The Halloween that Wasn't

We didn't Halloween this year. No decorations. No pumpkins. No bags of candy. No tricks. No treats.

We watched Footloose and Night of the Living Dead.

My boots are here!

I ordered boots from Dover Saddlery on Sunday.

They finally came via FedEx this afternoon.



Nevermind that thermal sock cancle there...

Ariat® Women's Brossard Lace
Waterproof full-grain leather uppers
Waterproof membrane, 200 gram Thinsulate™, and moisture-wicking lining
Thermal footbed with X-static® lining to regulate temperature
Rounded toe for accommodating fit
Gusseted Tongue
Neoprene lined sued collar
Duratread™ outsole

No, you're a jerky!

I made oven jerky this evening.

I marinated a Cajun style made of stew meat with Souliere seasoning and red wine vinegar, and an Asian style made of flank steak with mandarin oranges and hoisin sauce.

I'm going to pair this with some fruit leather for our hunting trip.

Banoffee Pie

I saw Paula Deen make this, so I had to make it too.



Banoffee Pie recipe.

I used a double boiler to cook down the sweetened condensed milk. I also made some french press coffee and mixed that in with the whipped cream topping.

Dennis and Chris really like it. It's got bananas in it, so I think it is just ok. It would be good with a chocolate graham cracker crust.

Carhartts

I need warm gear for our elk hunting trip. Today I went to the Carhartt store to get some.

I bought a pair of quilt lined bibs and a ridge coat. I am in love with this coat!

Hunting Lease & BBQ

Dennis and I drove to the Ste. Genevieve / Jefferson County line to look at 90 acres for lease with Koby. Lacey had a great time walking all over the bottoms and woods. She did get a bramble thorn stuck in her paw though.

On our way out, we saw two or three deer crossing the path. This seems like a good sign. We saw as many deer in one afternoon on this plot as we did all three years we hunted the old place in Vulcan, MO.

Then we went to Farmington to look for hunting boots. Everybody carries riding boots, and everybody carries insulated hunting boots, but nobody carries insulated riding boots.

We ate a good dinner at Warehouse BBQ in Farmington. The meat is ok, but we both thought this place really shine with their sides. I would be OK eating the buffet - all sides and no meat at all :-D

A New Truck

Dennis bought a new truck today!

It is a new to us 2001 Dodge Dakota EXT.

The lighting is not ideal, but here is a picture!

Calhoun County

We went up the Great River Road to Calhoun County Illinois.

My Grandma Lee grew up in Calhoun somewhere in the hills above Hardin. I try to pass along the oral history that I remember from her and stories from my own experiences, as my family has traveled in the region just about every year since I can remember.

I know everybody must be sick of hearing the same old stories, but I sincerely hope that some day Chris will be repeating them to my grandchildren.

Grandma always told a story that sometime in the 1930s a bread truck went off of the Joe Page bridge in Hardin while the center span was up. She said the bread floated up all over the river.

I always tell about the awesome cider press that used to be at the Apple Shed. I believe the Ringhausen's owned it, and it was lost after the flood of 93.

We went west from Hardin this year, so even though I don't know where the homestead was, I still told Chris to imagine his Great-Grandma running around in those woods barefoot, swinging on grapevines as we were passing through.

I also remember riding with my Grandparents from the other side of the family. Grandma Linda couldn't see much, but she could see when the fall leaves were in full color. She loved eating at the Fin Inn in Grafton too.

We ate at the Whitmond Hotel in Brussels this time.

What I'm reading

I've downloaded the audio book

Alice in Wonderland

to my iPod.

If a trainstation is where the train stops, what's a workstation?

I started my new job today.

So far the best thing it has going for it is that it is not the old place!

I am going to go back tomorrow.

Home & Remodeling Show

We wasted some of our afternoon today going to the The Builders Home & Remodeling Show at the St. Charles Convention Center.

Don't bother.

The space is too small for anyone to set up cool exhibits and the aisles are too small to go around the old people who randomly stop right in front of you.

One Last... Donut King

I brought my last two dozen doughnuts in to work today.

Donut King in St. Charles is where I discovered what a cake doughnut should be.

I hope they appreciated it, cause it won't happen again!

One last... China Moon

China Moon on the Rock Road has $5 lunch specials and the best crab rangoon I've ever had. Sure, it is nothing like the Chinese food we get at dim sum, but I do still like it.

So today I'm enjoying my "last" meal at China Moon.

*sniffle*

My fortune cookie says "Modify your thinking to handle new situations."

One last... Indian Food

Dennis assures me that this isn't really my last meal from Gokul Snacks & Sweets, but it is hard not to feel like it.

I'm already mourning the dearth of good food options in Earth City.

For today, I'm just going to chow down on this beautiful spread I've ordered for myself and not sweat it.

Two weeks-ish

The two weeks notice I gave on Wednesday has turned into more like, eh, eight business days.

My last day will be THIS FRIDAY.

Taste of Hubert Keller

Dennis, Chris and I went to Taste of St. Louis today. There was a Cardinals game and a Blues game, so we decided to take Metrolink in.

We had some great food, including a portabello sandwich from Triumph Grill and a great butternut squash soup from L'Ecole Culinaire. Chris ate some Blue Sky Ice Cream.

We watched a competition between Chef Josh Galliano from Monarch and Chef Peter Beberman from Jim Edmond's 15 Steakhouse.

Then Hubert Keller took the stage! He was as charming and funny in real life as he is on his PBS show. He made the baekeoffe recipe from Top Chef Masters. Then he gave the whole audience samples. It was really quite tasty. I met him a little while later, and he is very personable.

I think I'm in love. As a Frenchman and a West Coast resident, he has every opportunity to come to the midwest and act like a jackass. But he just isn't. Cool!