My garden grows like this

Snap peas along the trellis are growing well. I don't see a huge size difference between those planted early in March and those planted late in March. I'm starting bush beans under the bird cages. Lemon thyme, Oregano, Pineapple sage, and Chives along the herb row are looking delicious.


The leggy broccoli is starting to get much bigger leaves.


These potatoes! They grow like weeds! I had to hill them again this morning. It was probably overdue.


The tomatoes got super leggy under the lights. They're going in the ground Satuday no matter what.

Chris's New Bow

Chris got his YHEC bow! It is a Pearson Pathfinder, which should be useful for a while. It is set to draw about 36# right now, and he can't quite get it back, but he should be able to pull that much with a little practice. If not, it looks like we can switch out the limbs and get him a lower draw weight.



We got a good price on this bow at Gateway Outfitters. Everything pictured was under $300. Of course we still need a release, quiver, and bow case, but he can shoot it as is with a borrowed release.

Chris says "Thank you Grandma!"

Happy Anniversary

To us!

What I'm reading

Boone's Lick Larry McMurtry.



Why: Mom bought it for me because she knows he's one of my favorite authors.
Thoughts: "In the backwater town of Boone's Lick, Missouri, Mary Margaret has finally had it with her ne'er-do-well husband, Dickie -- whose job supplying forts along the Oregon Trail gives him ample opportunity to be swayed out his wedding vows." Does he die of dysentery too?

Mushroom hunting

Chris asked to go hunting for morels this weekend. We took the dogs and my Dad and tromped all over around Lake Lou Yaeger.

We found coyote scat, trillium, Jack in the pulpit, tons of deer sign, blooming may apples, but no mushrooms. It was pretty dry, even on the shady sides of north facing slopes. We also saw two deer on our way out.

Here is a picture of some other lucky person's mushrooms. I sure wish we would have had these to go with our steaks!

Good food weekend!

Last night we ate at Nacho Mama's in Rock Hill. I knew Dennis would love it, and I was right. Chris enjoyed himself too.

After YHEC in Arnold, we stopped in the city and got Gus' Pretzels. We ate (brats for Chris and I and a deli sandwich for Dennis) in the car and brought a dozen home.

I grilled veggies and a pork tenderlion for dinner tonight, then Dennis made us some fancy sundaes for dessert.

And we're taking food up to my parents' house tomorrow for a BBQ.

Fresh Strawberry Upside Down Cake

Fresh Strawberry Upside Down Cake went over extremely well at a work potluck today.





2 cups crushed fresh strawberries
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
3 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (18 ounce) package yellow cake mix, batter prepared as directed on package

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread crushed strawberries on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Evenly sprinkle strawberries with the dry gelatin powder, and top with mini marshmallows.
Prepare the cake mix as directed on the package, and pour on top of the marshmallows. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the pan to loosen the sides, and turn the cake out onto a serving tray. Store cake in the refrigerator.

Very funny, Scarlett

We've decided to rehome Scarlett. She was staying with us on a trial basis, but she really needs a different style of dog owner. She's not content to just be in the same room with us the way Lacey is. She wants to be part of the action, causing a reaction, or to be doted on at all times. This makes those nights when Chris is practicing the violin, I'm cooking, and Dennis is mowing the grass - difficult. She just doesn't have enough self-esteem to keep herself entertained. Lacey will just plop down on the floor and sleep.

So right after we post on Craig's list and email all of our friends and get the word out that there is this cute cute beagle mix who needs a home, she gets sick! Yea!

I'm so tired of cleaning up after a sick dog. The vet thinks she'll be OK, but I'm not sure exactly when the vomiting is going to stop. Perfect timing, puppy.

Scarlett's Personal Ad

First trellis is up, hilling potatoes again

I took the birdcages off of the snap peas and put up the trellis.



I also had to hill the potatoes again. I had no idea they grew so fast. Cool!

The tomatoes are here!

From left to right: Cherokee Purple, Sweet 100, Golden Jubilee, and Celebrity.



I haven't named them yet.

Mountain Dew Throwback

Speaking of retro beverages, I've got a Mountain Dew Throwback.

Ingredients: Carbonated water, SUGAR, citric acid, natural and artifical flavors, sodium benzoate, caffeine, gum arabic, brominated vegetable oil, yellow 5.



I am not on the anti-high fructose corn syrup bandwagon. This is all about the taste. It is so much more mellow and lemony than regular Mtn Dew. It tastes a lot like a carbonated lemon shake up from the state fair.

PepsiCo, you got me with this one.

What's in the fridge?

Schlitz.



Yes, it is.

I have a very specific memory of Schlitz Beer. It was the first beer I ever had. Our neighbor, Carl, had an orange fiberglass boat. There was an empty lot between our houses. There were three huge lilac bushes with snowball bushes growing in front of them. I used to catch fireflies in the yard on summer evenings, while the guys (my Dad & Carl) hung out in the garage. There was an old piano out there, painted with pink outdoor paint. It smelled like tools. The garage door was one of those corrugated fiberglass ones, in green.

I always made fun of them, as kids do, mocking that they "always" drank beer. So they offered me a sip. I didn't like it, but I do remember it tasted like bread.

The Schlitz I had this evening took me right back to that sweaty summer yard.

Kids & Arrows

The kids shooting archery at YHEC this morning:

Lemon Meringue Pie - with Assistant!

Chris has been watching recorded episodes of Good Eats. I was secretly hoping this would lead him into the kitchen, and I think it could have worked. I would be extremely proud of myself if I raised a boy who could cook more than boiling water!

I don't know if we're there yet, but he was very helpful with this pie. He even separated his first egg without breaking the yolk. Now if I could just make a meringue without breaking the first one! I always have to go at it twice. Every time. Meringue and I are mortal enemies.



1 frozen pie crust, blind baked and cooled

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Curd
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 drops yellow food coloring

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Slowly beat in sugar. Continue beating until stiff and glossy. Add vanilla. Cover and hold in refrigerator until curd is prepared.

Mix sugar and cornstarch in large sauce pan. Gradually stir in water over medium heat. Stirring continuously until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for an additional minute.

Remove from heat and stir at least half of hot mixture into egg yolks to temper. Stir warmed yolk mixture back into saucepan. Boil, stirring, for two more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon peel, lemon juice and food coloring. Pour into pie crust.

Spread meringue onto hot pie filling. Be sure to seal meringue to the pie crust all the way around.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until meringue is light brown. Cool on a rack for two hours, then cover and refrigerate.

A hill of potatoes

My potato rosettes got big! I hilled them for the first time with an about equal mixture of Mel's mix and shredded office paper.

Before:


After:

Red Sails & Wal-Mart

My indoor lettuce (Salad Bowl) only had a 50% germination rate. I lost two plants outside. I replanted the three strongest ones to a different location.

My Swiss Chard only put up two pitiful seedlings. They're leggy messes that won't make it outside at all.

I've substituted store bought Red Sails lettuce from Lowe's and Swiss Chard from Wal-Mart garden center.



I looked at every place close to us before I bought from these two. They were my last choices, but they wound up being the only two with the plants I was looking for. *shrug*

In other news, I had to have Dennis physically restrain me from buying tomato seedlings now. I want them!

He who fails to plan, plans to fail.

I've been cooking from Woman's Day magazine's Month of Menus! for most of my adult life. I can't even remember exactly when I started, but I can remember hanging them on the fridge in my first apartment on Cedar Lane.

It is such second nature at this point that I really doubt I could plan a menu for longer than a few days with much creativity. Most of the food I post to this blog is deviant food. There are a few recipes that are so tempting I find a place to stick them into the menu. I only have a few cookbooks at home. I use The Joy of Cooking if I have a technique issue to solve. I also have a few "picnic & potluck" books for family reunions and work parties.

There are also days that the menu just doesn't do it for us, like April 5th. "Planned leftovers Roast leg of lamb (save 2 cups, cubed, for Tues) orzo with peas. Saute 1⁄2 cup chopped onion and 1 tsp minced garlic in a little butter. Add 2 cups frozen peas; cook 3 minutes. Toss with cooked orzo." Blech. None of us like lamb and we sure don't want two meals worth of it.

We have dinner at home almost every night. Going out to eat is a big deal for my family. Dennis and I alternate cooking. I did it last night, so he's got to do it tonight. We grocery shop every Sunday. I can't imagine what it would be like to not have a menu plan. We'd probably eat cereal three nights a week.

NINJA

A funny graph on Graph Jam? No way!


I giggled. A little.


Looks like I have a shot at "The NIN/JA tour" in Noblesville, IN on 5/30. I already saw the Lights in the Sky show, but I've never seen Jane's Addiction, and it's been fourteen years since I've seen NIN outdoors.

Happy Càisg!

Everybody try to look happy about dipping hard boiled eggs in food coloring. Geez, you'd think I was jamming ice picks under their eyelids!



I am sad to know that my time-honored method of fourteen minute eggs failed this year. The yokes are not cooked until crumbly. They're solid, but sorta more gel-like than they should be. Fourteen minute eggs have never failed me before. Then again, I've never hard boiled eggs on this stove.

Monte Cubano

The cover of Gourmet Magazine sucked me in. We just made their Monte Cubano sandwich.



Because I think pressing is important to a Cuban, we made it on the George Forman grill.

Neither of us are sure that it is an improvement on the originals. Cubans and Monte Cristos are both near perfection on their own, so there was not a lot to be gained by the smashup. The tang of the pickles was deadened by the sweetness of the bread. Maybe all we were missing was strawberry jam.

Still a stellar sandwich that shows the potential of ham & cheese. Pickles, Swiss cheese, mustard, garlic mayo, powered sugar, currant jelly - bring it on!

Dickey's BBQ Pit

Dennis only had to work half of the day today. That means he got off work at 10:00 AM. He drove back to take me out for lunch.

We had Dickey's BBQ Pit. I saw no evidence of said pit.

He got brisket, beans & okra. You'd think a chain out of Texas would have a handle on brisket. The bite I had tasted much more like pot roast. The okra was clearly the frozen variety, but it was clean tasting and good. The beans were more Texas style than we're used to, with thin sauce and jalapenos instead of brown sugar. He was really into them, while I prefer mine the other way.

I got pulled pork & slaw, 'natch. The slaw was obviously not made in house. It was the creamy kind though! Pulled pork was better than the brisket. When you put it together with the "sweet" sauce (which seemed to be the "regular" with more sugar & vinegar) it made a passable BBQ sandwich. See what I do with "Texas style"??? Their "hot" sauce was the best. It had enough red pepper flakes to actually pack some heat.

We both finished with an ice cream cone. The mix hadn't been in quite long enough, so it was very soft serve. Dennis put on quite a show getting ice cream into his beard and mustache.

Our tab was just under $17. With Miss Piggies so close to work, it is hard to justify going back if I have an intense BBQ craving, but I won't put it on the list of places to avoid at all costs either. I'd go back if invited, but probably won't choose it if left to my own devices.

Strawberry pie

Strawberry pie is one of my favorite foods. I remember how much of a treat it was as a kid when Grandma & Grandpa Marfell got me a slice at the mall cafeteria. They always arranged the berries crown down on the crust and they looked like delicious jewels.



Single pie crust, baked and allowed to cool completely
1 cup sugar
3 T strawberry Jello
3 heaping T cornstarch
1 cup water
2 cups strawberries, cleaned and hulled (ours were cut into 4ths)

Thoroughly combine sugar, Jello and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add water and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and rubylike. Allow to cool. Arrange strawberries on cooled pie crust, top with cooled filling and chill until ready to serve.

Yes, my pie crust shrank and puffed despite being docked really well. Guess my docking fork wasn't sharp enough to go all the way through...

Spring Concert

Chris's spring concert was last night. This is the best video my digital camera will take. It is part of "Simple Gifts".



I think they sound pretty good for Middle Schoolers!

Maybe I should buy a vase or two?

Since we were supposed to get a hard freeze last night, I brought in some of the surprise flowers in. (It only got down to 32.0 according to my Oregon Scientific weather station and there was a good breeze to keep frost from forming.)


Unknown tulip and grape hyacinths in a classy plastic double shooter from the Jack Daniels distillery.


Redbud sprig and juniper pruning in a glass champagne flute.

The only sure thing about it is that it will change.

It was beautiful Saturday. We were mowing the grass and cooking out on the back deck. We had snow showers this morning. St. Louis weather.

We put in for our Colorado elk tags last night. We both went for cows in mid-November instead of early December this year. If we get drawn, we'll be out of town for at least the first week of Missouri's firearms season. We should know on June 9th.

Give me a Leonard Cohen afterworld

It has been fifteen years since Kurt Cobain died.

This gets sadder to me as the years pass. I used to love pictures of him when he was young and full of teenage angst.

Now I love the pictures of him and Frances Bean.

Surprise flower

I didn't plant these bulbs, and I don't remember there being quite so many last spring.



Surprise!

This is under the eaves on the south side of the house. Grass & weeds don't even grow there. I have no idea how these bulbs are hanging on.

Bret Michaels

Hey, Mom, remember in fourth through eighth grade when you told me I was too young to be in love with Bret Michaels?

Turns out, I'm not! I'm really too old. Who knew?



I cannot watch this show. I don't want to see my teen idol with a hair piece. I want to remember him the way he was, as an 8 x 10 pulled out of MetalEdge and taped to my wall.

Garden update

The marigolds (Crackerjack mixed colors) were probably planted too soon. They really need potting up, but I'm not going to do it. The snapdragons (First Ladies mixed colors) were probably put in at just the right time. They are very slow growers.



The cauliflower (Snowball X) looks great outside. It is doing better than the broccoli that was planted out a week earlier.



I also have some potato rosettes coming up now.



My lettuce (Salad bowl) only had a 50% germination rate inside. I did get the six plants I needed to put outside this week, but they were from three cells and had to be separated instead of thinned. I will see what happens, but I already have my eye on some very nice looking Black Seeded Simpson plants at El-Mel.

My Swiss Chard (Neon Lights) did even worse. I've only gotten 17% germination on them, and they've been in the seed tray since March 7th. They're scheduled to go in the ground Saturday, so I know I'll be purchasing plants elsewhere. I've only seen regular white stemmed chard so far, but maybe I'll be lucky and find some colored stem variety at Parkview Gardens.

What kind of fool am I?

Today I taped a small note under my colleague's optical mouse that simply said, "April Fools!"

I also sent several order sleeves of completely blank papers around the room.



This I did this at home.



Dennis found it hilarious, but it really made Chris mad. Especially when he found the hot sauce on the cookies.