Traditional Disaster

Last year, my border collie (the Donk) ate all of my turkey before it was even cooked. I came home to find her and the bird lying on the floor in a pool of turkey juice.
I ran to the post office this morning after finishing up a pretty large order of ornaments (something to be thankful for) and when I walked in the door...two loaves of bread opened and already half eaten. She was hiding under the kitchen table.
I don' get it. The bread stays out all the time, and she's never touched it. Today she found some wild hankering for loaf bread and hamburger buns, so she made it her business to tear into the plastic. Keep in mind that she had to put her paws up on the counter, lean up to the toaster and grab the bags with her teeth (this is all how I imagined it went down).
The good news, she ignored the fresh pound cake that was cooling on the counter beside the bread. I guess she didn't want pound cake, but she got a hefty spank anyway.

I baked my first pound cake today for my small and lonesome Thanksgiving fest tomorrow. The old man, Donk and myself will celebrate in the camper with the wind howling all around us. We have all of the appropriate trimmings, and now a fresh citrus pound cake for dessert!

P.S. Friends, stop by and visit my newest follower on her blog "Heartsong"!

The Simple Winner

After four weeks of trying the October issue of Real Simple magazine's, "A Month of Easy Dinners", we've decided on a keeper. (No lamb chops).
Try the shrimp pot pie with fennel for a quick, weeknight meal. Delish!Serves 4 Hands-On Time: 20m Total Time: 40m

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 leeks (white and light green parts), cut into half-moons
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp, thawed
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 8-ounce sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 
  

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400º F. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook the leeks and fennel, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring (do not let it darken). Stir in the wine, milk, 11⁄4 teaspoons salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and parsley.
2. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Lay the pastry on top, trimming to fit, and cut vents in the top. Bake until the shrimp mixture is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

On the Hudson

Sunnyside - Home of Washington Irving

Our latest junket led us to the village of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, New York. I wanted to visit my Great Grandmother's last dwellings. So much has changed since my last trip in 1995. The downtown has developed into a quaint shopping and dining experience with dozens of antique shops littering the sidewalks. As I drove down to the Hudson river, I noticed a sign for Franklin Courts. It was literally a lightbulb moment, I remembered the name as if I had just written it down yesterday on a Christmas card mailed to my Great Grandmother. I just happened to pass her old apartment complex as we strolled the winding streets of Tarrytown. All of my memories from my eighth-grade trip came back in a flash...visiting the gates of the old Sing Sing prison, the Sleepy Hollow cemetery, the park down by the Hudson, the corner deli, the train trip up from the city, Uncle Stubby taking us to see the bridge of the headless horseman, and my first visit to Sunnyside. My favorite venue (excluding FAO Schwartz) since I was a big fan of Ichabod Crane & Rip Van Winkle.

I had such a fun time at Sunnyside, I decided to take the tour as well. I visited the grounds and enjoyed a perfectly lovely day in the abnormally warm October sunshine. Being all grown up, I paid more attention to my friendly tour guide where I learned that Irving almost hooked up with Mary Shelley! They would've made such a fabulous couple.

The drive home wasn't so pleasant as I faced New York City commuter traffic. It was my own stupidity, dilly-dallying around until the early afternoon on a weekday...thirty minutes outside the city. So needless to say the I-95 trip tacked on an extra hour of sitting still in places like New Haven and Stamford. Finally, with stomach grumbling I found my way to a little seafood house near Niantic. I was ecstatic to try my very first fresh lobster, and there's no better place in southeastern Connecticut than Flander's Fish Market & Restaurant.
The lobster bisque was truly divine and the lobster...heavenly. I'm thankful that I waited to try this until I came to New England!
I'll certainly be back to visit Flanders...New York, I'm not so sure. Our next trip will certainly be by Long Island ferry and train, the Hee-Haw diesel is not cut out for swarming traffic and itty bitty village streets.

Stress-Less Cooking

This month we're trying out Real Simple magazine's "A Month of Easy Dinners". This makes dreaded grocery trips quick and painless as each week comes with a complete shopping list. It's a lot easier for me since the old man is working long hours and we only have one day off to combine laundry and market. So far we've enjoyed beef and bok choy stir-fry, spicy orange glazed drumsticks with green beans, roasted pork with brussel sprouts and apricots, pork chops with garlicky broccoli, steak with potato parsnip mash, creamy rice with roasted shrimp..and tonight's menu features seared lamb chops with minted spaghetti squash. Get the complete recipe here.I feel like the RV lunch lady, preparing the evening meals according to the daily schedule. Each recipe brings a fresh mix of comforting flavor and tasty texture. Once a week we save room for a night out, where I enjoy a day off from the kitchen. We're taste testing the local taprooms and pizzerias for the best pie around. Bozrah Pizza is in the lead with their homemade Moussaka variety...a flavorful slice of eggplant, meatballs, ricotta and mozzarella.

Something's Fishy

Recently the old man and myself decided we needed to change our eating habits. For the past two months we've included a lot more seafood in our diet, and the secret to our continued weight loss literally lies with the fishes. Flounder, tilapia, tuna, salmon, grouper, halibut, whiting, and swordfish on occasion, have graced our dinner table in countless recipes and concoctions. One of our favorite dishes is the famed SoCal fish tacos. We picked up a liking for this simple yet tasty creation while living in southern California. Fish tacos are famous near the Baja where fresh fish is always used, and in Mexico. The old man was somewhat skeptical when he first tried them, but he's hooked now and it's a recipe we make at least once a month.

I thought I'd share our favorite version with the audience, that is only if I can persuade them to send me any new fangled fish recipes of their own. I'm running out, and there's a lot more fish waiting in the fridge.

SoCal Fish Tacos

- 1 cup favorite dark beer
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 lb. tilapia or halibut fillets
- oil for frying
- tortillas
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup mayo
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1 fresh lime cut into wedges

1. In a shallow bowl, whisk together beer, flour, and salt.
2. Rinse fish, and pat dry. Cut into 10 equal pieces.
3. In a large saucepan, heat 1 inch oil to 360 degrees F (168 degrees C). Using a fork, coat fish pieces in batter. Slide coated fish into hot oil in batches; adjust heat to maintain oil temperature. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon, and drain briefly on paper towels; keep warm. Repeat to fry remaining fish.
4. Mix mayo, garlic and lime juice together in bowl.
   
5. Place a piece of fish and 1/2 cup cabbage in the center of the tortillas. Garnish with mayo, lime wedges and salsa. Enjoy!

Remains of the Day

I was up around three a.m. driving Grant to the airport. During his short stay, our camper went through a lot of changes. I have a lot of cleaning up to do, we'll just put it that way. We did find time to enjoy lots of fresh shrimp, scallops, tuna and crab cakes from the Gay Fish Company, and a great meal at 11th Street Dockside over in Port Royal. Everyday we visited Hunting Island State Park where we spent most of the day lounging under the umbrella. Sounds like all classic beach trips.They did manage to kayak around the island for a couple of days, Dolly and I stayed on shore at our base camp. She visits the beach everyday and is slowly starting to tiptoe into the waves (on her own). We're dug in down here until after the fourth, which doesn't bother me at all. Life is literally a beach right now, so we're enjoying it as long as we can.

Granny Apple Grin

Folks,

I have successfully completed my first weekend of doing absolutely nothing. Today I spent several hours in my robe, which I've always thought of as repulsive but somehow I managed to pull it off without feeling the slightest disgust. I finished my last four Thin Mints, learned that I can lose weight by eating frozen grapes, helped a friend decipher HTML code (increasing my confidence by half an inch compared to the problems I've had on my own -- thanks again to Rob), washed my hair (thoroughly) in a candlelit bath ceremony, and....bought my FIRST computer!
After much contemplation and debate, I finally made the official decision to purchase my first laptop from Apple. I bit off several fingers during the night before I came to the conclusion that if the state decides to throw me away with the rest of the Dodge Caravans from last year's fleet, well I won't be without---the backcountry will survive because Mommy won't sell the farm!
Take a moment to wipe your eyes.
Thank you, to all of my fellow bloggers and friends...there is always so much more to come!