It's An Honor Just To Be Nominated

My friend pointed out that I have been nominated for the Bloggers Choice Awards in the categories of Best Blog About Stuff, Best Food Blog (they must not have tried the chili!), Best Hobby Blog and Best Humor Blog.  I'd love for you to vote for my site - if you think it's worthy - if not, you can vote for other worthy sites!

Cool!



Thank you and Happy Valentine's Day!

This Time I WonÕt Panic

I am without the internet, but this time when faced with a computer crisis of the utmost magnitude, I am completely prepared. Well, sort of prepared. Well, a little prepared Ð at least I think this will work.

I have checked and rechecked everything I can check and I think that the problem (for once) is not me. It is my carrier! All of my house computers are talking and chatting o each other as if nothing strange is going on, they just won't talk to any strangers.

I've tried to convince them that you Ð my dears Ð are not strangers. Some of you have even met my computer! But still, after reboots and pushed buttons, nothing is convincing them.

I will resort to Ôplan BÕ. Posting by email. I looked into this when I first set up the bucolic manor. Knowing computers are the way they are Ð and knowing that one day (probably the most inconvenient of days) my access would be dropped Ð I planned in advance.

So really, this is more of a test (even though I am totally counting it as a post) to see if I can accomplish a technological feat of wonder and amazement!

First, I write the post (this) on my trusty steed (laptop).
Second, I will transfer the post via Bluetooth to my sidekick (handheld).
Third, I will import the post from my document reader into my email feed.
Fourth, I will send the email out to the destination address that I have handily set up in advance.

There's no guarantee, but at least it's a fun challenge!

Fingers crossedÉ

Where Is Everybody?

I haven't had a chance to just get outside and enjoy one of the best parts about living in the country for a week or so now, so today when the opportunity came knocking, I grabbed my truck keys and headed out the door.  I had a mission already in mind.  I was going to go see the cows.

I love watching the cows out in the fields grazing and resting.  Just hanging out with their friends, chewing cud.  Nothing much going on.  All calm and relaxed.  I know just the spot to get a good view.

No cows.  Well, it is snowing a little bit, maybe the geese will be in the field down the road.  I've been watching them come back from their winter vacation down south.

No geese. Okay.  How about those chickens that are always out next to the old barn?

No chickens.  The wild turkeys next to the tree line?

No turkeys.  Okay, I guess that is to be expected.  There doesn't look like there's much in the way of leftovers in this field.  There's another dairy farm down the road though.  Their cows might be out.

No even a crow.  Perhaps in the south pasture?

I know!  They are probably all down by the pond.  I see them there all the time when storms are coming through.  They must be there.

Alright.  No cows.  What about the sheep then?  They're always out.  They have built-in sweaters.  A little flurry or two isn't going to drive them inside.

Fine.  No sheep.  I'll just go see the horses.  They never go in before dark unless there's a lot of snow on the ground.

Maybe they went next door?

Am I the only one foolish enough to be outside today?

I guess so.  Time to go home for a nice cup of hot cocoa.  No cows, but the snow stopped and the sun is out.  Looks like it's going to be a good day to be outside after all - and they all missed it!

Quiet Panic

The garden tour is 22 weeks from today.  I have been sitting here all day contemplating that one little fact.  

In 22 weeks my Frans Hals daylilies will be in bloom and there will be hundreds of people traipsing around our gardens asking hundreds of questions.  We will serve them gallons of iced tea and lemonade, trays of fruit and cookies, and as much gardening knowledge as we can possible remember about our gardens.

In 21 weeks there will be printing deadlines and last minute decisions about table setups and posters.  Radio interviews, newspaper interviews and emails sent out all around.

In 20 weeks there will be press releases written and letters sent to media outlets, television ads and radio ads.

In 19 weeks there will be a big push for fundraising and thank you notes and follow-ups.  There will be handouts and flyers printed.

In 18 weeks the garden must be ready.

In 17 weeks the lawns must be mown and edged.

In 16 weeks the water features must be re-stoned.

In 15 weeks, all of the garden beds must be edged and mulched.

In 14 weeks all of the window boxes must be planted.

In 13 weeks all of the main annuals must be in the ground.

In 12 weeks, we can begin planting outdoors.

We have 12 weeks before we start planting outside and I haven't finished my winter gardening tasks - redoing the planting diagrams, updating the garden bed charts with anything that should/may come back again from this last year.  It's just not done.

This year will be our first year as president of the garden club.  It's a big deal to us - mostly because it acknowledges the huge amount of work we have done on the grounds since we bought our bucolic manor.  Mostly done by my Dear Honey.  Mostly done by hand.

Tomorrow we have our first meeting with the outgoing president of the garden club to talk about the tour.

I guess this marks the official start of summer.  I hope it doesn't snow.

Quit While You're Ahead

Basking in the glow of my disastrous marmalade escapade, I decided that nothing would help me lick my wounds better than a nice bowl of chili.  I should have known better.

I couldn't find my mom's recipe, but I had made it 100s of times.  I had to know the basics and since I wasn't going for anything fancy, I thought I'd just dive right in.  How hard could it be?

Just sauté up some chopped onions in a little olive oil.  Smells good.  I am on the right track.

Add in some spices.  Salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic.  I'm feeling the recipe coming back to me like it was yesterday.

Toss in the ground beef and brown it nicely.  That looks good!

Add in the tomato.  Lots of tomato makes for lots of chili.  2 big cans should do the trick.

And we can't forget the kidney beans.  It wouldn't be mom's chili without the kidney beans.  But it looks a little soupy.  I was holding back on this, but I think it needs one more thing...

Tomato paste.  A whole can of tomato paste should thicken it right up. (Where were you to stop me!?)

Left to simmer on the stove until it was nice and hot.  My version of chili.  Doesn't it look cute with its' little dollop of sour cream?  It must be good!

Nope! Nasty!!! I''ve done it again.  This time it is edible - just barely.  It tastes like tomato paste with meat and vegetables throw in for texture.  Even adding more spices doesn't make a dent in the thick tomato goo that I thought would be chili.

Kill me now, I've made enough for a week.  It's not nasty enough to throw away.  I can't feed tomato to my pup.  My Dear Honey won't eat it - he laughed so much he dropped his spoon.

It's awful.

I should have quit while I was ahead - or in this case, while I was behind.  2 recipes.  2 strikes.  I think I'll make oatmeal for awhile just until I get out of this slump.  It happens sometimes.  Must be the full moon or something.  I'll just have to wait it out.

In the meantime, I have some chili to "enjoy".

Ewww.

When Good Jam Goes Bad

For me, there's nothing as wonderful as homemade marmalade at the end of winter.  It has all of the sweet tanginess of Spring, and the rich syrupy sweetness of winter.  All canned up in a tiny jar of happiness.  I had to make some.  

It looks so delicious.  The sweet tangy goodness of orange marmalade made with blood oranges for an extra tang.  This time, though, I wanted to take grandmother's recipe into this century.  I wanted something faster, easier, but just as tasty.  So I went online for some help - and I found it!  This was going to be a breeze.

The ingredients are the same, I even added candied ginger for a little extra zip.

Blood oranges, sugar, vanilla and candied ginger.  I can taste the goodness already.

Now comes the easy, modern part.  You just chop up the oranges - rind, pith and pulp - by tossing them into a food processor.

There's no separating out the pith, carefully chopping the rind and cleaning each and every segment for the pulp.  How cool is that?

Looks tasty!  All those bits of orange that will turn into little sweet tangy bits of goodness with pieces of candied ginger.  I can't wait!

Put all of the chopped up orange into a bowl and measure it out a cup at a time.

Just use 1-1/2 cups of sugar for every 1 cup of orange goodness.  Easy!  So far it's only taken about 5 minutes.

Now we make it into marmalade.

Put a plate in the freezer. (We'll get back to that later.) And pour the fruit and sugar mixture into a non-reactive deep pan on the stove.  Turn on the heat and start stirring.  Keep at it until the temperature reaches 222-F.

This will take awhile to come up to temperature.  Now is a good time to brag to your Dear Honey about how this is not a waste of perfectly good oranges and what cute gifts the extra jars will make and finally how clever you are for finding this faster, easier way to make marmalade.  Yup.  Make sure you brag a lot.

When the temperature reaches 222-F, take the plate out of the freezer and pour a small amount onto it.  Give it a minute to set.  (Keep stirring the pot, or take it off the burner for a minute at this point.) And then push your finger into the marmalade.  It should wrinkle a little bit.  This means that it will set when you can it up.

Using your perfectly sterilized jars, lids, rings and funnel, pour your delicious batch of homemade quick marmalade into the jars.

Yum - oh - yum!  Leave about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch of empty space at the top of the jars.  Since this will go into the refrigerator once it is cooled, you don't have to be exact.  We won't be boiling them to vacuum seal them.  Just pop on the sterilized lids and rings then tighten to finger-snug.

There you have it!  6 jars of homemade marmalade.  And so quick and easy.  Let them sit on the counter to cool overnight while you go and explain to your Dear Honey just how clever you are at making this with your new time-saving ways.

The next morning, get up, toast an English muffin and spread a nice thick coating of the marmalade on it.  Sit down with your coffee and prepare to be amazed.

Amazed indeed!  Once the first bite of this vile concoction hits your taste buds, you too will be running for the garbage can!  Oh my goodness!!! This was the most horrible food product that my kitchen has ever produced.

There is a product called "Bitter Yuck!" that we sprayed on furniture legs when our pup was teething.  It was so awful that after spraying, we would have to leave the room until the vapors subsided.  It just burned our eyes, noses and throats.

This version of marmalade was essentially homemade "Bitter Yuck!"

My Dear Honey would not eat it.  I could not eat it.  Even our sweet pup ran away when presented with a taste!

Dis-gus-ting.

There was nothing to be done with it.  No saving or converting it into something resembling anything at all edible.

I tossed the whole batch.  Emptied and washed every jar and ring.  Threw out every lid.

In a few weeks I will take the 3 days to make some marmalade the way my grandmother did.  I will honor the ways of my family and trust them to know what is best for my marmalade needs.  But first I need to erase that putrid taste out of my mouth and out of my mind.

If you ever see a recipe for marmalade that recommends the method above, run, don't look back, run fast and far.  It is the worst thing I have ever tasted.

And that's saying a lot because I ended up with an earthworm in my mouth when I was gardening this past year.  This marmalade tastes worse then earthworms covered in compost.

Think about it.

Where's the Beef?

I ran for the bus tonight.  I was late getting out of the office so I knew it would be close.

As I was coming down Broadway, 1 bus passed me by.  Argh!

But I saw a bus heading towards the stop - I could make it!  He didn't stop.  Argh!

When I got to the stop - oh happy day! - there was another bus just pulled in.  But - wait - what's wrong with this picture?

Right!  No driver.  He left.  He pulled the bus over to the stop, opened the door and got out.  What the!?!?  Where did he go?

That's right.  He went to get a slice of pizza.  I kid you not.  No matter that the bus is just sitting unattended, during rush hour, with people boarding (free!), and the bus running, with the keys still in the ignition.  No matter at all.  It was pizza time folks!

Unbelievable.

Disclaimer:  The bus numbers have been blurred to protect the driver.  As with any story there are 3 sides, my view, the other view and the truth.  Since I have no idea what the other view and the truth are, it hardly seemed fair to bash the driver for leaving a running bus sitting on the streets of Manhattan while he went to get a slice of pizza.  I'm sure there was a perfectly good explanation for it.  After all, Koronet pizza is good pizza!