Cookbook Review

I'm discovering something about this cookbook. I like my cooking better. Well, there it is, it can't be helped. I am determined to soldier on, trying recipe after recipe in search of the few gems that will find a permanent place in our family favorites.

Biscuit-topped Hearty Steak Pie

Ingredients:
Cubed, fried steak
Baby carrots
Peas and pearl onions
Potatoes
Brown gravy
Thyme
Refrigerated biscuits

One of our family's favorite veggie products are the vegetable steaks I used to create this recipe. They come in a can, and WE like them, anyway! I couldn't use store-bought brown gravy because of its beefiness, but I made my own out of butter, flour, George Washington Broth mix, and a little Vegex (it's a vegetarian thing made of really, REALLY modified brewers' yeast). And a little water. Because otherwise it would be a little thick.

As I was sampling the dish at the end, I thought how good it would be with potatoes and I couldn't believe they didn't put any in. Never mind, *I* would put some in next time. Then I re-read the recipe and saw that it did call for them and I forgot to put them in. Oooops!

Review:
Finally, a gem in all the dross. This dish was a pretty big success. My dad didn't effuse over it, but he seldom does anyway--you have to look for subtler signs. Like taking seconds or warming it up the next day for leftovers. I even made a big pan this weekend for potluck, and then ended up staying home because I felt a little sick. But that pan still got cleaned up, and I'm looking forward to making it again since it still hasn't gotten to church.

Peach-cranberry Cobbler with Corn Bread Biscuits

Ingredients:
Frozen peaches
Cranberries
Orange juice
Brown sugar
Flour
Allspice
Cornmeal
Sugar
Salt
Butter
Egg
Milk

If the people who produced this cookbook made the food as yummy as the names sound, it would be a whole lot better. One thing I've noticed is that none of the deserts have been sweetened enough. Or maybe we just have super tart food here in the frozen northland.

Making the cobbler was pretty straightforward. No substitution except for allspice, since we didn't have any. I was in a big hurry, so I wasn't super careful with some of the measurements. That might be why the cobbler topping was so bleh, but I don't think so.

Review:
A forgettable dish, but one that would be tasty if made, well, differently. The peach-cranberry combination was interesting, but it would need a lot more sugar and a better topping to be anything approaching tempting. As it was, once again I was left finishing it off. And I've been wondering why I've been gaining weight...

Editor's Note: There is no picture with this blog. My dear elder sister, who has been so kind to loan me her camera for my food photography, has lost the digital file. I know, I know, but we must make allowances for the ol' girl....she's not as young as she used to be.

Lazarus Boopsie Says...

JUST SAY "NO" TO SNOW!

Fun Ideas for a Stormy Sunday

We got our first winter storm this weekend. Rats! I was hoping winter had forgotten about us, but did you know it comes EVERY year!? It was also the grand weekend of Insulation Installation Sunday. Damon had been waiting eagerly all week because he was home sick with the plague (i.e. the stomach flu) and had nothing to do except read and watch TV. How bored he was, and how excited to finally have something to do.



I had thought that I did all my learning the first time. Gloves? Check. Face mask? Check. But, no, there were new lessons yet to be discovered. It wasn't icy cold upstairs, but I don't heat it and there was a snowstorm outside. What better way to stay cozy AND covered on a lazy Sunday morning than insulating in your flannel pajamas...




Bad. Idea.

See, fiberglass doesn't itch because it irritates your skin as something like solvent does (don't ask, I just know, OK!). It itches because the fiberglass is exactly what its name says. Long, twisted fibers made of glass. When those break, almost too fine to be seen, they tend to embed themselves in whatever porous surface is handy---like skin. And as it turns out, there are few more efficient delivery systems than warm, fuzzy flannel for catching those fibers and whisking them down to your epidermis.

It didn't help that this attic is a lot, shall we say, cozier than the other. I was also using paper backed insulation that had to be stapled into place. Not to difficult up at the top, but to get the bottom I had to roll around and lay on my back, nose-to-nose with the roof.

But all good things must come to an end, and even this joy-a-minute was finally finished. On one side, that is. We are saving the other side of the attic for another day. No sense in splurging all our pleasure at one time. And there will be a lot of pleasure to go around because of the second lesson of the day:

Read the label.

It took 7 packages of the other size insulation to finish both sides of the smaller attic. The insulation for this project was wider, and I had a third again as much attic to do. Who could blame me for assuming that I would need a lot more rolls than before? Only this insulation is half again as thick, so it turns out each roll has 70 feet in it. I used just over 1 of my 6 rolls to do one side.

How nice that I unexpectedly have enough to do the walls, too. Plus extra. Anybody need some insulating done?

What was Damon doing all this time? He was manfully soldiering on, helping to hold the pieces and staple, in spite of the return of his nausea. Of course, if I'd hired some molasses to help me, it might have been faster at times, but I was still grateful. Really. But if I get sick, I am holding him personally responsible.

At one point he had to make a dash to the window for some fresh air. I was all sympathy.

"You'd better not get any on the shed roof if you throw up!"

Thankfully, he didn't start that kind of uncouth behavior until he was safe at home with the rest of his plague ridden family (I tell you, I am all for locking the sick ones out of doors until they can produce a clean bill of health!). He might have summoned some of that inner strength from my encouraging words...

"If you're throwing up, you have to walk back."

"Walk back?" Squeaked in horror.

"You betcha! All that fresh air will do you good. Clear the head and all."

Meanwhile, the storm raged around us. Or whimpered. The great winter storm kept getting downgraded on its way to Eastern Montana. Not that I'm complaining. Because it's still so "warm" the snow tends to melt and make the roads icy. I happen to know a little about icy roads, and personally, I always vote clear and dry. But that's just me.

I got to see a bit of the roads because SOMEONE dropped the check he was planning to deposit and then went all the way to Plentywood before he found out. I got to meet him part way and give it to him. Of course, I can't complain too much, because SOMEONE also brought me soda to help settle my sympathetically upset stomach.

Now the storm has passed, for everyone but my poor sister, locked in a house with 3 sickies and now sick herself. Poor Noni. I even brought her soda...and left it outside. But not down at the gas pumps like I threatened. See how loving I am!

Sibling Revelry

It's so hard to take pictures of my little kitties because every time I crouch down to get the shot, they think it's time to eat and come rushing toward me. So my wild kitten photography often consists of blurry head shots. The other day though, the little orange baby was perched on top of the rocking chair and couldn't make the usual rush because he was too busy keeping his balance. Perfect. I began the stalk.

I had the shot. The baby was looking my way, the light was good, the colors harmonious. I pressed down on the shutter.

"HOBBES"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Someone has developed a galloping case of sibling rivalry lately. He devotes himself to all kinds of coy behaviors he never used to do, all in a desperate attempt to regain his status as primary feline deity of the home. Tough tiddly, Hobbes, there are cuter paws than yours afoot!

A VERY Disturbing Photo

After his faithful companion Bob met such a horrific and untimely end, Larry seemed doomed to tragedy. Indeed, it was not many more weeks before Larry found himself in a bit of a pickle. What's next....

Laura the Carrot Salad?

Creamed Junior Asparagus on Toast?

French Peas and Pearl Onions?

Madame Blueberry Pancakes?

Cookbook Review

This was a very dangerous recipe to test, as it turns out. I hope you all are appreciative. How was I to know that the veggie turkey in the freezer was ALL destined for sacred Thanksgiving feasting? And that I couldn't even use part of it without sighs and recriminations? Experience, you say?

Orange and Maple Glazed Roast Turkey

Ingredients:
Turkey
Butter
Orange Juice
Maple syrup
Chili powder
Salt
Chicken Broth
Flour

In my efforts to placate the outraged Guardian of Thanksgiving Bliss, I only used a small bit of veggie turkey, so to make the dish stretch farther I made rice and put the turkey in slices over it. Aside from the obvious ones of turkey and chicken broth, there were no other substitutions in this recipe.

Review:
The glaze was quick and easy to make, and didn't taste that bad. The whole dish was somewhat dessicated by the time it was consumed because I had to wait almost an hour for the camera to get back from Williston. ( >:( )Aside from a certain resemblance to old leather, it was yummy. Of course, veggie turkey is one of my favorites, so I'm a wee bit prejudiced. However, given the sensitivity of the Guardian of Thanksgiving Bliss, this is definitely NOT a recipe I will try again.

Golden Leaf Pumpkin Pie:

Ingredients:
Why bother?

I'm not crazy about pumpkin pie in general, but I really can't stand all the dairy and eggs in it. I might as well lick a chicken. So I like to make my own non-dairy version. I did follow the recipe as to the spices---which people didn't end up liking much. It called for cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves. By the time it all got in there, there was somewhat of a bitter taste. Next time I will just season it according to family tradition.

Besides that, it had soy milk instead of half-and-half, a blended up package of silken tofu (WELL blended!), pumpkin, and some sweetener. It has to bake a year and a day, but does turn out slice-able by the end. But please, can we be done with the pies for a while!?

Review:
Well, it all got eaten, though I had to plow through some of it myself. Of course, it helped that Caleb was here that weekend, and a teen-age boy is the next best thing to a goat for getting rid of left-overs. My favorite way to eat pumpkin is to make the pie mix, pour it in a baking pan, sprinkle a dry yellow (I wonder how chocolate would taste...hmmmmm) cake mix over the top, then pour melted butter over that, and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Pumpkin crunch is delicious.

Forbidden Pleasure

By now you may be thinking that I save all my unpleasant tasks for juvenile labor to accomplish. Actually, I save the worst jobs for myself, an example of which occurred this week. I have two upstairs rooms, only one of which has been insulated. Laura's bedroom has regular doors to access the sides and nice, finished walls.

The storage room has a hole that was covered with duct taped sheet rock, and a couple weeks ago I opened it up to have a look around. I was planning to do some insulating over the weekend, but after a quick reconnoiter I decided that the attic space had to be cleaned a little more before I could have anyone help me with it. See, way back in the corner were lots of papers scattered around. I didn't touch them because they had cat poop on them (NOT from my cats---remember the house had a lot of feral animals running through it for a while), but I could make out the words, "Forbidden Pleasure."

Hmmmm. Papers stuffed back in an attic, forbidden pleasure....whatever could they be?

This week I finally found the time to crawl back in there and scoop up all the poop and papers. When I did, I made an unexpected discovery. And yes, the job was as disgusting as it sounds. And yes, the brown stuff is exactly what you think it is.

The magazine I took for, well, THAT kind of magazine, was actually a "true stories only" magazine from 1932. The pages were too torn to find out exactly what pleasure was forbidden, but it couldn't have been too racy judging by the rest of the magazine. I also found some Lutheran newsletters from 1929, and a Saturday Evening Post from 1937.

Most of the stuff was too gross to be of much use to anyone (you can't exactly scrub paper!), but the Saturday Evening Post wasn't in that bad of shape, so I took some pictures of a few of the ads for your viewing pleasure.


Someone forgot to tell the city of tomorrow!


If you have irritation from smoking, try a different KIND of cigarette.


Top of the line technology here! Electric stove tops!