fat and blend. Drain and rinse beans, and add to mixture. Crumble bacon on top and pour on fresh water just to cover beans. Cover dish and bake 2 hours, adding more hot water if needed during cooking time, and uncovering beans during last 20-30 minutes of cooking time.



VARIATIONS

Below the fold

Recipe: Czech Style Macaroni Variations

Comfort food
The recipes in this cookbook are sometimes not as clear as they might be. (That's what happens when you translate Czech to English.) Pictured is the first variation. The instruction to "make several layers" obviously refers to layers of macaroni, cheese and vegetables. 

CZECH STYLE MACARONI VARIATIONS
From M.L. Jandacek, Czech National Cook Book (1974)

MACARONI AND VEGETABLES INSTEAD OF MEAT

Place a layer of cooked macaroni in a well greased pan. Then sprinkle macaroni with grated cheese. Make several layers ending with cheese. Pour white sauce over top. Make sauce as follows: Melt 1 tablespoon butter and add 1 tablespoon flour and mix together. Then mixing constantly, add 1 cup hot milk and let cook until thick and smooth and add a little salt and pepper. Cover pan and bake 10 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer.

MACARONI WITH HAM

Place a layer of cooked macaroni in a well greased pan. Then add a layer of cooked ham or other smoked meat. Make several layers. The ham can be flavored with mustard or chopped onions. Beat 1 egg with 1 cup milk and pour over macaroni and bake in a hot oven 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to suit your taste. The ham may be salty enough and it will not be necessary to salt.

MACARONI WITH HORSERADISH

Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add 1 teaspoon chopped green pepper and 1 teaspoon chopped onion and simmer 5 minutes. Then add 1 tablespoon flour, 1 cup soup, 1 cup cooked and strained tomatoes, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon horseradish, salt and pepper to suit your taste. Cut up cold cooked leftover meat and warm in gravy., then pour over cooked macaroni. You can add a little garlic for flavor.

MACARONI WITH LEFTOVER MEAT

Cut up cold, cooked, leftover meat and mix with cooked macaroni. Put in a well greased pan and pour brown, white, or tomato gravy over top. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and bake in a medium oven about 30 minutes. You can use fresh mushrooms instead of meat.

MACARONI CROQUETTES

Mix cooked macaroni with thick tomato gravy. Mix in grated cheese. Form small balls, dip in egg, roll in bread crumbs, and fry in hot fat.

MACARONI PUDDING I

Cook macaroni 10 minutes, drain, and add hot milk (½ pint milk for ¼ lb macaroni) and cook 20 minutes and remove from fire. Beat 4 eggs with 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Add to macaroni ad add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into a well greased pan and bake in a slow oven about ½ hour. Serve with cream.

MACARONI PUDDING II

Mix together 1 cup cooked macaroni, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup grated cheese, 1 teaspoon chopped parsley, ½ cup tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chopped onion, salt, ¼ teaspoon paprika, 1/3 cup water from macaroni and 3 eggs. Pour into a well greased pan and set pan in a pot of hot water, and bake in a hot oven 35 minutes.

MACARONI WITH CHOPPED PORK

Cook broken up macaroni in boiling salt water and drain. Line a pan with pork (sekaniny), salt and pepper and then add a layer of macaroni. Pour 3 cups tomato gravy over top and bake 1 hour. For this recipe you can use 1 box macaroni and 1 lb meat or cut recipe in half. You can also use rice instead of macaroni.

Recipe: Chicken and Dressing Casserole

Extremely yummy!


NOTE!! Mr. Big Food comments that the amount of liquid in this recipe needs to be cut back by about 1/2. It is delicious but too moist-- in our humble opinions. 

CHICKEN AND DRESSING CASSEROLE
Serves 6

1 fryer chicken, boiled, cut up, deboned
10 ½ oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 C chicken broth (from boiling chicken)
3 hard boiled eggs
1 batch corn bread stuffing mix (can use store-bought in a pinch)
Onion, minced

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients and spoon into a lightly greased deep casserole. Bake 20-30 minutes.

Recipe: Kentucky Minted Carrots

We forgot to get more carrots so Mr. Big Food added some peas.


For Derby Day, of course!


KENTUCKY MINTED CARROTS
Serves 4

1 lb (8-10) carrots, scraped and cut diagonally into ¼ inch lengths
1 C water
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter, cut into bits
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, cut coarse

Place carrot slices into a 1 quart saucepan, add water and salt, cover pan tightly, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to moderate and cook carrots for about 15 minutes, or until water is almost completely evaporated and carrots are tender but still slightly resistant to the bite. Stir in butter and several grindings of black pepper, remove from heat, toss carrots lightly with mint leaves, taste for seasonings, and serve at once in a heated vegetable dish.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Baby Birds!

The dogs barked and Miss M ran to the front door!

Ohhhh!

There are baby birds on the porch!! And a Mama!!!!

We did our best.









Say what?



Women who never sunbathe during the summer are twice as likely to die than those who sunbathe everyday, a major study has shown.
 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10811734/Why-avoiding-sunshine-could-kill-you.html

Dear Lord, Please save us from writers and  editors for whom this makes sense. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Recipes Needed

Back to the new normal?
Expect a recipe barrage in the next day or so.

"in" 


"within"


Thoughts?

Scenes from America Part 1

courtesy of Daughter C-- who we miss tremendously.


Daughter C and Mr. Bow Tie left last Thursday. We are all trying to get used to this.

Meanwhile, Daughter C sent me a number of photographs. I delayed posting them because I didn't want Mr. Low Man to know where she was.



This is what they saw early in the trip

in Arkansas.
I believe she titled this email, "tornado devastation."



More to come.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Did I Mention

that we need to burn some gas so that they can fix the gas leak?

I just can't catch a break


You may want to call to see if we're on a boil water notice. There's been A LOT of VISIBLE sediment in the water for the last week. You also may want to start drinking water from jugs. Just in case.

Grace

By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.
Eph. 2:8
From Nave's Topical Bible: A Digest of the Holy Scriptures, Orville J. Nave, ed., Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1979.

My friend Becca has a new post up at Keep Guessing. It's interesting. She begins:


My experience entering the Catholic Church was so many things: intense, beautiful, fun, stirring, humbling (which is saying something), enlightening, challenging...  I'll stop but I could go on.  And on. 
It's hard for me to get past this recurring feeling of having been unzipped right down the middle and having my soul, heart, and mind exposed for all to see-- flayed, dissected, and discussed at length. 

Monday, May 5, 2014

I thought this was funny


coming on the heels of Daughter C's departure.
Apparently, Daughter C subscribed to a new magazine.