Ever get that feeling, you know that niggling little feeling that something is not good? The feeling you get when you watch, lets say a horror movie, and the person is about to open the door…don’t do it, don’t do it, there’s something baaad behind the door. You know they know it, but they do it anyways. And you always think to yourself, why, why? They knew something baaad was on the other side and they did it anyways. I recently had that feeling, but first, lets go back a couple of weeks.
McGyver loves Montana, McGyver loves to hunt, McGyver loves the cabin, McGyver loves Thanksgiving. McGyver suggests, why don’t we spend Thanksgiving up at the cabin and I can hunt. I thought about that for awhile, I consulted several people at work, because I do love going to the cabin but I love tradition also, and I wanted to support either way. Traditional Thanksgiving weekend at my house includes a big feast and lots of lounging around on Thanksgiving, then spending the rest of the weekend decorating for Christmas and eating leftovers. I’ve done this for about 25 years now.
I love the cabin too, been obsessed with it for a couple of years (I blogged about it here). A conundrum for sure. After much thought, I suggested a big meal at home and then we would go up to the cabin after our meal and spend the weekend up at the cabin. I’d pack all the leftovers and not have to do much cooking and McGyver and the Baby boy could go find me an elk. Now fast forward to one week before Thanksgiving.
It snowed, and it snowed and it snowed. I know, it’s Montana, its supposed to snow; but when you have plans to go to the mountains, maybe not so good. McGyver went up the weekend before we planned to leave. It took him 5 1/2 hours to get there. It normally takes 3 hours. He went through Helena, the long way, and he had to put chains on, but he claimed it wasn’t that bad. That’s when I got that feeling, you know the feeling I was mentioning earlier. I started dropping heavy hints that it may not be such a good idea to go. Heard but dismissed.
I again consulted my co-workers, native Montanans and Rocky Mountain folks. They agreed, it’s just to risky this time of year to go, you never know what’s going to happen with the weather.
“Honey, maybe we should reconsider?”
I started getting a little pissy, I had a baaad feeling and I was scared to go. On Thanksgiving Morning, McGyver senses my pissiness and asks me what is my problem. I tell him I have a baaaad feeling about this. He hugs me and tells me he checked the weather, the road conditions and with our year round cabin neighbor who declared the road drivable, but if I didn’t want to go, that was okay with him.
Here’s the part where I opened the damn door. We went. See, I love McGyver with all my heart and I want him to be happy. He knew I was concerned about the weather and driving conditions so he checked on that. He knew I was worried about the cold (the remoteness cold) so he bought two electric heaters, extra propane heaters, extra tire chains, a winch, long underwear and gaters for the Baby boy. He really wanted to make sure we enjoyed our time out there plus he spent like $500 to make sure we would be comfortable and safe. Despite that baaaad feeling I consented. I love you McGyver and I trust you.
We had an early Thanksgiving meal, got packed up and hit the road about 3:00 pm. Not bad for a Holiday. Sure enough the roads were looking good, it had warmed up a little and the snow was melting. By the time we hit McDonald pass it was dark and the wind had picked up. It caused the snow to blow across the road like a low flaky fog, swirling around, very mystical like. We made it to our exit and started our climb up. A few miles in, on a nice level spot, McGyver and the Baby boy put front and rear chains on the truck. This was a bit of an effort since McGyver had limited experience (like he used them for the first time in years the weekend before) and the Baby boy had never used them, me either.
Once they were on, we started up and up and up. Really it wasn’t too bad, at first. Then we passed by cars parked on the side of the road. I’m talking about the cars/trucks that belonged to the people who live year round up there, including our neighbor Jeff’s truck.
“What is his truck doing down here?”
“He brought it down here because he was afraid it wouldn’t start”
“Oh” I said, I got this baaaad feeling.
We continued up the mountain, The truck squirmed and groaned, slipping and gripping through the snow and mountainous road. I got quiet, not a peep. Radio was turned off, Baby boy instructed to be quiet. When you have to concentrate, silence is needed. McGyver needed to concentrate. I needed a downer or a few stiff drinks, it was getting scary and my baaad feeling was getting worse.. We got to within 1/4 mile of the cabin, and folks, this is the most scared I have ever been in my life. We were climbing up, the headlights glistening off the white snow, the drifts of white, untouched snow that was covering part of the road on our right. To our left, a cliff, a big cliff, no trees to to catch our fall (if you know where my mind was going). McGyver tried to press through the drifts but the lighter rear end of the truck protested and started sliding precariously to the cliff’s edge.
McGyver stopped the truck. Through his ragged breaths he said “I need to check this out”. McGyver got out, relieved himself (before it happened in the truck, fortunately) and smoked a cigarette. He surveyed the treacherous corners and decided that we should be able to press on. We were so close and the alternative of backing down the mountain would have been more treacherous. He got in the truck, took a few deep breaths, clutched the steering wheel and pressed on the gas. I prayed, I’m not a praying type, I prayed but I made no promises about being a better person if I survived. I just prayed to not slide off the road and down the mountain.
The truck already in a habit, wanted to let that rear end slide off the cliff. McGyver stopped the truck, backed up just a smidge, pressed on the accelerator to go forward. Crunch, crunch, the chains stuck out their claws and gripped the snow and we moved forward without sliding sideways. Exhale. Not a word did I dare say, not a “I knew this was a baaad idea”, not an “I told you so”. Just relief. We made it the last 1/4 of mile and stopped at the bottom of Jeff’s driveway and called him from the On*Star phone in the truck.
We headed down our driveway to the cabin, a little squirrely but not bad. And certainly, no cliffs on either side.
First order of business was to light a fire. Unfortunately our batteries in the cabin were dead so we didn’t have any lights. I held a flashlight for McGyver, he asked me to stay still, but I couldn’t stop shivering…. McGyver got the fire started, then he and the Baby boy unloaded the truck. I immediately took both the electric heaters upstairs and plugged them in. McGyver plugged in the generator, now all we had to do was wait for it to warm up.
It was too cold to sleep, so we decided to wait for awhile, until it warmed up a little. In the meanwhile we decided to watch one of the movies we brought. We all sat down on the futon, with our winter coats, scarves, hats and gloves. And for me, a rum and coke, no ice please. I needed something to calm my nerves. After we watched “Tooth Fairy”, which was funnier that I think it normally would be (hysteria does that, so does a couple of drinks), we went to bed. I in my long underwear and jammies and socks!
By the middle of the night, the place was a hot box. Off came the jammies and the socks and the covers. Off went the electric heaters, yup, that warm. It’s tough when you don’t have a thermostat to regulate your heat.
We all slept in, McGyver decided not to go hunting but to install the winch on the truck…ummm it needs to be installed? You mean that it wouldn’t have helped us on the way up? Good thing I didn’t know that one, it would have just added to my baaad feeling. Our neighbor Jeff dropped in. We were eating a late breakfast and I was in my silk long underwear, my very thin silk long underwear. Good thing I had an apron on, good thing he doesn’t care. We chatted a bit, I asked probing questions on road conditions, drifts on the road….why is your truck at the bottom of the mountain and you are using your sled because????
Why are you just now telling us that you are the last to leave your truck at the bottom and everyone else left theirs down there last week? Why is your definition of drivable different than any normal human beings? Why for the love of God would you lead McGyver into thinking a non-mountain man should be driving these roads in these conditions? I didn’t say any of that, I just thought it…. Then Jeff proceeded to tell us about the bad snow storm that was supposed to be coming sometime on Sunday. When Jeff, how bad? I did ask those questions but he couldn’t remember. McGyver decided that we better leave before noon on Sunday so we don’t get caught in it. I thought about that.
After breakfast and our visit we went out and about. Oh boy, see all the snow on the picnic bench!
McGyver decided to install the winch. Only it needed a special bracket that was NOT included. To be fair the box said “Easily mounts to your trailer hitch”. Nothing about NOT included, I think I’m going to sue. I have a baaaad feeling.
It was so picturesque and beautiful!
The dogs had a blast playing in the snow, freedom, no fence. Summer is almost camouflaged in the snow.
Have you ever seen snow dingle berries?
McGyver even bought electric heated beds for the dogs. The baby boy is enjoying it also. He has also managed to furminate the bed with his hoodie!
It was starting to warm up and snow was melting. It slid off the roof, imagine the sound of an Avalanche, only smaller. It tried to fill our truck bed… Warming conditions means a weather change. Melting snow equals slippery. My baaad feeling was intensifying.
I thought about it. “McGyver, I think we should leave on Saturday in case the weather moves in quicker, you know how unpredictable the weather is. I have a baaad feeling”
McGyver didn’t argue.
We enjoyed our day there, drank a few too many adult drinks, ate leftovers and watched movies. The next morning we were going to get up, get packed and head back down the treacherous road before noon. While the snow would be cold and frozen, while there would be plenty of daylight.
I couldn’t sleep that night. Oh sure, a few too many drinks and I was numb. Fell right asleep then woke up to the truck sliding off the edge of a cliff. I tossed and turned. I played out every possible scenario in my head and what I would do. Phones don’t work up here, On*Star is sketchy, so it would be all us baby. I even had a plan for: if we survived, our neighbor Jeff could take us down one by one on a sled, we would rent a car and drive home and leave the truck, our gear everything. Except my purse and my camera, but everything else. I might need some extra warm clothes for the trip down, and my gloves and scarf and two coats and a hat, but that’s it! Survival baby!
I was up from 1:30 am to 5:00 am. I gave up on tossing and turning, went downstairs and read, trying to distract my mind. I went back to bed, had to pee, went downstairs, read some more. Trying desperately to push the baaaad feeling and images from my mind. After all, McGyver is a GOOD driver, we made it up and going down should be easier.
I went to sleep for a couple of hours, pure exhaustion. Worrying is a lot of work (don’t all you parents know it!). The next morning I made a simple breakfast of hard boiled eggs and grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. I ate the egg, but couldn’t eat my sandwich, couldn’t even drink the coffee. My stomach was in knots. I didn’t want McGyver to know I was so nervous, so I told him it was just too hot in the cabin and I didn’t feel like eating. We packed up.
We winterized and cleaned the cabin.
This is the least cluttered my front room table has been in 6 months.
We brought in the log splitter, chain saw and other junk that piled up on the front porch into the cabin. This is the cleanest our front porch has been…if it could only stay that way. Can’t you see a bench or a rocking chair on that front porch?
Good bye to our good luck horseshoe and the McGyver and Giggles plaque that I wood burned for our 5th anniversary. By the way, the claddagh is the pattern on our wedding bands (how sweet). I free-handed the claddagh design, a big accomplishment for me since I’m not an artist and this was my first (and last) wood burning project.
We set off by noon, just as we planned. This time I knew what we were in for. I also knew that McGyver had proved himself to be an excellent driver and I tried to comfort myself with the fact that it would be easier going down than up. But I just couldn’t shake that baaad feeling.
We slid and squirmed our way up the driveway. At the fork of the driveway, McGyver stopped and asked me: “Should we go up the drive and back up to Jeff’s place and turn around or should we try to go up the short way and cut across?”
I told McGyver it was up to him, last time (Memorial Day Weekend, I thought we could get down the driveway and we got stuck, so I wasn’t going to make this call). Please read about it here, it will explain soooo much. McGyver decided to take the short cut up. Only he didn’t realize there was a log under all that snow. And he didn’t know that our front tire would catch it and it would pull us so far to the right and that we would get high centered. And that our tires, that were desperately trying to get us out would dig us down to the axle in a matter of seconds. In other words, we were stuck. I had a baaaad feeling.
McGyver got out and surveyed the situation (are you getting deja vu yet?). He knew he’d have to dig us out, he said “why don’t you walk down to the cabin and wait?”. Ummmm, I don’t have snow boots (I know, what crazy person lives in Montana without snow boots?). I decided to stay and read in the truck while he and the Baby boy set to get us out. McGyver did some digging and decided, hmmm, may not be enough, then McGyver walked down to the cabin and got the Rhino and brought back some wood. The Baby boy, bless his young heart, continued digging. McGyver came back and dug and dug. He put wood behind the wheels, hooked up the winch on the Rhino to the rear end and gave me the job of releasing it as he got traction on the wood.
“McGyver, why the winch on the rear?”
“Hopefully it will keep the rear end from sliding as I try to get out of this hole we’re in”
“OK”
McGyver got in the truck and (cross your fingers) hit the accelerator. The wheels spun and kicked the wood out. No movement.
All I could think of is “we’re fucked” (excuse my language…I’m panicking).
McGyver decided we needed more wood and said, I’m taking you and the dogs back down to the cabin where you’ll be comfortable. Read: I can’t stand the “I told you so” look, go to the cabin where I don’t have to be reminded of your baaaad feeling.
Back to the winterized cabin. I read my book. I furminated the burrs from Summer dog. I convinced myself that we were never getting out of here. I lit a fire in the woodstove so my boys would be warm when they gave up and came back. I got soot all over me. My fire burned out. I’m a bad mountain woman.
McGyver came down one more time to collect more wood. I asked “What if we are stuck here?” My first expression of my total desperation. McGyver says “I can’t think of that now” and heads back up to the truck to do what he feels so responsible for.
Then, 2 1/2 hours after getting stuck, McGyver drives back down as I am desperately trying to restart my failed fire and getting even more soot all over my adorable pink and camo polartech jacket. Honk, honk, woohoo, we are unstuck and it’s only 3:00 in the afternoon, time enough to get down. I can see McGyver’s elation that he unfucked the stituation and I am excited too, despite the road I know we have to travel. We are leaving on Saturday, before the baaad weather.
McGyver drives me and Becca up to the truck. Summer, will not get in the Rhino. Earlier in the summer, she was accidently run over by the Rhino. She has never forgotten and fears the Rhino. I thought she’d follow us up, but no way was she leaving that cabin. I mean, are you crazy? The cabin is safe and warm and fun! McGyver dropped me off at the now freed truck at the bottom of Jeff’s driveway, brought the Rhino back to the cabin and he and Summer would walk back up. Except half way up Summer decided “Are you crazy? The cabin is safe and warm and fun!”, she went back. So the Baby boy trekked down with the leash, nabbed her and brought her back.
We were all loaded up and ready to go. Ready as I could be. This reminded me of a time when I first was learning to ski, I conquered the bunny slopes and was doing the green runs with friends, no problem. Then, my more advanced friends got bored with the green runs and said “hey, do you mind if we go do some more advanced stuff while you work on your skills?”. No problem, I was getting pretty good, or so I thought. I hopped on the chair lift (easy to do) and rode up the “green run” only I didn’t realize that if you didn’t get off half way in between, the next stop was a more advanced run. I stayed on until I had to get off, at the top…. We went up, and up, the skiers started looking like ants and I got that baaad feeling. I got off at the very next stop….the last stop. It was not graceful. When I righted myself, I saw the sign for the run and knew I was in trouble. But once you were there, there was only one way down. I skied, crashed, got up again, skied and tumbled. Lost my goggles and hat. Skied, tumbled, got separated from one of my skis. Reunited with my ski, watched a 4 year old jump the moguls without poles and felt the fool. Got up, skied down (sort of), crashed into people at the bottom and promptly gave up skiing.
We were at the top and there was only one way down. I try to console myself with, it’s easier going down than up, but my skiing experience kept haunting me. I also tried to console myself with knowing that McGyver got us up here and he could get us down. We started down the mountain, of course the 1/4 mile from the cabin was the treacherous, snow drifted switch backs with a cliff hanging on the edge (this time my edge). McGyver navigated the corner, the truck seemed to have some horrible memory and the rear end started sliding to the edge of the cliff again. McGyver slowly pressed forward and the rear end would not cooperate.
He stopped the truck. Ragged breathing again. He was scared and I knew he felt the responsibility of the family’s safety on his him. He got out, he surveyed the situation (this time he didn’t need to pee..a good sign?). He got back in the truck and adjusted the side mirror so he could see how close to the edge we were. He had to back up. Tidbit at a time. He stopped. He took a deep breath. He pulled forward, we inched up and then the rear end, like a magnet, started to drift towards the cliff again. He stopped, he edged forward, then back, then forward. “Come on baby, come on”. It’s amazing how a little sweet talk with your vehicle will do wonders. We pulled through the worst corner/cliff.
It was all downhill from there baby… Actually my sphincter did not release until I saw the freeway and McGyver deemed it safe to remove the chains. We made it down, hallelujah! A weight should have been lifted, but when you have the fight or flight feeling, that racing heart and mind, that knot in your stomach, it just doesn’t go away so easily. I couldn’t even eat dinner that night, me, not eat?! I was so relieved when we pulled up to our little house. I was also so happy that I cleaned it before we left, it’s just a good feeling to come home alive to a clean house (I mean what if I died and the house was a mess?).
Home safe and sound, I texted everyone that knew that I was taking this precarious journey, to let them know I was safe. Then I had a few cocktails, I know, bad way to deal with your problems, but really? I do the best I can. I thought I would be exhausted. Collapse into a deep slumber, but I was still watching Food Network until midnight. I stumbled off to bed, only to toss and turn. My mind kept going through the what ifs. I got up, searched desperately for my Ambien (note to self to take up to the cabin….just in case). No luck, back to bed, snuggle with McGyver and finally sleep, real sleep.
We got up on Sunday morning, happy to be home. We took a look outside, and what to our wondering eyes should appear? Another foot of snow. As a point of reference, the truck had no snow on it when we arrived. The roads were clear yesterday, and now look.
Ummm, yeah, I need to take the fall decorations down.
We came home just in time. It’s a good thing that McGyver listened to my baaaad feelings or we would have really been in trouble.
On the way home McGyver asked the Baby boy “what have you learned from this?” The Baby boy responded “Not to drive up to the cabin when there is snow?”.
“No, grasshopper, the real lesson is to listen to your Mother!”
We had fun while we were up there, so you have to ask “was it worth it?”
HELL NO! Never jeopardize your safety for fun! This is coming from a woman who loves to ride a motorcycle, who loves adventure! But never without safety in mind first! Even crazy people who jump out of perfectly good airplanes put safety first.
Sorry about the mini lecture, I couldn’t help myself…
I never told McGyver “I told you so” but then again, I didn’t have to.
Happy Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for? That question always looms on this day of thanks. If you were to ask random people, you would almost always get the same answers: my health, my family, my friends, my home, that I have a job, my pets, etc. We often take those things for granted and it is always great to take time to appreciate all the good things we have. Food bloggers are thankful for some other uniques things, I have some that I’d like to share if you will indulge me.
1. I am grateful for the readers of my blog (the both of you…).
2. I am grateful for comments that are given, it’s the comments that keep me going, elated even. I can’t wait to read every single one of them.
3. I am grateful for my sometimes editors and photographers McGyver and the Baby boy.
4. I am grateful for my guinea pigs who try out whatever wacky dish I make (family, friends and co-workers).
5. I am grateful for everyone who grew a garden and raised animals this year and gave me freebies galore (just finished off the last of my free onions).
6. I am grateful for my Nikon D5000, it changed the world of photography for me.
7. I am grateful that I live someplace that gives me access to the best beef in world and fresh chicken, eggs, turkeys and vegetables from the local Hutterite colonies.
8. I am grateful for the Foodbuzz community, I have learned much, been inspired and met so many other bloggers.
9. I am grateful for all the other food bloggers. We are of like mind, I have learned so much from all of you.
10. I am especially grateful for Leah at Leftovers4Lunch she has been my inspiration and coach (her mom needed a lot of coaching i.e. “how do I twitter?”).
Enough sentiments…or I’ll make myself cry.
Need a quick appetizer? This is perfect for last minute guests and perfect for football watching days. I made this for the last Superbowl and took the poor pictures (yes, almost a year ago). I only had a point and shoot camera and I didn’t know the beauty of natural light or about angles, rule of thirds, focal points, apetures, shutter speed, don’t use flash on food, etc. Sometimes it’s good to look back and see how far you’ve come. Regardless of the quality of the pictures these little meat bites are a crowd pleaser for sure. We call them Heart Attacks on a Stick because they are lil’ smokies wrapped in bacon. Nothing like meat wrapped meat secured with a stick to make them easier to eat, to help clog the arteries.
Here’s to the heart attack! I warn you, they are very addictive!
Recipe
Ingredients
1 package Lil’ Smokies
1 package of center cut bacon
Brown sugar
Toothpicks
Directions
Start my cutting the bacon in half.
Lay one lil’ smokie in the middle of the bacon and wrap.
Secure with a toothpick.It looks so cute, all bundled up.
Place on a broiler pan or a cookie sheet with a cooling rack. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
(Notice I also didn’t pay attention to what was in the background of my pictures…would someone please come clear off my dining room table?)
Bake in a 400° oven until bacon is crisp. Serve immediately.
So simple, so deadly! I warn you again, they go fast, you may need to make a double batch!
Keeping in line with our companies focus towards healthier eating in the month of November (oh why couldn’t it be January instead?), our Thanksgiving potluck organizer (read me) encouraged the staff to prepare something healthier. Oh the resistance, the moaning and the groaning. Thanksgiving is when you let it all hang out, consume huge quantities of fat and calorie ridden foods, when you pop open the top button of your pants to make room for more. When you eat yourself into a food comatose, nap and go back for more.
Why, why, why would anyone want to eat healthier, after all it’s just one day of the year. But then there are the leftovers and one day stretches into 3 to 5 days. Seems like you finish your leftovers from Thanksgiving and Christmas is already here. Christmas only comes one time a year, so why, why, why would anyone want to eat healthier? To provide a little motivation, I offered to post on my blog, the best healthier recipe brought to the potluck. Everyone got excited about having their recipe posted!
Then the day of the potluck came around, and I got the usual: I forgot, I ran out of time, I was going to but…..
We had a few troopers who made an effort. I made my Pumpple Pie, there were mashed potatoes made with soy milk, Parmesan Corn Bread Puffs and reduced fat green bean casserole. Everyone’s favorite was a wheat salad. The salad is more on the ambrosia side and really not a side salad but more of a dessert. What amazed everyone, was that it was made from wheat berries. Mary, one of our nurse’s brought the dish in. She told me that she grew up eating this salad, and once she was on her own she would get her wheat berry from her parents because you couldn’t buy it in the stores. Times have changed and now Mary buys her wheat berry at the local health food store. Mary told me she likes getting it from the store because she doesn’t have to clean it.
Wheat berry is very healthy. They are small and circular and impart a slight nutty flavor. Their main contribution to nutrition is fiber. Plus wheat berries are chewy (think grape nuts), they take awhile to eat which can give your stomach more time to realize it’s full and be more satisfying to chew.
Keep in mind, this is a healthier dish and not necessarily the healthiest thing you could eat, but it was well like by all staff. No one, not no one, equated any part of it with being healthy. So, if you want to sneak one in on the family, try this recipe.
Recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups wheat berries
1 8oz package cream cheese (reduced fat)
2 cans crushed pineapple
2 small boxes vanilla pudding (sugar free)
2 large containers of cool whip (lite)
Directions
Place the wheat berries in a crockpot, cover with water and cook on low overnight for 8 to 10 hours. Drain and rinse with warm water. While the wheat berries are still warm mix in the cream cheese, then add 1 can crushed pineapple drained and the second can not drained. Stir in the vanilla and cool whip. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Pies are as important to a Thanksgiving meal as the turkey is. Even for me, the non-baker/dessert maker. Even I feel compelled to make not just one, but at least three pies. The holy trinity of pies is pumpkin, apple and pecan. My usual repertoire is pumpkin, apple and a cran-cherry because I don’t much care for pecan pie. I also don’t make my own crust, thank heavens for Pillsbury rolled crust.
For those of you who have been following my blog this month, I’ve made a commitment to eating healthier. Talk about a tough time to make that commitment. Cutting out desserts is an easy way (for me) to be healthier. Don’t ask me to give up my wine, cheese, butter or bacon. Dessert is just not that big of deal, except during the holidays. I’m a traditionalist at heart during this time of year. I cannot not serve pie at Thanksgiving and that’s that. Part of healthier eating is reducing fat, sugars and overall calorie intake. I pondered on this for awhile. No problem for the pumpkin pie, I’ll use fat free evaporated milk, maybe just use a single pie crust on my cran-cherry pie and skip the crumble and caramel toppling on my apple pie. That still leaves me with three pies for three people and leftovers, a lot of leftovers.
Then the light bulb went on. Put your sunglasses on because this idea is brilliant! Combine the holy trinity of pies. I know I’m not the first one to make a pumpple pie, there is even a pumpple cake out there (at 1800 calories per slice). To take my pie to the holy trinity level, I made a gingersnap crust and topped it with a pecan crumble. All the Thanksgiving pie flavors rolled into one. I’m sure it’s still not healthy, (afterall it uses a whole stick of butter) but only one pie equals not too much for the three of us. Bonus: more room in my refrigerator and less time in the kitchen.
Start out by making the gingersnap crust. You’ll need 1/2 lbs. of packaged gingersnap cookies, butter and sugar. You’ll also need a deep dish pie pan and a food processor.
Place the cookies in a food processor and whiz until you have nothing but fine crumbs. This should yield about 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.
Add the sugar and mix until well blended.
Melt the butter and add to the Gingersnap mixture. Using a fork mix well.
Pour into a deep dish pie pan and press into the pan, working the crumbs up the side. Bake in a 375° oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Meanwhile, let’s get the fillings ready. For the apple portion you’ll need, doh, apples, flour, sugar, lemon juice and cinnamon.
Peel, core and slice the apples. You should end up with approximately 2 cups.
Mix all the apple filling ingredients in a medium bowl and spread evenly into the prepared pie crust. Apple pie, check!
For the pumkin portion, you’ll need 1 can prepared pumkin (1 1/2 cups), 2 eggs beaten or 1/2 cup egg substitute, 1 cup fat free evaporated milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tbsp. pumkin pie spice and 1/4 tsp salt.
Mix until completely blended and smooth. Pour over apple filling. Pop the pie in the oven at 375° for 30 minutes. Pumpkin pie, check!
While the pie is cooking, prepare the crumb topping. You’ll need 1/3 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup flour, 5 tbsp. sugar, and the last of your stick of butter (4 tbsp.) melted.
I love it when things work out like that…no little bits to hang onto until some unforeseen time.
Mix all the ingredients with a fork. It will be nice and crumbly.
Insert brain fart here.
No picture of the mixture, use your imagination if you have one.
After 30 minutes, take the pumpple pie out of the oven and spread the pecan topping evenly across the top. Bake for another 20 minutes.
Pecan pie (sort of), check!
Oh my, the holy trinity of pies all in one, could it get better than that. Of course it could…top with whipped cream or some vanilla ice cream, or both…holy quatro/quinto-nity…even the pope himself would submit to gluttony.
Maybe next year I’ll make a sweet potato, mashed potato pie in a cornbread or stuffing crust, drizzled with gravy????? I think I’m on to something.
I had to add a note before I posted this. I took the experment to my guinea pigs at work (willing ones I assure you), and they had a few things to say.
“Oh my God, this is so good, you can taste each pie”
“I don’t even like pie but this is amazing”
“It’s like the Willy Wonka gumballs, each bite is like a different pie”
“This is so fun to eat”
“When are you posting the recipe, I have to make it”
2 cups apples (such as granny smith), peeled, cored and sliced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Pumpkin Pie filling
1 15 oz can pumpkin, or 1 1/2 cups fresh
1 cup fat free evaporated milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
Pecan crumb topping
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flour
5 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°. Mix the crust ingredients until well blended. Press into a deep dish pie pan. Bake in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile mix the sliced apples, lemon jice, sugar, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Spread evenly into the prepared crust. For the pumkin filling, mix the canned pumkin, evaporated milk, sugar, pumkin pie spice and salt until well blended and smooth. Pour over apple pie filling. Bake in a 375° oven for 30 minutes. While the pie is cooking prepare the pecan crumb topping. Mix the chopped pecans, flour, sugar and melted butter with a fork until well blended, the mixture will be crumbly. Spread the top of the pie evenly with the pecan crumble mixture and bake for another 20 minutes. Let cool before serving.
I love mashed potatoes. I am always coming up with different variations. It’s so easy to mash some potatoes up and experiment. I love mashed potatoes so much that this is actually my second post within a week about them. Part of it may be the upcoming holiday. My Thanksgiving must always have a turkey, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pie, extra large black olives that I can place on each of my fingers and eat on by one and mashed potatoes.
A very traditional menu to be certain. Sounds traditional but I change up the flavors every year (except the green bean casserole…not fond of a revolution in my house on a holiday). I had some leftover buttermilk, like the stem of many of my creations, that needed to used or tossed soon. Knowing I was using the buttermilk, the rest of my inspiration came from the American go to salad topping: Ranch dressing. It’s creamy and herby; sounds like a good match for creamy mashed potatoes. Bonus, buttermilk is lower in fat than cream, half and half, and even regular milk.
Start by dicing the Yukon Gold potatoes. A 1 inch dice is what I usually do. Funny dice are usually about 1 inch…coincidence?
Cover the potatoes with water and add salt.
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Once it starts to boil turn it down to medium high and cook until the potatoes are ‘fork tender’. It took mine about 12 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot.
Add the butter and mash. I’m quite lazy so my potatoes are always “rustic” (read: lumpy)
Mix in some garlic powder, white pepper and salt to taste. I like to use garlic powder because it distributes evenly through my potatoes without ever biting into a garlic piece. I could mash the garlic with some salt, but we know…I’m lazy!
Warm the buttermilk in the microwave for 30 seconds and add to the potatoes. Start with 1/4 c and add more to get the creamy consistency you prefer.
Almost there….Add fresh chives (do not substitute yucky dried chives) and fresh chopped thyme (may substitute dry-thyme dries wonderfully).
If you are looking for a new flavor for your mashed potatoes this holiday, something different but not too far off the traditional, the Herbed Mashed Potatoes will be a big hit.
Pinky swear!
Recipe
Ingredients
1 to 1/2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, diced to 1” cubes
1/4 c butter
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 1/2 tsp. salt (divided)
1/4 to 1/3 c buttermilk
1/2 tbsp. chives, chopped
1/2 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
Directions
Place cubed potatoes in a large pot, cover with water and add 1 tsp. of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium high and continue cooking until the potatoes are fork tender, about 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add butter and mash into the potatoes, mash the potatoes until they are well broken down. Stir in garlic powder, white pepper and 1/2 tsp salt. Warm the buttermilk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add to the potatoes along with the chopped chives and fresh thyme. Blend completely and serve immediately.
It’s official, I can’t deny it. Winter is here and it’s here to stay. I almost believed it wouldn’t come, we had a very wet summer (which uncovered that our basement leaks and we have a nice crack in the foundation). Oh but the fall, the fall was perfectly warm, kind of balmy actually. We made it through September, October and most of November without needing anything more than a light weight cover up to keep us warm. I started to believe that global warmer had finally hit Montana. Any thoughts of a mild winter were shattered, demolished, frozen from my mind. It has snowed every day this week and our lovely temps are in the single digits, at nights sometimes we don’t even make a digit if you can consider zero as non-existent. It’s so not going away, so much so, that I actually paid $17.99 for salt. I’m not talking about Fleur de Sel, Amabito No Moshio, black, grey or SaltySeattle salt. I’m talking about de-icer type salt, so I can walk to my car without having to strap on a pair of ice skates.
One thing that winter does for me, it puts me in the mood for warm comforting food. Suddenly soups and casseroles and crock pot meals are turning out of my kitchen faster than I can eat them and more than my freezer can hold. Soups and stews are always a favorite of mine. Perhaps because my mother made them frequently. Not so much to be warm and comforting, but mostly a way to use up leftovers and stretch a dime. My mom was always pinching a penny when she could, she would buy products that other people would turn their noses up at. No demand = cheaper to buy. One of the items that she liked to pick up were oxtails. Back in the day these guys were cheaper than burger! Sure everybody likes to get a little tail, but mention ox and they steer clear, get it…steer clear. Maybe I should change my tag line to the ramblings of a girl who uses bad puns?
Times have changed and so has attitude about food. Somehow oxtails became popular, haute cuisine even. Popularity = more expensive. Needless to say, I was absolutely delighted when I saw a reduced sticker on a package of oxtails. A lover of deals and $17.99 poorer, $4.51 for 3lbs of oxtail couldn’t have made me happier. The cold weather got me yearning for some soup and oxtail soup would fit the bill nicely. There was no secret family recipe for good oxtail soup, matter of fact I’ve actually never made it myself. After searching the internet for awhile I settled on the version from Simply Recipes. It seemed to be the one that mostly resembled what I grew up eating other then calling it stew instead of soup.
I made a few modifications, based on what I had on hand and taste preference. Other than some minor changes, I stuck fairly close to the recipe. I started off by patting the oxtails dry and then adding salt and pepper.
I browned these beauties up in a little bit of olive oil.
I chopped up some carrots and leeks. I substituted the leeks for onions because my poor leeks were about to give up the last of their life. The oxtail went off to drain on some paper towels and and I cooked the carrots and leeks until the leeks were tender.
At this point I veered from the recipe a bit by adding my broth and wine to the carrots and leeks to deglaze the pot.
The oxtail went back into the pot with the garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Simmer for 3 hours.
Meanwhile, dice and roast the rest of your veg.
I used only one parsnip, because I might have possibly purchased the world’s largest parsnips.
I used rutabagas in lieu of turnips because my Baby boy doesn’t really care for turnips.
The Baby boy took on look at my cutting board and thought, yum, Gouda and Monterey Jack.
He ended up being disappointed.
Roast for 1 hour at 350.
Add the roasted veg to the oxtail soup and serve immediately.
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch segments, large pieces also cut lengthwise
2 1 ginormous parsnips, cut into 1-inch segments, large pieces also cut lengthwise
2 turnips rutabagas, cut into 1-inch pieces
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
*If cooking gluten-free use homemade stock or gluten-free packaged stock.
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat dry oxtails with paper towels. Sprinkle oxtails all over with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium to medium high heat in a 6-quart Dutch oven. Working in batches, and not crowding the pan, sear the oxtails in hot pan on all sides until golden brown. Use tongs to remove oxtails to a plate, setting aside.
2 Add the chopped onion, carrot, and celery to the pan. Cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add stock and wine to deglaze the pan. Add the oxtails back to the pan. Add the whole garlic cloves, the stock and wine. Add bay leaf, thyme, and half a teaspoon of salt. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 3 hours, until meat is fork tender.
3 One hour before the meat is done, heat oven on 350°F. Toss carrots, parsnips, and turnips in olive oil in a roasting pan. Sprinkle well with salt and pepper. Roast vegetables for 1 hour, or until lightly browned and cooked through.
4 When meat is tender, remove oxtails from the cooking liquid. Either skim the fat off the top with a spoon, use a fat separator to remove the fat, or chill the cooking liquid for several hours so that the fat solidifies, making it easier to remove. If you are making ahead, at this point you can just put the stew in the refrigerator (let come to room temp first), with the oxtails still in it, and let it chill over night. The next day, scrape off the fat, reheat and then remove the meat from the dish.
5 Pour the cooking liquid through a mesh strainer into a bowl, using a rubber spatula to press against the vegetable solids caught in the strainer. Discard the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and simmer until reduced by half. Then add back in the oxtails, and add the roasted vegetables to the pan. Heat on low heat for half an hour for the flavors to meld. Add some chopped parsley before serving.
As I mentioned earlier in the month, my company is focusing on eating healthier and has challenged each of the Plasma Centers to provide activities all month. I have wanted been dying to do a cooking demonstration for awhile and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.
I wanted to do something easy, that didn’t require cooking (we don’t have facilities for that) and that would expand the Montanan palate. California Rolls were seemed like the obvious choice. When I announced it to the staff I got mixed reviews. There were some fans of sushi, but this is cattle country, meat and potatoes are the fav here. I reassured everyone that I was not going to use anything raw and that the class was voluntary.
I came into work the day before and set up some items. A few things to snack on: rice cracker mix, wasabi peas and a little treat called Pocki. I brought my tea pot and tea cups from home and planned some agari (green tea) to accompany the rolls. I even had handouts with step by step instructions.
I began the class with a 5 minute power point presentation covering the history of sushi, the difference between sushi and sashimi, the 4 most popular sushi and some basic sushi eating etiquette. Naturally I prepped all my ingredients at home and brought in a variety (green onion tops, carrots, cucumber, cream cheese, surimi (fake crab meat), and egg (thanks Brad for the duck eggs).
I toasted the Nori (seaweed wrap) over a bunsen burner, smart huh!
Look at the class…this may be the first time they have actually listened to me at work
After demonstrating one roll and, according to the class seemingly making it look easy, the hands on part began (with a little coaching).
Try not to be distracted by how horrible my hair looks, my mother taught me to look better than that!
There was a little tom foolery going on also.
We got the power!
The best part of a cooking demonstration? The sampling afterwards.
Here are some shots of their handy work:
When I said to get the ingredients as close to the edge as possible, some people were over achievers.
And sometimes the rolls, they just didn’t stay together.
All disfigured rolls are not to be served, we have higher standards than that.
The chef must dispose of them immediately by consuming them before anyone sees them.
So I have to say it…this is how we California roll, hahahehehoho, I make myself laugh.
Nice work, the class gets an A+.
A special thanks to Sam and Airon who picked up my camera without prompting and took photos.
Like my Pork Roast with Chimichurri, my Pepper Jack Mashed potatoes were basically thrown together on a whim. They are so flavorful and stupidly simple to make. I used Yukon Gold potatoes because they have a nice buttery flavor and I am trying to be a bit healthier. I felt like I could reduce the butter and get away with using some fat free half and half and still get a lot of flavor and a nice texture also. Actually they were the only potatoes that I had, but it sounded like I put some thought into it…at least for a moment. I’m not sayin that these potatoes are healthy, I’m just sayin that I reduced the fat by using fat free half and half and using less butter. But I added shredded cheese, so it may be a wash? At least it’s not as bad as adding cream, a stick of butter and cheese. What ended up with was some wonderfully flavorful mashed potatoes that didn’t require any additional “dressing up” (extra butter, gravy, etc.).
Recipe
4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled (if desired) and cut into equal sized cubes
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup Fat Free half and half (FF evaporated milk is a good substitute)
1 cup shredded Pepper Jack Cheese
Salt to taste
Extra shredded cheese and sliced pickled or fresh jalapeno for garnish if desired.
Place cubed potatoes in a large pot and fill with water until the potatoes are just covered, salt the water if desired. Over high heat, bring to a boil, once the water starts to boil turn the heat down to medium high and continue to cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain well and return to the pot, add the butter and 1/4 of the half and half. Mash the potatoes using a hand masher or whichever method you prefer. (I always prefer the one that requires the least amount of clean-up which is the main reason why I love lumpy rustic mashed potatoes.) You’ll want your potato mixture to be slightly “loose” or “milky”, as in not super thick. Add more half and half if necessary. Once you add the cheese and the cheese melts your potatoes will thicken up nicely. If they aren’t thick enough for you, no worries, put them over low heat and cook them a bit longer until some of the moisture is cooked out. Add salt to taste.
I’m thinking the leftovers would make a great potato pancake, or perhaps rolled up in a tortilla with some spicy pork roast (if you have any leftover) or spicy shredded beef?
It feels so strange to me to post recipes without the step by step photos….I’m sure I’ll get used to it, maybe I’ll like it better, it certainly is less time consuming. I guess it will just take some getting used to. Because I feel guilty about posting only 2 photos and because I find this somewhat humorous I’d like to share with you:
A Boy and a Knife
Remember the Ginsu Knife? Can you believe they still sell it? It’s still an “As Seen On TV” product, maybe it’s a good thing? At the recent Foodbuzz Festival we received a swag bag full of goodies. One of the items was a cheap Chinese version of the Ginsu knife. Really? There is a cheap version of the Ginsu knife?! The baby boy riffled through my goodie bag and his eyes lit up when he saw a KNIFE. He couldn’t wait to try it, will it really live up to it’s advertisement?
Fortunately for my baby boy, I had a very solid cardboard tube (not the wimpy Christmas wrapping paper kind), this tube was solid. I wanted it cut into two pieces so I could use it to wrap some fabric around and prevent it from wrinkling. The baby boy set to work on it immediately on my dining room table. I wasn’t having any of that, I mean what if it really worked and he cut through it like butter and than sliced my table in half? Not likely, I know, but I relegated him to the garage to do his experimentation.
As you can see, the baby boy had to put some effort into it…so much like cutting like it was butter. As you can see, he got somewhat frustrated, impatient, whatever, and decided to break it with his leg (while Summer dog watched). Our cheap Ginsu didn’t quite cut through the cardboard, either from the lack of the boys patience, strength or the fact that the knife that isn’t quite what it is advertised to be.
I am happy to report that it can cut through an aluminum can (only if you put the spear like end through it first). It will still slice bread or a tomato, but hello! It’s a serrated blade. Beyond that, not really all that it’s advertised to be. So save your $9.95 (the price of the original) or however much the “cheap” version cost.
Every now and then you whip up something with out giving it a lot of thought. It always surprises me when it comes out better than expected. I had scored this 4 lb pork sirloin roast (bone in) for $4.08 (hurray for catching good deals). It’ been in my freezer for awhile just waiting for me to have enough time to cook it. I had no particular plan but I did have some parsley from my garden that I needed to use before it starts freezing here. I just hate to waste (as noted by my waist). A chimichurri sauce seemed like an excellent way to use it and I haven’t made it in forever! Chimichurri originates from Argentina and is traditionally served over steak. To help my pork carry the garlicky, vinegary and slightly spicy sauce, I made a mild chili rub which paired perfectly with the sauce. I served it with Pepper Jack Mashed Potatoes (recipe for next post), a marriage made in heaven.
To understand how good this roast turned out, I will quote the Baby boy “Mom, next time I have friends over, you have to make this”. I thought I would get at least 3 meals from my roast, no dice. It was so good that my boys couldn’t stop picking at, even after my insistence that they would get it again the next night if they left it alone. Evidently resistance was futile and we didn’t have much leftover. McGyver squeaked out a pork sandwich the next day and left us with so little that I had to incorporate the roast into something else to stretch it.
The real reason why the roast was such a hit was the cooking method. Cooking Pork sirloin roast with the bone in is not as simple as sticking a roast in the oven and forgetting about it. In order to get it between 155° and 165° degrees the pork just dries out. Dried pork is not tasty. Something had to be done. Since I am not cleaver enough to figure it out myself, I used the cooking method from Cook’s Illustrated, and let me tell you, it made a $4 pork roast into a spectacular moist and tasty roast!
Let’s start with the rub:
Smokey Chili Rub
2 tbsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. Chili powder
1/2 to 1 tsps. smoked paprika
Mix the dry ingredients. Rub all over pork roast. Marinate up to 24 hours. If you are me, you don’t plan that far ahead and marinate it as long as it takes the oven to get up to temp.
Roast
1 4-5 lb bone-in pork sirloin roast with rub
Meat thermometer
Preheat oven to 475°. Place roast in a shallow roasting pan with a rack or on a cookie sheet with a cooling rack. Place on middle rack in oven and cook for 35 minutes. Remove the roast from the oven and let rest for 35 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Return the roast to the oven and cook an additional 60 to 90 minutes, the temperature should be at least 145°. Remove and rest for another 20 minutes, the temperature should reach at least 155°. I like my pork a little on the pink side, if you prefer yours more done, please adjust times and temps as needed.
Note: Place the thermometer in the thickest midway part of the meat without touching a bone for the most accurate reading.
Chimichurri
1/2 c chopped parsley (approximately a big handful)
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves or 2 tsp dried
3/4 tsps. salt
1/2 tsps. crushed red pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender and pulse until nicely blended. If you aren’t using a food processor or blender, finely chop the parsley and garlic. Add the spices and mix well, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.
P.S. It is the dark time of the year so many of my posts will not have the step by step instructions. If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment or email me at thekitchenwitchblog@gmail.com.
Food, Wine and Fun. Food, Beer and Laughs. Food, Wine and Friendships. Food, Beer and Inspiration. Food, Tequila and Party. Food, Cosmopolitans and Birthday. Food, Booze and a Great Time!
Saturday night was the big Gala. Seemingly every event begins like this….
The venue was spectacular.
I’d like to give a shout out to Shane, our server. He kept the wine flowing for me and “my friends” and made our whole dining experience just fun!
We started with a Roasted Golden Beet Tart.
And then melt in your mouth Seared Scallops with Bonny Doon Vineyard Verjus Beurre Blanc.
Followed by Rosemary and Garlic Infused rack of Lamb.
Finished with a light dessert of Tarta de Almendras with Oranges (and figs..superb)
Every dish was perfectly paired with wine by Bonny Doon Vineyards. If you haven’t tried their wines, do so.
Lots of food Paparazzi.
We had a small adventure trying to hail a cab, let’s just say our feet were not happy campers! We tried to go to the Clock Bar but it was full so we hiked it back to our hotel.
We hit the Starlight Lounge on the top floor. This is when Leah realizes it’s after midnight. Know what happens after midnight? No we don’t turn into crazed Gremilins. Accoding to McGyver nothing good happens after midnight, but in this case it turned into my birthday.
Which started like this.
And continued like this….
With a dash of this.
Ending with really squinty eyes….????
Think it’s time to toddle off to bed.
My poor baby, the morning after. It was rough but she squeaked out a hung over smile.
I started my birthday morning with brunch.
Umm, yeah, decided to skip the bar. It was pay as you go, now if it were included…
Are you kidding, my liver will have to take a month off to recover.
Poor Miss Leah couldn’t even finish her meal. She went back up to the hotel room and I stayed and chatted with foodies@home. We swapped dog stories, food stories, stories about chicken heads???
After packing and checking out of the hotel, Leah and I had some time before we left. We stopped in at Teuschers which had the most adorable packaging and chocolates.
In the rain, we made our to Chinatown. We stumbled across this tea shop (Vital Tea Leaf). A perfect warm up for a couple of wet and cold tourist.
We both walked away with a bag of the Siberian Rose tea.
I ended my San Francisco food and drink experience at the Airport. My waiter told me that Perry’s was voted #1 for Airport Food. Didn’t even know airport food was rated. I had the Ahi tuna melt, and I have to say, not bad for airport food.
