60th Wedding Anniversary

March 16, 1953 these two lovely people got married in Big Spring, Texas.  Both kids from the East Coast and high school sweethearts.  He was 22 and would turn 23 in the next week. She was 23 and would turn 24 in August.  This is their wedding picture.

So much time ahead of them with so many possibilities.  Duty stations far and wide, across both oceans and a little time stateside.  Long seperations during the Viet Nam era and long distance calls that involved an overseas operator and the word "over" when one was done with their side of the conversation.  Reel to Reel taped letters and hand written letters when he was away. 

First one child, then two, three and four.  Life was indeed full. 

Now there is just one and his plans for the day include a trip to the cemetary to place new flowers on her grave and to reminesc about the past and then meet up with us all for dinner. 

Here's to my parents who would have celebrated 60 years of marriage today.  I love you both so much and miss my mom more than words can express. 

The Great Experiment

This is just a brief warning for those reading this with a weak stomach, don't read this if you are eating something.

My hubby and I have 2 dogs.  Pepper who is 16 years old, a Schipperkee and "my" dog.  Bonnie who is 6 years old, a Blue Lacy and "his" dog.

Bonnie from the day she came to live with us has always had a problem eating stuff that isn't good for her.  As a matter of fact...we weren't sure that she was ever going to grow to adult hood with all the stuff that she ingested.  One of the worst habits of hers was that she liked to eat "poop".  She ate raccoon poop, she ate possum poop, she ate her own poop, she ate human poop (don't ask)...she just likes to eat it. 

The proper term for this is coprophagy.  There are all kinds of theories on this nasty habit but I don't think that anyone really knows the answer to this...it just is with some dogs. 

We were at the Vet's for the various reasons when she was a puppy for all the perdiciments that she seemed to get into and asked the Vet what to do about it.  She said that some dogs respond well to the various products on the markets and a lot of dogs just simply grow out of the habit.  And that's really what seemed to happen....until I discovered that my hubby wasn't in fact picking up the poop in the yard...he thought that I was....and the ugliness of the situation reared it's ugly head.  She was in fact eating it again.  And this time....she had a partner in crime...her sibling Pepper!!!!  Why my dog at her advanced age would pick up this nasty habit is beyond me but that's the truth of it.

There is not a lot that turns my stomach but this really does.  Just the thought makes me really sick. 
So I did what every good dog owner does and I went to the Internet to read about this nasty habit and what to do about it.  I also ran by Petsmart and picked up some spray that has some sort of bitterness factor in it so that when you spray the poop it doesn't taste good(How could poop taste good?) and they stop eating it or so says the bottle.

I sprayed some freshly laid turds and then later that afternoon Ms. Bonnie ingested it with gusto..lord give me strength. 

So back to the Internet to see if maybe there was something I had in my pantry that might help me through this. I'd already tried sprinkling it with jalapeno juice, cayenne pepper and regular pepper to no avail.  

I stumbled upon an article about Pumpkin and pineapple juice.  This sounded promising because I had both in the pantry and actually I had real pumpkin in the freezer. 

I've decided to try the pumpkin first. 
So what you do is put a couple of teaspoons of the pumpkin in the dogs bowl and mix with food when you feed them and it's supposed to make poop taste bad and it breaks the cycle and they stop doing it.  It should be 100% pumpkin or pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix. 

So I started today, they got a dose at lunch time and I'll put more in at supper time.  We'll hopefully see how this goes.  Keep your fingers crossed and lets hope this works.

Spring is Springing?????

So here we are in March and I'm beginning to see the promise of spring that hopefully is just around the corner.  I've seen some plants that look a lot like poppies and the odd bluebonnet or two.  I've even seen a few plant that I don't recognize as native wildflowers but I'm pretty sure that they will bring forth flowers and that's because I spread a lot of seeds from packets from my best friend of 40 years.  And here's that story.

About 7 years ago at a High School reunion in Myrtle Beach my BFF and I were discussing how we could get together more often now that we had more disposable income and more time.  We talked about going back to England to see our old stomping grounds.  We discussed also maybe taking some time during that trip and getting on a canal boat and traveling for a while like that.  We talked about taking a cruise and we talked about getting together in our two states..her's being Nevada and mine of course Texas.  We also agreeded to continue not to just talk about these ideas but to act on them.  So we each went home to our respective states and began to search the internet for canal boat trips and places to stay while we were in England.  We both came up with some interesting plans but then I began to think that this maybe wasn't such a good idea after all....the canal boat is fairly close quarters and I have a husband who snores....LOUDLY!!!!  I'm used to it and most nights it doesn't bother me but to subject other people to it...not such a good idea.  So I called Candy and asked her if we could change our plans to something else.

We discussed several different senarios and finally decided on a cruise to Alaska.  And then we both decided to invite our parents.  She invited her father (her mother passed away a while ago) and her sister who she is very close to.  I invited my parents and of course we both had our husbands in tow. 

We chose to sail in  late May as we'd been told by many who'd gone before us that we would probably have the best weather then and they weren't wrong. 

The trip was so wonderful in so many ways but mostly in hidsight it was because I got to spend time with my parents.  And how was I to know that just 2 short years later my mother and Candy's father would be gone.  Didn't mean to go down that road yet again but it's the god's honest truth.

On one of the last dockings before we headed back to Seattle we stopped in Victoria, British Columbia.  Bob and I and Candy and her sister decided to do the off ship excurision to Burchart Gardens. 

Burchart Gardens for those that don't know is 45 acres of an old abandoned quarry that have been turned into the most beautiful gardens you can imagine.  And because they have the rain and the soil they are something that people like me, that live in areas like I do, dream about.  Pictures cannot do it justice and if you ever get the chance to go see it....go see it.  A lovely way to spend a day or part of a day. 

Anyway this is just all to set you up for the gift store that we visited on site.  They had the usual tourist trap sort of stuff and I'm not a big fan of wasting my money on stuff that I don't really need or will use.  My husband bought a couple packets of seeds for flowers that he thought we could get to grow and Candy bought a lot of seed packets that she hoped she could get to grow in her gardens.

So now lets return to present day and a couple of days after my mother died I recieved a packet in the mail from Candy.  In it was most of the seed packets that she bought that day.  I kept them in the fridge until this past November when I then spread them far and wide in our gardens.  November is when we plant our wildflowers.  Because the seeds were old (they were bought in 2010) and I wasn't sure how they were kept, I didn't have much hope that they would germinate but I have seen a few little plants that I don't recognize that would seem to be those that Candy sent. 

If they do indeed make it, it will certainly always be a reminder of a wonderful time spent with my parents and best friend. 

Candy is coming to visit soon and I can't wait to show her what I hope will be what she set in motion.
 

Easiest Peach Cobbler EVER!!!!

Since we are having a big Whop de Do here on Saturday I decided that I would be a bit more proactive when I made a recipe and try to take decent pictures and make this a really tasty looking post about Peach Cobbler.

I wasn't lying when I said it was the easiest EVER cause it's literally dump, dump, swirl, dump and sprinkle.  Not even hardly a stir....well maybe a little stir but not much else.

So here are the cast of characters.....

So what we have here is flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, peaches, butter and what you don't see is milk. So much for trying to be organized..oh well, I'll carry on.

So put flour,

sugar,

and baking powder in a bowl.

Stir them trogether till they are throughly mixed. Set aside

Melt butter and put into a oven proof baking dish.

Set that aside and measure out your milk.  I know the measuring cup looks dirty...I melted the butter in it first...it's all going to the same place so I think it's find to repurpose utensils.

Now add the milk to the flour, sugar and baking powder mixture.

Now here's the important part.  Do not mix too well.  You still want to still see lumps and bumps in this mixture. So stir it maybe 5 or 10 times.  You don't want it smooth, you want it lumpy. I can't stress this enough.  Now pour the flour, sugar, baking powder and milk mixture into the melted butter.  Don't stir it, just pour it.

Now take your peaches, these peaches are some that I put up summer before last and drain the liquid off of them.  If you are using canned peaches make sure that you drain them before you add them to the baking dish.

Now dump the peaches into the wet mixture.  I ended up having to add a can of peaches to this mixture because I didn't have enough peaches in my opinion to make it really tasty. We like peaches....we like peaches A LOT!!!

For the last step you want to sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon & sugar over this whole mess.  I tend to go a little heavy on the cinnamon cause we like cinnamon, we like cinnamon A LOT!!!!

Now put the whole mess in the oven that was preheated to 350 degrees.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is browned and it's all bubbly.  Individual ovens vary so it might take longer or less.  Just watch it and pull it out when you think it looks done.  

TaDa!!!  Doesn't that look lovely?   Serve with ice cream or freshly whipped cream or Cool Whip, what ever floats your boat.  Or eat it plain. 

Here's the recipe:*
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk (I drink Almond Milk and it works just fine in this recipe just in case you are curious)
1 stick butter
Large can of sliced peaches
1/2 cup sugar mixed with 3 Tbls. cinnamon (this might be cinnamon overload for some of you...mix it to your own taste.)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1 cup sugar and baking powder.  Combine well.  Add milk and stir until lumpy.  In a small saucepan, melt butter and pour into a 9 inch baking pan.  Then add your flour, sugar, milk mixture to the butter.  Do not mix!

Now cover this mixture with the can of peaches...Do Not Mix!! 

Sprinkle the whole mess with your cinnamon sugar mixture and put into the oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is brown and it's all bubbly.
*The pictures in this post actually show this recipe doubled.  This recipe can be doubled or even tripled without any problem and I do it all the time. 

Another "First".....

Today is my Birthday.  Today is also my sister's Birthday.  And today we are passing another "First" and that would be my first birthday without my mother. 

We are actually going to celebrate this weekend with the whole family.  I'm cooking a brisket, Chickie is cooking sausage and ribs and the rest of the menu is divided up between everyone.

I think this will be the first birthday in a very long time that I have not had a Lemon Meringue Pie as my birthday dessert. 

Mother always used to make me a pie because I'm not a big fan of cake.  I just don't have the heart to make it myself so I'm just making the "traditional Peach Cobbler" that is as much a part of Texas Bar-B-Que as catcus is to the landscape here. 

I'm a little sad...but not about age.  Heck, age is nothing to me.  I'm healthy and fit and creeping every closer to that 60 degree mark but that doesn't bother me.  I'm just sad because my mom (who is the reason that I am on this earth) is not here to celebrate.  I'll get used to it...I just need time. 

 

Venison Stroganoff

This is the time of year for comfort food and Venison Stroganoff is just one of those in our household. 

It all starts with Venison.

  I normally use parts of the shoulders and parts of the ham for stroganoff because it cooks low and slow and that helps break down all that connective tissue that is in the shoulder.  The pieces that come off the ham are pieces that are too small to be used as steak bites. 

 

So cut up about 1lb. of venison.

 ** Note to the reading audience.  I don't think that deer or any wild animal tastes "wild".  I've heard that expression used most of my life and just hate the term.  Deer tastes like deer.  If you want it to taste like beef then eat beef.  The only "wild" taste that I can decipher would be if a deer or any other wild animal is not cleaned and dressed properly.  For all you non-outdoor people...that simply means, skinned, gutted and cut up.  Deer have a lot of glands all over their body and if you happen to cut through one of those it will definately taint your meat if you continue to butcher without cleaning your knife.  Good knife skills matter and if you watch where you put your knife you will never have any problems.   Sorry about the rant...it just one of those things that bug me, because I can't understand why you would choose to eat something and want it to taste like something else.  If you want to eat something else then eat that.  I'm done...sorry.

 

O.K. where was I...Oh yeah, cut up about 1 lb. of venison.  You can cut up the meat in strips or cube it, whatever floats your boat.

Toss the meat in a little flour till it's completely covered.  This step will help thicken the sauce as it cooks.
Take 2 Tablespoons of butter or olive oil and melt in a heavy stockpot or dutch oven.  I prefer butter in this instance but you use what you like. 
Brown the cubes or strips on all sides...slowly, slowly...remember we want to break up that connective tissue.  And we'd like to get some of that dark goodness on the bottom of the pot that will help with flavor later on.

While the meat is browning cut up about 1/2 a large onion and a couple of cloves of garlic.  Add them to the browning meat and stir all together until the onions are transparent and limp.

Once the onions have cooked add 1 can of tomato paste.  Mix throughly through the meat and onion/garlic mixture till it looks throughly combined.

Then add 1 cup of beef broth and some wine.  I prefer a white Zin but you use what you like to drink.  I'm not much of a red wine drinker although I do use it in my spaghetti sauce but I also use the white Zin as well.  As to how much to add.....it's up to you.  I add at least 1/2 cup but if you feel like you need to add more then add more.

Once all this stuff is added and mixed well together, put on the lid and let it simmer for about 1/2 hour.  Check several times and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.  About 15 minutes before serving add a cup of sour cream or if you are looking to make it a little healthier then you can add the same amount of Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream. 

 

 Mix in the sour cream well and let it all get nice and warm.  Don't let the mixture come to a boil at this point.  Just make sure it all gets mixed in together and all warm.

While the mixture is getting warm start to cook your pasta or rice.  Some people prefer rice in this dish and I can eat it either way but my hubby prefers pasta.  I use extra wide egg noodles.

 

Once the noodles/rice has cooked then just put noodles/rice in your bowl and spoon the stroganoff over.  I serve this with a green salad and some Rustic Rolls.

 

Recipe: 1 lb. Venison
flour to coat
2 Tbls. butter or olive oil (you might be need another 2 Tbls. later on)
1/2 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup wine
1 cup sour cream

Cut 1 lb. venison into strips or cubes.  Coat meat with flour.  Melt 2 Tbls. butter in Dutch oven or heavy stockpot and when it's melted add the meat.  Cook still it's brown on all sides.  You want to cook it slowly but you want to hear it sizzle.  Remember the idea here is to melt all that connective tissue. 
Then when browned add the onion and garlic and cook 3 or 4 minutes till onion is translucent.  Now if the pan is a little dry you can add a little more butter or olive oil.  Sometimes I need to do it, sometimes I don't.  Depends on how fatty the dear is...sometimes some deer have more fat than others.
Now blend in the tomato paste and mix well with meat.  Stir in the beef stock and wine and cook gently till thickened and bubbly.
About 1/2 hour before serving add 1 cup of sour cream and mix in well.  Cook gently till all is warmed and serve with egg noodles or rice.

The Front Yard Project

 I've wanted to post these pictures of the Front yard project for a while now but life sometimes get busy and complicated.  My normal time to be on the computer is early in the morning when I get up and the house is quiet but my job these past couple of months require me to be out of the house by about 7:30 and so getting some quality time on the computer has come to almost a standstill.  And then when I got home there were other things that required my attention so no computer time for me.

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Up until now we have been a one computer family and it's worked just fine.  I mean we are only two people so one computer seemed to work just fine...that is until my job changed and I couldn't get to the computer during the day.  I'm sure you are asking yourself why didn't I just use the computer at night....there are several reasons for that.  1 is that my husband is usually on the computer in the evening and it's how he winds down after a hard day of work.  Another reason is that I gather my thoughts best when I don't feel like I'm under a time constraint and even though my husband would be just fine with me using the computer all evening....I'd just rather do it at my leisure.  

So I'd been tossing around the idea of a laptop for a while now and I'd done some homework on them and I bit the bullet and bought one.  For someone who has always been a desk top person there is a bit of a learning curve but I am getting used to it slowly .  

That was a bit of a long way of getting around to posting these pictures but if you look back at the first post about the front yard project you can see we've come a long way.  We still have some work to do but you can see the direction that we are headed.   I will be very excited to get this project done and finally have the front garden that we both want and can be proud of.                                              

I'll post more pictures when there are more to show and I'll keep you updated on the backyard as well.